Tag: communication

Upplifun – ígrundun – reynsla

Ég sat í gær áhugaverða ráðstefnu á menntavísindasviði Háskóla Íslands um útinám. Það var um margt áhugavert að heyra faglegt samtal um þætti sem ég hef tileinkað líf mitt, þar sem notast var við fullkomlega “sekúliserað” orðfæri. Þannig rímaði áherslan á naratívuna og persónulega upplifun ásamt mikilvægi ígrundunar fullkomlega við helstu áherslur í því fræðsluefni sem ég hef unnið að síðustu ár. Þó inntak naratívunnar, upplifuninnar og reynslunnar væri kannski ekki alltaf á hreinu í framsetningu fyrirlesaranna í gær, enda að þeirra mati e.t.v. ekki aðalatriði. Continue reading Upplifun – ígrundun – reynsla

Að vera sannleikans megin

Sú óleysanlega glíma kirkjunnar að vera í senn félagslegur veruleiki breyskra manna og kvenna og á sama tíma í einhverjum skilningi kirkja Guðs, sú kirkja sem við játum í Trúarjátningunni er flókin. Grein á vefnum perspiredbyiceland.com sem ber heitið Kirkjan dregur loforðið um sanna mynd til baka veltir á áhugaverðan hátt upp einni hlið málsins.

Þegar mennirnir sem hafa lofað að vera almannatengslafulltrúar sannleikans á jörðu útvista það eina verkefni sitt til fagaðila andskotans, þá eru þeir búnir að vera. Þá er kirkjan dauð, tóm að innan, hefur ekkert erindi hér lengur.

How Facebook Killed the Church

Sure, Millennials will report that the “reason” they are leaving the church is due to its perceived hypocrisy or shallowness. My argument is that while this might be the proximate cause the more distal cause is social computing. Already connected Millennials have the luxury to kick the church to the curb. This is the position of strength that other generations did not have. We fussed about the church but, at the end of the day, you went to stay connected. For us, church was Facebook!

via Experimental Theology: How Facebook Killed the Church.

When I Say, “I am a Christian”

When I say, “I am a Christian” I don’t speak with human pride I’m confessing that I stumble – needing God to be my guide

This is a part of a poem by Carol Wimmer. I came across it on Pastor DJ Dent’s wall on Facebook and thought it was worth quoting here. The whole poem can be found on  Carol Wimmer’s website.

Ofbeldismaður í prestastétt

Fyrir nokkrum árum settist ég niður með fyrrverandi eiginkonu kynferðisbrotamanns úr prestastétt á kaffihúsi. Þar sagði hún mér hluta af sögu sinni. Það var lærdómsríkt að heyra hana tala um barnaskap sinn, hvernig hún dýrkaði þennan frábæra mann og trúði honum í einu og öllu. Continue reading Ofbeldismaður í prestastétt

Að takast á við áhyggjur

Fyrir nokkrum árum endaði ég fyrir tilviljun á aðalsafnaðarfundi í lútherskri kirkju. Fyrir fundinum lá að samþykkja eða synja hugmynd um að leyfa félagasamtökum í bænum að nýta lítinn skikka af kirkjulóðinni fyrir ákveðið verkefni. Enginn á fundinum var í sjálfu sér mótfallinn verkefninu, en margskonar áhyggjur voru viðraðar. Continue reading Að takast á við áhyggjur

Recruiting Volunteers

Recruiting volunteers still requires work, but the context has changed. Now there is awareness and pride where before was obligation. And that makes all the difference both for those who recruit and those who say "yes" to this opportunity for ministry.

From Leading Ideas: A Resource for Church Leaders.

Manneskjan og/eða kerfið

Árið eftir að ég hætti störfum sem framkvæmdastjóri ÆSKR (Æskulýðssambands kirkjunnar í Reykjavíkurprófastsdæmum), notaði ég mikið af tíma mínum í lestur og skrif um persónuleikabresti, velti upp spurningum hvað það merkti að kirkjan væri öllum opin og að allir væru velkomnir. Brennipunkturinn í vangaveltum mínum var mjög einstaklingsbundin og undir sterkum áhrifum einstaklingshyggju pietismans. Continue reading Manneskjan og/eða kerfið

Finding our way into the future

Unless we are able, as Christians, to discover ways of conducting our life and our mission that differ radically from the Christendom form of the church that has dominated throughout most of Christian history, we shall be doomed in the future to be part of our world’s problem, and not its solution.

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Perhaps if ecumenism was less concerned about the union of tired, old institutions and more concerned about the calling of the Christian movement in the world as a whole, ecumenicity itself would be more vital to all who take this faith with some degree of seriousness.

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We Christians, who have imposed ourselves and our faith on so many, for so long, must now earn the right to explain the reason for our hope.

