Extension Studies Summer School:title: Spirituality and Culture

session 4ff ~Wed

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Opening prayer

The Lord be with youAnd also with you.

God, help us to listen;and in our listening to hear You.

God, be in our thinking:and renew our minds.

God, we will speak together:let our conversations be words in the Word.

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Thinking about the film:

'spirituality' ?What questions and/or issues do you think the film raises about culture and spirituality? Does anything surprise you from the film?Why do you think Andii might have thought it had a bearing on the topics for this week?

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Learning objectives.

-By the end of the day we will have:-

considered contemporary culture and spiritualities using the insights and tools employed so far. considered some historical Christian spiritualities in relation to their cultures. (considered power, spirituality and culture?)

http://www.Studeous.com/enroll.cfm?id=0.557300033738Password= pneuma

http://www.studeous.com/spiritculture

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What do we mean by “spirituality”?

spir·i·tu·al·i·ty \spIr-I-tʃ-u:ˈwa-lə-ti:\ nounwrite your own notes for a minute,share your ideas with a neighbour andtry to come up with the start of a definition.

On your table, come up with a definitionto share with all and write it on thelarge paper.

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spir·i·tu·al·i·ty \spIr-I-tʃ-u:ˈwa-lə-ti:\ Put definitions so far in position to be read by others.Look at hand-out with some dictionary definitions.

What ideas or aspects do you want to includein your own definition? Is there anything you might want to change or leave out?

Write a new definition to share with the whole class.

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spir·i·tu·al·i·ty \spIr-I-tʃ-u:ˈwa-lə-ti:\ New tack. Thinking about our own stuff.

When you pray, how do you name God? What title/s, image/s, metaphor/s do you normally use?

How would you explainwhat prayer is?What is your fave image

of or way of describing being a Christian? Why?

What image or metaphor do you prefer for the Church?

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spirituality

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Cultural context

spirituality

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Cultural context

theology

spirituality

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Cultural context

'liturgy' theology

spirituality

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stretch your legs .... ?

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Cultural context

'liturgy' theology

spirituality

Film clip ...

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Printing and rag paper-making ...

Events & artefacts

Waysof

thinking

practices

culture

Cheap rag paper invented & printing using movable type

Cheap bookssolitary devotionsscripture at home

Individualism linear thinking

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Cultural context

'liturgy' theology

spirituality

Some examples ...

Cheap books

Private devotions,personal bible reading,pamphlets

Protestantideas:primacy ofscripture quiet timeetc

Ctr Lollardy etc

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Cultural context

'liturgy' theology

spirituality

Some examples ...

Cathedralsecclesiastical power

Pilgrimagevotive offerings etc

Relics, grace&mediationof Saints

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Cultural context

'liturgy' theology

spirituality

Some examples ...

?

? ?

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Buzz and plenarise: What are the differences between 1948 and 2008?

And then…

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Look at the 'raw' materials;look through and begin to identify

artefacts/events; thoughtforms and practices.

Try to link them up with other circles on culture tricircle. ?

Buzz groups then plenarise.

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Exercise:Each group has a character.

Trace the next step/s of an imagined but hopefully plausible spiritual pathfor your character taking in all

the characteristics and foibles ofyour character.

You have 15 minutesto do this.

At the end of the exercise you have2-3 minutes to present your character's

spiritual path to the whole class.

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Cultural

context

'liturgy' theology

spirituality

?

? ?

Exercise part two:As each group present theirr character's

spiritual path to the whole class, see if you can plot their pathway against the spirituality triquetra.

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Cultural

context

'liturgy' theology

spirituality

My experience of coming to faith....

Can we see connections between the changes

we noted at the start and the way that

these people seek spiritualities?

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Where are we?

Who are we?

What's wrong?

What's the remedy?

Religious postmodernism?What's pomo? -Worldview questions

From Middleton and Walsh. Truth is stranger than it used to be

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Where are we?

Who are we?

What's wrong?

What's the remedy?

Modernism

World of resources, to be known objectivelyand controlled technologically

Progress: autonous subjectsunderstanding & controlling& transforming the world

Tradition, ignorance, superstition,-whatever impedes progresss

Homo Autonomus:Self~secure; ~conscious; ~formedsubject

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Where are we?

Who are we?

What's wrong?

What's the remedy?

Post-Modernism

World of our own construction

Deconstruction

Totalising metanarratives

We are Legion: multiphrenic self

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Where are we?

Who are we?

What's wrong?

What's the remedy?

New Spiritualities

In a connected universeof our own perception

Transformation of consciousnessthrough psycho-spiritual techniquesto realise who we really are.

Dogma &/or socialisationthat keeps us from our true selves

Spiritual beings of great potential

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Review and recall . What new insights were there for you? Did anything surprise you? What affirmed what you already knew and what was it you already knew? What questions have arisen for you from today's session?