John 1:14 in the light of ‘new physics’

(For some reason I had posted an incomplete version of this paper - the complete one will be up soon.

The Fragrance of God by Vigen Guroian

The Fragrance of God: Reflections on Finding God through the Beauty and Glory of the Natural World
By Vigen Guroian
Darton, Longman, Todd
RRP $31.95

(Clicking on this image will take you to Fishpond.com where you can purchase the book online)

I picked this gorgeous little book to review because of the title. At the moment I am interested in exploring the nature of God and our response to God in non cognitive ways, and the perfumed title captured me. Imagine my delight as I began to read and understand that this was a series of extended meditations written by an Armenian Orthodox theologian, who is also a passionate gardener.

Beware all passionate Australian gardeners; one jarring note is that this is a decidedly Northern hemisphere book. Its focus on the nature of the seasons, particularly those in Virginia, meant I had to lay aside my fierce pride in native Australian bush in all its varied forms. Doing this however, allowed me to enter Guroian’s verdant world, and it was worth it.

Deacons in the Uniting Church in Australia

Introduction

The twentieth century has seen the impact of the ecumenical movement within most Christian churches in the world. As part of the manifestation of a renewed understanding of unity in Christ, some churches emerged as examples of the theological and practical considerations behind ecumenism. The Uniting Church in Australia is one of these churches.

In the journey of the Congregational, Methodist and Presbyterian denominations towards union in 1977, the ordering and ecclesiology of the church was significantly affected by contemporary ecumenical thought. In particular, the ministry of deacon became an example of the new thinking about ministry. The Basis of Union captures this moment in church history, by specifically referring to the emergence of what was called the “renewed diaconate”, and maintained its willingness to allow its forms of ministry to be transformed.

The Church as Process

Introduction

This essay is an exploration of the thesis that what makes the Christian church “the church” is a process. Three essential factors belonging to this process are:
• The gathering and sharing of different voices and texts;
• The question, “Where is the gospel of Jesus Christ in this?”; and
• The use of this question in repeated self interrogation.

Taking this position of course has some immediate implications, the most obvious being that this is an ecclesiology “from below” and therefore stands against doctrinal positions about “the church”, which dominate many of the discussions in the academic and ecumenical world. It is an approach that intentionally destabilises the judgements about church which are being used as common ground in these discussions.

It is also a typically feminist approach to take and as such holds its own risks. The main being that the circularity and pluralism of its form means in the end we all may just end up tired, but not particularly satisfied. However, this essay self consciously includes judgements about church and recognises that judgements can be made. However, if the concept of church is intrinsically linked to process then characteristics of identity can be named, described and owned by an ecclesial community, but these characteristics cannot be fixed as pointing to the “character” of the church. As an illustration, the practice of ordained ministry within the Christian community will be examined.