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<DIV>Thanks John, For reminding us that The Order is a Dynamic that takes
on many forms in ways unnoticed and catalytic in society.</DIV>
<DIV>Rod Rippel</DIV>
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<DIV style="font-color: black"><B>From:</B> <A
title=oe@lists.wedgeblade.net>John Epps via OE</A> </DIV>
<DIV><B>Sent:</B> Wednesday, June 14, 2017 2:57 PM</DIV>
<DIV><B>To:</B> <A title=oe@wedgeblade.net>Order Ecumenical Community</A> </DIV>
<DIV><B>Subject:</B> [Oe List ...] The Order and Oaxtapec</DIV></DIV></DIV>
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<P class=MsoNormal style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal">It has long been claimed that at
the Oaxtapec gathering, the Order was called out of being. That assertion has
long troubled me, and it seems time to clear the air.<BR><BR><SPAN></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal">IMHO, the statement is both
sociologically and theologically inaccurate. A more accurate formulation of what
happened in Mexico was that we went from a structured to a dispersed form.
Something was definitely dissolved at Oaxtapec, but it was not the Order, only a
particular form of the Order.<BR><BR><SPAN></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal">On the sociological side, there
is still a lively “we” that once went under the name “Order Ecumenical.” This
list-serve and the archives workshops represent some manifestations, but more
significant are the personal collegial relationships that persist despite great
demographic, cultural, and geographic differences. “We” continue to communicate
and to celebrate the life milestones of each other. <BR><BR><SPAN></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal">“We” continue to engage in the
mission of catalyzing and caring for those who care – in multiple sectors and
with far greater impact than a single organization could have managed. Some
examples include the ToP Network, the IAF, ICA community development work in
India, Nepal, Australia, and South America, and environmental preservation
efforts in the USA. “We” have published a good number of books making insights
available to a wide audience. Colleagues could fill out the list.
<BR><BR><SPAN></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal">Theologically, the Order is a
historical dynamic that we’ve been privileged to participate in. It is not
something we can disband, even if we wanted to. Just as Niebuhr described the
Church as the “sensitive and responsive ones…” that takes many forms, so also is
the Order composed of those awakened and catalytic ones who care for those who
care. The notion that some of us could dissolve that dynamic confuses the form
from the content (the baby from the bathwater to use a less abstract metaphor).
I’ve come (reluctantly) to see that we were led to dissolve a particular
structure so that the historical dynamic might continue in an enhanced fashion.
<BR><BR><SPAN></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal">Why does this matter? Is it
simply a verbal difference having little to do with anything except the neurosis
of an old theologian? <BR><BR><SPAN></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal">It matters because thinking that
there is no longer an Order prevents us from wrestling with pertinent questions:
How can we remain in touch with the Profound Mystery? How can we continue to
access our common insights? What rites and celebrations are appropriate to a
dispersed body? How can we account to each other and support each other? How can
we stay on the religious and secular edge? What (if any) forms are appropriate
for the global and diverse participants in this historical dynamic? In a time
when hatred and fear of differences is so rampant, what new experiments might
make a difference? What might we learn from <U>Journey to the
East</U>?<BR><BR><SPAN></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal">Collegial comments,
clarifications, corrections, and additions are most welcome.<SPAN></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal"> </P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal">Thanks for reading this.</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="LINE-HEIGHT: normal">John Epps</P></DIV>
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