john shelby spong

wimsweden at youtube mentioned john shelby spong in his reply. I googled him and read a little. I will need to read more. I liked this youtube vid from one of his lectures:

"suppose we strip God of the supernatural power that we have created in Him . . . ."

Steve Chalke

also from this week's tablet I discovered that Steve Chalke - an important member of the evangelical Christian community has changed his view regarding gay marriage.
after googling I found an interesting article from a friend of his who writes:
 
"Steve's public declaration in support of Civil Partnerships will cause reverberations far and wide. His statement represents the first time that a major evangelist and leader in the Evangelical community has come out in support of same-sex relationships.Both those who support same-sex partnerships and gay marriage as well as those who oppose such developments will look upon Steve's declaration as a watershed. It is one more evidence that a major shift is taking place on this controversial subject, not only within mainline Christianity, but among Evangelicals.

When Steve talked to me on the phone, he told me that he felt both compelled and afraid to make his stand. Compelled because, in his understanding, the principles of justice, reconciliation and inclusion sit at the very heart of Jesus' message. Afraid because he recognises the Bible is understood by many to teach that the practice of homosexuality, in any circumstance, is 'a grotesque and sinful subversion.'
He knows that some will think that he has strayed from Scripture. However, he says, he has formed his view, not out of any disregard for the Bible's authority, but by way of grappling with it and, through prayerful reflection, seeking to take it seriously.
He claims that "one tragic outworking of the Church's historical rejection of faithful gay relationships is our failure to provide homosexual people with any model of how to cope with their sexuality, except for those who have the gift of, or capacity for, celibacy. In this way we have left people vulnerable and isolated. When we refuse to make room for gay people to live in loving, stable relationships, we consign them to lives of loneliness, secrecy, fear and even of deceit. It's one thing to be critical of a promiscuous lifestyle - but shouldn't the Church consider nurturing positive models for permanent and monogamous homosexual relationships?"
"Promiscuity", he says, "is always damaging and dehumanising. Casual and self-centered expressions of sexuality - homosexual or heterosexual - never reflect God's faithfulness, grace and self-giving love. Only a permanent and stable relationship, in which respect and faithfulness are given and received, can offer the security in which well-being and love can thrive."
(my own underlinings) The article is by Tony Campolo

on vatican 2

quoting from the tablet again.

Pope Paul stressed that Vatican II "had affirmed the legitimate autonomy of culture and particularly of the sciences." By doing so, it had made an essential distinction between "secularisation" and "secularism" and had situated the church in a deliberately paradoxical relationship with the world.
It was only from within a positive relationship with "authentic" secularisation that the church could discern in the world that surrounded it, and in which it was lovingly engaged, "a powerful and tragic appeal to be evangelised". It is this sense of paradox, so crucial to the whole thrust of Vatican II, that seems to be threatened by the more simple and sweeping (and therefore more "fundamentalist") emphasis on an outright rejection of "relativism" as a whole.

Dominic Milroy of Ampleforth


In his final paragraphs, Dominic makes a moving plea - diplomatically worded -

"The church has problems that are well-known to everyone and which echo those in society in general. Problems of family and sexual morality, the decline in catholic practice, the incidence of sexual abuse, the shortage of candidates for the celibate priesthood, the shift in the perception of women's role in society, the widespread "popular" protest against some aspects of global capitalism, the concern for the longterm care of our planet and the unconvincing progress in ecumenical dialogue - these are complex challenges that Catholics think and care about.
Such catholics (and presumably he counts himself amongst their ranks)  often wonder whether the church, not as  a top-down institution but as the prophetic people of God journeying together, might find some way of addressing these challenges more openly and with the risky confidence that made Vatican II so exhilarating."

an advert in this week's tablet

"an invitation to experience God in the midst, mess and mystery of our lives"

further down it continues:
"through poetry, film, story and silent reflection we try to understand ourselves in a more authentic way: our relationships, our memories, our failures, our dreams. With this new grace of seeing and being, our daily lives are transformed."
no modesty here then, but it caught my eye and stirred my imagination. It struck me also that this couldnt be just about individuals, more the church as a whole . . . . .
one weekend activity I would have liked to attend. Alas, it's in May. . . . . .

l'étranger

in truth I live on the edge of despair.
this sounds overdramatic, but really it is where I have always lived.

it isnt to say that I do not know joy.

just not often.

but feeling despair is better than feeling nothing at all:
it tells me I am still alive . . . . .

sort of.

but in truth my alienation is near complete.

it is only you who sustain me, and perhaps it was ever thus,
although I didnt know it. . . . . .
and I still forget.

without you I am l'étranger. 

music helps