When the lights go out ( Spiritual Reflections on Global Dimming)

A recent BBC documentary on the phenomenon called “global dimming” seemed just the catalyst to get rid of a bad bout of writers block.

Global Dimming, somewhat of antithesis of global warming, is the theory/or evidence that pollutants in the air prevent sunlight from coming through. The phenomenon in itself is a crisis with effects as devastating as droughts and famine. The double whammy of global dimming is that, it is precisely this dirty haze of pollution which is keeping at bay the effects of serious global warming. With all the amazing and depressing news, one is led to consider again the central questions in life. Where do we come from, and to where are we going? What is our duty or reason for existence and how do we make sense of all that is around us in nature and our relationships to each other and to the earth? What is the ethical response and how does our spirituality/theology influence our reflection on such things?

Is such news to remind us of the end of the world? (Will the world even end?)

Is such news “signs of the times”?

What is the difference between being a realist and being a pessimist?

The problem with seeking a spiritual response is that such a question already creates a dichotomy between sacred and secular, or spirituality and the sciences. To separate the two is to deny that human beings by nature are spiritual, the universe and all that exists, everything is spiritual. How then do we begin our dialogue?

Classic Augustinian theology acknowledged that everybody has faith of some kind, the idea was that “faith precedes understanding”. The debate is not whether science or faith provides the better answer but rather “what do you believe?” For someone who believes that the world came into being on purpose the dialogue with the facts will arrive at a point of hope and fulfillment, yet for the person who believes that the world came into being by chance, the dialogue ends in a different manner, perhaps not as filled with hope. Still everyone “faiths” – the atheist has faith that God does not exist, the communist has faith that a certain set of principles are best for society, and the Christian has a faith which is shaped by an engagement with the Scriptures and brought to life through an experience with a relational and incarnational God.

So perhaps the better question is not into which category of knowing the facts fit, but rather what does my faith in God require of me?

Throughout the gospels we are introduced to God’s new world through the parables of Jesus, a new story which invites us to get involved and which calls us to pray “Your kingdom come on earth, as it is in heaven” . If we truly believe in and hope for this new world, then such faith should permeate every part of our being and inspire us to engage the ethical concerns for our day. Moreover the responsibility issued to us in the Genesis story, to be the caretakers of our world, should be a concern which we should with passion assume and live out in our practice of Christian faith.

Cycle to church, consume less, find a way to contribute to a healthy society.

Whether or not the research and the facts point toward the reality we suspect it may is irrelevant as we ought to be living responsibly anyway. Whether or not the research and the facts will come true in the way we think it may…is a matter of faith -

A matter of faith which invites us to answer the age old question Jesus asked of his disciples… “who do you say that I am?” - how we engage that question makes all the difference to our outlook on life.


On a lighter note - The Spirituality of Global Dimming

An interesting thing about global dimming is that it is all our junk and pollutants which get caught up in the sky and prevent the light from getting through. I wondered for a moment if that doesn’t reflect a bit of what our relationship with God might be like. All the junk we have which gets in the way of us relating to God, and in some sense that may be true…perhaps our shame and guilt clouds our relationship. Yet I’m also convinced, as the Scriptures teach, that nothing can separate us from the love of God.

Another interesting fact about global dimming, is that in the research they discovered that the tiny particles in the air (the pollutants) cause more condensation and water molecules to form, much smaller than what they ordinarily would be and reflecting more light. The key part here is that fewer big molecules reflect much less light than many smaller ones. I wonder what the world would be like if we became us the Bible says, “salt & light” in our community…instead of depending on the bigness of institutions and governments to bring about social change…but rather, each person in the own capacity being a light in a way that only they can. Perhaps we’d see more of the light.

Redefining Mission

Redefining Mission (From Religion to Relationship)

In the traditional conservative church mission was viewed in very religious terms. The use of formulas such as “the sinners prayer” abounded and being born again seemed to be equal to arriving at a point of intellectual assent about the person of God. Knowledge and intellectual commitment was central.

