[Dialogue] [Oe List ...] Fwd: Re: THE DECLARATION OF THE SPIRIT MOVEMENT

Tue Oct 4 17:01:03 PDT 2016

Most of us in our community came out of the church, either clergy or laity. I expect we sensed the church had a captivating story and symbols that were powerful enough to put wheels under it. We also knew of a time in the history of the church when it had a significant external mission, primarily through the orders. We sensed the spirit moving in some new direction with all the 1960s revolutions. Maybe we thought that would be enough to instill again a sense of mission within the historical church. But in my judgment it didn't happen, and perhaps as a way of steeling itself against the changes being wrought by the revolutions of the time toward secularism, rather than participating in them, the church doubled down on institutionalism, and that persists to this day, with noteworthy but isolated exceptions. 

I'm not sure human intentionality can start movements; they just seem to spring up and emerge when the spirit moves, and the role of intentional, missional human beings is keep their ears to the ground and, as Buber would say, when they see it, go participate in what is wanting to emerge. It could be that the spirit is moving anew today through the environmental movement, perhaps as Paul Hawken describes it in Blessed Unrest. For me, I have no attachment to today's institutional forms of the church, although I am grateful for the work and witness of Pope Francis and his integral ecology, and for some who seem to have inspired him, like Leonardo Boff. There's no reason why religions of any sort could not participate in whatever the emerging movement is, but I don't look for the movement to have a religious identity, or for that matter, any sort of ideological underpinnings.