Finding Our Way into the Future by Douglas John Hall.

“Power” is Not a Bad Word

Some people are put off by the blatant appeal to power, which is an integral part of congrega tion-centered organizing. We tend to think of power as manipulative, as domineering, as too political, as “power over” someone else, and we suspect such power is out of keeping with our Christian values. We recall Lord Acton’s famous dictum: “Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power tends to corrupt absolutely.”

More recently, however, we have come to recognize that power in and of itself is neither good nor bad. Power is nothing more than the ability to accomplish something.

Whether the goal is to accomplish something helpful or harmful is another question, but power itself is a necessary ingredient for any action. Power is constitutive of life. (Mark I. Wegener)

from  Congregation-Centered Organizing: A Strategy for Growing Stronger Communities via The Gamaliel Foundation an organizing institute.

End of Life Decisions

Which decisions about dying are morally acceptable to concerned Christians, and which ones go beyond morally acceptable limits? Which medical practices and public policies allow for more humane treatment for those who are dying and which ones open the door to abuse and the violation of human dignity? Proposals in various states to legalize physician-assisted death [4] point to renewed interest in these old questions. ELCA members, congregations, and institutions need to address these questions through prayer and careful reflection.

End of Life Decisions – Evangelical Lutheran Church in America is a social message from ELCA to help deal with those questions.

Another more complete resource on End-of-Life Decisions and especially Euthanasia is a book edited by Tom L Beauchamp called Intending Death.

When Teammates Raise a White Flag

Paul W. Mulvey, John F. Veiga, and Priscilla M Elsass address why teams don’t work in this well known article. One of their findings is that a lack of status symbols inside a team, increases change of success. Similarly, the right size of a group is important, and team members have to be aware of why they are part of the team, if they are to succeed. There is more to it, mostly obvious, but someone has to say it.

JSTOR: The Academy of Management Executive (1993-2005), Vol. 10, No. 1 (Feb., 1996), pp. 40-49.

Avery Dulles on JDDJ*

The heart of the Joint Declaration is surely paragraph 15, and more particularly the sentence: “Together we confess: By grace alone, in faith in Christ’s saving work and not because of any merit on our part, we are accepted by God and receive the Holy Spirit, who renews our hearts while equipping and calling us to good works.” This consensus does not go beyond the clear conclusions of the dialogues. While it is in perfect accord both with the Augsburg Confession and with the Decree on Justification of the Council of Trent, it dispels some false stereotypes inherited from the past. Lutherans have often accused Catholics of holding that justification is a human achievement rather than a divine gift received in faith, while Catholics have accused Lutherans of holding that justification by faith does not involve inner renewal or good works. By mentioning both faith and works, both acceptance by God and the gift of the Holy Spirit, this sentence strikes an even–handed balance calculated to satisfy both sides.

via Two Languanges of Salvation: The Lutheran-Catholic Joint Declaration.

Avery Dulles addresses critically the difference in languages used by Lutheran Churches and The Roman Catholic Church when it comes to interpreting what JDDJ really says.

* Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification.

Introduction to social media

This resource looks at the key social media technologies and tools and how they can be used for learning and performance enhancement. You can dip in and out of sections and pages as desired.  Use the Contents link at the TOP of each page to return here, and the use the section link to return the section main page.

via Introduction to social media (seen @Arni Svanur on FB).

Pastor and Congregation Evaluation

Evaluation of the ministry and the leadership of a congregation is natural and inevitable. Evaluation happens and a carefully designed evaluation process is vital for the health and growth of both pastor and congregation.

This packet is designed to provide an orientation to the delicate art of congregational leadership evaluation. It provides several evaluation tools designed for specific kinds of congregational situations.

via Pastor and Congregation Evaluation Packet.

This is a material from the Mennonite Church in Canada. I have not been able to take a close look at it, but it seems to be worth mentioning here. The “weakness” of this material seems to be the same as with most evaluation models for churches, it focuses mainly on the Leadership and the pastor in particular.

Hans Kung: happy to stay in the church

Why do I remain in the church? Because of the just foundations of the church. I am inspired by Jesus Christ himself, his Spirit. I do not live as a solitary individual. I stay in a community, my community of faith. Wherever I go–Japan, Pakistan–I always find people of my community. This is the community in which I was born and baptized, in which I have had so many positive experiences, a community of 2,000 years. Why should I be alienated from this? As a Canadian you may have some problems with your government but you will not go away seeking a better country. I shall remain in the Catholic Church and in Christianity.

via Hans Kung: happy to stay in the church; happy to change it – page 2 | Catholic New Times.

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Few years ago I wrote a short presentation about the theologian Hans Kung for a class in Systematic Theology. I decided to focus on his connection to the RCC, and his connection to the current pope. Here are few links on articles.