termly maflazine of the stude nt christian movement
issue 123
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summer 2006
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Ghrist when he was lifted uP did
not say "l draw some PeoPle to
myself." He said 'nl draw all, all,
all."
(Archbishop Desmond Tutu)
. Working for a more inclusive
Anglican Gommunion
. For further information and
to sign up to the Petition..'
visit www. i ncl usivech u rch. net
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is the magazine
of the Sea of Faith Network (UK)
which exploles religion as a human creation.
Sofia does not think rvisdorn is dispensed supernaturally from on
t.tigtt, Lrut that it cau only be sought by huuratrs at home on Earth.
Religions ar€ not supernatural but an important part of the
human treasury of rvisdon-r.
Sofia is both anti-fundamentalist and anti-restrictive- rationalist,
beiieuing in the value of humaniry's poetic genius and
imaginaiion, as well as reason and experience, in its sealch for
rvisdom.
Soy'a seeks a rvorld oljustice atrd peace, promoted by a sane and
kiitdly hr',tt.t.t.tisrn that sees the liberation of humanity as the
chief object oI cultttre.
Sofiais ior diggers and seekers iu its orvn native radical tradition
and eveg'rvhere.
For Subscriptions to magazine €15 p.a. (6 issues
p.a.), Membership of SoF Network f3O p.a. or for
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ffir{rL}n hJcIr Iiiu
25-ZB August
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living life to the tull?
editorial
Life in all its fullness, SCM's theme for this academic year, has certainly guaranteed a
full life for all the students and staff. We've been busy with all kinds of resources and
actions exploring different aspects of the theme, and the special feature in this issue of
movement is just a small taster of a few of them.
lf you'd like to see some of the reflections, worship materials, workshops and Bible studies
we've produced on the theme, check out www.movement.org.uk/life. We've also
had a fantastic conference, which is reviewed on page 4 and has its own section of the
website at www. movement.org. u k/conference.
When we chose the theme, we wanted to look at every aspect of life, think aboutwhat really
makes it worth living or prevents it being lived to the full, and challenge some common preconceptions
in church and society about fullness of life. What are healing and wholeness?
What does our theology say about disability and mental illness? What
kind of spiritual practices contribute to a full life? And what about our
responsibility for the lives of others, and our place in our community?
The articles on pages 14-19look at a few of these things. Elizabeth
Baxter's piece challenges SCM and the wider church to be a genuinely
therapeutic community; Grant White introduces an Eastern Orthodox
vision of life in all its fullness; and Andrew Scott looks towards
a theology that can respond effectively to the HIV pandemic which
denies millions the chance to live a full life. HIV campaigning has
been SCM's main social action this year - find out how you can get
involved on page 7.
Elsewhere in this issue, we have an interview with Peter Owen Jones,
the vicar who strode around in an lndiana Jones hat on BBC2 making
church history sexy. And, sadly, we have the final instalment (for now)
of Gordon Lynch's excellent pop culture review column. l'd like to
thank Cordon for all his contributions to movement; l'm sure many
movement readers will continue to follow his exciting work. I
movement
movement is the termly magazine of the Student Christian
Movement, dedicated to an open-minded exploration of
Chrisfianity.
Editor: Liam Purcell (editor@movement.org.uk)
Next copy date: 14 July 2006
Editorial group: David Anderson, Laurence Craig, Liam Purcell, John Probhudan,
Susannah Rudge
SCM staff: Co-ordinator Liam Purcell; Links WorkerJo Merrygold; Office
Admin istrator John Probhudan
SCM office: Unit 30BF The Big Peg, 120 Vyse Street, The Jewellery Quarter,
Birmingham 81B 6NF . 0121 200 3355 . scm@movement.org.uk
www. movement.org.u k
Printed by: Henry Ling Limited, Dorchester
The production of this issue of movement was assisted by a generous grant from
the Women's World Day of Prayer.
lndividual membership of SCM (includes movement) costs f 1 5 per year (f 10 if
unwaged). Subccription lo movement only costs f1 0 per year, or f7 for students.
Disclaimer: The views expressed in movement are those of the particular author and
should not be taken to be the policy of the Student Christian Movement.
|SSN0306-980X . Charitynumber 241896 o @2006SCM
Do you have problems reading movement?
If you find it hard to read the printed version of movement,
we will be happy to send it to you in digital form, suitable for
magnification or use with reading programs. Just contact the
editor at editor@movement.org.uk.
The SCM website is also available in a text-only form at
accessi b le. movement.org. u k.
contents
editorial
newsfile
on campus
campaigns
diary
small ritual steve collins
interview: peter owen jones
julian lewis
mind the gap
movement feature: life in all its fullness
church as therapeutic community
elizabeth baxter 14
the AIDS christ andrew scott 16
embodied renunciation grant white 1B
platform: tent people john probhudan
ties and binds/m cotter
worldview: mozaik
peter sajda & rebecca blocksome
investing ethically richard nagle
atlantis and me wood ingham
doctrine for dummies:
negative theology rob telford
media section
the miracle of jesus (robert brunger)
susannah rudge 26
caring for creation (sarah tillett)
rosie telford 27
pop culture review gordon lynch 28
jerry springer the opera tim cobbett 29
3
4
a touching place (john gunstone)
jo merrygold 30
serpent 31
6
7
I
9
10
12
20
21
22
23
24
25
movement
3
7
newsfile
news from
the SGM network
t* Iivin{, Iife to the fuII
angela joyce $ives her impressions of her first scm event: the life
in all its futlness conference on 10-12 march in derbyshire
a
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Worship: time
reflection
atf
a
I a
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Action:
a HIV petition
s",
}
night Riskathon
Speaker lohn Hull
Entertainment
from singer'
songwriter
Rebecca Worthley
The first thing that struck me at the conference was
an overwhelming sense of welcome. I was quickly
made a part of the SCM family.
After an evening meal, we were introduced to the
team of people leading the weekend' I could tell
that I had a good weekend ahead of me; the pure
buzz of an atmosphere around the place was unmistakeable.
There were cheers and whoops as
each member was introduced; the leaders weren't
like scary teachers, they were as down-to-earth and
approachable as everyone else in the room.
We then kicked off with small-group activities, all
of us mixed up to make it easier to meet as many
new people as possible. During the workshops the
bar was open - which, as a good Catholic girl, I was
more than pleased to see!lThe evening closed with
some prayer and worship, putting us all in the right
frame of mind to hit the sack ready to face the next
day anew (or in some cases playing Rrsk for seven
hours, not hitting the sack - but still facing the next
day anew-ish!)
Saturday was jam-packed with workshops, talks,
group activities, worship, services, music of .and,
iorti", food! ln the morning Professor John Hull
spoke to us about his experience of losing his sight
and how this impacted on his life. He was entertaining,
funny, obviously a very intelligent man' The
talk mide me, and l'm sure many others, reconsider
our preconceptions of what it is to be blind.
There were six workshops in the afternoon and unfortunately
we could only pick two - this made my
decision very difficult as I wanted to make the most
of the weekend. I chose a workshop on lgnatian
spirituality, a topic I previously knew nothing about,
and another on healing and wholeness.
The leaders of the lgnatian sPirituality
workshoP were very
inspiring, their positive outlook
on life and their methods of discernment
were one of the most
positive things I took from the
weekend and I am sure to use
them in the future. The 'therapeutic
journeys' workshoP was
somewhat different, it was verY
interesting, learning about different
therapeutic methods of
healing, but for me it lacked in
any major Christian focus. lt was
still very enjoyable and I learned
a fair few techniques.
We were then given the opportunity to break the
Sabbath, a Jewish tradition. A brilliant opportunity
to get a taster of other religions - although it was
optional, the room was full to the brim.
A few of us were then spiritualised out so we headed
for the pub - unfortunately missing out on a healing
service and discussion, but it was a good time
tolave a chat, finding out about how each others'
chaplaincies work, discovering many differences
but also lots of surprising similarities. On Sunday
we had a few more activities, swapped many an e-
mail address, and prepared for the journey home.
Overall the weekend was a real success. My knowledge
of the workings of chaplaincies across the
country has expanded massively - and also my
knowledge of different types of worship and the
different Christian relationships with God. Having
an open forum to discuss differences and similarities
without the worry of being denigrated for your
beliefs is a fantastic thing that all should have the
chance to experience. The title o! Life in all its fullness
was definitely fulfilled to the max - giving us
insights from many different angles of how we can
live our lives to the full. The only criticisms I have
could also be seen as praise: the group was a bit too
large, making it difficult to be able to talk and get
to kno* eveiyone; and it was very intense - with
things happening every minute of the day. I
Angela Joyce is president of Birmingham Cathsoc - and
now an individual member of SCM!
See www.movement.org.uk/conference for a longer
version of Angela's review, more photos, and
other resources from the conference, including
worship outlines, prayers and more.
4
movement
SGMers take up multi-faith prayer challenge
Southampton SCM started this year. So far it's been
an evolving entity encompassing a lot of diverse
aims and interests, including exploring theology,
other religions, campaigns, prayer, spirituality and
world cuisine!
playing with the body:
southampton scm's gluide to islamic salat
We have had a couple of inter-faith events, including
a multi-faith event with representatives from
other religious societies speaking on the topic
of 'keeping faith in secular society' and a recent
session on Muslim prayer. The inspiration for this
came from a group viewing'of the Morgan Spurlock
30 Days episode 'Muslims in America', where an
evangelical Christian lived in a Muslim community
for one month, experiencing life as a Muslim, studying
the Qur'an and attending mosque.
The programme was not only entertaining but also
enlightened and challenged us. We were all impressed
by the discipline in lslamic prayer and an
animated discussion took place ... the discussion
led to a challenge:
Southampton SCM to pray five times a day for 30
days!
Face Mecca
and stand
straight.
Ruku
Bow
Quiyam
Stand up
with your
hands by
your sides
Sujud
Prostrate
yourself by
kneel i ng,
with your
forehead,
nose/
hands,
knees, and
toes all on
the ground.
Rise to a
kneel ing
position
with your
hands on
your knees.
I
Being unpractised in disciplined prayers, we have
modified this challenge in subsequent discussions
(perhaps to two or three times a day). To equip us
for the challenge, we invited two members of the
lslamic society to talk to us about sa/at lslamic
prayer (the five-a-day compulsory prayers).
We were taught about the importance of prayer
to lslam and also how they pray. This highlighted
some differences and similarities between Muslim
and Christian spirituality. For our challenge we felt
we should try out the movements that accompany
each cycle of Muslim prayer. The basic movements
are shown on the right. For each movement an accompanying
prayer or a passage from scripture is
recited. Our speakers got the whole group to practise
each movement!
We have not yet begun this challenge but it looks
like it may well happen... lt's definitely an interesting
idea - perhaps we should do a national SCM
prayer challenge. What do you think? O
Christdle Evans and Rachel Wakelin study at
Southampton University, where they co-founded a new
SCM group in 2005.
lf you want to take up Southampton's challenge,
or if you'd just like to hear more
about how they manage themselves, contact
fo in the SCM office on 0121 2OO 3355 or
links@movement.org.uk.
lf your local group or chaplaincy has a similarly
exciting idea or project, get in touch - we'd
love to hear about it!We aim to include grassroots
reports from our links in every issue of
movement.
structural review nerrys
As many readers will know, SCM has been going through a process
of structural review for the past year and a bit. During this
review we've looked at all aspects of what SCM does, what we
do well, ways we can do things better, and how we can make
sure that SCM can grow in a sustainable way.
So far we've introduced termly gathering weekends, like the one
we've just had in Birmingham. SCM members will have received a
gathering report in this mailing. Catherings are a chance for SCMers
to get together, have some fun, discuss social justice issues, play
&sk and plan and discuss what SCM should do in the future (what
should goin movement,for example!)The structural review has also
developed the way that Ceneral Council works - half of us now
concentrate on exploring different aspects of theology, socialjustice
and issues affecting students. The other half, including my role as
convenor, focus on the more business side of things, looking at
our finances, strategic planning, staffing, communications, our work
with WSCF and how we operate in the regions and nations.
Since the autumn gathering in November, the structural review
has focused on improving our membership and affiliation structures.
lt is hoped that we'll grow and recruit more members and
links in a way that works for everyone. We've consulted people
with a wide range of experiences of SCM and our counterparts
around the globe, trying to find a way to make sure that we offer
members and links resources and a community that they want
to be a part of.
We've also started the process of writing the next strategic plan,
which will guide SCM's work for the next three years. lf you have
any thoughts, ideas or opinions on what you think SCM should
be doing in the next three years, please let us know You can
e-mail me on convenor@movement.org.uk or leave a message
with the SCM office. This is your movement and we really want
you to feel part of it. O
Chris Stacey is Convenor of SCM's General Council.
B
$
movement
5
on Gampus
fishtinSftes
It's not just students that are alarmed about tuition fees and
The Association of University Teachers (AUT) is
a proud member of Coalition 2010. AUT campaigned
vehemently with students against top-up
fees and our support for the students'fight against
these punitive fees has not wavered one bit.
studies have shown that
debt and the fear of debt
will put students from the most
u nder-lepresented backElrounds
off higher education
We were disappointed to learn that applications to
university have dropped this year, but we weren't surprised.
