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I always enjoy and am inspired by doing the Serum discussions at Greenbelt. If I describe what we do it does not sound like much in terms of ‘putting on an event’ – we welcome everyone,  explain some simple ground rules, have someone give a very brief ‘thought for the day’ and ask a question which is then handed over to the small groups sitting around the tables to discuss and explore before feeding back at the end – yet I am always surprised by how such a simple formula can produce so profound an experience, “humbling and powerful” in the words of the journalist from the Guardian who attended last year.   On reflecting why this is the case I think it is a combination of tackling some of the biggest questions you can ask in an environment of respectful listening, where you are not out to win the argument but to share and learn from different perspectives and  experiences and in so doing start to find commonality as well as difference with others. This year we asked three different questions on the three occasions serum took place: how do our beliefs (whatever these happen to be) relate to and shape the way we actually behave?; do we only really search for god when we are desperate rather than comfortable?; is life all about winning and death all about losing?  In the process of discussing these questions you raise others which go deeper into the issue.

Re. life and death/winning and losing, my group asked how can we fully live in the reality of death which comes to us all, what does a ‘good life’ look like? what does a ‘good death’ look like? How can we process grief and loss?  Would the practice of wakes help us to come to terms with the reality of death by being in the presence of a dead body – how this can offer a strange comfort in that the person is no longer present, it is just the body that is left?

My experience of this discussion was that with the help of the others in my group we were able to look at something we don’t often look at together, a topic that is often avoided and can make us feel uncomfortable.  Serum provided us with some parameters in which to undertake this exploration, to take part in a considered and respectful reflection where the challenge of different perspectives and experiences can be heard in a non-defensive, non-confrontational manner.  At its best this is a process that I find converting in that it causes me to go back and question the way I see things.  It also provides a space in which I begin to find some common ground with others, that by sharing individual experience and thoughts it starts to become possible to share meanings and interpretations of that experience that translate across the divide.

For those interested in these kinds of discussions serum is happening every other Wednesday starting next week – see link for more details.

POSTED 04.09.10 BY: Vanessa | Comments (2)

I’m about to leave London for a few days so thought I’d leave you with some thoughts about someone who I came across while in France. A Bishop who seemed to be ahead of his times by not just putting a church on the internet but a whole diocese.

Mgr Jacques Gaillot started causing controversy with his actions and statements almost as soon as he was made Bishop of Évreux. He was outspoken about many social issues, campaigning for peace and justice both in France around the world, and also advocated progressive change in the Catholic Church.

Despite the support of thousands of people both in France and abroad he was removed as Bishop of Évreux in 1995 as he refused to resign.  He was then given the titular see of Partenia which is in the Algerian Desert, a convenient way of silencing him and removing his pastoral responsibilities. Mgr Gaillot responded by moving into a squat in Paris to live among the families of illegal immigrants. He also continued to minister online as Bishop of the online Diocese of Partenia. (Remember this was in 1996 probably before any trendy Christians were blogging or using macs etc!) Partenia has been an online space for dialogue about spirituality and activism ever since.

I’ll finish with a quote from his book “Voice from the Desert”

“I had a dream: to be able to accompany the poor, the excluded, the ignored, without having to explain myself or justify myself to the rich, the secure, or the comfortable. To be able to go where distress calls me without having to give advance notice. To be able to show my indignation at destitution, injustice, violence, the sale of weapons, and managed famines without being considered a meddler in politics.

I dreamed of being able to live my faith within the church, but also in society, in my time and with my times. I dreamed of the freedom to think and express myself, to debate and criticise, without fear of the guillotine. I dreamed of the being different within the unity of faith, and remaining myself, alone and yet in solidarity with others. Ultimately, I hoped to be able to proclaim a Gospel of freedom without being marginalised.”

Most of his writings are not available in English but I’m hoping this might change in the future.

POSTED 13.08.10 BY: jonnyspoor | Comments (3)

I’ve had the good fortune to come across the Empty Shops Network recently. In these recent difficult economic times, it’s a clever initiative that takes vacant shops in run-down areas, and gets artists and creative types to fill them with whatever they can think of. The landlord will often let the network have these vacant spaces for free or for next to nothing, with the payoff being that their space gets shown for it’s potential.

