[Oe List ...] Inspired by Carlos, Lynn, Margaret and Marshall

[Dave Thomas]

I agree with Randy.  I believe we need to continue to teach some forms of
RS-1 (such as John Cock's Profound Living) which are oriented to secular as
well as Christian audiences.  Dave Thomas

 

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From: oe-bounces at wedgeblade.net [mailto:oe-bounces at wedgeblade.net] On Behalf
Of R Williams
Sent: Friday, October 23, 2009 5:05 AM
To: Order Ecumenical Community; Colleague Dialogue
Subject: [Oe List ...] Inspired by Carlos, Lynn, Margaret and Marshall

 


Colleagues,

 

I have been particularly inspired by the contributions made by Carlos, Lynn,
Margaret and Marshall to the conversation on group methods, curriculum and
their intended purpose.  I must confess that I have been one who has been
concerned that the mission we once understood ourselves to have, as it is
now being institutionally represented by successors of O:E/EI/ICA, has been
watered down simply to "facilitation," that is, teaching people a set of
participatory processes and the skills to administer them--a kind of
"rational aim" without an "existential objective," if you will.

 

Facilitation was and is an effective tool for achieving the mission to which
we were/are called, but it was never, in my opinion, more than the means to
an end.  The only thing we ever intended to "facilitate" (which I take it
means to "make easier"), the only "existential objective" we ever had, was a
change of heart and mind, a conversion, a metanoia, so that people were
called and released to embrace a new story of reality (that all life is
good, accepted, approved, open) and thereby live their freedom in such a way
that they became servants of their neighbor.  That's what everything in the
curriculum, from RS-1 to LENS, was designed to do, and they all did it
without exception.

 

As for LENS, today with organizations like the World Business Academy
describing business as "the most powerful institution on the planet" and
insisting that as such it must, although it has no track record for doing
so, "take responsibility for the whole"--and as viable alternatives are
being sought to the crass individualism of capitalism on the one extreme and
the naive collectivism of socialism on the other--the experience that LENS
was and still can be for the business community, has never been more needed.

 

Randy Williams

 

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