How anyone thought that introducing a market
into higher education and asking students to pay more
for their course would increase applications is beyond
me, and it's a policy that directly contradicts the government's
own widening participation agenda.
Countless studies have shown that debt and the fear
of debt will put students from the most under-represented
backgrounds off higher education. Having a
market in our universities will lead to students choosing
wh3t and where to study based on what they can
afford, not what is best for them or our economy.
The special bond that lecturers and students enjoy will
be absolutely vital over the next few years as we fight
higlher education
news
top-up fees. We invited lecturers' union AUT to explain why they've
joined the NUS's new anti-fees coalition.
more backglround
Coalition 2010 is backed by teaching unions from the schools,
college and university sectors, and aims to highlight the negative
impact of fees on increasing admissions to higher education.
UCAS figures earlier this year showed the first drop in university
applicationsin eight years, despite government plans to get 50
per cent of 1B-30-year-olds into higher education by 2010.
Members of the coalition will jointly lobby MPs as they consider
whether to raise the cap on variable fees. NUS will also be encouraging
students' unions to form coalitions in their local area. The
cap currently prevents universities from charging above f3,000 a
year for undergraduate and some postgraduate courses.
An Early Day Motion has been put to %rliament which states that
the 'removal of the cap will serve to extend further the market in
our education system, and will serve to deter students from poorer
and less traditional backgrounds from going to university.'
for what is best for the higher education sector. This
is largely because we actually understand what students
and staff want - namely a first class education for
students, delivered by contented and fairly paid staff.
We must not allow the proponents of higher fees and
poorer staff salaries to ever break that special bond.
There are tough times ahead; the pay dispute and assessment
boycott this year has made life difficult for
students. Sadly, lecturers had no option but to resort
to strike action after the employers broke promises
about using new funding to sort their pay out.
Damaging the work of students is the very last thing
lecturers want to do. The majority could find betterpaid
work outside of higher education, but remain
in the sector because of a love of their subject and
imparting expert knowledge to their students.
As we head towards a review of top-up fees in the
next couple of years we must really apply, and keep
up, the pressure to ensure our universities do not
become 'degree supermarkets', where the affluent
can purchase whatever they like and the rest are left
scrabbling for the scraps.l
Sally Hunt is AUT general secretary (www.aut.org.uk).
what can you do?
. Coalition 2010
is looking for
more signatures
on its online
petition at www.
coalition20l O.
org. You could also
lobby your MP to support the coalition.
. NUS is running a campaign on top-up fees
and other issues called 'On course ... for a
fair future? They're also planning an antifees
march this November. Find out how
you can get involved at www.nusonline.
co.uk
. Cet involved in any actions on this issue
being planned by your own students'
union. And if they're not planning any
actions, ask them why not!
. Check out SCM patron Peter Selby's book
Crace and Mortgage (DLT, 1 997) for a
theological critique of our debt culture,
including its impact on students.
6
movement
glttr$"Ts#trGam t
Gampaigns, anferenes, paperc
- a busytime!!
The 'policy and research group' consists of the three members of SCM's General Council
responsible for 'thematic' work - social justice, church and theology, and higher
education - plus any other interested members of the movement. We do research on
these areas, communicate our ideas, and guide the movement's social action work.
At SCM's Life in all its fullness conference in March, we set up an 'action stall' with three
actions related to this year's HIV campaign. For the 'Lamentations' action, people were
asked to write a lamentation on the subject of HIV on a piece of red ribbon, card or material.
lt could be a short prayer, poem, or thoughtful verse, and people were invited to pin
it up so others could share the thought. For the second action, 'Make a pledge', people
were invited to take pledge cards and promise to go back home and make changes in
their individual daily life, church or community - promises such as becoming involved in
AIDS hospices, ensuring people do not have incorrect ideas about how HIV is spread, and
praying for people in parts of the world heavily affected by HlV. There was also an HIV
quiz to test your awareness of the issues. The third activity, 'The world is watching', was a
petition with a difference. Conference-goers were invited to sign a red AIDS ribbon, and
stick it onto a giant petition, asking the government to honour its GB
promises. The petition will be sent to Alan Simpson, a Labour MP who
is involved in the fight against HlV.
We're also busy writing a discussion paper on HIV/AIDS. The aims of
the paper are: to give students correct information on HIV infection and
transmission; to look at the often-neglected issue of 'living with it'; to
look at antiretroviral drugs and CB promises; to discuss churches' attitudes
towards HIV; and there's a section which examines the metaphor
of 'Christ with AIDS' and forms the basis of Andrew Scott's article on
page 16. Check out our section of the SCM forums at www.movement.
org.uk/forum to find out more, and watch out for the document going
online at www.movement.org.uk/think any day now!
Members of our group have also been asked to support SCM's campaigning
by representing SCM on the Student StopAlDS policy group
(www.stopaidscampaign.org.uk). The aim of the group is to set policy
on AIDS issues which specifically affect young people (e.g. abstinence-only
and HIV prevention) and respond with a youth voice in
the public arena.
They recently held a Training and Planning Day at Birmingham University,
attended by some SCM members. The aim of the day was to
share ideas between Student StopAlDS societies in the UK and plan
the next stage of the campaign. They discussed successful campaigns,
new ways of working and successful fundraising events and went on
to examine the challenges of running StopAlDS groups on campus.
The next stage of the campaign is to target the drug company Cilead
and Abbott to provide second-line drugs to people in poorer countries.
People who have become resistant to initial treatment have to move on
to second-line drugs, but these are not available in the parts of Africa
where they are needed. Student StopAlDS plans to target Gilead and
Abbott through creative, non-violent direct actions and letter writing.
Their aim for the latter part of 20O6 is to target the UK Department
of Trading and lndustry and the EU. The US is stopping generic drugs
from being produced for universal access to treatment, and the EU is
the only body big enough to make a difference. StopAlDS'focus will
be on lobbying the Department of Trade and Industry and EU to support
generic drugs. Watch here for more info soon! I
Rachel Campbell is a student in Clasgow and a member of SCMb Ceneral
Council.
-9,
rve're helpin$ to set policy on
AIDS issues which specifically
affect young people, like
abstinence-only and HIV
prevention
a
1 I
MAKE POVERTYHISTORY
Now that 2006 has arrived, what happens to
the MakePovertyHistory campaign?
ln the UK, 2005 was a year for anti-poverty
campaigners to focus on a series of international
events - the CB summit, UN meetings,
world trade talks - that were unique opportunities
to achieve change. ln 2006, the
challenge will be different. We have to ensure
that promises half pledged are kept fully. We
also have to keep the pressure up - to ensure
that money is delivered effectively and that
damaging policies are altered.
lnternationally this will happen through the global
coalition, the Global Call to Action Against
Poverty (C-CAP). ln the UK MakePovertyHistory
will become its component parts: three coalitions
on aid (UKAN), debt (Jubilee) and trade
(Trade Justice Movement), and the hundreds of
individual organisations that made up MPH. See
www.makepovertyhistory.org or wwwwhiteband.org
for more information, or contact your
local anti-poverty coalition if you have one. I
Matt Criffith works in PR at CAFOD.
movement
7
diary
upcoming events of interest:
conferences, meetin$s, retreats...
for a
fuller list
of events
and more
detailsn
see oul
online
diary
(www.
movement,
olg.uld
diary)
Radical Christianity
Saturday 20 Nlay
Rochdale
First in a series ofconferences
led by Revd Dr John Vincent.
Ashram Community, 178
Abbeyfield Road, Sheffielcl 54 7AY
www.ashram.org.uk
as h r am co m m u n i ty@ h otnt a i l. co m
Pre-exam relaxation weekend
Thursday 25 - Saturday 27 May
Holy Rood House,lhirsk
A chance to chill out, revise and have
some fun before the exams.
fB5 all inclusive
Holy Rood House, l0 Sowerby
Road, Thirsk, North Yorks YO7 I HX
01845 522 580
www.h oly rood h ou se. org. u k
angharadparryjones@
holy roocl hou se.o rg. u k
Jesus for the non-religious
Weclnesclay 7 - Friclay 9 June
H ayes Co nfe re n ce Ce ntre
National conference of Free to Believe,
led by lohn Shelby Spong.
f90 - fl 30
Stanley Dean, 2 Burrswood Place,
Heybridge Basin, Maldon, Fssex
CM9 4UQ
How (not) to speak of God
Fridayg-Sunday 1l June
Othon a Co m m u n i ty, Dorset
A weekend based on the book bY
Pete Rollins of lkon.
f.9O or f73 concessions
01308 9871 30
m ai l@otho n a- bb. org. u k
SCM summer gathering and AGM
Friday 9 - Sunday l1 lune
St Peter's House, Manchester
End-of year party and election of a
new Ceneral Council! See the gathering
report in your mailing for more
information.
Radical Christianity in the City
Saturday l0 lune, Sheffield
Radical Christianity and Radical
Ministry
Saturday 17 June, Leecls
Radical Christianity
Sunday 2 July, Lincoln
People & Planet gathering
Sunday 2 - Thursctay 6 July
www. peoplean cl pl an et. o r g
Passion for fustice
Tuesday 11 - Friclay l4 July
See below.
ldentity and health
Tuesday I I - Friday l4 luly
Holy Rood House,Thirsk
A summer school exploring the interface
between psychology, the arts,
economics, politics and theologY.
Waged f 170, unwagecl f 120
Holy Rood House, I0 SowerbY
Roacl, Thirsk, NorthYorksY)T lHX
01845 522580
angharacl.csth@
holyroodhouse.org.uk
Radical Christianity and Radical
Spirituality
Saturday 15 July, Milton Keynes
[et's talk about freedom
Sunday 30 luly - Saturday 5 August
Cermany
See page 22
Do it together: SCM training event
Friday B - Sunday l0 September
Crossways, N orth am Pton
Training for committees, leaders,
new groups and chaplaincy assistants.
See the flyer in your mailing.
C@A
for
c/
2
Slon
tice
{Iobal and faithful
perspectt-ves on
human sexuality
LL-L4 July 2006
High Leigh Conference Gentre,
Hoddesdon, Hertfordshire
The Modern Churchpeople's Union conference for 2006 is
being supported and co-organised by SCM and the Centre
for the Study of Christianity and Sexuality. tt will provide
new resources and opportunities for a wide'ranging debate
on the challenges facing Christian sexual ethics in today's
globalised world.
o How can the biblical tradition be retrieved from
fundamentalism?
o How can the institutional church be more inclusive?
. What are the implications of the commercialisation
of sex?
o How should relationships be forged in the 21st
century?
o What of the global context and the HIV pandemic?
There are a limited number of
discount places available at the
conference for SCM members, at
the very special price of f50.
To find out more or book your Place,
contact Liam in the SCM office:
0121 200 3355
co@movement.org.uk
€,ffi
8
movement
j
steve collins on
alternative worship
and emerging church
reinventin{, the rules
small ritual
I mentioned last time that some emerging church communities, including my own,
are looking at monastic forms - which is to say, intentional communities with a 'rule'
of life and spiritual formation. Such a 'rule' might be a way of sustaining Christian
life and community in the face of all the obstacles and temptations that beset us. We
can do this better together. Of course, as good postmoderns we don't like the idea of
rules, especially someone else's. There is a suspicion of authority ingrained in us, and
rule-breaking or deconstruction is our natural response. So what is a postmodern rule?
How do you find the 'rule'that is authentic for you?
Part of our difficulty is that we imagine a rule as a preordained set of instructions from
another time and place. How will that help us live the lives we have
to lead here and now? Most of us have neither the desire nor the
possibility to do the traditional monk/nun thing. But in some Celtic
traditions, a rule emerges out of the ethos of an existing community,
from an analysis of what you are already doing (and not doing), to
strengthen and challenge it. lt's descriptive as well as prescriptive,
chosen not imposed.
So what is the particular gift of your community (in any sense), what
are its particular values? What rhythm of life, what things can you
do together that would sustain it? lf you wrote all these things down,
what flag would it hoist? Would other people say 'Me too'?
The danger of developing your own rule is missing out things that
are hard, or that challenge the limitations of your own value system.
At this point tradition and the Bible come in handy - how does your
shiny new rule compare to previous attempts, to the life of Christ
itself? How does it disciple you - form you as Christ-followers? After
all, the ultimate purpose of any Christian path is to make us more
Christ-like, to rehearse in us the way of Christ. At this point tradition
becomes a guide, not an answer, because that way, for us, will not be
the same as in the sixth century.
Somebody described the rule of Saint Benedict as a grid, and I like that. One could say
that'rule' implies a line you have to follow, an obligatory sequence of actions; while
'grid' implies a frame of reference, like a map grid, within which one can move in many
directions but which gives measure and orientation.
Perhaps the duties of regular prayer in the old monastic rules, which look like such an
impossible chore to us, are best understood/updated in this way - as a grid, a headsup
at periodic intervals to check compass and direction, squirting the bird if you like
(definition: to transmit a signal up to a satellite. 'Crew and talent are ready, what time
do we squirt the bird?')
For me this aligns with ideas of the Sabbath, and the discipline of idleness in Chinese
thought, as creating space for awareness of the Cod who is here anyhow. One of our
problems with 'rules', or with any kind of spiritual discipline, is that our over-busy lives
need times to not be'disciplined'. The danger of a rule is it becomes another form of
workload. Peiversely, we need to be disciplined about taking time out.
