Inner Compass interview
This was an interview I did for Calvin College about a year ago. It has already done the rounds but might provide an access point to some of my work.
Explaining Emergent Churches – Inner Compass from Calvin College on Vimeo.
Someday I will write about the nature of Television sets. As you might expect, the background was a fake. The reason for this is interesting… a fake background looks more real than a genuine one ever could.
Tags: Calvin College, emergent, emerging church, Inner compass, Peter Rollins
May 13th, 2009 at 6:29 am
this is great, Pete. i hadn’t seen this before. it’s always a bit difficult to assess when (to some degree at least) one takes all this stuff as read at this point but i found some really clear, succinct articulation going on in that. there were some interesting questions in there too.
might be useful to stick that on our wiki front page. makes for a good intro.
nice one.
slán,
cary.
May 13th, 2009 at 9:58 am
You should write about the nature of Television sets that would be fascinating. Or maybe you should co-write a book with Shane Hipps…?
May 13th, 2009 at 12:05 pm
great discussion. i was impressed with both the questions and answers.
May 13th, 2009 at 2:11 pm
I really like the boat and ocean analogy for the hyper anonymity – makes great sense.
May 14th, 2009 at 6:38 am
hey thanks for posting this, i found it on the web a few days ago and have had some good responses from some friends who don’t want to immerse themselves in reading emergent literature, but are constantly asking me about what i’m reading and then become utterly bewildered at my responses at the premise of your books and others. haha. good job, this was a very well done interview.
May 14th, 2009 at 7:17 am
Peter, thanks for posting this interview. I really enjoyed it and thought your questioner did a very good job of interacting with your philosophy. Is it not also a paradox that fake Christianity also looks more real than the authentic one?
May 14th, 2009 at 7:51 am
Very nicely put Andy… that is the kind of thing I am interested in exploring
May 14th, 2009 at 8:47 am
Can I read anything into your use of a capital letter for the noun ‘television’ ?! Perhaps the upper case letter affords it a status it may well deserve! I say this aware of a postcard pinned on a noticeboard of mine. The postcard depicts the outline of a television and on its screen are the words, ‘Weapon of mass distraction’. Methinks this is a very accurate description of said gadget.
May 14th, 2009 at 10:52 am
Great start to joining the conversation of the emergent church. Thank you for refusing to be a leader Pete. Speaking of which, I am wondering if I might be able to gain your advice on starting an emergent cohort/group/conversation/gathering. If you are able to find time to email me with any advice on where to start and how to set the tone, etc. I would greatly appreciate it. I have already contacted emergent village but would love to get as much advice as possible. Also, once things are off and running, I’d love to have you visit and spend an evening with the group. Ever been to Maine?
May 15th, 2009 at 3:45 am
Peter, are we seeing here a struggle between an authentic Dasein and the everyday, background Dasein, be it television studios or religion?
May 15th, 2009 at 11:24 am
I think this video also illustrates some of the thoughts on God, and suspended space that are raised in the above interview. I really enjoyed the interview and need to get myself down to the Ikon services.
May 15th, 2009 at 11:48 am
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-WybvhRu9KU
Sorry, it seems like I did not manage to embed the video in the above response. The link will probably survive this attempt to share it.
May 16th, 2009 at 5:05 pm
on the t.v. set thing:
i am a writer, and one of my closest friends is a visual artist. when i was first working out the “how” of writing (which really is always an ongoing thing) i remember this fantastic conversation we had when i realized that to tell the truth of a thing i had to frame it in an untruth, which, she said was the same as her art – if she were to draw a hand exactly as it looked in real life it would look nothing like a “real” hand. i suppose it’s like emily dickinson’s famous “tell all the truth but tell it slant” poem which nonfictionists love to toss in the face of hard line realists. i love it. i love that story can carry truth in a way that cold facts can’t.
May 17th, 2009 at 6:58 am
Peter: I really like the way you make me think. I’m sure that’s part of your purpose. When someone asks me how to find God, I want to be able to reveal God to them. Not so much in words, but I use words. Paul said that he carried the aroma of God through Jesus. I want that fragrance in my life. I personally believe it is tangible. People can sense it, feel it and experience it. That is what I want to bring…or desire to bring. Like Jesus did. To do this, I spend time with Jesus in worship, meditation, prayer…soaking him in…
May 22nd, 2009 at 10:52 am
Radical. Scary. Prophetic. Thanks for pushing the boundaries and provoking thought. You said we can’t nail Jesus down…how true – it wasn’t possible 2000 yrs ago and your thinking provokes me to ask myself why and where am I trying to “crucify” him today?
June 19th, 2009 at 7:30 am
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