Pastoral Theology Reflection

Date Of Class: October 2nd 2008
Subject Of The Session: Introduction To The Subject & Journaling / The Nature of Pastoral Theology
The idea of Theology and life being in balance is good. I hadn’t thought of that. I realise that many people I know have fallen apart theologically when the going gets tough. I’m disappointed by this, but this disappointment is tempered with the knowledge that someday I too may be tested. I think this lecture may help me come to terms with that testing, should it ever happen.
I find Frances Young’s lectures coming to mind and her assertion that we need to find words and actions to develop a theology that includes people who are outside the normal intellectual responses, for example those with dementia or with sever physical and mental disabilities.

Date Of Class: 9th October 2008
Subject Of The Session: What Is Theology?
This lecture gave a superb overview in the thinking of leading theologians. We were introduced to Karl Barth, Paul Tillich, Bernard Ramm & Rudolph Bultmann. The headings in the lecture are in themselves full of information:
• Theology Is An Object Of Examination To Be Judged By An Independent, Authoritative Philosophy.
• Theology Is Expressed Within A Philosophy.
• Theology Answers The Questions The World Is Asking.
• Theology Seeks Understanding On Its Own Terms.
• Theology Has Priority Over All Things, Including All Academic Disciplines.
• Theology Faces The Dilemmas Of Everyday Life
• Theology Reflects On An Overwhelming Experience Of God

I have always been suspicious of theology and theologians. On one hand I know that my simple beliefs are the result of long theological debate and thought. So I acknowledge that my scruples about theological thought may be an act of extreme arrogance. However I want to rant at their life of “God Thought”. I am enraged by their apparent ivory tower thinking, but as I start to learn more about these people I see the humans behind the names and realise that they are not the demi-gods of high learning I had thought, but men and women (I think women although I haven’t heard any mentioned yet) who struggled to know God better.
I have always admired Romero and his liberation theology. I’m not surprised to find that he was being accused of being a Marxist. Romero, a man who was not content to sit in an ivory tower, but lived what he preached and was murdered for it. Today I learned he was the practitioner while his theology came from a man called Gutstavo Gutierrez. I note with interest that Gutierrez is still alive! Does this dilute his theology? I’ve had to think about that a lot and I have decided it doesn’t. His theology was so strong that a man was murdered for preaching it. It obviously had a power to empower the poor and enrage the corrupt. Amazing that a message of truth and love could incite murder.
And what of Barth and his suggestion that hell may be empty? How would that go down to many faithful pew-sitting Christians? I wonder and indeed worry about how my capacity to read and learn all this “stuff” and then preach a simple sermon on saving grace afterwards.
But then with my reflective head on I wonder is “Saving Grace” a simple subject?
I’m giving myself permission to relax into theology. This is not going to be easy, because my natural reaction will be to run when the questions get hard.

Date Of Class: 12th October 2008
Subject Of The Session: Worship Visits
Visits: St George’s High Street Belfast & Strandtown CFC
In this age of measurement it was startling to see a church that was so unconcerned by attendance numbers. In these days of bums on seats theology, St George’s seems to be there as a place of worship. This on the face of it may seem a stupid thing to say as most churches would claim that as their purpose, but how many would continue with a full choir and music director for a congregation of five?
I found myself examining the St George’s worship and finding little wrong with it. It was an act of worship. It wasn’t about how I felt when I left. It wasn’t about personal reflection and inward worship, but rather an outpouring of thanksgiving to God
CFC Strandtown was different. It was noisy and brash. People waved flags and a rock band led the worship. There were people who came and gave words of prophesy and a new leader who was given five minutes to introduce her self, while a clock counted down behind her. There was preaching in plain language and an appeal for those who needed prayer to come forward. A team signed for the deaf and hard of hearing and the signing was filmed to be sent to those who couldn’t attend.
Very different ways to worship and encounter Jesus, but both had Jesus at their centre.