For those who are curious l'd recommend taking a look at the Rule of Saint Benedict
- which of course is still in contemporary use. lt's countercultural enough in matters of
possessions, behaviour and punishment to be provocative, and its apparent severity is
subtly leavened. Anyone who writes'keeping in view the needs of the weak, we believe
that a half-bottle of wine a day is sufficient for each' can't be all bad. My own community's
rule prescribes Belgian beer, which is of course brewed by monks. I
Steve Collins is an architect and member of Crace alternative worship group in Ealing, west ,
London. He has written extensively about alternative worship and was one of the design team
for the Labyrinth, www.labyrinth.org.uk. He runs the websites wvwv.alternativeworship.org, www.
sm al lfi re.org, and www. s m al I ritu al.org.
in some traditionsn a
rule emerges from an
analysis of what you are
already doing (and not
doing), to strentfihen
and challenge it. lt's
descriptive as well as
prescriptive, chosen not
imposed
Want to ask Steve
a question, or
comment on the
column?
Go to www.
movement. org.uk/
forum.
movement
9
I , m avicat,
get me out of here!
iulian lewis interviews an unlikely TV star
Meek? Mild? As if.
Peter's vision of
Christ as Che.
Looking like an extra from a spaghetti western, the
mysterious, hatted figure strides across the countryside,
flowing coat billowing around his tall,
sparse frame. He's on his way to a showdown. ln a
rlcent BBC series, The Battle for Britain's Soul, he
recounted the history of Christianity in the British
lsles. ln case you missed it, it went roughly like
this. Series one: paganism trumped, the church
ascendant. Series two: the church trumped, secularism
ascendant.
This is Peter Owen-Jones, sometime farmer, DJ, global
traveller, ad man. All the time grappling with an
incipient calling to ministry. This is the Revd Peter
OwenJones. As l'm welcomed into his rural vicarage
I note that it's only the battered Akubra bush hat
thlt gives him an inch on me: it must have been the
clever camera angles. He paces restlessly around
rustling up tea and sorting a space for the interview.
There's a demo playing of a local band that Peter
was asked to check out in case they're worth signing.
Apparently they're a cross between The Thrills
and Barclay James Harvest. I wouldn't know. But
I do know l've just been cooled out by a vicar 15
years my senior. His cigarette rolled, the interview
begins.
all the church does is enforce
its own version of the truth.
but nowadays it isn't
doing it very well
Where does this wandering chameleon belong? 'l
am a child of the world. The idea that we are something
because we have our own piece of land is
ridiculous and dehumanising. lt enables areas to be
managed and governed and is a concept.we need
to look beyond.' Het set his stall out early, for refusal
to be impressed by traditional boundaries is
his theme.
Restlessness set in early for Peter. He dropped out of
school. Didn't complete art college. While he was
working as a shepherd, a friend suggested he go into
advertising, opining that in the future we would buy
and sell identities like any other product. A prescient
friend, then. So in 1981 Peter swapped bucolic idyll
for image management in the metropolis: a wrench
both shocking and exciting. The beauty of creation,
he suggests, is precisely that we are not stranded on
solid giound but that it is in a constant state of flux,
physically, spiritually and emotionally.
ln time Peter rose to become a creative director, on
the way working on products ranging from Swissair
to the Creen Party, including the campaign culminating
in the latter's unprecedented turnout at the
1989 European elections. What did he learn? 'lt is a
job that pays the way. lt teaches discipline, strategic
and creative thinking. To realise that there are many
influences on success/ what the whole picture is
and where what you have to say sits in that picture.'
Ordination in 1993 didn't sever his ties with the
advertising world, as he helped found the Christian
Advertising Network, responsible for the Jesus/Che
Cuevara poster (see left).
What then of the church's image and message in the
modern world? 'The church is suspicious of media
culture. lt hasn't been bold enough to take a stand,
but moans from the sidelines. Yet communication
is central to Christianity,' says Peter. 'Historically
the church has perceived itself as owning the truth
and has shown its hand in its battles with evolutionary
science, homosexuality and women. All the
church does is, like everyone else, enforce its own
version of the truth. But nowadays it isn't doing it
very well.
'Does the identity of the church really communicate
its purpose: love? What people say they see isbigotry,'addiction
to systems and tradition, a lot of
ugliness. Why? We attempt to control the present,
ou, sslf-psrception, by controlling the story
"id of the past. A media audit of the church would
be shocking - more denominations than you can
10
movement
shake a schism at and multiple messages that are
not merely mixed but often antithetical.'
And the medicine for the ailing body of Christ? Relaxation.
Balance. There are many ways to show
God's love or speak to the modern setting, such
as through the Arbory Trust, providing woodland
burial in the Christian tradition (all comers are welcome),
which Peter helped establish. Yet the church
still clings to archaic liturgy, the King James Bible
and credal ossifications.
Peter denounces archaisms but is unafraid to use
English to its demanding full. Hands up how many
of you know what 'ossification' means? Hands up
again if you have actually used it in the last five
years? Be truthful.
Peter re-creates a dozen psalms in his latest book,
Psalm, in an attempt to reclaim our words as a
medium for God's word and hear what it sounds
like. 'The Jewish hymn book is full of alien imagery
that creates a wall barring our access to the garden
of delights within. I wanted to tear that wall down,
to see if the ardour with which they were written, the
truths of their messages, can be reproduced today.
lf anything they become more intensely ordinary,
shocking and resonant, challenging the evangelical
notion of The Word. It is fluid, not preserved in
1662lor all time.'
Peter is leaning over now half clutching his knee,
like a little child rushing to explain a new discovery.
Earnest. He continues, 'What is the Word of God? ls
it constrained in the Bible, in some Star Wars Yoda
speak?' Certainly not, it is. The words we need to articulate
our own experience are perfectly ordinary
- look, ask, explore, search. 'But we do not let people
use them. We want them to explore the church,
or my church in particular. But will they find the
pathway to the divine? ln exploring the relationship
between the human and divine we see that to be
fully human is to immerse yourself in that which is
fully divine. Rather than reinforcing old doctrines,
like atonement, we reach new understandings.'
lf the historically grounded tools of his trade have
become so inadequate, I wonder what Peter's services
look like? He retreats behind his bandana.
Lights another cigarette. Apparently, prayer is the
central focus, a slavish adherence to one hour is
avoided, discussion and exploration are entertained.
l've noted an affinity for the organic in Peter's life.
Muddy spades propped up by the back door. A vegetable
patch, scrappy in winter but clearly well in
hand. And the.constant roll-ups. Finally, he asks me
why we should lose sleep over what we do. l'm a
Methodist so I push him on sermons. 'l give them.'
I ask how a vicar can play so fast and loose with
the faith that he has chosen to represent. Peter
suggests there is a great tension between belonging
and freedom, both of which have value. ln 100
years'time the church will look exactly the same as
it does now unless we grasp why de-Christianisation
has taken place. There is a need for a balance
of approaches within the church, and sometimes
quickfire guestions
What is your favourite possession?
My bird table. lt gives me endless fascination and pleasure,
although it probably frustrates my cat.
What are you reading at the moment?
Collapse by Jared Diamond.
What is your favourite film?
B reakfast at Tiffany's.
How do you relax?
Walking.
What is your favourite journey?
Not made it yet.
What do you most like about yourself?
My fingernails.
What do you dislike about yourself?
A propensity for vanity.
What's your favourite word?
Halcyon.
lf you could be someone else, who would you be?
My cat, Dusty.
When did you last cry?
On Sunday.
What are you scared of?
The darkest truths.
What do you never miss on TV?
I don't watch a lot of TV. There's nothing I would have to see.
What music do you listen to most?
The Doors. Cillian Welch. Deep Purple. The Waterboys. Stone
Roses.
What pet hates do you have?
Dress codes. Processed foods.
books and links
. Bed of Nails (1 998)
. Small Boat, Big Sea: OneYear's
Journey as a Parish Priesf (2000)
. Psalm (2005)
. www.arborytrust.org
things move on. Using spring suspension
in cars was once foolishly novel, yet no
one questions its validity or persists with
old methods now.
So what next for Peter? l'm afraid I forgot
to ask the question. ln 20 minutes' time
there's a funeral to be taken, but otherwise
l'm in the dark. That's probably
how he would like it. ltt not where you
end up, because the destination is forever
ahead. lt's how you don't get there that counts.
For the immediate future at least I know where l'm
going. As I wait for my bus I ponder a man who
hates dress codes and systems, and a vicar in robes
leading funeral liturgy. I
Julian Lewis
is a former editor
o/ movement and
of the Methodist
Student Link
newsletter The
Word.
movement
LL
mind the gap
Taking a gap year or a year out is an excellent way of seeing the world, $ainin$
useful skills and experience, and maybe making a difference in people's lives. We
invited some or$anisations to tell us what they have to offer for gappers'
oO, ts:vu. chan$e someone's lifen
6'|rX',JiIJ""'{t it might be your own
Volunteering with JVC means a chance to work with people on
the marginstf society while living in community and reflecting
on the important things in life.
Through a placement working with the homeless, refugees, children
o"r those with learning difficulties, JVC Volunteers make a
difference in the lives of others.
Living in community with other volunteers means sharing ideas
and iupport with voiunteers from difficult countries and cultures.
Through this, and engaging in a developme.nt programme of retreats
ind residentials, iVCvolunteers are challenged to make a
difference in their own lives.
Live a simple
Explore spirituality ' Practise social justice '
lifestyle . Experience communitY
'l learn something everY daY.'
(lnhara, JVC volunteer 2005-06)
Contact us for details of our year programme and
four-week summer programme: JVC:Britain, 23
New Mount Street, Manchester M4 4DE
0161 832 6888 ' www.jesuitvolunteers-uk.org
adm i n @ jesu itvol u nteers-u k.org
S}]W
gsq
r,A+ire "
nalennre
be
save lives, make a difference
Student Partnerships Worldwide is an international
development charity working in lndia, Nepal,
South Africa, Zambia, Tanzania and Uganda. We
need 1B-28-year-ol ds to volunteer on our Health
Education and CommunitY Resou rce Programmes, working in
partnership with local volunteers and using non-formal education
tech niques to inform rural Youth about health and environmental
issues. A large focus of the programmes is on HIViAIDS educaoccurring
in people
tion, and with 60% of all new HIV infections
aged 1 5-24, this is vital and life-saving work
Volunteers are placed in rural areas for long-term. placements
and given intensive training and full support to make a sustainable"and
lasting difference in the community. You may be placed
in an area'with-no electricity or running water and only a paraffin
stove to cook on, but this is an opportunity for young people
to make a real difference in the world'
You must have 4-B months available, a spirit of adventure and
a sense of global responsibility' See wwwspw'org or e-mail
spwuk@gn.apc.org for more information.
'lt is such a change from being a tourist in the developing world
to actually live aid work somewhere for a few months. This will
be an experience that will teach me many things, and it has
opened up many doors for possibly further careers'' (Natasha
Zappone, tndia Health Education programme 2006)
challen$e and $ifts Yiif/
Wbuld you like to exPlore .n" \#
challenges and rewards that life as LARCHE
a llArche Assistant has to offer?
ln llArche Communities, typically Assistants
share life with up to a dozen people in
a house, half of them people with learning
disabilities. Everyone supports and cares for
eaph other, and Assistants are involved in all
aspects of life in the Community and.in the
home, from washing and dressing to leisure
activities, holidays and fun. They help to plan
the personal development of the people living
in the Community. They receive a regular
wage and social security cover and have their
o*i toot with board and lodging included'
Many Assistants find that people with learning
disabilities may bring a great capacity to love,
grow and share. Assistants are offered the
Ihun.u to develop their own gifts and talents,
and can take responsibility and leadership'
Training and qualifications are available, and
Assistants are encouraged to work towards appropriate
formal qual ifications.
Members with learning disabilities are mostly
'locals'. Family ties are maintained and fostered.
Assistants often become part of an
extended family. llArche has a Christian basis,
though we welcome people of any denomination
or faith, or none.
Eulah, an Assistant at UArche Lambeth, says,
'Being able to share my life with people who
havelearning disabilities is a special gift to
me. lt's more than just a job - it's something
that needs commitment but can change your
life. lf you feel you'd like to experience something
new and different, why not try llArche?
t've not regretted it.'
lf you want to know more, see www.larche'
org.uk, e-mail info@larche.org.uk or phone
0800 91 7 1337
sge also...
Student Volunteering: www.studentvol.org'u k
Year Out Group: www.yearoutgroup.org
lona CommunitY: www.iona.org.uk
I
p
t2
movement
ll
live at laiz6
Many people spend a week in the French
village which is home to an ecumenical monastic
community. lt is also possible, however,
for 1B-3O-year-olds to stay longer, to help run
the weekly international meetings and to experience
community life in greater depth.
Longer-term volunteers are assigned practical
tasks each week - cooking, gardenirrg, working
in the shop, welcoming new arrivals and
many other jobs. They join in the three daily
community prayers, and in Bible studies and
group discussions. Each individual is also assigned
a 'contact' Brother or Sister who will
meet with them once a week and talk with
them about their experiences. There is free
time too, to think, have fun and take in the
beautifu I cou ntryside.
