Beyond in the Midst: Alternative Practices of Faith

Abstract

Repeat the main themes of the book: local transcendences; assemblages; human and the non-human; plasticity and plastic autonomy, metastability; distributed agency; new Enlightenment; the apophatic and the relational; pharmakon; disjunctive synthesis and dissensus; the Beautiful and the Sublime; mapping and reassembling; material religious practices; otium and negotium.

Are any of these in evidence in contemporary religion?

Emerging Church Movement as researched by Marti and Ganiel offered as example of some of these themes in evidence, but lacking a political critique since largely church focused. Where is the Sublime in this?

Balsall Heath Community Forum as counter example where response to threat and danger empowered local people to form their own response, driven by the Sublime or apophatic as well as being relational.

Conclusion that there is no comfortable solution but constant tensions, for instance when those of faith cross boundaries to work together, others of faith respond by sharpening those boundaries. Also, contemporary apocalypse is climate change rather than threat of nuclear war which encourages people to hide behind their (technological) addictions with the fear that time itself is running out! Final proposal that most serious weakness of both NM and RCR is that they provide no firm telos or hope for the future as this is radically open. Perhaps the vision of the Heavenly Banquet is an answer for this?