Peace by Piece

Taken from: http://peterrollins.net/blog/?p=906

I leave for Searcy AR tomorrow for the Peace by Piece conference. Really looking forward to it. Not only is this a chance to participate in what promises to be a fantastic event, but it also gives me the opportunity to see some old friends and hopefully make a few new ones.

I am giving two talks:

On Convincing The Chickens: How To Believe What You Believe

Do This In Remembrance Of Me: Communion And The Act Of Subtraction

If you are going please be sure to say hi.

BTW a problem with my website means that I am finding it difficult to update my speaking schedule (can’t quite work out if its God or the Devil, but one of them has it in for me). Anyway I will hopefully get it fixed in the next few weeks and then get it updated.

Resurrection = Insurrection

Taken from: http://peterrollins.net/blog/?p=891

An Economy of Nobodies and Nothings

Taken from: http://peterrollins.net/blog/?p=889

I recently wrote a small piece for ‘The Evolving Church’ website on Paul’s famous articulation of the ‘neither/nor’. Thought I would reprint it here,

Paul the apostle famously wrote, ‘There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus’.

This verse brings us to the heart of what can be called “Paul’s universalism”. In theological terms this universalism has been understood in two dominant ways. In the first it is argued that Paul is claiming that, compared to being a Christian, all these other differences have no meaning.

All other differences are thus subsumed under the one supreme difference: that of Christians and non-Christians. It is because of this that Christianity was originally baptised as the Universal religion par excellence. Whereas religions such as Judaism, Islam, Hinduism and Buddhism are particularistic (having a belief system that acknowledges the place of those outside their system), Christianity seeks global dominance: the only important distinction being whether you confess Christ or not.

Hence Christianity has been critiqued for exhibiting a totalising narrative that condemns those who do not embrace it to eternal death.

In contrast others interpret Paul’s universalism as referring, not to the limited scope of salvation, but rather to its operative reach. Here it is claimed that Paul is saying that all these other distinctions will eventually be subsumed into Christ. In this way Christianity is viewed as universal insomuch as its soteriological power reaches everything and everybody. At the end of the day everyone will come to see that the Christian religion was right after all.

However both these positions fail to inscribe the very difference between “Christian” and “non-Christian” into the distinction Paul makes. What both these positions agree upon is that Paul held there to be one primary identity that trumps all the others, an identity that is superior to all other identities.

What I would like to suggest, following Slavoj Žižek, is that these two positions fail to go far enough in their arguments.

Instead of raising one concrete identity above and beyond all the others should we not follow this logic to the end and place the very distinction between “Christian” and “non-Christian” alongside all the others?

In other words, when we identify as followers of Christ we are not laying down all our other identities (republican or democrat, rich or poor, gay or straight) in order to affirm only one as truly important. Rather we lay down every identity, enacting what, in theology, is called kenosis. This is where we partake in Christ who became nothing, divesting himself of everything to become a servant.

Here we do not lay down our identity only to pick up our new identity in Christ. Rather it is in laying down all our identities that we directly identify with Christ.

In this Pauline approach something truly new and beautiful arises in a world defined by who we are and what we do. Here the fundamental antagonism is not located between various distinctions but rather between those who lay all distinctions down and those who hold onto them. Christianity marks the opening of a movement where the only insiders are the outsiders, the ones without position or location.

In the economy of the world our identity is vital. What we do, what we earn, what we have accomplished. In the kingdom economy all of this is what Paul called shit (skubala).

Within the church we are to engage in a radical subtraction by which we see through these identities (no longer allowing them to define the scope and limitations of our world). In this move we lose everything, and in that moment discover our souls.

Orthodox Heresy for Lent

Taken from: http://peterrollins.net/blog/?p=881

For many within the Christian tradition Lent is an important time of preparation leading up to the commemoration of Death and Resurrection. This time is often spent in prolonged self-examination and includes activities such as mediation, penitence, almsgiving, study, and fasting. For many, both within and outside the Christian tradition, Lent provides an opportunity to reflect upon ones values, direction in life and hopes for the future.

To aid in this time of reflection I have chosen seven parables to supplement the thirty-three already found in The Orthodox Heretic. If you purchase a copy of the book from Paraclete Press (up until the beginning of Lent – 17th February) you will receive these additional parables. This means that you will have one to reflect upon for each day of Lent.

If you already have the book and are up for blogging your favorite parable over Lent then let Paraclete know and they will send you the additional seven parables as a thank you.

Translating the Word

Taken from: http://peterrollins.net/blog/?p=873

::Warning: The Book of Eli spoiler::

With The Book of Eli offering us a post-apocalyptic, hollywood spin on the idea of Biblical translation I thought I would share a parable from The Orthodox Heretic that explores a similar theme.

In The Book of Eli we are presented with a man of singular vision who has been entrusted by God to ensure that the sacred scriptures get to a printing press in order to be translated and distributed among the survivors. His task is so important that he often avoids stepping into situations that would divert him from his path.