Different people firrd the experience valuable
for different reasons-the daily rhythm of work
and prayer, the simple lifestyle, the chance to
share life with people from other parts of the
world, the opportunity to take time out from
life at home ancl reflect.
For more information, visit the Taiz6 website
- www.taize.fr - or e-mail one of the Brothers
- community@taize.fr.
push for justice
Ghristian Aid
A Christian Aid gap year is different from many others because
for most of the year you're based here in the UK. Your job is
to encourage young people and students to campaign, reflect
and fundraise about issues like trade justice and HlV. You run
workshops, give talks and organise events that will get people
pressuring our government to make the world a fairer place.
'Gap year volunteers also go on a two-week overseas trip. I
travelled to Sierra Leone to meet Christian Aid partner organisations.
lt was inspiring to meet people living in the world's
poorest country who were working for better rights for workers,
demancling that money from diamond sales go back into community
projects and telling younB people about HlV.
'Back in the UK, it was a privilege to work with local campaigners. I
had the opportunity to speak to many people about how their beliefs
informed their lives, challenging and strengthening my own faith.
'Everyone will tell you their gap year gave them confidence and a
new way of looking at the world. Mine did too, but it also gave me
the direction I was looking for. l'm working full-time for Christian
Aid now and I know that I want to build a career in development.'
(Eileen Hayes, intern for Christian Aid's higher education unit)
The Christian Aid Cap Year costs fB00
and runs from late August to June. Volunteers
must be UK residents aged 1B-25.
www. pressu reworks.orglgap
gapyear@christian-aid.org
0207 523 2246
Christian Aid/Jenny Ayres
\..
I
{.
How (not) to speak of
God ?
D
aab!,...
.so cutel
uK r
o
O
c
o
*l
G r
-g
'The Three
Craces'(artwork
by Laurence
Craig, member
of SCM Ceneral
Council)
church as
/
thetapeutic
\ communitY
how safe are our christian communities for those in need of healin$?
'This is the first place where I have felt safe enough
to feel unsafe'bave whispered as we said goodbve.
He'd spent some time at Holy Rood Housel
working wiitr difficult issues in his life, and it is
from my experience of working there that I engage
in ideas of ihurch as therapeutic community'
So how may churches become therapeutic communities?
The move towards new ways of being church
or fresh expressions is taken from the writings of
Leonardo tiofP, who referred to new ways of being
church and argued for the church as 'an event
..."(which) "t"tgei,
is born, and is continually reshaped...
The principle characteristic of this way of
being church is communitY...'
The church, as a community of storytelling, has not
been a safe space for many Sroups of people.whose
itori"s are not told, not heird and not celebrated'
A therapeutic community, on the other hand, is
built upon mutual storytelling, listening and acceptance,
which in turn reshapes the community'
W'hen stories are listened to, the listeners become
more sensitive to issues of language and symbol'
architecture, use of space, group sharin$, confidentiality
and the way in which people are able to
identify with one another in areas of grief and loss'
celebration and hope' At the heart of Christian faith
'rs
the therapeutic lourney of the Holy Week and
Easter story, which, rather than a set of doctrines
creating gritt fear, becomes one of hope and
"na
liberatiin] as it forms a therapeutic backdrop for all
human experience. The Easter Saturday experience
particularly is key to the human journey of waiting'
isolation, itruggle and process from hopelessness to
new hope uni"n"* beginnings' lt.is also an ecological
stoiy of justice, forming the heart of a holistic
therapeutic approach to being churc.h in this day
and on this pianet. What a wonderful message the
church as therapeutic community has to share as
it becomes a witnessing community through its
witness to the vulnerable stories out of which the
community is formed.
ln 2OO3 Brian Thorne3 made valuable connections
between his therapeutic work and the church with
his clarion call:
'To the church in whose arms I have been held
and by whose sacraments I have been nourished
since childhood, I saY:
. Reveal to humankind the Cod whose nurture
is infinite love.
. Cease to speak of the God of judgement for
the justice of God is part of his (sic).infinite
love and incomprehensible to humankind'
. Proclaim to men and women that they are
infinitely beloved and show them that they
have the capacity to love as Cod loves'
. Cease any
'effori to occupy the moral. high
ground for there lies the terrain of the hypocrites
and the accusers.
. Embrace and cherish the uniqueness of
persons but never forget the mystery of
tl
L4
movement
.{
our membership one of another and the
interconnectedness of all things.
. Honour the mystics and make known their
passionate intensity so that praying becomes
a love affair.
. Cherish those of other faiths and of none and
join with them in the search for that which
offers life in abundance.
. Celebrate the gift of sexuality and let it permeate
the offering of unconditional love in
all its forms.
.. Be at home in the invisible world so that the
whole company of transcendent beings can
accompany us in this mortal life.
. Become a school of love where laughter is
heard and intelligence is honoured.'a
Through story-telling and therapeutic engagement,
we are encouraged to work towards justice in the
churches, helping to reshape them into therapeutic
communities.
We reflect on the way Jesus accompanied people
on their journeys, and his own need for therapeutic
community, the home of Mary, Martha and Lazarus
at Bethany where he felt welcomed, fed, and rested,
conversed with friends and even enjoyed foot massage!
We draw on inspiration from people like the
.l2th-century mystic Hildegard of Bingen, who referred
to God as Counsellor of Souls5. We build on
the continuity of the churches' healing ministry and
recognise the interconnectedness of all things, helping
us to learn what it means to be wounded healers6
for a wounded world in the 21st century as we work
within the therapeutic frameworks of today.
Celebrating the therapeutic authority of all people,
the church draws on gifts of relational mutuality,
whilst living within the forgiveness and healing of
Christ. Cod the counsellor who identifies with our
human processes towards health and wellbeing,
the abundant life Jesus spoke of, is in process too,
accompanying our journeys as we accompany the
be-coming of Cod through our own wisdom, Christ
the wisdom of Cod, Sophia, present at the crossroads
of our lives.T She is witnessed through our embodied
lives, as she was in Christ, the Word made flesh, our
bodyselves become the ground upon which Cod
moves through, with, and among us...8
Lisa lsherwood argues that 'divinity is found lying
in the heart's fragility; we are vulnerable... as Jesus
was, broken-hearted healers. The only way to heal
both others and ourselves is in and through our
redeeming vuJnerability.' The inter-relation of our
own therapeutic process and divine process empowers
therapeutic community. The working out of
love through mutual power relations sustains and
inspires the divine.
So how may SCM become a therapeutic community
and offer this as a witness, a way forward for the
churches? We begin with a vulnerable Cod, a baby
in a manger, a young man tortured on a cross. We
identify with God's vulnerability and God identifies
with ours. We see ourselves and others as wounded
healers drawing on Sophia within us, Christ the
Wisdom of Cod,e and using inclusive language and
symbolwe create ritualthat brings healing and empowerment
to ourselves, to the earth and thus to
our wounded Cod. To do this we need each other
- we need therapeutic community, finding courage
to take the risk of goddingr0 in the world, for as the
body of Christ, we f lesh out Jesus the healer offering
gifts of hospitality, welcome, acceptance and creativity.
As co-creators with the divine, we discover
the power of our creative selves, getting in touch
with our imagination and intuition, helping to rekindle
the living flame within us at times of loss
and pain. Beauty and the arts are essential to this
process. Therapeutic community will be prepared
to be involved in the arts at a messy level, to enable
people to touch de-integration before moving to a
re-integration of their fragmented selves.
as the body of Ghrist, we flesh out Jesus
the healer offering gifts of hospitality,
welcome, acceptance and creativity
Returning to Dave's comment about feeling safe
enough to become unsafe, we ask ourselves if SCM
helps us to be communities of wounded healers in
this way. lf we form communities of hospitality we
hold the key, opening doors, homes, and hearth to
others; with bread on the table we shall once again
be able to tell our stories, break the bread and bear
one another's burdens and so fulfil the law of Christ.rl
I hope you enjoy the challenge and the freedom of
therapeutic community as I do - for being part of such
a community we are able to receive as much as we
ever give. I
Elizabeth Baxter
lives and works
at Holy Rood
House.
notes
1 Holy Rood House, Centre for Health and Pastoral Care, is situated in
Thirsk, North Yorkshire. As a residential therapeutic centre, people
are welcomed at a time of need.
2 Leonardo Boff, liberation theologian who challenged the hierarchies
of his day in the Catholic church during the 1980s and early nineties
from his experience of the developing base ecclesial communities in
Latin America: Church: Charism & Power: Liberation Theology and
the lnstitutional Church (Crossroad, 1990), pages 127 and 130.
3/4Brian Thorne is Emeritus Professor of Counselling at the University
of East Anglia, Norwich, and Professor of Education in the College
of Teachers, London. He is fellow of the British Association for
Counselling and Psychotherapy. Renowned for his emphasis on
person-centred counselling, Thorne has contributed widely to the
counselling profession through his books. Thorne is a consultant to
Holy Rood House.
5 Cited in June Boyce-Tillman's Creative Spflt: Opening antiphon ('O
pastor animarum') by Hildegard of Bingen
6 Henri J Nouwen, The Wounded Healer (Dlf , 1979)
7 Proverbs B:1-2
B Carter Heyward, Touching our Strength:The Erotic as Power and the
Love of Cod (HarperSanFrancisco, 1989), page 33
9 1 Corinthians 1'.24
10 Carter Heyward uses this term as another term for loving in her
book Touching our Strength.
11 Calatians 6:2
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the AIDS Ghrist
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andrew scott offers some ideas towards a theology of HIV
iJ)
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,My soul chooses strangling, and death
rather than my lifer' mourned fob. As a
contextual Bible study for people living with
HIV/AIDS considered this passage, a man stood
equally and genuinely distraught, explaining that
this was just what he felt. Suddenly the Bible
became real in raw human life as he asked immediately
why he should not kill himself. He was
19 ily turn aside; one is a blemish on the holiness of
the community and eventually one's own body will
GOdtS f,-'
- hang heavy and curse. of course it is not always
Ola{Ue so, but for those imprisoned in the remnants of
r---rE'-- - life, and for us if we are to be candid, this is more
he haS than an echo of an unavoidable challenge: how do
r r we talk of God in the midst of the HIV pandemic?
bad
A theology of HIV/AIDS must begin here if it is not to
aim
16
relativise suffering and if it is to sincerely make way
for hope. The book of Job has often been neglected
or subsumed into the type of theology it intends to
challenge but, like HIV/AIDS, this, probably the most
ancient text in the Bible, challenges what we mean
by saying Cod or his world are good' So ravaged
by misfortune
'Man of Sorrows: Christ with AIDS' by W Maxwell Lawton and disease
(permission sought) that neither he
nor his friends
speak for three
but
..t;..1
days
whenJobopens
his mouth it
is to curse
the day of his
birth. Cod has
brought him
into a world of
light and life
only so that he
may see misery.
To his friends,
if Ar Ds il:,T;iJ*'1";llilffi:f,'iittTil"T:"i:ni:T;
!^ cut short and ambitions negated; friends and fam-
the answer
immedi-
is
ate. Job must
have sinned,
for Cod is just
- and good; Job's
suffering is a
punishment to
lead to repentance.
Neither of
these are unusual
responses
to HIV/AIDS.
Of course we have heard too many times of the virus
as the gay plague. 'Satan has entered the world
today', marking all sorts of immorality for destruction.
The logic is simple: Cod's good intention must
have been transgressed and now the sinners are being
purged. Though Job protests his innocence he
cannot just dismiss such a notion. The force of suffering
is absolute, disclosing the nature of things,
and is it bears down on all that he is, it is personal.
'God, why me, why me?' Some challenge Cod like
Job but many fall into a cycle of despair as life appears
to collapse.
Of course, if AIDS is God's plague he has bad aim;
it attacks innocent partners and crushes children
from the womb. But what of Cod's mercy? Consider
a young man who has always controlled his
sexuality only to be seduced during a period of depression,
or another possessed by drink and then
drugs rehabilitated years later only to find he has
ntOS. Should not a Cod worthy of the name show
mercy? But this begs the question. The world is not
an obviously merciful place.
Job's friends make a caricature of God as they
limit him to the irrational world and the cares of
religion. Likewise homosexuality and the 'sins' associated
with HIViAIDS do much to, at the least,
undermine some communities' mores and sense of
purity. ln order to restore security the group mentality
reneges all responsibility and sense of common
humanity, and expels and gives up to AIDS its
apparent deviants as a sacrifice for its own self-justification.
Less worse, maybe, we absorb ourselves
in our own lives, assured that the god of economics
or politics or medicine reigns. HIV and poverty
are unfortunate but the economy will correct itself.
Little wonder patients at an AIDS hospice bitingly
reject the trainee minister who makes it his cause.
The church has already abrogated her mission; she
is too self-absorbed, sold out to a comfortable life
and impervious moral ity.
When he speaks from the whirlwind in the book
of Job, Cod rejects anything to do with all of this
and the blasphemous theodicy that assures it. Job is
directed to the inscrutability of the divine wisdom
running through all things, in which what is really
bad is integral to what is really good, beautiful and
happy in the mysterious reality of all that is, mysterious
because none of us have a Cod's-eye view.
Stepping back from the HIV/AIDS pandemic, there
is a fearful sense of its inseparability from all that
we value in life. Love implies risk; of course there
is responsible risk, but free love between persons is
inescapably vul nerabi I ity.
