Category: Updates

Want to journey on a zoom?

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by Martin Scott
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A long term project!!! I am beginning a set of videos / articles that will be on eschatology.

I plan (and what can go wrong / get delayed / discovered I have bitten off more than I can chew??????) to put together material on Eschatology. The material will be two fold:

Short videos and a more detailed pdf. I have made four videos that serve as an introduction. Two are already uploaded… hopefully the second set of 2 will go up early next week. These are introductory as I am convinced that unless we have some basis on which to grapple with the ancient literature that we call the Bible (it was not written to us but for us) we might just make 2+2 = 666!!! Hence these 4 are basic but foundational – the final one will be to expand on how the ‘one horizon’ of Jewish future is split into ‘multiple horizons’. (I made a series of podcasts some 14 years ago – so I thought it was time to update.)

The videos and the pdf’s will be one element, then the second part will be a Zoom meeting. I think the Zoom evening will consist of 15 – 20 minutes input, then discussion, feedback. Before the evening either a viewing of the four videos should be done and / or reading the pdf.

The first two videos are here (the following 2 will be up by early next week):

And the pdf is here:

Eschatology: Introduction.pdf

I am setting two dates – they will be repeats so it is not necessary to attend both evenings:

Tuesday September 12th 19:30 UK time

Tuesday October 10th 19:30 UK time.

And I will also be doing Zooms on Book 4 ‘The LifeLine’:

The first one will likely be Oct. 11th. Let me know if you wish to join – either you have done previous volumes with me; or if you want to join I can give you a summary of the first three. Please email me if you wish to join so as I can add you to that mailing list.

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Webinar with Anna Mercedes (at Kenarchy)

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by Martin Scott
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This is a copy of an email from Roger:

The Kenarchy Journal: Anna Mercedes Webinar 20th September 19.30hrs

Happy autumn! As you may know, we at The Kenarchy Journal are experimenting with webinars to give readers of the journal the opportunity to engage with our authors. The first of these will be on Wednesday September 20th with Anna Mercedes, whose article “Kenosis in Catastrophe” was published in Volume Four of the Journal. I am contacting you as someone who has been in touch asking about this, or who I think will be interested. It would help us if you could reply by return if you plan to participate. A zoom link will be sent to those enlisting in due course.

Please feel free to forward this to friends and colleagues who you think might be interested.

Peace and love,

Roger

Use this link to let Roger know of your intention to attend:
https://kenarchy.org/response-to-an-article-author/

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Advance Notice

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by Martin Scott
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I am so far ahead of myself with this… but…

Over the past months there have a variety of ‘open zooms’ and the most recent ones have tried to explore what a ‘kingdom economics’ might look like. In September I plan to get a Zoom date where I will present some material that will act as introductory material on Eschatology (so a little bit of a shift… but ultimately eschatology is deeply practical with the biblical question always being a ‘so what?’ or ‘how then do we live in the light of that?’. I am currently recording /editing four short videos and will also make available a pdf (10,000 words) to go with this evening. If we find there is sufficient material we will make this into 2 evenings.

At the heart of this first set of videos (more videos to come) will be:

  • Prophecy is not history written in advance – it is promise.
  • We cannot draw a straight line from OT prophecies to current events.
  • The NT must show us how to read OT texts.
  • A move from a one horizon of ‘Messiah will come’ to three levels of horizon (debt to Andrew Perriman on this) – three horizons of ‘cross’, AD70 and the fall of Jerusalem, and the final parousia.
  • That ‘end times’ is not about a set of events but the final transformation of this world constructs into the kingdom of our Lord and Christ, therefore it must include
  • the transformation of creation not simply the ’saving of souls’ – indeed the paradigm of who is saved and who is not is to miss the thrust of creation to new creation.

I will post here when I have more firm details.

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Kenarchy Volume 5

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by Martin Scott
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Volume 5 (‘Sovereignty Upended’) of the Kenarchy Journal is out.

https://kenarchy.org

A new aspect will be Zoom webinars with some of the authors. September 20th 2023 at 19.30hrs there will be the opportunity to meet with Anna Mercedes around her article “Kenosis in Catastrophe” that was published in Volume 4:1, and on September 21st at 19.30hrs the opportunity to discuss with Roger the relationship between kenarchy and sovereignty. (Times listed are UK time zone.) I will post details when nearer to the date, but best also to enlist via the contact form:

https://kenarchy.org/response-to-an-article-author/

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God, humans… but Jesus

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by Martin Scott
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Karl Barth once wittily remarked,

One can not speak of God simply by speaking of man in a loud voice.