I would like to redefine mission within the context of the local church by challenging the modern paradigm and instead beginning with the premise that the gospel does not fit into the category of religion. Whilst intellectual commitment to the gospel is essential, it is not enough >> and by itself misses the point entirely (it is very easy to believe in God...even the demons do)

If we begin with the statement “God is not static” we may in simple terms begin engaging with the reality that God is a dynamic and relational God. Religious rites and formulas whilst they may be helpful are somewhat inadequate in coming to grips with a God who is not static.

In some ways the conservative tradition may have taught us to idolize religion, or dare I say even idolize God. Is it possible to idolize God, if God is in fact God after all?

To answer that I would like to draw on the book of Hosea. In 2v16 of Hosea, God speaks of a day that is coming when his people will call him “husband” and not “master”. In Hosea’s context the people were familiar with an inclined to idol worship or Baal worship; there were several “Baal” gods. Interestingly enough the same word which our English translations use for “master” is in Hebrew “Baal”. Perhaps it may be that Israel were so comfortable amidst the practice of Baal worship that they had seen Yahweh as yet another Baal.

I would also like to visit Genesis 22, the famous story in which Abraham is requested by God to sacrifice his son Isaac. Whilst there are many lessons to draw from the story, its context is also interesting. The message God had given to Abraham was to leave his father’s household. While we may see household as just family, in the context the father was the one who traditionally passed on the knowledge and wisdom of the gods…perhaps God’s request to Abraham was not only to leave, but to become totally reoriented in his idea and practice of spirituality. Returning to the actual story in Genesis 22, it was not far fetched to sacrifice a son in those days, as many other gods required similar sacrifices…perhaps Abraham had pondered to himself whether this God is just the same as the others. Yet the story has an interesting turning point >> God himself provides the sacrifice. (This part borrowed from Rob Bell)

Where all the other gods had required religious devotion and sacrifice, here this God had desired only obedience and intimacy, he himself provided the sacrifice. Interesting also to not is that there is a shift in the words which refer to God from beginning to end in the passage. We begin with the very general “Elohim” and end with a very personal “Yahweh”

If then from these stories we can see that God takes a lot of effort to get this message across that “I’m not another idol” and “I want intimacy and relationship” perhaps our approach to mission ought also to be redefined.

As opposed to pressuring people to make commitments, whether directly or indirectly. The approach could be changed to an invitational one. God is not angry, God values you, desires to have an intimate relationship with you and has made it possible through his son Jesus the Christ. God has already issued the invitation to his “great banquet” (see parable)…it is for us to decide whether we will participate in it.


Having redefined mission through the lens of a dynamic and relational God, who is not an angry idol I would like to suggest that the end-focus of ministry be not simply to train folks to be better people, religiously attending church or offering help to the sick and the poor as a sacrifice to a God who is viewed simply as “God” >> but to have as the end focus showing people how to nurture an intimate relationship with God who is not static, who has already issued an invitation to “come and join the party”.

God's new world breaks into ours ( A dialogue with Lemony Snicket)

"Dearest children... At times the world can seem an unfriendly and sinister place, but believe us when we say that there is much more good in it than bad. All you have to do is look hard enough. And what might seem to be a series of unfortunate events may, in fact, be the first steps of a journey. We hope to have you back in our arms soon, darlings, but in case this letter arrives before our return, know that we love you. It fills us with pride to know that no matter what happens in this life, that you three will take care of each other, with kindness and bravery and selflessness, as you always have. And remember one thing, my darlings, and never forget it: that no matter where we are, know that as long as you have each other, you have your family. And you are home.' " (Violet Baudelaire)

One need not look to far these days to realize that the story of the world has drifted much from God’s original intention for humanity. The paradoxical relationship of economic growth and poverty, the hurts of divorced parents and broken families, and the ever persisting struggle for reconciliation. The many tensions of our society, along with many voices fighting for a say over our lives compound the age old difficulties in answering the questions every young person must grapple with: Who am I? (Identity) where do I belong? (Belonging) and why am I here? (Purpose). Yet amidst all these tensions and voices the message of God’s new world stands ever true, God is faithful to his promise, he has sent his son Jesus that we may experience life and life to the full. The reality of this new world speaks volumes to youth in a broken society. God has called us, and wants to refresh us, he desires that we partner with him in restoring harmony to our families and communities and he invites to be part of his family. The prefix “re” connotes new beginnings, it is an apt description of what God is doing in our postmodern world, a call to repaint faulty images of God and to begin to see ourselves as God does, a call to let go of limiting mindsets and feelings of hopelessness and to begin to engage the world with a new set of glasses , desiring to restore and refresh.

