tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4530556301669111472.post7223599046322291687..comments2023-03-30T22:26:08.097-07:00Comments on The Rural Reverend: The culture of good deeds and morality: why the church has missed the boat – and the point.Elizabeth and Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13599588708640802947noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4530556301669111472.post-18062014170454673252012-01-09T21:22:25.474-08:002012-01-09T21:22:25.474-08:00Yes, I think you're right. The Australian Yout...Yes, I think you're right. The Australian Youth Climate Coalition (http://aycc.org.au/) grew from a handful of students on a university campus to a national group of over 70,000 in only two or three years because they had something that young people are passionate about. I went to a talk last year given by one of the people instrumental in setting it up (she is now the national director) and she talked about the importance of hearing people's stories - something we used to do in the church, but often in such a stereotyped way that it seemed pretty false. <br /><br />I was also talking to the University Bible Study group staffworker today and he confirmed my experience - that it's very difficult to get students to come to things unless they are invited by another student. Critical mass is important, as is having something that young people are enthusiastic about. We are about to try having activities in public spaces where student congregate to see if they become involved.<br /><br />And realistically, given that Christianity/Jesus has been lifechanging for people through two millennia, it seems very unlikely that this is suddenly going to stop.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4530556301669111472.post-25202658244575588062012-01-09T14:36:01.832-08:002012-01-09T14:36:01.832-08:00I understand now what you mean, Judy. I agree that...I understand now what you mean, Judy. I agree that the organised church is not seen as a necessity or desirable by a lot of young folk. I do however, think that young people will join some things regularly if they have a cause they are passionate about. Certainly our political parties and various welfare and activist groups have young people in them, and up here there is a climate coalition entirely made up of young people. I still cling to the belief that if the church offered a cause of substance that was gospel based, some of these young folk might see that the church has something meaningful and worthwhile that they can work for and believe in.Elizabeth and Johnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13599588708640802947noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4530556301669111472.post-12450748494781620202012-01-09T02:41:31.608-08:002012-01-09T02:41:31.608-08:00Elizabeth and/or John, I agree that young people a...Elizabeth and/or John, I agree that young people aren't taking up the fresh expressions thingies, as in not attending things that are run on Sundays at churches. My experience is that young people are interested in spiritual things, especially to mark life's milestones, but they are eclectic about what they want to do and say. I have been fascinated by what kinds of things students want to say and do in response to death. They certainly appreciate ritual and symbol. A number of my colleagues have had significant interest in labyriths and I am about to test that out on both the campuses I'm working at this year. RMIT had an amazing response to creating mandalas with coloured rice to express aspects of their lives. I hope to give this a go, too. <br /><br />They don't, however, see a need to become a part of a worshipping community. Ritual is a special occasion thing, I think, and they have many other opportunities for social activities, so they don't need the church in the same way that their grandparents and perhaps their parents did. The fresh expressions and emergings are still based on the idea that people will want to come regularly and become involved. I don't know about non-tertiary educated young people, but many of our students will only attend something regularly if they will fail a course if they don't or if being paid depends on turning up for work (and even then they may not bother if they don't enjoy it). The point I was trying to make about installation-based activities is that they are not designed to incorporate people into a worshipping community - they are DIY, individually oriented.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4530556301669111472.post-16301291576277362572012-01-05T03:38:06.675-08:002012-01-05T03:38:06.675-08:00Thanks for your comments, Trevor. I think language...Thanks for your comments, Trevor. I think language is one of the problems the church does have as even in its 'new' forms, it is hardly accessible to those not in the know.Elizabeth and Johnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13599588708640802947noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4530556301669111472.post-57758627992660464972012-01-05T03:36:01.601-08:002012-01-05T03:36:01.601-08:00Judy, the point I was making about Fresh expressio...Judy, the point I was making about Fresh expressions and other so-called new forms of church is that they are an alternate to traditional Sunday worship and young people are not taking them up either. The research is fairly clear that they are not interested in religion, period.Elizabeth and Johnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13599588708640802947noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4530556301669111472.post-22129476244182024992012-01-05T03:04:26.143-08:002012-01-05T03:04:26.143-08:00Elizabeth, I think that another issue is that the ...Elizabeth, I think that another issue is that the worship life that goes with most churches is also alienating to younger people. This applies both to expecting them to turn up every week regardless of whether what is going to happen will interest them or not and to the kinds of activities that happen during worship. A lot of the installation-based activities attract people, but they don't often become involved in an ongoing way.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4530556301669111472.post-6858066826654663382012-01-04T23:28:50.802-08:002012-01-04T23:28:50.802-08:00The words Christians use to describe where they ar...The words Christians use to describe where they are at or what they are attempting to do is often the language of Christians involved in mainline churches attempting to resurrect the existing church. De-constructing the language is interesting to me. I think that terms coined or originating from genuinely creative attempts to be relevant and meaningful are often then hijacked or sought to be assimilated back into a system that at its core does not really want to change. An example of this is the bright and hopeful term 'Fresh Expressions'. However, the term triggers off in my mind the words 'Fresh Milk' and then I am reminded of its opposite 'Sour Milk'. Can fresh milk really come from sour milk? Can the old cow produce new milk without giving birth to something? Likewise the term 'progressive' (while I mostly identify with those who use it) reminds me of its opposite - regressive or oppressive. The term 'Emerging' has been hijacked by evangelicalism but it means different things to different people. I personally like the term because for me it is forward looking. When I use it I am wondering what may emerge from the ashes of the church or what ways the church may emerge in the future? For me it is a post-church term. It doesn't mean that it has no connections with the church but is beyond what we know the church to be today.<br /><br />Thanks for the blog there are lots of interesting things to build on.Trevor Jenningshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08784860380020570400noreply@blogger.com