The Voice

I'm not a big fan of reality TV and don't tend to watch any of them unless I am with other people who are watching it, or find myself extremely pushed for something to do. That said in recent weeks I've stumbled on the odd performance on the BBC 1 show, The Voice.

If you aren't already aware, the show's initial twist/hook is that in the opening rounds, the judging panel didn't get to see the hopeful contestants. The idea being that they could not make preconceptions on a person based on their appearance or any back story... but solely on vocal talent. This sets it apart from its main rival on ITV (Britain's Got Talent), where judges form their opinion on who to take forward with other criteria.

It got me thinking about preconceptions in the church, especially as in recent months the ongoing debate between liberals and conservatives on such matters as women bishops, gay marriage and the appointment of the next Archbishop of Canterbury has become more and more amplified. It is a matter that may also strike particularly close to home because early next year, the minster I worship in will be looking to appoint a new vicar/head of ministry.

To be honest I'm fed up with it all... I'm exasperated!

Those who are most vocal on either side of the divide seem so sure of its own position in matters of theology and scripture and community. Each tries to either batter the other side into submission using rhetorical blunt force trauma, or wrong foot them by concocting elaborate schemes. 

While outspoken liberals and conservatives bicker, the rest of the Church suffers

When did we become so sure of what God wanted... that we decided we'd make His decisions for Him? I think there is a severe, ever present danger in each one of us - the danger that we mistake the reflection of our own ego and its preconceived ideas, as being God's. Or perhaps it is a lack of spiritual confidence/maturity. We are so scared that if we don't speak for God, there will be awkward silence and nothing will happen... and we will look foolish. I don't believe any one of us is truly immune to these threats, because each and everyone of us carries within us the potential to be selfish and insecure; each one of us plays host to a sinful nature that even though it has been crucified (for those of us who accept Christ's sacrifice), constantly craves to put "self" on the throne of our hearts either as a result of hubris or insecurity.

I think our fear of losing control directly feeds into this danger and I think that we rely so much on our own convictions that we neglect or lose sight of the most important factor in the guidance and direction of the Church...

... The Voice.

No, I'm not talking about Sir Tom Jones, I'm talking about allowing God the room to intercede and intervene directly in our debates. I think we get so wrapped up in our own earthquakes, winds and fires, that we become deaf to what God is saying. I want to share two passages that I believe demonstrate his willingness to intercede directly in changing the direction of his Church. The first is from the Old Testament. It is quite lengthy so I won't be pasting it, instead you can read the passage by following this link.

In summary, Elijah challenged his opponents to demonstrate to the watching people through an act of power, that their god was worthy of following. Despite all their chants and efforts (even cutting themselves), no such demonstration was forthcoming. After rolling around on the floor and laughing at them, Elijah then made it impossible for his own altar to catch fire... and then called upon the The Lord.

What followed was the biggest barbecue in history.

The god who answers by fire - he is God.

But that's Old Testament... surely I'm not suggesting God is in the business of burning up people at Church who get it wrong? Am I?

No I'm not. But I do still believe God answers by fire.

Which brings me to the second passage:

Certain people came down from Judea to Antioch and were teaching the believers: “Unless you are circumcised, according to the custom taught by Moses, you cannot be saved.” This brought Paul and Barnabas into sharp dispute and debate with them. So Paul and Barnabas were appointed, along with some other believers, to go up to Jerusalem to see the apostles and elders about this question. The church sent them on their way, and as they travelled through Phoenicia and Samaria, they told how the Gentiles had been converted. This news made all the believers very glad. When they came to Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the church and the apostles and elders, to whom they reported everything God had done through them.

Then some of the believers who belonged to the party of the Pharisees stood up and said, “The Gentiles must be circumcised and required to keep the law of Moses.”  The apostles and elders met to consider this question.  After much discussion, Peter got up and addressed them: “Brothers, you know that some time ago God made a choice among you that the Gentiles might hear from my lips the message of the gospel and believe.  God, who knows the heart, showed that he accepted them by giving the Holy Spirit to them, just as he did to us.  He did not discriminate between us and them, for he purified their hearts by faith.  Now then, why do you try to test God by putting on the necks of Gentiles a yoke that neither we nor our ancestors have been able to bear?  No! We believe it is through the grace of our Lord Jesus that we are saved, just as they are.”
The whole assembly became silent as they listened to Barnabas and Paul telling about the signs and wonders God had done among the Gentiles through them. When they finished, James spoke up. “Brothers,” he said, “listen to me. Simon has described to us how God first intervened to choose a people for his name from the Gentiles. The words of the prophets are in agreement with this, as it is written:

  “‘After this I will return
   and rebuild David’s fallen tent.
Its ruins I will rebuild,
   and I will restore it,
that the rest of mankind may seek the Lord,
   even all the Gentiles who bear my name,
says the Lord, who does these things’—
things known from long ago.

