Introduction
Since entering theological studies for the pastoral ministry in 1980, my main interest and focus has been classics and ancient history in relationship to the scriptures. This focus has been brought to all my teaching and preaching in many ministries I've been involved with, and my aim has been to explain, in detail, the historical context of the Biblical texts.
This approach has left me without any real effective engagement with my own culture, so my recent studies with Tabor have been designed to intentionally focus on cultural engagement.
The brief introduction to this intensive on the Tabor website says: 'This intensive will explore the communication of the Biblical text in a contemporary world with particular missiological reference to the use of the Bible in the postmodern emerging church. It will apply theological insights around the text, community and culture, to the task of maintaining and communicating the integrity of the Biblical text with reference to postmodernity'.
This is what I know I need to learn; I'm now exploring 'outside my comfort zone'. I'm pushing my knowledge boundaries out into new areas and being confronted by new ways and means of being church in a rapidly changing world.
Brief reflections and insights on new learning (not in any order)
1. one of my initial thoughts, as the intensive began, was to reflect on what Paul had to say about 'not being conformed to the world' in Romans 12:2. I need to constantly remind myself that being separate is different to being isolated and for me that means becoming more involved in what's happening within my own cultural setting. Being isolated is not helpful and is quite contrary to what Jesus and Paul did. 'Go into all the world' (Mark 16:15) means just that, and to do that means understanding culture. The 'big bad constantly changing world' is where we must work.
2. I found the 'word/s - image - community - dialogue' diagram helpful as it reminded me of the ways and means of communicating. Previously I've focussed almost exclusively on 'word/s' with minimal use of 'image' (too gimmicky?), 'community' (aren't we too disjointed to even be called community in the Biblical sense?) or even 'dialogue' (can be risky and who really wants to take risks?). I've basically been the 'feeder' and the 'recipients' have had minimal real feedback/ reflection/ disagreement opportunities; even in Bible studies where there is feedback, it's mainly been regurgitation. Thinking outside the text has not been encouraged although it does happen.
3. Rob Bell's 'Resurrection' was an eye-opener to me. I particularly enjoyed the way he used 'image' in a simple way with minimal use of colour and the dramatic use of lighting together with his authoritative body movement. The 'dialogue' with challenging questions I found very effective at drawing me into the exercise. And, his use of 'you','we', and 'us' made the exercise one that involved the 'community'. I found it confrontational yet powerful and I was drawn into the presentation by wondering where it would go next, and even, would it fulfil my expectations about the subject? His uncomplicated non-theological language was refreshingly welcome and well worth emulating.
4. The BrianMcLaren sermon about the woman caught in adultery (John 8) really captured my imagination as he led the congregation into reacting personally with the story. I'm intending to trial that technique after first doing one where I provide the responses. My responses could be shaped by folk interacting with the text before I present it and providing me with community feedback.
5. The 'absorption/active/immersion/passive' grid was one I've seen before but obviously put to one side. It has valuable implications for all that we do in ministry and I now intend to keep it close at hand as I plan my future ministry activities.
6. The challenge to communicate 'not just on Sunday' and be a 'guide' rather than a 'teacher' is one that I will struggle with (because I've always seen myself primarily as a teacher) but it's one that I will certainly address. I ask myself 'why?' and the answer is that a 'once a week contact' is insufficient if we are to keep people faithfully on the gospel road. I need to engage with new methods of interacting, and, although most of our folk are older and not 'computer savvy', I can resource people much better that I have done in the past. I can show older folk how to use community library computers to access material from helpful approved websites (I've done this already with my in-laws who are well into their 80's; it can be done).
7. Storytelling is something I enjoy but I've done most of it for children in the church. Because people often say they remember these stories (which are always based on real events) better than sermons (that can be an 'ouch' moment), I need to apply stories more often in my sermons and Bible studies.
8. I'll need to invest more time to reflect upon the concept of DJing.
New questions for me (in addition to the ones already noted)
How can I be more effective in ministering to my community? How can I make meaningful contact with my community, especially those who walk past our chapel? How can I integrate the intensive learning into my future ministry?
Personal implications (in addition to then ones already noted)
As a relative newcomer to cultural studies, I need to read more broadly about new initiatives happening in the Christian world. I need to read authors and subjects that once I would have happily bypassed or ignored (6 books now on order; yes, I'm a bibliophile). I also need to read more from people who I may not agree with; I need the challenge of re-examining my 'pet views'.
Final comment
I'm always aware of a tension within me about doing ministry properly (not getting sidetracked; but is that so bad?) and not dishonouring God (that's good but sometimes that approach leads to stress which can affect my joy in the Lord). I need to remind myself of what Howard Hendricks once asked a group of Christians: 'Do you think God's in Heaven chewing His finger-nails over what's happening with you?' Am I fussing too much over getting it so right? Sure sounds like it! Do I need to be more adventurous? Sure sounds like it!
