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BlogHere are the thoughts and news of the people in our community. Leave a comment as you wish. If you want to join the blogging ask Mark.
Friday, March 26, 2004The Passion of the Christ On Wednesday I got to watch The Passion of the Christ. UGC cinema put on a free showing for Church pastor's in Northampton [they deserve a bit of free publicity from that, probably]. So what do I think? Well, it is always weird going to the cinema at 11am at the best of times and this was no different. Especially considering the nature of the film. The first word that I would use is harrowing. It is certainly one of the most graphic, violent films I have seen. That needs to be made plain: it is not for the faint-hearted. But let's be honest, we have all watched Jesus of Nazareth and been offended by the crucifixion scene there because it has very little relation to gruesome reality. There is no chance of that offence here. The audience is barraged with gruesome and bloody scenes for 80% of the film. The film felt long and drawn out, like 12 hours of suffering with an inevitable conclusion. I came out in emotional turmoil, drained, messed up. But I think I would prefer this presentation to its relatively clinical predecessors. I have spent my upbringing persuading my parents of the 'necessary' violence in certain movies in order to portray reality [Saving Private Ryan] or the 'artistic' nature of violence that is required to make a point [Pulp Fiction; T1 & T2?]. And if those arguments are made then they are also to be made here. I should add that, personally, I feel it is over played though - blood just doesn't run that freely!! I appreciated the real, human nature of the film. There is nothing like a pictorial portrayal of something that you have only read about, be it Lord of the Rings or The Miracle Maker etc. Here the reality of Jesus humanity is emphasised, the fear that engulfs him, the pain that he suffers, the compassion that remains present. I felt one of the most powerful moments of the film was Peter's denial, again you are faced with the reality of what he did and the potential for you to do the same. Points of drama were beautifully crafted, finding points of grace from Jesus amongst horror and desertion, such as the cutting off of the centurion's ear by Peter. Every character was carefully introduced to the main plot journey bringing a reality to the encounters. Flashbacks added to the overall picture, giving light relief from the suffering, and giving some context, a touch of purpose [that is of course apart from the ridiculous one about Jesus making a table - was that purely for comedy value?]. I was less satisfied with some historical aspects to the film. The comparative presentations of the Roman authorities and the Jewish authorities, I felt, were not as I see them. Pilate is presented to be a reflective, compassionate ruler, just desperate to keep the peace, talking openly with his wife, who is presented as a semi-Jesus Follower. This I think is overly flattering. The Jewish authorities are presented as being single-minded and proud, comfortable with entering the house of Herod and being around blood and the crucifixion site. I feel that this does not deal fully with the complicated political and cultural issues of the day. It is also clear that many of the decisions with regards the portrayal of those issues not covered in the gospels come not so much from a desire to provide an historical reconstruction, but to pull in various Catholic sources. For example, Veronica appears on the scene from the 6th station of the cross, the devil figure's temptations in the garden of Gethsemane are from Anne Catherine Emmerich's The Dolorous Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ. In fact she is also responsible for many of the details of the film [check more: interesting points; outline of the issues; list of items taken into the film; frequently asked questions]. There is not a problem with this, of course, as long as people are aware. Overall this film has, and is, impacting me hugely. Brian McLaren's article sums it up very well, I think, it is not a manipulation technique [although many will be challenged to think about it all]. Its value, for me, lies in the role it takes in my own Formation, and in that sense its value is proving to be high. I feel more aware of Jesus' suffering, I feel aware of the grace carried in it, I feel faced by the reality of the discipleship call, I feel challenged to make a passionate response of devotion to "my Lord and my God". Do I want to see it again? No, not for a long, long time ... P.S. See Rick Warren's interesting response to Brian here. P.P.S. Interesting quotes: - "I am a Christian and I am not so much against the movie but the merchandise that they are selling along with it, things like nail necklaces, How tacky and sick!" - random public [better leave the necklace with a cross hanging on it in the box then!] - "At least I have an answer to sanctimonious religious people who don't like my love for horror films now" - BBC reporter on BBC 24 tonight - "I love horror films ...... it's an exploitation film, and I love that .... so it's a good film in my book" - same BBC reporter P.P.P.S. Repentence follows Posted by: Mark | 7:36 pm |
Thursday, March 25, 2004Baby Piccies Not sure whether this will work, but here goes!! Here is a picture of Elias William Mark Mansell: 
Posted by: Mark | 2:41 pm