Date Of Class: 16th October 2008
Subject Of The Session: Christian Worship An Outline of Theological Principles.
Questions To Address: What Is A Proper Response To God
Today I learned about normative and regulative principles.
regulative principle being: we can only do anything in worship that is commanded by scripture.
Normative principle being: That we can do anything in worship that is not forbidden by scripture.
I am intrigued by the idea that we have adoration at one end and action at the other and that we should head in both directions at the same time. Prof Gibson states in his notes that they “should feed off one another”. This is a fascinating idea. On reflection I believe we as a people are inclined to pick one and ignore the other. Or worse, do both half-heartedly.
The other idea that I embraced was that of authentic worship. And how it can only be authentic if our whole lives are lived as an act of worship. It humbles me to think of how many times I’m inauthentic!
A lot of the information on this module is clearing up muddled thinking for me. To say that Christian Worship is lead by the Holy Spirit seems obvious, but I have never seen it so clearly before. Add to that the notion that the action of the spirit doesn’t stop with the writer who is directed to write something, or the preacher who is moved to say something, but that the information contained in either word or text continues to have a power long after they are conceived and delivered.

Date Of Class: 23rd October 2008
Subject Of The Session: Four Traditions and a Multitude of Cultures
Prof. Gibson outlined the differences between the four main strands of Christian worship. These were under the headings of liturgical, sacramental, reformed & charismatic.
We looked at the sacramental tradition first. This can be grouped under the heading High Church in the Anglican Tradition or Roman Catholic. We learned that when the sacrament is properly administered it becomes a blessing, as worship is a sacred action. This is a formalised style of worship with the participants following the same path every time. The sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation, Eucharist, Reconciliation, (confession) Holy Orders, (Ordination) Marriage and Anointing. (Extreme Unction or Last Rites)
This means the Roman Catholic Church, has seven Sacraments as opposed to the Methodist Church’s two. (Baptism and Communion)
In the liturgical tradition, the liturgy is not an automatic means of blessing, but rather a means of blessing when the liturgy is properly carried out. Liturgy is a means to allow people to worship best. This is a very subtle difference from the sacramental tradition.
The reformed tradition is a fellowship of believers led by a preacher, whose teaching is based around the bible. God brings his grace through the bible. In this tradition there are only two sacraments. The reformed tradition has a strong emphasis on preaching, both extempore and set. There is a requirement for the leader to be strong and focused. In the past there has been a tradition of middle class men to fulfil these roles.
In the charismatic tradition there has traditionally been a rejection of formalised worship. No liturgy, no sacrament and no music. The best example today would be the Quakers. Where the members sit around until someone is moved by the spirit to say or do something. In these services it would not be unusual to have people speaking in tongues, or falling down on the floor slain in the spirit.
It’s interesting to note that although we identify four types of worship, that are separate from one another, we could find elements of all in each church. Certainly in Methodism all elements are present.

Date Of Class: 16th October 2008
Subject Of The Session: Pastoral Care For People With Dementia.
This always was going to be a difficult class and so it turned out to be.
Heather pointed out when we come to reflect on this subject we should be aware of who comes to the table:
• Experience
• Medical Review
• Theological Issues.
• Pastoral Care
I was struck and deeply moved by the real stories of human pain when this disease strikes. Heather read a story about a man who was caring for his wife who was in the late, early stages of dementia. What struck me about this story was the duality of the disease. Not only was her personality changing, but his was also changing in an effort to cope with their new reality. I also was deeply affected by the thought of how I would feel in his situation.
I suppose the overall effect of the condition was the loss of anchorage. Everything that you hold dear would start to be stripped away and lost, until the very essence of who you are is lost as well. In my experience people define themselves by who they are and what they do. How can they do that now when all that has gone before is taken away?
So how do we as practitioners of pastoral care approach this subject? Some of the people in the seminar class went straight to the big questions like salvation. How is one who is unsaved now able to obtain salvation? Is someone who was once saved able to hold on to salvation if they now condemn God? I never even got there! But I did start to see a clear pathway of service to this group. I see it as an act of worship to God to care for his sheep. I saw it as an act of servant hood to care for the person with dementia and I saw it as an act of pastoral care to the family, to support them in this time of stress and distress.