“It is my judgement, therefore, that we should not make it difficult for the Gentiles who are turning to God.  Instead we should write to them, telling them to abstain from food polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from the meat of strangled animals and from blood. For the law of Moses has been preached in every city from the earliest times and is read in the synagogues on every Sabbath."

Acts 15:1-21

Again it is a slightly lengthy passage but I think it makes the point eloquently. It demonstrates that God does still answer by fire - the fire of the Holy Spirit. When the Church hit a wall, a deep theological divide that threatened to split it or create a two tier system, they did not just argue amongst themselves and rely on their own understanding of God's Word... they left room for the Holy Spirit. Peter recounted his experience in the household of Cornelius, where the baptism of the Holy Spirit first came to Gentiles. Following this, Paul and Barnabas shared their similar experiences of the Gentile Christians they had encountered en route to Jerusalem... and how the Holy Spirit had been present then also.

There is a place for personal conviction... but it must take its place alongside the authority of scripture and the testimony of the Holy Spirit. We need to soak our churches in prayer... clothe ourselves in the Spirit and avail ourselves of all the fruit, blessings, gifts and tools God has to offer. As much as our humanity gets us into these situations... it is God's gracefully given divinity that will get us out of them. Conservatives who object to liberal attitudes need to remind themselves that you can't expect people to be refined by the Holy Spirit if you make it difficult for them to encounter him... by shutting the door to God's storehouses firmly in their face unless they change before they are convicted. Liberals need to be prepared to be honest and accept and respond to the Spirit's conviction if they find in their relationship with God that he is calling them to abandon something they otherwise understand or accept to be okay. We all have to do that sometimes... none of us "like" it, but spiritual maturity accepts God's discipline.

So all I'm saying in essence is that before we make any decisions about what God wants; let's open the floodgates and allow him free reign to make us into his people.

Liberal? Conservative? Let us not get hung up on these worldly positions, let us instead give God the floor. For when God answers... there is no longer any debate.

• How do you think the Church of England should resolve its issues?
• Have you seen the Spirit been poured out supernaturally in liberal/conservative churches?
• Share what happened if you are willing.

Conservative or Liberal?

You’ll notice that as of yet on this blog I have not made a big thing of the current divisive issues being fought over within the Church of England and the wider Anglican Church (principally the role of women and gay priests).

This is by no means an accident, for I do not intend to. This blog is called a Sanctuary for a reason. It’s a port of call, home away from home for diplomats, hustlers, entrepreneurs and wanderers...

oh no... wait a minute, that’s Babylon 5.

All joking aside, I designed this site to be a place of peace: a relatively benign entity in cyberspace; a place where people could come and share their feelings and thoughts, without harm of persecution. When you chance upon these pages you come to a place that honours the ancient traditional rite of asylum. I may disagree with you, but I will never bite you for what you say.

I have left my political views equally ambiguous on my Facebook profile as well. If we must invoke concepts of conservatism or liberalism to describe our position, we had better gain a proper understanding of what they are, or we are all going to become unstuck.

I’m going to use the ancient art of sword-making as an analogy.

Sound pretty bizarre?

Bear with me.

Through the ages, the design of swords have changed and evolved to suit particular needs. Some civilizations favoured a curved blade with a soft edge which was excellent for cutting, but it wasn’t very hardy and if you tried to repeatedly block your opponent’s attacks with the blade, it would soon deteriorate and break. The reverse was true of other civilizations who favoured a hard edge and a straight blade. The weapon was extremely hardy and good for defensive parrying, but it was not as efficient on the attack as it lacked a cutting angle.

Then, the Japanese made a major breakthrough -the sword of the samurai.

A Samurai Sword

This weapon was refined and folded many times over and it also had another unique feature... a blade that was soft at the front and hard at the back. It took the best of both concepts. Today, if you shoot a bullet directly at the cutting edge of a samurai sword held in a clamp, the bullet will split in two leaving the blade with the slightest of nicks, ready to be used again.

