autumn (3)

Posted by Paul | Filed under photos

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Read more | Comments (0) | September 23rd, 2008

autumn (2)

Posted by Paul | Filed under photos

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Read more | Comments (0) | September 22nd, 2008

autumn (1)

Posted by Paul | Filed under photos

I’ve really been lax on the ‘instamatic’ part of this blog recently (I know what you’re thinking, the theology wasn’t too hot either…), so here, over the next few days, are some autumn-related pictures.

(All brought to you thanks to direct scanning of the objects. Which raises the question, are they photos?)

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Read more | Comments (1) | September 21st, 2008

celebrating cultivation

Posted by Paul | Filed under uncategorised

In the same vein as the last post, here is a quote from Andy Crouch (see Cultivating Where We’re Planted)

In their book Church on Sunday, Work on Monday Laura Nash and Scotty McLennan tell the story of the woman who litigated the clean up of the terribly polluted Boston Harbor for the Environmental Protection Association—one of the major environmental breakthroughs of the twenty-first century. She was a member of an evangelical church, and the only time she was ever recognized from the front of this church was the year that she taught second grade Sunday school. Obviously we should celebrate our Sunday school teachers, but when one of our members acting out of vocation leads in such a tremendous restoration of God’s creation, why wouldn’t we celebrate that, too? And if our churches celebrated that more there would be a less of a sense of saying “yes” to the one, “no” to the other.

Celebrating what people are doing out beyond church walls feels like a risk for pastors, but I think that fear is unfounded.

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Read more | Comments (0) | September 8th, 2008

the total fabric of life

Posted by Paul | Filed under uncategorised

I’ve been enjoying David Koyzis’s book Political Visions and Illusions immensely. 
Although slightly tangential to the main discussion, the following quote stuck out: 

Every time a believer says that, say, religion and politics do not mix or that we should concentrate on saving souls and leave the affairs of the world alone, she is implicitly denying the cosmic scope of Christ’s redemption and thereby diminishing God’s sovereignty. Every time a follower of Jesus Christ forsakes a so-called secular occupation and claims an intention to go into “full-time Christian service,” she is in effect relegating a huge portion of the total fabric of life to something or someone other than the Savior of the world. For the biblically astute Christian, however, there are no “sacred” and “secular” occupations, only obedient and disobedient ones. The obedient farmer or carpenter is as much in full-time Christian service as the pastor or missionary. 

Which I think makes the point in a particularly bracing way…

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Read more | Comments (0) | August 24th, 2008

in defence of sad songs (3)

Posted by Paul | Filed under uncategorised

I’d better get the next post in this ‘series’ written before Jonny beats me to it…

In his book The Prophetic Imagination, Walter Brueggemann identifies two modes of Old Testament prophets. The first is the message of future hope, shaping the imagination of the people so that they can envisage what God’s future will look like. The other is making sure that they confront the reality of their current situation. In this second mode prophets shatter the rosy views people carry around, the assumption that things aren’t as bad as they seem. They make sure that the true extent of the problems and failings are felt. 
So, in as much as the church is called to act as a prophetic community, we also have two roles — to proclaim the wonder and promise of God’s future, God’s new creation; but also to ensure that the view of the present is not artificially rosy. I think the second presents a case for art that shows life as it is, with all of the complications and problems. This sort of art confronts people with the things they are trying to ignore or hide from. It forces them to acknowledge that what is here now is not enough; help is needed; healing is needed. 
Of course, the point is not to depress people, but to couple the two modes and allow people to turn from their realisation of the problems to see the help. We cut through false imaginings in order to allow our imagination to be shaped by the true hope.   

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Read more | Comments (1) | July 28th, 2008

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