Scientifically too, viruses are essential to life, as we
know it. Without them our DNA would not adapt to
movement
I
lt
l),
Ia)
new environments and ecologies - but the modes by
which viruses need to work make them potentially
dangerous just where they are so useful. Neither Job
nor we can take it all in or see where it is destined to
lead. Cod's goodness and justice is in tension with
evil and waste in the creation. Job can only acknowledge
his smallness, his mortality, but it is just this
that reconciles with the infinite; each beautiful thing
or tender moment, each person becomes of great
worth; our securities open up to be inclusive.
This is all central to the Bible's challenging humanism.
There is no suggestion that Adam would not
die if it were not for the Fall. lt is the inability of
human beings to live with good and evil, their forlorn
desire to master it rather than themselves, that
God fears in the eating of the forbidden fruit. Sin
arises when we resent our mortality and grasp at
immortality, when we resent that doing good to our
brother sacrifices our own. We want to feast forgetting
those we leave impoverished. The young want
to let loose their lust, forgetting their vulnerability
or the dignity of the one they ought to love. The
religious want to believe they are sinless and so expunge
themselves, giving reign to unholy violence.
The world is an ambivalent place and it is hard to
believe it is good when things like HIV/AIDS devastate
persons and countries. God and the meaning
of it all are veiled. Not until the last day shall Job
see Cod, his redeemer, standing upon the earth.
Not until then can we understand the meaning of it
all. Till then we can only live bravely in the reality
of our mortality, lamenting suffering and choosing
courageous acts of mercy and faithfulness.
Along the way there are hints. Such is Jesus' inclusive
love with the Father. By healing on the seventh day
he revealed the Father's will to forget no one, and
to bring creation to fullness. He showed the Father's
mercy through reconciliation and forgiveness. The
story of HIV/AIDS is full of hints that point to Christ.
The world takes on a new value as life and children,
especially, become precious. Their responsiveness
and hopes reveal depths; their love and laughter are
starkly genuine. There is a remarkable ability to let go
and be honest and to acknowledge limitations, and
so too to lament and not resent the fears of those who
recoil. Bravely, men and women pick up and selflessly
care for one another, reaching out to awaken
dignity, relieve pain and in the face of an uncertain
future hope for a better world, a more caring society.
Like Jesus, we are closest to God when we are most
human. ln Jesus the divine image was clearest when
he was obedient unto death. ln it Cod revealed not
his sovereignty nor his judgement, but passion, and
he suffered hopelessness with us. ln Jesus the divine
glory, which is humanity, man fully at home,
appeared. ln this generation the many living with
HIV/AIDS through their deep tenderness as well as
their profound cries realise love and are images of
the divine, one with Christ as a new Adam. Thusly
Cod displays his good pleasure and the world
awakens to joy and life. I
Andrew Scott studies theology at Clasgow IJniversity
and is a member of SCM's Ceneral Council.
easter
seryi,Ge
a creative response
to our life in all its
fullness theme from
SCM General Council
member laurence
Graig
I
leading Marv
from thc Tomb,
Easter Service
'l'm up to my neck
decapitated
put a dockleaf on it
... no need for surgery
it'll heal itself
you'll grow a new head
good as ever, strong and fine'
(Comanesca)
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L7
embodied
renunciation
an Eastern Orthodox perspective on fullness of life
'l came that they might have life, and have it to the
full.' (fohn 10:10, translated by Raymond Brown).
ln not a few ways the Eastern Orthodox tradition
engages human life in its variety and its very
tactile, material reality. Orthodox liturgical life
engages all the senses, and involves us in a very
embodied approach to Cod. Kissing icons, kissing
each other, bowing, prostrating, making the sign
of the Cross, being showered with blessed water,
plunging infants into the baptismal waters, blessing
and eating grain, breaking bread, anointing us with
oil ... this is a tradition that takes the body (and
therefore its life) with absolute seriousness. This is
a seriousness based on believing that God created
the world and called it 'very good' (Genesis 1:31),
and that the goodness of this created world was
confirmed by Cod in God's becoming flesh for our
salvation. Thus Orthodox consider marriage, sex,
family life, and human relationship as good gifts of
God. Orthodox Christians have begun to address
the problems facing the environment, led by the
current Ecumenical Patriarch.
And yet, there is another side to how Orthodox
Christians see the world and life in it. Not only is
there feasting, but there is fasting. There is ascetic
struggle (in Creek, askesrs). More than half of the
days of the year are fasting days of one degree of
intensity or another. The existence of monasticism
is a living sign of the importance of the choice to
live a 'single' life - literally and metaphorically.
Monasticism embodies the renunciation of life in
the world in favour of the world that transcends this
one. One could say that ascetic life in general embodies
the same idea.
,1" world is not
worthless, not
secondary, not simPlY
to be overcome or
transcended, but
penultimate
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an illustration
from the Life of
Saint Alexander
of Svir
It may sound strange to say that renunciation can be
'embodied', that it can be made visible in a human
body. But here is a key to understanding an Eastern
Orthodox view of what it means to have fullness
of life. We say yes to the created world and to our
lives in it. But at the same time, we live in such a
way that makes visible the fact that this beautiful
world, and our life in it, is penultimate. The world
is not worthless, not secondary, not simply to be
overcome or transcended, but penultimate. Even as
we live our lives here and now we also watch and
wait in hope for Cod's fulfilment of his loving will
for the world.
Another way to say this is to suggest that fullness of
life, for Orthodox Christians, means living in such
a way that we see all things in their eschatological
potential, and that we act thereby in love.
The desire to acquire the kind of heart that can see
in such a way, to see with the eyes of love: this is
the motivation behind askesrs. We believe that fullness
of life is found in freedom from what keeps our
deepest self from being able to love as Cod loves.
When we are freed by Cod from that which hinders
our ability to love, we experience light: the light of
the Mount of Transfiguration, the light of the Resurrection.
We see more and more of the firstfruits of
what Cod has begun to bring about in raising Christ
18 movement
from the dead. This is the point of Hesychasm:
that God allows us to see with our very eyes the
uncreated Light of Mount Tabor. We are given a
foretaste of what Cod has in store for the world.
Thus our participation i n I iturgical I ife isn't about getting
an aesthetic high from the beauty of Orthodox
worship. lcons and incense are not about aesthetics
(the Russian Primary Chronicle aside!) - they are
about seeing and venerating the image of Cod in
the homeless person you meet, about discovering
in the smell of wet leaves a sign of the Kingdom of
God. The bride and groom are crowned in the wedding
liturgy, making them signs not only of our first
parents, but also of the return to Paradise that is our
goal in Christ. Cod has made our return to Paradise
possible. Freedom from what hinders us from loving
as Cod loves opens the gates of Paradise. In the
tradition of the desert fathers and mothers, this idea
is brought home most forcefully in the stories of
the wild beasts of the desert befriending the desert
ascetics. They have returned to Paradise, to the harmony
that existed before Adam's sin.
when the 'wide-open
prairies' of our heart
are freed from all
that makes them
uninhabitable,
we become free
to bear fruit
Such a life will be deeply marked by self-giving, for
Orthodox live in the paradox that we find fullness
of life through self-emptying, by having the mind
of Christ who emptied himself and took the form
of a servant (Philippians 2). However, self-emptying
doesn't lead to emptiness, but to life most full.
When the 'wide-open prairies' of our heart (to borrow
a phrase from the pseudo-Macarius) are freed
from all that makes them uninhabitable, then there
comes an openness, a creative fallowness, in which
we become free to bear fruit.
The great Russian spiritual elder St Seraphim of Sarov
(1759-1833) is said to have greeted visitors with the
salutation, 'My joy'. This joy is our goal: the joy of
seeing the world in love, through God's eyes, and
living accordingly. This is joy born of the light of
the Resurrectibn, and sustained in hope. Thus, even
when living in the tension between feast and fast,
we are called to live fully in this world that God has
given. ln Christ, Cod frees us to embrace the world
in joy and self-giving, in fullness of life. I
CrantWhite is Principal of the lnstitute for Orthodox
Christian Studies, Cambridge. A native of the United
States, he was educated at Harvard, Oxford, and the
tJniversity of Notre Dame. He has taught church history,
history of Christian-Jewish relations, history of liturgy, and
history of spirituality in the lJnited States, Finland, and
the lJnited Kingdom. He is an Eastern Orthodox layman.
W
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platform
tent people
a personal viewpoint
from an SCM member
.---
SCM has a presence at Creenbelt each
year, and alwaYs needs volunteers
to staff the stall. Contact the office
(scm@movement.org.uk) if youd like to
come this yeat, or see www.greenbelt.
org,.uk to find out more.
Got a response? Got
some thougffi of Your
own, or a rant? Platfiorm
is open to all SCM
membeFi - contact
ed itor@movement.ortl uk
John Probhudan is SCM's Office
Administrator. He's previously worked
for Bangladesh SCM and
been a member of the Asia-Pacific
'Regional Committee of the World
Student Christian Federation'
Enlarge the site of Your tent,
and let the curtains of Your
habitations be stretched out;
do not hold back; lengthen your cords
and strengthen your stakes.
(lsaiah 54:2' NRSV)
Just weeks after I had arrived in the UK, I had the opportunity to go to.the Creenbelt
festival. From the very first moment I heard about the festival I was excited - not because
it was just another festival, but because I was advised by a friend th.at it was a festival for
people who found church was 'not their cup of tea!' I found the idea very intriguing.
Having grown up as a Bengali in Bangladesh, lam used to festivals. Bengalis would
make i iestival on any
"*..it".
So growing up in a Hindu quarter of a predominantly
Muslim country in a Christian family meant I had festivals all round the year' Two big
Puja festivals, two big Eid fests, a Bengali New Year's festival, and then there is Mother
tongue Day. That's tii Uig festivals
"^ilrding
the minor ones, in just a yearl Creenbelt
*uidiff"runt to them all, not only in terms of the festival being thousands of miles away
from home, in a different country or culture, but because it is a Christian festival!
So what did I find? Like all other festivals, there were people!Yes, they were young, old,
male, female, singles, couples, babies and elderly all. They came.from everywhere from-
Leeds to Southarn'pton, Cardiff to Cambridge. I also saw tents! There were hundreds of
tents of different sizes, shapes, colours and even traditions. As those of you who have
been there might have seen, there were a few teepees standing around. I assume that's
not unusual for festivals, whatt unusual was that they had people living in them! They
worshipped in them and shared food! Both bread and thoughts! We too shared breakfast
in the morning around the tents. Having never camped in my whole life before, I had to
set up a tent t;o. I managed, with help. lt was not so easy, even-with the help of modern
camping tools. God knJws how hard it was for the people of lsrael when they set up
theii tents in the wilderness when they Were on the move from Egypt!
Anyway, for the days I was there, the more I saw the tents the more amazed I was' As I
stood afar and looked at it, with the hills and blue sky on the horizon, it became more
and more like an image from the Old Testament. It resembled an image of lsraelites living
in the wilderness moving towards the Promised Land.
ln the story of Exodus, when the lsraelites were led out of Egypt to freedom from the evi I
slavery of Pharaoh, they were living in tents. Despite the daily hurdles of living in tents
there was a great sense of .ottrnity, excitement, despair, even maybe tears, but above
all there *ui hop" and aspirations for freedom!The lsraelites were marching as a community,
and as tirey marched and moved they lived in tents. Even many years later after
they hid found the Promised Land, after the fall of Jerusalem when they were being led
into captivity, they were living in tents.
So the image of the tent has a very strong and significant place in the Bible, particularly
in the Old lurtarunt. The powerful image of the tent implies people who are in temporary
shelter or inhabiting a place temporarily, people who are on a journey, who are on
the move; on the movelowards achieving freedom and a promised land. An ordinary
collection of tents would mean nothing! But at Creenbelt it becomes special with the
combination of the tents and people. lt is this unique combination and the collective
picture which makes a striking impression. As the core idea of Creenbelt is to seek
alternative ways to today's world of unfair trade, injustice, and market-driven lifestyles.
People at Creenbelt attempt to seek justice and freedom. lt could be freedom from
the slavery of consumerism of unethital products, or from mindsets or conventional
rituals or, say, traditional ways of worship or even preconceptions. That's why I think
Creenbelt becomes more than another festival. lt reflects its core theme symbolically'
Maybe somewhat abstract but not obscure!
This year I can't wait till I become one of the tent people again! I
movement
jim cotter on
language, stories,
relationships, belief
and spirituality
more than enough?
ties and
binds
It was a dubious argument. Even then I could see through it. Those gallons of wine
at the wedding feast in Cana. fesus knew what he was doing, you see, because it was
really grape juice. So ran the ancient PowerPoint presentation for total abstinence in
the local Methodist church of my youth. Ah well, excess has always been troubling to
the Puritan soul.
Life in abundance, maybe. But surely not that abundant?
What a waste. All that food could be sent to
stave off starvation. What a waste. All that perfumed
oil for massaging feet and anointing heads:
the money could have been given to the poor. Cenerous
of her, no doubt, but over the top and, well,
l've seen her in hysterical mood before.
