Three Congregations

Over on Facebook, I put up various photos I took of local (South African) Churches. These three photos show the vast differences one finds among congregations. What all three Churches have in common here is that they are well attended, as is often the case in Southern Africa. You may click on the image to enlarge.

Liturgy (Not)

Perhaps the biggest thing that happened in my urban Church following my departure is that they departed from Congregational worship. Strangely, they did so ostensibly to return to Congregational tradition -- while in fact they were moving away from it. They shifted to a far more liturgical worship -- which Wikipedia describes as "a standardised order of events". I have heard it described as a "script". OBSERVATION: It is a killer in more precarious environments, because one needs the full spiritual life of the Body, particularly in the Sunday service. This is how the classic text Evangelical & Congregational describes it (you may click on it to enlarge).

A Year Ago

A year ago today I wrote on Facebook that I had a "mature draft" of the book (click here) This Town: A Complete Metaphysics. This went on to be snapped up as a "hot project", and is in the meantime available wherever books are sold. Last week, it made it into the Kindle USA Metaphysics bestseller list -- and the week before. Today it has dropped to no. 349 in Metaphysics. It bobs up and down! OBSERVATION: It is what I have called a "fictional metaphysics".

Book of Testimony

Here's something that, as best I know, never came to fruition -- but it was a good idea worth mentioning. We were aware of some profound testimonies in our Church, and decided to get them in writing. "Profound" need not mean "sensational" -- yet there were congregants among us who had experienced war or suffered persecution, for example. And so we interviewed congregants, and compiled a booklet. We considered publishing it on the Internet. OBSERVATION: It coincided with the close of my ministry, and perhaps for that reason was not completed. I was reminded of it this week when I discovered my late wife Mirjam's testimony for the booklet.

Pre-modern Society

People ask me what it was like, growing up in a largely pre-modern society. It was pre-modern to the extent that tins and sacks were prized possessions. Three things: 

1. It was pure genius. The skills required to keep such a society going are stunning. 

2. People were locked into roles. This was essential to survival. 

3. Unlike our modern society, there was joy.

Einstein and Determinism

This was a popular post over on Twitter (X). According to philosopher Arthur Fine, "Einstein ... argued that determinism was a feature of theories rather than an aspect of the world directly." If not an aspect of the world directly, that could affect many things: free will, the mind-body problem, the completeness of science, the existence of God. OBSERVATION: The quote may be ambiguous, though. It does not seem to tell us whether Einstein felt he could see behind theories or not.

Open Door

Throughout my ministr(ies), I have had a Sunday "open door" policy -- perhaps rather, "open minister". I have turned up for Church two hours early, and spent one hour in preparation for the service. The next hour -- and an hour after the service -- has been "open minister" time. I have greeted people in the pews, at the gate, in the garden, in the kitchen ... and if they wanted a word in my vestry and told me that the sky was falling, that was OK -- I was ready for the service. OBSERVATION: Apart from being friendly, there was some very useful time with congregants. I found the photo this morning. 

POSTSCRIPT: I see this photo is time stamped: 8:30 am. I was in action early here.

‘White Skin’

I received a message from Taniera Neaibiri in the Kiribati Republic this morning: 

"I was interested with your surname Scarborough. I remember the name, when I was very young, on my home island Beru, in the southern Gilbert islands. ...  I still remember his [Rev. Scarborough's] young boy. I don't know his name until now. We used to play with him, but not so long, as the mother called him to come back as usual. We are so fond of him as we call him Imatang or white skin."

OBSERVATION: That boy was me. I was the only white boy.

Overheads of Civilisation

The "overheads" of our civilisation are just too great. They may be an onerous burden. Just one example in my own, present experience: to activate a dormant account, I needed to submit 21 pages of material, which took me 6 hours, and cost the equivalent of 50 McDonald's burgers. And the process is not over yet. OBSERVATION: Do people understand the burden they are placing on the populace? And that is just one example among many. It is worse for some -- particularly the poor.

‘If I had Known ...’

There is only one other person currently, besides myself, who has attempted an original metaphysics or panoramic philosophy: Dirk Hartmann of the University of Duisburg-Essen. He said (translated from German), "If I had known ... that it would become so much ... I would probably not have done it. I would possibly have despaired." I can identify with that! My own metaphysics is here: Everything, Briefly.

Greeting In The Pews

Many Churches have debated "greeting in the pews", which was virtually unknown a generation ago. When one of my Churches introduced it, by decision of the members -- after our first hymn -- there was such warmth and enthusiasm for it, it took me by surprise. OBSERVATION: At first, I as minister stayed in the pulpit. After a while, I came down from the pulpit to join in greeting in the pews.

Seasons Refreshing

One of our Church’s small groups asked to see me once for input -- three of their members were involved with the Church Youth. Could they, they gingerly asked, close the Youth Group for just one night? They were growing weary. I said: “Close the Youth for a whole month if you need to. The priority is that you should be spiritually refreshed. You daren’t get worn down. This is a priority throughout the Church.” OBSERVATION: Their leading the (thriving) Youth was very challenging -- it might have been described as low-level warfare. I have at some time or other taken this same approach with various members of staff and office-bearers.

The Robin and the Sparrow

A lovely poem comes to mind. I don't know the source: 

OVERHEARD IN AN ORCHARD

Said the robin to the sparrow,

I should really like to know

Why these anxious human beings

Rush about and worry so.

Said the sparrow to the robin,

I think that it must be

They have no Heavenly Father

Such as cares for you and me! 

OBSERVATION: It explains more than rush and worry. With the absence of God, the anxious human beings try to work their own (perverse) solutions.

POSTSCRIPT: Thanks to a reader in Europe, the author is Elizabeth Cheney. Penned in 1859.

Official Photo

My sister A located a photograph of our family in the SOAS University of London archives, and obtained a copy. This was the official London Missionary Society photograph on our departure for the Central Pacific. OBSERVATION: That turned all of our lives upside down forever.

The Pouncing Cat

An urban minister fairly regularly needs to deal with situations which are or may be unethical, criminal, corrupt, and so on. I said to someone today that my approach changed through the years. I used to be the cat chasing pigeons in the town square. Now I am the cat that lies in the grass and watches. OBSERVATION: In such situations, much may be at stake. They may therefore be risky situations, even dangerous. It is better to pounce when the time is right.