The true meaning of Christmas?

Festive greetings to one and all, I hope this blog finds you in good cheer following whatever festive revelries one has felt inclined to partake in.

For myself, much studied energy has gone into avoiding my dissertation on gender, sexual and political identities of ascetics in the 4th century (usually I just say 'virgins' and leave it at that). The word count has remained at a stubborn zero and despite some temptation I have manfully resisted trying to add anything to it. Nevertheless, I have managed at least some reading, and I think some of the claims by my two subjects- Athanasius of Alexandria and Gregory of Nyssa yield a few surprises for the unintiated, particularly Gregory.

It seems like a horribly trendy and progressive sort of topic, and frankly it is. Still it does give one pause to think about sexual norms for the contemporary church, and during one of my prolonged procrastination sessions, I did happen to pick up a copy of the Daily Mail (where angels fear to tread) and read SImon Heffer's opinions on the current state of moral turpitude Church of England.

Quick to declare himself an outsider, Heffer has no qualms about pontificating on the failings of the Church (including the humdinger of a line: "To me, as an atheist who respects the place of the Church in our society, the course of action it should have taken was clear."), which I always find to be an odd way of showing one's friendship. It's an entertaining read, not least when he declares David Cameron Holier than 'most of' the clergy(!).

Although most of it was about welfare, it was however this part of the text that caught my eye:

"Shamefully, it won’t stand up for the institution of heterosexual marriage, or promote the conventional family, even though both seem an integral part of the Christmas message..."

I suppose my question really is 'where, exactly?' Perhaps he has in mind the holy family? Mary fulfilling her primary societal role as mother and caregiver, Joseph respectable honest tradesman and father and a newborn baby; the perfect nuclear family, all gathered around the manger on a slightly twee christmas card.

Well, perhaps that is one way of looking at it. However surely if one begins to account for the whole story, that image begins to unravel quite fast. Instead we are presented with a teenager, betrothed to a man, who becomes impregnated before the wedding, and claims it was God. She will then give birth to something that hardly can be considered a normal human baby whilst effectively homeless in the sort of conditions that would raise serious questions about her suitability as a parent.

If one wants to take it a little further of course, one can take the age-old tradition that Mary remained ever-virgin, not exactly commonly encountered in 'heterosexual marriage', whilst Jesus 'brothers and sisters is explained by the idea that Joseph was in fact much, much older and already a widower with sons.

Whatever politics one may want to make of this picture, it seems an inevitable conclusion that the holy family hardly fits the 1950's Family image that I presume conservatives cling to when discussing marriage in society. But I think that is always the case with Christianity, scratch the surface appearances even a little and a rather surprising picture emerges that is often obscured to those outside. In this bracket I include Mr. Heffer, who I think wishes the Church to defend a vision of a society and world that has (if it ever really existed) has passed away. I however suspect that the true 'Christian society' will look like something never before experienced, and this will even pass into how we conceive our most intimate relationships.

Many conservatives would happily say that the Family (particularly in its traditional, nuclear form) is the bedrock of society, and yet Jesus himself has some rather different ideas about its relative importance: 'And [Jesus] replied, ‘Who are my mother and my brothers?’And looking at those who sat around him, he said, ‘Here are my mother and my brothers! Whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother. (Mark 3.33-35)' Now I wonder what that would look like translated as a social vision?

And with that flourish I conclude another hour complete with the task of dissertation writing successfully evaded.

Knock and the Door shall be Opened for You?

Yesterday A Lib-Dem, A Tory and A Labourite walked into a restaurant. It sounds like the start of a bad joke, but it was in fact my dinner last evening and when these facts came to light things got rather animated, possibly to the discomfiture of the rest of the table. Now I'm not here to recount whatever arguments we were having, but I will observe that according to the Tory Austerity is both working and still the only way, and according to the Lib-Dem, the party was being absolutely 'principled' in going into coalition and has made a huge difference to the present government. I suppose somewhere in the midst of this conversation I, the hapless labourite forced to listen to just how well this country is doing with inflation, unemployment and flatlining economy, had an enlightened moment and felt if labour were in power, in coalition with the lib-dems, exactly the same things would be said, though by slightly different people. What I was told by an MP once holds true; it really is just a game.

I found myself in a funny position defending Labour, seeing as I dislike most of its trajectory over my lifetime, in effect, apparently unlike the other two, I sort of look a bit uncomfortable with being seen under a particular banner. However for all my cynicism of the theatrics of political life, I more than met my match in Neil Jameson, Mr. Citizens UK himself, who was meeting with some Jellicoe interns in the afternoon, who even managed to dismiss the events in Tunisia as a false dawn and the Occupy protests as a fruitless distraction from real change.

I bring it up though because also at that meeting there were a lot of gloomy comments concerning St. Paul's decision to lock its doors and potentially find ways of evicting protestors from the Cathedral area, ostensibly on health and safety grounds, yet just happening to mention the lost revenue from half-term and of course all Giles Fraser came out and supported their right to protest. The Occupiers are not the only ones who are baffled. As the article linked to goes on to indicate, many seem to think the Cathedral is in cahoots with the Corporation of London, and I have read one or two commentary pieces saying as much outright. I have no idea myself behind those Cathedral doors, but it certainly allows me to find my idealistic voice:

These actions not only make the Church look incredibly stupid, saying one thing, doing another, saying something different about it, seemingly not have considered the camp as a longer term project at all but it's just a completely wasted opportunity to engage with people who clearly have a lot of passion for a just cause, many of whom probably do feel done over by the system and who care deeply for others disenfranchised by our political and economic systems. Exactly the sort of people, one might say that Jesus would want to meet with, invite to the wedding feast. Perhaps an established Church is fearful of picking a clearly partisan side, but I think few would deny which side a Church following its principles would, should come down on.

Many have pointed out that if they're worried about blocked walkways, the Cathedral could always open its doors to the tents. At the very least, they could be out there meaningfully talking over what should be a huge wealth of common ground, sharing the gospel, showing the protestors their own marks of the divine in their current commitments. But it is not to be. A wonderful opportunity fully wasted and done with as gracelessly as possible. I have seen people on Twitter saying the protestors should be reasonable and move on, but an institution that wishes to walk 'the narrow way' who prays for the will of God to be done on earth, as it is in heaven, has no business putting the pragmatic considerations first.

