primary photographer
Post on 23-Feb-2016
60 Views
Preview:
DESCRIPTION
TRANSCRIPT
It was an honor to have my sons, Joel and Adriel, accompany me on my professional development experience.
Primary photograph
er
Naked Anabaptists & Celtic Clothes
Reflections and pictures of my learning trip
to London, England and Iona, ScotlandApril 28-May 16, 2011
Layover in Iceland!April 29
With the death of Christendom in the UK (and all Europe), there has been a
profound shift in Christianity in recent decades.
Prologue:
Lava fields
They are searching for new models of radical faith that can help the church be relevant and authentic in this new era.
Steam geysers
There has been a rediscovery of some of their own past found in Celtic Christianity
caves
As well as a discovery of radical movements on the continent, like 16th century Anabaptism
mountains
lighthouses
These movements can be a beacon of hope to all of us in the 21st century
In the backyard at London Mennonite Centre
Part 1: London
We stayed in the guesthouse here and I spent some time reading and doing research, and even met a “naked” Anabaptist!April 29 – May 6
There were no Anabaptists in the UK between 1575 and 1950when this was opened.
I found a mug
with my personal
motto on it
Highgate Cemetery close to LMC(inset, grave of Karl Marx)
Some people in history have become overly radical!
London has its tourist sites where the rich and powerful establishment ran the British Empire and the Church of England.
Buckingham Palace
Westminster Abbey
I am not a royal watcher so we did not pay to go in to see the wedding decorations!
St. Mary’s Church(Henry VIII and other royalty buried here)
St. Paul’s Cathedral
The British Museum:
Full of wonderful (and pillaged by the
Establishment) items relevant to the Bible and ancient history,
e.g. the Rosetta Stone
Gareth & Socrates:Any resemblance?
Houses of Parliament with statue of Oliver Cromwell
And then there were some establishments that traded one for another,and if they didn’t get their way they started over on another continent.
A walk on the other side of the city where Anabaptists and other nonconformists lived and were killed
The nonconformist graveyard…
where…
…and other religious and political dissidents were buried
Smithfield Common(where the last Anabaptists were executed in 1575)
Anabaptists came over the channel from the Netherlandsto preach the good news but met an early death
Bunhill Fields, where Quakers worshiped and are buried
The Society of Friends (Quakers) were an English radical group beginning in the 17th century
Founder of the Society of Friends (Quakers)
John Wesley also broke the status quo another century later as he proclaimed, “The world is my parish”
The plaque on Aldersgate St. where he had his conversion experience
Traveling to all these places helped us to get to know the underground transportation system in London quite well.
We also visited a few places of popular interest…
Abbey Road
View of the Tower Bridge from the London Bridge
Hamlet at the Globe Theatre
Peter Pan flying at
Kensington Gardens
Part 2: Iona May 6-13
It was a pilgrimagejust to get there…
train from Glasgow to Oban
Celtic Christianity took root on the fringes of the Roman Empire in Ireland, Wales and Scotland.
View from the train
Columba founded a monastery on the Isle of Iona in the 6th centurythat became a focal point for Celtic Christianity
View from the train
ferry from Oban to the Isle of Mull
bus on a narrow one lane road across the Isle of Mull
Welcomed by the Iona community
The topic for the week- “Becoming Human, Becoming Spiritual: An Introduction to Celtic Spirituality”
Celtic Christianity is characterized by:
Bay at the Back of the Ocean
The ancient monastery where we slept, ate, learned, worked and worshiped.
1. Monasticism
Daily Schedule:• Rising bell• Breakfast• Morning worship• Chores• Teaching Session• Lunch [1 PM]• Afternoon walk• Tea time!• Supper• Teaching Session• Evening Worship• Lights out
The altar in the chapel
2. Local liturgies
Part of the group taking a break on a pilgrimage around the island
St. Martin’s Cross at dusk
3. Martyrdom
Martyrs’ Bay
“A thin place”
4. Focus on Creation
Panoramas of the island
Marking an
important
spiritual experien
ce at Columba
’s Bay
Driving on the other side of the road illustrates an alternative way of being Christian
Driving from Glasgow to LondonMay 14-15
Epilogue:
Hadrian’s Wall, 122 CE
Wall of the Empire
Hiding place of a dissident
Which English radicals met here?
We also met here to discuss the books we were writing.
Stonehenge
The mystery of faith continues…
The pilgrimage of faith continues…
Walking toward North America on Iona
top related