shoots and roots

2010-05-21T22:00:00.003+01:00

Nicolai Dunger

Play

Nicolai Dunger will be new to some of you. He shouldn't be. For this you should be truly repentant, and begin redress the imbalance by listening to this collection of effortless, jangly folk-pop songs on repeat for several days. It wont feel like penance though, in fact, you'll thank the good Lord for opening your eyes.

'Play' is Dunger's sixteenth album, and sees him pull in favours from Mats Schubert (Bo Kaspers Orkerster) and Nina Perrson (Cardigan). For past releases he has worked with the finest of his contemporaries (e.g. Will Oldham, Mercury Rev and Calexico).

On first listen 'Play' recalls Ryan Adams, but repeated listens really set him apart as trading in a more fluid, playful and – at the same time, classic, brand of pop. Pretty good for an ex-professional Swedish footballer, I'd say.
Aaron Kennedy

Score: 7/10
For fans of Ryan Adams, Calexico, early Van Morrison
Download: Heart and Soul

David G. Cox

2010-04-21T21:13:00.006+01:00

David G. Cox

Dreamtrak Records

David G. Cox – a grand name for what seems like a very promising up-and-coming artist. This is Cox's debut album, and it comes in the midst of his Phd studies in black American folklore and gospel music. It sports thirteen darkly sparkling garage folk songs. As you might expect, academic that he is, the production and performances on Cox's album are all delivered with consummate professionalism; as you might not expect, the songs are actually quite evocative and listenable.

There's a sparse intensity in the instrumentation here that is reminiscent of both Tindersticks and Leonard Cohen. What's perhaps even more exceptional is the quality of Cox's voice – generally staying in the lower registers, and sometimes gravelly enough to recall (if not rival) Tom Waits himself. There's depth and variety in this album to keep drawing you back. Definitely worth having a listen.
Aaron Kennedy

Score: 7/10
For fans of Tom Waits, Tindersticks, Lambchop

Download: She Moves Through the Blue

Osso & Sufjan Stevens

2009-12-22T16:56:00.002Z

Run Rabbit Run

Asthmatic Kitty Records

Heads up all dedicated Sufjan fans, or those with a penchant for the unconventional. You may recall Sufjan's 2001 Enjoy Your Rabbit – a glitchy collection of experimental electronic arrangements inspired by the Chinese Zodiac. Well, Run Rabbit Run is that self-same album re-arranged for the string quartet Osso (New Pornos, Kanye, Sufjan). While some the arrangements get slightly lost in translation – with the thoughtful, choppy intrigue of the original rendered busily and clunky – this is essentially a warm, lively recording, and a fitting tribute to our beloved orchestral folk-pop doyen.
Aaron Kennedy

Score: 6/10
Download: Year of the Rooster.
For fans of: Kronos Quartet, Clogs.

Yim Yames

2009-12-08T20:59:00.004Z

A Tribute To

Rough Trade Records

Yim Yames is the pseudonym taken by My Morning Jacket front man Jim James for the purpose of this tribute to George Harrison. James describes the late Beatle as a 'prime example of the healing power of music'. The featured tracks were recorded at the time of Harrison's death in 2001 and it is obvious that Harrison's music had long been a source of comfort and catharsis to James.
Judging by the simplicity with which the songs are recreated here, James’ priority was to celebrate the personal connection he felt with Harrison’s music. There is little instrumentation other than James’ guitar and vocals; the songs themselves and James’ trademark lush reverb do all the talking. This is an unpolished, rough diamond of a record that is haunted throughout by a spirit that will warm your soul and remind you of a great-departed talent. Aaron Kennedy

Score: 7/10
Download: Behind that locked door (from YimYames.com)
For fans of: MMJ, George Harrison

YOUR TWENTIES (Levi's OnesToWatch Residency)

2009-11-23T13:52:00.003Z

THE BORDERLINE, LONDON

Opening proceedings this evening are the brooding and frenetic The Bridport Dagger, a band who take their onerous epithet from a euphemism for noose rope. This three piece make atmospheric gloomy blues rock tunes that sound totally fresh and yet referential of some of the greats. Imagine Elvis or Orbision teaming up with a grim rock 'n' roll reaper; given enough rope this band could really turn some heads.

Second up are The Brute Chorus, a band whose energy isn't so much brooding in the shadows as it is flaunted in the foreground. Their chaotic, ramshackle 50's rock sound is ambitious and ballsy, and yet not overt about the careful craftsmanship holding it all together. You might say this band wear their metaphorical cocks on their sleeves – even if this can be slightly nauseating at times.

Headliners Your Twenties, on the other hand, are a band that seem hormonally challenged. Yes, the big tunes do elevate; yes, there are riffs catchy enough to spool out an entire adult-sized onesy in the duration of their short set, and yes, the grooves are Solid. As. A. Rock. ... but there's just no heart. I want to like this band, but their bloodless performance is all too stiff-upper-lip and very-cool-for-school. Think Kowalski without half the charm and, on average, slightly longer songs.
Aaron Kennedy

Part Chimp

2009-10-26T22:23:00.002Z

Thriller

Rock Action

Thriller is the third full-length to come from the gnarly South London noise rock ensemble Part Chimp. The initiated may not have considered the possibility of their ears registering any increase in blisteringly dense white noise after 2005's 'I Am Come' – surely the pool of blood on the floor beside your head testified to this? Think again my friends, think again.

Not only have the Chimp succeeded in tapping into a fresh seam of primordial musical sludge, they have created even louder blend of solid grooves, timber shiveringly-loud guitars and droning melodies.

Opener 'Trad' is, a pastiche of the stoner rock genre, is no less of a satisfying melodic drone-fest for being a piss-take. Dirty Sun is a grimy, epic strut that sees them exalting in some reframed Sabbath-like tropes.

Released on Mogwai's Rock Action label, the album represents something of an evolution in their noise-mongering ways – a progression from their indie/grunge roots, to sludgier, stonier ground, while at the same time remaining true to their rock band roots. If bleeding ears is your thing, Thriller is worth checking out.
Aaron Kennedy

Score: 7/10
Download: Trad, Dirty Sun
For fans of: Jesus Lizard, The Melvins, Harvey Milk

Fanfarlo, Reservoir

2009-10-20T15:53:00.002+01:00

Fanfarlo Records

Reservoir is the first LP to come from London-based folk pop band Fanfarlo. Released under the band's own label, it completes the picture sketched by a preceding bevy of singles. Produced by Peter Katis (The National, Interpol), and with ringing endorsements from David Bowie, Sigur Ros and Rough Trade Shops, this record demands attention.

Balthazar's soulful intonations provide the emotional center of the record. On the rousing and triumphant Ghosts it recalls the ecstatic wailing of 'Clap Your Hands' frontman Alec Onunsworth. The production is a densely layered, kitchen sink affair, lending another gear of compulsion to the sound. Third track, Luna, drives along like a full force gale, and is saturated with everything from violin to synthesiser parts, and much more besides. On the surface, this an all-round beautiful and absorbing listen.

That said, while the vocal is melancholic and possessing of a certain whimsical abondon, becomes easy to ignore the longer you hear it. Balthazar's open, almost dispassionate singing style is partly to blame. The disappointment ensuing from a closer inspection of the lyrics explains why it has been recessed snugly into the weave of the mix.

While fans of Arcade Fire and Beirut should initially enjoy this album, the discerning devotee will think twice. If you'll forgive the word-play, barring a few stand-out tracks (numbers one, two and three), Fanfarlo's Revervoir seems to draw from waters less deep than their better-loved musical progenitors.
Aaron Kennedy

Score: 6/10
Download: Ghost, Luna
For fans of: Arcade Fire, Beirut, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah

Live Review: DANANANANAYKROYD

2009-07-20T16:11:00.008+01:00

Levi’s OneToWatch, VIBE BAR, LONDON, 7 July

Monday night is perhaps not the best night of the week for a live show, however there is already a good crowd gathering as support act The Late Greats begin their set. Whether they're named after the Wilco song of the same name we can't be sure, but The Late Greats’ cathartic, lo-fi alt-rock sound owes a lot to them. They also sport a chaotic Frank Black vocal style and solid rock grooves. Their performance is earnest but fun, and chock full of good riffs and driving beats – more than enough to warm up the crowd.

Dananananaykroyd take to the stage with a certain understated confidence and verve that immediately sets a promising tone for the evening. Many of the punters are hanging back, waiting to see what this Levi's headlining OnetoWatch act has to offer; at least fifty other people, however, have clearly made their minds up, bare-chested in anticipation of some craziness.

And craziness is what we get. Take the six-person lineup for starters: two are drummers, one of whom shares the lead vocals when he's not being spectacular and ostentatious behind the kit (at least two other members get up to play during the set). By the end of the first song half the band are topless and both of the singers can be found surfing the crowd, mics in hand, screaming themselves senseless. They are frenetic, gleeful performers who spend as much time in the crowd as on the stage. By the second song the crowd is heaving and Dananananaykroyd have us in the palms of their sweaty hands.

Among their influences you can detect the wayward math-rock approach of At The Drive-In, the non-linear structures of post-rockers Idlewild. The two drummers seem to lead the charge, directing the melodies with their exacting beats, flamboyant hits and riotous fills. Their brassy lyrics and catchy riffs make all this innovation very accessible.

Dananananaykroyd are the most exciting thing I've witnessed since, well, since ever. For one reason or another I seem to have missed most of the significant musical moments of my lifetime. It might be saying a smidgen too much, but watching Dananananaykroyd went a small way toward making up for this. They have to be seen to be believed.

[This picture is from the same night: yes, there is a guitar lodged in the ceiling.]

Foreign Slippers

2009-06-03T16:50:00.004+01:00

Oh Death
Izumi Records

As its title suggests, the first release for alt folk singer Foreign Slippers was born out of the experience of death. Its varied subject matter, whether personal, mystical or romantic, are filtered through the lens of this loss.

Gabrielle Froden, as she is otherwise known, has a created a dark treat of a record, which is so laden with poignant beauty and regret that it seems to stir memories from the womb. Released on Izumi Records, Oh Death has earned Foreign Slippers support slots with the likes of Brit nominee Beth Rowley and Duke Special.

