Glocal Christianity

Prayer for the Journey

Lord, take me where You want me to go;
Let me meet who You want me to meet;
Tell me what You want me to say, and
Keep me out of Your way.

Father Mychal Judge, 2001

I am facing some significant career choises this week. My contract finishes, not this Friday but the next, and I have verbally received two job offers for roles elsewhere. Waiting for the paperwork to arrive. Feeling anxious. Hoping I am making the right decision for me and the family. Prayers for the journey appreciated.

Good Karma?

Those who judge will be judged
Those who forgive will be forgiven
What about those who give just to get?

Extreme Prophetic?

I was doing some web surfing this morning and came across a woman name Patricia King who seems to be combining ... wait for it ... Christian fundamentalism with Christian esotericism and New Age speak into a funky right wing blend called "Extreme Prophetic". What an incredible combination! I first came across a video of her on a blog post about "How to spot a Christian mystic" and I am not sure what is more hilarious, her Bill and Ted-esque "whoas" or the panicky text insertions of her fundamentalist critics. With further investigation I came across her article on Blue Flame where Patricia seems to be doing her best to channel New Age guru Elizabeth Claire Prophet. The irony of all this for me, as mystically inclined Christian, is that both her and her detractors seem to be confusing esotericism for mysticism, in a way that muddies the waters about both. Not see(r)ing much insight here, just a lot of ammaturish teaching about things not really understood. She seems to have Toronto Blessing connections. Any of you heard of her?

Inside a Hindu Temple

While we are on the subject of temples, here are some insider views of some Hindu temples.

A Hindu Temple prayer Ceremony

Opening Canada's largest Hindu Temple

Preparing the Hindu Temple In India

We have a temple near us. I have been in it once but only briefly. I think you'd agree its very different from the Christian experience.

Inside a Mormon Temple

Ever wondered what's inside a Mormon temple? Here are two videos that take you on a tour.

What's your experience of Mormons?

Pagan Christ's

Every now and then I come across Pagans invoking the "Pagan Christ's" of ancient mythology as an argument against the uniqueness of Jesus and his death and resurrection. It is interesting to note what C S Lewis had to say in response to this:

Christ is more than Balder, not less. We must not be ashamed of the mythical radiance resting on our theology. We must not be nervous about “parallel” and “pagan christs”: they ought to be there—it would be a stumbling block if they weren’t.¹

If my religion is erroneous, then occurrences of similar motifs in pagan stories are of course instances of the same or a similar error. But if my religion is true, then these stories may well be a preparation evangelica, a divine hinting in poetic and ritual form of the same central truth which was later focused and (so to speak) historicized in the Incarnation.²

Now as myth transcends thought, incarnation transcends myth. The heart of Christianity is a myth which is also a fact. The old myth of the dying God without ceasing to be myth, comes down from the heaven of legend and imagination to the earth of history. It happens – at a particular date, in a particular place, followed by definable historical consequences. We pass from a Balder or an Osiris, dying nobody knows when or where, to a historical person crucified (it is all in order) under Pontius Pilate. By becoming fact it does not cease to be myth: that is the miracle. I suspect that men have sometimes derived more spiritual sustenance from myths they did not believe than from the religion they professed. To be truly Christian we must both assent to the historical fact and also receive the myth (fact though it has become) with the same imaginative embrace which we accord to all myths. The one is hardly more necessary than the other is.³

¹C. S. Lewis, God in the Dock: Essays on Theology and Ethics, ed. Walter Hooper (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1970), p. 67 .

²Lewis, God in the Dock, p. 132.

³C. S. Lewis, “Myth Became Fact,” in The Grand Miracle and Other Selected Essays on Theology and Ethics from God in The Dock, ed. Walter Hooper (New York: Ballantine, 1970), pp. 38-42 (41-42).