Hang the cost, support the cause, or if not the cause, then at least the people who still need supplies and must be perishingly cold out there, why accrue animosity with them instead? I think there was some guy in the religion somewhere, quite important, who said 'strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness [and] do not worry about tomorrow' ..?

I will say it's good advice, for the vexing actions of the Cathedral certainly have brought sufficient troubles to worry about today. And though I may not have much belief in Party politics, I certainly still believe in doing the right thing without counting the cost, and I just wish that St. Paul's would share that view.As for the meeting with Neil Jameson, he eventually revealed his idealist colours as he talked proudly of the changes brought about in Newham hospital thourgh organized civic pressure. Although the Occupiers may have less realistic asks at the moment, but every good Community Organiser knows the publicity can make a big difference to achieving one's aims. Stand firm protestors, and we shall wee what tomorrow brings...

My Contribution to the ongoing quest of Liturgical Revision

After a mere 4 days at studying the Liturgy, I feel like my views of the subject of early Eucharistic practice have already crystalized.

Thus I find my take on the raging controversies that surround the questions of the Beginnings of the Christian Eucharist, and put forward to the Liturgy commission this minor adjustment to the Eucharistic prayer:

‘Who, in the same night he was betrayed,

Took bread and gave you thanks;

He broke it and gave it, and gave it to his disciples saying:

‘Now, I hope you’re watching what I’m doing really carefully, because one day whole careers are going to rest on the precise order I do these things’

And Peter Said ‘But Lord, who among us has been watching you the whole time? What is significant about tonight? For he had not yet understood the Lord’s teaching that this was the night of his betrayal.

‘Truly I tell you’ said Christ ‘you shall see the meaning of my action soon enough, and the symbolic importance of my words, but I beseech you; look past all that and watch my hands very carefully...’

And placing down the Bread next to the Cup he said ‘Now did bread or cup come first and where precisely during the meal?’

And the disciples replied ‘surely the precise ordering is irrelevant Lord? Is it not important that we understand its spiritual meaning? Where does the cup even come into it?’

And Jesus answered them ‘Bread, cup, cup, bread? Let he with eyes to see, see, for he shall use his hands to handle in a few weeks’ time’

And the disciples said ‘this is a hard teaching, who can understand it?’

And Christ tilted his head to one side and said ‘You know what lads, you’re right; this is ridiculous, but I do know a rather good miracle involving a bottle and a cup that switch places if you’d rather I showed you that?’

And donning a fez, he performed many signs and wonders in front of his disciples and they had a great Last Supper together with much joy and laughter.

Amen’[1]

And were I feeling particularly dark, I may well add the phrase 'and Judas pondered these things in his heart, for he had memorized exactly what christ had done.'

---

[1] Common Worship, Church of England Eucharistic Prayer A (minor paraphrase)

Start the day (as) Beethoven

So I wake up this morning and catching myself in the mirror I noticed that thanks to growing it out and the semi-permanent windsweepage induced through cycling down the odd wind tunnel mostly towards college. My Hair has rather come to resemble, almost exactly:

This I should note is Big News for it in fact achieves a small ambition of mine that I had when I was teenager. Yes that's right, when everyone else was growing their hair long and styling it into those variations of 'emo' fringes, I was consciously trying to imitate the father of Romantic Music.

Thus to celebrate this important occasion I have decided to celebrate by sharing the third movement of Symphony number 7. This particular movement is very special to me; I once played the whole symphony with the college orchestra but it was so distinctly amateurish that when I listened to number 7 by you know, a good orchestra, several months later it was only by halfway through movement three (and that's almost half an hour in) that I actually recognized as something I had played, such was the quality of our performance.

Good Day to you all, I hope to put up something on the 'Occupy' protests later today.

Brief Response to Raj Gupta

Twitter trawling late at night is such a bad idea. Nevertheless this little number on the Sydney Anglicans Website did catch my attention and I would like to note a thought or two on the matter, and seeing as I'm quite unlikely to have much interaction with the diocese of Sydney any time soon, the hassle of registering and leaving a reply there seemed a bit much.

So the suggestion by Raj Gupta is that the traditional church liturgy feels a bit old hat and a lot of people don't really 'connect' with it as such.

He asks rhetorically, 'Is the central issue the content or form of the liturgy, or is issue the liturgical nature itself?' and the particular answer he provides is interesting to me, for he seems to offer a somewhat conflicted answer, whilst making much of his own experiences and the thoughts of others about feeling alienated from the old rituals, but when he at the same time declares:

"Do not misunderstand me. I am all for preserving good theology. I am all for teaching via our practices, and the repetition of them."

Which does rather beg the question of how such a thing could be achieved that did not resemble the form of a liturgy. Indeed his closing sentence: "Maybe our issue is particular liturgy forms" seems to indicate that the central issue as stated above would in fact be the former, if we're only going to be negotiating particulars.

Of course, it's a well-worn truism that every Church has a liturgy, some just don't realise it, or acknowledge it, and I think most can appreciate that certain phrases crop frequently in supposedly non-liturgical churches, and that there's a shape and an order to the worship more often than not.

So I suppose the real question comes from the idea that the more traditional liturgy is 'out of touch'. And I think going deeper, a bit of unpacking of this statement would be useful. I am deeply sympathetic to those who wish to encourage people to come to Church, to feel that worship is something they are really participating in, but the liturgy is...out of touch with what exactly?

Here I must offer my disagreement with Raj when he says Anglican liturgical inheritance only goes back as far as the Reformation. Liturgy is old. Specifically Christian Liturgy seems to be traceable back to the first century. In Corinthians 10 and 11 (esp 11 23-26) We see words that have a formulaic feel, indeed they have passed down to modern liturgy. I have recently embarked upon studying Liturgy as part of my degree, and frankly I regret it having spent a whole day caught in a simply fascinating discussion as to whether the earliest liturgical practice was to do Bread - Cup or Cup - Bread, or whether there were local variations and whether it started as something sacramental or eschatological[1] etc. etc.

