I was delighted to discover that last Sunday's Review section of the New York Times contains some mega shout-outs to the power of fellowship.
Joshua Wolf Shenk, who wrote "The End of Genius" about how creativity blooms in pairs and groups, not in individuals, likely doesn't know how nicely he expounded on Quaker ideas as he debunks the cultural fallacy that individual genius propels society forward.
He quotes Marjorie Garber's research which shows that historically, "genius" meant "a tutelary god or spirit given to every person at birth." Wolf Shenk summarizes that "any value that emerged from within a person depended on a potent, unseen force coming from beyond that person."
Sounds like Fox, declaring in his Journal that "every man was enlightened by the divine light of Christ." (Christ being the power of God.)
Also sounds like Kelly when he explains the essentially creative nature of our relationship with the Divine:
"I am persuaded that religious people do not with sufficient seriousness count on God as an active factor in the affairs of the world. "Behold, I stand at the door and knock," but too many well-intentioned people are so preoccupied with the clatter of effort to do something for God that they don't hear Him asking that He might do something through us."
We must open ourselves that divine creativity can flow through us.
How? Get into pairs!
Wolf Shenk argues that our image of social progress bursting forth in the brainstorms of individual philosophers and scientists is plain wrong. The best ideas come from throwing ideas around between people. Ideas will remain ideas until they are shared.
"Even Eistein, for all his solitude, worked out the theory of relativity in conversation with the engineer Michele Besso, whom he praised as "the best sounding board in Europe." We all need sounding boards.
There is power, therefore, in the fellowship. I find that spiritual growth and discovery, like innovation or invention, are most effectively encouraged by fellowship. That fellowship can be between two people, or 12 (Matthew 18:20: for where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there with them."). Spiritual work, I'm convinced, is essentially creative work, and as Wolf Shenk states, taking the example of Lennon and McCartney, "Two people are the root of social experience --- and of creative work."
Beyond the comfort and sense of belonging traditionally offered by faith communities (it's nice to sip coffee and chat with friends after the service), such communities today should embrace their roles as incubators for personal, spiritual discovery. For most of us, companionship offers helpful signage along the way. So our churches must also, to borrow phrasing from Wolf Shenk, "take seriously something just as important [as romance], but long overlooked -- creative intimacy."
He quotes Marjorie Garber's research which shows that historically, "genius" meant "a tutelary god or spirit given to every person at birth." Wolf Shenk summarizes that "any value that emerged from within a person depended on a potent, unseen force coming from beyond that person."
Sounds like Fox, declaring in his Journal that "every man was enlightened by the divine light of Christ." (Christ being the power of God.)
Also sounds like Kelly when he explains the essentially creative nature of our relationship with the Divine:
"I am persuaded that religious people do not with sufficient seriousness count on God as an active factor in the affairs of the world. "Behold, I stand at the door and knock," but too many well-intentioned people are so preoccupied with the clatter of effort to do something for God that they don't hear Him asking that He might do something through us."
We must open ourselves that divine creativity can flow through us.
How? Get into pairs!
Wolf Shenk argues that our image of social progress bursting forth in the brainstorms of individual philosophers and scientists is plain wrong. The best ideas come from throwing ideas around between people. Ideas will remain ideas until they are shared.
"Even Eistein, for all his solitude, worked out the theory of relativity in conversation with the engineer Michele Besso, whom he praised as "the best sounding board in Europe." We all need sounding boards.
There is power, therefore, in the fellowship. I find that spiritual growth and discovery, like innovation or invention, are most effectively encouraged by fellowship. That fellowship can be between two people, or 12 (Matthew 18:20: for where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there with them."). Spiritual work, I'm convinced, is essentially creative work, and as Wolf Shenk states, taking the example of Lennon and McCartney, "Two people are the root of social experience --- and of creative work."
Beyond the comfort and sense of belonging traditionally offered by faith communities (it's nice to sip coffee and chat with friends after the service), such communities today should embrace their roles as incubators for personal, spiritual discovery. For most of us, companionship offers helpful signage along the way. So our churches must also, to borrow phrasing from Wolf Shenk, "take seriously something just as important [as romance], but long overlooked -- creative intimacy."
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