God wholly different, set apart; cannot project from here to there and think that in the ‘there’ that we have pointed to that we have discovered God. Well said Mr. B!

BUT, let’s put another ‘quote’ following KB’s:

One cannot speak of God by saying ‘humanity’ in a loud voice…
but even with the softest voice, and even if we tentatively say ‘Jesus’ we have truly spoken of God.

God is wholly different (the meaning of holiness) AND has become one of us, and I think given the resurrection, we can add ‘for ever’. (And just to push that one step further, hence in parenthesis, so no need to read if it is a step too far for the reader… after all, we do not want to offend do we? For ever, human, but not now male… nor female.)

The radical nature of the Christian faith is that the Christian God reveals Godself in human form. God is beyond human, but not so wholly different. We cannot shout ‘Martin’ and immediately God is manifest, but we can whisper ‘Jesus’ and God is present. (Yet as I whisper Jesus, increasingly as someone else raises the volume of their voice and says ‘Martin’ a little bit of God becomes present… ‘follow me as I follow Christ’ being the paradigm.)

We should always realise that even when we talk of the best that is within humanity we have not fully talked of God for ‘fallenness’ runs throughout humanity; but when we talk of Jesus (for there is no other God than the one revealed by Jesus – revelation being personal not propositional) we really are talking of God. Not only is the Christology of the New Testament a high one (Jesus is God) but it is high in the sense of raising the bar as to what it means to be human.

I pursue some of this in the book ‘Humanising the Divine’… where I use the paradigm of Jesus being fully God (we are not); fully human (this we share) and also uniquely truly human (we are being redeemed into this image). Sin therefore is not about a set of laws, but about falling short of the glory of God, of failing to be truly human.

BTW… from time to time I hold Zoom sessions on the book(s) – if interested you can send me an email here:
https://3generations.eu/zoomcourse

Here is a link to a little more on the book series:
https://3generations.eu/book-series

And to purchase ‘Humanising the Divine’:
https://bozpublications.com

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Reminder: ‘Open’ Zoom on Monday

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by Martin Scott
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The next of the ‘open zoom’ evenings is now scheduled for Monday April 3rd, 7.30pm UK time. (NB: Two days away).

This evening we will have Spencer Thompson with us and the input he will bring will be both stimulating and practical. We have been focused on a ‘Kingdom Economics’ and at the time of writing this already two banks these past few days (with a third I am sure right on the heals of those two) have been suspended, making issues of economics highly visible.

Spencer lives in Edinburgh where he works as an economist in the Scottish Government. He’s currently on secondment at the Joseph Rowntree Foundation where he does analysis aimed at solving poverty in the UK. He also has an interest in theology and writes on the intersection between theology and economics.

Spencer will be introducing some of his emerging thoughts on the theology of counting. Counting appears to be inherent to the universe and innate to human beings, yet it is loaded with historical, philosophical, and theological baggage which needs to be unpacked. Particularly in the modern world, which is increasingly ruled by numbers, we are often blind to the ways that our thoughts and actions are shaped by this apparently neutral act. Intrigued? It will all become clear and nicely ‘earthed’ with Ro Lavender and Steve Lowton hosting. See you Monday?

No need to reply to this email. If attending the Zoom link will be:

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/5728039267?pwd=NEozVVM0Z1NJSDFKKzNwdG9KUDc5dz09
Meeting ID: 572 803 9267
Passcode: 5GkMTA

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An invitation!!

Help bring some Brazilians to a conference.

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by Martin Scott
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Well that is a nice way to put ‘if you were thinking of finding a way to part with some dosh, here is one way I can suggest!’ (Hate asks for money that make it all sound as if the request is doing you a favour… but PLEASE read on.)

As readers of this blog will be aware Gayle works within Authentic (Life and Business). I had a connection with Andrew Chua in 2004, and reconnected more substantially in 2020 when I attended the Ignite conference, where they were helping train those who wished to move toward facilitating / consulting in the business arena. I called Gayle each night, and said ‘I love the material, it is probably way over my head, but it will be like a hand in glove if and when you connect with it; and the second part I love is their approach to money.’

