Review of Fragments for Fractured Times by Nicola Slee

 Fragments for Fractured Times: What Feminist Practical Theology Brings to the Table, by Nicola Slee, London: SCM Press, 2020, 274+xiii pp., £25.00 (PBK). ISBN: 978-0-334-05908-0

This a book which seeks to explain what Feminist Practical Theology brings to the table through being Feminist Practical Theology rather than seeking to define it. This is a collection of papers, poems and theological reflections given by Professor Slee over the course of twelve years in different settings ranging from student conferences, international theological journals, social movement gatherings to sermons. It is unsurprising that the collection appears at times unpredictable and a little eccentric because that sums up the uniqueness of the author. She makes no pretence that this book is written in anything other than her authentic voice, because that is at the centre of what being a feminist practical theologian means.

There is a short introduction when she explains that the richness and diversity of what is described above was an intentional decision in putting this book together. This diversity means I would recommend it to a diverse readership: students of practical theology, particularly at post-grad level; feminist and other church goers who need to be given stimulation to explore beyond the boundaries they have sometimes been given, and finally poets and dreamers interested in spirituality.

 Chapter one is a version of the lecture she gave as she was inaugurated into the Queen’s Chair in Feminist Practical Theology at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. The most important aspect of this chapter is to seek to locate Feminist Practical Theology in a place between systematics and identity-based liberation theories, (particularly queer and post-colonial theory). One could argue that she is seeking to have her cake and eat it by placing herself, and others in a position of fluidity which lies between poles she places at either end. One could also suggest that, particularly in view of the multiple forms of feminist theology she acknowledges that she is being somewhat harsh lumping queer and post-colonial theology in an extreme place which she at times wants to identify with and other times distance herself from. The truth, which this book most visibly illustrates in chapter eight, The Work of Standing, The Joy of Dancing: A Spirituality to Sustain the Long Haul which is a paper given to the Lesbian and Gay Christian Movement AGM in 2008 is that today intersectionality means that whilst one may define oneself as a “feminist” ,rather than a “queer” theologian, categories are more complex than her initial positioning of theories other than feminism suggests. Indeed, her identity and expression of feminism, as expressed in this book, seems heavily weighted in a late, second-wave form of feminism. It would be interesting to have her interviewed by the writers of Magnify Magazine and see what their points of agreement and divergence would be, for example.

All that said however, one should not lose sight of the massive contribution this book makes and what it has to teach. The second section of the book, (chapters two-five), look at A Feminist Practical Theology of Liturgy and Prayer. This makes one take a real look at the intensity of spiritual practice and how at times it is sensual and physical in nature. She has an interesting, more traditionally academic article in chapter four which was published in Theology and Sexuality on God-language in Public and Private: A Place for Integrating Gender, Sexuality and Faith. As is the nature of the journal it was published in this was perhaps the most complex piece in the book.

Part three of the book, (chapters six-eight) looked at A Feminist Practical Spirituality and had a raw realness to it, as she sought to wrestle and theologically reflect on the reality of the Brexit vote in its immediate aftermath amongst other things. The strength of theological reflection in the book is one of its strengths. Theological reflection is talked about lots but for some reason many people find it hard to do well. Slee is a master and anybody who wants to understand it as an art should be encouraged to read this book.

Chapters nine-eleven, part four of the book look at A Feminist Practical Theological Poetics. Nicola Slee is a gifted poet and the spirituality within this and use within theological reflection is unpacked here in a way which yet again oozes both realness and slight eccentricity.