In the parable below (adapted from a Buddhist story) we witness a slightly different approach,

It has been said that many years ago there lived a young and gifted woman called Sophia who received a vision in which God spoke to her as a dear friend. In this conversation God asked that Sophia dedicate her life to the task of translating and distributing the Word of God throughout her country. Now, at this time the printing press had only recently been invented, and the only Bibles to be found were written in Latin and kept under lock and key within churches. Sophia was from a poor farming village on the outskirts of the city, so the task seemed impossible. She would have to raise a vast sum of money to purchase the necessary printing equipment, rent a building to house it, and hire scholars with the ability to translate the Latin verses into the country’s common tongue.

However, the impossibility of the task did not sway her in the least. After having received her vision, Sophia sold the few items she possessed and left the village to live on the streets of the city, begging for the money that was required and dedicating herself to any work that was available in order to help with the funds.

Raising the money proved to be a long and difficult task, for while there were a few who gave generously, most only gave little, if anything at all. In addition to this, living on the streets involved great personal suffering. But gradually, over the next fifteen years, the money began to accumulate.

Shortly before the plans for the printing press could be set in motion, a dreadful flood devastated a nearby town, destroying many people’s homes and livelihood. When the news reached Sophia she gathered up what she had raised and spent it on food for the hungry, material to help rebuild lost homes, and basic provisions for the dispossessed.

Eventually the town began to recover from the natural disaster that had befallen it and so Sophia left and returned to the city in order to start over again, all the while remembering the vision that God had planted deep in her heart.

Many more years passed slowly, extracting their heavy toll on the beautiful Sophia. But there were now many who had been touched by her love and dedication, so although people were poor, the money began to accumulate once again. However, after nine more years, disaster struck again. This time a plague descended upon the city, stealing the lives of thousands and leaving many children without family or support.

By now Sophia was tired and very ill, yet without hesitation she used the money that had been collected to buy medicines for the sick, homes for the orphaned, and land where the dead could be buried safely.

Never once did she forget the vision that God had imparted to her, but the severity of the plague required that she set this sacred call to one side in order to help with the emergency. Only when the shadow of the plague had lifted did she once again take to the streets, driven by her desire to translate the Word of God and distribute it among the people.

Finally, shortly before her death, Sophia was able to gather together the money required for the printing press, the building, and the translators. Although she was, by this time, close to death, Sophia lived long enough to see the first Bibles printed and distributed.

It is said to this day that Sophia had actually accomplished her task of translating and distributing the Word of God three times during her life rather than simply once—the first two being more beautiful and radiant than the last.

On Religion

Taken from: http://peterrollins.net/blog/?p=867

I was recently invited to contribute to a book which asked a number of authors to recommend a work that had some unique significance for them. At first I wasn’t keen to participate as there are so many books that have made a deep and abiding impact in my life. Choosing one from among them seemed as inappropriate as it was impossible.

However, as I thought about the offer, I remembered a time some years ago when I had been burrowing through the shelves of my local bookshop. On the day in question I happened upon a small book with an uninspiring title. The book was On Religion by John Caputo. I still recall opening it at the first chapter and beginning to read. What I discovered was absolutely beautiful.

Here was an alchemist who had found a way of blending philosophical depth with personal passion and an utterly engaging writing style to create something luminous. The result was a book that challenged my heart as much as my mind and helped me see how difficult philosophical ideas could be made intelligible without being rendered impotent.

On Religion encouraged me in my own journey toward becoming an author and provided much of the initial inspiration behind the development of ikon. With On Religion I had discovered a writer who would first become a deep influence and later a friend.  If you have not read it yet you have a treat in store,

Street evandalism anyone?

Taken from: http://peterrollins.net/blog/?p=859

Today I received 2000 of my ‘Rapture’ tracts for the ‘Insurrection’ tour.

I am very pleased with how these have turned out and very grateful to the artist, author and graphic designer Laryn Bakker for helping my crazy vision become a reality.

At the moment the only way to get your grubby little hands on one of these is to trudge along to an ‘Insurrection’ event. However I appreciate that the first leg of the tour is quite geographically limited, and I have been getting a lot of emails from people asking if they might be able to get some to give out. So I am thinking that I should make these available to anyone who might be interested in doing a little street evandalism (handing them out, placing them on buses, hiding them in Christian book shops, slipping them into peoples pockets etc.). In fact, come to think of it, it would be great to get some pics of the places where people leave them that I could put up on the blog.

So, for a limited time only, I will be selling batches of these tracts at cost price to any individual or group willing to take this message to the streets.

If you would like to find out more about getting your hands on some then please contact me via facebook. I will be selling them in batches of 100.

Here is the parable:

Just as it was written by those prophets of old, the last days of the Earth overflowed with suffering and pain. In those dark days a huge pale horse rode through the earth with Death upon its back and Hell in its wake. During this great tribulation the Earth was scorched with the fires of war, rivers ran red with blood, the soil withheld its fruit and disease descended like a mist. One by one all the nations of the Earth were brought to their knees.

