Sunday, July 8, 2012
Episcopal Chaos
The National Convention has gathered, and we are probing into the future of the Episcopal Church. It appears that there is the growing realization that the Episcopal community is in a state of chaos. Yes, it is in chaos , but it has from concepton been on the edge of chaos.
Indeed, the modern science of complexity and chaos theory teaches that any interconnected process always exists in a state of chaos seeking stability. People educated in western theology find it difficult to observe reality in terms of the science of chaos. The theological culture believes that God gives us a proper view of reality based on an all knowing, powerful and loving Being. The church, therefore, is designed to bring the God message of stability to a fallen world. It is a typical western Platonic metaphysics. Whereas, chaos theory is another expression of a process metaphysics.
Chaos refers to an underlying interconnectdness that exists in apparently random events. Chaos science focuses on hidden patterns, nuance, the sensitivity of things and the rules for how the unpredictable leads to the new.
If there is one thing, we can predict it is that randomnicty is the fundamental driving force of the universe. God has created a world of chance events, where we must live in a constant state of adjusting and moving with the chaos of randomnicity. Consequently, every material, social and individual phenomena always exists in a state of chaos seeking constantly throughout the evolutionary process to maintain stability. Chaos theory holds that chaotic systems lie beyond all our attempts to predict, manipulate and control. Instead of resisting life's uncertainties, we must embrace them, go with the flow and become creative.
The Episcopal church cannot escape the laws of choas. We are presetly in a state of high chaos that will lead to implosion. Unless we engage in a creative deconstruction and reconstruction of the organization. It is the high state of chaos and possible implosion of the Episcopal institution that is causing a current of anxiety at our National convention and thoughout every diocese and parish in the country.
In terms of chaos science, I suggest that the Episcopal Church led by the House of Bishops has become a Limit-Cycle system. A system, when faced with high chaos, cuts itself off from the flux of the external world because it targets its internal energy to resisting change and maintaining relatively rigid and mechanical behaviors. When we attempt to control or overpower limit cycle dominated systems, we end up reinforcing the cycle of increasing chaos. The result is the system becomes power obsessed and implodes.
There is one way out of this cycle, and it is creativity. However, creativity can never come from the top of a system that is locked into limit-cycle management. It must come from the Trickster figures who show how creativity can overcome over whelming odds. Tricksters see beyond the limits of the system and bend the rules. The Tricksters make rigid organizations and hierarchial churches uneasy. However, it is such limit-cycle organizations that need them most.
I think I have defined an important new role dedicated to the realistic survival of the Episcopal community; it is the Celtic Trickster. I wonder if there where any really dedicated Tricksters at the convention. We have a House of Deputies. Why not have a House of Trickters?
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I have been studying, praying and hoping for such a Celtic trickiness for fifteen years. We are in a period of radical shape shifting. I hope the time for low level emergence has come. Thanks, great work.
ReplyDeleteGod is indeed in both the complexity and the simplicity. Platonic and Aristotelian metaphysics is unhelpful.
ReplyDeleteI LOVE what little I can understand of chaos theory, but never clearly saw how it fit into church and theology. Thanks for getting me started on this thinking. Seems like the Episcopal Church was somewhat founded on this theory as I understand it from the work of Margaret Wheatley. Few bottom lines and then let people be creative. What would be the bottom lines? The Creeds? Baptismal covenant? The fact we have services from a common book??
ReplyDeleteThanks for starting this conversation.
The problem with us tricksters is that we are by nature disorganized. We are chaotic, and thus it is unlikely we would form a house or club or society, because we're too busy being tricky. But we need some way of coming together or at least an invitation from the power-wielders to come jest in their court.
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ReplyDeleteAnglicanism and the Episcopal Church has shape shifted many times. Even since WWII, we have shifted from a colonial and culturally dominating ecclesiastical institution to many national church bodies in a communion. We successfully tested "bottom up" mission and its funding through Venture in Mission, the single most successful such project in North American Church history. We have been poised for full, local/regional emerging forms of mission organization for at least three decades. Is not time to move on to a great proliferation of little Anglican configurations just about anywhere?
ReplyDeleteWe really have to leave Platonism and it's absolutes behind and look at things from the standpoint of physics. Everything moves all the time and the tricksters job is to penetrate the moving nature of the church and poke holes in the institutions hiarchy that sees itself as ideal, absolute and permanent.
ReplyDeleteBeing here at the House of Deputies, I have witnessed "chaos" but there is no fear... for the assembled voted faithfully in favor of a resolution to proceed with changing the institutional structure..... without a single dissenting vote....followed by a spontaneous standing ovation and moment of celebration! I am witnessing God's provision in the life of the church.
ReplyDeleteSteve, your note is Gospel. Thanks be to God. May such calm bring us all a discerning communion.
ReplyDeleteLet us kick satan out of our churches so we won't have all that chaos to upset us all. Thanks to to GOD that we are a surviving church! Steve, well said
ReplyDeleteChaos is the result of a universe of randomnicity. Randomnicity is no more Satanic than oxygen. It is essential to the design of God's creation.
ReplyDeleteSteve,
ReplyDeleteActually, GC77 did nothing more than form a committee to think and study structure in the hopes of a recommendation three years from now. Hard not to vote in favor. No realy action was taken, no real change, nothing of substance. Just another committee......
I can't agree with Steve that there was "no fear" at the General Convention. My disappointment was that there was little commitment to the issue of the Palestinians--the fear is that we will upset our relationship with Judaism for abuse of Palestinian Christians. Pitting a tank against a pop-gun is hardly brave or fearless.
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