As I read part 5 of the work and particularly chapters thirteen on Research as Transformative Spiritual Practice and fourteen on Reading and Writing as Transformative Spiritual Practice I personally wanted to hug the author and ensure this book is mandatory for all doctoral practical theology students. I’m currently part way through my Dth (professional doctorate in Practical Theology) and have been working out why I’m doing it and how to get myself motivated again. This book gave me the kick up the backside I needed and helped me find the motivation I need. Yes, I want to be taken seriously and get the qualification but more than that I have a deep need to study this stuff and be part of the professional community talking about it all. I’m doing my study because I’m still the same person who has blagged their way into conferences when skint by helping on the bookstall or acting as a steward when skint in the past. I’m the person who is writing this review because I’ve spent way too much recently on practical theological and missiological books because I have a need to read and think about this stuff. Slee’s chapters helped me see I need to keep going because I can do no other and if I could I wouldn’t continue to do the studying and putting myself through all this. After a prolonged patch of needing to get my backside moving this book has explained to me why I’m going to keep going and why it will be a slog, particularly as my dyslexia doesn’t make academic writing easy. Anyway, this review is about the book, not my academic struggles but it does illustrate why I think this book is invaluable reading for those about to embark on doctoral studies.

The final part is about A Feminist Practical Theology of the Christa and chapters sixteen to nineteen talk about imagining Christ and God as woman amongst a number of other identities which many would find shocking. Now I have to admit if somebody put some of these ideas to me on a Sunday morning I might find them shocking, but in this context I didn’t. They seemed comfortably what one would expect.

A small sub-theme through the more recent writing is Slee’s own aging, not that I personally think 60ish is particularly old, but that may be because I’m only a decade or so behind, Anyway, point is that the image of God as Feisty Crone is what she chooses to conclude with.

Would I recommend this book? Yes, particularly to two groups of people: 1) young women in  churches who are seeking to explore their feminist identities alongside their faith and 2) practical theology students. Is it value for money? Yes…..this is a book which has much that is rich to offer and it’s available in paperback.

Review of Missio Dei in A Digital Age

 

Missio Dei In A Digital Age, edited byJonas Kurlberg and Peter M. Phillips, London: SCM Press, 2020, 274+x pp., £25.00 (PBK). ISBN: 978-0-334-05847-2

The genesis of this book was a series of conference papers given in Durham in November 2018.  Thus, this book was written before the Covid 19 pandemic, although some chapters make fleeting reference to that. Thus, it would be interesting to look at how what is being talked about here relates to what we have seen in 2020. The book will be of particular interest to those who have a missiological interest, and those with an interest in the sociology of religion who have been charting the development of digital media. It would also be of interest to those who are interested in cultural studies.

After an introduction which sets the scene for the name checking of a lot of the key theorists of the late twentieth century which the book is peppered with part one looks at the Missiological Perspectives. Katherine G. Schmidt comes from a distinctly Catholic perspective which makes interesting use of pronouncements from successive pontiffs. Then comes a chapter from Jonny Baker about the place of imagination which I have to admit made me think deeply about one example of the what the digital sphere can achieve if imagination becomes action. Since the second week in lockdown a global community has grown with the World Story Telling Café. It is not a “religious” space, but it is one where the essence of God at work in the world might be recognised. The link with what is happening with the World Story Telling Café also came to mind in the following chapter by Rei Lumuel Crizaldo on Digital Theology: Practicing Local Theology in an Age of Global Technology. This chapter talks of the global south being able to disrupt the by sharing and developing their own theologies without having to continue to consume the constant dominant material from the north, particularly Europe and North America. The World Story Telling Café has developed in a way in which teller around the world are able to share their stories, and so their culture as well as sharing the influence of other cultures on them.

Baker, in the first part of the book is one of the first of what might be described as a group of elders who contribute to this collection. He is one of those who for over twenty years now has led discussion on missiology, coming in part from the post-evangelical and alt. worship movement. This linage becomes clearer in part two of the book on Missional Practices when we hear from Steve Hollinghurst, John Drane, Olive Fleming Drane and Maggi Dawn amongst others. Indeed it is something Maggi Dawn acknowledges directly within her chapter, where she looks at the parallel development of digital technology and the movement which grew from that latter 20^th which began with alt. worship. This familiarity with the voices and their previous writings over a couple of decades now is what makes this section of the book feel, to some extent like listening in on fireside reflections as the old guard, look back at what’s happened and the place of technology within it. They talk about the positive and the negative and make me smile as the now ancient debate about “online” and “offline” life and “real” and “unreal” is referred to. Those who may remember me blogging many years ago on the Wibsite as Tractor Girl will get that I’ve been around on the edges of these circles long enough to smile a wry smile at how far away that debate now seems. And to some extent reading the debate about the missio dei, what it is and how we understand it which occurs in this chapter has a similarly nostalgic feel. There are no real references to the more modern critiques of Bosch which have occurred. Rather within these chapters there is a settledness of it is what it is; although we need to get a bit more precise about our wording about what we mean by missio dei because it has become so widely used now. There is throughout a feeling this “in group” who’ve been working with it for years and know Bosch and Bart inside out know though. Thus, it is interesting whilst the need for precision is discussed it never is quite defined.