Foreign Slipper's sparse sound is warm and uncomplicated, making use of a surprisingly wide a variety of instruments. Her voice recalls the delicate intonations of Emiliana Torrini, or the cool, otherworldly croon of Kate Bush, and at times the soulful textures of Gillian Welch. When gentle nostalgic whisperings give way to searing full-bodied lamentation, you're feeling like you've listened to the musical equivalent of Grey's Anatomy's weepiest episode.

Opener 'Packed the Car' documents a day trip, a hazy, glowing memory of a summer's day culminating in boozy fireside reminiscences between old friends. Title track, 'Oh Death' is transfixing in its melancholic, meditative repetition, nailing you to your seat with a depth of feeling that is, quite simply, uncommon is today's commercially driven music industry.

Sad though her songs often are, they are buoyed by the comfort of friends, with soothing poetry about the-way-things-are, and hopeful hints of the way-things-could-be. Foreign Slipper's first release augurs auspiciously for a future full length that is currently at the mixing stage. We wait in eager anticipation.

Score: 9/10
Download: Packed the Car, Fisherman
For fans of: Emiliana Torrini, Kristin Hersch, Gillian Welch

Buy the EP on the Rough Trade website, iTunes or the Izumi website.

Tomorrow Today, Seeland

2009-04-20T22:15:00.001+01:00

This is Seeland’s third release to date, and their first for Loaf recordings. Based in Birmingham, the band was formed from the burning embers of that city’s ‘retro futurist electronic scene’.

‘Tomorrow Today’ is an eclectic mish-mash of influences ranging from space age pop, to the BBC Radiophonic workshop, from the Human League to ‘eccentric 60s library music’.

Seeland sound like a pop-leaning Kraftwerk blended with Pink Floyd on happy juice. It’s also hard not to make a connection with the lo-fi sounds of Elliot Smith or ‘Under the Western Freeway Era’ Grandaddy. Indie electronic sound

Almost all the songs are gentle growers, with fifth track ‘Captured’ being the stand pop single. Its sweet melody and sing-able, lovelorn chorus are enough to get you closing your eyes and pretending it wasn’t actually winter. ‘Colour Dream’ is worth downloading for the chilled-out, blippy warmth of it all, if not for the slightly banal lyrics.

The shoegazing quality of the vocals may present something of an obstacle for some, but their shiny, unobtrusive consistency will appeal to others. The production of the album is impeccable and uncommonly creative; in short, ‘Tomorrow Today’ is a entertaining, eclectic collection of indie pop treats. I recommend it.

Download: Colour Dream, Captured
For fans of: Kraftwerk, Plone, Broadcast
Score: 7/10

Preacher Blues, Le Skeleton Band

2009-04-20T22:13:00.002+01:00

It's hard to know how to judge 'Preacher Blues', Le Skeleton Band’s first full-length album. As the name suggests, they are a group of French guys, who mostly sing in French and their music definitely has an air of the thoughtfulness and intelligence that you might, perhaps, imagine is a prerequisite for any self-respecting Frenchmen. In a word, its all a bit foreign to the British listener.

Nevertheless, several reassuring influences become apparent with closer listening: the influence of Tom Waits' sparse garage-jazz sound is clear, and at times the vocals recall his dulcet tones; the folk-punk intricacies of the Violent Femmes begin to emerge as a significant feature; and the fractured art-rock sounds of psycho-billy band The Dead Brothers give the album a volatility which is cathartic.

The album is packed full of great musicianship, and the songs, which could by no means be described as ‘pop’, will reward repeated listens, particularly, I imagine, if you speak French.

Download: L’Automme
Score: 7/10
For Fans of: Violent Femmes, The Dead Brothers, Tom Waits

Live Review: Levi's OnesToWatch 5 Night Revue at The Macbeth, London

2008-10-10T15:01:00.005+01:00

Iglu and Hartly
With support from Micachu

The first band to grace the Macbeth’s miniscule stage is Micachu, whose quirky, stuttering brand of indie rock is engrossing with its varied textures, odd timings and hidden layers of melody and percussion. Their sound conjures comparisons with acts as diverse as Jamie T and Mum, and despite a distinct lack of sing-able choruses, its very fresh sound and full of subtlety. It’s clear that cult status awaits this intriguing three-piece in the near future. Definitely one to watch.

For fans of: Mum, Janie T, Bjork, Hot Chip
Score: 7/10
Download: Golden Phone

Both the drummer’s comparison of their music with Tina Turner’s, and the Bon Jovi jacket sported by the lead singer, served to dim my expectations of Iglu and Hartly somewhat before they take to the stage. However, after a few bars of their foot-stomping, psychedelic, white-boy-rap, all such associations are proved to be merely ironical. Said jacket is ditched one song in as singer Jarvis Anderson calls out, “Let’s get it down like a mother-fucking clown!” And they seem to be doing just that. The new single, In This City, the first to come from their album ‘& Then Boom’, is greeted rapturously: pretty soon even a busy barmaid is dancing, a drink in one hand and an invisible lasso in the other.

One song later however, about eight songs in, and the band have inexplicably decided to leave the stage: oh wait, they’ve finished their set! In hindsight, their rather sheepish exit seems reflective of the fact that, decent as the set is, their current single is the only standout track; reluctant to be judged on its merits alone, they haven’t saved it till last. It seems doubtful that the new album will have any songs of a similar calibre. Anyway, check it out for yourself: it arrives in UK shops on the 29 September.

For fans of: Beastie Boys, MGMT and Tina Turner.
Score: 5/10
Download: In This City

Review: Nik Freitas, Sun Down

2008-10-01T23:24:00.002+01:00

Sun Down is the third LP, and second release on Conor Oberst’s Team Love imprint, for master of all musical trades, Nik Freitas. Every one of his ‘60’s influenced pop songs work well by themselves, and they ebb and flow by turns the way a good album should. But somehow, there’s nothing visceral enough to provoke a degree of affection any greater than “yeah, it’s nice like.” Nik never seems to let his heart take control of the many instruments he wields, so that even though he talks about love, disillusionment and self-destruction, I’m not convinced he’s ever experienced them. Listenable enough, but pretty bland.

Score: 5/10
For fans of The Beatles, Josh Ritter, Simon and Garfunkle.
Download: All The Way Down, What You Become

CHALLENGE

2008-09-29T14:14:00.001+01:00

My angel, evidently, has broken wings, still tries to lift me up,

It also somehow clearly seems, my chalice forms a broken cup,

The song I dream from my cracked lips, the bowl from which I sup

Imperfect too, a blemished thing, rides like my shirt untucked.

Yet from the grist and guts of it twists my remaining luck,

As one who wins just second place my thoughts also run amok.

From my wrist I fashion it, unclenching my tight fist a bit

Into an open palm in order not to strike a blow or hit out at anyone;

- If God were perfect and could fit together like an answered prayer,

Love would take me home to him borne on such a rarer air.

Yet truth is not enough I fear and hope but mere deceit

And from what I’ve seen everywhere, Life ends always in defeat.

For this I am guilty to declare my challenge to miracles anywhere,

God, prove me wrong, if you dare to show me nurture and not harm

Or else at least to show you care a damn with truth to accept me as I am

Not just judge my lack of charm or doom my gloom right down.

I’d like to sing of second birth and say heaven is to be found on earth

But from the dirth my dirges groan with lack of thrumming mirth

And thirst for meaning makes me bleak and black as my parched tongue

When champagne springs and angel wings are only when you’re young.

By Bart Wolffe

Review: The Acorn, Hope Glory Mountain

2008-09-24T10:24:00.003+01:00

This album is an extended eavesdrop on an intimate gift from singer, Rolf Klausener, to his mother, Gloria Esperanza Montoya (loosely translated: Hope Glory Mountain). It is a tender, poetically abstract set of ethno-folk-rock verses that evoke the bootstrapping skills Gloria acquired on her journey through life. As you might imagine, it glows and twinkles with a subtle hopefulness throughout. Hand drums pound out primordial grooves, while animalistic screeches and howls recall tribal exorcism rituals. It's a warm, listenable fabric of an album, but unfortunately it seems to get waylaid down various roads-less-travelled, and can at times be more hard work than a wearisome musical sojourner might wish for.

Score: 6/10
Download: Hold Your Breath, Oh Napoleon
For fans of: Calexico, Akron/Family, Horse Feathers

Mojo Fucking Fury

2008-09-14T16:45:00.002+01:00

MojoFURY

It is a typically stunning performance from Northern Irelands’ own masters of post-punk, math rock. The tent is slightly less than full, but the audience is enraptured by the maze of rhythms, hooks and hidden dangers lurking in their songs. It’s a breathtaking, emotionally unhinged performance that defies Irish comparisons and renders all witnesses to the event, confessing believers. A guest keyboards performance by Stuart Bell of the Panama Kings added another layer of musical glue to their already rich sound. It’s a visceral, rusty razor-edged performance that showcases the bands’ undeniable musical prowess, and the blood-red beating heart of darkness they wear so lightly on their poster paint-drenched sleeves.

A couple more mini Glasgowbury Reviews ...

2008-09-09T01:23:00.002+01:00

Here Comes the Landed Gentry
HCTLG took to the ‘Spurs of Rock’ stage with their usual flair, sporting suits and ties, and a very bluesy, rockabilly brand of garage rock. Granted they’ve only been together for three or four months, but this reviewer couldn’t work out whether their heavily referential sound is more dated than retro.

Cutaways
Cutaways are a three-piece indie-pop group with a good dose of quirk. They recall the Ting Tings with their energetic frivolity and with the sheer strength of their tunes. The tent is nearing capacity, and the crowd are appreciative, enjoying the on-stage banter. This band is definitely finding their voice, and they are all the more enjoyable to watch because of it. Go see them soon.

Glasgowbury Reviews

2008-09-02T01:01:00.002+01:00

Over the next week or two I'm going to post some live reviews from the Glasgowbury Music Festival that happens annually in Draperstown, Northern Ireland.

First up are Ed Zealous ...

