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141 Newsletter Vol. 14, No. 1 March, 2002 the Gospel and Our Culture a network for encouraging the encounter in north america In This Issue The Haze of Christendom David Kettle, coordinator of the GOCN David Kettle in the UK, the older sister movement to Gospel and Our Culture our own, has had considerable experience not only in England but in United Kingdom New Zealand. It is on the strength of that that his colleague John Flett of the New ‘There are so many castles every- You are asking them to discuss the Zealand movement DeepSight Trust where!’ Our eight-year old son had social and natural environment which invited his comparison of the two been asked for his first impressions they live and breathe. But they do not contexts. With John’s permission, that is when our family moved back, four discuss such things; such things are shared here and with it responses from years ago, to the country where he just there, to be taken for granted; several of the keenest observers of the was born but of which he knew so they are part of the way things are’. North American context, including little. The New Zealander may say ‘Ah, Douglas John Hall, Stanley Hauerwas, and Craig Van Gelder. This begins to England does indeed have its religion may be little thought about in show some of the distinct challenges castles, but what James had seen in England, but just the same, it is there, posed in different parts of the Western every village were in fact churches. To making all the difference to the world, in which there is nevertheless his eyes, as for anyone coming to culture’. And of course there is some some commonality of agenda for movements that are companions to our own. The English church is like the pattern on wallpaper. Jacque Mathey’s article sets these Religion is visible, but its meaning has faded, movements within a still wider frame by showing how in global ecumenical circles and no longer invites attention. the matter of “Gospel and Cultures” has become an increasingly important issue in recent decades. England from New Zealand, the truth here. But the difference is not as The current emergence of a Gospel and landscape was thick with them. So great as it might seem at first sight. Our Culture movement in South Africa too–by comparison with New Zealand Surveys of personal religious belief and a European consultation scheduled –the press, radio and television are and practice have found these not for this summer highlight the importance thick will references to the Church. very different in Britain from what of conversation across borders to And yet to English eyes, all this is they are in New Zealand. It is provide mutual encouragement. The somehow invisible. It is like the pattern certainly true that when it comes to annual GOCN Consultation scheduled on a wallpaper. As a rector friend having a public profile the Church is for October 17-19, 2002, will explore remarked: ‘You are keen to get people more prominent in Britain; but in the what can be learned from these thinking and talking about Christianity. media this profile is conformed conversations. –the Editor But you must realise that the very idea normally to old, familiar stereotypes; of doing so seems strange to them. or else the Church is reported simply The Gospel and Our Culture 14/1The The 1 11111 11 in the terms of any large seriously, however, this inattention is Like British culture, New Zealand organisation. In other words the found within the Church itself. culture is nurtured at deep, hidden vocation of the Church is stifled: its Christian faith has become largely levels by its Christian inheritance. In vocation as a witness to Jesus domesticated to English culture; godly New Zealand this inheritance is not Christ who opens peoples eyes to saltiness has been lost, a godly embedded to the same degree in God and shows themselves and their ferment has subsided. Lesslie Newbi- institutions and traditions, and it is not world in a new light. Now can we gin saw theology in England as in ‘an so visible publicly. Rather, relatively really say that Christianity is present advanced state of syncretism’. The lacking such strong institutions and here, making its own difference to challenge in this situation–as it always traditions, New Zealand culture is more British culture, when its meaning has all but faded like this? (for those In the New Zealand church, the rhetoric of wishing to explore this state of affairs, Madeleine Bunting’s 1996 individual, sovereign choice and of constructivism lecture ‘Religion and The Media’ is dominant: Christian faith gets seen as a matter (ACCESS no. 940) is a good starting- point. England has a long of private choice or in terms similar to ideological history of such religion. I fancy it allegiance, and Christian self-definition can be glimpsed in ‘The Gospel becomes the focus of