I believe the same applies to the principles of conservatism and liberalism. If you dedicate your personal doctrine solely to conservatism, you won’t get very far. Defensively you’ll have a strong moral foundation that can withstand the fiercest assault. However, if you try to evangelise using the hard edge of conservatism, people who deep inside themselves already feel lost or condemned will feel awful and become defeatist... they will walk away from the gospel feeling judged. Jesus was rightly critical of the Pharisees for this very reason. On the other hand, those who are confident of their own moral compass will shut their ears to any positive message you may have and stir up nothing but trouble... denouncing you as self righteous.

Similarly, if we choose to use liberalism as our sole doctrine, our message may well be appealing and crowd pleasing, but it will fail to be challenging. There is a very famous saying... God loves us as we are but refuses to leave us that way. If we broaden the boundaries of what is acceptable in God’s site, without his consent... how will people be convicted? How will they be able to sense their personal hunger and thirst for righteousness?

I’ve always favoured an alternate view... but it is not centrist, or at least I do not consider it to be, Rather than mix conservatism or liberalism together, I prefer to take the best from both camps.

Righteousness might be our protection, but it is love that is the soft cutting edge, it is love that is our offensive weapon... and what a weapon.

I prefer to try and live my own personal life along the lines of a fairly conservative outlook (and I am by no means a success at this).

With regard to others, I try to use every opportunity to demonstrate God’s love and grace in a liberal way ( I am by no means a great success at this either).

I think I’m right in saying that Jesus always demonstrated his love, always fulfilled a need, always forgave... before telling any person not to sin any more.

And this is my point. If we aren’t liberally loving people (irrespective of what we might think of what they do), we are shutting the door to the Kingdom of Heaven in their face. Likewise if we aren’t at least trying to live our own lives in a way that aims to be pleasing to God... we fail as Christ’s ambassadors to let our light shine before men.

We should preach the good news, we should preach salvation... and demonstrate the fruits and benefits of righteousness by living in the Spirit... but there’s a catch there isn’t there? It is far, far easier to tell someone how to live... than it is to demonstrate through your own life; which is precisely why Jesus taught us the importance of removing logs from our own eyes before removing the specks from others.

Our priority should be introducing people to God - the Holy Spirit is a far better force for conviction than you or I. Sure, people will always need strong pastorship... but we need to make sure they have a relationship that warrants pastorship before we dare encumber them with attitudes and principles that we know are impossible to live by without the grace of God and the power of the Holy Spirit.

Let me put the attitude I think we should be demonstrating another way. The French playwright Albert Camus once described friendship in these terms:

“Don't walk in front of me; I may not follow. Don't walk behind me; I may not lead. Just walk beside me and be my friend.”

I think that’s my attitude to faith and evangelism. We don’t boss people about and forcibly lead them where they will not go by choice, nor do we compromise on what we believe God lays on our hearts in terms of righteousness and lag behind.

No.

We owe people our honesty and we owe them God’s love.

We need to have the assertiveness of Joshua that says you can go your own way, but I’m going to serve God... and then we love them regardless of who they are, where they’ve been, or what our own prejudices tell us about them. We don’t just need to love people; we need to genuinely love them with abundance.

I think one of the best summaries I have ever heard for living with a Christian attitude, is a phrase uttered by the American preacher Tony Campolo who has stated that he believes we should be as conservative as God’s Law and as liberal as God’s love.

I could go on with regard to some of the issues raised at the moment, my feelings towards what I regard as inadequate descriptions by the media of where various groups stand... or even a cautionary tale about what happens when people from any particular camp start imposing their own will on God’s church... but I’ve said quite enough and do not wish to detract from anything that has gone before.

Not On My Watch.

I don't intend this to be huge post... I've got other things I feel I need to write about, but as it's Pentecost... I felt that there was a need to respond to an article I had read in The Times this week about the apparent decline in Christianity in Britain. I want to look at a couple of quotes:

"Church attendance in Britain is declining so fast that the number of regular churchgoers will be fewer than those attending mosques within a generation, research published today suggests.

The fall - from the four million people who attend church at least once a month today - means that the Church of England, Catholicism and other denominations will become financially unviable. A lack of funds from the collection plate to support the Christian infrastructure, including church upkeep and ministers’ pay and pensions, will force church closures as ageing congregations die."

I don't believe that Christianity is dying in this country... I think that it is going through a God driven restructuring. I believe that if the organised church crumbles in this nation, it's passing will only be mourned as much as the butterfly laments over it's chrysalis. What I mean by that, is that the emergent Church will be stronger, more beautiful and closer to what it should be. Most people I mix with, who have an active church life within the Anglican Church, are frustrated that so much money gets pumped into infrastructure. Congregations are crippled by the upkeep of crumbling buildings that are not as central to our faith as they were when they were first built. Take away the overheads and the money from tithing/collections, would flood into the parched areas of the Church where it is needed. At the time of the early church, money was used to look after widows, orphans and the poor.

