culture and spirituality 2

Extension Studies Summer School:title: Spirituality and Culture

session 1,2 & 3 ~Tues

2

Opening prayer

The Lord be with youAnd also with you.

God, help us to listen;and in our listening to hear You.

God, be in our thinking:and renew our minds.

God, we will speak together:let our conversations be words in the Word.

3

Learning objectives.

-By the end of the summer school you should:-

understand better what culture is understand more fully how culture affects and involves us.Understand more fully what spirituality is.have reflected on their own spirituality and cultural backgroundbegun to evaluate their own spirituality and culture in relation to each other.

http://www.Studeous.com/enroll.cfm?id=0.557300033738Password= pneuma

http://www.studeous.com/spiritculture

4

Thinking about the film:

'spirituality' ?What do you make of the relationship between spirituality and culture within the film? Does anything surprise you from the film? What would a Christian spirituality for Junuh have to take account of? Could we see Bagger Vance as a Messianic /Christ figure?

5

Thinking about us, ourselves: background exercise

6

Culture. /kəltjə/, n ....

High culture vs 'pop' cultureclassical definition vs anthropological

7

Social science definitions of culture ...

8

Thinking about culture 1/3 ...

Events & artefacts

Waysof

thinking

practices

culture

Invention of transistors

Invention of gunpowder

Black death

Lisbon earthquake

9

Thinking about culture 2/3...

Events & artefacts

Waysof

thinking

practices

culture

Eating habits

queuingB

L

10

Thinking about culture 3/3 ...

Events & artefacts

Waysof

thinking

practices

culture

Individualism

hierarchical

egalitarian

non-violent

11

Thinking about culture starting with an artefact ...

Events & artefacts

Waysof

thinking

practices

culture

Cheap mobile telephony

Phone calls all over the place. Decline of landlines and payphones.

More spontaneous? Sense of connection and availability

12

Thinking about culture starting with an event ...

Events & artefacts

Waysof

thinking

practices

culture

Lisbon earthquake

Loss of confidence in providence. Deism & atheism grow in plausibility

Churchgoing etc falls

13

Thinking about culture starting with a practice ...

Events & artefacts

Waysof

thinking

practices

culture

Listening to music alone

Music as 'private space'

'wired for sound'

14

Thinking about culture starting with a way of thinking ...

Events & artefacts

Waysof

thinking

practices

culture

democracy

Voting, elections, plebiscites ...

Parliaments,ballot boxes,returning officers ...

15

Thinking about culture starting with your idea ...

Events & artefacts

Waysof

thinking

practices

culture

16

Thinking about culture starting with your formative social experience ...

Events & artefacts

Waysof

thinking

practices

culture

17

stretch your legs for a couple of minutes ....

18

Naming

involves:seeing similarity and difference: it's about ways of thinking; culture

Waysof

thinking

http://nouslife.blogspot.com/2008/06/towards-theological-reflection-on.html

19

Naming & culture: God-given freedom counts againstseeing culture as inherently or fundamentally evil, and for valuing of diversity (and so against 'one culture'). In fact, given we 'image' God socially, this implies the bonds of culture are part of being in God's image, and so 'it is good'.

20

H Richard Niebuhr. Christ and Culture.Charles Kraft. Christ in Culture.

Three typical positions, historically...

ChristCulture

Against

In paradox

Transformer of

In / of above

21

.

Can you come up with examples of each of these positions?

ChristCulture

AgainstIn / of above

22

All of these positions have some justification in scripture and theology.Perhaps we don't have to choose ...

23

above

against Of / in

God and culture:

24

What do we mean by “spirituality”?

spir·i·tu·al·i·ty \spIr-I-tʃ-u:ˈwa-lə-ti:\ nounwrite your own notes for a minute,share your ideas with a neighbour andtry to come up with the start of a definition.

On your table, come up with a definitionto share with all and write it on thelarge paper.

25

spir·i·tu·al·i·ty \spIr-I-tʃ-u:ˈwa-lə-ti:\ Put definitions so far in position to be read by others.Look at hand-out with some dictionary definitions.

What ideas or aspects do you want to includein your own definition? Is there anything you might want to change or leave out?

Write a new definition to share with the whole class.

26

spir·i·tu·al·i·ty \spIr-I-tʃ-u:ˈwa-lə-ti:\ New tack. Thinking about our own stuff.

When you pray, how do you name God? What title/s, image/s, metaphor/s do you normally use?

How would you explainwhat prayer is?What is your fave image

of or way of describing being a Christian? Why?

What image or metaphor do you prefer for the Church?

27

spirituality

28

Cultural context

spirituality

29

Cultural context

theology

spirituality

30

Cultural context

'liturgy' theology

spirituality

31

Cultural context

'liturgy' theology

spirituality

32

Cultural context

'liturgy' theology

spirituality

Film clip ...

33

Printing and rag paper-making ...

Events & artefacts

Waysof

thinking

practices

culture

Cheap rag paper invented & printing using movable type

Cheap bookssolitary devotionsscripture at home

Individualism linear thinking

34

Cultural context

'liturgy' theology

spirituality

Some examples ...

Cheap books

Private devotions,personal bible reading,pamphlets

Protestantideas:primacy ofscripture quiet timeetc

Ctr Lollardy etc

35

Cultural context

'liturgy' theology

spirituality

Some examples ...

Cathedralsecclesiastical power

Pilgrimagevotive offerings etc

Relics, grace&mediationof Saints

36

Cultural context

'liturgy' theology

spirituality

Some examples ...

?

? ?

37

Review and recall . What new insights were there for you? Did anything surprise you? What affirmed what you already knew and what was it you already knew? What questions have arisen for you from today's session?

38

http://nouslife.blogspot.com/2008/06/towards-theological-reflection-on.html