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Additions to the Shalom “formula”…and a bit on reflective learning

Jesus-Shalom
Jesus-Shalom
Additions to the Shalom "formula"...and a bit on reflective learning
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In this episode Tim responds to Noel’s 1-3-4-6 “formula” for remembering essential elements or aspects of our shalom perspective.

He begins (1:00) with an account of his more “philosophical” way of reflecting, in contrast to Noel’s more “biblical” way of reflecting. Tim begins with non-religious engagement and reflection with culture, science, psychology, and sociology, on its own terms and parameters, and then goes to the biblical sources with this contemporary reflection as a kind of “catalyst” for discovering what scripture might have to say, in conversation with the contemporary situation. The goal, however, is to allow both the biblical world and the contemporary world to have their own autonomy and integrity in this conversation.

He then suggests some ways to supplement Noel’s formula, by adding 5 spheres of life (for shalom engagement), and 2 broad metaphors of shalom “salvation”–salvation “from” and salvation “for”. He also wonders if there might be away to get a “7” into the formula!

At 9:20 Tim offers some comments on How the 5 spheres might shape contemporary engagements, such as the acute COVID pandemic and the chronic racism pandemic. Race is not merely personal and interpersonal prejudice, but also communal and institutional privilege, and cultural and political power. We also touch on how our current racial system is tied to developments in science and colonialism.

A nice passing comment (15:15-16:25) from Noel, referring to “the laboratory of the local”, the place of nurturing imagination and practice to take into larger scales and scope.

At 16:25 Tim takes this sense of spheres of life into conversation with the Bible and life in the Ancient Near East, which had different ways of sorting life and different scale for engaging life. Perhaps “principalities and powers” talk, along with “covenant” sensibility, might be useful in this regard.

The goal of this conversation, then, is for persons and communities to “make shalom” their own vision, in order to join in this reflection. Shalom, in this sense, is a bit of a “universal seed” planted in indigenous soil for imagination and action.

In the second part (beginning at 24:35) of the conversation we look at whether the biblical material suggests a “two-ness” about shalom, especially insofar as shalom intersects with “salvation” talk. And salvation talk in the biblical has two poles, or a two-directional quality–”from and for”, “out of” and “into”; liberation/redemption and blessing/reconciliation. Noel reminds us that the root meaning of “salvation” is entering a wide-open space. In any case, shalom-salvation has a “contrastive” quality–a livable world in contrast to disorder and chaos, inequality and injustice. This is important because it addresses the nuances of scripture, but it also allows for a questioning or subversion of the contemporary way of life which is taken as obvious, unavoidable.

Tim does speak, briefly, of his agreement and affirmation of the other elements in Noel’s pattern, noting different terminology.

The last part of the conversation (at 36:00) turns to the kind of “reflective learning” that we hope to encourage for folks in “faith journeys.” Not merely “just doing” faith and life, but intentional reflection on the “why” and “how” of what we are doing, as we are doing it. This happens to coincide with the “learning experiences” that Workshop sought to facilitate and encourage. And such learning experiences require courage, more than comfort, testing more than accepting.

And it concludes (beginning at 45:05) some how such reflective learning and learning experiences is a more “postmodern” way of engagement with faith. It suggests an approach that focuses on “attending”, on “noticing” and “naming” in our experiences (including faith experiences). This “noticing and naming” can be done in different ways; it is always “particular and perspectival”, done from a particular “angle of vision.” And this offers a way for talking with others about our various engagements–with scripture and our context–with a more contemplative (mindful) approach. Our hope is for a kind of “contemplative conversation.”

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