During the last recession, a church in a fishing village in Scotland found it's numbers had dwindled; the village was crippled and unemployment was rife. The core group at the church had a radical idea. Where employment was lacking, they used what resources the church had... to employ the villagers in the community who were without work. They paid money for them to repair fences etc. The church numbers began to rise... this was nothing to do with preaching or people being coerced by "bribery". People started to come back first as a show of gratitude for the support the church had shown and out of curiosity. However, having had their physical needs taken care of... they began to discover that their spiritual needs were also being catered for.

If you look in the Bible, this is exactly how Jesus and the early apostles handled things. preaching often followed healing. The light you demonstrate in your actions and attitudes towards others, is the key to evangelism. The Bible says that if we preach and prophesy without love... then we are a sounding gong or a clashing cymbal. What better way to demonstrate Christ's real, unconditional love, than to actively look after the needs of the people around you who are in need. Some commentators (notably Martin Luther) have criticised the Epistle of James for running counter to the idea of salvation by grace through faith. In fact, what i believe James is actually saying in his letter, is that if we don't demonstrate faith by our actions and attitudes, then people will never truly see it.

It's true that God can move in a really dynamic way, perhaps through a powerful sermon... or by timely words... or just by divinely pouring out his Spirit on an unsuspecting community... but if we aren't reflecting the fruit of the Spirit in our lives, if we aren't responding to the Holy Spirit in our own walk, then people will pass by and maybe miss the moment. If people see us slaving laboriously with religion, they are going to cross the road and walk on the other side of the street very quickly. However, if we are living in a way that shows we actually understand the freedom Christ gives us, in our own daily lives... we are being active and faithful witnesses.

The article also makes a very bold conclusion that the report "makes it clear that Christianity is becoming a minority religion". This is slanted and demonstrates a lack of understanding of the complexity of modern Christianity in the western world. The Church of England and Methodist Church responded by pointing out the popularity of the Fresh Expressions movement.

The church is adapting... it is learning that you can't be conceited and sit on yesterday's laurels, you have to go to where people are... and this is what Fresh Expressions is all about... heck, for that matter it's one of the main reasons I blog.

Ministers might be in decline... but theological colleges are bursting, young people are deciding to reinterpret what ministry means in new and exciting ways.

Buildings may close but house groups are becoming a more and more important of church life.

Is Christianity dying out in the West? No way, not on my watch.

It's Pentecost and I'll let you into a little something I know...

The Holy Spirit is the church's best kept secret. More and more people are discovering the Spirit on their personal journey... and that's worth more than a thousand churches or ministers. A Spirit filled people... will light the way for others.

Come Holy Spirit.

Celebrating Easter

Yes, well I still think it should be re-branded Resurrection Day - which sounds much cooler and is more relevant to what we celebrate.... nonetheless Happy Easter.

So how did I mark Easter here in the town of Alcester? It's been a long weekend:

On Thursday night I spent an hour or so, either side of midnight... quietly contemplating and meditating in my own church at Great Alne. It's a personal tradition of mine to do this somewhere. The way I see it, Jesus is my friend.... and 2,000 years ago all His friends deserted Him. I know I can't turn back the clock, but I like to pray for Him during the time He was alone in the Garden... yeah I know it sounds stupid but he died for my sins, offered me eternal life and is my friend and king... so I figure the least I could do is pray for Him during the time He had it rough (God is not bound by time, so I do not believe it matters that I pray after the event. It's a bit like in Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure - when they don't have time to travel back and change the past for their jailbreak... so they say they'll do it afterwards... and sure enough everything materialises as needed). Staying in the church also gave me time to write down a lot of my mental, spiritual and emotional baggage over the recent past... and it enabled me to pray through it and settle it with God. I did all this under the shadow of the cross which we had moved to the centre of the chancel. The church had also been decorated with articles that would help people meditate on the Passion of Christ. Things like a crown of thorns, a purple robe, a staff, a bowl of water, hammer and nails... you get the picture.

On Friday I took part in the annual March of Witness, where I learned that an old leader and friend of mine was severely ill with gall bladder complications - (please pray for him). I always like to bear the cross we carry on that march, on the final stretch to the Anglican church. It kind of feels right, seeing as I'm named after the place. We were joined this year by the BBC who had come to do a story on the daffodil cross (more later). If you live in the midlands, you may have noticed my conspicuous mug cropping up in one or two of the shots at the end of Midlands Today.

