A definition:

'In those days Israel had no king: everyone did as they saw fit' (Judges 21:25)

A comment:

'What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again, there is nothing new under the sun' (Ecclesiastes 1: 9)

On Deconstruction and langauge games

'In the begining was the word, and the word was with God, and the word was God' (John 1:1)

I wish I could claim originality for any/all of this but I can't!  The first quote emerges from flicking through chapter titles in a book on the quest for objectivity in historiography and then thinking, hmm, I wonder how many readers will know that is from the Bible, let alone where.  The other two are my own connections - but given that almost every time I get a new insight I read about it soon afterwards I'm sure that Ecclesiastes 1:9 holds here too.

In Spirutality and Theology on page 67 the author refers to the work of a Canadian philosophical theologian called Bernard Lonergan and says this: -

'Lonergan's language frequently sounds empirical.  This may be explained by Lonergan's mathematical and scientific background - unusual in a theologian'

People often make this assertion about a perceived 'unusualness' that a person trained (and in my case also an experienced practitioner) in maths/science/engineering would have an interest in theology and/or be called to ordained ministry.  But is it true?  My college principle was trained as a theoretical physicist before stuying theology, other college principles I know of include at least three others with backgrounds in physical sciences and several fellow students had qualifications in scientific fields.  Maybe the overall proportion is small, or maybe the assertion is flawed. 

Given that both the 'history of history' and the 'history of theology' stuff I've read in the last couple days refers to a 'scientific approach' within both fields, I'd have thought it entirely feasible that people with a scientific background could/would also make reasonable theologians (not that Sheldrake says they can't, merely that they are unusual) or historians - or even both.

Today I saw this sign in the window of a nearby church

MAKE THE BEST RESOLUTION THIS NEW YEAR

Come and Find Jesus

Here in 2007

I know what they mean, I really do, but it isn't what it says.  So where was he last year?  And where will he go next?  Is he hiding in the church or is he there to sign books/photos?  Sorry, I am very naughty.

At its least awful, it reminds me of the orignal 'Spot the Dog' book Where's Spot?  So, where's Jesus?  Well depending on your theology you could come up with a lot of answers but here're a few...

Intra-ecclesial

• Is he in the pulpit?
• Is he in the baptistry/font?
• Is he under the communion table/behind the altar?
• Is he in the flower-ladies' cupboard?
• Is he in the boiler room?
• Is he in the vestry?
• Is he under the pews/chairs?
• Is he with the hymnbooks/data-projector/OHP slides?
• Is he in the Bible rack?  No, but you're getting warmer!
• No! here he is...

Inter-ecclesial

• Is he at the parish church?
• Is he at tte Baptist church?
• Is he at the Methodist church
• Is he at the etc etc church?
• No!  Here he is at our church

Churchified

• Is he in the supermarket?
• Is he in the pub?
• Is he dancing in the street?
• Is he dancing on suspicion's graveyard?
• No, no, no.  Here he is at 10 a.m. every Sunday.

Naughty theologian, daring to mess with people's posters.

Look out for thunder bolts hitting my PC/desk/head - or yours if having read this far you are adding your own ideas.

I have a new regime in Dibley Manse.  How long it will last, who knows, but the intention is there!

Basically the back end of last year degenerated into muddle - literally after a manse ceiling collapsed and metaphorically as order disappeared from life.  For someone who likes their herbs arranged alphabetically and matching clothes pegs on their washing line this was not good!

So, the new regime sees the first hour of working days (not days off!) loosely titled 'devotional' to include prayer and the reading of 'improving books' (for those who are checking, (almost) daily personal devotional Bible reading remains in its 30 year old bed-time slot!) followed by an hour titled 'study' when I do my PhD reading/thinking/writing (so far just reading).

My 'improving book' of the moment is Spirituality and Theology by Philip Sheldrake, which has sat on my 'to read' heap for three and half years since I was given it as a gift by fellow students at the end of my year as senior student at NBC.  In chosing to read this book, I wondered if it was justified under a 'devotional' banner but, hurrah, it rapidly told me it was!  Theology and Spirituality, it asserts, are intimately related, with theology being lived not done (apologies to Laurie Green et al).  Amazingly, in one sitting, it linked in with the reading I'm doing on the development of historical method in my 'study' slots and it gave me a new insight into my understanding of, and hence relationship with, God.

Ok, so I am pretty dense sometimes, but I always read Genesis 1:26 'God said, 'let us make human beings in our image, in our likeness' (NIVi) and the more poetic Genesis 1:27 in a very individualistic way, and as a way of affirming all people as of equal worth. I other words, I am made in God's likeness and so is everyone else, but that is something we experience individually, separately.

Today as I read my improving book, I suddenly grasped that this is about Trinity and relationship (OK, you all worked that out years ago).  It is God first person plural (i.e. Trinity, relational) who makes human beings in their image (i.e. distinct but relational).  Gosh, I thought, how thick I have been all these years, trying to understand the plural pronoun in an individualistic way.  It is 'human beings' plural who bear the likeness, not merely each 'human being' singular.  I don't think this is an either/or but a both/and.

So there you have it!  Two lightbulb moments in a day.  Nothing earth shattering, just a confirmation that I can read theology 'devotionally' and a better understanding of two verses of the OT.

The new regime might mean less posting and more private, paper-based stuff and more time spent on my formal studying (which, as it costs me 10% of my gross income, needs some serious attention!).  Hopefully though I'll still find time to post news of adventures in Dibley, occasional insights and some fun stuff.

Tonight's service at D+1 combined some very brave words with some absolutely awful hymns!  Of six, I knew two - most of my folk didn't know the others either - and given those I did know were 'For the might of Thine Arm we Bless You' and 'Now Thank We, All, our God' it was hardly a hymn-fest.

It wasn't exactly a preach, more of a history lesson, some testimony and a tough closing dilemma.  We had a very quick trawl through psalmists in the open air, the Tabernacle, Solomon's Temple, synagogues and the early church (informative for many, I'm sure) then three stories of churches, one which had declined from enormous to closure in 30 years, one which missed an opportunity to leave a decaying building and 30 years later sold it to a brewery company (it's now a pub and they have a small building elsewhere) and one which was a three-way merger that 30 years on has adpated one of the buildings effectively.  We were then told we were two congregations with two seemingly incompatible visions for the future, in regard of buildings (actually I don't think our position was correctly represented since we have not decided to abandon the concept of a building for a merged church, simply it is not an option for us as we are) and in mission.  Our task is, therefore, to think and pray about the future.

Brave words, and needed to be said - just need to see what happens next.  Watch this space!