CapeConversation

Philip Clayton in Cape Town, April 2011

Clay is moulded to form a cup
Yet only the space within
Allows the cup to hold water
Tao Te Ching 11

(Thanks to John van de Laar, Andy Hendrikse and Marius Brand for the reflection)

We were encouraged by Philip Clayton, accomplished Californian academic, as he visited Cape Town for 2 events this last week. Philip has an unusually deep grasp of biology, philosophy, and theology and is at the forefront of the “science and religion” debate. He is currently Dean of the exciting new interfaith endeavour out of Claremont School of Theology, The University Project.

On Friday 18th Philip co-led a colloquium at the University of the Western Cape on “emergent and complex systems” in conversation with Professor George Ellis, the renowned South African cosmologist based at the University of Cape Town.

Philip’s themes of open emergence and human freedom were paired with George Ellis’s recent work on top-down causation. The morning session concerned emergent or complex systems from the angle of natural science, philosophy of science, neuroscience, and theoretical biology, and the afternoon on emergent and complex systems from the standpoint of the emergence of culture, human freedom, transcendence, metaphysics and theology … potently theoretical, and as I caution, “not to be taken neat”. I was very glad to be part of the think-tank, however, and to know that someone is doing the foundational work in the field.

But as a practical emergent, it was Monday evening’s gathering which profoundly resonated. Unlike the colloquium, it was not constrained by the mores, protocols or rigours of academia. It was a consummate heartspace and despite the given theme “Beyond Facebook Emergence”, none of the 25 participants knew what to expect.

Phil posited a few ideas at various times – “heresy as Orthodoxy”, “God as pervasive process”, “co-authoring the bible”, and “models of God”, but the evening seemed to want something different. Up front, he took off his shoes, and sat on the floor, telling his story, and putting his cards more or less in front if him, asking, “what in this story resonates with you, and what do you find difficult?” It was indeed an open storyspace.

This openness was largely due to Philips phenomenal improvisatory abilities. With reference to the Hindu concept of Lila – लीला in Sanskrit, or play – we gaily abandoned the topic. After a short meditation in the Table Mountain dusk, we played the song “A New Born Child” by Sinead O’Conner from movie “Le Premier Cri” (The First Cry).

Just as two breaths become one breath,
As two whispers become a cry,
Miracle before us lies,
The glory of a new-born child.

Philip took this and ran with it … what are the implications of ongoing birthing? Key to the success of the evening was Phil’s constant quest to hearing from “us” before offering “his” opinion. He probed and probed, eventually coming close to the “thing” that this gathering was all about.

And that thing was kind of heavy, mournful, it was about neither Good Friday nor resurrection Sunday, but the rather shadowy “Holy Saturday”. Afterwards, we struggled to articulate it, but here it is:

We explored a playful space in which we could mourn.

Many of us are becoming aware that we are in fact in mourning for spiritualities we have known, that we are perhaps with REM, “losing my religion.” Our gathering touched this truth profoundly.

We felt called to Kenosis – self emptying – one of George Ellis’s primary truths in his theorising about emergence. This kenotic calling is described in Philippians 2, where Christ Jesus “did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant”. Phil later spoke of his discussions with his celebrated friends such as Brian McLaren, Peter Rollins and Tony Jones, in which the challenge to the emergent movement revolved around how we were able to empty ourselves of the building of “our minstries” for the sake of the greater emergence.

Andy suggested we do a chant, at close quarters, of a new word he just made up – “stome”, 21 times. Uncomfortable, wierd, but strangely alluring.

Philip summarised thus:

• The children among us know the answers to the questions we’re asking.
• Let it be ad lib, acknowledge the community that is already there, celebrate the ‘now’ moment – the spontaneity of what is emerging.
• Lila is the play of God.

We ended without benediction, doxology, or