On the 19th July 2012 at the Moot Community of the Guild Church of St Mary Aldermary in the City of London and in front of a packed crowd, Charles Eisenstein explores the theme of developing a gift economy drawing on his writings and his most recent book, Sacred Economics. This is the first of two podcast recordings.

Sacred Economics traces the history of money from ancient gift economies to modern capitalism, revealing how the money system has contributed to alienation, competition, and scarcity, destroyed community, and necessitated endless growth. Today, these trends have reached their extreme – but in the wake of their collapse, we may find great opportunity to transition to a more connected, ecological, and sustainable way of being.

The views expressed in this podcast are not necessarily the views of the Moot Community or the Guild Church of St Mary Aldermary. In a world facing significant threats and questions, Charles Eisenstein contributes his thinking into the public arena.

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It was with great excitement that Ian Mobsby had the opportunity to dialogue with Fr Richard Rohr concerning the importance of contemplative Christianity to the contemporary World. Fr Richard is the founder of the Center for Action and Contemplation, which seeks to deepen the impactfulness of Christian discipleship and wisdom drawing on non-dualistic, ego-transcending and gospel inspired activity. Fr Richard is a Catholic Franciscan Brother with an international speaking and teaching ministry. He has written many books and DVDs and has contributed much to the development of the Christian contemplative tradition in Western Europe and North America. In this interview Richard Rohr discusses a number of issues and thoughts pertenant to many of us who are explore new ways of being church engaged in contemporary mission who do so drawing on a distinctively contemplative Christian perspective. This podcast was recorded on 27th May 2011.

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On the 5th Sunday of Easter 2010, Aaron Kennedy gave this homily exploring the emerging churches calling to promote forms of faith that reach beyond the ego. New monasticism constributes an ancient approach, using virtues, spiritual practices and postures.

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In late 2010, Ian Mobsby chatted with Brother Samuel, the leading Friar for the Anglican Franciscans in England. Brother Samuel is well known in UK New Monastic circles, because he has participated in a number New Monastic conferences and gatherings.

In this podcast, Brother Samuel shares his insights into the contribution of Franciscan Spirituality to the ongoing Christian tradition, as well as explore a particularly Franciscan reflection on New Monasticism.

Brother Samuel like Abbot Stuart are wise and very encouraging for those exploring new, emerging and fresh expressions of church. Ian found ther advice about engaging with spiritual seekers, particularly helpful. So take in the wisdom of this committed Franciscan Friar!

Prayer of St Francis of Assisi

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace,

Where there is hatred, let me sow love; where there is injury, pardon;

where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope;

where there is darkness, light; where there is sadness, joy;

O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console;

to be understood as to understand; to be loved as to love.

For it is in giving that we receive;

it is in pardoning that we are pardoned;

and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.

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On February 3rd, Martin Newell who is a member of the Catholic Worker movement in the UK, and Trident Ploughshares, came to discuss the essence of community and his own personal story with the Moot Community. The choices Martin has made and his insights from his faith are rich and challenging.  The catholic worker movement offers great wisdom concerning 'being counter cultural' to a world obsessed with the free market and competition.  A disposition that always oppresses the poor and the vulnerable.  This podcast includes the discussions between the moot community and Martin.

This is the second podcast from Martin, scroll down below to listen to the conversation between Martin and Ian Mobsby

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In a previous podcast, Jonny Spoor of the Moot Community talked to Ian Mobsby about his experience of participating and living in the L'arche community in France. He went there for his summer holiday from studying.  Here he lived in a house with Jean Vanier and loved and served in L'arche, possibly one of the most important new monastic inspired communities in the world.  Jonny recently went back to interview Jean Vanier about his experiences, theology and thinking to write an article for the Student Christian Movement magazine, and whilst he was there, he recorded some of the wisdom of the conversation.  So this podcast is more unusual than the ones we usually do, in that it pulls together Jean Vanier's thinking where you can't hear the questions Jonny has asked.  It however, allows the listener to engage with the remarkable wisdom of this important visionary and activist.  For those in the emerging church, fresh expressions and new monasticism, there is much here to aid us in our quest to build ecclesial communities out of contextual mission.

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Ian Mobsby discusses with Shane Claiborne, the vision of New Monasticism, and the practical implications of living this particular form of ecclesial community, and the calling to a radical lifestyle. Shane is one of the leading voices in a growing movement of New Monasticism in the United States.

His first book, The Irresistable Revolution is a key envisioning texts for all those interested or involved in New Monasticism. It has been a core text for many involved in New Monasticism in the UK and Europe. In this book Shane outlines his experiences of working as a volunteer in Calcutta in India, in a community overseen by Mother Teressa, and how this opened up a whole way of being Christian that up to that point, he had been unaware of. Shane is a founding Member of the Simple Way Community in Philedelphia, one of the early new-monastic communities.

