Saturday, August 05, 2006
A Solidarity of Others?
I am fascinated by the ideas in a book by Anselm Min, a Korean American, called "The Solidarity of Others in a Divided World: A Postmodern Theology after Postmodernism". He argues that the church as 'the Body of Christ' is called to be a solidarity of 'others', in the sense that we are all 'other' to one another, we are all 'different' from each other. It is a great vision of the church, but more than that, a great model which is offered - in humility - to the world. For we set out this vision, admittedly imperfectly, trusting that the world may witness it as good news: that very different people can nevertheless live together peaceably and justly. But it doesn't seem to work quite as we would hope! We need to be better at promoting a couple of things: first, the diversity of people already in the church, which is often overlooked or directly suppressed (because diversity is messy); and second, the idea of solidarity, a mature way of handling differences, which ain't easy! If we don't work at those things, it'll be difficult to offer it as a model for (other) others ...
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2 comments:
Luce Irigaray says there's some great stuff in the importance of the gap which is between people. In this space there are lots of possibilities with regard to Otherness. It is in the gap that things are held, distanced, transmorphed and things like that. I think this is obvious and that there is a lot more to it. She is saying that there is me, the gap and the Other. It assumes that in the gap there is stuff - assumptions, prejudice, perception, suppression etc
She also has interesting things to say about the place/role of the breath to transform. THis is well ancient stuff which she seems to be weaving into her feminist philosophy. It is great stuff but Irigaray does not go far enough. She stops short of some things but at the mo that's all I can think of!
Oh yes, thanks for the offer of the tuna!
Mmm, sounds interesting. So what might the implications be for the church, in terms of 'gaps' in the relationships between us? Certainly it would seem to be the case that most 'churchy relationships' leave a lot of stuff unsaid, out of Christian "niceness", and presumably there is hidden potentiality (as well as danger) in pointing towards the transformative breath between people! Ah, the church as a body of people being transformed! It's easy for us to say, but obviously much harder to realise ... what skills do we need to help it happen?
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