Tag: authenticity

Jan200913

Culture, Society & Mission

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Aesthetics, Branding and Power

Billboard in San Francisco

“Aesthetics are the post-modern currency of power”

There’s that classic statement about the modern world that “knowledge is power” – characterised in the way that any product which has some kind of “scientifically proven” stamp or someone in a lab coat supporting it is instantly trustable. We defer to those who have more knowledge than us. Knowledge, if you like, is the main currency of power – organisations trade useful information for power.

However, in a post-modern or hyper-modern world (or whatever other term you’d like to use) we find ourselves in an environment where information is more and more freely available to anyone. Now it is no longer the information itself gives individuals or organisations power, but how an organisation markets or brands that information that gives it power.

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Jan200818

Reflection & Contemplation, Revolution of God

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The Revolution of God 3: Depth

Depth
Felt like it was about time to get another post done in this little experiment to try a blog series – been a little quiet over the last week trying to get to grips again with the Lab and college and everything, but I think everything is beginning to sort itself out now.

The aim was to reflect a little on some of the values that should be represented by the Kingdom of God, using Brian McLaren’s imagery of a revolution. So following on from contrasting Brokenness in my first post and, last time, Wholeness, this time I wanted to think about Depth.

Authenticity, being real and being genuine is something that I’ve been reflecting on a lot recently, and a little on the blog. So, for this post, I wanted to come at it from a different angle and try and explore the whole concept in terms of depth.

We seem to live in a bizarre world which on one hand is pursuing something deep and meaningful, but at the same time strangely embraces shallowness. And so we hold up this ideal of pursuing the deepness of relationship and existence, but at the same time are obsessed with paddling around in the shallows. We find ourselves struggling on one hand between the genuine and genuine reliability – and all the shallow images of perfect looking men and women, and Western consumerism.

And so this God revolution needs to pursue the hidden depths. We need to pursue depth in the world around us – to be committed to looking not just at the obvious but also below the surface. We need to pursue deep, real relationships with the people around us – relationships which are without agenda. And we need to allow others to see our hidden depths and not to hide them below the surface of what we want people to see.

Having a depth that stands up to examination doesn’t mean being perfect. It means being real – and to move away from the shame that stops us from revealing what lies within. It’s about being open – and allowing ourselves to be accountable.

Hope that makes some sense…

Dec200707

Church & Ecclesiology, Community Stories

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Authenticity

At the Lab, our Spring series up ’til Easter is going to be Authentic Community – idea being to explore what an open, real, genuine community of Jesus followers looks like. I’ve been thinking about authenticity though, and what makes something authentic. It seems to be a really trendy, attractive word in a culture where so much rubbish advertising and junk is thrown at us everyday – the average Newport student seems to pass so many flyers and posters and spam everyday (and unfortunately all our radio show posters seem to be adding to it :-( ).

When we’re talking about objects it seems easy to make the distinction between real and fake – something either is or isn’t – but when we talk about belief and community and church, what is it that sets them apart from anything else?

Maybe authentic community is about depth? So much in this world is shallow and materialistic and based on self – maybe authenticity is about something greater than ourselves? About being free from the confines of what affects me, what is in my interests?

In which case, authenticity is a real challenge.

It’s easy to talk about it, but in practice what would a church, a community, look like that focused purely on others, purely on the outside? Our friendship circles, the people we get on with, the way we live our lives, is permeated by this sense of "where am I most comfortable?" and "who do I get on with the most?". Ouch.

Also, maybe authenticity is about longevity? About outlasting the competition? But then just because something has been around a long time does that make it true? Surely then, the way we’ve done church for centuries – the Orthodox faith – would be the most authentic? Unless maybe relationships matter more than practices and doctrine?

Spent a lot of time this week planning ahead for the next year and thinking about new events, schemes, projects – so it’s good to stop and think for a moment: will they be authentic? Or just a craze that passes with the change of seasons.

I think the future of the Lab, like the state of the UK church, sits on a knife-edge. But do I feel comfortable here on the edge – at least each passing day we know who it is who’s responsible for keeping us going one more day.

Or maybe I’m just being habitually overdramatic.