From Celtic Christianity by Timothy Joyce:"To follow the spiritual world view of the Celtic Christians is to embrace a way of life that is a real commitment to the belief that the Trinitarian God is alive in this world, that Christ remains incarnate in his church, that each Christian is called to active discipleship in building up the kingdom of God. Celtic Christianity opens up to us a viewpoint that cannot separate Sunday and the rest of the week, this world and the next, the spiritual and the secular, the individual and the community. It would have great difficulty understanding the privatization of religion that is now characteristic of Western culture and American life in in particular. To wish to learn from Celtic Christianity is to wish to sense the passionate presence fo God in all of life. It is to find God in the ordinary events of life, love, eating, working, playing...
In addition to logic and reason, poetry, song, art and beauty were the tools of knowledge... To follow the Celtic spiritual way we modern Christians will have to do a lot of 'soulwork' to develop our unused imagination, our neglected senses, to complement our rational minds.
The church of today is more similar to the church of the fifth century than to many other eras... Today culture largely ignores the real Christian tradition. In fact, at times, it is hostile and antagonistic to Christian claims. Western civilization is decaying as once the Roman empire did. A new type of Dark Age gathers around us. that was the scenario for the blossoming of the Celtic Church. Might it not be the way again today?"
Do you think Joyce is on to something?
4 comments:
That is encouraging to me in many ways. I do believe we are entering a new dark age. It is the information age, where we and our future generations are so inundated with propoganda on a daily often hourly basis. We are blinded by it. Bodies and minds become numb. So often we are rendered ineffectual because of the constant bombardment by pop culture. But what I am encouraged by is that, having a rich history in the celtic tradition myself, I think that it's philosophy does have something to teach us. With this new age of instant updates we have a new ability to integrate God into our lives. And see him in the mundane as well as the sublime light of this world. I think that to be afraid is wise but also to use the modern world to communicate effectively can become a skill of the new church. I pray that as a community of belivers we can embrace the new age rather than shy from it. It seems to me to be in the character of Christ to use this age of information to his advantage and that is my Prayer for his people.
"To wish to learn from Celtic Christianity is to wish to sense the passionate presence fo God in all of life. It is to find God in the ordinary events of life, love, eating, working, playing..."
Sounds like the OD practices to me...
I truly find your blog refreshing. My wife and I celebrate our Celtic forefathers. Many of the issues that we strugle with in today's modern churches have been touched upon here on your pages. We (wife and I) have talked about searching out a Celtic Christian Church, but there is not many on the west coast that we have found or heard of.
I do believe that as we enter into an age of vast information, the church will continue to struggle. This struggle , I think, can only be met by a faith in motion mind set. The younger generations are screaming for someone, anyone, to really be what they say they are. The facades of religon are being exposed at a very fast rate. The fire is burning off the chaf and not much is surving this exposed reality.
Thanks again for your blog, I will become a constant reader!
I believe that the resuurgence in interest in all things Celtic will lead many people back into Catholicism. The celtic Christians were catholic in belief, practice and mission. The book of Kells displays beautiful iconography of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Don't drive after you knocked back a few of those Belgiums! LOL
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