Within this second section Christian Grund Sorensen looks at the place of Google and algorithms in a way which is thought provoking. He talks of a lack of objectivity in what people see, and whilst I appreciate that I wonder what he would describe objective views of religion as? After all whilst we have generally come to accept now that subjectivity in interpretation is part of the reality of things and contextuality is important. It does remind us an important thing though, that what one member of a congregation or community sees will be different to others.

The chapter by Ekki Sutinen and Anthony-Paul Cooper which explores Interactive Technologies, Missio Dei and Grass Roots Activism takes up another recurring theme in this book about the change in who is producer and audience.

Part Three Public Theology and The Common Good has a particularly strong chapter by Alexander Chow on the Chinese church. It gives an introduction to discussions on “the persecuted church” which I had not come across before, by looking at the development of religion and persecution in a way I had not come across before. It made me realise that many of my images of the Chinese Church are stuck in the late twentieth century as I suspect many others are.

Peter M. Phillips sums up by making the point that this is the beginning of a discussion not the end. I would be interested in hearing what it would sound like if new, emerging voices like Molly Boot, Al Barrett and Ruth Harley were to join in, and if it became, through this a more obviously inter-generational discussion.

To be honest I found this a comfortable book to read, in part because I am of a certain generation which is looks back fondly on DIY and rave culture, post-evangelical experiments in alt. worship and has been using older forms of digital technology for years now but also remembers life before. I also totally buy into the view of what the missio dei is that these theorists showed me, through the books and blog posts I devoured in the nineties and into the noughties. The work of Castells, Postman, Bosch and others are old friends to me who I revisited in this book.

Do I recommend it, yes, of course I do; these are the foundational elders at the campfire chatting via an academic book. Did I learn something? Yes, particularly from Chow. Do I think it could be far more radical? Yes, this is gentle, but as Pete Phillips points out it is the beginning of a wider conversation.

Holding on to the WTF? in Holy Week and Easter

My prayer life is characterised by saying WTF? to God at the moment in a variety of ways. WTF is going on? WTF is the point of faith when stuff like this still happens? WTF is the going to happen after this? You get the gist of my prayers.

As I got to the Wednesday of Holy Week and a particularly low ebb, I got to the point of saying WTF is the point of believing in God. That evening I got an answer, and not the one I expected. Karl and I had been invited to share the Seder meal with a local rabbi and her husband, together with some other guests - a meal that was shared via Zoom. It was a privilege that gave me some insight into the wideness of what Jesus did in his ministry. There we were, a queer gentile couple, sitting with the rabbi sharing the festival with them. Not so long ago so many elements of that would not have been able to happen, yet an important part of the gospels is Jesus breaking barriers and taboos.

The people joining around the meal had one thing in common, we were all activists whose faith included an emphasis on social justice. That was why we'd been invited. The liturgy the rabbi was using in Christian terms would have been defined as an example radical theology.

As we were led through the meal a quote that came up a couple of times was " what is important is not that you believe this but that you remember it and make sure each new generation remembers it too". Yet we were told it's not just remembering it's also about looking at the relevance and learning to be gained in the world you hear it.

That gave me a huge release, in my struggling through my doubt this Easter the important thing is to remember and share the story looking at what it has to say in our world.

