Hello, it feels like it’s been a while

I have a block. It’s not actually writers block, as such, as I have pages of notebook and files of hard drive storing up various fragments. Thoughts are coming out as words, people, on paper on screen.

And there are thoughts, also. I’m currently in various stages of reading Rowan Williams’ On Christian Theology, Miroslav Volf’s Exclusion and Embrace, Matthew Vines’ God and the Gay Christian and Everyday Sexism (oh, and Goodbye to All That and The Rapture of the Nerds, for good fiction measure), and they are all provoking thoughts.

(And actually, what I really want to be reading is Nick Harkaway’s new novel, Tigerman, which will probably cause thoughts too, but currently the two I’m reading are ruining my life and I’m seriously considering bailing on both of them)

Oh, and I have rageous thoughts about the recent European election, because seriously, protest by voting if you want - I also happen to think that the way Europe works could use some improving and redefining - but if you could be constructive about it, that’d be great.

But they are not, yet, controllable, put-out-in-the-world-able thoughts (especially on Matthew Vines’ book, which is going to take a fair bit of musing, I think)… and I do want to do something a bit bigger with them. Aside from diving into Vines’ book (at the moment, I’m not convinced, and I would really like to be convinced… there’s quite a lot of second-guessing going on), I’m working out the links between Rowan Williams’ thoughts on createdness with Heidegger’s being-in-the-world and what that might mean in relation to David Foster Wallace’s thoughts on worship and James Smith’s work on cultural liturgies and our orientation towards - or away from - God.

There is no such thing as not worshipping. Everybody worships. The only choice we get is what to worship

That I just need to sit down with for a bit. And also dig out my copy of Being and Time (oh, goooooooooood), which is currently in Cornwall and which is only half read (never got into the Time bit).

Slightly more octopus-like are some musings on Volf, difference and exclusion, globalism and localism, modernity and postmodernity, and what just happened in the European elections, which could go in a few different directions. Nothing really small then. (hits head off wall)

Oh, and I have a rather busy month coming up. What’s a free weekend again?

I’ll be right with you.