God's Cadets ...

Can't help but think that this week has been an interesting one of reflection, partly because of BBC 4’s programme 'God's Cadets', partly personally because of Richard Rohr's use of 'sic et non' or 'yes... and' and in particular the challenge that comes with his insight that “and” is willing to wait for insight and integration. It stops you short when thinking about promoting your own opinion over that of others.

Programme aside which IMHO seemed a little hastily put together, or at least edited in such a way that didn't capture the life of the college, the maelstrom of personal criticism on social media from internal voices was astounding. Seemingly one thing hasn't changed, everyone knows how to run the college better than it is currently! 

I stumbled upon this quote this week “Today our prime educational objective must be to form men-and-women-for-others; . . . men and women who cannot even conceive of love of God which does not include love for the least of their neighbors; men and women completely convinced that love of God which does not issue in justice for others is a farce.” Pedro Arrupe, S.J.

I was proud of being part of William Booth College for the 10 or so years we were involved there, and continue to be proud of how WBC continues to shape the thinking, being and doing of those who embrace that particular path (aka, strangely in my opinion, giving things up!) beyond that of being farcical.

Probably the jury will be always out on what God's Cadets did and didn't portray! 




Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

A bit of sally bashing....

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.
Read more

Types of Christian Spirituality...

Image
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
Read more

Lost Voices of Mission...Fred Brown

Image
Along the world famous Oxford street in London's Westend; nestled in among the classy frontage of designer shops there is almost an unnoticeable, unimpressive wooden door. It is more or less alongside The Regent Hall's main entrance onto the busyness of Oxford Street. People pass the wooden door oblivious to the equally unimpressive wooden steps that go up three storey's to what was Regent Hall's youth club. When I was 10 I played on these bare wooden steps totally unaware of the significance behind and upon which I played. Many years later I discovered a university youth work course - as an induction to Youth Work - stopped outside this insignificant wooden door to point out that Youth Work as we know it in the UK started behind this door. ...whether that be the surbanite flower people that flooded the Westend to express their free love; or the hard core drug community this unimpressive wooden door became the 'portal' that blurred encounter between church an
Read more