{"id":100501,"date":"2021-03-19T09:00:21","date_gmt":"2021-03-19T13:00:21","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/kendallharmon.net\/?p=100501"},"modified":"2021-03-19T17:22:05","modified_gmt":"2021-03-19T21:22:05","slug":"church-times-6","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kendallharmon.net\/?p=100501","title":{"rendered":"(Church Times) Theology Slam winner considers roots of compassion"},"content":{"rendered":"

An exploration of the relationship between compassion and the womb was declared the winning talk at the third Theology Slam<\/a> final, on Thursday evening.<\/p>\n

It was given by Imogen Ball, who is a final-year ordinand and MA student at Trinity College, Bristol. For a second year running, the final took place online.<\/p>\n

The Theology Slam \u2014 a competition to find engaging young voices who think theologically<\/a> about the contemporary world \u2014 was organised jointly by the Church Times<\/em>, SCM Press<\/a>, and the London Institute for Contemporary Christianity<\/a> (LICC).<\/p>\n

In her talk, Ms Ball noted that the Hebrew words racham <\/em>(to have compassion), rachum <\/em>(compassionate), and rachamim <\/em>(compassion) all share the same three root words as rechem<\/em>: R-H-M. \u201cRechem <\/em>is uniquely reserved for the female reproductive organ, the womb.\u201d<\/p>\n

She continued: \u201cNow, just because these words share the same three foundational letters does not mean they have the same meaning. But there is something that catches my attention, a depth of meaning to be mined, when we mirror these strangely related terms. By mirroring the womb and compassion, we reveal glimpses of creative compassion.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read it all<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cCreative compassion builds relationships beyond a one-off handout: it invites people in rather than transferring a tenner. Creative compassion is active imagining; it is envisaging and enacting a future that is better\u201d https:\/\/t.co\/kRrbbNJL25<\/a><\/p>\n

— Church Times (@ChurchTimes) March 19, 2021<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n