And where on earth - or perhaps where in heaven's
name - did those twelve basketfuls of leftovers
come from? And who carried them away?
when in doubt,
err on the side of
generosity
Do such extravagances startle you into asking, 'How generous am l?'As I write this l'm
about to go to Australia and New Zealand for a couple of months (speaking tour or a
series of gigs depending on who asks) and the community in Ceelong with whom l'm
to be based say: when in doubt, err on the side of generosity.
There's that deadline to meet. So spend twice as much time as you can afford with that
friend in need. There's that charity to support. Double the amount you first thought of.
And no, I don't always. Prudence clocks in. But I reckon it's a good direction for a spirited
life. (Better than 'spiritual', don't you think?)
Of course it's embarrassing to receive, with all this excess. I don't deserve it. You can't
afford it. I must repay you sometime.
But we're in the domain of gifts and graces. lt's more 'Pour mercy upon us' than 'Have
mercy upon us.' And 'mercy' has the same roots as 'mercantile' and 'merci'. lt's best
understood as an exchange of gifts from which both parties benefit.
It's the sheer exuberance and fertility of the universe that is so amazing. There's that damson
tree that nearly snapped one year under the weight of an exceptionally abundant
crop of fruit. There's that outpouring of compassion and money after an earthquake. I
could go on. Easy to get carried away once you see the point.
The Spirit is a life-giving, love-making presence connecting us.The unpredictable happens,
something we can't make happen and something we don't understand. And it has
nothing to do with virtue and deserts. But without it we are but a tenth alive. Dance your
gratitude in the communion of the Holy Spirit. Jump for joy and make the Millennium
Bridge wobble again.
Slightly more formally to end with, from two of my life's mentors. The first is from JohnV
Taylor: 'You cpnnot be alive towards Cod unless you are alive towards everything else,
all the glory and all the pain and all the people.'
And from a Sister of the Love of God, a contemplative community in Oxford, beloved
Jane who died some years ago, writing to a friend, and perhaps hinting in dark times at
a reality that is not far away but which you can't quite touch at the moment: '...1 have
found something that can't "come and go" with my feelings. And that is the fact of
having glimpsed the mind-blowing love of Cod as shown in Jesus Christ. The glimpse
is "mine to keep". lt may be delusion; it may not do me a shred of good; but it's worth
dying and even living for, I think.'I
.h..-
,s,
d
Want to ask Jim a
question, or comment
on the column? Go to
www.movement.
org.ulvforum
Jim Cotter runs Cairns Publications,
an independent Christian imprint
publishing collections of poems,
ptayers and reflections. He has also
set up Small Pilgrim Places, a small
but growing network across the
UK.They seek to turn small chapels
and churches, as well as crypts and
chapels in larger churches, into
'small pilgrim places' - spaces for
ret reat, reflecti on a nd pi I gr i mage,
held together by common values.
They will be places for prayer,
quiet and conversation, providing
a welcome for searchers, seekers
and those rejected or marginalised
by the churches.You can join the
network and receive updates on
their activities at the website:
www. cottercai r n s.co. u k
movement
2t
.to" \
{ wscF E
9 Eu.ott ,8
tt to a.rroo
The World
Student Christian
Federation
links together
student Christian
movements all
over the world.
The IJK SCM has
funding available
for members to
attend WSCF
events and
conferences - see
www-movement.
org,.uk/wscf
worldview
a biSIer picture
Mozaik= a literary platform for dialo€ue between scMs
Mozaik is the ecumenical iournal of WSCF's Europe
region. lt was established in 1992 and since
then 16 issues have been published. Currently
Mozaikispublished twice a year in Budapest, Hungary,
and each issue focuses on a specific topic.
ihese topics are connected to the thematic conferences
organised by WSCF-Europe, and concentrate
on four main fields of interest: theology, solidarity,
gender, and culture and higher education.
At the European level, there are four interest
groups, one for each field of interest, which are
responsible for organising the conferences. A considerable
number of articles published in Mozaik
are directly connected to the presentations made
at the conferences; the journal follows the thematic
line produced by the interest Eroups, and for each
issue we invite onto the editorial board a thematic
editor suggested by the interest group. This makes
Mozaik an important leadership-training tool, as it
offers SCMers the unique experience of co-editing
an international ecumenical journal on a topic that
is dear to their hearts.
Mozaik broadens and deepens the thematic work
of WSCF-Europe, starting from the 60 or so people
involved in the conference and taking it beyond
to an audience of more than 1,000 readers and
contributors. The articles appearing in Mozaik are
mostly essays written by students or Senior Friends
(older supporters of WSCF), but the journal also
publishes poems, interviews, liturgies, Bible studies
and mini-biographies of important ecumenical
leaders.
Mozaik aims to refleit the wide variety of opinions
and viewpoints present among the different SCMs
in dialogue. The contributors come from various
Christian denominations: Anglican, Orthodox,
Iet's talk about freedom
t$ esc
lrl!#afrl,@
h&c--"i"rss,o:gl3
30 fuly - 5 August . Waldsieversdorf, Germany
'The German SCM's annual lnternational Ecumenical
Student Meeting takes place at a youth hostel 10
metres from a very beautiful lake. This year's topic
is freedom: how do we understand the political,
religious and personal dimensions of this abstract
term? What does freedom mean in our daily life?
The UK SCM can send up to four delegates - if you'd
like to be one of them, contact scm@movement.org'
uk or 0121 200 3355 by 26 May. You'll need to be
aged 26 or under, have an interest in the theme, and
write a short essay to accompany your application'
news from SCMs
around the world
Protestant and Roman Catholic. A considerable
number of contributors come from outside Europe,
as we deem it our vocation to reflect also the issues
important to SCMs outside the 'old continent'.
ln this way Mozaik functions as a communication
channel between WSCF-Europe and other regions
of the Federation. lt serves as a literary discussion
platform for all those who feel that they would like
to draw the attention of SCMs to a particular issue
or simply share their opinions and experience
within the discussed field.
During our term of office, we have had the pleasure
of co-bperating with two UK SCMers - Angharad
Jones and Dan Criffiths - who worked with us as
thematic editors. We hope that the co-operation between
SCM UK and Mozaik will continue, and we
thank movem ent for creating this space for a brief
presentation of who we are and what we do. I
Peter Sajda, is editorin-chief of Mozaik Rebecca
Blocksome is WSCF-Europe's publications intern.
MO 7NIK
Copies of the /afest issue of Mozaik are available free to
SCM memhers, on request from the SCM office: contact
scm@movement.org.uk or 0121 200 3355. Supp/ies are
Iimited so it's first come, first served!
You can find Mozaik on the web at www.koed.hu/mozaik,htm
. all content in English - no need to speak
Cerman!
. lectures and working groups
. country reports presented by participants
r trip to Berlin with visits to interesting
organ isations and places
. ecumenical exchange and common prayer
o intercultural evenings with campfire, swimming
and lots of fun!
Fee: 5O€ (includes accommodation, food and programme).
ESC will reimburse 50% of your travel
costs, and SCM has bursaries available too.
22
movement
investing ethically
can you apply christian principles in a capitalist system?
Margaret Thatcher once famously remarked that
the Good Samaritan not only had good intentions
but he also had money. While that is hardly the
main message that that particular parable has to
convey, it does force the reader to ask what should
be done with any wealth that might be accumulated,
which in turn forces you to ask how that wealth
may be accumulated. The parable of the ten talents
also makes us question the role of money, how we
get it, and what we do with it.
The fact that you are reading this magazine would
indicate that you have a Christian ethic, but I also
appreciate that a number of you might object to
the injustices (apparent or real) of the capitalist system.
However, whether you agree with it or not,
the United Kingdom is a capitalist economy, and
wherever you put your money, it is in one way or
another involved in that global system of international
finance. That is a fact of life which not even
keeping your money under the bed can detach you
from. From a purely ethical point of view, there
is no difference at all between putting money in
a bank, and putting money into the stock market.
With both, the money could well end up financing
a company you would rather not support, or be lent
to a government whose policies you are actively
fighting against.
Therefore, when deciding where to put your money,
it is essential to ask whether that money will be
used in accordance with your principles.
Many articles have been written about consuming
ethically - fairtrade goods being sold in church;
boycotting companies such as McDonalds, etc.
- but less has been written about the ethics of investing.
The very first question to ask is actually nothing at
all to do with ethics. Rather, it is connected with 'attitude
to risk'. The amount of risk you are prepared
to take will determine in which particular 'asset
class' you put your money. (Risk can essentially be
described as how much you are willing to see the
value of your money go down in the short term in
the hope that it will go up by a greater amount in
the long term - the more risk, the greater the potential
reward, though this is not guaranteed.)
The lowest-risk 'asset' would be cash held in the
bank, but over a long period of time, the money
would barely hold its value against inflation. The
higher risk 'assets', such as bonds, property or
shares, might give a greater return over the long
term, but in the short term the value of your investment
might go down.
lf you give your money to a bank or investment manager,
he or she will then invest in other companies.
Through this, it is possible for you to benefit from
the growth of the company. Of course, you may not
want to invest in certain types of companies, such
as oil stocks, or you may wish to proactively support
companies with a good record with regard to
the environment or so on.
a fund manager very often will
have far more influence over a
company than a protester
The fund managers, because they own a significant
share holding in the company, can and do advocate
changes to business practice which end up being
good for the business, good for the environment,
and good for the investor. By talking to the chief
executive officer at an annual general meeting, a
fund manager very often will have far more influence
over a company than a protester outside that
meeting. The more investors in a unit trust which is
operating along ethical lines, the greater that influence
will be.
Within the current UK investment market, it is relatively
easy to do this. There are over 50 retail 'unit
trusts' such as the ones offered by fund manager
F&C, and several banks, such as Smile, in which
you could invest and relax in the knowledge that
your money is working for you while also making a
difference to the world. Also, the 'FTSE4Good' index
gives a good yardstick as to which companies
meet certain agreed ethical standards.
One of the beauties of ethical investing is that it can
still make you money (which, of course you can
then, like the Cood Samaritan, use to help those
without). For example, over the year to 1 March
2005, the average performing ethical fund would
have made you 11.05%, while the best one would
have made you nearly 20"h. Financial advice is important
in choosing the fund though, as the worst
performing fund would have made 1ust2.13oh.
It must not be forgotten that any investment is
just that - an investment - and you could lose
your money. lt is therefore essential that you
speak to an independent financial adviser
(lFA) about your needs and the risks involved,
and also that you make sure your
IFA is aware of the ethical requirements
you have.
Christianity's view towards money is that
it is morally neutral - how you get it, and
what you do with it once you have got
it, is what determines where you stand
on the scale of Christian morality. I
This article
is published
posthumously
as Richard
Nagle tragically
died on 16
October 2005
aged 30.
Richard was
at the time of
writing this
article an
lndependent
Financial
Advisor with
The Annuity
Bureau, and a
member of the
Stewardship
Committee
at Southwark
Cathedral.
movement
a.
L .*.
the
speaker
guilttripped
everyone
into
steppin$
forward
and
$iving
Stuart
what was
in their
pockets
Got a
comment on
the column?
Talk to Wood
at www.
movement.
org.ulV
forum
Wood is a
freelance
writer, living in
Swansea.
ln previous columns, l've talked
about people's stories. l've changed
the names. And, like a lot of columnists
in the confessional game, l've not been
averse to slipping one or two of my own stories in.
You just do that. The important thing is that this
particular story is not about me. I got it secondhand
from the individual in question. This is my
- probably slightly hazy - interpretation of a story
he told me, and so the facts may well be distorted.
Or rather, I really hope they are.
had been attending
a church for some years, which styled itself as a
'NewTestament' church. Charismatic, upbeat, hands
in the air, people speaking in tongues, dancing, that
sort of thing. I make no judgement on that. lf it floats
your boat on the old Sea of Faith, it's fine by me.
My friend - let's call him Stuart -
atlantis
and me
Every so often they'd say how you've 'got to be blessed
to be a blessing,' - they appeared to believe that
you were only able to do good work for the Kingdom
if you were rolling in it and happy and stuff. Stuart
wasn't really happy with that. After one guest speaker
had talked on the whole prosperity kick, Stuart sent a
brief e-mail to the leaders of the church with his concerns.
lnevitably, the reply came that Stuart didn't
understand what the man was saying, and that he
should think about it and pray about it a bit more.
One time Stuart turned up, and it was his birthday.
The sermon was about giving. The speaker got him
to stand out the front, holding a collection basket,
and said something like, 'ls Stuart here your
Christian Brother? Do you love him? Well, it's his
birthday. Come out and give him what's in your
pockets.' And the speaker guilt+ripped the congregation
into stepping forward and giving Stuart what
was in their pockets, one by one. Stuart stood, helpless
like a bunny in the headlights, as five-, ten- and
twenty-pound notes rained into his pot.
He couldn't give it back. He'd been given so much
money that he had no idea who had given him what,
and it was pointless trying to give it back. I must admit
that had I been in this position, it would have
been drinks on me at the pub that night, but Stuart
felt really bad about having been used to guilt-trip a
congregation, and so he gave the money to charity.
And he started thinking about leaving the church.
