Thinking Christology now and then – another symposium reflection

Again, I only caught a part of this presentation. Stephen Curkpatrick never fails to give me a bone to take away and gnaw. Stephen has a particular gift with terminology that can, at the same time, irritate and open up fresh pathways of conceptual understanding.

The gist of his presentation was to compare and assess Christology from earlier and more classic “nominative” points of view to more current “vocative” perspectives – “nominative” being the Greek propensity for naming and classifying and “vocative” relating, in Hebrew fashion, to identifying and answering the “call” or “summons” within the phenomena.

My mind wonders to contemplate that, as products of the Enlightenment, the rational processes of our pioneer thinkers may have been very much at home in the nominative, yet there was an ardent passion responding vocatively to that which they named.

I ponder how that tension finds expression in my own circles – how carefully we try to articulate, name and classify the collective elements of our faith, witness and mission and possibly miss that which is vocative within, or at least dilute it with our rush to classify. Of course the other danger is present, that of becoming so ardently passionate over that which calls us that we fail to spend the patience and discipline required to give it the nominative form that enables communication and team-building. I give thanks that the local congregation to which I belong, for the most part, seems to hold the tension nicely.

Stephen left us with some further interesting ponderables:

* “Consider: Jesus Christ exceeds our expectations of the exemplary, representing a unique trajectory in humanity with possibilities we can only engage in faith as response to the vocative word.”
* “Consider: Grace alone is able to redress the human inequalities within love, goodwill, forgiveness, imagination and hope.”
* Consider: the triune story is integral to ecumenical expression of the uniqueness of Christian testimony, identity and mission.

Ecumenism & Churches of Christ – a CCTC Symposium Reflection

Working together into the future: ecumenism and Churches of Christ

I missed the earlier presentations on identity and the Restoration Movement, but suspect that these would have been related to the kinds of conundrums that were inevitably raised here. The questions were not new but were arising in fresh contexts.

How does a movement such as ours, marked by its simplicity, structural lightness and commitment to unity based on New Testament principles defend its continuing existence when it can be argued that much of its raison d’être has been absorbed into the contemporary spectrum of today’s church? Is it time to invoke the Last Will and Testament of the Springfield Presbytery and cease to exist, “being absorbed into the body of Christ at large?”

Of all movements, we seem to sit astride the range of traditions most easily. In most states, there are significant partnerships with the Baptists. We also punch above our weight in more formal, but diminishing, ecumenical arrangements across a number of traditions in several states. We are generally renowned for our proactive energy and commitment to all that expresses visible unity amongst Christians in fulfilment of the vision of Christ’s prayer in John 17.

To dissolve would be to surrender an important contribution to the Australian Christian landscape. We would also lose over 200 years of formed DNA. In spite of ourselves and our altruistic vision, we have become another “tribe” amongst many, and somehow there is a feeling that the human race would be depleted if this tribe disappeared.

Perhaps we are not so much at a crossroads but in a trackless wilderness in terms of our ecumenical expression. I suspect that where we can contribute well, we will continue to do so. We continue to exhibit great diversity amongst ourselves in terms of how we give expression to the vision of the call to Christian unity. In these post-modern times our very looseness on the ground can be a blessing, though its accompanying frustrations sometimes cause it to feel like a curse.

Captain’s Log

Day 1

Fair sailing along the Mundaring –Kalgoorlie Pipeline, then to Norseman. Traversing dry wheat country where the signs of encroaching salt are ominous, then the goldfields. Coolgardie, with its wide streets and grand buildings, is practically a ghost town these days – 750 kms

Day 2

Swift passage through a lonely stretch to Eucla. Amazing inventiveness of crew as they played “I Spy” most of the way – 700 kms.