Later that evening I watched the live Manchester Passion. Some of the songs felt a little weird and not entirely accurate... but I was moved by the atmosphere and the acting. They had a giant cross procession taking place as the play was being acted simultaneously. This served as a reminder to me that... while history was being played out - the cross was ALWAYS coming. Before the nativity, before the exile, before Moses, before Abraham... yes even before Adam... I believe God was always intending to demonstrate his love for us in the most excellent way.

On Saturday I joined a party of individuals who were travelling to the hillside daffodil cross that was planted last year (and has bloomed in time for Easter once more). It's immense and watches over the passing traffic below - a constant reminder by it's shape, of Christ's sacrifice... and yet also a poignant reminder of his resurrection because of the new life in the daffodils. We listened to scripture, prayed and sung a few worship songs (I suggested When I Survey The Wondrous Cross) which I found very moving.

Last night I took part in the Easter "Fire" service. It's the Easter equivalent of Midnight Eucharist at Christmas... it's not as well represented, but it is very contemplative. I got soaked by the Rector who splashed everyone with baptismal water from the font. i breathed a sigh of relief at that point because last year there was an amorous couple in the churchyard... and it had echoed through the whole church - thankfully no repeat this year. At the end of the service we proceed out singing Latin stuff... but the best part is at midnight you come out of the church and yell "HE IS RISEN INDEED.... ALLELUIA!!!!" Now most Anglicans are quite sheepish and don't want to wake up the neighbours. not me. Oh yes... I went for it. The way I see it, every weekend the drunks yell all the time - either obscenities... or their undying love for a lamp-post.... so if people are prepared to put up with that, why shouldn't it be okay for us to do likewise?

Went home and got up in time for another service at my regular church. that about sums up my Easter so far.... now comes the chilling out that goes with the territory that is, the Bank Holiday.

I pray and trust your Easter was equally blessed. I've posted some photographs of the walk to the daffodil cross (you can see more pictures of it in one of my Easter blogs of last year).

Here is a link to a BBC story about the Daffodil Cross (but fortunately not the one with me in).

Reformation

I want to draw your attention to a story in my local press, it is about a drop in church funding at the Anglican church I was raised in:

Rector's Story

I look at the situation described here, from a completely different angle. I think potentially it is a good thing.

I disagree with the rector on the last point he makes:

"If they cut the number of full-time priests then services will have to be cut, and eventually buildings would have to be shut."

No.

Christianity isn’t a spectator sport and we have forgotten that the Church was not originally led by priests and bishops; it was led by fishermen, tax collectors, doctors etc. In other words the leadership of the Church was inclusive of the man on the street.

If we stopped living by false ideology that only priests have a ministry, recognised that in the early Church communion was originally practiced in the homes of believers… none of whom were priests... and that God calls all his people into service… the above statement would be seen for the nonsense it is. We don’t need to live our faith through one man at the front of the church… that’s idleness at best, idolatry at worst. Yes we need a leader… but they need to be someone who empowers others to lead services and realise the potential in their ministries… and to make sure that false teaching and corruption do not slip into the leadership team.

I believe God is trying to break the “them and us” culture that exists within the Church of England, all this nonsense of clergy and laity. One of the great problems with the Anglican church is that too much focus is put on the role of the priest or the bishop… etc. We are the body of Christ we are supposed to work together. When there are sick people in a town… it shouldn’t just fall to a priest, there should be a whole prayer ministry team. Furthermore, the church needs to address the woeful lack of understanding about spirituality. Many years ago, a worship band attended the church I grew up in. When the service had ended, they started singing in tongues (in a low key manner… they were singing to one another and God… not to an audience); a lady overheard them and was convinced they were possessed by the devil. The people of God need to be educated about the power and the presence of God… he isn’t just some distant man on a cloud… he is an ever-present companion around and within us. However, clergy tend to treat the gifts of the Spirit as arcane knowledge… and something only done in the ancient past.

Do not bottleneck God, do not resist Him… he longs to pour out his forgiveness, blessing and power out on his people.

The one thing the CofE has got going for it is accountability within its leadership structure, but as the previous Archbishop of York said (and I believe his assessment), when God brings revival… it won’t come from the clergy… it will come from the congregations.

I could speak more of issues I have with the clergy… but now is not the time.

