Place
A Neglected British Estate and An Iranian Refugee
At the conclusion of his editorial ‘Place, Time and Identity’ in this issue of the journal, Alan Roxburgh states ‘The gift of the Spirit… is these amazingly patient, faith filled “others” from Africa, Latin America, First Nations, from beyond the West”. Farhad Chermahini was not ‘faith-filled’ when he first came to the UK. He was a nominal Moslem at that time. From a political family and oppressed...
A Church in Englewood and Place in our Culture
Chris Smith is co-author of Slow Church[1] and editor of the Englewood Review of Books. Here in conversation with Alan Roxburgh he describes how his own church transitioned from its life as a large city church into a vibrant neighbourhood church deeply embedded within its community. That church was able to make this transition because of its long history...
Building Trust: How Come You Guys Don’t Give Up On Us?
The redeveloped building centred around a coffee bar, a worship area and a series of rooms that could be used by the community for activities as diverse as a food bank, a ladies pamper night and, under TLG, a school for excluded children. Much of this activity has produced good relationships with many in the community that have struggled with life and finding their place in the broader society. Some of these folk...
Book review: Faithful Presence by David Fitch
This conversation between David Fitch and Alan Roxburgh revolves around David’s recent book Faithful Presence[1] and his life in a church plant near Chicago. David describes his book under three headings: The Presence of God at work in localities, discerned through Practices such as Eucharist, shared meals and reconciliation. We are located in Places where sometimes we will be gathered with other Christians and sometimes...
Following the Spirit, Finding Life, Sharing Bread
In this video interview with Alan Roxburgh, Fred Liggin recalls when his church took up listening practices among the elders and then the congregation and at the same time, began walking with a homeless family who went on to flourish within their community. Eighteen other faith groups in the city became interested in this way of working and across the city...
A Latino experience of place in the USA: the difference race makes.
As the child of Guatemalan missionaries Jennifer Guerra Aldana has had to negotiate issues of race and displacement. She now serves as pastor in a bilingual congregation. In a video interview with Alan Roxburgh she describes how in her ministry they seek to hold the tension of an inter-cultural approach which values insights from the juxtaposition of cultures. In the light of this, Alan Roxburgh introduces the conversation about a theology of place and his growing awareness that this conversation sometimes makes assumptions based on white privilege...
Editorial: Questions of Place
We are witnessing a resurgence of interest in questions of place. This is quite a significant shift in which many of us are trying to sort out what it means to have our lives shaped by the notion of neighborhood. It’s a tricky question because since the early 60s modern western life has been characterized by mobility and an expectation of progress. All of this is changing... What, therefore, is the meaning of place for Christian life in the modern West? I’m discovering this is not as easy a question...
Editorial: Westernised Europeans and their Localities
Earlier this year I was giving a talk on evangelism to a group of European leaders, most of whom were students. One of the points in my presentation was the rediscovery of the local, of communities and of churches who were attempting to reconnect with their neighbourhood. We entered into a fascinating debate but there was one comment that caught my attention in a very acute way. Someone from Vienna questioned the contention that there was any longer such a thing as community in the local...
Editorial: Place, Time and Identity
This issue of JMP has focused on the meaning of place in contemporary societies and its implications for the life and witness of Christian communities. Each of us, as we read this, are situated in some place – our home, work place, local coffee shop, etc., that locates and gives shape to our everyday lives. We have learned through this issue that the places where we dwell are complicated geographies that in our late modern contexts, raise complex questions...
An Indigenous Theology of Place and Land
Mark MacDonald is the National Indigenous Anglican Bishop for Canada. This conversation with Alan Roxburgh contrasts the indigenous understanding of the moral and spiritual significance of land with the emphasis on contract, ownership and resource in western culture. For indigenous people 'land' describes something more akin to ‘ecosystem’, all the relationships which create and sustain life in a place. The land is holy, loved by God...