Currently Listening: Room On Fire by The Strokes
The Goldfinch (1654) by Carel Fabritius:
Tyler Been, who went through clinical pastoral education (CPE) training as part of his process for ordination in the Episcopal Church, reflecting on the implications for pastoral care when those receiving pastoral training no longer believe the basic tenets of the faith:
It [CPE training] was the first time I experienced and observed what it means to be post-Christian in the realm of pastoral care. Twice a week for three months, I met with these seminarians and heard them talk about their pastoral visits and heard them critique and engage my accounts of pastoral visits. What I observed through all of this is that pastoral care offered from the perspective of post-Christianity is essentially religious nihilism.
I’ll be filing this one under the “secular church” category. Alas, it is an ever-expanding genre. In a post-Christian society, there can still be plenty of “religious” providers and “churchly” activities. But the work performed—to say nothing of the beliefs held—bears little resemblance to the work done by pastors in previous eras.
(HT: RICOE)
(from the inside flap of the CD case for Strangers In Our House by Meneguar)
Finished reading: Reaching Out by Henri J. M. Nouwen 📚
There were points where Nouwen’s words touched something deep in my soul. Overall, I found his “three movements” to be a useful heuristic. There’s no simple way to “do” what the book outlines (that’s not a criticism). I think the best way to read this book might be either with a group or with the direction of a spiritual guide.
It is very hard to tolerate the experience of God as a purifying absence, and to keep our hearts open so as to patiently and reverently prepare his way. We are tempted to grasp rapid solutions instead of inquiring about the validity of the questions. Our inclination to put faith in any suggestion that promises quick healing is so great that it is not surprising that spiritual experiences are mushrooming all over the place and have become highly sought after commercial items. Many people flock to places and persons who promise intensive experiences of togetherness, cathartic emotions of exhilaration and sweetness, and liberating sensations of rapture and ecstasy. In our desperate need for fulfillment and our restless search for the experience of divine intimacy, we are all too prone to construct our own spiritual events. In our impatient culture, it has indeed become extremely difficult to see much salvation in waiting.