Being separate is different to being isolated. You're right. And certainly we can't afford to be isolated. The challenge is to be as adept and at home in cultural exegesis as in biblical exegesis (picking up Jenny's phrase). To become "fluent in the culture in which we live" (Grey-Reeves and Perham, The Hospitality of God, 26). Modelling ourselves on the Word who became flesh, who "lived and loved in the midst of his culture" and who "routinely used the common, the familiar, the cultural to help the gospel connect" (The Out of Bounds Church?,138).
ReplyDeleteYou are not the only one who over the years has focussed too much on words. Yet today we live in an image-saturated world. I like Sweet's idea about the EPIC type of preaching. Experience. Participation. Imaged based. Connected. (Sweet, The Metaphor Moment) As Ron puts it in his blog, its moving our hearers - and ourselves - from being spectators to becoming participants in the text.
Is there such a thing as "getting it right" ? Do texts of scripture only have a single meaning limited to the intent of the original author ? (Davis and Hays, The Art of Reading Scripture, 2) Does not Scripture call us to "ongoing discernment", and to "continually fresh rereadings of the text in the light of the Holy Spirit's ongoing work in the world?" (Davis and Hayes,5). I reckon it does - and I am very glad about that.
Hi Alan,
ReplyDeleteI posted a comment but it got lost somewhere, so I'm trying again.Many thanks for your observations. What I meant by 'getting it right' was proper exegesis & not just 'making the text say what the preacher wants it to say'.
Hi Ken,
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading your very honest and humble reflections on the course. You reflected on the difference between being separate from the world and isolated from it. I was reminded of Sundar Singh’s metaphor of a fish that swims in salt water yet remain unsalty, of a waterfowl that “spends its life swimming in the water, yet when in flight its feathers are perfectly dry”, and of a ship that floats in water yet remains without water in the ship (Wood, Turn the Key to Creativity and Preach More Effectively, 55). As Christians we don’t seem to be able to achieve this ‘being in the world but not of it’ as easily as the natural world does (phrase adapted from John 17:14-15). Our tendency is to live in extremes – we either become a salt-logged Christian fish that is indistinguishable from the ocean, or jump out of the ocean and in effect are dead in our capacity to engage with the community.
Throughout the intensive I came to appreciate the great capacity you have for bringing depth of understanding of a text through your knowledge of the historical context. I certainly get your comments about the way this may have limited your engagement with the culture, but having just read Steve Taylor’s “The out of bounds church?” I’m certain this wealth of knowledge can be tapped into in creative ways using your love of storytelling. Taylor describes ‘godly play’ and describes his use of ‘telling’, ‘questing’ and ‘ending’ as a way of exploring biblical stories in interactive ways (Taylor, 66). In particular, I can see how your knowledge base combined with a range of symbols could bring a familiar story to life in a new way. As well as this it would provide you with a large pool of “I wonder” questions. The way that the “ending returns to conclude the story” and “allows the text to have priority” would provide further scope for the teaching gifts that you clearly have. Stick with it brother – you have much to give!
Hi Jenny,
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comment. I've been trying a few creative things & getting some good feedback.
I'm keen to try a few more things.
Blessings,
Ken
Ken, I want to reflect with you about Rob Bell's 'Resurrection', particularly the comments you made about community in it. I, too, feel that he does display words and actions of community, that while watching the clip you can't help but feel included, energised and valued. He speaks powerfully about 'every act of kindness' being life giving and not wasted, and everyone's lowest point being where resurrection comes into being. When he addresses these universal experiences, we cannot help but be included as part of the community of those effected by Jesus.
ReplyDeleteWhat strikes me a interesting is the importance of spoken words to this presentation. This man clearly preaches regularly and well, and despite the visuals used here - the message is primarily on of the traditional 'word', and not open ended questions, or all embracing discussion. He is telling us what is so, inviting us into the community of believers, persuading us that how he sees it is how it is. This is much more directive than most of what we have experienced in Living the Text, which gives more place to passion. It says to me that connecting with culture is not watering down the gospel,lowering it to the lowest common denominator, and treating everyone's opinion as of equal worth. It opens the door for passionate but inclusive invitation - and I think that this is great. How do you feel? Anne
Hi Anne,
ReplyDeleteRight on; Bell is very directive but sometimes that is necessary although obviously not all the time. And it is true that we can't water down the Gospel but we do need to aim at inviting and including people and not shutting them out. I agree with you.
Blessings,
Ken
Ken Laffer.
ReplyDeleteGood on you Ken. I’ve enjoyed your comments, your honesty, your expectations (outlined) of what might be.
I like the way you are forming your thinking in the involvement of others in engaging with the community.
