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kindness
and love
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THEOLOGY
.ORG .UK
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kindness
and love
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SPIRITUALITY: ENCOUNTERS WITH GODDE 'Our lives are so short, but there is still time to love'
CONTENTS
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| 1. Introduction | ||
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The
provisional nature of spiritual writings
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Relationship
and Encounter
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Godde's
unchanging love: Jesus
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Godde's
unchanging love: in the world
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The
human perspective: encountering the love of Godde
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The
human perspective: variety of encounters
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Limitations
to our understanding
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Methodology:
evidence of encounters and acknowledgement of limits, conditioning,
fallibility
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Is
the Bible true?
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The
relevance of spiritual texts
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Helping
people to take the Bible seriously
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Personal
experience and preconceptions
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Making
sense of spiritual encounters
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The
bible as a series of encounters
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Learning
from one another, learning from other faiths
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Understanding
the bible involves a recipient approach to its encounters
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Distinguishing
between encounter and its aftermath
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Encounter
is fundamental
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The
evolution of the human perception of Godde
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New
and emergent meaning: through history and today
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From
remote warrior God to servant Godde of the humble heart
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Our
perception of Godde will continue to evolve
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The
way the bible works by drawing us toward encounter today
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The
bible itself is a vessel, containing truth, but not infallible itself
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Seeking
the critical evidence at the heart of biblical encounter
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Examples:
Noah
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Examples:
Abraham
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Examples:
Jacob
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Examples:
Moses
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Examples:
Joshua
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Examples:
Judges
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Examples:
David - evolving perceptions
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Examples:
David - and the highly personal nature of Godde
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Examples:
David - the Spirit of Godde and emergent truth
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Examples:
David - contextual limitations and fallibility
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Examples:
Isaiah
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Examples:
encounters in exile
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Examples:
visions of the last days
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...
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3.
The Fundamental Encounter: repentance and baptism
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repentance
and baptism as a spiritual principle
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repentance:
the way to the holy place is through the humble heart
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baptism
- burial - death - encounter - renewal
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encounter:
meeting (Jesus) - knowing - touching - reality - love
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...
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4.
Problems with Fundamentalism
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fundamental
encounter
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but
not a 'bolt-on system' based on a fundamentalist approach to historical
texts
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impact
of fundamentalism on individuals and communities
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...
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5.
Making Sense of the Bible
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is
the Bible true?
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ways
in which it is - a record of encounters
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people
like us, trying to 'make sense' of their encounters with Godde
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ways
in which it is not - fallibility of authors
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implications
of historical contexts in the Bible
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creation
myth and evolution
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Noah's
Ark
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the
sun standing still
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the
historical retreat of textual assertions in the face of scientific advance
and social development
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tribalism
and tribal 'god'
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the
Law… and a 'new' legalism?
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women,
sexuality, gender
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spirituality
and morality
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6.
Sexuality and Gender
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7.
God and Goddess
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8.
Who are Godde's People?
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9.
Original Sin and Original Beauty
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evolution
of a new emphasis
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creation
- beauty - flow - rhythm
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creation:
celtic tradition… nature… our own experiences
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beauty:
Book of Kells and Pilgrim's Progress
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flow:
peace and love in procession
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rhythm
and recognition
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being
carried
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original
beauty and the need to reclaim who we are
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forgiveness
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acceptance
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valued
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self-respect
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respect
of others
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reclaim!
(Joshua: boldness to reclaim and reclaim around us)
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renew!
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come,
Holy Spirit
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...
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10.
The Holy Spirit
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in
history
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in
prophecy
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in
flow
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spiritual
baptism… speaking in tongues
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in
all creation
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in
our hearts
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leading
to Jesus
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11.
Encounter with Jesus
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Godde's
intervention
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active,
personal Godde who cares
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Godde
as servant, sacrifice, passionate commitment
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Jesus
and the Bible
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my
own encounter
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types
of conversion / encounter
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12.
Encounters with an Intervening Godde
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the
prophetic
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visions
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dunamis
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dreams
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more
real than this world, making this world seem insubstantial by comparison
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....
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13.
The Spirituality of Kindness
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...
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14.
Other Elements of Spirituality
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quiet
spirit
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surrender
and trust
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recognition
and love
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recognising
grace
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prayer
as a way of life
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rhythm
and listening
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encounters
(for example: communion)
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opening
our hearts to the touch of Godde (so, for eg… worship)
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the
wholeness of Godde
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holiness…
and the ordinary… from Godde
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simplicity
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welcoming
Godde
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journey
day by day… reclaiming beauty…
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journey
day by day... reclaiming Godde's acceptance and Jesus's irreversible
commitment to us
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return
to kindness
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15.
Communities of Godde
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examples
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and
wider community … cf tribalism
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openness
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diversity
and respect
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16.
Into the Unknown
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encounters
with the unknown: unknowing and the unseen Godde
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the
numinous
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the
cloud of unknowing… to deeper meeting
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christianity:
the future - less secure, less controlled than fundamentalism
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more
emphasis on being carried, in flow, on simple love
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17.
The Beautiful Country
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our
world, like a shadow of a deeper reality…
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we
encounter emanations…
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our
origination, our home
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always
there, since before the creation of the world…and very close...breaking
in upon us
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peace
- absence of fear - rest
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never
shaken
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an
inviolable beauty, an inviolable homeland
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presence
of Godde everywhere, encountering the person of Godde
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I
don't use the term 'Kingdom' because of patriarchal connotations...
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but
a useful concept once we understand the servant nature of this King,
of this Queen of Heaven
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18.
The Last Journey
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death
and life as part of one beauty…
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for
example, Celtic tradition and its closeness to nature… a cycle, a rhythm
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from
darkness to light
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Jesus
said 'I have a baptism to undergo'
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'I
am with you'
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Jesus,
testimony of life
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home,
reality, completeness
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19.
The Faithfulness of Godde
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covenant
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sacrifice
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kindness
and servanthood
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'little
godde' of the quiet, intimate, personal… cf the OT 'warrior god'
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faithfulness
and relationship
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20.
Final Thoughts
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implications
of 'Encounter Theology'
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final
thoughts
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the
fallibility of this work
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you
and your journey and encounters
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...
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...
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CLICK HERE - to go to the 1st Chapter
~ ~ ~
theology.org.uk ~ contact: richardhenderson (at) ntlworld.com