{"id":23300,"date":"2019-06-08T02:15:37","date_gmt":"2019-06-08T09:15:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dminlgp\/?p=23300"},"modified":"2019-06-09T14:13:11","modified_gmt":"2019-06-09T21:13:11","slug":"take-a-look-around-its-more-interesting-than-you-think","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/take-a-look-around-its-more-interesting-than-you-think\/","title":{"rendered":"Take a look around – it’s more interesting than you think"},"content":{"rendered":"

Martyn Percy is possibly one of the most interesting ministry leaders I have met. I have every reason to doubt that he will remember me, but I did spend a day with him while I was Dean of Wellington Cathedral of St Paul. Being the Dean of a cathedral is one thing, while being the Dean of Christchurch in Oxford is quite another. I was appointed by a Bishop; he was appointed by the Queen. I was interviewed by 7 people, he was interviewed by 50. I had a ministry contract; he had no contract because no-one has a contract with the Queen \u2013 you are there at her pleasure. I had a known stipend; he had an unwritten allowance.\u00a0 All that being true gives credence to the claim that he is a remarkable Christian leader, thinker and educator. And given his current stoush with the old guard at Oxford University, he is no wilting flower.[1]<\/a><\/p>\n

What struck me most about Martyn Percy was how ordinary he is in person. Certainly, he is a man of great faith with an encyclopaedic understanding of the church, theology, politics and geopolitical history, but he has a disarming ordinariness in which he captures the meaning of big theories of everything, then looking at how they fit with current affairs. He is indeed a contextual theologian.[2]<\/a><\/p>\n

Reading the book Reasonable Radical? Reading the Writings of Martyn Percy was easy from my point of view. Percy is a thorough going Anglican with a commitment to churchmanship that is formed in the acts of church history and history of Christian thought. He also writes in an Anglican way, which can be a little peculiar to those unfamiliar with his tone. Richard Lawson puts it rather well.<\/p>\n

There is something intrinsically Anglican about Percy\u2019s tone of voice. For Percy, Anglicanism is\u2014in part\u2014perspective and tone. Its \u201cpeculiar genius is not to have solved the problem of its own identity\u2014although that looks increasingly ragged as a virtue, at present. Anglicanism is episcopal, yet synodical; Catholic, yet Protestant\u2014the via media.\u201d Anglicanism is scripturally engaged but not in a narrow way. Likewise, Percy\u2019s voice is rarely preachy or prescriptive, although scriptural imagery and stories influence how he sees the world.[3]<\/strong><\/em><\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The book also helps readers of Percy\u2019s writing to understand how he draws from the humanities, especially sociology and anthropology in particular. Anthony Bash, in his own review of the book, summarises this point when he writes that Percy only wants to enrich the dialogue of ecclesial, spiritual and intellectual traditions.[4]<\/a> However, in the excerpt from his writings, Percy himself points out that despite his commitment to theological dialogue within the thinking of sociology and anthropology, he wary that the driver of Christian thought is not supplanted. Theology informs sociological engagement, not the other way around.[5]<\/a><\/p>\n

Perhaps most importantly, the book shows how Percy understands Christian and doctrinal thinking are formed. They are not simply rational considerations fixed for all time but are continually shaped contemporary culture and spirituality of the day \u2013 what he calls, \u2018theological constructions of reality\u2019.[6]<\/a> And I like that about Percy. In person he is much the same as he is written form. I think he lives what he thinks and is rather courageous with it. Though many would disagree with me, I think there are similarities with my other contextual ethicist and practical theologian, Stanley Hauerwas. One is a mild-mannered English Anglican, the other a somewhat brash American United Methodist (almost Mennonite). Both have been critiqued or criticized because the church they envisage does not exist and perhaps never has. Percy has been accused of \u2018nostalgic Anglicanism\u2019 and Hauerwas of the \u2018non-existent non-violent church\u2019.[7]<\/a> [8]<\/a> However, most of the critics miss the point, context is everything, alongside localised social and anthropological arrangements. A big theology has to make sense in a local community, so the local expression must work it out for themselves \u2013 that\u2019s what good leaders do \u2013 they know who they are, to whom they belong and where they come from. They engage carefully with modern thinking. They understand the contest in which they pull it all together.<\/p>\n

Of all the chapters in the book, the one entitled \u2018Practically Priests\u2019 was worth indulging at the present moment. Percy\u2019s pedagogy is a little hard to comprehend because it\u2019s not clearly stated, by he does reveal a certain irony in the significance of priestly character against other professions. He writes,<\/p>\n

A trainee doctor who has failed medical school will probably not make a good doctor; an accountant or lawyer that fails their professional exams is unlikely to proceed in that line of work. But a person who is perhaps not a good theologian or fine preacher may, nonetheless, be an excellent priest.[9]<\/strong><\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

To this end leaders are formed in character not instrumentalised measurements of success. A first-class degree is no measure of personal formation and character-based leadership that will shape a community of faith in whatever context it serves. Why? Because character rises beyond mindless prescriptions to incarnate the gospel in its unique missional, social and anthropological context (that was a mouthful).<\/p>\n

