http://business.guardian.co.uk/story/0,,1762127,00.html
Just FYI if you want to understand a bit of what I do. Personally, having been involved in getting a shareholder resolution for Shell regarding their difficultues in Ireland, Nigeria and Sakhalin, am suprised by some of the biggest holdings.
The church commissioners is where the whole ethical investment gig kicked off -http://oxcheps.new.ox.ac.uk/casebook/Resources/HARRIE_1%20DOC.pdf well, that and the Quakers (Stewardship fund being the longest running ethical fund).
It raises questions about emphasis - legally, investment managers cannot be forced to follow a positive agenda if they are to fulfil their fiduciary duty. But if the church comisisoners can care so much about Caterpillar and their activities in Palestine, can't they see the human rights implications of holding the big mining companies?
Last week I heard the phrase 'sustainable mining'. Without wishing to oversimplify, that's just not possible!
Hmmm
Im a geek, so sue me
Matt
PS Ben - patience, dear boy
Thursday, April 27, 2006
Monday, April 24, 2006
primary 1 x 1
Square one is a real old friend for me, having been back here on a number of occasions. I am now well versed in its dimensions, in space and time. Smoking a cigar with a whisky and staring into the harbour on the Isle of Wight I felt all my strength fall from me.
Just when you think you've got somewhere, some sideswipe will knock you off course - whether real or imagined.
Living life is learning to dwell in square one with contentment, or at least without fear. What have you built there? What did you leave there from last time? I don't find solace in detail. Give me something with substance and purpose.
PS Ben I know my next post was supposed to be about Seeker friendliness. It will come!
Tuesday, April 18, 2006
This was stunningly good
The Manchester Passion on bbc 3 - catch it on teleport if you're posh.
They had this massive lightbox shaped as the cross which was carried through the streets of manchester, very powerful symbol.
I love it when stuff like thsi represents Christianity, you know, well.
My only slight gripe would be that they didn't do the execution scene in public buit behind closed doors, as that was what would've happened today. we do our dirty work away from prying eyes. I reckon that that power of the cross is that it seems like Jesus was made a public spectacle of, a broken, bedraggled weak and puny rebel at the hands of the all powerful Rome. in fact Jesus was making a public spectacle of the powers of darkness, triumphing over them (Collosians somewhere).
Jesus said when I am lifted up I will draw all men unto myself - in the Manchester Passion he wasn't 'lifted up'.
BUT it was still absolutely great. I loved it when the risen Jesus was seen at the top of manchester town hall screaming 'I am the resurection and I am the life' by the stone Roses.
M
They had this massive lightbox shaped as the cross which was carried through the streets of manchester, very powerful symbol.
I love it when stuff like thsi represents Christianity, you know, well.
My only slight gripe would be that they didn't do the execution scene in public buit behind closed doors, as that was what would've happened today. we do our dirty work away from prying eyes. I reckon that that power of the cross is that it seems like Jesus was made a public spectacle of, a broken, bedraggled weak and puny rebel at the hands of the all powerful Rome. in fact Jesus was making a public spectacle of the powers of darkness, triumphing over them (Collosians somewhere).
Jesus said when I am lifted up I will draw all men unto myself - in the Manchester Passion he wasn't 'lifted up'.
BUT it was still absolutely great. I loved it when the risen Jesus was seen at the top of manchester town hall screaming 'I am the resurection and I am the life' by the stone Roses.
M
Wednesday, April 12, 2006
Monday, April 10, 2006
Can you have ....
... communion without Jesus? For this is exactly what we had as I visited my friend's church this sunday morning. Here is how the first part of service went:
Worship with some songs, that nobody seemed massively into. A few folk raise hands, most gazed around wondering where the coffee was. Same song for 10 minutes. God really is FOREVER strong ... then we all were told to grab a piece of wool and make a web in our small groups, with a bigger thread linking us all together. Kinda cool - but took too long!
Anyway - then one of the pastors read out a 2 page collection of thoughts about community living which was a little odd. Imagine someone who had pasted 5 blog entries together.
Then , literally, these were the words . Now we're going to have communion. The bread and wine are at the sides. let's have a moment of quiet. Then people went up and took bread and wine. well, grape juice.
And that was it.
No mention of jesus. No mention of the cross. No mention of the core act of remembrance and coummunity expressed. . . if you were a visitor and didn't knwo anything about church, what would you have felt? this is just some poeploe eating bread and drinking grape juice in silnece when there's doughnuts over there. then we alll break for the doughnuts. maybe its something to remind us all about poverty.
What was especially strange was that the talk afterwards was a fantastically deep yet accesible discussion of what the cross means, especially in realtion to final victory over the powers and kingdoms.
After hearing all that, the first thing I wanted to do was take communion!
M
Worship with some songs, that nobody seemed massively into. A few folk raise hands, most gazed around wondering where the coffee was. Same song for 10 minutes. God really is FOREVER strong ... then we all were told to grab a piece of wool and make a web in our small groups, with a bigger thread linking us all together. Kinda cool - but took too long!