God’s grace and peace to you… wherever, whoever you are…

Nick

Pride & Prejudice

On the news this morning, the presenters were talking about a new film adaptation of Jane Austen's "Pride & Prejudice". I can't believe it; this must be the umpteenth time in recent years, that this particular book has been adapted for TV/Film.

I'm not a great fan of Jane Austen literature, its not that I don't like a romantic story... I just don't like the setting. I dislike English culture from Georgian through to Edwardian times... the people were far too repressed. The language was wrong, the clothes were wrong... everything was just plain wrong. Those people needed soul! Generally, cultures seem to start descending downhill when the men start wearing tights! I think the rot probably started with the Norman invasion, prior to that the Celts and Saxons had been pretty passionate about their art, music and beliefs. After that with the aristocracies taking over... everything became about control.

Anyway, watching this news triggered an odd debate between me and my father (at 8:25am is an odd time for these things to happen).

It started with me moaning about the film and asking why it was so popular that it could be done to death again and again without people noticing. Dad believes that it is because the plot deals with the rights and wrongs of people living in a "have/have not" society, the poor being denied anything be it jobs or relationships... simply because of their station in life, which is always relevant to any audience.

That took us on to Hurricane Katrina, and how all the rich people got out... but the poorer ethnic communities by and large were the ones left behind to suffer; be they black, Cajun, Latino or native.

Then we hopped on to church matters. Dad pointed out that there are people in his church who are on a mission committee, but that they spend a lot of their time making contacts with people who are wealthy, using it as an excuse for hob-nobbing. Dad sees that as hypocritical as they are what he calls the "church, church" the people who make out that they are the most devout and yet they talk to the popular cliques, rather than reaching out to people who have no-one. When the money from that clique dries up... they move on to the next bunch.

I then spoke of my disgruntlement with the church. How I saw our diocese as being highly Pharisaical and corrupt. The Archbishop of Canterbury has urged Anglicans to "think global, act local". How can we do this, when the diocese keeps ratcheting up the parish share every year, it is THEY who are spending money doing the global stuff. We have to pay more and more to them... leaving practically nothing for community work or outreach in our own areas. If that wasn't bad enough, a year has passed and they still haven't appointed a new vicar... and yet they still insist on taking full payment for clergy personnel! Meanwhile, John and Trish are forced to provide constant leadership, which is an unfair burden for them. Hopefully as time goes on, more of us will be able to help them.

Proverbs 30:15 says the leech has two daughters, "Give! Give!" they cry. how is it any different with these people? I sincerely pray God convicts the General Synod and every diocese, I am getting so upset about it i am preparing to write an assertive letter to the higher echelons of church leadership. It's time the Anglican church got back to basics - early church basics.

After all this it was 8:40am and I had to scoot fast, as I had work.

A Busy Day

I spent a large part of today attending a funeral for my next door neighbour, who was staunchly Roman Catholic. I didn't feel comfortable in the service because 90% of it was read in Latin (as per his wishes). I know the odd word here and there, but not enough to follow properly. I was also made uncomfortable by the fact that the priest conducted large segments of the service facing away from the congregation. There was no sense of empathy, it all seemed quite cold to me. It was very different to my experiences of services during my time at Roman Catholic schools. I refused to sing some of the hymns, because I didn't agree with some of the theology in them. There was one weird hymn that had a verse about reclaiming England, it could just have been about revival but the context seemed a little too anti-protestant to me. The priest taking the service spoke a lot about purgatory, and I had to point out to my own parents (sigh), that Anglicans don't believe in that as it's not in scripture. I also had to point out that we don't subscribe to transubstantiation of the bread and wine.

Back to the use of Latin, it brought home to me the fact I have strong beliefs about language. I believe language should serve the people, not people serve the language. All these purists who seek to exclude new words from the dictionary because it corrupts "true English", I feel are quite snobbish. The dictionary was originally created to catalogue the words the British were using, to enable people to enhance their vocabulary. It's not like the Bible. It isn't heresy to add new bits to the English language.

The simple truth is that language evolves and modifies/improves our breadth of description for something we want to express. Take love for example. In the New Testament, there are three words for love... each with a different level of emphasis. We need to be aware of it went talking on the subject, otherwise we risk speaking inadequately through our lack of comprehension.

I disapprove of church services and public scripture readings where the common tongue of the congregation is not used. It hampers access to God's wisdom (which is of course exactly what it was intended to do in the middle ages, if you couldn't understand God's will through his word, you were at the mercy of clergy and rich people who were the only ones educated enough to understand it).

