I wrote this as a response to a post I saw on IG. Putting this here as reminder of where I'm going.
Thanks for asking about my thoughts surrounding the lament, common
good, etc. My thoughts are not fleshed out at all but this is a very brief
outline of what I hope to work through more fully. A bit of background to set it
up. I’ve been in a lamentable situation for about 6 years with no end in sight
at this point. It has been an extended period of lamenting. I’ve read a few
books, have a couple of close friends with whom I can share, but other than
that I have been at a loss as to live in this period. And yes, part of the
reason is the loss of the practice of both corporate and individual lament. We
grieve, but that is short-term. Last
year, at Hopewords writers conference, Andy Crouch’s keynote address was how
our best creativity is born out of lament. Yep, there was my key. I practically
tackled him after the address to thank him and to pass on another resource.
All that to say this is my current outline for understanding
how the topics below are integral to one another.
1)
Understanding what the phrases “common good” and
“flourishing” mean. Are they universal and/or local? Does the beatific vision
guide us here? I’ve read Jake Meador’s book, In Search of the Common Good, and
plan to work through James K. A. Smith’s Kingdom series.
2)
When flourishing/common good are lost due to
sin/fallenness what does our grieving and lament look like? Does the loss tell
us, show us what has been lost, tell us something about the good that has been
lost? Does experience of loss precede knowledge of the good? Does the practice
of lament help us to name the loss and the good? If it does, then perhaps the
loss of corporate lament has been a larger factor in our loss of common goods.
More here: https://fisherlane.blogspot.com/2019/09/recently-i-was-asked-about-lament_30.html
Working with books by Tim Keller, Wendy Alsup,
Kelly Kapic and other essays on suffering, grief, lament.
3)
Creativity, as Andy illustrated, is a natural
outworking of those who seek shalom while working from a place of lament. Unfortunately,
I can’t lay my hands on my notes, but when I do, I will send you more details
on this. (why am I so disorganized when I’m home all the time? 😉
) Creativity is needed to recognize, repair, recover as best we can the good. I’m
compiling a list of books about creativity, theological anthropology, etc.
4)
To recognize, repair, recover will require struggle
and sacrifice.
5)
And now to the question that is more difficult
for me at this point. Can we come to an agreement on the common good, or that
fact just one common good, that we can all agree on and all struggle and
sacrifice for? If so, what? If not, how do we go forward?
