One does not reform a body, however small, by the threat of schism. It is always from within and with infinite care that one brings new life where it is needed. Only then is confrontation constructive. Every schism which, at the time, seems to relieve tension, is in reality an impoverishment. It means a refusal to take the further steps which are essential to a life in God which will be fully responsible and united.
— Brother Roger of Taizé in “The Power of the Provisional” pg 43
Meet the Artists ‘13: Roger Ross Williams (by sff)
Roger ROss Williams talks about his film “God Loves Uganda”. Want to see this.
Out Of Order (Preview) - A Documentary about those who are seeking to be or who already are ordained in the Presbyterian Church (USA) who are also lesbian, gay, bi, trans, or somehow queer. I love hearing the stories of queer folk in the church who have persisted despite hostile opposition. God’s grace truly abounds despite all odds. May we have the courage to expand it and be vessels of God’s love.
Ô toi l’au-delà de tout - Taizé 2012, with scenes from the Church of Reconciliation, and the gathering this summer. Absolutely beautiful.
Sacred Space: Balwant S. Hansra on Sikhism and the Gurdwara (by parliamentofreligion)
Paulo Freire: liberation theology and Marx (subtitled) (by suicidadealuguel)
Subtitles aren’t perfect, but it’s an excellent video.
Oh God, Where Are You Now? (In Pickeral Lake? Pigeon? Marquette? Mackinaw?) | Sufjan Stevens
I was reading a liturgy for advent, and this song was a part of it. Advent is possibly my favorite season. I know that as far as history goes, we’re supposed to be in the age of pentecost, but to me it always feels like Advent. We’re all waiting for someone or something to come or just happen. Here’s the liturgy, be aware for trigger warnings (sex work, rape, explicit language, and discussion of suicide). It’s beautiful.
This blog post has the gem:
To say that humans are essentially “religious” is to claim that they are primed to worship, wired devote themselves to something as ultimate, to ascribe “worthship” to some ultimate end. So while people might be “taking leave” of belief in God or gods, or “apostasizing” from specific communities of religious practice, I don’t think that is sufficient to conclude that “religion is not universal or necessary.” On my account, secular devotion is not just “analogously” religious: it is religious. It is an expression and product of “secular liturgies.”
The Episcopal Church and the Protestant mainline in America today may be going through a normal “paschal pattern” — a dying and a rising — that all churches go through, said Bishop Frank T. Griswold. And that is not necessarily a bad thing.
“There’s an arrogance and a self-confidence that is shattered by things falling apart,” said Griswold, former presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church. But beneath the church’s many challenges is an invitation to deeper wisdom, a hidden grace that leads to new insight, wisdom and resurrection.
I believe that all of our actions can and should be filtered through these questions: is this action life-giving or is it death-dealing? Is it both or neither? In what ways? How do I know this? Because, after all, we often think something is life-giving when, in fact, it is death-dealing. We all have blind-spots and we all inherit ideologies and cultural or religious paradigms that make it difficult for us to evaluate our own actions. This, I think, is especially true when it comes to the ways in which we understand charity today, and so I wish to highlight some of the ways in which charity falls into the realm of that which is death-dealing, in contrast to the life-giving actions of the community that assembled around Jesus. This will be done with a series of seven contrasts.