The point I wish to make is that it's not out of touch with the Church itself, in preserving the ancient way of public worship (at least in the Eucharist) we have a connection that (not entirely untenuously, of course, but authentically all the same, I think) stretches right back to the first Christians, and even Christ himself, indeed. Formulaic prayers and certain ritual acts are part and parcel of the Jewish religious milieu that the Church emerges from, so we shouldn't be surprised.

This also goes some way into the possibility that it is out of touch with modernity, for is this really what the Church should be worried about? The Orthodox church of course has barely changed in worship style for centuries- so deeply ingrained is the style of worship that certain pockets of the Russian faithful in the 17th Century preferred to schism and die over such dramatic changes as the way one shapes their hand whilst making the sign of the cross and the spelling of 'Jesus'.

Yet I have yet to meet a person outside of the Christian spectrum...or within for that matter who has not felt something of the beauty of that (entirely liturgical) worship, and felt the holiness that seems to radiate as it goes on, myself included. Perhaps part of that unchanging feel, that weight of history and depth of theology gives an immediate sensation at the least, of something deep and authentic.

Understanding the why Liturgy is 'out of touch' I suspect, has more to do with the personal and particular expectations and desires of those who declare it so, which is somewhat problematic for a real faith cannot grow from the desires of the self, it can only grow by losing the self-will within the Divine, opening oneself to God that he may move in. I've personally found that by taking part in something with a timeless quality in unity with churches across the globe and through time, in rhythm with people immediately around me helps in many ways towards this forgetfulness of the self and to be taken up into something bigger, but as the article says, anecdotes are probably not the best way of determining policy.

I do submit myself to correction however; can anyone help further explain the felt sense of liturgy's irrelevance? and perhaps if Mr. Gupta is reading this himself (and I would consider that an honour) I would be interested to hear more about what he envisages coming under a 'different approach' even if it's only a sketchy thing currently.

For myself, I am weary of simply doing away with centuries of ancient tradition just to cater to the contemporary whims of what Chesterton calls 'the small and arrogant oligarchy of those who merely happen to be walking about'. I think there's a holiness to it, and it binds us with the Church as a whole; across denominations, across the globe, and across time.

[1]Consult Luke's Last Supper narrative which has an anomalous 2 cups and a farewell discourse - a sign of two strands of ancient eucharist being clumsily plonked together?

Big Issues 1 - Why Believe in God?

Leaving the Buddhism Lecture at one in the afternoon, I couldn't help but notice just how hungry I was. Unfortunately, this being Friday, I was also skint, and home is a 12 minute cycle away at a choppy pace. There was however the text message in my pocket, received at somepoint between the question of just how influenced Gautama had been by Brahminism and examples of BC representations of him where they refused to portray him as a man (opting instead for tree, wheel, Stupa): 'Hi Nathan it's mj...Talk at the Mitre...Free Lunch...lovely to see you again'. True, it had been a while since I had seen her, and I did feel bad for never replying to her email about Mary. More importantly the Mitre is only a minute away by bike, and that's going slowly. Lunch, for free too, just one minute away. All I had to do was sit through some talk or other. Not a problem.

Of course, actually I knew exactly what was going on at the Mitre - Big Issues, hosted by OICCU, The Oxford Christian Union. The last time I had been goaded in by the prospect of a 'free' lunch, I had left distinctly irritated, if not scandalised by the apologetics of the man they had brought in. I forget precisely what he said but I do recall that his account of reason and revelation from his perspective made it rather difficult to maintain the exclusive truth of the christian religion, something he was simultaneously quite keen to assert, amongst other things. And it's so hard (though in truth I do get a rather wicked little twinge of pleasure) to tell all those nice, smiling people how little you thought of speaker's arguments, only occasionally explaining why.

But who knows? Maybe he was just a bad speaker, maybe the quality is usually better. Fair enough, in dealing with this particular topic, something like 'Did God make Man or Man make God?' I didn't expect in 40-odd minutes much of a foray into secular understandings of the origin of religion (Note to self: read those notes given to you on Clifford Geertz) or a particularly systematic approach looking closely at how faith may fit in with modern epistemological positions or much like that. But still, what was left left me distinctly irritated, nay scandalised! At first he engendered my sympathy, this speaker, he apologised for the unnecessarily androcentric title of the talk which apparently had not been his decision, and then started what Kierkegaard might call a platitudinous introduction sounding of bad things 'christians' had said treating God as a 'ventriloquist's dummy' (no mention of just how sincere and genuine these people's faiths might have been, it seemed tacitly assumed that they are at best erroneous fools with no real understanding of the bible, or at worst cynical hypocrites manipulating the externals of religion to further their own, rather more worldly power).

Then he manages to make a dig at atheism, and those rather soft targets of certain 20th century dictators. I'll admit I was quite busy adding cheese to a roll at this point but he may well have upheld Godwin's Law, I certainly heard 'Stalin' thrown in at any rate. And points out atheists say 'well that's not what atheism is'. Seemingly assuming that there is beyond the denial of deity their is an essential atheism, that is 'more true' than other atheisms, not to mention that atheism in this model is taken to be the prime cause of these atrocities, which is grossly unfair, particularly since he had just been making the point that allegiance to a deity emphatically does little to prevent atrocities. I kind of have an issue or two with treating atheism as analogous to christianity in that they 'should' feel the responsibility of history and former generations, feel all bound together and things like that. I'm pretty sure they're not quite encumbered as a Christian, since an atheist is not bound to tradition and can freely reject what they see as 'unreasonable' (even if their particular reasoning is not always completely coherent) .

Anyway, if I carry on listing all my criticisms of the talk I shall be here all day so I shall simply chart them out in brief and try to keep the guttersniping to a minimum. So, the thing is it very quickly became a talk on Evidence for God. The attempt was to try and preserve the full-force of revealed (and of course Evangelical) Christianity (Liberal christians coincidentally, much like the bad christians mentioned above, don't take their positions from good faith, but merely, cynically, pick and choose what they like and don't like and maintain and discard it accordingly) under the sort of theoretical suppositions consonant with Post-enlightenment (though not really postmodern, that wasn't touched upon) thought. Thus the speaker wished, in a nutshell, to argue that there was a 'bridge' over the gap between faith a reason, so one can happily walk from one to other, under a system of thought that had systematically burned it quite a while back, or so I thought.