The good thing is that an area that may appear “dead” gets the benefit of the “life” of creativity, and the events are often free with some basic fundraising initiatives to cover the costs – so the local community gets something that’s interesting, educational, bright and exciting. It also keeps creatives creating and being able to showcase their work – everyone’s a winner!

They’ve been going for a while, but I first found out about them when I started following artistsmakers on Twitter. Even more recently, they’ve done their “magic” near me in a somewhat rough and disused area of Brixton, called the Granville Arcade, which has now been re-branded as Brixton Village.

The reason I bring this up, is that next week, another initiative is starting in the Seven Dials area of Covent Garden, London. The project will be known as “Seven Days in Seven Dials”, and works in partnership with some of the major art institutions of the area. Basically there are 38 unemployed people who are doing work experience at these institutions, and Seven Days in Seven Dials is based around their work experience. From the press release: “Working closely with professional podcasters, photographers and artists, the Culture Quarter Programme participants will spend a week using a shop as a studio. They will produce audio tour podcasts, short videos and exhibition material exploring the history of the local area; the artistic, cultural and historical links between the organisations involved in the project, and individual experiences of the participant’s day-to-day activities within their organisations.”

I’ve been involved in such initatives before – back in the 90s some of us now mooters took over bars and empty shops to do art exhibitions, cabarets and cafés as a means of engaging with the local community, and many of the things that moot is now doing come out of that idea.

Anyways, do drop in and see what’s going on. You can see the participants developing their stuff from 10am on Monday 5th July, and the resulting exhibition will be on from Sat. 10th until Fri. 23rd July.

And if you want to follow what’s going on with it all on Twitter, then follow @vobes @artistsmakers @madamsalami and @artbizness, and the hashtag for it is #7days7dials if you’re doing a search or getting involved.

POSTED 29.06.10 BY: artbizness | Comments (4)

I have been re-reading one of my favourite Trinitarian Theologians, The Scottish Thomas F Torrance.  Torrance is a real inspiration because for him, his understanding of the Trinity was vital for his work as a parish minister before he became an academic. I always have a slight bias for practitioners!  So why am I so interested in Torrance?  Well for one thing – he was absolutely against the penal substitution atonement theory – because it revealed far more about pagan belief than Christian belief.  Paul. D Molnar, in his book on Torrance’s theology put it like this:

Torrance believed that a false view of Christ’s humanity lay behind the common mistake in Evangelical theologies of the atonement, wherein it is asserted that God is reconciled to the world rather than that the world is reconciled to God.  He regarded the idea that, in the atonement, God is reconciled as a sub-Christian reversion to older pagan ideas of a God who needs to be appeased and placated.  God is always the subject of reconciliation, not the object.

I couldn’t agree more, because this thinking colludes with the thoughts that distort and projects them onto God, the God of Love and non-dualistic thinking.  This matters, because there have been a number of new books coming out recently in support of penal substitution as an atonement theory – which in a over-simplified summary understands that Jesus died on the Cross because God the Creator upstairs in heaven, was fermentingly angry, and who could only be appeased by taking this out on Jesus Christ in physical violence, (hence why Feminist theologians have called this heavenly child abuse).

As with the discussion in the previous blog entry – this form of projection and sanitisation of the thoughts that distort for me utterly undermine the principles of the New Covenant and take it right back to an Eye for an Eye of the Hebrew Covenant.  So it is really important to question this atonement theory as it has been used to justify and collude with  anger, oppression, exclusion, slavery, sexism, violence – the list is endless.  Quite why the Evangelical Alliance now insist that you have to believe this to be part of the Evangelical Alliance is beyond me.   How do you reconcile this approach with the loving God?

The truth be known – none of the theories if the atonement stack up that well – except in my opinion the work of Torrence and Alison – who both articulated the view that Christ died for our anger – not Gods – because according to them – if it were about God’s anger – we would have strayed into pagan temple worship.

