In this episode we look at the emergence of 'The Economy', an amoral object that we can talk about, the place where the happenings of society began to shift to. How did we get here, and what was it like before? The economy has truly taken root in the society of mutual benefit, where as Alexander Pope notes "true SELF-LOVE and SOCIAL are the same thing" (ASA, p 181.)

We look at the trifold Catholic Social Teaching principles of human dignity, solidarity, and subsidiarity as a starting point for returning morality to our engagements with the economy. Referring to the Church, Saint Pope John Paul II proclaimed: "

Reflection:

-What questions did this episode raise in me about how I am living and the costs of my engagement with the economy?

-Where can I find non-productive Sabbath in my week this week?

References:

-Pages of A Secular Age, Charles Taylor: (176-185)

Website:

https://sites.google.com/contemplatingculture

In this episode we tackle the concept of the social imaginary, the believable reality held by a people. Understanding what a social imaginary is, and how it's held in place through things such as stories, images, law, and collective action, we are positioned for intentional response.

We highlight three areas of response that can be useful for missionaries: compassion for understanding someone else's reality and what is holding it in place, effective communication, and critical (outside the social imaginary) and creative (within the social imaginary) thinking.

Reflection

- What social imaginary experiences have I noticed in my life?

- How might I be called to grow in compassion, effective communication and/or critical or creative thinking in my sphere of influence?

References:

-Pages of A Secular Age, Charles Taylor: (171-176)

Website:

https://sites.google.com/contemplatingculture

A jam-packed episode this week exploring the shift in moral order.

We take a look at the shift away from three levels of pre-modern morality:

This shift is enabled by:

With the shift away from the pre modern moral order, a society of mutual benefit emerges, characterised by:

In our discussion we look at some of the implications of the society of mutual benefit, including:

Reflection:

References:

Pages of A Secular Age, Charles Taylor: (164-171)

In this episode we begin Chapter 4, Modern Social Imaginaries. We take a look at the transformation of Natural Law from a theory of the philosophical elite to a functional structure that carries western civilisation from a pre-modern to a modern social imaginary.

As Natural Law created space for secular moral discussion, we propose a few tools that can be useful for us in this space today.

i) plant seeds not trees

ii) keep the door open with love

iii) appeal to the senses

Reflection:

-Where am I being called to witness to the morality that transcends reason? What is the wisdom of God in this space? What do I need to ask for to be faithful in this witness?

References:

References:

Pages of A Secular Age, Charles Taylor: (126-128, 159-163)

In this episode we tackle the entirety of Chapter 3, The Great Disembedding.

With the separation of religion and society, individuals can come to have identity and purpose that is independent of a particular formulation of these.

Taylor points to three anchors that had been holding this relationship in place: i) social order, ii) the cosmos, iii) human good. As each of these comes undone, how we view ourselves and how we conceive of society both shift significantly.

What is society, and why does how we think about it matter for missionaries?

Reflection:

1) What frustrates you, and how does this reveal your notion of what society is or should be? How is this impacting how you operate as a missionary?

2) Who are you being called to walk alongside in accompaniment and discipleship?

3) Spend some time with the Holy Spirit seeking to be reconnected to the greater whole, rather than being only a solitary "I".

References:

Pages of A Secular Age, Charles Taylor: (146-158)

How did a world where the immanent and transcendent were intricately woven come to bequeath us a world where it is possible to live in a closed world where communication between the natural and supernatural is largely foreign and unexpected? As Taylor says “Many

In this episode we explore this movement through the twin slicing of the immanent from the transcendent through the rage for order, and the intense propagation of the sanctity of ordinary life. The end result is a situation where things of the transcendent come to be "experience-far", more and more removed rom daily living, and eventually, culture.

Reflection:

What concepts would you like to be reintroduced into culture as "experience-near"?

References:

Pages of A Secular Age, Charles Taylor: (143-144)

In this week's episode we discuss how polite society and the glorification of reason eventuated in a decline in intimacy.

How did the development of table manners play a role in shame of self-exposure and vulnerability? We trace this and other historical developments as we seek to discover the ways that the hangover of society-prescribed shame still lives in us today.

NB: The audio quality on this episode is lower than normal due to a technical issue not identified at time of recording. Our apologies.

Reflection:

When in my life do I notice an sense of shame emerge that is not grounded in my objective present? How have I internalised shame in ways that I am held captive by it? Spend time bringing these to Jesus and allow Him to set you free.

References:

Pages of A Secular Age, Charles Taylor: (137-142)

In this episode we delve further into Chapter 2 (The of Disciplinary Society) by looking at the rise of reason. As the writings of Justus Lipsius find their way into the right hands at the right time, a program for Christian neo-Stoicism emerges. Can reason and hard work really bring about perfect human living? If reason is a gift from God, is it enough that we use this gift well? What is the role of worship in all of this?

Reflection:

How am I being called to grow in intimacy with God with my whole being, as opposed to following Him only by assent of will?

References:

Pages of A Secular Age, Charles Taylor: (112-125, 129-136)

The journey towards a disciplined society was the introduction of civility to the masses; wide-scale discipline and programs to educate into (or safeguard against threats to a civilised society. Statecraft and religious reform become entangled in the movement, and perhaps this has a part to play in how tearing down "the establishment" led in centuries to come to tearing down "religion".

In this episode we explore

-the three avenues these reforms took: i) excellence and refinement, ii) ordered governance, iii) domestic peace

-five programs that are indicative of how these avenues were actualised: i) poor laws, ii) popular culture crackdown, iii) shaping for improvement, iv) government structures, v) modes of discipline

Kat closes us off with an Ignatian examen, a fruit of this period of history.

References:

Pages of A Secular Age, Charles Taylor: (99-112)

Was there really a time when nature wasn't taken under a microscope? When art and music was used to tell stories, and the thought of testing its limits hadn't really been explored?

With this episode we begin looking at Chapter 2: The Rise of Disciplinary Society. Here, Charles Taylor begins by looking at the story of how humanity started looking at nature for its own sake.

As we follow the story through to today, it becomes scary to realise how quickly treating nature as void of intrinsic purpose can lead us to treating people as void of intrinsic purpose; things/people start to be seen more explicitly as valuable for what they can do.

References:

Pages of A Secular Age, Charles Taylor: (92-98)