Far from all the suffering, high up in the heavenly realm, God watched the events unfold with a heavy heart. An ominous silence had descended upon heaven as the angels witnessed the Earth being plunged into darkness and despair. But this could only continue for so long for, at a designated time, God stood upright, breathed deeply and addressed the angels,

“The time has now come for me to separate the sheep from the goats, the healthy wheat from the inedible chaff”

Having spoken these words God slowly turned to face the world and called forth to the church with a booming voice,

“Rise up and ascend to heaven all of you who have who have sought to escape the horrors of this world by sheltering beneath my wing. Come to me all who have turned from this suffering world by calling out ‘Lord, Lord’”.

In an instant millions where caught up in the clouds and ascended into the heavenly realm. Leaving the suffering world behind them.

Once this great rapture had taken place God paused for a moment and then addressed the angels, saying,

“It is done, I have separated the people born of my spirit from those who have turned from me. It is time now for us leave this place and take up residence in the Earth, for it is there that we shall find our people. The ones who would forsake heaven in order to serve the earth. The few who would turn away from eternity itself to serve at the feet of a fragile, broken life that passes from existence in but an instant”.

And so it was that God and the heavenly host left that place to dwell among those who had rooted themselves upon the earth. Quietly supporting the ones who had forsaken God for the world and thus who bore the mark God. The few who had discovered heaven in the very act of forsaking it.

Re-emergence Conference Registration

Taken from: http://peterrollins.net/blog/?p=853

So far we have had registrations from all over the world for this exciting St. Patricks day conference in Ireland. Yesterday we reached the half-way mark for registrations (and we have only begun to put the word out). So if you would like to join us check out the website and register soon.

If you are traveling in from outside Ireland we would encourage you to take a few days before and/or after the conference to travel around and take in the sights.

Understanding Haiti

Taken from: http://peterrollins.net/blog/?p=845

In the New Statesman Daniel Trilling writes,

Haiti, the poorest nation in the western hemisphere, is one of those countries that only makes the news when it is struck by disaster. But despite the images of desperation that are now zooming around the globe — not to mention the periodic stories of abject poverty that filter out of the country — its people are not passive victims.

In order to understand both the horrific life of people in Haiti (even before this latest disaster) and their political resilience he points us to Peter Hallward’s excellent book Damming the Flood: Haiti, Aristide and Politics of Containment. This book offers a brilliant analysis of the situation in Haiti. While it is imperative that the international community supports the people of Haiti at this time we must also face up to why the country has no infrastructure capable of dealing with the devastation (an earthquake of a similar size in a city in the US claimed 45 lives).

Hallward’s book will help us to understand the horror of the situation currently faced by the Haitians and perhaps make us more resolute in ensuring that it does not happen again.

It just keeps getting better…

Taken from: http://peterrollins.net/blog/?p=833

Since posting about the Re-emergence conference in Ireland a couple of days ago I can already confirm four exciting new contributors…

Beki Bateson (Director of Greenbelt festival for nine years)

Kester Brewin (author of The Complex Christ, Signs of Emergence and Der Jesus Faktor - mind you, they are all the same book)

Kerry Anthony (who was recently awarded an MBE and is COE of Depaul Ireland, an organisation that works with some of the most marginalised within the homeless community)

Alistair Duncan (co-ordinator of the cutting edge Brighton-based arts collective The Garden).

If this line up is not worth a trip to Ireland on St.Patricks then I don’t know what is! For more information on these contributors and the others click here

The Existential Jesus

Taken from: http://peterrollins.net/blog/?p=828

Just got The Existential Jesus by John Carroll and am really enjoying it so far. It grabbed me initially for three reasons. Firstly, it has been beautifully designed. Secondly, it has an intriguing title. And finally because Zygmunt Bauman described it as a ‘work of genius’.

The book itself concentrates on the earliest gospel (Mark) and offers an image of Jesus stripped of everything (family, friends and even faith). It is a carefully crafted work that blends thoughtful scholarship with literary flair to form a compelling read.

My primary interest however is that this book provides a useful framework for some of my theological reflections on the image of a God who doubts (which I shall be delving into with the upcoming ‘Insurrection’ tour). But for the mean time I will leave you with this thought…

If indeed our image of Jesus is one of a man largely at odds with the political, social and religious institutions of the day. And if he was an individual stripped of identity and riven with a profound existential doubt. Then might it not be the case that those who live in such a state today best embody what it means to dwell in Christ?

Meet the ‘Insurrection’ team

Taken from: http://peterrollins.net/blog/?p=814

As the ‘Insurrection’ tour creeps ever closer I thought I would introduce you to the team.

To my right is Jonny McEwen and to my left is Pádraig Ô Tuama.

Jonny is an accomplished artist and DJ from Belfast who also happens to be one of the key creative forces behind the development of ikon. On the tour Jonny will be providing a rich array of ambient soundscapes and audio montage designed to compliment and enhance the mix of live music, poetry, storytelling and theology. His artwork can be found at the Tom Caldwell Gallery and his latest album can be downloaded from itunes.

Pádraig is a mesmerising wordsmith and singer songwriter who hails from Cork. On the tour he will be offering a mix of enchanted music and poetry to ensure that the evening does not merely inform the mind but nurture the soul. This tour will also mark the launch of his first solo album Hymns to Swear By. He has previously contributed to the ikon album Dubh.