Ed Zealous, strangely relegated to the Spurs of Rock stage, played an adventurous, and richly textured bunch of songs to their steadily growing, increasingly enthralled audience. This is a band beginning to realise their potential, having found the courage to strike out beyond currently popular territory with a musical vision so grand I’m bashful in their presence. Set highlights include the Bowie-esque Getaway Cars, and the pop nuggets Pretty Face and Mario. Big things are surely on the cards for these guys. They are, as one adoring fan took the time to write in my notebook, “Deadly!”

Dan le Sac VS Scroobius Pip Review

2008-08-29T11:13:00.003+01:00

Letter From God to Man, Dan le Sac VS Scroobius Pip

Radiohead’s The Benz is an album that many of us hold very dear to our hearts, and the thought a couple of young upstarts taking Planet Telex and ripping, chipping and chopping it up is more than enough to raise a few heckles. This is indeed what the aforementioned DJ’s have done, but please, all Radiohead fans, please, give this track a listen before passing judgement.

Thom Yorke’s melancholy intonations are the perfect compliment to Scroobius Pip’s literate, social critique, delivered, as it were, from the mouth of God, and Dan Le Sac’s superlative cut and paste skills take this track all the way into ‘epic’ territory, guaranteeing an enthusiastic dance floor audience. And if all this isn’t enough for the Radiohead purist in you, you might like to know that the single also includes a B-side remix by the bands unofficial sixth member and regular producer, Nigel Godrich. Additionally, there are remixes of the track by The PolarBear P.S., we thee! and DJ Sega.

Dans le Sac and Scroobius Pip are without doubt one of the freshest, most innovative hip-hop acts around.

Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, Midnight Man review

2008-08-20T15:58:00.001+01:00

The title of the latest single from the Dig!!! Lazarus Dig!!! album may or may not be a reference to the Marvel comic anti-hero of the same name, but one thing is for sure, ‘Midnight Man’ broods with the malevolence and graphic violence one would associate with the stuff of pulp fiction – and ‘Old Nick’ in general. As entertaining musically as it is lyrically, this compelling, groove-driven track seems to both reflect, and hold in check, the ruthless enthusiasm of Cave’s recent Grinderman project. Whilst it features the raucous guitars, black humour and seedy depravity so celebrated on that album, it also drops a gear too, bringing combo organs and emotional vulnerability back to the fore. It’s engaging stuff, and a reminder that Cave is one of the few artists of such longevity that have continued to remain creative and relevant. He may be no spring chicken, but this is no desperate, wilting eleventh hour compromise; on the contrary, ‘Midnight Man’ exemplifies the consistent quality we’ve come to expect of our hero.

Port O'Brien Review

2008-08-13T15:50:00.001+01:00

Album Review: Port O’Brien, All We Could Do Was Sing

It will most likely not come as a surprise to learn that Port O’Brien are a band who have found their inspiration from the environment in which they live. Although you would be wrong to assume they live in Port O’Brien – no, in fact they are currently resident in and around Kodiak Island, Alaska, a bleak, beautiful and at times isolating place to live. Remarkably for signed band, inspiration is also drawn from the labour intensive day jobs they have (although, the show schedule on their myspace page would suggest they’re taking a fairly long summer break); and let it be known, inspiration is something this band has in bucket loads.

Their sound could be loosely characterised as alt. folk, however it would likely appeal to fans of bands as diverse as the Shout Out Louds, Pavement and Akron/Family. Their music is as much a reaction against the solitude and stark beauty they live in, as it is a reflection of it. I Woke Up Today is a joyous and emphatic opener, which unfolds in a delightfully unpredictable way, featuring a Polyphonic Spree-style choir of voices. Pigeonhole - about as rock as this band gets - is a cathartic, ramshackle alt-folk wig out featuring crazed, wailing guitars that at times echo Sonic Youth, or Western Freeway-era Grandaddy. Will You Be There? Is a more stripped down, intimate affair that showcases the fragile vulnerability of Van Pierszalowski’s lead vocal. Jaunty banjos, varied drum textures, choirs, and damn good melodies all contribute to making this album thoroughly entertaining.

All We Could Do Was Sing explores life’s questions and challenges, its beauties and its ironies. Its lyrical introspection is balanced against its deep, melodic life-blood and energetic and ambitious arrangements. It’s easy to imagine joining this band for a few jars and a sing-along in some isolated Alaskan bar. This is folk music for an indie rock audience, and as such is a celebration of the highs and lows, the beauty and the fragility of life, and the fact that music is good for the soul.

Download the new Radiohead album for free...

2007-10-03T21:15:00.000+01:00

I kid you not.

Which theologian are you? ...my results.

2007-09-22T22:54:00.000+01:00

You scored as Paul Tillich, Paul Tillich sought to express Christian truth in an existentialist way. Our primary problem is alienation from the ground of our being, so that our life is meaningless. Great for psychotherapy, but no longer very influential.

Paul Tillich

87%

Jürgen Moltmann

87%

Friedrich Schleiermacher

67%

John Calvin

33%

Augustine

33%

Karl Barth

33%

Jonathan Edwards

20%

Martin Luther

13%

Anselm

Charles Finney

Which theologian are you?
created with QuizFarm.com

Postmodern Times

2007-08-20T22:42:00.001+01:00

One of the best websites I have visited recently is Post Modern Times. They offer "a series of short animated films presenting new ideas about global consciousness and techniques for social and ecological transformation."

Watch it.

Simian Mobile Disco - It's The Beat

2007-08-10T10:58:00.001+01:00

Hey! I am back. Its been too long. I thought I'd introduce this band. This video is great, and the album is very good. Not normally my cup of tea, but very much worth keeping an open mind about!

Happy days are here again!

2007-05-20T16:26:00.000+01:00

Hello Everyone!

Andy, Nathan and I are having a joint birthday bash this saturday at Bloomsbury Bowling Lanes, and you are all welcome! They have a great bar, with good food and cocktails, a few good rock bands, and a great DJ until 3 a.m. Its going to be a great night, we hope you can make it. The nearest tube stop is Russell Square on the Piccadilly Line, but here's a map too.

See you there!

A, A, N.
xoxoxo

I've been thinking about homosexuality recently...

2007-04-25T19:01:00.000+01:00

for an essay wrote this term. Forgive me for throwing the elephant, but pasted a few chunks in here to try to start some dialogue. I have often wondered about the discrepancy between a belief in God as the spirit of life, love and wholeness that many Christians like to talk about, and the ideas floating around that take such a clearly unloving, condemnatory position on homosexuals. Such ideas often come from an unreflective, uncritical gut feeling about what is right and wrong, and don't adequately consider the various historical and cultural factors involved.

I know its quite long, but have a scan and see what you think. The full version should be available on the moot grey space soon, if anyone's interested.

R.R. Reuther points out that the ideological context in which the Hebrew and Christian scriptures were written was one of patriarchy. (1983: 22) This ideology denied the full humanity of women (1983: 19), and it also encouraged homophobia. (1994: 387) The initial reason for this appears to have been the emergence of a dualistic view of reality, originating from a gendered understanding of ‘the culture of heroism and death’. (Graham, 1995: 13) This early cultural form was male dominated and seen as opposed to ‘nature’ and its associations with women, powerlessness, sexuality, and ‘Others’. (Graham, 1995: 12) Given the essential and all-pervasive role that war and violence have played throughout all of human history, one can imagine that even the most basic, prehistoric societies (such as the culture in which the Genesis creation narratives were written) functioned within varying degrees of patriarchal rule. This view of the world as split into binary pairs was developed more fully by Greek philosophers Plato and Aristotle. (Graham, 1995: 12) Graham sees their work as ‘responsible for all subsequent systems of Western thought in which male and female are dichotomous and polarised.’ (1995: 12) Influential theologians such as Thomas Aquinas and Augustine of Hippo popularised this way of thinking within Christianity. (Miles, 2005: 172) Because men and women are seen as binary opposites (1983: 389) with differing abilities and strengths they are also dependent on one another. Women are seen as dependant upon men because of physical weakness and deficiency in the areas of leadership and rationality (1983: 389); men are dependant upon women for more private familial matters such as nurturance and assistance. (1983: 389) This is the real substance of the complementarity argument, which sees ‘males and females as rigidly opposite personality types’ (1983: 389) and the basis of the whole patriarchal social order, where men are the masters, and women, or non-men (Moules, 1999: 4) are slaves.

It is worth making note at this point, of some general thoughts regarding the interpretation of those biblical texts that seem very clearly, to denounce homosexuality as sinful behaviour. Given the feminist critique of patriarchy of recent decades, we approach the text with an awareness of the bias of those that write. We are aware that there are other stories to be discovered, the stories of those who did not hold power, win wars or write books. We are suspicious of the self-interest, cultural context, and even the ‘missiological pragmatism’ (Vasey,1995: 131) of those that write and we therefore leave no statement untested or unquestioned. We not only question the bias of the author of the text, but also that of subsequent translators. We apply what has been called a hermeneutic of suspicion. For example, 1 Corinthians 6: 9 – 10 may not actually be the explicit and unambiguous condemnation of homosexuality that many take it for. The precise meaning of the terms malakoi and arsenokoitai remain illusive (Vasey, 1995: 134), with two popular translations coming out with very different results: in the King James Version they are translated ‘effeminate’ and ‘abusers of themselves with mankind’ respectively; the Revised Standard Version has them translated together as ‘sexual perverts’. (Vasey, 1995: 134, 135) Alternative translations might render malakoi as ‘voluptuous persons’, ‘wanton’, or ‘loose living’. (Vasey, 1995: 135) According to Vasey, there is little evidence that this word refers to men having sex with each other. (1995: 135) The word arsenokoitai was, to the original readers probably connotative of ‘slavery, idolatry and social dominance that were associated with corrupt Roman society’ (Vasey, 1995: 136), and not of a covenanted, respectful, loving relationship between two people of the same sex.

