How are we travelling through life?

How are we travelling through life?

Abram, says Wittenberg, was one of those who heard. God is a presence which transforms the nature of the journey undertaken by Abram. He says: “It’s no longer only a form of wandering, of following a path half-plotted and half stumbled-upon amidst the exigencies of time. It has become a quest between the exigencies of the human and the other, between the transient and the transcendent. It’s the talking and the listening between them, the arguments, the long silences, and the singing on the way.”

I and Thou

I and Thou

My faith journey has sought to explore and deepen my innermost and whole being in which the holy, godly, divine self which is the core of every human being can form true partnerships and relationships with as much I – Thou quality as I can muster. I have come to believe that following this path in prayer, personal development, proclamation of the faith, relationships, work and play – in every dimension of life – is our prime task as human beings and as Christians. 

The Existential Jesus

The Existential Jesus

Jesus is the one supreme teacher on being the West has. Only Jesus has fathomed the depths of being. Jesus’ way of putting it – I am – engages viscerally with the fundamental of the self. The Jesus teaching comes in the form of a story and compels us to engage with his experience and what he learns on the way – and to walk in his shoes. It is within the mystery of the narrative that Truth resides.

Archbishop Welby's Holocaust Memorial Day statement, the effect of prayer, and the Primates' attitude to LGBTI people

What were the millions of Anglicans praying for during the Primates’ meeting? Were they neutrally praying supportively for the well-being of those present? Were they praying for unity above all things? Were they praying for the Primates to be infused with the love of Jesus the Christ? Were they praying for an in-breaking of the Holy Spirit? Were they praying for a radical comment to love, truth and justice? Were they praying for an end to the caricature and prejudice that can lead to violent persecution and genocide and the cessation of simplistic criticism and ridicule by the Primates that leads inexorably to the dehumanising and degrading treatment of others?

My spiritual self observes the Primates' meeting and mourns David Bowie

My spiritual self observes the Primates' meeting and mourns David Bowie

Each one of us can touch the inspirational core of our being, given time and space and loving care. Today, I look to those Primates able to bring that Christ-like presence to their meeting in Canterbury to inspire their brothers to stay in the room and hold fast to their calling to bring the same presence to the Church and to the world.

The Primates' meeting - a busted flush?

The Primates' meeting - a busted flush?

Whatever disruption in the structure of the Communion occurs next week, there will be LGBTI people praying and longing, and in some cases working quietly and effectively, for our full, public, joyful inclusion in the life of the Church. The evolutionary trajectory of God in history makes this outcome inevitable. The Gafcon Primates are trying to reverse a movement which is irreversible. 

Peaceful co-existence in the Anglican Communion is a state most deeply to be desired

Peaceful co-existence in the Anglican Communion is a state most deeply to be desired

In a week’s time the Primates of the Anglican Communion will gather in Canterbury for an emergency meeting designed to resolve the ruptured relationships in the Communion. Jonathan Petre has filed a very predictable report for the MailOnline. According to Jonathan’s report, the Archbishop of Canterbury wants to broker a deal to allow both sides to co-exist peacefully. I hope and pray with all my heart that he achieves his goal. To co-exist peacefully with my brothers and sisters across the globe, whatever their gender, sexuality, faith or spirituality is most profoundly and prayerfully to be desired.

A Sufi spiritual manifesto for the twenty-first century

A Sufi spiritual manifesto for the twenty-first century

Human societies across the world are likely to experience increasingly significant disruptions in this century due to the effects of climate change and the continued degradation of Earth’s living systems. The religious and contemplative groups that will have a relevant and constructive voice in the flow of events are those that are able to frame these profound changes within a coherent cosmological story and provide useful contemplative tools for navigating shifting structures.

Some of the essentials for contemplative living

Some of the essentials for contemplative living

I’ve compiled a list of the key essentials for the contemplative life which keep coming to me when I meditate. Elements that are important to me are usually missing from other people’s writings. These include the importance of the body (implicit in the incarnation) and of emotional and physical experience, and the importance of actively teaching people how to become aware of their intuitive contemplative self and nurture that self in ways that are so simple that people find it difficult to believe they really work – until they try.