IN SEARCH OF PAUL
The “God and Empire” Reading Party at the Windermere Centre: 8th to 11th June 2009
My time in Windermere began with a brief visit to Fred and Anthea Kaan. The journey north had not been easy, delayed by an accident on the M6, but the welcome was none-the-less warm and inviting. That visit was tinged with sadness but overpowered by an inspiring awe at the way in which illness can be approached. What an idyllic setting they both experience day by day: the changing light and elements constantly reflected in the strategically placed mirror for visitors to wonder at, matched by the antics of ‘their’ red squirrel adding to the entertainment and laughter enjoyed alongside excellent cuisine. Hold them in your thoughts and prayers, continue to sing Fred’s hymns for all they are worth, but take heart as they continue to welcome with gratitude the presence of friends, relations and place at this time in their lives.
The next day sixteen of us, several travelling substantial distances and coming from a range of backgrounds, met at the Windermere Centre, an ideal venue for such an event. Accommodation and meeting rooms were comfortable and the food and atmosphere in the dining room were excellent, although the porridge was significantly better on one of the mornings! Lawrence Moore and John Hetherington prepared and led an excellent programme. The balance of discussion from lay and ordained showed a tremendous breadth of understanding within a caring, supportive group prepared to be stretched in their thinking.
The welcome free time for some Windermere walking, or just for catching up, was all the more vital amid the content-packed sessions.
In considering whether to join us, you may have been daunted by the subject matter. John Dominic Crossan’s ‘God and Empire’ and ‘In Search of Paul’ were more than some of us managed to read with understanding in advance, but all felt reasonably familiar with both by the end of the four days. The Biblical context of Paul’s letters and the encounters with Empire in Acts were brought to life by Lawrence, whilst John helped us to visualize Empire through the Living the Questions DVD “Eclipsing Empire: Paul, Rome and the Kingdom of God”.
John walked us through the vivid experience of his amazing Pilgrimage to Turkey “In the footsteps of Paul” with John Dominic Crossan and Marcus Borg just a month earlier. We were taken to Selcuk, with the Bascilica of St John; Priene, with the inscriptions to ‘imperial theology’; the impressive archaeological sites at Aphrodisias; Didyma, with the Temple of Apollo; and Melitus, where Paul met with the Elders of Ephesus. We continued on to the contrasting holiday resort of the elite at Bodrum; the odeon, theatre and library of Celsus at Ephesus; Sardis with its baths and avenue of shops; and to the Green Mosque at Bursa, to hear the Imam’s call to prayer. Then on to the busy metropolis of Istanbul, with its Blue Mosque, hippodrome, the Kariye Museum and Hagia Sofia, along with infinite choice at the Grand Bazaar. All were placed by John in time and context within the step by step consideration of Paul, Rome’s Empire and God’s Kingdom through both books.
An evening spent together watching Richard Attenborough’s “Gandhi”, after a careful introduction and later reflection, had far greater impact than that of any previous viewing. The focus on Empire and Biblical understanding we had gained allowed us to re-view this film and consider the range of questions that followed. The alternative vision compared the Roman Empire’s peace through violent victory against the renewed call for peace through non-violent distributive justice. We saw the need for communities of change today: not just being against empire, however manifested, but advocating the positive alternative.
The highlights were many. Windermere offers so much: beauty of its own and that of the surrounding area with its quirk of Highland Cattle in its fields; the friendly folk you meet along the footpaths and down by the lake . . . and the vast choice of ice cream! Even the local pub added significantly to the atmosphere as we were readily absorbed in to its community, including a buoyant local Cricket Club on one of the evenings. And then there was the worship. The small chapel with its windows on to the well kempt gardens; the unaccompanied hymn singing; the sharing and caring, particularly as we saw that sometimes it takes a new match applied by others to keep our own flame burning more brightly. For me, that is what our conferences and reading parties help us to do.
Those four days of learning and experience – of ‘being’ in a small community - are ones I will not forget in a hurry . . . even if some of the content will have to be revisited!
I’m still “In Search of Paul”, but inspired and a little wiser! Thank you Lawrence, John, and the rest of the group.
Linda Harrison