POSTED 15.06.10 BY: ianmobsby | Comments (7)

Here’s a bit of poetry that I came up with the other day. I just started playing with words and within the space of an hour I had two poems. I’m gonna save the other one for another post/time, but here’s the first one I wrote, entitled: One foot in the grave, one foot on your head

Would be interesting to know people’s opinions.

One foot in the grave, one foot on your head

Limericks so lucidly lie,

When it comes to black hearts and bomb battalions

One for the heroes and fallen.

An evil,

Not necessarily, but I say verily

We are the custodians of the wounded

Profits and policy.

Whitehall and wankers,

Bravado and Bullshit.

Yet we cry,

Another way surely?

Motivate yourself,

take a long hard look, because for this remedy there is no book.

Tell me why?

This dove,

A symbol of love so misplaced,

An empty symbol of flesh and feathers,

or is it the hope inside that weathers?

Humans are a complicated sort,

especially when it comes to cruelty for sport.

Sometimes when silence is about

All you want to do is scream and shout, but…

We do not realise we are the ointment,

because If we were made in the image of a deity

We are a serious disappointment!

POSTED 27.05.10 BY: Definition_1990 | Comments (6)

Finding Happiness is Abbot Jamison’s follow up to Finding Sanctuary. In this book he contrasts happiness as defined by society, with how it is understood by the monastic. In so doing Abbot Jamison examines the limiting ‘8 Thoughts’ identified by the desert fathers and the necessary virtues we are called to practice in their place. These being: Spiritual Carelessness – Spiritual Awareness; Gluttony – Sufficiency; Lust – Chaste Love; Greed – Generosity, Anger -Patience; Sadness – Hope; Vanity – Magnanimity; Pride – Humility.

As with Finding Sanctuary, the Abbot challenges his reader with a wise, non-judgemental insight into the human condition, and provides powerful tools for the pursuit of interior freedom and peace.

Currently in Moot we are in the process of developing postures and practices based on the virtues Abbot Jamison has outlined. Ian has therefore purchased several copies of Finding Happiness which are presently doing the rounds in the community. I therefore recommend that you either contact info@moot.uk.net to track one of these down, or buy your own copy (following this link generates 10% income for Moot) click here for UK and here for US

POSTED 26.05.10 BY: ianmobsby | Comments (9)

Encountered this sign on the train from Waterloo to Clapham Junction, grafitting the space usually taken up by an advert. Given all the uncertainty following the election, ecological, economic and other concerns, I think we are seeing an increased search for meaning in the UK. People are increasingly finding a culture defined by the market and a life style dependent on consumptive gratification as unrewarding. I hope this questing will open up the spiritual landscape.  Given all the uncertainty, this is an opportunity for the church to start talking about a more virtuous society and that would called hope.

This Sunday is Pentecost, the third great celebration of the Christian Year – where we remember the work of the person of the Holy Spirit. What would Britain look like if there was a movement of the Spirit now?  That would be interesting…

POSTED 21.05.10 BY: ianmobsby | Comments (4)

A massive new threat against whales has recently surfaced that would wipe out the international ban on commercial whaling.

A ‘behind closed doors’ proposal between Japan, Germany, the United States and other governments would legitimize the cruel commercial slaughter of our ocean’s great whales for the first time since 1986 — undermining decades of hard-won protections for whales.

A number of animal welfare organisations are organising a petition – sign it here

POSTED 05.05.10 BY: ianmobsby | No Comments

Just in case you missed Jonathan and Samuel Bartley on the news this week, it is this Jonathan Bartley that is coming to talk to Moot at St Mary Woolnoth at 7.30pm to talk about the subject ‘post-Christendom and the election’. For more information, please see the events section of this site.

POSTED 01.05.10 BY: ianmobsby | Comments (1)

Just in case you missed Jonathan and Samuel Bartley on the news this week, it is this Jonathan Bartley that is coming to talk to Moot at St Mary Woolnoth at 7.30pm to talk about the subject ‘post-Christendom and the election’. For more information, please see the events section of this site.

POSTED 01.05.10 BY: ianmobsby | Comments (1)