the calorimetry of consumption

I just managed to catch damien hirst's exhibition at leeds gallery last month thanks to a last minute under the radar fly-through. I'm more than happy i did... totally inspirational! I don't know if he (hirst) does it for you, but for me he's bang on the money, although often not quite as interactive I'd really like, he never seems to lack being able impact deeply on my senses...

For me this wall paper from the 'pharmacy restaurant', a previous and now reincarnated installation from the late 90's, is the stand-out piece as it shouts wildly at my quest for artistic theological reflection, challenging me to engage and refusing to slip my memory...  It shows various pills, solutions and remedies each rebranded with title of an old testament story... Talk about kwik fix yerself religion!  If I get the umption I'll try and reflect fully on this in a later blog, the only problem is I can't seem to get a decent sharp copy of the image anywhere... help!

I circled this sculpture several times; enchanted by her beauty I made surreptitious mental notes under the disturbing scrutiny of the leeds gallery security guard... At around 8 foot I was captivated for a good ten minutes... Hirst's angel seemed to have a lot of human bits inside...

There was the usual innocent and helpless mammal frozen in formaldehyde... I wish it were a lamb...

And a splendid collection of anatomy...

Profound and provocative would set the scene, but I find hirst more than helpful to lead my reflections on the human state, and indeed a place to start my mental act of worship.  He systematically takes on the dark inner, that banality of desire, the calorimetry of consumption... each a day to day experience yet all issues so often ignored by the church...  If we are to attempt to address the pain of real life through the arts then here lies the benchmark.


The arts has all the creativity in the world to offer the church, and the church has the audience required for the arts;

   for me the two should indeed be at one.  The artist to encourage the difficult question, the congregation to address it's own brokenness, each individual at their own pace through a spirit guided sense of reciprocity.   The priest's role is to introduce one to the other, and to invite God into the mix.

Here in my communities I feel my challenge is to build up facilities capable of performing such a function... if you like we can call it church... I have a few other names for it but that's another blog for another time...

day 1 stuff...

Its day one stuff over here today... after a couple of weeks of avid suspense; we finally managed to get a start date landed for my new post.  Most of this was achieved by the tireless efforts of my new boss Cris.

So today is the day! I'm at my desk, like I am every other day, but today feels different, I'm in full-time employment by a large organisation, and I'm back on the payroll after some 6 years!

goodness!

going to church

I went to church twice yesterday...


The first was to visit a family service being held at the local church... I shuddered with fear with the complexities involved in trying to think too deeply on the reality of what was going on there to be honest...


The second was an evening service at the local Methodist's.  I kind of been encouraged to go along by the powers that be to 'show my face'. Pip came along with eyrn in pushchair, a quick peek through the front door window and Pip decided to take eryn home... I braved on solo though ,and actually quite enjoyed the peaceful, small, semi circular gathering of maybe 15 post 50's members.  The message was really powerful, and quite challenging, pushing candid issues of the banking crisis, alcohol and such matters...


For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. eph.6:12


I also met the superintendent (boss) who I found very supportive of the pioneering role indeed, and the treasurer for the circuit, who was also very encouraging....


I walked home in the dark quite cheered...

Garth where art thou?

having discussed my stabs at LT with my dad, he mentioned that Garth Hewitt wrote a song about the Oscar Romero, the assinated catholic bishop but I cant seem to find a clip of the song anywhere online...

liberation!!

pushing through with the idea of planting my notes into prezi (for some of the more weighty articles on the course modules) I made a stab at some liberation theology...

Its was a hefty read, which I very much enjoyed, although today, next day, I don't seem to be able to remember a thing about it!

http://prezi.com/b-_x_v7hzzff/liberation-theology-with-cathy-ross/

methodist church leadership pioneering video

this is a very helpful video about where the methodist church is at with the idea of pioneering...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gx4XV39RZHk&feature=player_embedded

welsh revival

a couple of weeks ago, i felt a real need to find out more about the history of the welsh church.  one obvious place to start, i felt, was by finding out some more about what is known as the welsh revival.

having asked around a bit about this, i was pointed towards dyfed wyn jones over on ynys mon (the isle of angelsea).  dyfed was kind enough to meet me for an hour or two in bangor, and basically download as much as he could of his research into my comparatively tiny brain.

For some fantastic blogging and theological and historical research on the Welsh revivals catch up with Dyfed on his blog here


heres something of the ideas i conjured up in note taking.  (these are not direct quotes nor  any attempt at an organised order, rather a mixture of my musing on the theme, fueled by the conversation):

Historical landscape:

Romans brought Christianity into wales 407ad
After they left 6C became the age of the saints 
'Two pilgramages to st Davids equaled one to rome'
The saints kept the faith alive. The age of the saints in Wales and britian generally, delevoped the faith slightly differently to europe as europe had the pope and the empire. (controlled theology) 

They celebrated Easter on a diffent date.
In the takeover of ancient church by church in rome, St augustine missionary imposed faith of rome on faith of Britain...
Need to separate imperial influences on the true faith. Ie neoplatanism (after plato) 

Charles finney 1836
faced 'Sheep stealing' opposition from the calvinists

At the time the Church of England was in Wales, but dispised by the welsh going chapel. Then next biggest org calvanists begun about the same time as the wesley brothers. The baptists had been in wales too since early 1600s not as strong but quite influential (south west wales). Congregationalist's same size as baptist also in wales since 1600, then smallest was the weslian congregations.

Revivals:
From 1735/1905 the were some 20-25 revivals in wales national and regional. The most well known was the welsh revival of Evan Roberts 1905 but another revival in 1859 also known as revival as Methodists returned from revivals in america. Since 1905 no revival but something happened in 40s and in the universities in the 70s. Many young leaders were touched in the 70s and now the make up much of the leadership today.
Something about welsh church that likes idea of Wales being known as the land of revivals. Especially for the welsh people...

Key people and the charismatic liberalists:Martin lloyd jones left medical prof to be presbaterian minister 1940s. Reacted strongly to liberalism. Persuaded folk to leave chapels and form new evangelical movement. Even since the 60s people have been leaving chapels and still evangelicals still don't sit comfortably along the chapels.
How do you refer to yourself if evangelically you're already on the back foot.
Liberalism - not much life, no young people, dispassionate. Lack of vision? struggling to keep buildings going. A cultural expression of the faith. Personal relationship with Jesus?. lack of local mission?
What were the revival triggers?

Concern within the churches about their spiritual condition. Folk getting fired up through prayer which draws people into the churches.

Charles techniques - alter calls. Esp 1859 revival.
People have pressures on them: poverty, industrial disasters, disease which generates fear, which drives people to find answers and turn to the church... Social pressures lead people to do different things in different eras.
(PESTEL analysis of current pressures??)


The prophetic in Wales??Theological and church historians don't have many folk who understand the charismatics. Nobody has questioned the role of the prophet or the apostle in wales.
Densil morgan )the span pf the cross) never even looked at the charismatic perhaps even dismissive...
But God doesn't leave any generation without a prophetic voice...

Where is the power of prayer
What is prayer?
Does God change his mind
Contemplative prayer/monastic prayer

Evangelicalism is influenced imperialism... Need to separate out and see the body.

Andrew perriman blog?
Gwyn williams )evangelical)
Roy godwin faldbrenin new monasticism (retreat)?