Date Of Class: 13-11-08
Subject Of The Session: Pastoral Care and Dementia.
Today we discussed what we thought personhood was. We looked at two extreme views on this. One gave an example of how a view by Fletcher in 1975 held that an IQ test could be used to determine if someone was a person. If you scored below 40, then you were a person, but if you scored 20 you were not a person. I can see the attraction of this type of scale, in that it would help medical professionals determine the cognitive state of a severely brain damaged person, but then If you are not a person, what are you? And more disturbingly perhaps what can be done with you and to you? Images of death camps start to surface at this point.
On the other end of the scale we learned that Karl Bart held the view that our life was on loan from God and as such is a gift. Weaver said that life is synonymous with personhood, which I suppose means that while we breath there is personhood. There is biblical teaching on us being made in God’s image, but what does that really mean when we are all so different? I wonder how the question: They Shoot Horses don’t they? Can stand against the idea of being God modelled?
My mind again returns to Frances Young and her son Arthur and her question: “Who will Arthur be in heaven?” I believe we have almost what Jung termed a collective unconsciousness about this. We immediately move toward statements like: “In heaven. all will be made new.” But even if one only moves a few steps from this position one sees that it’s more complicated than this. For Frances Young it was about how would Arthur look and how would he think and what would be his relationship with both God and her. To offer an opinion like: Oh you will see Arthur as he was meant to be for the first time, would most likely elicit a question of to what is Arthur’s worth now? Which brings me back to my first question: If you are not a person, then what are you?
It also takes us to our theology in the face of this destruction of personhood. I had an interesting conversation with my eighty-year-old father about this class. He listened and as he responded with questions around what I was telling him, he eventually asked “that” question. Why bother? Why bother spending time and energy reaching out to people who are absent!
I suspect, in fact, I know, it’s easier with people in stages one and two of dementia. I have experience of that. But to spend time with someone in a vegetative state is difficult. My grandmother lay in a coma for a week before passing. As I looked at her in the bed I had the strangest feeling of her not being there. I was convinced she was already in the next world (I wasn’t a Christian at the time) so what was she? Was she a person? Was it an empty vessel? Was it the last vestige of my Grandmother? We sat around the bed and cared for this empty vessel. For that’s what I have come to accept it was. As a Minister how do I deal with “That” question? This is what I told my father: We pray into the darkness. We pray in the hope that the person may be able to hear those prayers and know the love of the saviour is still with them. We care, because Jesus commanded Feed my lambs. (John 21:15) So we do it as an act of worship. We do it as an act of service, because Jesus reminded us that when we did it to the least, we did it to him. And we do it as an act of love, and not least to offer the family support in their place of darkness and loss.

Pastoral Theology Course Journal
Date Of Class: November 20th 2008
Subject Of The Session: Introduction To Biblical Teaching on Death On Dying
Dr Heather Morris said at the start of the Semester that when researching for her doctorate she interviewed a minister about his theology when faced with personal tragedy. He said that it went out the window when trouble struck. She said she wanted us to develop our theology so that this didn’t happen. But I wonder? Is this possible? I’m not sure that it is possible. I think this is part of our humanity. There comes a point when we are separated from God. I think we are designed to be alone at times of immense stress. I think this is part of the separation of humanity and divinity. When faced with the death of a child I suspect that a spiral into despair is the natural response. Where our theology comes in is later. Our theology is the bridge to healing. When we begin to search for the route from despair our theology will provide the map.
A perfect example of this is provided by Osmond Mulligan in the December edition of the Methodist Newsletter. In the article he describes the loss of his beloved wife and the aftermath of loss and despair. However it was in his theology he sought healing.
Also in this subject we had a visit from an undertaker who in a very understated way took us through the mechanisms of the aftermath of death. He told us of his duties and how they interfaced with ours. His vast experience allowed him to very simply paint a picture of calm service to the dead. I was very touched by this and greatly enjoyed this practical class. He left us with a hand-book which answers many of the questions that we will be asking in future years.