On another subject, my sister has developed yet another pulmonary embolism (blood clot). She's OK, I picked her up from diagnosis at the hospital and took her home. Her boyfriend is coming up from London tomorrow, so he can keep her in check. I'm now the only person in my immediate family who does not have some kind of problem with my circulatory system. My father has a heart condition, my mother has high blood pressure and my sister is a clot!

New Archbishop of York Announced

The new Archbishop of York has been announced. He is the Rt Revd Dr John Sentamu (not that titles mean anything to me, or impress me in the slightest), and it will be very interesting to see how he takes things forward (assuming they do go forward and not backward).

I was very impressed by his predecessor - Dr David Hope, who "resigned" his post because he believed revival would come from God through the parishes, God's people... not through (and certainly not from) the General Synod. How right he is, and the clergy should take notice of his wisdom and insight.

I have high hopes for Archbishop Sentamu, I don't know him personally, but I am very excited by his choice of words upon the announcement of his appointment:

“I am looking forward to working with the Archbishop of Canterbury and other bishops to lead the Church of England in its mission to the nation. It is imperative that the Church regains her vision and confidence in mission, developing ways that will enable the Church of England to reconnect imaginatively with England.

“It is important that the Church of England’s voice is heard locally, nationally and internationally, standing up for justice, bringing Good News to the poor, healing to the broken-hearted, setting at liberty those who are oppressed, and proclaiming the death of Christ and his resurrection until he comes again. What an exciting prospect.”

Note the final paragraph of that. He's loosely quoting from Isaiah 61... the same verse that Jesus quoted in Luke's gospel:

"The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor."

This scripture was given to our church too... several years ago. It's a scripture that has bounced around a lot for a few years now. I really believe that when we as a people, fall into step with the Holy Spirit... instead of trying to kick start the Church in our own feeble strength, we will truly see that scripture fulfilled. When Jesus said it, he was referring to himself. Now, as Christ's ambassadors we are called to be Jesus to the people we meet. We can only represent Jesus, if we allow him to work within us.

The only way we can do the things that Isaiah, Jesus and Archbishop Sentamu speak of, is if the Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is upon us.

May it be so.

New Archbishop of York Announced

The new Archbishop of York has been announced. He is the Rt Revd Dr John Sentamu (not that titles mean anything to me, or impress me in the slightest), and it will be very interesting to see how he takes things forward (assuming they do go forward and not backward).

I was very impressed by his predecessor - Dr David Hope, who "resigned" his post because he believed revival would come from God through the parishes, God's people... not through (and certainly not from) the General Synod. How right he is, and the clergy should take notice of his wisdom and insight.

I have high hopes for Archbishop Sentamu, I don't know him personally, but I am very excited by his choice of words upon the announcement of his appointment:

“I am looking forward to working with the Archbishop of Canterbury and other bishops to lead the Church of England in its mission to the nation. It is imperative that the Church regains her vision and confidence in mission, developing ways that will enable the Church of England to reconnect imaginatively with England.

“It is important that the Church of England’s voice is heard locally, nationally and internationally, standing up for justice, bringing Good News to the poor, healing to the broken-hearted, setting at liberty those who are oppressed, and proclaiming the death of Christ and his resurrection until he comes again. What an exciting prospect.”

Note the final paragraph of that. He's loosely quoting from Isaiah 61... the same verse that Jesus quoted in Luke's gospel:

"The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor."

This scripture was given to our church too... several years ago. It's a scripture that has bounced around a lot for a few years now. I really believe that when we as a people, fall into step with the Holy Spirit... instead of trying to kick start the Church in our own feeble strength, we will truly see that scripture fulfilled. When Jesus said it, he was referring to himself. Now, as Christ's ambassadors we are called to be Jesus to the people we meet. We can only represent Jesus, if we allow him to work within us.

The only way we can do the things that Isaiah, Jesus and Archbishop Sentamu speak of, is if the Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is upon us.

May it be so.

My Testimony

I thought it would be a good opportunity this afternoon, to give anyone reading this an insight into why I became a Christian. Are you sitting comfortably....?

Then I'll begin.

When I was a kid, I was raised by parents who worshipped in an Anglican church. I was in the choir and when I was very young, I'd keep asking my Dad if we could sneak out of the vestry during the sermon, as i needed the loo. However, I very rarely needed it, I actually just wanted to go and look at the big stained glass window of the crucifixion... from the other side. However, by the time I was ready to go to school, Mum and Dad didn't feel the CofE school had a decent standard of religious education. So off I was sent to a Roman Catholic school. This was really good because it meant I had to deal with two different doctrines at an early age... and it meant I questioned my faith early on.

