In the light of day, as I watch hummingbirds from my window flutter from one tree to another, disappearing like fairies into the branches, it occurs to me that UCC minister Chuck Currie is right. The world is turned upside down and is not prepared to hear the message of God's love. My Seminary class chatted with him online yesterday late into the evening and he graciously and patiently answered our many questions about his blogging ministry. As our conversation progressed the answer to my question of "Why blogging?" became apparent. I learned that as an advocate for public theology I need to be able to articulate to people, my congregation, friends, family and strangers why public theology is so very important and powerful. Also, how I, we, the Christian and human community can use it to do good in the world and help build the Kingdom of God here on earth, today!
Though the world may not be ready for the message of love, Reverend Currie said that as Christians (and I assert as all humans living in community, in mutuality) it is our duty through baptism to give "loving critiques of conventional wisdom" or attempt to turn this world right-side up. Susan Thistlethwaite, President of Chicago Theological Seminary, would add, a loving critique framed from a theological perspective. She said that theology is changed by the issues and perhaps more importantly that properly articulated and studied theology from the heart can change the issues.
To blog is to build. It is one more brick in the edifice of the Kingdom we so passionately pray for and dream about. In the light of day, I understand that simple prayers alone won't get us there, that the prophets challenged us out of complacency and guided us towards hope and that my public ministry, God willing, will serve to turn even one heart towards love.
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Forgive me if this rambles way off course from the topics that have been shared thus far, but this morning I read an obituary for Anita Roddick, the woman who created The Body Shop -- here is the link to the article:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/09/10/AR2007091002360.html
Her unusual and inspiring story got me thinking about the idea of beauty and comfort, and the role that they play in life. Beauty and comfort are sometimes linked with negative outcomes and ways of living -- excess, exclusivity, unhealthy and unrealistic images, etc. But I've always felt that beauty and comfort are inherent in this life, in the spirit. The planet and universe that we are born into and on is just gorgeous, undeniably -- from the sparkling sun and stars to the brilliant blue sky and oceans -- and the people, animals, flowers and trees that inhabit it are stunning in all our varied expressions of beauty. Which makes me think that our desire to live in and be surrounded by beauty and comfort is natural, and beneficial to our spirit. And that beauty and comfort do not have to be linked to cruelty, exclusivity and waste, etc. in order to thrive and succeed. Many might have thought at the time The Body Shop was created that consumers would not be interested in a cosmetics line that was unapologetic is its mission to offer products for the purpose of enhancing beauty and comfort that are animal/planet/people friendly. Needless to say it was, and is, a huge hit. Along those same lines, I also have been thinking a great deal about architecture and design lately (for professional reasons, but also b/c I just love and appreciate beautiful design, both old and new, and have been concerned about the preservation of brownstone Brooklyn's beauty and charm, where I am fortunate to live, as new development in New York is rapidly moving into historic neighborhoods) and feel strongly that the way we design, build and maintain our living environments is connected to how we live and feel about our lives. It is possible to over build and over design anything -- excess again -- and it is also possible for entire communities and countries to be neglected, falling into squalor and despair due to the ravages of poverty, war, natural disasters, etc. Creating living spaces that are full of light, beauty and opportunities for communal connections as well as individual contemplation, that are repectful of and in keeping with the culture and character of the respective community and neighborhood, and that are environmentally protective and sustainable, I think is essential to the well being of the people, animals and plants that live in and around them. All that to say, I find spirituality in beauty, and beauty in spirituality, in all its forms -- in nature, in art, in the built environment, in animals, in people. For me, it is all god, it is all love, and it is all a reflection of the light that is inherent in life. Thanks for sharing and reading!
With light, Lauren
And for those that are interested in the role that preservation and design can play in creating beautiful and livable environments around the world, here are some links to interesting organizations and projects. The second link, the Open Architecture Network Challenge, is an international design competition aimed at further connecting the world via the Internet -- Kathryn, thought it might be of interest to your class:
www.architectureforhumanity.org
www.openarchitecturenetwork.org/challenge
www.publicarchitecture.org
www.designcorps.org
www.pps.org
http://www.nationaltrust.org/news/2007/20070717_pip.html
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/17/nyregion/17housing.html?ex=1190088000&en=272bc3547de9b3ae&ei=5070
Lauren,
thank you for your post! I love reading about how other people view beauty and interpret the theories of form and function in the ways in which we design, build and create our lives and world. This community of blogging is an incredible space to share our visions of the light you speak of. k
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