Date Of Class: November 27th 2008
Subject Of The Session: Introduction To Biblical Teaching on Death On Dying
I missed this session due to illness.

Date Of Class: December 11th & 18th December 2008
Subject Of The Session: Church & Community
I have decided to combine the last two lectures as they are best looked at as a whole. There were four areas that we exmined:
• Withdrawal to form an alternative community
• Christendom
• Engagement as means to evangelism
• Engagement as a Partner of mission
Each of the above has its roots in biblical traditions. It is inaccurate to imagine that monasteries were completely apart. In the middle ages the monastery was the centre of community life. Where worship was carried out and the poor were fed. It was also the receptor for valuables to be kept in safekeeping.
The Christendom model caused me to disagree with Professor Gibson. He felt it was a golden age for the church as the church was at the centre of society and was a leading force in science, education and farming. I however felt it was a time of great abuse when the church entwined itself in these things, not to further them, but to control them. One only has to think of Galileo and how he fell foul of the church when he suggested the earth circled the sun and not the other way around. One can see such interference from what has become known as the Christian Right in the USA in recent years. Today this model of church and state in harmony is best seen outside the Christian world in the Nation of Islam, who most defenatly do not believe in the separation of Church & State.
Engagement as means to evangelism and Engagement as a Partner of mission are, I believe, two sides of the same coin. The first is a mission to rescue lost souls, through the power of the gospel. I remember I once met a man who had alcohol dependency problems who told me how much he hated the Salvation Army. This surprised me as I always thought them a great organization. He said that they wouldn’t give the street people a meal and a bed before they had a church service. “The Bastards made me sing hymns,” he complained! There is a danger in this approach as the mission becomes an activity for activity sake. The number of those who gave a commitment is trumpeted as a great success for the Kingdom, but there is little follow up and support.
Engagement as a partner of mission on the other hand has a long term strategy that comes along side the community and helps it over many years. We visited EBM to see a near perfect model of this. “We believe”, said Mark Houston “that God has a bias for the poor”. In this he is tapping into the tradition of Gutierrez and his liberation theology. The EBM has become a major focal point in recent years. It was where the secretary of State met the Loyalist Paramilitary leaders and where at the funeral of David Irvine Gerry Adams came to pay his respects to an old foe and was welcomed by the people of East Belfast perhaps for the first and only time. It was where the Queen came to visit and for the first time walk among some of her most loyal subjects. And the future brings with it the Skainos Project.
“The Skainos Project will be a flagship development in an inner-city area of considerable deprivation, as well as a statement of confidence in the long-term viability of the community. It is designed to contribute to the regeneration of this inner city loyalist community and build loyalist confidence in the peace process thereby nurturing community relations in the area.”
In this nowhere can be found the trappings of religion. Everyone involved is doing it from a position of being Christ like, but the message is subliminal. Jesus said: “Whatever you did for one of the least of these you did for me.” (MATTHEW 25:40 )

Bibliography

Busch E, Barth. Abingdon Press, Nashville 20008.

Ballard & Prichard Practical Theology In Action. SPCK 1996

Croft S & Walton R. Learning For Ministry. Church House Publishing, London, 2008.

Davis R, My Journey Into Alzheimer’s Disease. Tyndale House, Wheaton Illinois.1989

Gutierrez G, A Theology of Liberation. SCM Press London, 2001

Moltman, J (editor) How I Have Changed, Reflections on Thirty Years of Theology. SCM Press London 1997.

Mulligan O, Bereavement - “Insights gained through loss”, Methodist Newsletter Vol. 36, No 393 December 2008 Page 15