The priest who officiated the occasional school service was a staunch believer in the ideology that "All protestants will burn in hell!!!" I sometimes wonder what he made of me? I always used to go and talk to the boys who'd been serving, and used to talk openly about God with him, and them.

Secondary school was a little different. Again, it was roman catholic, but the priest was totally different. I'd quite often go to confession, but seeing as I wasn't catholic I couldn't confess, so I just had the odd theological chat. By the end of school, the two best R.E. students were me (the Anglican, and another guy was an atheist. There's got to be some irony there.

Now, I'd say at that time, I was religious in the christian sense... but I wouldn't say my faith had become alive yet. In fact, so keen was I to protect my beliefs, I purposely made myself the school clown. I forced people to stay at arms length, because I wanted them to like me, but not love me. I really wish I hadn't done that, because it helped to cut the real me off from other people for a LONG time.

At this time, I was going to a local youth fellowship, and the free and more emotional worship was beginning to have an effect on me, but as yet I couldn't understand what changes that was bringing about within me. I think the first major step was in 1989 during the Billy Graham mission to the UK. I think that was the first time i had a real full understanding that Christianity was not man's attempt to find God, but God's mission to redeem man. Before then I'd probably have been convinced that my works on their own counted for something. I was a bit of a pharisee at school. I talked some of the things that bothered me, over with a counsellor... but most of it I spoke to God about alone (one good thing that came out of my isolationism, is that I tended to communicate with God a lot). The important thing though was that after that I started to listen to Him as well.

In 1991, upon leaving school I became quite depressed, for one reason or another (you don't really need to be burdened with that). It was during that year that after being pelted with eggs and repeatedly told to "Shut Up!", that I had a bit of a breakdown. It was then that i finally realised that the Christian walk is not one to be undertaken in your own strength. There were a few special moments that day, but my outlook for the future had changed somewhat, and the most important thing was that it started to make me more open... to start letting people into my heart... that is something that has gathered momentum in recent years.

Since then, I've made some foolish mistakes, foolish pride and shame made them last longer than they should have. However, I believe that whatever I'd done with my life, I would have ended up at the same point by about July 2003. I really feel, that the first part of my life has been a kind of "playtime" and now the real stuff begins. In some ways I don't think the Nick Payne of any year till about 2000 would recognise the Nick Payne of today. I'm a different creature. I wonder how many of my friends would make the same distinction about the changes in me?

I've changed churches a couple of times, and my role in the church and indeed the Church, has started to become much more involved. There is no feeling on earth like speaking and knowing your God is with you, or seeing something new revealed to you by God in a powerful way. I really believe we are living in exciting times... we are on the cusp of something big and wonderful. My strongest desire, is that the people around me don't miss out on God's promises.

That brings us up to the present day I think. I'll have to do something more light hearted now, because that was a mega heavy entry!

Blessings to you all!

Nick

Church

Well, I decided to take a break from my own church at Great Alne this morning. Simple fact of the matter is, that there wasn't a service there... it was a united benefice service at Coughton, and I didn't feel like going, as I find services there are too liturgically heavy. I also take issue with that church's stance with regard to freemasonry. Having read up on the subject, I do not feel it's appropriate for Christians to associate themselves with masonic organisations... and yet Coughton hosts the annual midlands area service for the Freemasons.
Which brings me to another point. I get very depressed at the notion of secular minded people having authority in the Church. It's no secret that I resent the fact that Tony Blair (or any PM for that matter... but especially Tony Blair), has the final say on the appointment of every Anglican bishop. He claims he is a Christian, and yet he condones taking advice from a new age guru. My opinion is that he actually is a polytheist. He has a very Roman approach to theism. Basically all beliefs are equal and the same. Well, maybe they are in the world's view, but if you try and align them all together, you just get nonsense. If you believe something, you shouldn't have to feel pressurised to put it into a cosmic blender, just so that it agrees with everyone else. Dare to be different.
In the end, I plumbed for going to Astwood Bank church, I have a couple of friends there, and I felt it was important, after last weeks episode, to touch base with them and let them know I was OK. I know at least one of them was concerned for my well being, and had been praying for me. Important note their folks... if you know someone is praying for you, it's good to let them know that it's appreciated... it's encouraging to do so.
I think I may have stumbled across the oldest recorded hymn in Christendom. They were singing something the words of which were written by some bloke called Aurelius... who lived from the mid fourth, to the early fifth century AD. Jinkies!