That Celtic thing
Spent the week-end in several seminars and worship services with J Philip Newell a fabulous Celtic theologian. I have learned that:
1 St. Augustine is crap.
2 Heretic Pelagius is brilliant.
2a Heresy is either extremely slippery or patently ridiculous.
3 Tears are holy and beautiful.
4 God is so good.
Essentially, Celtic spirituality teaches us that, rather than being Originally Sinful, we are Originally Blessed. Newell says something like, "The heart of our being, the center of who we are in every possibly way is not evil or sinful or opposed to God. God created us good and the center of who we are in every possible way is of God." Sin/evil/very bad things are bad habits, if you will. We still need grace and love to shed those things, but they are not integral parts of us.
How freeing. I always knew there was something not quite right. I've preached Creation=Good for years, but always felt like a lone voice. Seriously, we as a culture have so absorbed the concept of original sin--sacred and secular alike--that we cannot escape. We feel we will never be good enough, never work hard enough, never truly be loved because we are so stupid/shortsighted/rude/ugly/whatever.
The very first story in the Jewish and Christian bibles is the first story of Creation. God creates the world, its animals, its plants, its light and water, its people. And God looks at it all and says, "Indeed, it is very good."
Amen.
1 St. Augustine is crap.
2 Heretic Pelagius is brilliant.
2a Heresy is either extremely slippery or patently ridiculous.
3 Tears are holy and beautiful.
4 God is so good.
Essentially, Celtic spirituality teaches us that, rather than being Originally Sinful, we are Originally Blessed. Newell says something like, "The heart of our being, the center of who we are in every possibly way is not evil or sinful or opposed to God. God created us good and the center of who we are in every possible way is of God." Sin/evil/very bad things are bad habits, if you will. We still need grace and love to shed those things, but they are not integral parts of us.
How freeing. I always knew there was something not quite right. I've preached Creation=Good for years, but always felt like a lone voice. Seriously, we as a culture have so absorbed the concept of original sin--sacred and secular alike--that we cannot escape. We feel we will never be good enough, never work hard enough, never truly be loved because we are so stupid/shortsighted/rude/ugly/whatever.
The very first story in the Jewish and Christian bibles is the first story of Creation. God creates the world, its animals, its plants, its light and water, its people. And God looks at it all and says, "Indeed, it is very good."
Amen.