According to Reuther the rejection of homosexuality is based on three false assumptions upon which the patriarchal ideal rests. Firstly, that sex is in itself somehow sinful (1994: 390). Augustine held this view and said that sex was the means of the transmission of original sin between generations (Miles, 2005: 171). Theologian Jerome put it this way: “Any love for someone else’s spouse or very much for ones own is adultery.” (Boswell, 1994: 364) It was at best only venially sinful for procreative purposes within marriage. (Reuther, 1983: 388) In this way homosexuality is subsumed within a general condemnation of sexual activity in all its forms. There are few in the Christian church today who would uphold such a view of heterosexual activity (The Holy See, 2004: pt 223), and yet, according to Reuther, the condemnation of homosexual activity is still based to some degree on this most basic of errors. Secondly, that procreation is the only worthy purpose of any sexual activity. (1994: 390) This view, held by many of the worlds religions (ODWR, 1997: 440) is a hypocritical position to take, given that sexual activity is not denied to the aged or the sterile (cf Reuther, 1994: 390), and as such this can also be seen as a false basis for the rejection of homosexuality. Thirdly, the view that sex can only be wholesome when directed towards a member of the opposite sex (1994: 390). This view, as we have just seen, is founded on the patriarchal value of complementarity. Reuther insists that this arrangement requires a ‘pathological interdependency’ (1983: 390) that does not enable the full humanity of either partner: “The relationship is set up to reinforce … deficiency in each.” (1994: 390) Homosexuals, by rejecting the male-female binary relationship of ‘dominance-submission’ (Reuther, 1994: 389) defied the social order and have therefore experienced rejection and persecution throughout much of world history.

Sacred: discover what we share

2007-04-25T18:52:00.000+01:00

Sacred. This groundbreaking exhibition brings together some of the world's most important and beautiful religious texts for the first time. Exquisite and rare examples of Jewish,

Christian and Muslim sacred texts from the Library's collections will be

presented alongside treasures on loan from other institutions in a unique and compelling modern context.

Sacred marks the first time that sacred texts from these three faiths will have been displayed and explored together, side by side, in a major UK exhibition.

BLACKOUT BRITAIN ...a grassroots movement for climate change

2007-03-14T18:28:00.000Z

Check this out. Ekklesia reported on it this week too. Some of you will remember Sharon Turley, who heads it up, from the Moot weekend away. Many of you wont, but don't let that stop you supporting her.

my little piece of nothingness ...wranglings in faith.

2007-02-28T15:04:00.000Z

i can hear you now, "another upbeat post from aaron then". yep, sorry about the rather morbid pattern emerging in my posts. i hope you'll see however, that ultimately these musings are part of a hopeful search for some sense in my life, and not wallowings in despair. though admittedly i feel that i'm walking a very fine line between these two options.

the "little piece of nothingness" which i refer to in the title of this post is a piece of velvet cloth that i keep by my bedside. its one of the only items in my life that carry a religious significance for me. i'd like to try to explain why, in this post.

it comes from a service i helped lead at church. the theme was,very simply, presence. we explored the subject in the context of worship. for me, the themes that emerged throughout the service surrounded the absence of god in my personal life. i'm not even sure if i'd say that i feel god to be absent. maybe its that i have arrived at a place of doubt, which verges on/amounts to unbelief. during the service mike and i lifted up a large sheet of velvet cloth which had been draped over something at the front of the church throughout the service. it was blue velvet. very dark, almost black. then, very calmly, but rather dramatically, we ripped the cloth in two halves, revealing a large icon of christ. i then proceeded to cut up the cloth into small pieces so that everyone present could take home a piece.

i took my piece home with me that night, and it has been significant for me ever since. being very dark in colour, it partly symbolises for me a kind of mobile black hole. wherever i set it down, its like a black hole opens up to reveal the absolute openness, or emptiness of god. thats not to say i think god doesn't exist, quite the opposite. but its not a very personal god, or a very easily defined god. in this sense, god has become the question for me, the mystery of life. no, this is not a hopeful image. but its significant for me because it reflects my utter disillusionment with (or loss of faith in) dogmatic religious faith. its important for me, somehow, to affirm what i don't believe in. within this however, is the hope that i'll meet god - revealed/concealed in unknowing/darkness - just like the icon. like a kind of curtain, similar to the hebrew temple curtain that separated people from the holy presence of god.

more positively, it is essentially about faith for me. for better or worse, i have presently no faith in any one of the common representations of the divine/religions. but i recognise that these are not god. such representations are, to me, just human constructs. or as pete rollins says of theology - it is that which is done in the aftermath of the divine. a fumbling, clumsy, very human attempt to make sense of an experience of god. thats not to say that theology/religion is useless, but that it is temporal, contextual, failing and not ultimately representative of "truth". realising this fact has led me to peer out into the abyss and chaos of existence outside of the safe surrounds of a "statement of faith", or a water-tight worldview. its a truly life-giving place to be for me. i really feel i am 'trusting' something, something so vast that i am at once lost and found in its presence.

thanks for reading.

god is dead

2007-01-23T22:14:00.000Z

i have been on a journey of late, a spiritual journey (a tired but effective analogy) which has led seemingly irrevocably toward a complete loss of faith in the god. at least, faith as i used to know it. yes, i went to uni. and, as you might imagine, i have been reading a spot of marx, a smattering of nietzsche, and, by a kind of osmosis, a drip-feed of freud. such writers have taken me, like many others, far beyond the elastic limit, if you like, of our unexamined faith, and have changed us for good - for better or worse. they prompted many other readings, chosen for their openness to the kind of criticisms that such masters levelled at faith and christianity in general. among these secondary authors who have been of particular help to me, are john caputo and peter rollins. their work builds upon the criticisms offered, and realises in them something, perhaps, divinely inspired. this something is the realisation that, down through the last two millenia, christian faith has been encumbered with various ideas that had more in common with specific cultural, historical contexts than with the original experience people had of christ. to generalise, the masters of suspicion, as they are now known, were often criticising the cultural encrustations of christian faith as they knew it, rather than christ, or god as such.

it is to this context that rollins and caputo now speak.

yes, god, in a certain evangelical sense is dead; but g_d, ineffable and transcendent, can never die. god, according to rollins and caputo, has been rediscovered as ultimately beyond the reach of any of the interpretations or ideas humans seek to colonize her/him/it with. in On Religion, caputo raises again the augustinian riddle of whether god is love, or love is god. argumentation aside, i find this question raises a tension with which i am very comfortable. it wonders whether the god/gods we worship are not in fact a kind of projection by human beings of their highest goal, that of love. however, it also thinks/hopes that god may well be a real intelligent being, 'out there', somewhere in space/time/spirit. it desires to keep this tension without faltering. for me personally (not to speak against others who may have an unmediated direct revelation), i am unable to make any definitive claims about the characteristics of the person of god; however, time and again i have experiences that point to the existence of such a being. i am also only too aware of the dangers of the 'dogmatists error', both within the churches i have attended, and in the outworking of religious beliefs on the societal level. the conundrum which caputo raises necessitates that all religious belief be held tentatively, and seen as provisional, failed attempts to interpret our experience of the divine adequately.

the anthropological theology of Wolfhart Pannenberg

2006-12-10T11:35:00.000Z

Here's a few snippets from my essay entitled "A critical account of the interpretation of the “image of God” for Wolfhart Pannenberg."

As a theologian, he saw anthropology as the testing ground on which the credibility of the Christian faith would be decided in the modern era. As Grenz says, the truth has tended to be validated, or not, by exposure to all the rigours scientific investigation (2005: 106), and theology according to Pannenberg, should be no different.His theology can in some ways be understood as a synthesis of the moral religion (with science as its arbiter) of enlightenment thinkers, and the faith-based theology of Karl Barth. He articulates a fundamental theology that sees God as the ground of all existence; this is achieved via the anthropological method, so that theology ‘would be acceptable by the modern standards of scientific thought.’ (Schwobel, 1985: 21)

Pannenberg starts constructing his theology from the bottom up, using cultural phenomena as a point of departure. (Galloway, 1973: 13) This means not assuming that the existence of God, or the authority of the Christian scriptures is a foregone conclusion for members of the public. Therefore he grounds all that he has to say upon the authority of trusted anthropological research. And it can easily be seen that if his theology is to have any benefit to society it must be articulated in terms accessible to it. The so-called ‘age of enlightenment’ had established new epistemological norms (empirical science) and Pannenberg accepts this new challenge head on. In doing so he sought to articulate a theology that would resonate as trustworthy with the average modern day person. And as with all science, no ‘truth’ becomes for Pannenberg a fundamental truth, but is instead open to the continued unfolding of new evidence; there is always a certain provisionality attached to anything he says. (Grenz, 2005: 14) This attitude very much aligns with a modern mindset and contrary to compromising historical Christian truth, he can be seen as instead appealing to the oldest form of truth, that of consensus. (Grenz, 2005: 15)
Following in the tradition of Ireneaus (130-202 C.E.) however, Pannenberg sees the image of god in human beings as something that is gradually attained throughout the course of one’s life, not as originally present and then lost through the fall, as the Athanasian tradition held and most subsequent manifestations of Christian faith. (Grenz, 2005: 122)

This rather unorthodox theory of ‘image’ would seem to be very appropriate for the modern day person, as it ties in with evolutionary theory. Indeed Pannenberg’s understanding of the Genesis creation narratives is as myths which served at the time to explain the pain inherent in the human condition (as regards work, pregnancy and death) by referring to sin, but they function as an articulation
the ultimate, evolutionary destiny of humanity. (Grenz, 2005: 123) Gone are the days when people were happy to assume the literal truth of the biblical accounts, and so Pannenberg’s reinterpretation of them shows how they can illuminate further the understanding of life garnered from scientific research.