I share this picture of the prayer for Orlando that Rachel Mann wrote and transposed over a picture by Ric Stott because for me it encapsulates the essence of that message of remembrance and relevance which I'm talking about .

So what is the story I want to pass on this year?

It is the story of a rabbi who was viewed as dangerous by the authorities for breaking boundaries and sharing the idea that all people are of equal worth and that systems needed changing to reflect that. This is the story of a man who was peaceful and effective through living an authentic life in a country under occupation. It was a man who showed that true religion is found in living out an authentic faith and at times that means breaking man made rules.

It is the story of a man who was knowingly betrayed by a friend. Jesus was a man who chose the difficult path rather than deciding to take the easy way out. It is the story who went out to pray but whose friends fell asleep waiting for him.

It is the story of a man who suffered death, viewed as a dangerous terrorist by some, humiliated and body abused.He died this death because he chose to put others first and not renounce the destiny he had.

It is the story of a man whose family and friends suffered as they watched what was happening to him die, distanced and unable to touch him. 

It is the story of a wait until the religious festival was over in order to go and finish tending to the body. A burial interrupted.

It is the story of more boundary breaking as women found the tomb empty. It is a feminist underscore which could not be written out. It is the story of women's voices not being believed but men having to acknowledge they were right. It is the story of empowerment mixed with fear and hiding. 

It's a time for seriousness yes, but as with the Seder meal it is a time for fun and rejoicing. It's a time for relationship and friendship. It's a time for sharing the story with others and adding new symbols to increase inclusion. The rabbi explained that they had an orange now as a symbol of increased inclusion of LGBT+ and others, and a spoon as a symbol of including those with unseen disabilities. 

It's a story of disbelief and eyes opened. Easter is the ultimate WTF? story which we need to pass on to each new generation.

The pastor in a secular age by Andrew Root - A reflection

I haven't blogged in a while but when Facebooking about reading The pastor in a secular age: Ministry to People who No Longer Need a God by Andrew Root somebody asked me my thoughts. It was recommended by on FB by somebody I respect, but the questioner was concerned it would be too American.

Well, first off I have to say it was a book that I enjoyed up until the point it started making me swear, in the last third, because of the way it spoke about Hagar. Now, people who know me know that for me Hagar is an important figure. The early posts on this blog explain my take on her....but back to that bit later. Actually, some of his reading of Augustine gave me the same feeling. It was like - ok, very different reading to some of the feminist readings of these people. Still - at least Root touches on some of the issues rather than totally making them invisible. Mind you it is also a very white book, not exclusively, (but clearly written for a white audience in USA, Canada, UK, Europe, Australia and New Zealand). So to be honest like most theology books and certainly most that are dealing with the impact of secularisation.

I'm married to a "professional pastor" (Methodist Minister) and as I was reading through the bits talking about the situation the modern pastor finds themself in I was reading quotes and he was nodding his head. I love the way Root says it as it is.

The second part of the book takes us through the changing world view and position of the professional male pastor. A point which is acknowledged by the author, and which it's easy to explain away , particularly with the centrality of the work of Charles Taylor in this book. However, back to Hagar and the feeling that if he had done what in the last part of the book had been followed through, in terms of ministers who didn't aren't ordained, the story of tradition would have looked a little different. 

It takes you on a journey through the place of religion in the society and lives of Augustine; Thomas Becket; Jonathan Edwards, (the preacher rather than the long jumper); Henry Ward Beecher; Harry Emerson Fosdick and Rick Warren. This may be why that initial question on FB, is it too American? Well no, but to understand where it fits in to Britain it may be useful to read Reinventing English Evangelicalism 1996-2001 by Rob Warner. (Note not a cheap book but one that's probably sitting in a lot of uni libraries). This book is important because it will explain how the influences that Root is talking about have filtered in. 

In terms of Britain well, besides reading Warner I think this book should also be read alongside the British Sociologists of Religion Linda Woodhead and Grace Davie. Reading Davie's 2015 version of Religion in Britain: a persistent paradox would be particularly helpful for people wanting to think through the whole picture of change and where the pastor fits in. It would also help critique Taylor. 