Randy

Sent from my iPad

> On Oct 4, 2016, at 2:45 PM, James Wiegel via Dialogue <dialogue at lists.wedgeblade.net> wrote:
> 
> Zoe said:  "We began the work in the Order of imagining - and practicing - a wholly new liturgy. Is that where to begin? This is not exciting or immediately rewarding work - if ever - and it is not transformational in the first instance."
>  
> Wow, do you recall that?  When I arrived in 1967 things seemed in place re:  Daily Office.  We performed a Daily Office at the memorial for Betty Pesek -- perhaps the last one??
> 
> Chardin wrote a piece called "The Mass on the World" that caught MY attention.  Not sure if attachments go through . . .
> 
> What would it be like to do this?
> 
> Jim Wiegel  
> “If you want an adventure . . . what a time to be alive!”. Joanna Macy
> 
> 401 North Beverly Way,Tolleson, Arizona 85353
> 623-363-3277
> jfwiegel at yahoo.com
> www.partnersinparticipation.com
> 
> Upcoming ToP training opportunities in Arizona
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> More info on:
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> 
> 
> From: zbarley via OE <oe at lists.wedgeblade.net>
> To: oe at lists.wedgeblade.net 
> Sent: Tuesday, October 4, 2016 9:19 AM
> Subject: [Oe List ...] Fwd: Re: THE DECLARATION OF THE SPIRIT MOVEMENT
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Sent from my Verizon Wireless 4G LTE smartphone
> 
> 
> -------- Original message --------
> From: Zoe Barley <zbarley at earthlink.net> 
> Date: 2016/10/03 12:41 PM (GMT-07:00) 
> To: James Wiegel <jfwiegel at yahoo.com> 
> Cc: zbarley at earthlink.net 
> Subject: Re: [Oe List ...] THE DECLARATION OF THE SPIRIT MOVEMENT 
> 
> Yes, I suspect we are all still at it - according to age, ability, and conditions. And such work must go on, even when it is ephemeral.
> 
> But I'm concerned about Spong's challenge. He would yet attempt to renew the church.  We began the work in the Order of imagining - and practicing - a wholly new liturgy. Is that where to begin? This is not exciting or immediately rewarding work - if ever - and it is not transformational in the first instance.  I do not know who or what group is able to respond. Perhaps the Order is too vested in the community work to now turn back to the church. But I can't see that any such work can be sustained without the Word in some form.
> 
> Zoe 
> 
> -----Original Message----- 
> From: James Wiegel 
> Sent: Oct 3, 2016 9:03 AM 
> To: zbarley 
> Subject: Re: [Oe List ...] THE DECLARATION OF THE SPIRIT MOVEMENT 
> 
> How does the beginning of Ecclesiastes go?  Emptiness Emptiness says the speaker, emptiness, all is empty.  What does man gain from his labor??
> 
> And, even that "internal strength and depth of belief to create the renewed dynamic in society" seemed to slip away . . .  Bill and Carol Schlessinger are still at it with Projecto Vida in El Paso . . .
>  
> Jim Wiegel  
> “If you want an adventure . . . what a time to be alive!”. Joanna Macy
> 
> 401 North Beverly Way,Tolleson, Arizona 85353
> 623-363-3277
> jfwiegel at yahoo.com
> www.partnersinparticipation.com
> 
> Upcoming ToP training opportunities in Arizona
> 
> More info on:
> 
> ToP® Facilitation Methods 
> ToP® Strategic Planning: 
> Mastering the Technology of Participation  
> 
> Register on line / see the ToP National Schedule
> AICP Planners: 14.5 CM for all ToP® courses
> 
> The AZ ToP® Community of Practice meets the 1st Friday, of every month, 1-4 pm, at ACYR, 648 N. 5th Avenue, Phoenix, AZ 85003
> 
> 
> 
> From: zbarley <zbarley at earthlink.net>
> To: James Wiegel <jfwiegel at yahoo.com> 
> Cc: "zbarley at earthlink.net" <zbarley at earthlink.net>
> Sent: Monday, October 3, 2016 6:29 AM
> Subject: Re: [Oe List ...] THE DECLARATION OF THE SPIRIT MOVEMENT
> 
> We were certainly aware, first as priors in Cleveland, then as Galaxy pastors in Denver, that the church renewal plan wasn't working. 
> And with Spong it's no sure thing, despite the ages of existence, that the church wants, realizes the urgency of, renewal today. Yet I have seen the community renewal projects I have worked on all run their course and fade away. The Order had the internal strength and depth of belief to create the renewed dynamic in society that was once called church. I know of no other entity who can do it.
> 
> Zoe 
> 
> Sent from my Verizon Wireless 4G LTE smartphone
> 
> 
> -------- Original message --------
> From: James Wiegel <jfwiegel at yahoo.com> 
> Date: 2016/10/02 9:40 PM (GMT-07:00) 
> To: zbarley <zbarley at earthlink.net>, Order Ecumenical Community <oe at lists.wedgeblade.net> 
> Subject: Re: [Oe List ...] THE DECLARATION OF THE SPIRIT MOVEMENT 
> 
> Well, that is a good and interesting question, Zoe.  And probably many people might have answers . . 
> 
> Here are a couple possible ones that come to my mind.
> 
> The Fifth City Project and, later human development projects and town meetings had a lot more visceral excitement for us than the slow work of congregational renewal.  This might have been more particularly true for us younger, non clergy folks who came right after you all . . .
> 
> The Local Church Experiment with Galaxies and all did not produce exciting enough results to be sustained, and we never got sufficiently strong and widespread support from the denominational heirarchies to keep it going.  It may well also have been the case that the "risks" that the Galaxy leadership and clergy families in the order and movement sort of derailed their career prospects in Ecclesiastical circles.
> 
> God chose fundamentalism and the charismatic approach over existential theology.  I was struck, travelling cross country several years ago, on 2 lane highways, that it seems as though only the conservative churches have had heart and passion to root themselves in many local places.  Music and broadcast christianity as well.
> 
> With our focus on "globality", staying within the framework of Historical Christianity became increasingly relative as we engaged in countries not dominantly Christian
> 
> In looking at old documents, like the Declaration of the Spirit Movement,  I can see one could say that the primary concern was to address the "cultural revolution of the 20th century", ("renewal of the church FOR THE SAKE OF THE WORLD")
>  
> Even the contextual documents on the local church describe it as an anthropological phenomenon and not a Christian reality 
> 
> From a practical (and economic) perspective, at some point, participation in RS-1 peaked and we needed something else to keep the "movement" moving.  While we talked of ourselves as an "Order" -- Religious Order, Historical Order, Global Order,  seems we depended a lot on keeping momentum going.  Sustainability and slowness were less important than Expenditure and transformation.
> 
> What is your take on it?
> Jim Wiegel  
> “If you want an adventure . . . what a time to be alive!”. Joanna Macy
> 
> 401 North Beverly Way,Tolleson, Arizona 85353
> 623-363-3277
> jfwiegel at yahoo.com
> www.partnersinparticipation.com
> 
> Upcoming ToP training opportunities in Arizona
> 
> More info on:
> 
> ToP® Facilitation Methods 
> ToP® Strategic Planning: 
> Mastering the Technology of Participation  
> 
> Register on line / see the ToP National Schedule
> AICP Planners: 14.5 CM for all ToP® courses
> 
> The AZ ToP® Community of Practice meets the 1st Friday, of every month, 1-4 pm, at ACYR, 648 N. 5th Avenue, Phoenix, AZ 85003
> 
> 
> 
> From: zbarley <zbarley at earthlink.net>
> To: James Wiegel <jfwiegel at yahoo.com>; Order Ecumenical Community <oe at lists.wedgeblade.net> 
> Sent: Sunday, October 2, 2016 4:35 PM
> Subject: Re: [Oe List ...] THE DECLARATION OF THE SPIRIT MOVEMENT
> 
> 
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