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issue 111
ovemen
| summer 2OO2
q:Gim"
MOVEMENTis tfie termly maglazine
the Student Christian Movement,
distributed fte of char{e to membets
and dedicated to an opn-minded
explontion of Christi aniJy.
Editor: Julian Lewis
Editorial address: 17 Huxley Road, Leyton,
London E10 sQT.
T: (020) 8558 8:176
E: movementmagazine@hotmail.com
Designer: Liam Purcell
Next copy date: 22 July
Editorial board: Julian Lewis, Liam Purcell, Elinor
Mensingh, Marie Pattison, Symon Hill, Kate
Powell, David Anderson
SGM staff: Co-ordinator Elinor Mensingh; Praiect
Worker: Groups Marie Pattison; Offtce Administrator
Symon Hill
SGM office: University of Birmingiham, Weoley
Park Road, Selly Oak, Birmingham 829 6[L.
T: (0121) 47t2404
F: (O121) 4L4 2969 mark faxes 'FAO SCM'
E: scm@movement.org.uk
Website: www.movement.org.uk
Printed by: Henry Ling Limited, Dorchester
lndividual membership of SCM (includes
Movementl costs f,20 per year (9L2.f unwaged).
Subscription to Movement only costs L7 per year.
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.
rssN 0306-980x
Charity No. 241896
@ 2002 scM
platform Mark Price 3
newsfile 4
on campus 6
diary 7
disarmin$ actions Helen SteYen 8
poetry: a language for religion David Anderson 9
in:nfl"#|, e"nn Pr€ssure for progress Julian Lewis 77
small ritual Steve Collins !4
movement mind out for mental health
reature: Fiona lackson 75
mental
health a herd of pigs and the for$iveness of sin?
Revd Paul Lanham 78
see also... 20
the road goes ever on Ruth Goodall 27
worldview: SCMI, lndia Elizabeth Joy 22
celebrity theologian Debbie Curnock 23
ties and binds Jim Cotter 24
movemenl
isla m and the west Roddy Vann 25
reviews
atonement claire Connor 26
dirt, {reed and sex Julian Lewis 27
the fellowship of the rin{,
Mike CouShlan 28
artifact Kathryn Powell 29
glreenbett Ellie Mensin$h 3O
the serpent 31
Wanted!. Student Editor, no experience necessary
Movement is put together by'an editoiial panel including the desi$ner and editor, SCM staff'
and student representatives. There is a vacancy at the moment for a third student representative
on the panel. lf you would like to be invotved in deciding the content and themes of
Movement, and could spare one afternoon a term for meetin$sn contact Julian at the
editorial address.
Wanted! Articles, reviews, artwork
We want Movement to be as open as possible. All your ideas are welcome. Have you $ot somethin€l
to say? An issue you want explored? Ever fancied yourself as a writer?
Send your articles and ideas, or just your details if you'd like to write for us in the future, to Julian
at the editorial address. All submissions will be considered by our editorial board'

platform
exctusive preachin€
Gan the Ghurch afford to turn people away?
The Church agonises over its lopsided
demographic, While its lack of diversity has
many factors, it is preaching that causes me to
put pen to paper (digits to keyboard?) for
Platform.
I suspect that the preacher
was very naive
ln a sermon I heard recently, the preacher
started off by talking about the occult and how
dangerous it is. Fair enough. But he then went on
to talk about his prison visiting, when he had met
a lot of murderers who claimed that they have no
knowledge of their actions, that in fact people
who practised the occult had made them do it and
so they had no control over their actions. I can
understand people being persuaded to do
something by someone who is extremely charismatic
but the preacher's view was that occult
forces were responsible for the murderers'
actions, and that as Christians we have to be wary
and do our best to fight against this. I suspect
that the preacher was very naiVe and looking for
the occult, or the Devil, to be responsible for the
murder's actions. After all it can be difficult to
come to terms with the evil that people can do of
their own accord. Perhaps it is easier to blame
outside influence or agency?
Yet witches, wizards and magic are and always
seem to have been prevalent in our stories and
culture. Harry Potter is merely the latest manifestation.
Preachers telling people these things are
all evil may upset fans, but shows a worrying
cultural gap between the Ghurch and the
mainstream.
