My journey - a collection of urban missio dei musings, mullings and pondering
Off Road Faith....
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Prodigal Kiwi(s) point to an interesting article by Alan Jamieson - who wrote A Churchless Faith - on faith development stages as described by Fowler - here.
Thanks for the link, the article is fascinating, and it is useful to read Fowler's thinking explained in someone else's words. I came across Fowler's stages in Israel Galindo's 'The Hidden Lives of Congregations'. Looking back on my own journey, I now deeply regret having left for twenty years, and remember vividly how frustrated I was when I left, that there was nobody I could talk to about the struggles I was having. This has left me with a passionate conviction as to the usefulness of spiritual directors/faith companions. I now have the satisfaction of working with some people who are going through these difficult and dislocating transitions. One thing the article flagged up for me was the need for churches to listen deeply to their congregants to hear where they are frustrated and why - if we can't respond to people at different stages and transitions we will end up failing people as (and if) they progress.
Came across a good bit of Sally bashing over at salvationsoldiers I have to say we try and make sure that everything we raise goes into projects that build local community in Poplar but hopefully if you read this blog you get that sense anyway.
'Never waste a good crisis' ~ Winston Churchill I heard this Churchillian quote this morning while enjoying my traditional 'whatever the weather' porridge. A quick google turned up these interesting words written by Andrew Low for the commercial world. "In challenging times one must question the accepted reality because things are going wrong, rapid answers are needed and the solution may well be found outside the usual compass. In the world of business we are often guilty of not challenging the norm; we are instead satisfied with following procedure and tradition. It takes insight and not a little courage to question your leaders as to why are things done the way that they are? However, in times of crisis there seems to be more latitude to do so – management in fact is actively seeking input it seems. Leading companies nowadays recognise this and cultivate a more open, questioning climate within the office at all times because a degree of co...
It is easy to think and to limit ourselves to a single approach to Christian spirituality. A 'if it works for me it should work for you approach' tends to narrow our appreciation of other ways which actually impoverishes our experience of spirituality. Urban T. Holmes has developed a means of exploring spirituality and helps develop an appreciation through discovering links between spirituality, temperament and predisposition. The diagram illustrates his ideas together with potential inherent dangers. The vertical continuum speaks and helps us understand our relational orientation to God. This ranges from engaging with God through understanding and theological process to a more emotive response. Horizontally speaks of a persons preferred means of pursuing the spiritual life. Kataphtic speaks of affirmation and the need of something tangible in an individuals spirituality- this may take the form of worship, art, even imagination with the use of metaphors, symbols and images play...
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Looking back on my own journey, I now deeply regret having left for twenty years, and remember vividly how frustrated I was when I left, that there was nobody I could talk to about the struggles I was having. This has left me with a passionate conviction as to the usefulness of spiritual directors/faith companions. I now have the satisfaction of working with some people who are going through these difficult and dislocating transitions. One thing the article flagged up for me was the need for churches to listen deeply to their congregants to hear where they are frustrated and why - if we can't respond to people at different stages and transitions we will end up failing people as (and if) they progress.