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Monday, March 22, 2004SouthPoint I've just got back from meeting the guys that Emily contacted in South Africa. I didn't go to South Africa you understand, they were in Wetherspoons [of all places...]. Anyway it was great to meet them and hear their story. We talked about church based in homes, how they run and most importantly how they are missional. They had just been at a conference that had challenged them a lot about seeing relationships as the primary for our church identity. In a family you are defined, not by the fact that you see each other at certain organised during the week, even if it is a meal, but by your relationships to each other, like brother, father, sister, daughter etc. I think that is relly helpful to remember as we go forward as a community on a mission. It means if there is no relationships there is no church,a nd that the quality of the church is dependant on the quality of the relationships. Church is not a building, as we know, but it is also not a meeting, however often and in whatever style, it is the community of believers, journeying together in the way of Jesus. It was nice to meet them. Thanks guys ;o). [and Emily] It was also good to see Steve Gee again, and his friend Arran. Posted by: Mark | 11:11 pm |
Christology for Disciples I was thinking today how useful it would be to try to layout some of the different ways of looking at the nature of salvation. The predominant evangelical view has been very monochrome in its emphasis: law court imagery in which humanity has transgressed the law, Satan is the accuser, God made a guilty judgment, then laid the judgment on Jesus, mankind goes forward free to have a relationship with God again and from the judgement of hell. This has been widely accepted as the gospel. However this hasn't been the case through church history, and the good news there is some movement [not least in seeing salvation as a consequence of the gospel - the announcment of Jesus as Lord of the World - rather than the gospel itself]. As I thought about putting some thoughts on paper, I remembered a book that sought to do that a little: God so loved the world: a Christology for Disciples by Jonathan Wilson. The book seeks to take a narrative approach to Christology by laying out the story of the messiah and covering different ways the story has been framed. He then covers three ways in which the Gospel event in Jesus could be viewed: Christ as Victor, Christ as Sacrifice, Christ as Example. He does this by covering the NT evidence, the ways this has been approached in Church history, and finally laying out what that means for God, Humanity, Sin and Salvation by placing them in the context of the story he started with. I tell you this because I quite like the methodology of trying to draw out some threads of theology from the context of the biblical story and interpretations through church history. Unfortunately the book does not quite succeed, for a number of reasons, his broad conclusions, however are interesting starting points: 1) Christ as Victor - God as warrior, conqueror and liberator - Humanity as victims, captives and hostages - Sin as enemy and prison - Salvation as triumph, liberation and homecoming 2) Christ as Sacrifice - God as judge and judged [note: relational judgment over legal] - Humanity as perpetrators, rebels, collaborators and criminals - Sin as rebellion - Salvation as forgiveness, pardon, innocence, righteousness and peace 3) Christ as Example - God as teacher, enabler and lover - Humanity as ignorant, feeble and alienated - Sin as ignorance, weakness and separation - Salvation as knowledge, power and love What do you think? Are all valid? Do you favour one over the rest? Do we need all of them [and more?] to get a full picture? Posted by: Mark | 3:15 pm |
Baby Arrives The long awaited day is here!! We have a new addition to the Mansell family and to the church [it's good to have som 'new birth']. Colin and Debbie have a baby boy, Elias William Mark Mansell, 9lb 15oz, born by c-section at 11:36am, Monday 22 March. Mark, now that's a good CCN name isn't it ... God Bless 'em!! Posted by: Mark | 1:39 pm |
Friday, March 19, 2004Image Pilgrimage As Simon reminded me on Wednesday, I need to organise another image pilgrimage - sometime in March!! The DVD recommendation is: In America. To be honest, don't know much about it, but looks really good. I am thinking about next Friday (26th) or Saturday (27th) night. Does that work for people? Posted by: Mark | 1:33 pm |
Thursday, March 18, 2004Crowded House Love that name!!! This is a network of 'missionary congregations' in Sheffield who mainly meet in homes. Take a look around: The Crowded House. Posted by: Mark | 3:20 pm |
Slow Dance Found this poem here. I kinda like it! "Have you ever watched kids on a merry-go-round, or listened to rain slapping the ground? Ever followed a butterfly's erratic flight, or gazed at the sun fading into the night? You better slow down, don't dance so fast, time is short, the music won't last. Do you run through each day on the fly, when you ask 'How are you?', do you hear the reply? When the day is done, do you lie in your bed, with the next hundred chores running through your head? You better slow down, don't dance so fast, time is short, the music won't last. Ever told your child, we'll do it tomorrow, and in your haste, not see his sorrow? Ever lost touch, let a friendship die, 'cause you never had time to call and say hi? You better slow down, don't dance so fast, time is short, the music won't last. When you run so fast to get somewhere, you miss half the fun of getting there. When you worry and hurry through your day, it's like an unopened gift thrown away. Life isn't a race, so take it slower, hear the music before your song is over. Posted by: Mark | 2:36 pm |