However relevant this may be for the modern context, it still remains to be seen if in our period of ‘late-modernity’ the concept of the perfectibility of human nature, implicit in this theory, would have any resonance whatever. Recent world events have led to a prevalence of scepticism today as regards the concept of the progress of humanity; most are disillusioned of the notion of an upward trajectory of the achievements of modern men and women. Perhaps the perspective of open-endedness in process theology would offer a less constrictive view of the self for these days. Indeed, Grenz proffers that his thought is not that far removed from process theology in reality, a criticism often levelled at Pannenberg by conservative theologians. (2004: 280)

For Pannenberg, 'exocentricity' is the means by which as humans we ‘become’, or self-transcend; ultimately it is how humanity progresses towards its destiny. We are distinguished from the lower animals by our ability to ‘perceive an individual object as an individual object’. (Schwobel, 1985: 22) This is in essence the capacity to locate an object in its wider context. Ultimately, the wider context of these finite objects is the infinite. (Schwobel, 1985: 69) It implies “being-outside-of-oneself” (Grenz, 2005: 124), and “being present to the other” (1985: 71). It seems that we evolved this capacity over time, and so became distinctively human. This capacity for perception of the infinite, is Pannenberg a fundamental religious category. We therefore became in our very nature, religious beings. He maintains that this is the case long before we make the step of articulately expressing, or thematising the existence of God. (1985: 69)

In continuity with Herder, and in contradistinction from modern anthropology, he asserts the hopelessness of this quest for personhood when founded on self-reliance (Grenz, 2005: 124), and therefore core to this idea is the concept of trust (1985: 71). Galloway points out (1973: 23) the tension that exists between openness and centeredness with regard to trust. Openness is our capacity to respect and depend upon the other; this is facilitated by trust. By necessity it must be balanced against centeredness, so as to enable the individual to develop a sense of identity or self (Galloway, 1973: 24). However, when a person over-emphasises this, they are self-centred and seek to master everything, to bring things under their control. Treating the other (God or persons) in this way reduces its status to that of a thing and so mars the image of God in it. The effect of sin also extends to the individual committing it, because lack of trust impairs their progress towards the likeness of God (ibid: 20; Pannenberg, 1977: 43). Therefore it seems that the growing person is becoming more like Christ in the sense that they developing the capacity to trust, to a degree adequate to sustaining open and respectful relationship to the other.
However, the concept of centeredness in human nature does seem to be of great relevance for the world today. If we as creatures seek to master the Otherness of the divine and therefore reduce it to the status of an inanimate thing, then we are no longer in relationship with God, but with our static thoughts regarding God. We have idolised our finite belief system, esteeming to the status of the infinite (ibid: 21). Thus our fossilised, intransigent beliefs become points of conflict when their original form is threatened. Therefore, the failure to balance centeredness and openness in the human nature can be understood as the cause of many of the religious, fundamentalist wars of the last few centuries.

its that time of year again...

2006-11-28T16:26:00.000Z

recent acquisitions...

2006-11-28T09:47:00.000Z

Hi! Thought I'd show you a picture of the first piece of original art work that I have bought. The artist is Mike Radcliffe. The piece depicts St. Matthew, patron Saint of Bankers, as a "chav" inspecting a lottery ticket. Its really a montage is suppose. The background is a piece of stainless steel, the gold is real goldleaf, and St. Matthew, well I don't he's made of. I love it. What do you think?
And this is a picture by Mike, which do not own (!), called Man of Sorrows. I love it. A lot.
I also just got Joy Division's Unknown Pleasures, chiefly on the recommendation of my good friend David (Check out his blog, Oh Thee Rusted Satellite, using the link from mine). I might review it in time but I really haven't listening to it enough yet; still, I love the cover so much I thought I'd put it up too.
Talk soon.

hello, hello!

2006-11-16T21:30:00.000Z

Finally back online in the house, so I should be posting a little bit more regularly from now on.

Check out my flickr account too, there are some photos from a Flaming Lips show last tuesday, and some from a recent trip to Northern Ireland.

Talk soon.

Stars of Aviation

2006-08-09T22:42:00.000+01:00

Check out this wonderful band on the their myspace. I had the real privilege of seeing them at the Water Rats (second time at this venue in a week - really cool) on Sunday night just gone.

Their music effortlessly bridges the gap between the genres of folk (english AND french) and indie pop, and bands such as Belle and Sebastian and Grandaddy. The vocals are whispery, most often male but when female are no less guileless, pure or affecting. Harmonies are copious and fill out an already varied tonal range. The band comprises about eight members (the lineup changes subtely and constantly throughout the set) with instruments such as a recorder, accordion, trumpet and oboe taking significant roles. All these alongside the more commonplace drums, bass, guitar and keys. Their new sinlge, Marie at L'accordeon has just been released on CD and 7" by Kitchen Records. Buy it. Now.

He's got something special going on.

2006-08-02T21:42:00.000+01:00

I went to see Duke Special perform on Monday night. Excuse the poor pun, but it's hard to resist given that it doubles up nicely as my general opinion about the man/outfit in question.

The venue for the gig was The Water Rats, Kings Cross, London. It was a mere £7 entry, which, considering the quality on offer (the Duke was supported by Thomas Truax) and the promise of a full band performance by the Duke, makes it practically free, as far as I'm concerned. A giveaway. And I doubt there'll be many more opportunities to experience him for so little.OK, so what did/do/have I always liked about Duke Special?

The show, of course. Music aside, momentarily, the Duke's show is amazing. The dreads, the eye-liner, the "unfeasibly wide trousers", egg whisks, percussive stumpfs, big bass drums, the gramaphone, the euphonium, the analogue radio, the hats, the velvet piano cover, post-show sing-alongs etc etc. It really is like nothing else I've ever seen.

His lyrics. They're honest, can be heart-warming, painful, melancholic, self-effacing. I tend to come away from his shows (this weeks being no exception) feeling more human, having identified with his faults, his pain, and his sense of beauty and hope.

His songs. He writes great songs. He has been compared to Rufus Wainright and Anthony and the Johnsons, and I think thats fair. They've got passion, energy, and everything from huge joyous orchestrations, to sparse, mournful sections, and a good bit in between. They're impossible to classify in terms of genre but he is commonly associated with Music Hall, whatever that is (comments welcome!) and early Tom Waits.

So there you go. Get the album (if you're lucky) on limited release 7" vinyl box-set, or on CD in the autumn sometime. Alternatively download four tunes from his myspace.

Question: What is the truest definition of Globalization?

2006-08-02T21:38:00.000+01:00

Answer: Princess Diana's death.

Question: How come?
Answer: An English princess
with an Egyptian boyfriend
crashes in a French tunnel,
driving a German car
with a Dutch engine,
driven by a Belgian who was
drunk on Scottish whisky
followed closely by Italian Paparazzi
on Japanese motorcycles;
treated by an American doctor,
using Brazilian medicines.
This is sent to you by an American,
using Bill Gates's technology,
and you're probably reading this on your computer,
that uses Taiwanese chips,
and a Korean monitor,
assembled by Bangladeshi workers
in a Singapore plant,
transported by Indian lorry-drivers,
hijacked by Indonesians,
unloaded by Sicilian longshoremen,
and trucked to you by Mexican illegals.....

That, my friends, is Globalization

(Thanks to Bea for this.)

Worship in schools...

2006-06-14T21:57:00.000+01:00

Hey. The other day when I heard that "representatives of the Church of England, the Roman Catholic Church, the Methodist Church and the Baptist Union signed a joint letter to new Secretary of State for Education and Skills, Alan Johnson MP, calling for greater investment in training and resources for school staff charged with organising ‘collective worship", I was hesitant but basically positive. Positive because the stipulations (slightly archaic now) in the 1944 Education Act seemed to provide some scope for varying the actual religious tradition the assemblies are drawn from - "an assembly must include an “act of worship” which should be “wholly or mainly of a broadly Christian character”. However, with closer inspection its easy to see how this is exclusive and very much part of a christendom type mindset.

Hence I found this article by the ekklesia think tank very interesting - a satisfying eschewal of the position of power that the church has long held in government. As the article makes clear, when worship is mandated, everyone, including the church, suffers.

part-timer...

2006-06-12T19:46:00.000+01:00

I know, its been too long. Sorry. My only excuse is a lack of post-fodder, due to having finished a very interesting year at university. I also moved house and have a crap internet connection here (but I'm not complaining, as its an open and free wireless signal coming from my blissfully unaware neighbours!).

So a bit of an update is in order, and probably a more personal post, for a change.

Thanks to Andrew for reminding me about the new Douglas Coupland novel, JPod.I got my copy in the post the other day and am enjoying it very much so far. Found this review of it.

I also bought the new Grandaddy album, Just like the Fambly Cat.I have to say this is another great Grandaddy album. It has wonderful pop tunes such as Jeez Louise, Elevate Myself, and plenty of spacious, synthy melancholy numbers such as 'Summer, Its gone', 'Guide down tonight' and 'Thats how it always starts'. It is a sad album, apparently written in the knowldge of the bands imminent breakup (without a tour). Lines like "I'd rather make an honest sound, and watch it fly around and then be on my way", make that clear enough. It is also incredibly honest and human. At one point in 'Elevate myself', Jason Lyttle sings that he's like to get to a place where he'd find it hard to hate himself. I love it, I recommend it. lets hope they get back together and start making some money.
Finally, and on a less currentnote, I last night watched 'Natural Born Killers', by Oliver Stone.I enjoyed it immensely. It really really messes with the traditional movie making rules, and subversively undermines TV, and corporate type media in general. While it is a violent and gory movie, it is so much more than a simple gore-fest. It doesn't glorify violence, infact, it does the opposite in a roundabout kind of way. There is so much to think about in this movie. If you haven't seen it - do. Thats all I'll say.

Later...

how is a person saved by Jesus Christ?

2006-05-02T14:46:00.000+01:00

Here are some excerpts from a recent essay of mine. i think moltmann's soteriology is infinitely preferable in our present context. see what you think.

The Western church was plunged into serious crisis by the events of World War II. So much suffering had occurred that many began loosing faith in a God that had traditionally been characterised as unable to feel pain or to be affected by humanity in any way, a God utterly separated from them in their suffering. This God had let them down in the concentration camps of Auschwitz and Bergen Belsen, as they watched family, friends and countrymen suffer and die cruelly at the hands of the fascist Nazi regime. It was during the war that, ironically, the young Jurgen Moltmann (born April 8, 1926) found a personal faith in Jesus Christ. Whilst serving in the German Army he was taken prisoner by British forces and spent the ensuing years in P.O.W. camps where his conversion to Christianity and subsequent interest in theology first began to take hold. Speaking of his time at theological seminary following the war, he says, 'A theology which did not speak of God in the sight of the one who was abandoned and crucified would have had nothing to say to us then.' (1974: 1) The church was in crisis; what was centrally at stake was the salvific power of the cross of Christ, what was missing was an adequate theodicy.

How could one really believe that an omnipotent and benevolent God really existed in the light of such suffering? Moltmann had complete sympathy for those who chose atheism as the only moral position (Bauckham, 1987: 76) - how could one not protest against such a dubious concept of God? And even if such a God existed, many felt it morally compromising to believe in him/her.

