Christianity in the West is collapsing. Poet, peacemaker and scholar John Philip Newell believes we can either deny it’s happening, try to shore up the foundations of the old thing, or we can radically reorientate our vision and ask what new thing is trying to be born. So we ask John Philip what this new thing is that is trying to emerge from deep within us and from deep within the collective soul of Christianity.
After the interview Nomad hosts Tim Nash and David Blower reflect on what all this means for their evolving faith.
Interview begins at 6m 3s
Image by Tim Nash. Used with permission.
BOOKS
The Rebirthing of God: Christianity’s Struggle for New Beginnings
Listening for the Heartbeat of God: A Celtic Spirituality
QUOTES
“We’re not creating a ‘rebirthing of God.’ If anything, we are being invited to midwife or to assist or serve a new emergence that is stirring in the human soul and in the human consciousness and in the Earth community.”
“One of the main problems I suppose with the word ‘God’ is that when we use it, we often think we know what we’re talking about. And we use it often as a proper name instead of a way of pointing to the one who is beyond names or who cannot be uttered.”
5 Responses
Just listened to this episode. I’m a big fan of John Philip Newell. I was intrigued by your discussion afterwords as well, especially as you explored the topic of using gender specific pronouns in reference to God. Lauren F. Winner wrote Wearing God without using gender specific pronouns. It’s an incredibly beautiful book, both in writing style and content. You’d mentioned having not seen a book done in such a way – check it out., it’s lovely on so many levels!
Thanks Sara. I read Lauren’s Mudhouse Sabbath a while back, but haven’t come across Wearing God. I’ll check it out.
Tim
More Jemima please. She speaks intelligently.
She’s great, isn’t she! We’re hoping she’ll become a regular on the show.
It might be easier to reinvent the wheel – leave God alone