Tag Archives: margins
Faithful and Free Women
Mystics and the Margins Faithful and Free Women Thursday, October 1, 2020 We have a lot to learn from communities like the beguines, or later, the Quakers and Mennonites. These movements are made up of little groups, often on the margins of society, sharing the Word of God and their lives together. We might recognize… Continue Reading Faithful and Free Women
The Fruitful Margins of the Empire
Mystics and the Margins The Fruitful Margins of the Empire Wednesday, September 30, 2020 On the margins of the Roman Empire, Ireland and Scotland helped hand down the Christian contemplative lineage. The Romans had conquered much of Europe by the time of Jesus’ birth; though they ruled Britain, the Romans never occupied Ireland or parts… Continue Reading The Fruitful Margins of the Empire
Freedom in the Desert
Mystics and the Margins Freedom in the Desert Tuesday, September 29, 2020 When Christianity became the established religion of the Roman Empire, something remarkable and strange took place. A whole set of people began to flock to the margins of the Empire to pursue God. They went to the deserts of Palestine, Cappadocia, Syria, and… Continue Reading Freedom in the Desert
A Church on the Margins
Mystics and the Margins A Church on the Margins Monday, September 28, 2020 We’ve tended to soften Jesus’ conflict with the system, or the established powers, but Jesus’ ministry took place on the margins! In the year 313 A.D., with the Edict of Milan, the Church dramatically changed sides and Christians officially became the Church… Continue Reading A Church on the Margins
Margins Create Liminal Space
Mystics and the Margins Margins Create Liminal Space Sunday, September 27, 2020 When we are content and satisfied on the inside of any group, we seem to suffer from a structural indifference. We do not realize that it is largely a belonging system that we have created for ourselves. It is not until we are excluded… Continue Reading Margins Create Liminal Space
Being One with the Other
Alternative Community Being One with the Other Thursday, June 4, 2020 It would seem that, quite possibly, the ultimate measure of health in any community might well reside in our ability to stand in awe at what folks have to carry rather than in judgment at how they carry it. —Gregory Boyle Homeboy Industries may… Continue Reading Being One with the Other
The Five Conversions
Solidarity The Five Conversions Monday, May 25, 2020 If one of the primary markers of a Christian life is solidarity as modeled by Jesus, I am afraid that most of us still have a long way to go. It’s one of the reasons I say that Christianity is still in its infancy. We are just… Continue Reading The Five Conversions
Invitation to Solidarity
Solidarity Invitation to Solidarity Sunday, May 24, 2020 Throughout human history, countless people have been poor, vulnerable, or oppressed in some way. Those holding positions of authority within systems of power secure their own privilege, comfort, and wealth—almost always at the expense of those most on the margins. Much of history has been recorded to… Continue Reading Invitation to Solidarity
A Community in Transition
Community A Community in Transition Sunday, May 3, 2020 Over the past few years, the Center for Action and Contemplation has been in a time of significant transition. For thirty-two years, CAC staff and volunteers have fostered the development of a global community while wonderfully supporting, amplifying, and communicating my preaching and teaching around the… Continue Reading A Community in Transition
Knowing from the Bottom
Ways of Knowing Knowing from the Bottom Monday, February 10, 2020 The vast majority of people throughout history have been poor, disabled, or oppressed in some way (i.e., “on the bottom”) and would have read history in terms of a need for change, but most of history has been written and interpreted from the side of the winners. The unique exception is the revelation called the… Continue Reading Knowing from the Bottom