I found that the valuable input from our week in July had to be shared, so I invited interested people in our congregation to come one evening and I did a brief overview. Eleven people came and participated and I think caught the vision of how meaningful the concept of living the text is. Creating a group who can be enthused by experience is a great start. When a group gets together you can brain storm ideas on just about anything. The group doesn’t have to be Christians or church goers. In fact community people have great ideas about community!
Bob Rognlien in ’Experimental Worship’(Rognlien), says there are universal rules of brain storming.
• The sky is the limit – share every idea no matter how outrageous
• No evaluation allowed – save your critical comments for later
• Stay focused – limit your ideas related to the topic.
Once people understand they are not on the side lines but valuable contributors, then participation in more specific exercises, even engaging with the text of scripture is a naturally progressive step. Ron Roberts.
Ken Laffer (comment to Alan Dutton)
ReplyDeleteIn your comment (no 2) to Alan Dutton, you referred to the issue of “everybody listens but not everyone gets what we get from the text”.
Isn’t that so frustrating and yet so rich!
I hold the view that preaching is a dangerous activity, given that what is said is not always heard. I have had people say to me after a service that they appreciated something that was said, when in fact I didn’t say it. It’s great when it turns out positively, but not so good when it may be negative.
Lucy Atkinson Rose in ‘Sharing the Word’ (Rose 1997), refers to Fred Craddock’s comment p61 where he talks about the changing role of the preacher and the need to engage and activate the listener to overcome some these difficulties of what is heard versus what is said. He says this: “the active participation of the people leads not to their acceptance or rejection of the message but to their own particular conclusions that are capable of transforming their particular lives”
This is the challenge for us; to bring listeners into a place of participating so much in the text that their own particular conclusions have a basis in that text, which in turn then transforms their lives.
Thanks for your input Ken. Ron Roberts.
Ken Laffer (comment to Alan Dutton)
ReplyDeleteKen- you raised the subject of change and how difficult it can be, when you wrote your comment to Alan Dutton. Thank you. I think change can be difficult for most of us.
Jerome. W. Berryman in ‘Godly Play’ (Berryman 1991), p105, in talking about the importance of imagination says, ‘getting involved with the imagination is always dangerous. It draws us into change’.
I processed that in a way that says to me that if I sit with the concept of imagination and enter into the whole experience of allowing my imagination to engage with the scriptural text and my environment, then I am going to change and as a result of me changing, my communication with others will embrace that change, and invite those with whom I engage to also experience change.
It seems to me that you are indicating that your week with us brought about some changes in you. It did with me and I suspect with the others as well. Ron Roberts.
Hi Ron,
ReplyDeleteMany thanks for your three posts; I had intended to get back to you sooner, but I've been kept busy with three friends who are dying; in fact one has just gone to God.
You made some great points:
Brain-storming shows people that we care about their input & that is very liberating for folk who seem to go unnoticed & unheard. And don't some of our folk have GREAT ideas?!!! I find the real challenge here is to keep on track as the imagination of others seems to have no bounds & seems almost uncontrollable!!
Your comments about active participation and transformation are VERY important but so hard for many folk to embrace. Change is not always easy; as some wag once said: the only creature that enjoys change is a baby with a wet nappy! But we still promote Godly change or sanctification if we want to be theological.
Your comments about our own imagination got me thinking about how much we can direct our imagination based on what we perceive as our community expectations.I think we can stifle our own imagination if we let others dictate how we do what we do. For myself, I've started to get some imaginative thoughts down on paper before I consider the implications of how it might be received.I sometimes think I need to let my imagination have more free rein so that the Holy Spirit can lead me into different thought areas.
Blessings,
Ken
Thank you so much for your reflection. You concluded with some “new questions”. “How can I be more effective in ministering to my community? How can I make meaningful contact with my community, especially those who walk past our chapel? How can I integrate the intensive learning into my future ministry?”. I share your concern for the community, the challenges of engagement and the application of the intensive content in this practical way. I found the article by Gray-Reeves and Perham applicable to these questions. They write: ‘While other denominations may advocate separation from the world, Anglicanism does not. While not of the world, we are called to be in it. As we seek to expand our reach with the gospel of Jesus Christ, we must be fluent in the culture in which we live, and so cannot ignore how life is changing in unprecedented ways’ (The Hospitality of God, 26). This idea of ‘fluency’ of culture is quite persuasive to me. I come from a missiological perspective having lived in another culture for a number of years, it makes perfect sense – and almost feels natural – to live in, learn from, and engage with the people and culture around me. For me, there is a whole new Australia that I need to explore because I have been stuck in “Christian Australia” for most of my life. It’s a bit scary if I’m honest, but at the same time I now have a conviction that God is already there, so what need I fear? Thank you again.
ReplyDelete