So what are ther easoned and empiracle evidences for God. True to Evangelical style he boiled it down to 'Three Es' Experience, Evidence (..?) and I forget the third one.

Religious experience of course, speaks for itself, and is quite a powerful reason for many of course because in all sincereity they really felt like they were feeling 'something'. Of course there's no reason at the same time to conclude in the truth of a Trinitarian God and an Incarnate Son raised from the Dead etc. etc. from seeing a particualrly pretty sunset (one of his examples). Feelings are not the same as content. More interesting was the experience that comes from a specifically 'religious' activity (he cited 'hearing the voice of God' as someone read out the bible) but again, no discussion on how far this relies on presupposed ideas of God that can be gained from general exposure to local culture, one may also legitimately wonder how far along these matters one has gone if their in a context where they can not only hear a bible being read out, but are in fact listening to it. Since we had already begun from the point that the 'true god' was the bible-based one, it was a little surprising that no space was given over to the question as to how the sensation of the numinous from a different religious persuasion was less legitimate, or what one is meant to do when such a 'feeling' takes them in a different religious context- talking from my own experience as one of the baptised, I have felt the God-itch when hearing the Qu'ran read out at a mosque and whilst watching worshippers in a Hindu temple - should I therefore, on the strength of these incoherent feelings conclude that thier religious systems are also true?

Evidence was a quite good one too. He begins by noting that in the experienced realm, we can't be certain of everything, his example was crossing the road, he noted there just might be a patch of superglue in the road and their just might be a steamroller coming round the corner at the same time, yet we did not expect to die whilst crossing the road to get to this talk. Then comes my favourite bit. THEREFORE we shouldn't worry if we can't be 100% 'philosophically certain' (that phrase kept cropping up an awful lot in this 12 minute slot) about the existence of God. Our evidence from life indicates we're unlikely to die crossing the road, and we also have evidence for God...wait for it...from the BIBLE! (stoppit nathan, don't be so condescending). That's right coming to faith is just like crossing the road. An assumption of not dying based on a huge repository of direct experience whilst traversing some tarmac is strictly analogous with trusting a source which can't be verified by experience (the gap of 2000ish years and all that) discussing something which, ultimately, according to Christian tradition has no directly comparable object in creation ayway (that being God obviously). Even better that he used the Gospel of Luke which specifically declares itself to be at least a second-hand account, the author hasn't even verified it by experience.

And because the book says Jesus committed Miracles (something I do not commonly experience) and came back from the dead (again something rather unusual) we should take it as historical fact. Merely on the strength that the author himself has declared this to be an orderly account derived from eyewitnesses.

We then rather career of track a bit by learning that God can speak directly to us through the words of the text, and a good prayer is apparently 'God, if you exist, please speak to me now'. My head still spins from trying to work out this preposterous request. And if a total nonbeliever actually said that in all sincerity and then heard nothing, would the speaker then count that as a legitimate nonexperience of God confirming the truth of atheism? Of course now we're on the matter of experience again...I'm sensing some blurring of the categories here...it's almost like he just plucked three E's as a rhetorical device and just tried to squeeze his arguments into them.

'This is hell' I'm thinking by now. Actually I'm not, I'm thinking I'm back in Sunday school as a six year old. The table with the orange and blackcurrant squashes in plastic cups is not dispelling this comparison. Thinking about Sunday School though, perhaps hell is not quite so far from the truth after all. MJ, now to my left, looks quite unimpressed as well. I'm glad I'm not the only one.

I must admit I didn't quite catch all of E number three, I was too drawn into thinking why I wasn't outside in the sunshine, or how much I wanted to throw a javelin in his foot. Why a javelin or his foot specifically I couldn't tell you but there it is. I do distinctly recall it was the argument drawn from moral reasoning, a delicate conflation of the question of where moral sense comes from and how can we know what is right and wrong. Highlighting the absurdity of morality based solely on majority opinion, he nevertheless declined to offer any other arguments against theories of morality which are slightly closer to reality.

Then at some point in the questions, he noted a conflict between his feelings on the matter of the exclusive claims of Christ to the truth (contentious interpretation of the bible of course but I'll move on without further comment) and his own, more ecumenical feelings. But if his sense of right and wrong is derived from God....and the Bible is also from God...but you don't like what it says... He also notes God gives us space for grey in morality without seemingly appreciating that his system ultimately demands a right and wrong eventually and gave no clue as to how we weigh up conflicting positions (though perhaps the last bit is the unstated answer...intriguingly he cited abortion as one of these sensitive areas, which may well mean that I actually have found something where I am the more inflexible one, but I don't know how far he feels about it really). He also noted morality as 'progressive' for humanity, New Testament beats Old but it doesn't seem to occur to him to question whether anything beats New...

I'm not really angry, but this facile, muddled, feeble Christianity is surely a poison for anyone who does a little thinking about it. How that man was able to reach that age and come to this line of thought does leave one wondering about the abilities of most teachers in Christendom. Truly I went partly because in the morning I had been pondering the word's of a friend when she noted that Anglo-Catholicism is a rather negative identity in many respects, derived from a rejection of Evangelicalism (and I might and concurrent with, of course, a rejection of the Roman Catholic Church) which made me wonder about the blind-spots of such a faith, particularly since I know of a few at least who in their own lives have lived out this historical trajectory. Yet if this is what I left behind, then suddenly I don't feel quite so bad about it. This foolish speaker who fails to see the enormous consequences of the system he proposes, its thoroughly absurd claims (Kierkegaard has clearly really got to me already!) and outrageous demands on the subject. Really it's just a snap, a mountain view and suddenly finding the Golden Rule quite congenial when Jesus says it. It's...odd. He may as well have just read out some C. S. Lewis (I hear Evangelicals like his apologetic work a lot) at least it might be coherant in itself, distinctly more useful and edifying than that dribbling sophistry.