Anyway - then one of the pastors read out a 2 page collection of thoughts about community living which was a little odd. Imagine someone who had pasted 5 blog entries together.
Then , literally, these were the words . Now we're going to have communion. The bread and wine are at the sides. let's have a moment of quiet. Then people went up and took bread and wine. well, grape juice.
And that was it.
No mention of jesus. No mention of the cross. No mention of the core act of remembrance and coummunity expressed. . . if you were a visitor and didn't knwo anything about church, what would you have felt? this is just some poeploe eating bread and drinking grape juice in silnece when there's doughnuts over there. then we alll break for the doughnuts. maybe its something to remind us all about poverty.
What was especially strange was that the talk afterwards was a fantastically deep yet accesible discussion of what the cross means, especially in realtion to final victory over the powers and kingdoms.
After hearing all that, the first thing I wanted to do was take communion!
M
Friday, April 07, 2006
Week whatever
I feel almost well disposed toward the world today.
I have a new toy in my hands in the shape of brand new PC, with a wkd flat screen coming in at a whopping 17" . bear in mind this will be doubled by the addition of another identical screen in two weeks' time.
New toys = boy who is happy.
Also, feeling the sun on your face reminds you that somehow the earth is just the right distance away from the sun to make me warm but not fry me to a crisp.
Isn't knowledge a weird thing - just knowing someone out there cares about you can affect your entire mood. Need to be careful there though.
How deliciously cryptic.
I wonder if there is a point to this 'blog other than to say I think I'm over what I was under. Which now means its no longer ahead but behind. So its below and behind. Week five is nearly over. I don't think there'll be any more weekly updates here. More like the beginning of the rest of the year which is tres bon john.
Like I said to Gareth, out of sight, out of mind, then eventually out of heart. In that order
Tuesday, April 04, 2006
minor rant
Jesus is the absolute living breathing beating heart of everything we do. Without Him we cannot know and serve God. He truly is the centre, the head, of all things. He was the agent of creation (the firstborn) and in Him all things now hold together � he is the divine glue that holds together the old and new creation. He is the one mediator between God and man, the one sacrifice for sins to enable man to be redeemed back into God�s family. We are Christ-ians , followers of the Messiah, the promised one, the chosen one, the anointed one of God to usher in the new age of God permanently dwelling with his people, the one in whom all creation will finally find its consummation and re-creation, in His true Lordship.
This is but the most minscule glimpse of the fullness of the truth and promise we have in Jesus.
Why, then, do we find so many emerging traditions pedalling a non � Trinitarian view of God? Because it�s easier than trying to get your head round the mind blowing truth of the trinity? I don�t know, but it saddens me. I just googled a website of a bishop form Brixton. Among all the self promotion and statements of his various gifts and anointing from God, I found no reference to Jesus. Not one.
Seriously, if Jesus isn�t alive and resurrected, if he isn�t the true Lord of the earth in which all things find their purpose and value, then we are just playing religious games. Shallow ones at that.
I want to scream this morning, its all about Him! He reveals the Father to us, shows us what God is like. Even if you were to never experience anything of God first hand for the rest of your life, you could easily occupy the minutes of everyday for the rest of eternity gazing in awe and wonder at the cross, and beholding the man.
Rant ends. Jesus, be the centre.
Matt
Monday, April 03, 2006
Looking and seeing
Mr recent ruminations have been anything but recent. I trace this back to a coefficient which i have identified, namely my desire to blog being proportionate to the level of social and emotional upheaval in my life.
Things have been easing of late, for good reasons and for less good reasons.
I've been really thinking about 'seeing'. Last night I lead 400 or so kids with a song which says 'I want to see you'. Now, no one has seen God. Moses asked for it and God only let all his goodness pass before him, and believe me, that would be more than enough to blow my little mind!
But my readings seem to be emphasising the self revelation of God the Father in the Son. Today it was that beautiful poem in Colossians. Paul writes in thanks for the love and fruit which is showing itself in the new life the Colossians have found, and you ask yourself where it comes from. Then we get the poem, saying he is the image of the invisible God, one in whom the fullness of God dwelt.
If you look long and hard in an attitude of devotion toward Jesus, you see that God is most perfectly defined as deep, self giving Love. God created the Universe out of Love, allowed us life and consciousness out of love, covenanted with us out of love, corrected and disciplined us out of love, rescued us out of love, sent His Son out of love, resurrected Him out of Love, sent His spirit out of Love, sustains us out of love �. I could go on.
In the psalm I read this morning it said that the world is full of God thoughts and God wonders. We just need to tune ourselves into them. For me, this meant standing outside the physiotherapy department allowing the warmth of the April sunrise to soak into me, each fresh breath of God�s air filling my life with beauty. Look at Jesus inwardly, and your outward perspective will change. The world is full of God thoughts and God wonders for those that seek them out.
M
Matt Crossman
derwent_massive@hotmail.com
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