attention. According to Charles Dickens’–if one may so call the story of Jesus as the famous author wrote it for his children. This story was published was in Christendom–is to co-operate vulnerable to the power of rival secular by the Daily Mail newspaper, who with the Gospel in opening eyes anew ideologies and of consumerism. made much of having publishing to its truth, opening ears afresh to its But hand in hand with this kiwi rights for the manuscript, to message, awakening new embrace of vulnerability come strengths. Both the celebrate the millennium (‘We are, its meaning. vulnerability and the strengths arise after all, a Christian nation’, the The challenge of helping people from New Zealand’s particular cultural paper remarked). Dickens’ Jesus was to see with new eyes what is familiar situation in which questions of cultural not exactly the Jesus of the four is not, however, just for the Church in and personal identity are a lively matter, Gospels. He went so far as to write England or Europe. It presents itself together with related decisions towards that Jesus ‘would grow up so good also to the Church in New Zealand. Continued on page 7. that God will love him as his own son.’ But he put no explicit mention on Jesus’ lips of what St Mark calls the Gospel of God: ‘the kingdom of The Gospel and Our Culture Newsletter God is upon you’. How odd, then, that when Dickens described this good man as choosing twelve Editor and Coordinator: George R. Hunsberger disciples from among poor men, he georgeh@westernsem.org wrote that Jesus did this ‘in order Assistant Editor: Laurie Baron that the poor might know always Administrative Assistant: Judy Bos after that, in all years to come–that judy@westernsem.org heaven was made for them as well as for the rich’. At this point Dickens Information concerning this publication or portrayed Jesus as acting with the network can be obtained by contacting: universal import. But that we should attribute such universal import to Jesus’ actions–which is a most The Gospel and Our Culture Network extraordinary thing for us to do– at Western Theological Seminary Dickens seems to have taken for granted. Why indeed should the 101 E. 13th Street poor take any notice of what this Holland, MI 49423-3622 one man did so long ago? If visible religion is a residue of Phone: 616-392-8555 Christendom in England, so too is Fax: 616-392-7717 the ‘wallpaper’ effect of inattention to its meaning and message. More Website: http://www.gocn.org 2 The Gospel and Our Culture 14/1 MOVING BEYOND THE HAZE OF CHRISTENDOM Response to David Kettle Douglas John Hall Jesus Christ. At one point the camera focussed on a little Emeritus Professor, McGill University group of clerics of various faith, but that was it. Of course, Montreal, Quebec self-styled ‘conservative’ Christians found this outrageous, for with Charles Dickens they’d like to think this still “a Christian country”. But it isn’t, and it’s much better for “The haze of Christendom”—I like that. But there are Christians to recognize that fact, and to start from there— obviously degrees of haze. Some places are hazier than which is anyway the reality from which the New Testament others when it comes to the Christendom hangover. started! Evidently (if I follow Mr. Kettle’s account) Christendom is This is the point: When serious Christians have taken less visible in Canada than it is in our Commonwealth sister, full and honest account of what time it is (namely, After New Zealand; and while we have our share of ecclesiastical Christendom, as Stanley Hauerwas has expressed it), they “castles’. (especially in my province of Quebec) , and share are in a position to start moving beyond Christendom. In with both England and New Zealand the remnants of a Canada we haven’t done that much about it, but we are at Christendom-inspired monarchy, we have traveled consider- least positioned to begin, and in some important experi- Every word of [the New Testament] was written in the knowledge that Christianity was one alternative in a sea of faith-possibilities and a small alternative at that. ably farther along the post-Constantinian highway, I think, ments beginnings have been made. For instance, in Quebec, than either the Motherland or the little sister down under. which until 1960 or so was still in a state of nearly-medieval While, with approximately 20% of our population still going Catholicism, the bishops have stopped trying to get to church at least occasionally, we exceed the church-going everybody baptized, confirmed, married and buried by the habits of both our European founding cultures, the multi church, and begun to concentrate on the nurture and cultural and religiously pluralistic character of Canada is far education of those who still ‘show up’; (b) recognizing their more visible than it is anywhere in Europe.
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