The historic doctrines of the immutability and impassibility of God are among the main theological reasons for the idea of God as distant and detached from the pain of human existence. Immutability refers to the inability of God to change, and impassibility to his freedom from human and consuming passions - his inability to feel. In The Crucified God, Moltmann elucidates this further, with damning and powerful language, echoing the cries of protest from the death camps of Nazi Germany: '… a God who cannot suffer is poorer than any man. For a God who is incapable of suffering is a being who cannot be involved. Suffering and injustice do not affect him. And because he is so completely insensitive, he cannot be affected or shaken by anything. He cannot weep, for he has no tears. But the one who cannot suffer cannot love either. So he is also a loveless being.' (Moltmann, 1974: 222)

It is chiefly through the concept of solidarity that Moltmann understands salvation taking place. Jesus' cry of dereliction from the cross was the ultimate form of identification God could make with man. Moltmann postulates that, to the early Church Fathers, the issue of the abandonment of Christ by God the Father on the cross of Calvary, was the central theological nettle which they had difficulty grasping, and as has been made clear this is chiefly due to their concept of God which was more influenced by Greek philosophy than by the biblical revelation. (1972: 31) In grasping this nettle, Moltmann characterises the cry of Christ, not as a cry of despair, but of protest; a cry to God whom Jesus called Father, to step in and halt the injustice he, as an innocent, was suffering. (1972: 29) This is important because he is very careful never to justify human suffering for the 'greater good', or for 'God's plan'. God enters into a dialectical contradiction with himself in order to identify with humanity and protest with them against injustice - injustice he promises, through the resurrection, to set right. Subsumed within the dialectic of the cross and resurrection mentioned earlier, is the dialectic of judgement and salvation, whereby God in Jesus becomes judged, by way of bringing salvation. Judgement is synonymous in Moltmann with godlessness (1974: 242).

So God becomes godless, the righteous one becomes sin, and the judge becomes judged. Here we can see the principle of the dialectical understanding of knowledge coming into play, where God loves that which contradicts him/herself - God loves the godless. As Bauckham says, 'In self-emptying love the Son of God abandoned his divine identity and entered the situation of godless men, adopting both the weight of their godforsakenness and the cry of the godforsaken to God. He did this for the sake of the godless, out of the creative love which makes righteous the unrighteous, and brings new life to the dying and liberation to the oppressed.' (1977: 307) So we see that salvation occurs when people are brought into relationship with God through his/her 'self-emptying' love and solidarity, evidenced through the chosen suffering of both Father and Son at the cross.

All this compares very starkly against the background of the history of the different theories of atonement. For example, the Ransom theory held that God 'paid off' Satan (who since the Fall had obtained authority over people), or bribed him, with the death of Jesus. Satisfaction theory held that Jesus, by his death on the cross, paid the price for the sin of humanity, and restored to God the honour due to him, which had been tainted by the sin of humanity. Penal Substitution theory, still widely accepted today, holds that the sin of humanity incurred a debt, and that punishment by death was deserved in recompense; so great was the dishonour caused to God, that only the death of a sinless being would suffice. In conclusion then, we have seen that the core of Moltmann's soteriology is still the cross of Christ, but emanating from this, vitally, are the joint themes of the suffering of God in his Trinitarian nature, and the eschatological hope offered by the cross when understood dialectically with the resurrection. We have seen how he develops a fresh concept of God, guided in part by the dialectical understanding of knowledge, which involves dispensing with some key long-held traditional ideas about God, including the doctrines of immutability, impassibility, omnipotence, and by necessity, the dual nature of Christ.

The Flaming Lips, 22/04/06, Royal Albert Hall....

2006-04-23T13:21:00.000+01:00

Well, well. I had a lovely weekend, all in all. The Lips, Saturday night, the climax of a great weekend... What can say? Within three minutes from the start of their show I realised I was experiencing the best live show of my life so far. Now, the day after, I still think that was completely accurate. It was preceeded with the joy of handing in my final piece of coursework for this year, on friday and a great night with my friends Katie and Nuria R. (with a number of shots of Liqour Cafe - spelling probably wrong!). The day itself started about 2 pm, with lunch in a greek restaurant with my friend Mercedes. We moved on to the serpentine where we lounged out in the sun with Ian, who bought us all coffee and scones. This was followed by noodles at a local oriental cafe. Sweet. Ian's a legend...

[huge inflatable balls bouncing high amid showers of coloured confetti]

The Royal Albert Hall is quite frankly, amazing - especially when sold out. It has a magical quality in its decor and architecture, and the staff are really good, for a change(!), which makes it feel even more like a special occasion. The warm up was provided by the Go! Team, a London/Brighton based rock band with a girl rapper/singer. They had lots of energy, and really did their level best to warm us up. Typically, though it took all of their set for the sound mix to get even semi-decent. When the Lips came on, however, it was of course excellent.

[Wayne Coyne surfs the crowd in a huge transparent inflatable ball]

The Flaming Lips are probably the tightest live band I've seen, recreating the recorded sound, not only with incredible energy and charisma, but with flawless accuracy. Wayne even sang really well, contrary to what I'd heard about his live performances. As the pictures show, there were upwards of one hundred large inflatable balls and explosions of coloured paper confetti, and, to kick start things Wayne crowd surfed in a massive transparent inflatable ball. And they had the best MC I have ever heard too - a old man, with a long beard, dressed, along with a young lad who rang the bell, in traditional town-cryer gear - who made a speech about the band, none of which I can remember, except that we all screamed hysterically in adoration when he'd finished. They are one of the best bands in the world at the minute, I have no doubt about it. Their presence is warm and somehow life-giving. I feel like I can die now, with just a little more ease, knowing that I have seen them (I NEVER exaggerate).

[Wayne's face is projected onto the screen behind with a camera on the mic stand]

The set went something like this: Race for the Prize, Free Radicals, Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots, Vein of Stars, Yeah Yeah Yeah song, In the Morning of the Magicians, W.A.N.D, the Spark that Bled, She don't use Jelly, Do you realise. There was one encore song, the title of which I didn't catch; as far as I know its not on any record of theirs either - it was very political/anti-fundamentalist/anti-war, with crazy pictures of war casualities and George Bush flashing up on the screen behind.

Thank God for the Flaming Lips. The world would be a less fantastical, fun, and thoughtful place without them.
[I am happy. I have had the gig of my life ...so far!]

tenebrae at moot

2006-04-13T15:13:00.000+01:00

Actor-Network Theory ...heavy stuff!

2006-04-13T13:08:00.000+01:00

I am not only studying theology in my degree, but also Sociology. I have a paper to write about the symbol of the Cross, and it's sociological relatedness. After some background reading, I chose to analyse it with Actor-Network Theory (ANT). I find this particular way of thinking particularly interesting, as it sheds some light on the nature of the religious expereinces I was once accustomed to experiencing. All comments, criticisms and insights welcome. Here is a little excerpt of what I've got so far:

"Actor-Network Theory (ANT) provides a productive method of analysis when considering what factors may have contributed to such a position (Here I am referring to the efficacy of the symbol of the Cross within religious experience). In the ANT approach, the symbol of the Cross, a material object or actor, can be seen as part of a network which includes immaterial ideas or actors. ANT not only considers all humans and objects as actors, or agents, but also the ideas and/or beliefs held by people. This stream of sociological investigation is called material-semiotics, and, as implied, it places human and non-human entities, such as ideas or objects, on an equal footing concerning causality.

The symbol of the Cross is a source of religious energy to many millions of people worldwide, providing hope, a moral centre, and transcendance. However, as any individual who has ever had such experiences will testify, they are never identical. On no two occasions of meditation upon the symbol of the Cross, will the religious person come away with the same experience. This can lead some to the conclusion that the organic nature of their experiences are a reflection of the 'work of God‘, or an experience of the 'Holy Spirit‘. Rather, and according to ANT, because the experience is mediated by many factors, both material and semiotic, it will be different every time. Or in other words, the experience of meditation is different each time because the symbol of the Cross is just one actor juxtaposed in a 'precarious process‘, called a network, with very many other actors. Oftentimes this process masquerades as 'ordered‘, objective or immutable. This is however only an illusion and in fact the effect or power, of the Cross, as percieved by the religious participant is under constant stress and struggle, and so it is experienced differently each time. Therefore, the symbol of the Cross is not considered a 'primitive cause‘, but an 'interactional effect‘ (Law, 1992: 7), the product of the interaction of multiple actors in a network.

The order produced by the Cross, as Law says, is better understood as a verb, rather than a noun (1992: 5), as a 'happening', something that is open to change, as opposed to being immutable: 'Structure is not free-standing, like scaffolding on a building-site, but a site of struggle, a relational effect that recursively generates and reproduces itself'. (Law, 1992: 5)"

Napoleon is Dynamite!!

2006-04-06T16:19:00.000+01:00

why do i have my own blog...?

2006-04-01T16:27:00.000+01:00

This is my question: To blog on the community blog or on my own blog?

I have my own blog because i enjoy having a personal web space to call my own; I have my own blog because I don't want to piss anyone off with what I may say, so that I can feel free to say whatever I want whenever I want; I have my own blog because it affirms my individuality, makes me feel like I am not just like everyone else; I have my own blog because I enjoy the sound of my own voice; I have my own blog because I like being me, and want to further my own selfish interests and develop a reputation of being an interesting, intelligent, thought-provoking guy; I have my own blog because, right now, I am the most important person in my life; I have my own blog because I enjoy the level of personal risk involved in publishing something for the (however small) general public - its risky but not too risky; I enjoy having my own blog because it helps me develop confidence in my ability to communicate with others.

Most of the above is true. Is it virtuous? Is it not? I am not incredibly proud of some of it, but I think its good to face the hard facts about ones motivation for anything.

Should I dump the blog and just use the community blog?

I need your thoughts and comments.

Aaron

re. me

2006-03-28T16:38:00.000+01:00

Hi there.

I put up the excerpt taken from my last essay just yesterday, but I feel I need to chat about it a little, offer some personal comment.