Be prepared to be inspired! Lets keep up with Shane's visit to Iraq in January 2010, and hopefully we may even have him a long to a moot event in the not too distant future.

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In this podcast, Ian Mobsby interviews Fr Martin Newell, who is a member of the Catholic Worker movement in the UK, and Trident Ploughshares, which seek to challenge the use of weapons of mass destruction and the arms trade by protest and direct action.  Martin is a Roman Catholic Priest, and has gone to prison for his involvement in this radical approach to the Christian life. In this interview Martin shares his thoughts about a radical approach to Christian discipleship focused on justice, resistance and a focus on the poor.  The Catholic Worker movement has much in common with new monasticism in seeking to build a new society and the importance of community living out shared values through a rhythm of life.  Most interesting, was Martin's thoughts of seeing Prison as a New Monastry as a consequnce of living out this form of discipleship.  Martin and the Catholic Worker movement are a real inspiration and hope!

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In this podcast, Ian Mobsby explores the implications of Ecclesiastes 3:1-15 and John 14: 15-21.  As Moot is part of the emerging and fresh expressions of church movements, it is founded on the vision of building ecclesial communities out of contextual mission.  It is within this vision of being a follower of Christ and seeking to be part of a radical community, that we need to consider the issues of personal identity and issues of taboo.  In the Ecclesiastes text, we are challenged by the need of an identity centred on God, where our lives are often hard and relatively short.  The second text again returns to the idea of building ecclesial communities out of contextual mission, where the mission in question was to a hated people, the Samaritans, and a hated woman who was possibly a prostitute.  Jesus in this text breaks many religious and social taboos by even talking to the woman at the well and to the local people.  So this text allows us to see on the one hand the importance of a faith and our identity to be in God in an I-God relationship, but further, we are called to challenge those who put obsticles in the way of people knowing God, particularly where social taboos are concerned.  So this text has much to say to the modern church, and the importance of God's love mission to the world.

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On Sunday 15th March 2009, Ian Mobsby of the Moot Community joined a recorded discussion in Sydney exploring the above title on Australia's ABC National Radio. In the discussions, the group explored the importance of Emerging and Fresh Expressions of Church engagement with our increasingly post-christian post-secular culture.  For a link to the radio show click here

As usual, if you would like to comment on this podcast discussion, please do so on the Mootblog

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In this podcast, Clare Catford with the assistance of Aaron Kennedy interviews Richard Chartres the Bishop of London, exploring the theme of a Christian spirituality in the City.

In a time of global economic depression, Bishop Richard challenges the Church to practice a radical form of love and a practical form of spirituality. This podcast was recorded in the second week of Lent 2009, as part of the Moot Podcast Big Questions Series.

The Moot Community will soon stand before the Bishop of London on Easter Saturday, to affirm to its Rhythm of Life.

If you would like to comment on this or any other of the Moot podcasts, please do so on the moot blog site.

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For Moot's February Alt Eucharist, we were joined by Travis & Brandy, Lutheran Ordinands, to explore Moot's rhythm of life element concerning accountability. In the service, we explored how we are called to be true to God, true to yourself and true to others, following the monastic traditions. Instead of a homily, David from Moot interviews Brandy & Travis, exploring their take on accountability.

We desire to be accountable to one another, to grow and journey together, listening to each other for wisdom rather than just trusting ourselves. We want to have a willingness to share life, rather than to privatize it and we seek to walk together in a deep way rather than as strangers who only know the surface of each other.

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This year more than ever, the times don't seem to fit with the traditional pattern of Christmas. Yet into this complex season, Christmas does enter once the schools have broken up, the office parties have ended, and work slows we are left with this uncomfortable pause when we remember that we are human. This reflection seeks to reflect on the significance of the birth of God in human form for us today.

‘Look, Mary shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel’, which means, ‘God is with us.’

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In this alternative eucharist on the third sunday of advent, Ian Mobsby and the moot community explore the example of mary regarding discipleship, call waiting, the expectation of the Incarnation and the birthing of the Kingdom of God. The podcast begins with a reflection on the Song of Mary recorded in the Gospel of Luke:

My soul proclaims to the greatness of the Lord My spirit rejoices in God my Saviour For he has brought favour on his lowly servant. From this day all generations will call me blessed, The Almighty has done great things, and Holy is God's name.

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Drawing on the famous text in Matthew, Ian Mobsby (drawing on the writings of N.T.Wright) explores the implications of Jesus' call to give to Caesar what is Ceasar's, and to give to God what is God's. For the last 500 years, there has been a divide between the sacred and the secular. However, recently, we have redescovered that not only is this wrong, but it is a myth. The truth as this text says, is that we find the sacred in the secular. Hence why Jesus acted and did what he did, with an incarnational sense of vocation. The change then for us is explore what this dual Citizenship means practically

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