The question remains, how may we live in the freedom of God’s new world?

Perhaps for some of us it means finding God again…we’ve lost him amidst the fog of our chaotic lives?

Perhaps for some of us it means building healthy friendships from which we can grow and develop?

The reality is that whatever it is we decide we need to do…we will never enjoy the fruit that may come of it unless we try…unless we actually act on it.

"...they are the sort of people who know that there's always something. Something to invent, something to read, something to bite, and something to do, to make a sanctuary, no matter how small. And for this reason, I am happy to say, the Baudelaires were very fortunate indeed." (Lemony Snicket)

Have You Bean to Church Lately?

Hi, my name’s Ashley and if church is that place with a steeple or a big carved pulpit then no…I haven’t been to church lately. On the contrary, I see church as less of a place to go to than it is something to be. Church isn’t necessarily all about stained glass windows, a “worship” team and shiny polished wooden pews for me. They call me post-modern, emergent and a bunch of other things…but I’m just an ordinary Christian, a ragamuffin saved by God’s grace, displayed through his Son Jesus Christ.

I’ve had a storm of people challenge me with Hebrews 10:25, part of which warns believers not to neglect the gathering of the saints…but I believe that too? You see, I believe it of utmost importance that we as fellow brothers and sisters in Christ gather together in genuine and sincere fellowship, that we have real relationship and encourage one another as we seek God together…Only, this doesn’t need to happen within our elaborately constructed models of church and tradition. If we take a look at the Bible moving from OT through NT , we see how people built alters to God, then gathered together in tents, after that they built buildings to get together in. Getting into the New Testament we see the early church and their structures, or perhaps some of the house church styles of some of Paul’s letters. From a purely sociological perspective we see different people in different contexts forming culturally relevant ways of fellowshipping with each other. Looking at the story through a theological lens it’s even more interesting when we see the difference Jesus brings into the picture, God no longer dwells in mere temples built by man. Could we ever say that God is confined or limited to our particular structure, model, denomination, or “inter-denomination”?.

I have enjoyed the way it was put in the Lausanne Occasional Papers (Lausanne.org) that the local church is but a wineskin, a visible expression of the Church within society. If the local church is just a wineskin, then perhaps new wineskins are needed, maybe it’s okay for us to have new expressions or ways of doing church, worshipping God and seeking Him together.

I’ve searched in many places and maybe you could also at one stage have labelled me “disillusioned with the church” because I never seemed to find a fit. As opposed to being disillusioned, I’ve now learnt to appreciate what the rest of the family in the traditional church has to offer, but have also found an expression of “church” for myself. This thing called “church” happens for me every time I get together with another Christian and we have a heart to heart, when we seek God together and when we share of our experiences and encounters with God. It may happen at a friend’s home, in a local church service, walking to the store during lunch or even on a Thursday night at the Coffee Bean (quaint little restaurant in Rondebosch) - church is not limited by time or place. I call it a “lived theology”.

Emergent Christians have been seen as people who merely want a way of fellowship which suits them as an individual, but I think it’s much more than that, it’s about relationships, a deep sense of connectedness to God and to others. It is through genuine relationship that we can encourage and spur each other on. Structures are created to facilitate and foster such relationships, but oh how often they have actually impeded such development. As a Christian I desire to transform the context I am living in, to transform my environment…perhaps the public garden with its blue sky canopy which God created could be made as sacred a space as a stoned-walled church with decorative wooden beams?