I am not from London, I am a Northern Irish man. I was brought up in a "Christian" home, went to a presbyterian church till I was 18, and then a Vineyard fellowship till I was 22. I came to London to face some problems regarding my faith in Christ. These seemed to have originated from academic/secular critiques of religion; having had a long habit of facing my fears, I pursued these questions in a bid to face the very worst they had to offer and see if my faith could stand the pressure. (Or was it to see if God could stand the pressure? - then again, does God cease to exist if I no longer believe in him/her? Does God exist beyond my constructions of her/him?) Slightly ironic then that I went initially to a bible college and took counselling and theology. Needless to say, I left this particular institution, after the first year as it happens, and came to the uni i am now enrolled at.

Since I left school in 2000, I have had an uncomfortable time as a believer. I spent the first year coping with a pretty comprehensive religious meltdown, the second bringing back a little balance; in the third year, the focus shifted onto more general concerns and having a girlfriend (I was grateful for the change in scenery), in the fourth year my attention returned to the fractures present in my worldview, which were beginning to gape to an embarassing extent. My fifth year, the one spent at the bible college, was a slight improvement however I began to see that I was unhappy about life in a way that I was as yet unable to express. Since coming to uni and largely jettisoning any necessity to retain a traditional Christian belief, or to be involved in a Church, I have become incredibly happy! Thats the good news.

In all of the challenge of learning to live in a world full of ambiguity and uncertainty (which it is, to a ex-evangelical), I can at least say, that I am a more contented person. The question is, can I find a way forward as a Christian? More to the point, a passionate Christian? I suppose thats why I am grateful to be involved, in a very loose and tentative sense, with the emerging church movement. To be precise, 'Moot' at St. Matthews, Westminster. At the minute, quite frankly, I dont give two hoots about the 'emerging movement'. I refuse to get back into a place of 'towing the party line', church-wise.

However, the people at moot are a wonderful bunch, for me, that is. As a part of that community I can pursue God without having to be involved to an extent I'm uncomfortable with; I don't sign up to a system of beliefs - they accept me, heresy and all; I can voice my concerns/questions, along with everyone else, freely and without fear of exclusion; there is no one person upon whom the whole community depends (so yes, sabbaticals and holidays aren't a problem! For that matter, neither is taking a night off moot and going to pub to watch the football); i can have conversations with people who aren't reluctant to open any of my 'cans of worms', in fact they've opened similar cans for themselves in the past and can really relate; etc, etc.

The other question is, why? Why do i do this to myself? Why am i drawn to deconstruct? destroy? To what end? Truth? perhaps. but whats the use is truth if it doesn't give life? i know faith offers life, but i am not drawn to affirm faith, rather to test it.

Anyway, this is not meant to be an advertisement for the emerging church or moot, nor is it meant to be a veiled indictment on the evangelical church, or on fundamentalism. Maybe its a cry for help, a cry for fellowship, relationship, or conversation. Actually it was supposed to a response to the previous post about Nietzsche. I think I'll leave it there for now though.

later.

aaron

nietzsche revisited (some excerpts from the essay I just turned in).

2006-03-27T14:01:00.000+01:00

At the heart of Nietzsche’s critique of Christian morality, lies his belief that it was developed from the base motivation of what he called ressentiment. He shows how this bias developed in the context of ancient priestly nations, such as the Jewish nation, and characterises it as one side of a polarisation between a ‘slave’ morality and a ‘master’ morality. (1989: 26, 27) He imagined the beginning of civilisation in a fictional setting where the early humans, or proto-humans, were seen as having a “semi-animal” consciousness (Magnus & Higgins, 1996: 105), acting only out of their basic impulses and internal drives. Over time there evolved two groups, or social strata: the master race, who were smaller numerically but held the power, and the slave race, who were by far the larger group, but were successfully subdued by the master race. The slaves underwent an extensive reshaping of their minds during this time, due to the redirection of the natural instincts and drives that had been suppressed by the master race. Out of this transformation evolved ‘conscience’, mainly in the form of a bad conscience. The ‘bad-ness’ of their conscience found its genesis in the deep hatred and ressentiment the slaves held for the master race. Out of a need to appease this bad-conscience and lay blame for it, evolved, as a mere social-construction, the identification of a demon. Out of the fear of the demon, evolved the need for the identification of one that could protect against it, namely, God. In such a way, Nietzsche argues that the divine being, specifically the Judeo-Christian God, is not only in reality a social construct and therefore not real, but the poisonous fruit of ressentiment, which he saw as essentially ‘hostile to human life’. (Magnus & Higgins, 1996: 105) In the following quote, we really get a sense for Nietzsche’s distaste for Christianity, and for how pervasive, in his opinion, its influence has been: ‘I call Christianity the one great curse, the one great innermost corruption, the one great instinct of revenge, for which no means is poisonous, stealthy, subterranean, small enough - I call it the one immortal blemish of mankind.’ (Magnus & Higgins, 1996: 56)

Not only does Nietzsche deem the seedbed of ressentiment within Christianity to be toxic to human well being, but he is incensed with how, in its all-pervasiveness within the Occident, it has discriminated against all that is strong, powerful, prideful and heroic. As a consequence to the basic emotion of ressentiment, come lust for power and revenge which, ostensibly, the slave race executed successfully upon the master race by means of the revaluation of values. In The Genealogy of Morals he describes how the Jewish race ‘reject[ed] the aristocratic value equation (good = noble = powerful = beautiful = happy = blessed)’, and motivated by hatred for the master race and a deep desire to overthrow them, ‘ventured, with awe-inspiring consistency, to bring about a reversal’ [of values]. ‘Only those who suffer are good, only the poor, the powerless, the lowly are good; the suffering, the deprived, the sick, the ugly, are the only pious people, the only ones saved, salvation is for them alone, whereas you rich, the noble and powerful, you are eternally wicked, cruel, lustful, insatiate, godless, you will also be eternally wretched, cursed and damned.’ (1989: 34) In this long and drawn-out way and with great patience and determination, priestly nations such as the Jewish nation, were able to dethrone the masters of the world, to take revenge upon them and, ultimately, gain power for themselves. Nietzsche saw Jesus Christ, not as a critique of love and forgiveness against such values of ressentiment, but as the climax and full realisation of them. (1989: 35) In contrast, he characterised the ‘noble mode of valuation’ as ‘act[ing] and grow[ing] spontaneously’; as ‘affirming itself gratefully and triumphantly’; as having a ‘positive basic concept’ in which the individual themselves were the arbiters of goodness: “ we noble ones, we good, beautiful, happy ones.” (1989: 37) Nietzsche looks with disgust upon the Christian values of humility and self-abasement, citing their genesis in the ‘ascetic ideal’. This, he says, is the favoured ‘instrument of power’ for those who ‘see themselves as “too good” for this world…’ (1989: 97)

how [not] to speak of god

2006-03-08T16:56:00.001Z

Pete Rollins of ikon, the Belfast based community that describes itself as 'iconic, apocalyptic, heretical, emerging and failing', has a new book coming out this May. The Brian McLaren foreword is very positive, and having read some of Pete's other work myself, I would wager it goes a long way to fulfilling the above description of ikon all by itself. Its sure to rock a few worlds, incur a generous amount of wrath and inspire many disheartened souls, like myself. Hooray! Cant wait Pete.

I am sure there is a better way to post the full Brian McLaren foreword, but right now I can't think of one (all suggestions most welcome!), so here it is in abbreviated form.

"I am a raving fan of the book you are holding. I loved reading it. I have already begun widely recommending it. In the last two days I have recommended it to three rabbis, and in recent weeks, to many Christian leaders. Reading it did good for my mind and for my soul. It helped me understand my own spiritual journey more clearly, and it gave me a sense of context for the work I’m involved in. In fact, I would say this is one of the two or three most rewarding books of theology I have read in ten years. Do I sound like I’m raving yet? ...

... And it’s more significant still because the author of this book is a young – and I think it’s safe to say up-until-now unknown – emerging theologian. But as this book makes clear, he deserves to be known and appreciated, especially when one thinks that this may be the first of many contributions he makes in the years to come.

Growing up in Belfast, Northern Ireland, Peter Rollins has seen Christianity expressed in one of its more dysfunctional Western forms. Speaking of God in Northern Ireland has too often fomented distrust and prejudice, not peace and reconciliation: speaking of God has too often been part of the problem, not of the solution. Like a kid growing up in a conflicted family characterized by loud and violent fights with the windows wide open, he has had to grapple with issues that more genteel dysfunctional families can more successfully hide. His setting prepares him uniquely to speak about how (not) to speak for God – and one hopes that people in other settings (including my own conflicted country, to be sure) will learn much from him.

Coming of age in what is often called a postmodern context, Peter Rollins was not formed – at least not successfully – within the constraints of modernity. He represents what is to me one of the first and most hopeful expressions to date of Christian theology being done in a postmodern context – not merely speaking of postmodernity in the context of theology, but speaking of God meaningfully in the context of postmodernity. Some have said that theology in the context of postmodernity is impossible or unfruitful, but here they will see better (im)possibilities. Again and again, Peter challenges us to embrace opposite ends of common modern polarities, and in so doing, shows the creative and constructive power of what is commonly called deconstruction.

Equally unusual and significant, Peter is doing the serious work of theology while rooted more in a faith community than in an academic institution. As the second part of the book makes clear, Peter believes that people who are engaged in real communities of spiritual practice are uniquely prepared to speak of God. The rituals and gatherings of the Ikon community will be shocking or even scandalous to some, inspiring and moving to others. Peter includes them not so that others will imitate them as a “mass-reproducible model,” but so that the reader can imagine what this way of (not) speaking of God looks like as practiced in one innovative faith community in one location. One hopes that many others will be inspired to similar creativity in their situations. ...

... I share Peter’s enthusiasm for what he calls “the emergent conversation.” Here he makes one of the most important contributions to date to that conversation. I hope that what he says here will draw more and more people into that conversation, and give us all more to think and speak about. As Peter says, “That which we cannot speak of is the one thing about whom and to whom we must never stop speaking.”

All in the emergent community share the hope that our ongoing conversation about and with God will prove converting and transformative for all of us who participate, and for our faith communities, and for our world. Many will share my enthusiasm about this book and my gratitude to – and for – its author."

