This is a fascinating commentary about the disconnect between traditional religion and those in the community who are post-modern and post-religious, as it finds itself played out in religious rituals. I think within my own tradition that this conversation plays out [one side of it, anyway] with infant baptism. The church often makes judgements about…
we’ve spent the last two days with Elaine Enns at a staff retreat, talking about restorative justice, and making links between the ethos and values behind RJ and our work within the church and community. it’s been a provocative and inspiring couple of days – in the midst of all the stories of transformation and…
the synod here is about to begin a strategic planning process. i wrote a couple of reflections as a resource for it, this is one: We are trying, God, and we are angry that the world will not listen when we try to speak of you, yet deep down we acknowledge that we no longer…
“When the forms of an old culture are dying, the new culture is created by a few people who are not afraid to be insecure.” – Rudolf Bahro, quoted in Margaret Wheatley, From hope to hopelessness I’ve always liked Margaret Wheatley’s books [how could one not like someone who says ‘action must precede planning’?]. i’ve…
thinking back over the year, and the moments and experiences that have changed my thinking… 1. reading John Caputo’s book “On religion” – rediscovering faith in the impossible (that’s brought a whole new light to christmas for me this year…) 2. a conversation with a new friend a few months ago, giving the condensed version…
i caught a bit of a really interesting program on sbs last week which included some research about the way that people form and change their beliefs. Apparently it used to be that if you put a group of people who held similar beliefs in a conversation together, they would moderate each other so that…
this is a great article, written by Donella Meadows about the points at which change is possible in a system. I loved this final paragraph: There is one leverage point that is even higher than changing a paradigm. That is to keep oneself unattached in the arena of paradigms, to stay flexible, to realize that…
another excerpt (very, very draft) from my report, building on the comments from craig and roddy below. this bit is about change. i realise the uniting church is a unique beast, and that perhaps the issues we have with change are, also, unique. but tell me if you think i’m being too harsh… (the writing’s…
