Apocalypse now and then
Advent is the season of anticipation. We wait, patiently exercising discernment, expecting the new. This Advent, Dr Steven Ogden is offering a four-part Advent series of short addresses. It is partly his swansong, as he is retiring next year. It also represents the distillation of over 30 years of scholarship and pastoral experience.
In the process, the series provides an opportunity for critical thinking and discussion about the future church. It has two main aspects: the apocalyptic and the institutional.
See below for more details
Apocalyptic
With COVID, war, and the climate crisis – politicians, journalists, and social influencers are freely using apocalyptic ideas and images. This is not always helpful, often oversimplifying complex socio-political problems, while raising our anxiety levels. In this Advent series, Steven is going to re-frame the apocalyptic. In this scenario, the apocalyptic is not about the survival of a faithful few in the distant future. It is the re-discovery of a voice and a community in the here and now.
The institution
Arguably, since the time of the Emperor Constantine, and unquestionably from the Middle Ages, the church, as an institution, has often behaved like an empire. Certainly, it was the ravages of World War 2, which led to a new sense of humility and new expressions of what it meant to be a disciple of Jesus the Christ. In the West, moreover, the institutional church has been declining ever since. In simple terms, this is no one’s fault, but the world has changed. Relationships are more fractured and transactional (e.g., “what’s in it for me?”)’. Domestic violence is growing. And loneliness is a major problem. Spirituality is important, but it is not necessarily church based.
The future church
Steven explores the church of the future expecting that, after the present contraction
- The church will re-claim early charisms fostering a network of parish-centres, home groups, and house churches
- Like the base communities of liberation theology, these groups will be diverse, compassionate, mission focused faith communities
- There will be room for theological innovation, which can include things like a nuanced understanding of lay vocation, and a new version of the worker priest
The key to this will be the cultivation and active support of a network of diverse groups, encouraging the development of parish-based community driven projects. For example, green projects will no longer be peripheral, but central to the identity and mission of the church. Such local projects will evoke new gifts and a new sense of community.