Sunday, March 14, 2004The Passion I hope no one is offended, but this is pretty close to my take on the Passion of the Christ: LeadershipJournal.net - Passionate, but Not for Mel's Movie. I like this: "Our world is torn by ethnic, class, and religious hatred. Don't show the emerging culture a movie about Jesus: show them a movement of people living like Jesus—people who like him love the different, even the enemy, whose doors are open and tables are set with welcome." To be honest, as church, we are not there yet. But it is my dream for the future! Posted by: Mark | 7:24 pm |
Thursday, March 11, 2004Census Information I am posting this so it is not lost!! Colin found these stats for East Northampton. They are actually really interesting! National Statistics Online - Census 2001 - Profiles - East Northamptonshire. Posted by: Mark | 11:04 am |
Planning? This morning I really should be doing final planning for tonight. Tonight I am speaking at a meeting in Oxford for a small group of people thinking of starting Home Churches, in Oxford, Swindon and Gloucestershire [somewhere!]. I am really looking forward to it. Hopefully we will bounce some ideas around and have a laugh! I am leaving around lunchtime, fitting a new tap to Maddy's mum's sink, going into KBCTC and joining a tutoial group, spending the rest of the afternoon and early evening with Aled [he has a big input into my life and therefore us a church!], and then going to the meeting. Phew! I feel tired already, but maybe that is because I was awake at 5:30am with Asher!! Later! Posted by: Mark | 9:44 am |
Heaven is a wonderful place Well, we had an interesting chat last night about heaven. We were talking about whether heaven is a place in the sky or whether heaven another 'realm' or dimension, where God 'is', that engulfs the whole cosmos. Interesting! There are so many issues that inform why we believe what we believe, it is hard to trawl through them. I think the primary issue is: what story are we living in? Once we get clear pictures on God's story, other issues find there place in the big story a lot more easily. The story could be framed a number of ways, but let's try this for starters: Creation-[Fall]-Incarnation-[Redemption]-Recreation. That is the importance of the resurrection for Paul in 1 Corinthians 15. He really hits the issue of concern for people who have died. His whole thrust is Resurrection. Resurrection is what defeats the final enemy: Death. Death is not a 'friend' 'cos it lets us get somewhere else, death is the enemy that is defeated as we experience the final transformation that Jesus experienced - the transformation of our bodies from 'perishable' to 'imperishable'. And here's a surprising thing: you would think that Paul wouild finish the section encouraging them in their future hope. But no, 1 Corinthians 15:58 says: "Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that you labour in the Lord is not in vain." Resurrection takes the investment of 'today' and builds it into God's marvelous new creation tomorrow. Not only do we have hope for tomorrow, we have hope/purpose/meaning for today. Posted by: Mark | 9:36 am |
Wednesday, March 10, 2004More on the Conference: Tom Wright, Part 1 The Bishop blew the conference away with his huge view of the world. In this charismatic leaders conference he started as he meant to go on: “We need to get the big picture between the resurrection and the new creation. The gospel is not about us having a new religious experience, nor is it about going to heaven when you die”. That’s how to get peoples attention ;o). There were a million and one gems, if you could type fast enough, which I couldn’t [on my iPAQ and foldaway keyboard]! Like this: The power Caesar had was based on "if you get in my way then I will kill you" - the cross was a symbol of Caesar’s power; in Jesus it became the symbol of the power of the living God. I have never heard the implications of the resurrection so vastly expounded. I think I need to read the book [d’oh!]. “Jesus body is the same but transformed, not resuscitated nor was the old thrown away. Easter is the new creation begun - God's future appearing in the middle of history. The work of the gospel in the present is held between the Easter event and the Easter hope.” This determines who we are to be: Our lives are to be shaped by the new creation. So Paul saying “if anyone is in Christ they are a new creation” is not so much just about me, but rather about me getting caught up God’s new creation work, which will be brought to completion when it culminates in ‘new heavens and new earth’. Those ‘in Christ’ are a sign in the present that God’s future is on the way. Therefore what we do in the present and how we treat this world in the present matters, because it will not be chucked, nor resuscitated, but will be transformed. More implications followed in part 2. He finished part 1 with what is in the last two chapters of “The Challenge of Jesus”: The Disciples on the Emmaus Road [evangelism in a pomo world] – they were puzzled people, trying to work out what’s going on with Jesus, their hopes dashed because of his death. Jesus comes but doesn't reveal who he is, but rather he comes alongside and retells the story, probably pulling out themes of God’s people getting to place of total suffering and darkness and then coming forth, and showing how this reframes Jesus. Jesus eats with them and their eyes were opened (cf Genesis 3:7). Our world is full of people walking to and fro confused in a post-Christian culture. There is still a memory, however, over 70% still call themselves Christians. Our task is to play Jesus in that story - not to beat them over the head, but to come alongside incognito and to retell the story "it was the way is was meant to be", and to come into their homes and break bread with them to show that Jesus is alive. Posted by: Mark | 12:06 pm |