This is the part of the column where I break from
Stuart's story for a minute to explain about 'love
bombing'. That's when someone new joins up and the
group makes them very welcome. They shower the
newbie with affection and support, both emotional
wood ingham's tales
from the world of
the stran$e and the
christian student
the new testament love bomb
and material. You turn up and within a few weeks,
they've offered you a membership card, and everybody
at church has invited you to dinner. Which
doesn't sound so bad, except that when a member of
the group ceases to toe the party line in any way, they
take away all that affection and support in one stroke'
You get it back if you come back into the light, but if
you don't, they'll never talk to you again.
It was the Moonies that came up with this, but an
awful lot of churches do it. They don't necessarily
mean to do it - it comes naturally. Stuart's church
had a lot of people who were like that. This didn't actually
include the ministers, but it included enough
prominent members of the congregation to make
Stuart feel really uncomfortable about leaving. He'd
heard a whole load of bitching directed against people
who'd left the church and against the churches
they'd gone to, and he began to feel it was a really
big deal. The church had a big deal about authority,
too. You were supposed to listen to their ministers,
prophets and apostles, and if you were a member
- and you had to be a signed-up member to get involved
in church activities - the importance of tithing
your income to the church was hammered home.
So it wasn't just a question of skipping out and going
somewhere else. lt was a really big deal. He spent
a long time wondering whether he could go through
with it. And he couldn't go quietly. People had noticed
that he was edging towards the periphery. He was assigned
to a housegroup. The Bible group leader turned
up at Stuart's place a few times, trying to get him to
attend. The group was called 'Men Sharpening Men'
(no, I honestly don't think that they even realised).
He decided to give the place one last chance. So he
turned up one Sunday and kept a low profile, sitting
right at the back. During this service, one of the
church's 'prophets' stood up between songs and said
that he felt Cod wanted him to encourage everyone to
demonstrate their love for one another. He got down
off the platform and gave the wife of one of the elders
a massive hug. One of the ministers stood up and said,
maybe they should all show their love for one another
while the band played the next couple of songs. And if
there's someone looking lonely or isolated, well, they
should especially give those people hugs. Stuart, not
the physically demonstrative sort at the best of times,
stood, transfixed in horror, as the band began to play,
and everybody in the church started to give each other
warm embraces. He bolted, running a gauntlet of a
half-dozen people who all wanted to hug him. A few
days later, he wrote them a letter resigning his membership,
and he hasn't been back since. I
24 movement
not sure what you
believe? we look at
the background to
aspects of christian
thought, doctrine and
belief
neglative theolo€y
Negative theology ... as opposed to what?
Positive theology, of course! StThomas Aquinas had a
lot to say about both positive and negative theology.
But Aquinas was a Roman Catholic Christian. lsn't
negative theology just another term for atheism?
No. Aquinas thought that negative theology (or
sometimes apophatic theology) had a role to play in
the discourses of Christianity. He thought that Cod
could be explained positively by analogy, but that
these descriptions (i.e. 'God is...') were inadequate
in some ways. Hence, negative theology.
So what is it?
The practice of understanding Cod by what Cod
is not. ln other words, when you say 'God is not a
tree', you're saying what God is by stating what God
is not. This method of theologising has long been
used in mystical writings from across the Christian
traditions, but perhaps most notably in the Eastern
Orthodox church.
But what's the point of it? Surely there are some
things we can state positively about Cod without
needing to go that far.
It's likely that there are ... and that they can be understood
by this approach! The Vra Negativa (Latin
for 'negative way') sheds a lot of light on our assumptions
about how much we can know about
Cod. As the theologian Denys Turner says, 'Negative
theology does not mean that we are short of
things to say about Cod; it means just that everything
we say of Cod falls short of him.'
How so?
ln this line of thinking, there's no necessity that ties
us to describing Cod's essence, like you might find
in a number of theological approaches that are quite
prevalent today. I mean, when was the last time you
heard a sermon in which the preacher refrained from
making an explicit positive statement about God?
Hang on a sec though ... what about Cod's revelation
throughout history? lf we take that as read, then the
universe must'be loaded with positive affirmations
of what Cod is really like - Cod's essence.
Negative theology sees our knowledge of Cod as limited
to what Cod has revealed. Does Cod's historical
revelation really show us Cod, or merely reveal something
of Cod's purposes? lt's worth pondering.
So what kinds of conclusions have these negative
theologians come to?
Often they address some of humanity's biggest
questions in an unconventional but, some might
argue, particularly profound way. The Cappadocian
doctrine fior
I
I
Fathers, who lived in the fourth century, claimed to
believe in God, but did not believe that Cod existed.
Similarly, the twentieth century French mystic
Simone Weil decided, by using the apophatic way,
that God was neither existent nor non-existent.
there's no difference between
God's existence and God's [onexistence
in any empirical sense
whv?
Because she wanted to show that Cod is not a being
within the world in any ordinary sense - Cod
doesn't exist in any tangible way to our sense experience,
as a chair or an iPod might:'To believe in
God is not a decision we can make'. On the other
hand, she is often defined as a Christian mystic and
philosopher with no qualms about seeking Cod's
presence within each one of us.
But surely that's illogical! Cod must either exist or
not exist.
It could be suggested that there's no difference between
Cod's existence and God's non-existence in
any empirical sense. Meister Eckharl again, says that
'Cod is a "being transcending being and a transcending
nothingness"'. Besides, it's not like there are any
knock-down arguments, right? People are still arguing
and thinking about all this after centuries of debate.
I suppose ... but if we can't grasp God's essence or
nature, how can we experience God at all?
Through Cod's immanence, of course! lt is precisely
because of the absoluteness of the divine
transcendence that Augustine can speak of Cod as
more intimate to us than we are to ourselves.
What particular opportunities can negative theology
afford then in our culture?
There are strong mystical and apophatic traditions
that run throughout Christianity's history, from the
gospels and letters, through such works as The
Cloud of Unknowing, right up to the present day
with spiritual writers such as Thomas Merton and
theologians like Karl Rahner. As a result, negative
theology can perhaps still act as a necessary
counter-balance to theologies that may seem to
over-stretch into the realms of mystery. EM Forster
called the faith 'poor little talkative Christianity';
perhaps it's time to be humble and remember that
that which we cannot say is sometimes more meaningful
than that which we can... I
Rob Telford is
an ex-Theology
student from
Cardiff.
movement 25
$q$r
$' media
a novel
christ
writing about culture (popular
and otherwise), and reviews of
books, CDs, films and websites
will the real jesus
please step forward?
The
Nliracle of
Jesus
Iiq /&lx'rt llnttttl
can a new book persuade
evangelical christians to care
more about the environment?
evo-friendly?
Ecology and theology have been uncomfortable bedfellows in recent church history.
Christians have shown antagonism towards environmentalists, branding them 'New
Agers', and Christianity has been held by many environmentalists to be responsible for
and unconcerned about the current ecological crisis. This book aims to address this
troubled relationship through contributions by high-profile Christian leaders and academics.
Caring for Creation targets evangelical Christians, a group that will be suspicious of working
towards anything unless given a clear 'biblical' motivation. John Stott's foreword says that
creation is a much-neglected biblical topic, and caring for creation an equally neglected
responsibility. Essays by prominent evangelicals explain how care of the environment is
an inseparable part of God's plan for humanity, covering the biblical themes of creation,
fall, redemption and resurrection. These are interspersed with brief commentaries on the
work of international Christian environmental organisation A Rocha.
ln the opening essay, Eugene Peterson (author of The Message) rambles happily about
the rhythm of creation and how by living in this rhythm, Christians care for creation. His
suggested method for participating in this rhythm appears to be going to church. Subsequent
chapters continue in the same vein, citing the fall as the problem and redemption
as the solution, and asserting that science and religion do not contradict each other
(although one essay dismisses the scientific worldview).
This doesn't really bring any new insights. Too often, 'biblical' arguments for caring for
the earth are based either on simplistic quoting from Genesis, where man is made steward
of creation, or on the flimsy basis that Jesus often used analogies from farming or
the animal kingdom in his teaching. But having a degree of control over and knowledge
about the natural world is a far cry from knowing how to engage with the complicated
systems of global government and economics that Christians find ourselves part of.
Thankfully, things finally get interesting when the discussion comes to Cod's covenant
with lsrael and the Old Testament concepts of the Sabbath and the year of Jubilee. I am
skeptical of how much the Bible can contribute to general environmental debate, but
a pattern of community living that constantly redistributes resources fairly is vital for a
just society. Chris Wright describes this with clarity, and James Houston builds on it by
attributing environment degradation to the breakdown in relationships that leads to individualisation
and consumerism, concluding that'secular environmental concerns are
far too shallow a prognosis of human relations to our environment'.
The final few chapters deal with resurrection and redemption. These concepts can be difficult
to reconcile with environmentalism. The inevitable destruction of the world before
God puts everything right seems to make it pointless to mend anything. Tillett takes the
conventional line: that the resurrection and re-creation of the earth is something to draw
hope from as we obey and worship Cod against a tide of human and natural disasters.
For me, David Bookless' discussion of what is meant by 'a new heaven and a new earth'
is more satisfying. His take on Cod as divine environmentalist, recycling the broken
earth, by analogy with Noah's flood, relates much more closely to what we see around
us in the world - new life springing from the barren wasteland caused by ecological
disaster. lt gave me hope that Christians and environmentalists together can herald this
new life, by living the model of Cod's kingdom on earth.
The A Rocha contributions bring a welcome dose of realism, describing the difficulties
and triumphs of the struggle between human needs and the care of wildlife habitats
around the world. Reading about the competition for space between elephants and
people in lndia and 'crop-destroying elephants and baboons' in Kenya brings a fresh
realisation that conservationism is not abstract nature-loving, but requires serious involvement
with the communities and wildlife who share resources.
Although the first few chapters were disappointing, as a whole the book hangs together
well. There is a set of discussion questions for each chapter, which would work well in
Bible study groups. The book is definitely aimed at an evangelical readership, but the
wealth of different perspectives gives much scope for new thinking. I hope that, by establishing
for Christians how much theology has to do with environmentalism, this book
might help us to address the difficult issues that face the world today. I
foraord by jOHN SfOn
CARING
FOR CREATION
Bil)liril and rheologir al perspective(
. ,
ri, .,rr-:,rL.L:.
caring for creation
edited by Sarah Tillett, BRD €8.99
I am skeptical
of how much
the Bible can
contribute
to $eneral
environmental
debate, but
a pattern of
community
living that
constantly
redistributes
lesoutces fairly
is vital for a
just society
Rosie Telford is a student member
of Christian Ecology Link (www.
ch r i sti a n -eco I ogy. o r g. u k )
l. ";|-rr
B
movement 27
,i. r{1
:D
rFr J
pop
I
$ordon lynch
on theolots and
spirituality
in popular culture
H
the media and
popular culture
run throu$h
our veins
gordon's top ten
#1 Sigur Ros, untitled O (Fat Cat Records, 2002). Turn the lights down,
light a candle or two, and meditate, pray or just let it wash over you.
With their lyrics in an invented language, and their wash of sound,
Sigur Ros sound the mystical potential of pop music.
#2 Hunter Thompson, Fear and Loathing in LasVegas (HarperCollins,
2005). Disturbing and very funny (and often both at the same time),
Thompson's classic novel offers a twisted view of American life, only
to show how our everyday assumptions are themselves more distorted
than we choose to recognise.
#3 Riclcy Cervais, The Office (BBC, 2002) and Extras (BBC, 2005).
Aside from the humour, Cervais' work is an astute and painful study
of the insecurities and humiliations of everyday life - and of the role of
love and friendship in overcoming these.
i4 Lost in Translation (directed by Sofia Coppola, 2003). The Japanese
setting is not incidental as the film offers a Zen-like study of the transience
of our passions and despair. A beautiful study of the love and
loneliness often missed by a superficial society.
#5 www.theonion.com. lt can be easy to despair at the world's injustices
- satire can help us to carry on, and remember what's important
for us. Get clicking...
#6 The Aphex Twin, drukgs (Warp Records, 2001). At times unsettling
with his banging drum'n'bass, the Aphex Twin shows how electronic
music can touch so many different moods. At their best, his piano pieces
make you feel like you're touching the face of Cod.
#7 Annie Hall and Crimes and Misdemeanors (both directed by Woody
Allen, 1977 and 1989). Allen at his very best. Exploring his usual
,themes - love, death and the search for meaning in a meaningless universe
- these two films show Allen's range in exploring love, happiness
and the absuldities of life.
#8 Banksy, Wall and Piece (Century,2OO5) - and various sites across the
world. Surely Britain's foremost anarchist graffiti artist - Banksy's books
are thought-provoking, and often just downright funny.
2A
#9 Pulp, Different C/ass (lsland Records, 1999). Sheffield's finest don't
take their eyes off the ball when singing about the grittiness of life.
Dark, ironic, atmospheric, romantic - very British - and worth listening
to for 'Common People' alone.
#10 Super Size Me (directed by Morgan Spurlock, 2004). Documentary
film at its transformative best, Spurlock's film has helped to open eyes
to the system that thrives on feeding people rubbish for the pursuit of
profit. This year, McDonald's shut 25 'restaurants' in the UK...
Various life pressures mean that this will be the last pop culture review that I write for
a while. l'm very grateful to Liam for coming up with the idea for this column, and for
giving me space to indulge my various thoughts and concerns in it.
