Halloween Bat Coloring Pictures
Sunday, October 16, 2011
Saturday, October 15, 2011
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
Spiritual Formation Institute Seminar on Christian Spiritual Formation
SFI Seminar 2011/4
Christian Spiritual Formation
-The journey in Christ to Christ
What is the Christian spiritual life or spiritual formation? How can we grow spiritually in the midst of increasing demands of family and work, the busyness of life and in the loud jarring noise of contemporary culture? Deep within us, many of us feel dissatisfaction with our spiritual life, longing to connect more intimately with God and achieve a balance in our personal life, church and workplace/home/school. The Spiritual Formation Institute was started in 2003 with a seminar on Christian Spirituality by Dr Alex Tang. Come and join him eight years later with this anniversary seminar to revisit Christian Spirituality in the context of Christian spiritual formation.
Date : 2.00pm- 9.30pm, Saturday 12 November 2011
Place : Berea, Holy Light Church, Johor Bahru, Malaysia
Programme: Session 1 : The Mind of Christian Spiritual Formation
What is Christian spiritual formation, Christian education and discipleship? This session defines these terms and gives a biblical and theological basis for them.
Session 2 : The Heart of Christian Spiritual Formation
What drives our spiritual life and growth? This session give insight
into the drives and motivations of Christian spiritual formation.
into the drives and motivations of Christian spiritual formation.
Session 3 : The Soul of Christian Spiritual Formation
How is spiritual formation worked out in our personal life, workplace, family and church? This session deals with spiritual formation and the Kingdom of God.
Speaker:
Dr Alex Tang is a senior consultant paediatrician in a private hospital and a ‘practical theologian’ with a deep interest in the spiritual life. His PhD research is on spiritual formation in congregations. He is a spiritual director, Bible teacher, preacher, blogger, socialmediorater (facebook, twitter), avid reader, cultural observer, lousy poet, and a fanatical Trekkie. Alex is the author of many books and his latest publication is Tales from the Monastery (2011). Check out his website Kairos Spiritual Formation and his blog.
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Registration Form (Seminar cost RM20.00 includes refreshment,dinner and seminar notes).
Spiritual Formation Institute Seminar 2011/4
Christian Spiritual Formation
Name: …………………………………………………………………………………..………………………………………….. Church…………………………………………
Tel : …………………………………………………………………………………. Email:………………………………………………………………………………………..
Please register with Sister Grace Soon of HLCE (Tel:07-2243285)
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Science and Christianity in Perspective
The questions about whether science and religions are compatible is never ending. This interesting article by
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Many Christian scientists today continue to place science in a larger theological context, while still keeping both ways of understanding reality in focus. In my view, no one has done this more effectively than John Polkinghorne, a former mathematical physicist at Cambridge who is now an Anglican theologian. Polkinghorne sees science and Christianity as ‘cousinly’ enterprises that are both trying to establish ‘motivated belief’. His recent book, Theology in the Context of Science, stresses the crucial point that larger questions of meaning and purpose go well beyond science – in other words, science cannot make sense of itself: why is science possible at all? The universe ‘is not only rationally transparent’, he argues, but also ‘rationally beautiful, rewarding scientists with the experience of wonder at the marvelous order which is revealed through the labours of their research’. The laws of nature ‘have a character that seems to point the enquirer beyond what science itself is capable of telling, making a materialist acceptance of them as unexplained brute facts an intellectually unsatisfying stance to take’ (pp. 90-91). The fact that science is possible at all ‘is not a mere happy accident, but it is a sign that the mind of the Creator lies behind the wonderful order that scientists are privileged to explore’ (p. 37). In short, ‘the activity of science is recognised to be an aspect of the imago dei’ (p. 13). This is a robust theism, and Polkinghorne gives it an explicitly Christian content. Recognizing that the Resurrection is ‘the pivot on which the claim of a unique and transcendent significance for Jesus must turn’ (p. 135), he searches for motivated belief in such an event, sifting carefully through the evidence to conclude (with N.T. Wright) that a genuine miracle is the best explanation for the stories of the empty tomb and the post-crucifixion appearances of Jesus.
read more
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Tuesday, October 11, 2011
Rohr's Falling Upward
Some comments I have shared with my online reading group reading this book.
This week's (Chapter 6-8) reading forms the bridge between the two parts of the life journey he has been advocating. So far he has been describing the first half of life's journey which he liken to achieving or building-identity, career, family etc. I find that Rohr is very influenced by faith development theories of Eric Erikson, James Fowler, Lauwrence Kohlberg whic details human development which consists of a number of stages and one needs to overcome a crisis before one can attain the next year. It is fascinating that Rohr draws from mythology
and the great classics to reinforce the stage development theories such as loss, deep, falling and getting up. I have my doubts about faith development theories and I think Rohr is reading too much into it.
I am not comfortable with the way he brings in the Bible to support his theory. One glaring mistake is on page 49 where he writes "You will feel similar to Isaiah before he was sent into exile in Babylon.." Actually Isaiah was never exiled to Babylon. Isaiah lived during the Assyrian period. And the quote "In the noontime.." (Isa. 38:10) was spoken by King Hezekiah, not Isaiah as implied.
In spite of my misgivings about his theory, I find that there are many gems in the book. I am glad that he brought in the True Self and delighted that he points it to William Wordsworth's poem. I agree with Rohr that these few lines are pure theology in motion.