Friday, March 05, 2004What are the qualities that truly identify us? This is an interesting competition: design a global ID card. Obviously thinking through big concepts like this are way beyond me, but the winners come up with some interesting solutions, and ask some interesting questions. The overall winner seems to be addressing the nature if Identity, and realising that trying to capture identity is like trying to hit a moving target. Our lives are fluid, we move and change. My passport phot is from my student days - and boy did I need a haircut!! The winner is: Bryan Boyer of Providence, Rhode Island He produces a card "that probes the complex nature of identity with devastating minimalism. A small, oblong slip of paper represents the modest resources of most people on earth. "What does an I.D. card mean for those without enough money to buy a car or have a credit card?" Boyer explained. "Do you really exist in this world if you don't participate in the great global finance machine?" Divided into sections, the card is labeled with airport-code-like abbreviations representing the questions, Where have you been? Where are you now? Where are you going? Where did you begin? Where do you wish you were? One's true self can be gleaned from the matrix of these responses, Boyer insisted, as much as anyone's identity can be pinned down in an age when facial features, names, and addresses are equally fluid. "Answering the five questions on the card tells us who you are now, and who you may be tomorrow," he said." How would you answer the 5 questions? Catch runners up here. Posted by: Mark | 1:10 pm |
Thursday, March 04, 2004Southpoint, Cape Town, South Africa I stumbled upon this website today. A network of Home Churches in South Africa. There are some interesting articles there, like this one called: Forty Trends Re-shaping the Body of Christ Today. Posted by: Mark | 1:55 pm |
Bringing Home the Prodigals At this conference that I went over last weekend, Rob Parsons took a session, based on his book, "Bringing Home the Prodigals". I had heard Rob Parsons speak before [on marriage and family] so I knew it would be entertaining at least. I wasn't prepared for the emotional response he was about to stir, nor the huge challenge he was about to unleash on the room of unsuspecting church leaders. Based on the parable of the two sons (better known as the parable of the prodigal son) he described the nature of church and how we have made people into prodigals and how we remain the kind of churches that prevent their return. He challenged us to not get so caught up with whether or not they are attending church and search out opportunities to commend them in right living. For example he imagined a situation where the mother and an 18 year old son left home together on a Sunday morning, one going to church and one to a friends house to get up to who-knows-what, but as the son leaves he passes a homeless person selling "Big Issue", he stops pulls some cash out of his pocket, looks the person in the eye ["the most significant thing you can do to a person" - Rob] and says "keep the change". Will the mother continue to berate the son for not attending church, or will she see the wonderful act of grace the son did and encourage it. Fantastic. As with centred set thinking, we were challenged to see Jesus followers not as those who looked 'in', and conformed to expectations, but those who were allowing the good in the heart to flow out in action. I loved this: "When your prodigals do return to church, pray that they meet the Father before they meet the older brother". A CD of the talk is available for anyone who would like to borrow it! Posted by: Mark | 12:33 pm |
Wednesday, March 03, 2004Life-long Learning This is a really interesting little article. It is from the evangelical alliance website. Under the section "imagine". It seems to be trying to think about church in todays worlkd issues. Have a read of this. It starts like this: "The Church in the UK has a 'convert and retain' strategy. Christ had a 'disciple and release' strategy. Are we making disciples?" You have no idea how much I agree with that!! Let's not try to 'convert people' let's try to make them Followers of Jesus. We are not trying to persuade them of mental truths but modelling a new way of life, empowered by the spirit, and drawing them into it. That is why our friends must encounter our Home Church Communities - that is where the realities of our new way fo life are worked out - warts and all! It places at the centre of our life the need for us to be continually learning as we follow Jesus on the journey. Are you growing? Do you like the article? Posted by: Mark | 9:20 am |
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