Bacon Saviour

Thus image, "Bacon Saviour" by *whitlam1 is, well, hardly worshipful but thought provoking all the same. He writes:

"The title of this image comes from the phrase “saving your own bacon” – meaning self-preservation at all costs. The false effigy of Christ, the “bacon saviour”, represents the common Christian viewpoint of eternal life, which is usually interpreted as meaning life after death. The concept of an after-life serves as an incentive to be good, but also undermines the concept of a ‘selfless act’ by giving it a selfish motivation. If the will to do the right thing springs not from the enlightened conscience but from the desire for self-preservation, then it ceases to have any spiritual value. I suspect that the original meaning of ‘eternal life’ was something quite different. When one transcends the ego a death of the ‘self’ occurs and the individual is reborn in a new state of being. The crucifixion itself is just a metaphor for this death and re-birth of self, and one that occurs across many civilisations that pre-date Christianity. Once the death of the self occurs, the body becomes regarded as a mere transitory vessel, which exists only in order to carry the spirit (by spirit I mean the actual experience of being alive, of sentience, self-awareness, the sensation of thought). It’s an idea summed up nicely by Joseph Campbell, who described it as the realisation that “we are the light, not the bulb”. From this enlightened perspective the spirit can perceive of itself as a part of the greater whole, identical to all other living things; though our experiences and our personalities may differ, these things are only transient, like our bodies, and will inevitably die. Once you’ve come to terms with this notion and made peace with it, then all you are left with is the ‘eternal’. Thus the phrase ‘eternal life’ does not refer to an after-life at all, but rather refers to the here and now, viewed in terms of what is infinite and constant."

Now, while unlike the artist I think the crucifixion and resurrection is far more than just a metaphor, I do appreciate what he has to say about selfless action. We should seek God and his ways above and beyond God's blessings.

A Wiccan in a Baptist Church

"I went to church ... and let me tell you that was not what I expected at all ... I was expecting there to be more God"

A disturbing and compelling account don't you think? I am having visions of Jesus walking in and upending a few tables.

Banquet above the abyss

An unusual Christian painting here don't you think? The artist, Joseph, calls in "Double Coronation" but says it could also be named "Banquet above the abyss". He explains it all at length here.

Christian Diversity

The other evening I was thinking about Christian diversity and how to explain the differences between Catholic, Orthodox and Protestant traditions to new believers and interested enquirers. Now, I am sure there are many ways to approach this but after some reflection I am inclined to suggest that the critical difference comes down to different understandings of apostolic authority. What is authoritative for the church? Who is an authority within the church?

In contrast to Buddhism, where different traditions within it literally have different scriptures, within Christianity different traditions still affirm the same scriptures as authoritative, at least for the most part. We all affirm the same New Testament scriptures, and even the same ecumenical Creeds. The differences don’t arise from there. Instead the differences arise through differences in the way we interpret scripture and tradition – What part does tradition play in interpretation? What part does the church play in interpretation? Who has authority to interpret?

The context in which revelation is interpreted shapes how we understand it.

Catholic Christians have a very hierarchical approach; they emphasize Papal authority and link apostolic authority to Papal succession. Orthodox Christians have a more consensus approach; they emphasize the authority of the ancient ecumenical councils and link apostolic authority to the church acting as a whole, within parallel jurisdictions. Protestant Christians have a more tradition-critical / individualistic approach; they emphasize the Bible’s authority over later tradition and accord apostolic authority to any church or Christian acting in harmony with the apostle’s teaching in scripture.

How does this work out in practice? Well for starters we all agree with the Nicene Creed, but for different reasons. Catholic Christians accept its authority because the Pope presided over it. Orthodox Christians accept its authority because it was ecumenical (except for the filoque bit). Protestant Christians accept its authority because, while it goes beyond the Bible, it is fully consistent with it.

Where the traditions disagree, it is often for similar reasons. Protestants will disagree with other traditions where there is insufficient New Testament support for them. At its best this can be a useful check against cultural accretations and theological drift. Orthodox will disagree with other traditions where there is insufficient consensus with the wider church over its long history. This can be a useful check against overly ahistorical or eccentric readings. Get the idea?

But what this led me to consider is the shape of the church in a post-Christendom world. You might recall that I have previously suggested that the distinction between clergy and laity is not nearly as significant as the distinction between disciples and non-disciples in a post-Christendom environment. I am inclined to extend this and say the distinctions between Catholics, Protestants and Orthodox pales into insignificance when compared to the distinctions between Christians and non-Christians – and its time we start remembering this forgotten truth. Whatever our differences, we all worship Jesus as God, we are all disciples of Jesus.