I have enjoyed the autobiographic sharing by Richard Rohr in the chapter Necessary Suffering especially in his experience with the Roman Catholic Church. There is much there that is between the lines in what he shares but the final result is that he has developed a great understanding of the catholic church which he named “incarnational mysticism” – “Once you get it, there is no going backward, because nothing is any better” (76).
Basically I agree with him that Christians need a stronger and deeper ecclesiology. I say this as an Evangelical and a Presbyterian. I admit that our ecclesiology is rather thin and shallow. As Rohr notes, our ecclesiology must be linked to the Mystery of God. That is why I am so taken by his term incarnational mysticism. It reminds me of what Karl Rahler said that all Christians are mystics. It also resonates with my reading of Karl Barth which is drawing me more and more to appreciate the Mystery of God.
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I am amused and challenged by Richard Rohr’s comment that he has “prayed for years for one good humiliation a day, and then [he] must observe what [his]reaction to it” (128). He said this in the context that as he became more well known in his writings and in his ministry, there is an element of pride always hiding in the shadows. He adds that “spiritual leader” or “professional religious person” is “such a dangerous and ego-inflating self-image” (128). Spiritual growth, he emphases, takes place when we struggle with our shadow self.
I am amused and challenged by Richard Rohr’s comment that he has “prayed for years for one good humiliation a day, and then [he] must observe what [his]reaction to it” (128). He said this in the context that as he became more well known in his writings and in his ministry, there is an element of pride always hiding in the shadows. He adds that “spiritual leader” or “professional religious person” is “such a dangerous and ego-inflating self-image” (128). Spiritual growth, he emphases, takes place when we struggle with our shadow self.
I agree fully with the danger of the ‘ego-inflating self-image”. I am very lucky because the people I minister to and my patients and their parents are very affirming (I am a paediatrician). Asians in general gives a lot of respect to their elders especially if they are in leadership positions. These can be very ego-inflating and one of my constant struggles is with the sin of pride. It is so easy to give into your shadow self and believe your own hype. However, I will not go as far as Rohr to ask the Lord for a good humiliation a day. I guess I am not there yet and my ego-self-image is still very fragile. One day, I hope I will be able to do so.
********This week's (Chapter 6-8) reading forms the bridge between the two parts of the life journey he has been advocating. So far he has been describing the first half of life's journey which he liken to achieving or building-identity, career, family etc. I find that Rohr is very influenced by faith development theories of Eric Erikson, James Fowler, Lauwrence Kohlberg whic details human development which consists of a number of stages and one needs to overcome a crisis before one can attain the next year. It is fascinating that Rohr draws from mythology
and the great classics to reinforce the stage development theories such as loss, deep, falling and getting up. I have my doubts about faith development theories and I think Rohr is reading too much into it.
I am not comfortable with the way he brings in the Bible to support his theory. One glaring mistake is on page 49 where he writes "You will feel similar to Isaiah before he was sent into exile in Babylon.." Actually Isaiah was never exiled to Babylon. Isaiah lived during the Assyrian period. And the quote "In the noontime.." (Isa. 38:10) was spoken by King Hezekiah, not Isaiah as implied.
In spite of my misgivings about his theory, I find that there are many gems in the book. I am glad that he brought in the True Self and delighted that he points it to William Wordsworth's poem. I agree with Rohr that these few lines are pure theology in motion.
*********
I have enjoyed the autobiographic sharing by Richard Rohr in the chapter Necessary Suffering especially in his experience with the Roman Catholic Church. There is much there that is between the lines in what he shares but the final result is that he has developed a great understanding of the catholic church which he named “incarnational mysticism” – “Once you get it, there is no going backward, because nothing is any better” (76).
Basically I agree with him that Christians need a stronger and deeper ecclesiology. I say this as an Evangelical and a Presbyterian. I admit that our ecclesiology is rather thin and shallow. As Rohr notes, our ecclesiology must be linked to the Mystery of God. That is why I am so taken by his term incarnational mysticism. It reminds me of what Karl Rahler said that all Christians are mystics. It also resonates with my reading of Karl Barth which is drawing me more and more to appreciate the Mystery of God.
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Monday, October 10, 2011
Free Online Theological Library
It is one of my fondest hope that there should be free sharing of information and knowledge. Unfortunately much information and knowledge is locked up in books and journals that are jealously guarded by their publishing companies and only accessible by paying large fees. Some journal databases used to have accounts for individuals like ATLA but for some reasons, they have removed the individual accounts and now have only institutional accounts. This means that one has to belong to an established institution and that institution must have a library with such accounts. Otherwise, one will not have access to these books and journals. It is always my fervor wish that some organisation will set up a digital library that is accessible for all. Globethics.net which has a free ethics library has just set up a free theological library.
The aim of Globethics.net is to ensure that people in all regions of the world are empowered to reflect and act on ethical issues. In order to ensure access to knowledge resources in applied ethics, Globethics.net has developed its Globethics.net Library, the leading global digital library on ethics. Globethics.net took this initiative to ensure that persons - especially in Africa, Asia and Latin-America - have access to good quality and up to date knowledge resources. The founding conviction of Globethics.net was that more equal access to knowledge resources in the field of applied ethics will enable persons and institutions from developing and transition economies to become more visible and audible in the global discourse on ethics. There is no cost involved in using the library. Individuals only need to register (free of charge) as participants on the Globethics.net website (www.globethics.net) to get access to all the full text journals, encyclopedias, e-books and other resources in the library.
So click link and get your access to a free theological library.
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