Humbug I say. Humbug. Still, in fairness it makes sure I can never be too complacent in sloppy thinking and it does pose the question 'so how do you justify it?' a question I am perhaps not ready to answer to anyone's satisfaction. Big religious statements, as far as I can see, deal with what is at heart a mystery and any assertion relies in part of pre-formed, potentially uncritical opinions- the wealth of theological reflection would not be so if one had to justify outside the bracket of revelation certain facts and ideas that have grown within it. And whatever 'natural' arguments I might care to formulate certainly do nothing to defend the entire integrity of either the Christian tradition or an exclusive truth claim it purports to have. I puzzle as to whether I could break from a westernized idea of thinking about it all in terms of the self and individual before whatever divinity. Still if there was ever an answer to the question 'can man make god in his own image?' it must surely be found in this man who was so ready to dismiss christians with sharply differing viewpoints as false and who was able to rattle off the 'moral certainties' that the Bible offered up...one perhaps sees hints of an answer.

Jellicoe Internship: Community

When my friend returned from his long sojourn in the Southern Hemisphere, the bulk of which was spent on the small island of Tanna, Vanuatu (which hosts the people mostly famous for worshipping Prince Phillip as a deity) he found that he had been so readily accepted, embraced into the community that he was considered just as much a ‘black man’ as any other.

Three weeks in London where my time off was spent doing the Telegraph Crossword in the pub, going to the Proms, buying classical music CDs and visiting the British Museum didn’t, I must admit didn’t leave me with quite the same feeling, but it is a bit of a truism that one doesn’t need to travel to the South Pacific anymore to find oneself quite outside one’s own culture. I must admit I was a little nervous of working in an area like Manor Park, Newham. It’s a fairly diverse sort of area, now largely inhabited by Muslim populations, but you have people from all over in significant numbers, there are Sikhs and Hindus, Catholics from Africa and the West Caribbean, more than a few Far East Asians and some Eastern European migrants. More than I could identify with my limited experience. In the lunch hall local primary school, St. Winifred’s, there’s a flag for every nationality represented there. There were about 30 flags. As a white, middle-class, Anglican I am a triple-minority in this area; as I wander the street noticing the absence of pubs and the superabundance of halal fried-chicken places, walking past ladies in hijabs and niqabs, men in turbans and so on I couldn’t help but become profoundly aware of just how much I probably stood out in the streets.

It’s also a poor area with crime problems. In the house I was staying at, my neighbours to the right didn’t seem to have any job at all, whilst those to the left were trying to raise three kids in a pokey two-bedroom flat, the streets were busy with pedestrians in the middle of the day, you could get a mug of tea for less than a quid (I think) Cans of coke were 50p. On the penultimate day there was a police cordon round a smashed up phone box and some strewn items and a policeman on guard. I saw a lady get mugged in broad daylight from a first floor window. Apart from that, Green space (at least until you cross over to the north of the Romford road, a three mile stretch urban hell, resplendent with the grumble of ever-clogged traffic, cracked pavement and the stink of fumes) is at a premium and as a zone 3/4 border station, Oyster fares can be horrendous. It’s not the sort of place one goes to if one really has much choice in the matter.

Nevertheless they do, and lots of them at that. And I must admit, I did worry about just how these residents were going to take this white Oxbridge kid who had come in for a mere month to ‘help’ them a philanthropic sentimental tourist. Inevitably I was warmly welcomed wherever I went, be it the Catholic Parish I was working in, the Anglican church over the road, the school next door, the Hindu Temple in the neighbouring street, all ages and ethnicities. Quite honestly, if it weren’t for the pace of life and the general London surliness (something I never really got to grips with) actually building community in a place like this seems a complete doddle.

Which was just wonderful, despite very obviously being an ‘outsider’ and deliberately so, I couldn’t help, by the end of three weeks, to feel that I really had found a context for myself, I wasn’t simply a welcomed guest, I actually had a role, and a purpose to fulfil, in common with others. Which, as a Student can be a remarkable feeling, when one gets used to spending most ‘working time’ in isolation, and spending free time flitting between different activities and social groups, often with bonding being a matter of alcohol and bad dancing, and the individual becoming very self-absorbed and caught up in idle talk much of the time, so to suddenly feel remotely useful is quite a liberating feeling in many respects. The job has been therapeutic in other ways as well, I think I’ve managed to shed some of my middle class race anxiety issues, which can only be a good thing! Living in a predominantly white world, I always felt ill at ease trying to define them (I was unfortunately born with a swollen PC gland) and definitely felt like I could never really speak on their behalf in an argument. And now? Well, a spade’s a spade I suppose, and I shouldn’t be afraid of that. It’s ridiculous, and seeing how they acknowledge my background, but pay no real heed to it has shown me that it is far from impolite to return that in kind. Ultimately I can say that within this concrete mire I have in fact re-discovered a sense of faith in humanity and their capacities to do good towards each other. To see these people, working hard to improve their lot, embracing what they do have and one another is quite an edifying experience for the isolated student. Of course the community is huge in terms of numbers so there’s much in the way of building a network to be done but I think it could well succeed here. And if it can succeed in this rough and ready, often down and out and variegated community, then I think it can, with a little effort be done anywhere.

When I asked the director of the Contextual Theology Centre about the place, he said that for all its faults, some of his happiest years in ministry were spent there. I perhaps have an inkling of why. I don’t think I shall forget the place, and many of the people in a hurry.

The Miscellanies: Real Presence

I know I said I'd blog about community organizing, but as per usual I have been distracted, and so have recently cobbled together some passing thoughts on the Eucharist. What's wonderful about the whole ritual of course is that it's not just a singular act, but a chain of successive acts (hopefully) drawing the communicant further and further into their faith. It is constantly retelling a story and becomes a constant point of return in an individual's life story. So it seems quite nice that I'm able to see my 'story' of moving from an effectively Zwinglian memorialist position to being able to affirm a Real Presence (though precisely how this is, I know not) as quite appropriate to this.