 

Day 3

Another lonely stretch. At Nundroo we encountered a “come aboard” request from an elderly aboriginal man with whom I had struck up a conversation. A dilemma as we were loaded to the gunwhales and there was no room – but what of our “hospitality” claim? We were assured at the roadhouse that he was well cared for, so drove on to Ceduna,
Cooling off at the end of Ceduna’s jetty we encountered a fellow voyager intent on mustering his teenage crew in counting the planks on the deck. First mate Jenny obliged by pulling out a tape measure to ascertain the width of the plank to aid whatever maths they were working on! – 500 kms.
Day 4

A shorter run across Eyre Peninsular to Port Augusta. Some interesting diversions, such as Wirulla’s inland seaport and the world’s greatest galah at Kimba. Accommodation along the way has been surprisingly good, as we only booked basic. At Port Augusta this included Foxtel and a spa! Pays to travel off-peak. 400 kms.

Day 5

An easy run into Adelaide along a busy road. Flagged down by a becalmed vessel towing a barge (car & caravan). His phone wasn’t working and mine had been cooked by the Nullarbor’s heat. Drove ahead and phoned for help. GPS helped us negotiate some new roads to Mum’s place. Saturday afternoon – an hour left to stock up supplies and head for our week’s digs at Semaphore. ATM denied access to our account and shredded Jenny’s card. 24 hour help line told us to wait until business hours on Monday. Other account inaccessible due to clash odf monthly clearing with public holiday resulting in six day delay. Strange feeling to be stranded in one’s hometown cashless and wondering what’s happened to one’s treasure chest. Booked into caravan park anyway as we had prepaid accommodation. Desk informed us we had overpaid and refunded $170 cash! Jehovah Jireh!

Days 6-13

Shore leave and visits with friends and family. Bank sorted out its “human error” and accounts restored. Climaxed with induction of my nephew, Mark Riessen, as team leader at Blackwood, one of Adelaide’s leading churches. A big load for a 30 year old, but I believe Mark’s up to it!

Days 13-17

Set sail for Melbourne with overnight anchorage at Horsham. With new tollways and freeways to negotiate, very glad of GPS. Several days rubbernecking – Federation Square and the holy of holies, Melbourne Cricket Ground, seemed to be the highlights. Coracle in dry dock to scrape the barnacles and be fitted for return journey. Replaced fan-belt and some sections of the exhaust system. Jenny and Lachlan finally left for Perth on big bird, leaving me alone for the first time in almost three weeks. Only for half an hour! Met long ago colleague Peter Nelson at airport and immediately promoted him to First Mate as coracle set out for CCTC Centennial Symposium.

Days 17-20

The symposium and the Class of ‘74 re-union are deserving of separate entries. See blog entries to follow for my reflections on issues raised at the symposium. The Class of ’74 stuff is intelligible only to those who were there and they will be contacted with the address for ongoing conversations.

Day 21

The beginning of a solo return. I detour through Kyneton, my old stamping ground as a student minister way back in ’73 and ’74. The old church has gone and its flock is mostly part of the great communion of saints by now. I have a different reason for being here, however, and that is to spend some hours with a colleague from my Canberra days (1979-1986). He has been in ministry with the Uniting Church in latter decades and has taken early retirement because of the effect of a brain tumour. He and his wife are building a home here, just a street over from where his daughter and her husband’s young family are living. The tumour affects the speech centre of the left hemisphere, manifesting mostly in diminished access to vocabulary. He remains ardently enthusiastic about his capacity for music, however, and looks forward to what he can contribute to the local parish in this area. His enthusiasm and positivity remain as inspiring as ever.

Day 25 – the penultimate.

The little white coracle has done well. I’m ensconced in a nondescript motel room in Cooolgardie. The 3000 kilometres of the last four days have passed benignly, with mild weather and little traffic. Another 600 kms and I’m home.

Today God challenged my generosity. It had to happen – given the combination of the coracle prayer, the aforementioned encounter with the aboriginal man from Nundroo, and the fact of the inspiring generosity of fellow pilgrims. About 40 kms west of the Caiguna roadhouse, camped by the roadside, was a young couple with car and trailer. The man waved me down, seeking a lift to Norseman. His ultimate destination was Esperance, but I wasn’t going there. He told me en route that they had run out of money, food, and petrol and that he had the prospect of selling some goods (in his bag) when he reached Esperance. He could then return to the campsite, collect his wife and car and trailer and resume his journey. The next roadhouse was Balladonia, about two hours away. I cashed him up to buy a can of petrol to get him back to Caiguna and fill up enough to get them all to Esperance as well as buy some food. He offered me a ring that he had hoped to hock, but I said, “That looks special – you should keep it.”