Brian McLaren
(www.anewkindofchristian.com)

Christ with Shopping Bags

2006-02-23T20:55:00.000Z

Christ with Shopping Bags
Originally uploaded by No Eyed Dear.

another neat banksy Christ. i'm fascinated by these.

Jesus by Banksy

2006-02-23T20:52:00.000Z

Jesus by Banksy
Originally uploaded by no service.

thought i'd share this with you. i think its neat - the jesus of culture.

a history of morality - slave vs. master

2006-02-23T15:17:00.000Z

OK, its been a little while since my last proper post, but I know that bothers nobody but me, cos as far as I know, my mum is the only person to check here regularly!

Its some more chat that's come out of a lecture. This time it was an Ethics class, and we read Nietzsche for it, specifically from his 'genealogy of morals.'

As I now see it, he argued that, contrary to popular psychological theory, actions that are culturally understood as good, or moral, did not grow out of their inherent 'usefulness' to people, but were defined and established in pre-modern societies (as in, all pre-modern societies that weren't influenced by the Judeo-Christian tradition, eg. greek society) by the Masters, or rulers, aristocrats within those societies. These wealthy, landed, high-minded individuals, many of them Kings etc, saw themselves, the objects of their desires, and the values they held dear as good, purely because they themselves held them in esteem - they themselves became the arbiters of morality. To quote, and therefore put that in different way, 'the word "good" is definitely not linked from the first and by necessity to unegoistic actions' (From section 2 essay 1, Genealogy of Morals). This he calls the 'master mindset', or master morality.

He goes on to compare this genealogy of morals with a different tradition of morals, and its genealogy. He claims that the judeo-christian tradition of morals is best characterised as a 'slave morality/mindset'. As a priestly nation, Jews are described as 'the greatest haters in world history'. This comes out of a desire for revenge upon the 'masters', from a place of powerlessness: the jews are siad to have radically revaluated the values of their conquerors out of a desire for vengence upon them, saying that 'Only those who suffer are good, only the poor, the powerless, the lowly are good'. And later, as regards Jesus Christ, he says 'from the trunk of ... Jewish hatred - the deepest and most sublime, indeed a hatred which created ideals and changed values ... grew something just as incomparable, a new love, the deepest and most sublime kind of love. ...But dont make the mistake of thinking that it had grown forth as a denial of the thirst for revenge ... This love grew out of hatred. ... This Jesus of Nazareth ... was he not seduction in its most sinister and irresistible form, seduction and the circuitous route to just those very Jewish values and innovative ideals?'

Anyway, I think I'm going to write my essay on his thoughts on moral genealogy, mainly cos, right off hand I think its preposterous in the large part, and would be quite fun to deride. However I do value it as another non-'metanarrative', another faulty but interesting way of viewing part of what we've inherited culturally and morally in the West.

I'm sure these thoughts relate to some other stuff I've read of late, but cant remember where from:

A criticism - that judeo-christian fixation on the afterlife, effectively ruins life in the present (it was prob Nietzsche!). Also that this has opened the way for, or provided the justification for the abuse of the planet and people in the present, cos what does it really matter if Jesus is coming back next week?!

A lot of emerging christian conversations are covering this kind of ground, accepting the critique and calling for a huge shift in attitude within the Church. Many would also say that its a protestant emphasis on heaven, or redemptive theology, that encourages this kind of mistake, and that a more roman catholic emphasis on incarnational theology would go some way to correcting the imbalance.

Interesting.

Back to my shitty research proposal.

bleeding purple podcast

2006-02-23T15:06:00.000Z

I found a friend online today - hurray! His name is Leif Hanson, he's from north west America, and describes himself as a 'provocatuer'of traditional evangelical christian beliefs. He has some great podcasts for download, particularly of note are his Brian McLaren interviews, which are very thought provoking. Click the link in my sidebar.

His background is very evangelical, Vineyard to be specific, and has studied theology at Regents College, which I think is in Canada.

enjoy!

...I feel a blog coming on...

2006-02-03T15:18:00.000Z

Had a class this morning about the different contemporary interpretations of Christ. The gist is this ... Jesus death has often been characterised as sacrifice down through the years. The comment was made that this has encouraged some not to try to avoid or leave their suffering, but instead to languish in it, seeing it somehow as a positive thing. I suppose it was seen as leading the believer to a deeper relationship with God, greater holiness and generally being able to 'get through' some of the shit life throws at us. The criticisms are that this has led to the glorification of suffering, which many see as incongruous within a relationship with a God of love who 'wants to bless us'. Pannenberg, Barth and others would beg to differ, and think that this image of Christ is still of relevance today and indeed of core and essential value to the Christian gospel.

Others, such as Sally Mc Fague and Jurgen Moltmann (who could perhaps be seen as Liberationists) would suggest this idea is dead in the water today, and needs replaced. What I gather is that Liberationists in general see Jesus death as Protest, and solidarity. This has evolved out of countries (latin America predominantly I think) experiencing severe oppression and inequality. Its Christians getting away from the whole 'meek and mild', 'turn the other cheek', sit-there-and-take-it kind of attitude. Actually, I believe that in extreme cases, some of this mind have taken to paramilitary/aggressive actions in order to bring freedom to the oppressed - some church pastors inlcuded.

My friend Ian would say this is redressing the incarnational/redemptive imbalance present within much Western theology. I like it (not sure about guerilla tactics!) because it brings the focus of Christians off the afterlife, to the here and now. We have personal reposnibilty to take restorative/judicious action about the injustice going on in the world today. It rings true with my ethical shopping/globalisation sensibilities.

I wonder how well it would fit with a marxist poilitic? (Apart that Marx wanted to liberate from religion!) It reminds me of how he said that religion/state etc is the moral legitimation of the power based economic relations in Capitalist society. I wonder has such a theology of Christ as sacrifice (and in turn the value of enduring our own sufferings) filtered down through church structures through the years as a means of maintaining the power and wealth of Church Institutions and exploiting Joe Blogs and family....?

All thoughts welcome. Btw, none of what I just said is my opinion!

the pipe has arrived, at long last!

2006-01-27T14:08:00.000Z

the opium of the people.

2006-01-26T21:27:00.000Z

hello,

this is a great post to be able to make, in one sense, because it shows how my main interests and the focus of my degree have come together in a beautifully satisfying blend. It is also difficult, because it is indicative of the challenge I face on a regular basis to reconcile a belief in G-d with my increasing intellectual awareness. I have grown up believing in G-d and still imagine it is somehow possible. I can't see it very well right now, but my friends refuse to let me give up my hope and dream. they're great. thanks guys! oh yes, I almost forgot about the point of this post - a Marx quote:-

'The abolition of religion as the illusory happiness of the people is the demand for their real happiness.
To call on them to give up their illusions about their condition is to call on them to give up a condition
that requires illusions. The criticism of religion is therefore in embryo the criticism of that vale of tears
of which religion is the halo.'

It is also here that Marx famously refers to religion as 'the opium of the people'.

(Contribution to the Critique of Hegel's Philosophy of Right, 1884, 244)

Unfortunately I really don't have the energy or inspiration to really respond to this tonight. I thought i would put it up purely as a taster of where I am at right now.

All thoughts, discussions and insights welcome.

sleep tight.

great N. Irish band no. 2!

2006-01-24T11:47:00.000Z

ed zealous. these are great live, and have fresh take on the dance, rock sensibilities of the strokes, hot hot heat etc. check out their tunes on myspace

the lovely (and great) smiles...

2006-01-23T22:35:00.000Z

awesome unsigned band from Ireland. Check out their site and download all their great songs for free - great deal eh!

presence/absence

2006-01-23T21:33:00.000Z

An excerpt from an article by Gary Collins of Moot, Westminster:

"A post/modern a/theology of G-d is well prepared to agree that there is no God to know, that it is impossible to enclose, define or describe this impossibility. It’s an absurdity. At the same time we can still acknowledge the, (roughly remembered), words of St.Peter to Jesus; ‘where can we go without you Lord?’. The embrace of G-d is close despite the mystery. We know it in our children, in the pursuit of justice, in the sweet songs of ordinary lives. We may go as far as seeing that the distinctions of ‘believing’ or ‘not believing’, no longer truly hold. The process continues. We may well and truly become ‘a/theist’ in our pursuit of the divine."

I read this the other day and it was really refreshing. Recently I have been truly beset with the realisation that everything I ever knew about God may not/is probably not true, in its totality. Its been tough at times. A couple of weeks ago a good friend contracted a very serious bout of malaria. I was really upset by my powerlessness in the situation. Being in a tight spot, as you do, I turned to G-d (foxhole love I think its called!). I was soon to realise, in a new a quite painful way, that the G-d I think hears me when I pray ( as in the one I've made for myself, not the rather illusive, 'real' G-d)) is more or less impotent. I am unable to relate with the idea of a G-d who is always there and who heals, cares. he just doesn't seem consistent enough. I really cant rely on him... as it happens, my friend Ian has so far made a good recovery. dont smirk! I would never even consider that G-d had healed him, I just think medicine works etc.

I am sure that if I wasn't so bruised by some of life's experiences (my own, or others experiences) I could believe in a G-d who 'sometimes' does cool things, who can sometimes pop up and do the odd miraculous wonder for our benefit (and his glory, of course). But right now, I am really struggling to see this as a possibility.

....i dont believe ....always. I suppose that makes me an a/theist. that resonates with me because I do recognise much that is helpful, neccessary, beautiful and trustworthy about the divine/spiritual/religious ....as Gary says, 'in the sweet songs of everyday lives.'

Indeed, the process continues.........

home sweet home ...well, Castlerock!

2006-01-23T21:18:00.000Z

art??

2006-01-23T21:03:00.000Z

DSC00024_1
Originally uploaded by shoots_and_roots.

New beginnings...

2005-10-18T23:00:00.000+01:00

Hello Humankind!

My name is Aaron Kennedy, welcome to my blog.

It's all about me! Well, in a way. Its a place to discuss issues that are of great concern to me, such as faith, church, identity, life etc etc. I'll be posting fairly regular updates on my life, 'where I'm at', thought processes, struggles, insights, dreams, visions, celestial choirs and hallucinogenic drugs experiences (time will tell!).

Please post your comments, engage, converse and discuss. I wanna hear your ideas, questions, beliefs etc etc.

talk soon,

Aaron