Thinking back even over the fairly short time l've been writing these reviews, I can see
real changes in the area of religion and popular culture. There is a coming generation
of theologians and religious scholars who know deep in their bones that exploring the
religious dimension of life today inevitably means engaging with different forms of media
and with the content of our everyday lives. Cinema, books, TV, cyberspace have all
become essential means for the contemporary exploration of both the sacred and the
nature of evil - both in terms of offering us images and ideas to play and wrestle with,
and in offering us a space for the spiritual search.
Media and popular culture are no longer trivial subjects,
but the means through which so many of the
pressing questions of our time will be pursued. A
new generation of academics are starting the difficult
process of unpacking this relationship between
the sacred and the everyday, and it will be some
years before we can see whether this new academic
project proves to be fruitful or not.
Even if we're uninterested in such academic developments,
the media and popular culture still run
through our veins, shaping the environments in
which we live, providing us with the language and
symbols with which we think and communicate,
and giving us ways of seeing and feeling how life can
(and in a better world, could) be. One of the unhelpful
notions of Cod that I previously acquired, and
have since dispensed with, is the idea that Cod is
wholly separate, far above and beyond our everyday
worlds. Yet, in fact, the divine is inseparable from life
itself. A question that always stands above us is how
our everyday cultural practices relate to this divine
life. Does our cultural practice - what we do, watch,
create, consume - draw us more deeply into a rich
awareness of the divine life in which we already live?
Does it rest on a healthy relationship with ourselves
and others? Does it deepen our imagination and desire
for the most just and sustainable world, to which
the divine life calls us?
All these are hard questions - a life's work to answer
them. But in signing off for now, I wanted to offer
you a quick top ten of bits of pop culture that have
given me glimpses of the excitement, pleasure/ complexity
and sheer mystery of that divine life in which
we all have a stake.
Well, that's me. Here's to fun, creativity, richness,
honesty and justice in our everyday lives, and all that
fills them. I
Cordon Lynch teaches practical theology at the
tJ niversity of Bi rmingham.
movement
who would have
thou€lht opera could
be so controversial?
the
comes t GTTGUS
o town
It is pretty hard to review Jerry Springer the Opera. Do you talk about the new audience
brought to opera, do you talk about the offence caused to some Christians?
Perhaps you discuss the religious hatred bill or you make comparisons with the Danish
cartoons. Maybe it's best to look at the content, but even then you have to choose
between the actual content and the allegations about the content by those who won't
go and see it, but still wish to comment.
l've seen it three times now. When I first saw it, in London's West End, it was a fun night
out at the theatre, a birthday treat. I was aware that there was some fuss around it, and
that I probably shouldn't invite people who describe themselves as born-again to accompany
me on this venture. I was not amazed by it, inasmuch as I have seen films
and stand-up comedians that have engaged me more, but I was amused, and I certainly
wasn't offended, though I am not easily offended. I got the impression that I wasn't the
only person there who wouldn't usually be at the opera, and this is probably no bad
thing for opera, providing they can find a way of following up on this new market.
It is certainly a spectacle. Opera actually works well as a medium for making a point
and making it accessible. The plot in brief: Jerry interviews a load of misfits the way he
does, he is idolised by the audience, people fight and scream, and occasionally Jerry
takes a swipe at himself. lt is not unlike a trumped-up version of the actual show. Except
for the fact that a choir sing swear-words, and juxtapose this street language with the
grand theatre and classical accompaniment of the music. I don't think the volume of
swearing increases its effect - if anything it lessens it - but for the record there are 174
swear-words, not the 8,000 advertised by some.
The whole thing is satire. Deliberately you are left guessing about what is being satirised,
you are, quite brilliantly, left to make up your own mind. Yes, Jesus and Satan
feature heavily, but arguably they are there to comment on Springer's self-importance
rather than it being an attack on religion. Likewise the joke could be on the audience of
the programme, or even the audience in the theatre, you just don't know.
What we certainly do know is the strength of feeling the show has generated in the
Christian right. lt is the first time that groups such as Christian Voice have been able to
gather such a large opposing coalition in the UK, and it was reminiscent, though on a
smaller scale, of some of the protests their US equivalents have been doing for years.
The TV screening by the BBC in January 2005 was unique for a variety of reasons. Not
least for the attempt made by Christian Voice to raise f 75,000 for a private prosecution
against the BBC, after the public legal body wouldn't take it forward.
Then we began to see a co-ordinated local campaign with collections of conservative
and evangelical groups trying to prevent showings at local venues. Some venues cancelled,
ticket sales were hit in others, and the production team responsible for the show
had to cut costs. When I went to see it while on holiday in Plymouth, authorities were
ready for trouble; none came that night, but it did subsequently.
While the ability to see a funny opera may seem like a minor freedom of expression issue,
the danger behind it is polarisation of opinion. SCMers as much as anyone would
hope we avoid a stark argument between religious and secular worldviews, with no
room for the frey areas in between.
There will be middle-of-the-road Christians offended by the play, even if they may not
view it as an affront to a desire to see the whole world share all their views. But those
who make such protests must be careful about their targets. This is not the same as
the cartoons of Mohammed in the Danish newspaper. Stuart Lee, the comedian
involved in writing the play, puts it well: 'Everyone's anxious to draw parallels,
but the Danish cartoonists wandered into a world of protected religious symbols
they didn't understand. We have used a set of icons whose implications
we appreciate, within a tradition of imagery.'The old argument holds, if you
don't want swearing and controversy set to music, go and watch something
else, but if you fancy it, then you could do worse. I
movement
ierry springer
the opera
directed by Kate Moore, seen by
Tim at Cambridge Theatre London
and on tour in Plymouth. see www.
jerryspringertheopera.com.
the whole
thing is satire.
deliberately
you are left
$uessin€ about
what is bein$
satirised, you
afe, quite
brilliantly, left
to make up
yout own mind
Tim Cobbett is Vice President
(Academic Affairs) at the students'
union of Edinburgh University,
and a former member of SCM's
Ceneral Council.
out of
touch?
a resource on healing services
fails to hit the spot
oll (:
ot iEA(rN6
^ ?t^cIrc^!
lrin,1 ''Pla'e
HArotooK
i1r: r,1 \:!l(liii
a touchin(, place
fohn Gunstone, Canterbury Press,
the best thing
about the book
was that it
encoura$ed
me to
consider other
resources in my
quest for more
information
ln his book ln the beginning there was darkness, fohn Hull talks of a healing service
he attended as a teenager. lt sounds horrible, complete with the hoaxed attempts to
claim that healing has happened. As this is the style of healing services most of us
tend to hear about, I was interested to spend time learning more about some other
approaches, not only in the style of services available but also the approaches people
take towards them. When planning for the SCM conference this year, the suggestion
of a healing service was met with fear and concern by some, and with enthusiasm by
others. ln the end, with the help of Holy Rood House, a centre for health and pastoral
care, the healing service went off very well. I was also very glad to be in a position of
inviting people whose knowledge and experience in this field is excellent.
ln my attempt to learn more about healing services I read A Touching P/ace by John
Cunstone. The subtitle of the book is A ministry of healing in the local church: a practical
handbook' so I thought this would be a good starting point. The book is set out
in nice gentle chunks with questions at the end of each section. lt would be a good
resource for groups involved in healing services in a local (Anglican)church. It is good
at referring people on to other resources but, at 85 pages, can hardly be described as
the most comprehensive guide. That, in itself, is no bad thing, as the stages it takes you
through are certainly manageable.
John Gunstone admits to beingAnglican-centred in the book but hopes that it will still
prove to be a useful resource for people from other denominations. However, the majority
of sources it refers the reader to are either Common Worship, other Anglican-specific
resources or John Cunstone's other book on healing ministry. The lack of ecumenical
consideration makes it a hard resource to develop into something of use. A quick
internet search made this all the more irritating, as apparently he used to be a diocesan
ecumenical officer - but at the end of the day he is supposed to be talking about a ministry
of healing, not of ecumenism.
The book presents a number of different aspects of healing ministry that I had not previously
been aware of and it was certainly interesting to explore - especially through his
charismatic, evangelical point of view. lt also primarily places expression of the healing
ministry in the context of a eucharistic service. ln some ways the most interesting
section was that on 'confidentiality and boundaries'. The emphasis was far more on
appropriate relationships between male and female members of healing teams, rather
than on what to do with situations that are challenging for those involved in the ministry.
He also offers little guidance on the considerations that need to be made for those who
have been hurt by, or are scared of, healing services. The situations presented were really
quite alien to me.
The best thing about the book was that it encouraged me to consider other resources
in my quest for more information. Even the brief mentions of a ministry of healing in
John Hull's book provided a better context than the work of John Cunstone in A Touching
Place. John Hull spends time addressing the concerns of a fellow blind person who
longs for a successful healing ministry while being sceptical - a conclusion confirmed
by his own negative experience.
To broaden my search for information I attended several healing services and spent time
in discussion with many people, including those preparing for their first healing service
and those who have been involved for many years. I learned a huge amount from all
these people and it provided me with a lot of useful background. I would encourage
people looking into this field to talk to as wide a selection of people as possible and I
found the folk at Holy Rood House particularly noteworthy. As ATouching Place was the
catalyst for this, I am immensely grateful to John Cunstone for his work. I
Jo Merrygold is SCM's Links Worker.
30 movement
towards a theologt of
facial hair
Archbish Rowan gave a rare interview
recently in the Cuardian,
sparking a wave of astonishment
that anyone working at the
Crauniad actually knew the
names of any religious figures.
(The religious correspondent
there, who seems to think Shrp
of Fools is a serious website
selling religious paraphernalia,
could really do with some professional
advice. Or maybe just
a CCSE Religious Education textbook.)
I particularly enjoyed the insight
into Rowan's character that he
dreads facing press photographers
because of 'the eyebrows'.
My efforts to stir up some trouble
by highlighting the Church of
England's facial hair issues
in previous columns are
finally paying off! Perhaps
the whole liberal/conservative
split will run a very
different course if Nasir-Ali suddenly
notices the sideburns.
creative education
ln the same interview, Rowan
generated headline news by
arguing that Christian schools
shouldn't teach creationism as
science. Whatever next? Surely
it's their right to use the Bible and
only the Bible as their textbook,
and what's more, they should expand
the practice into the rest of
the curriculum.
You could have very interesting
maths lessons based on the last
being first. Physics teachers could
explain all about the sphere that
separates the waters above from
the waters below. PE could involve
killing lions with asses'
jawbones. And teachers could
use PSHE, or PSE, or whatever the
kids are calling it nowadays, to
show pupils the best techniques
for stoning adulterers to death.
iBody
Techno-pundits are keen these
days on the idea that we're becoming
cyborgs. They would
have us believe that by the middle
of next week, everyone will
have chips implanted in their
brain allowing them to download
ringtones at will, and everYthing
electrical in your house, includ-
I
J
ing nose hair clippers and the
hoover, will have an internet
connection that you can access
from wherever you happen to
be on the global superinfonethighwayathon.
Techno-pundits do so bore me.
So [ar, all cyborgification means
is that every second person I pass
on the street has those tiresome
iPod earphones glued to the sides
of their head. A recent news story,
though, suggests that Apple have
started to practise the process in
reverse. A family received the
new iPod they'd ordered - or at
least, they received the 'coolerthan-cool,
more street-cred than
the product inside' Apple packaging
- only to discover that the
box was filled with raw meat.
Maybe this is some new cuttingedge
venture, years ahead of its
time. Maybe Applet new slogan
will be 'Pink, different'. lt got me
thinking about what music you'd
play on your fleshy iPod, though.
Meatloaf? Captain Beefheart? Send
me your suggestions on a postcard,
preferably not accompanied
by a box of unidentified flesh.
good cheese, man
l'm told that illegal drugs are often
'cut' with other substances. I
suppose green herbs and white
powders are all much of a muchness
until you start putting them
up your nose or using them intravenously
or what have
you. But drug dealers
who use such tricks are
obviously underestimating
the gullibility
of some people. A
girl in Tennessee
mistook a block of
crumbly Mexican
cheese for a monumental
quantity
of cocaine, and hired a
hitman to take out the
owners of said cheese
so that she could have
it all to herself.
Now, itseemsclearthat
this individual can't
have been the sharpest
cheeseknife in
the drawer -
maybe shed
a I ready
over-indulged in
some gouda that she'd
mistaken for LSD - so it
comes as no surprise that
the hitman she engaged turned
out to be an undercover officer of
the law, and she was duly arrested.
All's well that ends well, but it
makes me feel a bit strange about
the lethal cocktail of camembert
and gorgonzola that I put into my
unsuspecting body over Christmas.
winnie the who?
Many right-minded folk feel that
Disney's sacchari ne bastardisation
of Winnie the Pooh is an abomination
in the eyes of Milne, and
the latest news just confirms this
horrified repulsion. Christopher
Robin is to be replaced by a sixyear-old
girl on rollerblades. ln an
astonishing 'you couldn't make
this stuff up' moment, a Disney PR
robot said: 'these timeless characters
really needed a breath of
fresh air'. There is obviously some
alternative meaning of the word
'timeless' only available to those
living in the mediasphere. I
maybe
she'd
already
OVGIindulged
in some
$ouda
that
she'd
mistaken
for LSD
movement 31
t
^-.
O
o
o'
fi
try out all the o
I
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