This is uncharacteristically un-miserly of me. I am naturally suspicious of hard-luck stories – unfortunately they are an occupational hazard. But I was not in my occupational mode, he had no expectations or requests other than a ride as far as I could take him, and the initiative came from heavily insistent internal prods that I could not ignore, particularly in the light of an extraordinary generous gesture by one of my acquaintances just before we embarked on this whole journey.

Last night I read some of the latest copy of reo that I had saved on my laptop. It was from an essay by Lucas Taylor dealing with the theme of “gift” in John’s gospel. One point he made was to the effect of how pure gift – that is, gift with no strings attached, no expectation of reciprocation – subverts economic order and vice versa.

The notion of economy extinguishes the beauty of creativity (the bringing into existence
of something for its own sake, regardless of pay off) and ultimately breeds suspicion of every
gift— where are the strings? What is the catch? What are the expectations contingent on
me through the act of receiving this gift? The notion of existence as economy extinguishes
innocence and wonder.

Taylor, Lucas, ‘At the Well: Gift as Witness to Triune Reality in John’s Gospel’ in reo: a Journal of Theology and Ministry, Issue 31, 2007:1

Perhaps these words motivated my senseless and prodigal act of generosity. It felt like grace and amazingly light not having to go through my usual routine of questioning and lining up some form of accountability only to eke out some paltry sum that satisfies neither donor nor recipient but satisfies some law of economics.

If the whole trip, with all its stimulation and rich encounters, afforded only this reflective experience, it will have been worth it!

Day 26

Home and the coracle is berthed. I will soon be back in harness.

The beginning of a 7000 km voyage

nd this is the barque. It’s a land voyage, of course… and it will take us across the continent and back – first to Adelaide to spend some catch-up time with my extended family – and then to Melbourne – a few days sightseeing with Jenny & Lachlan (who, in his memory, has never been to the really big smoke) and then my alma mater’s Centennial celebrations – not to mention my Grad year re-union – some 32 years on!

We’ve dubbed the barque “the white coracle” – inspired by TheCoracle@yahoogroups.com and hinting at the Celtic legend of St Brendan who launched his small round vessel to the unknown directions of the winds and currents, entrusting all to God’s keeping. While we have planned our destinations it is unknown what the long stretching road will hold for us, and we remain open to whatever occurs along the way. The barque, a 9 year old Falcon Station Wagon, is as ready as it can be. I’ve made the token effort of ensuring we have the requisite spare parts on board and am trusting in our charts and GPS to keep us on track – a far cry from St Brendan’s equipment, I know – but we still cannot deny the sense of excitement and apprehension at what the next few weeks hold. Following is the prayer composed for the occasion and mounted on the dashboard.

od bless and protect this white coracle

and those whom it carries

Chart its journey

Guard its strength and its safety

as it travels swiftly to the destinations

You have appointed.

Bless the land it traverses

The suburbs of the large metropolis

The parched crop growing paddocks

The scrubby mineral bearing donga

The ancient dream-time country

Dry deserts and fruit-bearing hills

Protect from bushfire, flood and drought

May this coracle greet the stranger along the way

with hospitality and welcome

and be gracious in receiving same.

In the name of the Holy One

who guided his children

through the wilderness

to the Promised Land

In the name of the Redeemer

who had nowhere

to rest His head.

In the name of the empowering Spirit

who, like the wind,

blows where He wills.

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Blood Diamond: are diamonds the new fur?