The biblical evidence of course I think is quite clear: Lk. 22 and 1 Cor. 11 23-25 should be shown in the light of 1 Cor 11.27 which I think refers to the elements themselves, and more pertinently 1 Cor 10.16 particularly in light of the other evidence: Matt. 26, Mk. 14, Jn. 6. 51f and Lk 24. 30-32 - noting how Luke seems to suggest that whilst the scriptures (the word of God) give a foretaste, an inkling of God, it is only in the Eucharist we truly recognize Christ.

___________________________________________________________________________________

I suppose what real set the wheels turning was the thought that it is not just about remembering the last supper...even in the memorialist position, it has an effect on present faith yes? If it didn't 'connect' the recipient with Christ and his passion somehow then it's pretty useless as a practice. In truth, it's never 'just bread' is it? It's bread set aside for a sacramental purpose, it is contextually different from all other bread, and what's more its presentation is ritualized (however minimally) which pushes it further away from 'plain bread', and if it is bread that is complimenting, supporting, upholding a faith, then its not even contextually different, it may be ontologically the same, but from the subjective perspective it is no longer feeding your physical hunger but has become a spiritual food.

Already before we've thought about other options the bread has refused to just be something ordinary. This is in fact a Calvinistic view of the Eucharist that there is a unity between the elements and the body of Christ (seated at the right hand of the Father) brought about by the Holy Spirit (though he would probably not say its reality is subject to subjective apprehension).

The 'substance' of the memorialist position, I suppose, is that Christ's death is a 'once and for all' act that doesn't need to be repeated weekly for people...but I do wonder; because although it looks back to a discreet historical event (like the passover meal), the Eucharist also looks to an omnipresent, living, reality which is constantly interacting with creation.

I think this is reinforced by the immanence and Incarnation of God. For God in Christianity did not make himself known through special revelation, or mystic experience through the divine energies if you like...he in fact became a concrete, fleshly reality; a person, a substance and it was by looking at what seemed to be only a man, some perecived, sensed that there was much, much more depth to him to him than that (without of course ever becoming less than human). It feels strange to me to suggest that if God chose to dwell amongst men physically, concretely, in order to effect salvation...that he would stop doing that entirely for the subsequent generations, as if his body has no significance post crucifixion.

God became known through physical reality, and I think it is not too far to suggest that he keeps showing himself through physical signs- a constant reminder that the 'flesh' is ultimately 'good', it's not just about the intellect/soul, it's the whole you. Thus the Eucharist, the most significant action humanity possesses, the climax of the liturgy...is the sign of Christ present, spiritually and bodily amongst his people, the whole of him (spiritual and fleshly presence) for the whole of us (spiritual and fleshly beings). It's a moment of in-breaking of the new Kingdom when there is nothing of us standing apart from the presence of God.

The perpetual presence of whole Christ is what keeps us in continuity with the first disciples, and discontinuity with the people of Israel; by the real presence, there is nothing we lack today that they had back then, we may not 'see' with our physical eyes but we can 'touch' we have his humanness and not just his divinity...and that's a sign of the grace, the generosity of the ever-giving God. Which is why we keep breaking the body, because we are never done 'being' at that death, with that death, and indeed that resurrection as we participate in the transformed flesh of the new adam, not the common flesh of the old...surely (which means it's also looking to the eschatological kingdom, a new fleshly reality, and indeed a new social one, Christ present, Christ amongst his people, who are all sharing freely with no respect to any of the human social constructions of the present age, because 'all are one in Christ' (Gal 3.28) however that's getting a bit off track)

That's a lot, I'm aware to put upon a wheat product and fermented grape juice, but I do think Scripture supports me on the matter (as outlined above), and tradition (from the earliest time) certainly does as well. There is nothing wrong with memorialism in itself, but like the 'moral infleunce' view of atonement, I see nothing in it that contradicts it being seen with another view, it can be x and memorialist...y and moral influence. We shouldn't be too surprised if one gesture has multiple meanings and functions being held together simultaneously I think.

From the Heart (well...right lung perhaps) of Mighty London

It's true there has been quite a lapse in writing on this blog, and it's largely a matter of Trinity Term kicking off properly I think. At the end of the day, when you've written your essays for another week, the last thing you want to do is think about anything, anymore, ever again. Of course, since the end of term a whole new range of excuses are needed, and as it happens I've been on a choir tour to Barcelona and working as a Jellicoe Intern with the Contextual Theology Centre, which is in fact, part of the salvation of this blog.

Perhaps I am mostly doing this for my own sake so I can remember what I thought and felt whilst I was doing this, as well as what I did, but I think the internship, the work are both worthy of wider attention, and so when it ends (Sunday evening) I shall attempt to organize my adventure into some kind of thematic material that hopefully will mean I avoid both a bland then I did this, then I did that, as well as discuss what I really thought of the whole time.

Though whilst we are meandering in the world of worthy causes, the reason I am up at this hour and writing is not the fact that I am working on my final report for this internship (now overdue, but I still have no idea what I'm meant to be writing) but rather because I am copying my latest purchases from Gramex Record Store into my itunes library.

To be honest, I'm not sure I really want to share this little gem of a second-hand classical and Jazz record store with the world, but it really is just too good to keep to myself. The reviews on that link speak for themselves, I think. For my own humble part, I am not known to be a big spender, yet I have just shed myself of £39 for CDs and what have I got?

Plunder, treasure, gems. Beethoven, Stravinsky, Rachmaninov, Byrd, Schumann, Bach, piano sonatas and concertos, symphonies, choral works, songs...

That's right Stravinsky, you really are going for that cheap!

And the selection is so much bigger than that! Of course the real treasure is Roger the store owner, who has been there 30 of Gramex's 105 years (or so he said yesterday). I will say he's brilliant, but quite honestly, I would not want to ruin all the fun so it's best if you find it all out for yourself, but honestly, do go if you can. It's stocked by some real experts in the trade and there seems to be a a fast turnover (really fast in some cases, I eyed an interesting Bach number with the entirety of the Art of the Fugue on it, when I walked back 6 minutes later to pick it up I could no longer find it, and I searched for 45 minutes (yes, yes, I was in the store for 3 hours browsing everything). Alas, I think someone with more sense took it as soon as they saw it.) My only real gripe (and perhaps this is more of a backhand complement) would be that most of these CDs are not actually recognized by iTunes, probably because they are not the most 'obvious' classical music (ok, so it is now in fact a gripe about iTunes and where its priorities lie, which is perfectly fair, I think).

