A workshop at Common Ground Conference Progressive Christianity Aotearoa Saturday 8th September 2018 Abstract Blogging about spirituality drew sharp criticism from church authorities who determined my theology ‘not Christian’. I responded by destroying my website, home to myriad articles that explored spirituality one word at a time. Still unaware I was colluding in my own […]
Reimagining the Christian myth in Palmerston North
The Illness The We Are: A Jungian Critique of Christianity by John P. Dourley A creative reading group for explorers Dates and times Thursday evenings, 7-8.30pm. 4, 11, 18, 25 Oct & 1, 8 November 2018. Venue A café in Palmerston North, the exact location yet to be determined, depending on the group. Facilitator Sande […]
Reimagining the Christian myth: a tribute to John P. Dourley
When I was at theological college I was fascinated by how it was perfectly acceptable to see the first chapters of Genesis as mythology but not necessarily the Gospel of Mark, an action-packed narrative that forms the bare bones of the Jesus story, embroidered on by the later writers of Matthew and Luke then given […]
Divine dance partners: theology, compassion and interconnectedness in health
Reading Divine Dance: the Trinity and Your Transformation reconnected me with the insightful 20th century Trinity of The Matrix movie when she announced to the chosen, but reluctant Neo that ‘it’s the question driving us’. Like, everyone, he faced the choice of awakening to reality or believing other’s certainties. Reality, says author Richard Rohr, is […]
Reflection on Spirituality Demystified: Understanding Spirituality in Rational Terms
I didn’t expect to find myself humming the old hymn Immortal, Invisible, God Only Wise at the launch of Spirituality Demystified: Understanding Spirituality in Rational Terms. But, as I listened to Rohana Ulluwishewa talk about our inner and outer realities as conscious energy, the words and music embedded in me seemed to reach up from […]
Anzac Day Amnesia
Archibald Baxter is a hero to me. I remember him on every Anzac Day. It’s my way of saying that his story, marked by brutality and torture after he refused to fight in World War I, is a vital missing chapter in our collective memory. Perhaps it’s shame and embarrassment that stops us from talking […]
Festivals transcend belief
Emilie Selden has an appealing naïvety. She’s educated in the art and philosophy of alchemy but has no clue about more mundane matters like the predatory bloke who’s after her fortune. She intrigued me when I met her on the road. On my long drive to work, I look for distractions. My neck aches, headaches hover […]