Well Gayle is going to be part of the next Ignite training conference in January in Ashburnham Place. We (Gayle and I) want to help some Brazilians that she has been working with for a while to get across to the conference, and also to have some extra time to dialogue. They are people that we know / have known for years. They are not ‘monied’, Brazil’s economy is not similar to the UK, so money is a challenge. We would love for them (how many depends on how much dosh can be available – up to 4 people if possible) to be able to attend.

We will be making a contribution so invite anyone else who would like to to join us. (You can also email me – martin@3generations.eu to get any other information you want about this.)

How to give?

We have arranged with David Erasmus and his charity ‘BroadPlace’ so that gifts (UK-wise) can be given into the charity with the additional bonus of Gift Aid being added to the contribution.

If you need to contact David directly: info@broadplace.org.uk or david.erasmus@broadplace.org.uk

So either email me directly or David to get details of the bank account and procedure. David will need your email to send you a GiftAid form and also a procedural Data record permission form.

The Ignite conference – hey think about coming. You will love it, and probably not over your head at all.

To register: https://bit.ly/ignitejan2023

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Tomorrow: invite and reminder

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by Martin Scott
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A quick post to remind you that there is an ‘open zoom’ tomorrow evening, Tuesday 4th at 7:30pm UK time. (NO OBLIGATION TO SHOW UP.) A few months back we began with a theme of ‘what do you see?’, ‘what do you notice?’. 3 months ago we were privileged to have some very insightful input from Pete McKinney, a perspective from Ireland (as well as heaven!).

This is the theme we are continuing to pursue.

This time we will have another voice that will bring perspectives from the edge. Rosie Benjamin has an African heritage and carries that joyful love of life so characteristic of that continent. I believe she has insights to offer us on how to keep joy and hope alive as we look to navigate the challenging times that we are entering.

Steve Lowton will hold the space for Rosie and for responses. Alongside Steve, Ro Lavender will help facilitate our responses and voices.

We are not looking for definitive responses, ‘truth’ (or maybe for us ‘something approximating to helpful perspectives’) seem to lie between us rather than reside within us an individual.

Here is the Zoom link for the evening:

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/5728039267?pwd=NEozVVM0Z1NJSDFKKzNwdG9KUDc5dz09

Meeting ID: 572 803 9267
Passcode: 5GkMTA

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Engaging with what we see

May 3rd Open Zoom

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by Martin Scott
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Once a month I have been hosting an ‘open Zoom’ not directly connected to the books I have written. In them we have tried to pick up on something that we can all contribute to, which is handy as none of us come as ‘experts’. At the last one I suggested that in this month’s zoom (Tuesday May 3rd., 7:30pm UK time) that we seek to share what we ‘see’ / have ‘noticed’ / are anticipating for this year and into 2023.

Although maybe a bit of a bigger picture response I made a video a little while back on Perspectives for 2022. It will be good to watch this before coming on line. Any big picture perspective will be translated into what is immediately before us, so I anticipate our discussion will headline the big picture but focus on the ‘what is around me’ perspective. Love to see you there – no need to let me know you are coming… just show up on the evening.

Here are the Zoom details:

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/5728039267?pwd=NEozVVM0Z1NJSDFKKzNwdG9KUDc5dz09

Meeting ID: 572 803 9267
Passcode: 5GkMTA

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Want to join?

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by Martin Scott
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A heads up:

In the new year I am inviting anyone who wishes to come join me on a zoom link that will work our way through the first book I have written ‘Humanising the Divine’. No need to be smart (I am hosting!) and I will cover a little bit more than just what is in the book, so some material on how the Bible can (should: my bias!) be read as narrative and in its history; in the light of that a bit of material on the history that Jesus entered into; the unlikelihood that the message from an obscure part of a world-dominated landscape should ever have gained traction.

Honestly, no need to be smart / theological / no need to have read the Bible through forward and backwards… no need to agree with me… but I think it will be pretty good!

My plan would be to start in February. If interested it will help me if you simply drop me a line, saying ‘Interested, Mondays work for me at 12:30(UK time) and also Thursdays at 8.00pm’… or whatever days / times work – after all I would never want to put words in your mouth / email!!!

Email Martin
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Perspectives