So that's the first part of the book or really the first two thirds that took me on a romp over some familiar territory, but with some new stuff mixed in.

Then you get to the next part and the Hagar thing. Now first off he calls the way in which Hagar was abused by Sarah "slut shaming"...um now that suggests Hagar was a slut not somebody who was being abused and then further shamed. Still I have to say he gave the first part of the story a fair discussion. The first bit I find difficult is the way in which he talks about God's first encounter with Hagar when she has run away from the abusive situation God calling her by name and telling her to go back and minister to Sarah. Now, I always struggle with that passage and I think the reasons God sent her back were more practical. If Root had gone on to tell the whole story it might not have jarred so much. I do believe that Hagar was a minister of a kind and she has certainly acted as a character who has ministered to many survivors and slaves down the years, in the Christian tradition. 

For myself it is the fact that Hagar is the first recorded single mum in the bible which has ministered to me and at times encouraged me as a local preacher and home missioner. The fact that God met her after Sarah had got worried about her inheritance and got Abraham, with God's blessing, to send her away again. Hagar encounters God a second time as she is suffering from what we today would call reactive depression and then rebuilds her life to be able to find Ishmael a bride. Thus, showing how single parents and their children can thrive. In his telling Root misses out talking of Abraham as the absent father with the two families.

For me is is these missing points I have found so useful in my ministry in a secular age. I have been able to show that the bible does contain the stories reflecting what real people go through now. That the context may change but essentially God has been journeying with these people from the beginning. 

I agree with Root about the importance of the bible and the way that people are now concerned so much with identity. However, I believe the bible speaks into those identities and offers something authentic to speak into our situation. This is what we need to re-find and re-share. Liberation theologies were based on this type of base reading of the bible. It was some of the liberal west, I would argue, that sought to take the liberation without the base community understandings of the bible. 

The fact that this book got me shouting at it, shows it is a book worth reading because it gave me stuff to shout at, not just neutral space. It also opened my eyes to how as a home missioner, (but with a different job title) what he is talking about is sort of at the centre of my way of working and I now understand a little more how I got here. 

For me working with young adults, who have different levels of biblical literacy, my job as I see it is to get them reading the bible. To get them seeing that it is more than they may have heard it is. To see how it connects with them. To see that it is a mixture of books and there is debate over whether Moses existed for example, but to make clear I believe he did because of what his imperfections as much as his great deeds teach us. I've really found the book So What's the Story important in doing this. We've given it to our young adults to read over the year and then are dipping into bits of what it says to help them connect with faith and share their own faith journeys. It gave us a way to look at the bible which allowed for the fact that many of them weren't particularly literate with the text or it's organisation (which even 20 years ago would have been kind of unthinkable) and to get them to engage with it. Last month we were talking about testimony but focusing on the Exodus story and who Moses was, including the murder, the speech impediment and the rest of it. 

Anyway as ever on this blog I am going down a different path. The book is readable and does make you think, but it is clearly written from a place of cis, het, white, male privilege - which the writer does recognise to be fair. That said it still jars when you read what is implicitly being said about certain things linked to identity and you think..."um, hum", "I guess it does seem like that if it's not your identity that is being invalidated or questioned". Note I see identity as very different to life style choices, which isn't a distinction that Root seems to make. 

The other thing it left me thinking is are we in another place of change? I'm conscious that  Saddleback was founded by Rick Warren 40 years ago, and that many of the "new white churches" are now aging and moving on a generation in their leadership.Is this book exploring the last generation not the one which is now emerging into leadership?  In their excellent book Leading the Millennial Way Simon Harris and Rachel Luetchford have talked about the value change going on and I am interested about how this is feeding in to ministry.

 The church I work for have been giving out this book at our recent employability conference and to all sorts of other people we believe it would be useful for. I think in church contexts it is also useful material, and if we're interested in how pastors roles are changing now, this might help us too. 

So would I say read this book as if you're English? Well, yes....but probably alongside some other stuff too.