Anyway that's my advertising piece done with, one of London's lesser known highlights, I should also credit my friend Michael Papadopoulos for introducing me to this world of aural delight. So do check it out next time you're in the centre of the capital, and I will try to write up on what I did whilst I was working and not taking time off.

In a few days!

I know I'm a bit late to the Party...

...But that's ok, according to Rob Bell in Love Wins. For I have now finished the book, a little later than I imagined I would but it's here nonetheless.

To be honest, there's not much to expand upon from my post about his talk, though I can see now why the book had made a few of the questioners rather nervous- Bell does not have footnotes, so his statements can seem a lot more bold in print, in the flesh, he seems more cautious about affirming things.

But yes, the book is largely pastoral and evangelistic, rather than theological or historical. It's concerns do range wide, as he puts it 'from heaven and hell to God, Jesus, joy, violence, and the good news is better than that, among other things'. He stresses the importance of the 'now' over the 'then'; that Hell and Heaven can be a present reality, where Christ is, where Christ is not and we do our own selfish thing, and that this comes with immediate consequences rather than just being something that haunts us after death.

As for the actual matter of heaven and hell, he quotes a number of verses that are popular with Universalists, and asks what seem to me the eminently reasonable questions of 'why is forgiveness available only in this life?' and 'Does eternal torture in hell really a sign of the Loving Father' people both inside and outside the faith ask these questions, and what I tend to find, particularly with the latter is that we try to redefine love to make something completely unrecognizable in human terms, in Christlike terms to square it with the vengeful, wrathful God. Rob Bell though wants to say we don't have to do this. 'Eternity' in Hebrew thought is and 'aeon' an age, a stretch of time but not necessarily unending day after day kind of time, and it is a quality of experience- eternal punishment may be severe and purging, but potentially finite.[1] The gates of the New Jerusalem are never shut- people can travel in and out of them, into heaven or to hell, and potentially return again. There is punishment and there is misery, but it's more corrective and purposeful, often generated by our turning away from God. As far as I can see the message is not 'hell is empty' just that it can be. What does Hell mean when the God-in-man on the cross for doing nothing other than showing and teaching love; liberating, challenging disturbing love, says 'Father forgive them, for they know not what they do?'

However whilst people are kicking up a fuss about the insane notion that maybe the Son came into the world not to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him, the really provocative thing, the real break with Western Christendom, which nobody seems to have really picked up upon. It's the idea that God's love gives us total freedom. Time and again, Rob Bell asserts we can choose God or not choose God, implying it is up to us, salvation is in our own hands. The book is not comprehensive. As far as I can see there's nothing that addresses the issue of a passage like Rom. 9 11-23, which includes 'What if God, desiring to show his wrath and to make known his power, as endured with much patience the object of wrath that are made more destruction; and what if he has done so in order to make known the riches of his glory for the objects of mercy which he has prepared beforehand for glory..?'

In this passage Paul seems to be emphasizing the sovereign will of God. It was of course this passage that acted as a key to Augustine's predestinarian theology- in his experience he found that there was no way he could've found salvation by his own power - it had to be an act of God, because Augustine in his youth positively delighted in sin and evil. What's more, he found the habit was not so easy to kick once he had become a Christian either, and so concluded that the human factor in salvation was rather negligible compared to the mercy of God. This combines with the idea that God really does get what God wants - he cannot be resisted, if he opts to save you, then you will be saved just like Augustine. Of course what is clear that if it is down to God and not to humans as to who makes it to heaven, then why are their so many unbelievers? The logical answer is because God never intended to have them become believers. They are clay pots made for destruction. He would probably accuse Rob Bell of Pelagianism were they contemporaries. I don't think Rob Bell believes God would make people solely for destruction, I don't want to believe it either, but there it is. It is a question that needs answering Augustine's view has more or less set the tone for Western Christian thinking on this matter ever since, we see it in Luther and Calvin, and the reaction of Arminius.

Of course the matter is confused slightly in the 'Love Wins' because Rob does note that Jesus is bigger than religion, and that God is not limited by human institutions, creeds and ideas seems fair, but there does seem to be the prospect that people can be saved by Jesus without recognizing Jesus specifically, I'm not sure if that a conscious choice towards a Jesus-shaped good is the idea here, or whether its potentially suggesting that in fact, God is plucking people out by his choice. Given the emphasis on freedom in the whole, book I suspect it may be the former.

The other side of this freedom of course is a rather 'american' or even 'consumer' model to Christianity? Don't like what Augustine said? That's fine, plenty don't agree with him, read the Eastern Fathers instead who never had Augustine's hang ups about sin and depravity and who affirm that because we still hold the image of God (having lost the 'likeness' (Gen 1.26) in the Fall) even in a tarnished way, we still have some freedom. He openly insists Christianity has a wide number of options, you can pick them and still be 'Orthodox' in outlook.[2]

On his first trip to America, Dietrich Bonhoeffer noted that there was a distinct distaste for conflict in the theological college he was visiting, and noted they tend to put 'community' before 'confession' if they disagreed, then they agreed to disagree on the matter. He found it quite unlike his European experience. He suggested part of it stemmed from the fact that many who came to America came fleeing religious persecution, and so were hardly going to start it up again now they had arrived in the New World. Of course it wasn't really a problem to be tolerant, it was such a big place that if one disagreed they could simply move out and spread away a little bit further. It seems friendly enough, but it had and has led to a bewildering array of Christianities in America, and Bonhoeffer himself was wary of it because they couldn't all be correct- and where freedom of religion was a noble principle to uphold for the first settlers, he was concerned that with subsequent generations it had become a general assumption about religion that meant people potentially sought accord more than caring about truth.