This is an unusual movie to reflect on – half action/drama and half documentary. Critics looking at the Hollywood Indiana Jones style action slam the movie for its slow pace and length. Those looking for documentation of the dehumanising illicit diamond trade in post colonial Africa lament the simplification and trivialisation of a complex humanitarian issue. As a fan of both genres, I still found myself gripped by the narrative and the reality to which it was drawing attention. The characters were fully rounded and the setting was enough to draw attention and focus to the challenges of contemporary Africa. The illicit diamond trade has been around for quite some time, aided and abetted by the affluent west. Reportedly, the profile of this movie has provoked some soul-searching amongst Hollywood’s elite and a self-scrutiny of their penchant for diamonds. If this is true, there are two indicators of hope – yes, Hollywood does have a soul – and yes, it’s avatars are well-placed to influence change amongst consumers.

Pirouetting Penguin Packs Powerful Punch


The message of Hans Christian Anderson’s The Ugly Duckling has moved beyond the worthy goal of promoting self-esteem for who you are to serving a more universal ecological awareness campaign. Right now, the swan in the making has transmogrified into an anthropomorphised tap-dancing penguin called Mumbles. Frankly, my expectations were not high as we took in Happy Feet at the multiplex tonight. But I found it a very engaging work with stunning visuals and soundtrack. There is enough drama in the story line to keep families alert. And the use of cinema that is so thoroughly entertaining to pack an environmental wallop deserves some kudos. So go for it if you’re hanging back from giving it a look.

Movie Critique: Babel

Babel is a drama that winds together a collage of several families seemingly far removed from each other but linked by one inevitably tragic incident. The main players are as far removed as Morocco, Tokyo and Mexico. Yet the communication difficulties explored under the direction of Alejandro González Iñárritu have less to do with language differences than with normal failings relating to such human adventures as sibling rivalry, prejudice, teenage sexuality, family conflict, parenting and grieving. I was left pondering whether this was not really the point of the original tale of Babel in Genesis 11. So much human potential is lost because of a failure to really sit and attend to the other, particularly when experiencing stress. There are times in the film when this kind of attention between some of the characters breaks through, suggesting hope and promise of stronger connectedness. The screenplay overall is a strident commentary on our times – globalisation is shrinking our human village – but there are rifts between those nearest and dearest to us that must be addressed if we are to see any sort of reversal of Babel on a larger scale. Maybe those of us who preach the good news of Christ can take note of Babel’s message and contemplate the context in which we both speak and listen.

Government Funding for School Chaplaincy

The Prime Minister recently announced a huge multi million dollar funding package to place chaplains in high schools. As someone who has been involved in funding and supporting chaplains, I think this is a bad idea. Its a job for the church, not government, and I see compromise and bureaucracy edging its way in to what has been a very worthwhile programme.

I am in full agreement with Doug Hynd, Lecturer in Theology, St Marks Institute, Canberra, when he writes:

The sting in the tail of the Prime Minister’s proposal to provide funding for chaplaincies is that an effective veto power over appointment will be held by the Government. This will require bureaucratic vetting and Ministerial decision. The integrity of any faith community lies in its authority to call and approve its leaders and teachers. The government proposal in principle challenges the exercise of this authority. Churches have had to fight long and hard to assert their independence from state power in the west, that is what the separation of church and state is all about. Mr Howard may deny it or downplay the significance of what he is proposing but as announced the program will cross the line between church and state that has been drawn with much pain and at substantial cost by faithful Christians throughout the centuries. Indeed, Churches are still having to fight government attempts to control their life and witness in so many countries across the world. Governments ruling on the suitability of people to act in any role on behalf of a faith community is a thoroughly bad idea, As my mother would say “It will end in tears before bed time.” This sort of control over the suitability of religious figures for public roles has normally been a practice engaged in by governments of more totalitarian tendencies. The churches should refuse to participate in efforts to obtain this funding and boycott the program. If chaplaincy and pastoral care placements in schools are sought by the local community then churches should raise the money themselves and work with the local community to that end. That way the Christian community will retain the integrity of their identity and mission as a community that is not subservient to governments of whatever political persuasion. Action with the community at a local level will avoid the stigma that will be associated with receiving funding under this program, a stigma that will hinder the engagement and witness of the church in substantial sections of the Australian community. It will also build stronger connections with the community and be a more faithful witness to the way of Jesus than accepting government funding under conditions that make the church subservient to the government.