Much of the book is laudatory. However, Kate Blanchard takes a more critical approach toward Percy’s commitment to churchmanship in that he appears more concerned about unity than sexual Justice.[12] But personally I’m with Percy. Issues of sexual justice will work themselves out contextually and sociologically over time. Schism, however, never works itself out and tends to negatively define faith for generations.<\/p>\n

Notes:<\/strong><\/p>\n

[1]<\/a> Harriet Sherwood, \u201cReformist Dean At Oxford \u2018Medieval Fiefdom\u2019 is Being Bullied, Supporters Claim,\u201d The Guardian, 2018, Accessed 7 June 2017, https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/uk-news\/2018\/nov\/17\/oxford-bullying-claim-dean-christ-church.<\/p>\n

[2]<\/a> Ian S. Markham and Joshue Daniel, eds., Reasonable Radical? Reading the Writings of Martyn Percy<\/em>, Kindle ed., (Eugene, Oregon: Pickwick Publications, 2018). loc 150<\/p>\n

[3]<\/a> Richard Lawson, \u201cThree Sketches of Symbols and Sacraments an Appreciation of Martyn Percy\u2019s Perspective and Tone,\u201d in Reasonable Radical? Reading the Writings of Martyn Percy, <\/em>ed. Ian S. Markham and Joshue Daniel, (Eugene, Oregon: Pickwick Publications, 2018). loc 2026<\/p>\n

[4]<\/a> Anthony Bash, \u201cReasonable Radical? Reading the Writings of Martyn Percy,\u201d Journal for the Study of Spirituality 9, no. 1 (2019). 74<\/p>\n

[5]<\/a> \u201cReasonable Radical? Reading the Writings of Martyn Percy\u201d. loc 5835<\/p>\n

[6]<\/a> Martyn Percy, \u201cResponse to Part I on the Vocation of the Contextual Theologian,\u201d in Reasonable Radical? Reading the Writings of Martyn Percy, <\/em>ed. Ian S. Markham and Joshue Daniel, (Eugene, Oregon: Pickwick Publications, 2018). loc 1817<\/p>\n

[7]<\/a> See Stanley Hauerwas, The Character of Virtue: Letters to a Godson<\/em> (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans Publishing Co., 2018). 108<\/p>\n

[8]<\/a> \u201cReasonable Radical? Reading the Writings of Martyn Percy\u201d. loc 450<\/p>\n

[9]<\/a> Ibid. loc 4791<\/p>\n

[12] Blanchard, Kate. \u201c\u201cSecondary Indicators of Emphasis\u201d Sexuality and Gender in Martyn Percy\u2019s Writings.\u201d In Reasonable Radical? Reading the Writings of Martyn Percy, ed. Ian S. Markham, and Joshue Daniel, loc 3868-4363. Eugene, Oregon: Pickwick Publications, 2018. loc 3870ff<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Bibliography:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Bash, Anthony. \u201cReasonable Radical? Reading the Writings of Martyn Percy.\u201d Journal for the Study of Spirituality 9, no. 1 (2019): 74\u201375.<\/p>\n

Hauerwas, Stanley. The Character of Virtue: Letters to a Godson<\/em>. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans Publishing Co., 2018.<\/p>\n

Lawson, Richard. \u201cThree Sketches of Symbols and Sacraments an Appreciation of Martyn Percy\u2019s Perspective and Tone.\u201d In Reasonable Radical? Reading the Writings of Martyn Percy<\/em>, ed. Ian S. Markham, and Joshue Daniel, loc 1966-2317. Eugene, Oregon: Pickwick Publications, 2018.<\/p>\n

Ian S. Markham, and Joshue Daniel, eds. Reasonable Radical? Reading the Writings of Martyn Percy<\/em>. Eugene, Oregon: Pickwick Publications, 2018.<\/p>\n

Percy, Martyn. \u201cResponse to Part I on the Vocation of the Contextual Theologian.\u201d In Reasonable Radical? Reading the Writings of Martyn Percy<\/em>, ed. Ian S. Markham, and Joshue Daniel, loc 1801-1950. Eugene, Oregon: Pickwick Publications, 2018.<\/p>\n

Sherwood, Harriet. \u201cReformist Dean At Oxford \u2018Medieval Fiefdom\u2019 is Being Bullied, Supporters Claim.\u201d Last modified November 2018, Accessed 7 June 2017, https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/uk-news\/2018\/nov\/17\/oxford-bullying-claim-dean-christ-church.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Martyn Percy is possibly one of the most interesting ministry leaders I have met. I have every reason to doubt that he will remember me, but I did spend a day with him while I was Dean of Wellington Cathedral of St Paul. Being the Dean of a cathedral is one thing, while being the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":124,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[963],"class_list":["post-23300","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-martyn-percy","cohort-lgp9"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23300","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/124"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=23300"}],"version-history":[{"count":12,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23300\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":23328,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23300\/revisions\/23328"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23300"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=23300"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=23300"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}