That very English topic; the weather continues to occupy us English…and continues kind and gentle for late November. Some rain, but glorious sunshine, firing the oranges and yellows as the last autumn leaves fall along the tree lines edging the fields around Petit Bossey. Lake Geneva is alternately sapphire and royal blue, translucent waters reflecting back the baby blue skies. But in the midst of this idyll there is one, or rather several very large pointers winter is truly here….those High Mountain peaks of the Alps to the south and Jura to the north are now snow covered to about third-way down! It is a wonderful gift to watch God’s creation gently transform and renew every day.
It has become an aesthetically pleasing source of contemplation to be the watchers and yet also participants in this Swiss bit of God’s creation. After Morning Worship, Anna and I deliberately walk around the grounds to class. We halt briefly halfway to look across the lake to the Alps. Every day brings a difference, but we are struck dumb by the beauty: whether is be morning sunbeams filtering through ethereal mist or mountains playing hide and seek with us in grey drizzle. When the peaks are cloud wreathed, how easy to glimpse the spiritual reality of the those scripture passages: The Transfiguration: ‘then a cloud appeared and enveloped them’ (Mark 9:7) And one morning, as a red haze of sunrise tinted the cloud on the mountain…’to the Israelites the glory of the Lord looked like a consuming fire on top of the mountain. Then Moses entered the cloud as he went on up the mountain.’ (Exodus 24:17-18)
Linda’s husband Nigel visited and was equally smitten with this very still spiritual place…..but as some may know he is also a cyclist. He located a road bike and planned his own ‘Tour de Bossey’ which included conquering at least one mountain col (Avid Tour de France followers will understand the terminology). Now proposing that Nigel’s cycling club would be good guests here in the ‘off season’?!…
The Ecumenical Centre hosts hundreds of groups and conferences a year, some of which are often interested in meeting the student body. A recent German Lutheran Pastors conference was held and the participants joined us in a Lima Liturgy (Ecumenical Eucharist Service) and afterwards hosted an opportunity to talk ‘ecumenism’! This outreach proomtes fundraising for scholarships for Graduate school and Masters Students from areas of the world where help is needed.
Dropped Linda’s husband off at Geneva airport, which straddles the Franco-Swiss border.. just like the nearby French town of Ferney-Voltaire. This was French philosopher, Voltaire’s home for the last 20 years of his life to 1778. Indeed his opulent chateau stood in France while the pavilion ‘at-the-bottom-of-the-garden’ was in Switzerland. Somewhat controversial, when his critical writings upset the French authorities and warrants were issued to silence him, Voltaire would just decamp to Switzerland at the bottom of his garden, and evade his would-be jailors!
Missiology Module led by Professor Dr Andre Karamaga (Presbyterian minister originally from Rwanda, WCC and AICC). We have examined the Biblical roots of Christian mission, as missio dei first, then looking at the first Christian missionaries who were refugees from persecution in Antioch. A focus on tensions between culture and scripture has led us to attempt to formulate a methodology for stripping away the cultural expectations we each automatically bring to questions of mission: which develop from our own geographical, sociological, cultural origin and human development. We each employ excessive personal subjective ‘norms’ in any argument around culture which are far from normal and when put under the microscope. Learning to think about how culture is ‘for the other’ rather than ‘self’ reflects Augustine of Hippo’s thought….himself an African.
“Since time immemorial Africans believe in one God and each African language has a name for Him; Nzambi… the supreme Being; Leza..means the Almighty: Mulungu…means the link of everything……. African monotheism has similarities with Biblical monotheism certainly due to the mutual influences with Jewish people who spent more than 400 years in the African continent. If we want to know Africa better we need to go beyond the impression that Africa exists only since some people from the West pretended to have discovered it.”(A.Karamaga)
The three African experiences of Christianity (1st, 15th and 18th century missions) and the challenges to African values today form the module case study. So we will be asking if inculturation has exceeded its limits and pushed the boundaries around ‘proper’ Christian expression too far to accommodate any or all cultural traditions. Mission and metanoia will examine what become our cultural values and religious heritage when we become Christians. Just learning of the tensions between Christian, Muslim and traditional religions from fellow students from Africa is perhaps the steepest learning curve among many learning curves! Having among us one ordained Christian priest, who grew up a Muslim in a country where very traditional religious practises also remain strong, is akin to having a living embodiment of the arguments…especially when he wears his traditional flowing Arab-African robes.
A polyglot group of us with fluent English went to the opening night of Coppet’s village’s English Drama Company’s production of “Run for your wife”. We joined a very English, largely ‘ex-pat’ crowd. Drinks and RBL poppies were on offer…in fact after we realised the plot was set in Streatham and Wimbledon (with lines about there being no traffic on the M23!!??—poetic licence?)….there was a feeling that we could have been at the Ashcroft in Croydon where Anna and Linda hail from!
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