Naked Spirituality and The Lord's Supper
My half term reading is Brian McLaren's book 'Naked Spirituality'.
I'm struck by his comments on nakedness, which he suggests as a metaphor for spirituality, compared to clothing which we might see as religion. And he says that one is not better or worse than the other- but that clothing "serves, protects, enhances or expresses the naked life within."
A surprisingly, and refreshingly, positive look at religion, avoiding the dualism that is a too-frequent feature of emerging theologians/writers. How might it work out in practice? I am thinking particularly about Holy Communion at the moment, and how to reconcile a liturgical upbringing, including an almost legalistic view of the sacraments, with our current, liturgy-free church who nonetheless celebrate the Lord's Supper together occasionally. How does this religious act protect, enhance or express a naked spiritual reality? Do we need this clothing,or does it get in the way? Does dressing up for this one thing make sense, when clothing for everything else is so much more casual? How much of the bread, the wine, the words, are clothing that could therefore be exchanged for other garments without losing the truth underneath, and how much of it IS the truth? Do we need some sort of clothing, because the nakedness would be too intimate, too vulnerable, something too personal? Or is this missing the point, that a meal should be shared, that it is a community experience?
http://brianmclaren.net/archives/books/brians-books/naked-spirituality-a-life-with-g-1.html
I'm struck by his comments on nakedness, which he suggests as a metaphor for spirituality, compared to clothing which we might see as religion. And he says that one is not better or worse than the other- but that clothing "serves, protects, enhances or expresses the naked life within."
A surprisingly, and refreshingly, positive look at religion, avoiding the dualism that is a too-frequent feature of emerging theologians/writers. How might it work out in practice? I am thinking particularly about Holy Communion at the moment, and how to reconcile a liturgical upbringing, including an almost legalistic view of the sacraments, with our current, liturgy-free church who nonetheless celebrate the Lord's Supper together occasionally. How does this religious act protect, enhance or express a naked spiritual reality? Do we need this clothing,or does it get in the way? Does dressing up for this one thing make sense, when clothing for everything else is so much more casual? How much of the bread, the wine, the words, are clothing that could therefore be exchanged for other garments without losing the truth underneath, and how much of it IS the truth? Do we need some sort of clothing, because the nakedness would be too intimate, too vulnerable, something too personal? Or is this missing the point, that a meal should be shared, that it is a community experience?
http://brianmclaren.net/archives/books/brians-books/naked-spirituality-a-life-with-g-1.html
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