Can some of that be seen in Rob Bell's writings? I think so- we can disagree on these matters, I'm still going call you a Chrstian, he might say. It's inclusive and welcoming and reflects the fact that we can not ultiamtely grasp God, but it's important that we never stop trying. I said that Rob Bell seems less certain of his standpoint when in person, but maybe if he really believes what he has written is the truth, then he should be ready to defend it as best he can, because if the internet has shown me one thing about this viewpoint, it is that it currently needs a lot of defending.

__________________________________________________________

[1]This particular bit of the book is probably one of the most complicated and so it's not tremendously surprising to see that those who are claiming to review the book often miss this altogether and note references to eternal punishment, seemingly not realizing that that point has been answered.

[2] Though again the issue gets confused when in the penultimate chapter he notes that believing in the 'wrong God' can lead us to doing the wrong things- Inquisitions, wars of religion and Crusades would be examples of following the wrong God- but isn't the possibility of this happening much increased if there's a reduced need to agree upon the 'right God'?

Happy Easter!

I thought today that I wouldn't really write anything on Easter (I rather forgot to mention Good Friday). In truth, plenty of pastors and priests wills be weighing in on the matter today. For a change I'm going to just sit quietly and hope.

So instead I thought I'd just put up the incomparable 'Et Resurrexit' from Bach's Bm Mass - which when heard after the 'Et Incarnatus' and 'Crucifixus' dark, slow and harmonically confusing movements, really does demonstrate the magnitude of this new life. Resurrection as a kick in the teeth.

Just like Josef's words from Schleiermacher's 'Christmas Eve, Dialogue on the Incarnation' says'

"Now just think what lovely music [the women] could have sung for you, in which all the piety of the discourse could have dwelt far more profoundly."

and criticises the 'contriving, reflective, dialectical, superintellectual'.

Quite right too.

May you have a wonderful and blessed Easter!

Does Christianity have a Future?

So I sign in this afternoon to find my one and only follower is no longer with me. This I suspect represents a total collapse of my readership. Not quite sure why either- perhaps it was the wrong message I was giving, perhaps it was the exploration of heretical thoughts, maybe it was just really boring for her.

Interesting of course because those are reasons given by some within the church for the waning fortunes of certain other sections of the religion (liberalism is poisoning the water hole)- and in fact in some ways it seemed to be the opinion of Ann Widdecombe in her latest programme on the BBC from which I've taken the title. I don't really know why Ann keeps getting to do these things, I don't think as a convert from the Church of England to Roman Catholicism over the issue of women priests makes her necessarily representative of most of the religious, but more so than that, it's like she has a chronic need to argue with people she disagrees with- they can't just talk. This time it was Johann Hari, in the Newman programme it was Diarmaid MacCulloch (who did a History of Christianity), and in the 10 commandments one it was Francesca Stavrakopoulou (Who did the recent series on the Bible's Buried Secrets). And you know? It never stops being Toe Curling. Much like her appearance on Strictly actually, which naturally, I loved for precisely the same reason.

No fear, Widdy will show you the way. It's for your own good young girl...

Despite this though, if you can catch it on iplayer before Sunday I'd definitely recommend watching it. It hardly says anything explosive or unexpected but I found it quite enjoyable. It also made me realise that I'm grateful that there's a lot of Diversity in Christianity- when she looked at a Pentecostal Church which takes a strong conservative evangelical line on doctrinal and social matters, her approval of this certainty could hardly be clearer. She probably wouldn't think much of my faith, probably call it anaemic... Well, I don't think Jesus would've voted Conservative so I guess we're even. At the same time though, I undeniably felt a twinge of envy at their certainty, and their joy in their faith. I would be lying if I said faith has brought me much 'joy' recently. Mostly just 'puzzlement'.

Maybe it's because I'm an Anglican. One of the things that pricked my ears was Rowan Williams giving his definition of Anglicanism. Reacting against the accusation of being a 'woolly Church where anything goes' he replied:

"...The Chuch of England has a set of beliefs which are laid out in the book of common prayer in new prayer books too, and in the creeds which we all sign up to. What of course we have is a history of a lot of, pluralism, about the deatil, and a certain tradition of tolerance about those who challenge even some of the fundamentals. I think those who are Anglicans are anglicans for reasons, they believe that while the central facts of the faith are there, there is a place for being a bit laid back about some variations on the edges."

Well undeniably this is the Church of Don Cupitt, Nicky Gumbel, Jeffrey John, Michael Nazir-Ali, Giles Fraser, Richard Harries and Tom Wright, to name a few. The place where the Church Spire may be the only high thing about it, and where Bishops can fly. This however is the Church of England. When we look to the anglican community with it's reckless/blasphemous/prophetic/simply Christian (delete as you see fit) Liberal bits, and its reactionary/uncharitable/principled/simply Christian (again, delete as suits your tastes) conservative evangelical bits particularly, one wonders just how 'tolerant' it is. In the age of the Anglican Covenant is 'pluralism' a guiding principle? Even within the CoE of course the lines seem to be hardening between Evangelicals and liberals, whilst the Anglo-Catholics of course deal with their identity and allegiance following the Ordinariate offer. I'd like to believe, I'd like to have certainty that Rowan's articulation is in fact the case, but even if there is a strong middle-of-the-road tendency from many in the pews right now, I don't know how much longer it can last...but if we've got to communicate to a generation where belief extends as far as 'family, friends and themselves' as the programme stated, and who all seem to be very open-minded, possibly tipping on indecisive, on the matter- appearing as a bunch of squabbling factions fighting over near-incomprehensible matters for the average unchurched is likely I think, going to be a big turn off.

The other thing I don't get is why nobody ever asks about the Orthodox Church in this Country, if you want a really traditional religion Ann, try the one that's barely changed for centuries, no Vatican II for them, oh no. Here is a church with it's own beautiful and holy worship and a deep sense of spirituality and continuity. Small yes, but no reason to be overlooked In a world of rush and short termism*, which (dare I say it) even the churches here can be caught up in - blending in with modernity, finding the next scheme or way of doing church - there could well be a lot of interest around an institution which does resist that urge, just as there is around the Cathedral services?

*RW also covers this a bit in the show noting "..the old forms of community has faded away...we're a society which on the whole because of its consumerism, has shrunk its horizons. It hopes for less, it thinks less of human beings."