I appreciate all things Celtic, so my spirit perked up when I noticed the mention of the anmchara or soul-friend in tonight'slecture. The role fulfilled many of the same functions as a spiritual director, but in many aspects resembled more of a peer relationship. As the lecture noted, it was a ministry of lay people.
One of the neat things about the Celtic expression of Christianity was how it fit into the already existing culture, rather than trying to impose a Roman-style culture among the people. An interesting book about this topic is The Celtic Way of Evangelism by George C. Hunter III, a professor at Asbury Theological Seminary.
There are some interesting folks in Hamilton, Ontario who run a coffee house that is also their church. The staff and congregation take turns as baristas and engage hundreds of people each day. Could the missional or emergent church emphasis upon engaging the community where one worships be a modern day expression of the anmchara?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
1 comment:
Oh how I long to be in a "Celtic" atmosphere. Maybe I'm called to be a barista after all...
Post a Comment