Next the preacher started discussing the evils
of modern music. He talked about how easily
music can influence people and how most modern
music encouraged sex, homosexuality and a lot of
other immoral actions. We don't have to look too
far to see there's some factual basis to this
argument - jrist look at Eminem, who sings about
having sex with his own mother. However the
assumption is again that people are easily
influenced, so much so that many may act out the
lyrics. Would the preacher then also bewail TV,
books, magazines? I think I can guess the answer
to that question. Unfortunately with people who
are so easily influenced the only solution is that
they don't see any of those influences. But this is
impossible to arrange as we need to find out who
those people are and then deny them anything
which could influence them, which as far as I am
concerned is something which takes away their
basic right of free choice.
Again, the preacher called us, as Christians, to
stand up to modern music and not listen to it and
tell all our Christian friends not to buy any of it.
This really annoyed me. I have a major problem
with people condemning something they have not
experienced themselves. Just because someone
else tells you something is offensive, you should
still inform yourself to make your own opinion,
particularly when it is something that is very big,
like popular music. I also detest the implied view
that if you do this you are not Christian.
The preacher finally moved onto drugs and how
dangerous they are. I'm firmly in the anti-drugs
camp so no problems there. However he then went
on to say that we should not allow anyone who
uses, or has used, drugs into our churches. This I
have a problem with as I thought a church, the
community which happens to use a building, is
meant to minister to people who have problems,
some of which may be highly complex.
The views and values a Ghurch should
hold must be informed by love
The views and values a church should hold must
be informed by love. People of all ages and noncriminal
persuasions should be comfortable in our
churches, both the buildings and the communities.
lf a church community genuinely loves people for
who they really are and recognises their freedom
as individuals, I imagine fewer of the shock stories
the preacher resorted to would occur. And will not
people come to have a better regard for a
Christianity that loves rather than just condemns?
I suppose the main problem with the preacher was
his implication that people who don't do all the
things he thinks are necessary to being a Christian
are not Christian. The trouble is that most of these
things are being done by many people in our
society, particularly younger people and even
(shock, horror) people who might choose to call
themselves Christian. There comes a point when
so many people ignore your message you have to
staft questioning the content of the message. That
doesn't necessarily mean abandoning principles
you hold dear, but may just go some way to
helping the Church grapple with its own internal
diversity problems.
lUflkPibe
Warwlck Chrlstlan Focus
movementlS

NCWS
Kiss of
Life
Greenbelt
23-26 August
2002
Cheltenham
Racecourse
After such a fun
and successful
time in the Action
Fair at Greenbelt
last year (see Page
30 to find out
more), SCM is
going to have a
stall at the festival
this year. We need
a group of enthusiastic
helpers to
make our stall as
interesting and
user-friendly again.
So if you're a warm
hearted soul who
wants to 'do your
bit' for SCM, a
mercenary who
wants to get a bit
of experience in
marketing and
publicity, or you
just want to get to
Greenbelt but can't
afford the full
ticket price, $et in
touch. SCM will
help you with the
price of the ticket,
you'll help SCM on
our stall. SimPle.
We assure you
you'll still have
plenty of time to
take part in the
festival
programme.
Contact us if You're
interested. First
come first serued.
evvslllo
rtJ I
i) fi c {
News from SCM in Britain and beYond
4lmovement
Lin$ua Franca
?"
No plans for the summer? Atl your mates off doing interesting things (like dissertations...)
or earning a packet (at t3 an hour...)? Want to try something a little different? Want to
travel, meet new people, learn about yourself and other parts of the world? Want to gain a
colourful CV filler, or an insight into teaching?
Then try Lin$,ua Franca.lt was set up in 1991 by WSCF Europe (World student christian
Federa{ion) and EyCE (Ecumenical Youth Council in Europe). lt is a programme that gives
students from western and northern European countries an opportunity to teach English to
students in eastern and central Europe on a voluntary basis. As 'payment' you will be fully
hosted, and given a unique insight into the everyday life, cultural and reli$ious traditions of
the hosting country. The hosting movements are responsible for finding suitable places for
the courses to be run, and for providing board and lodging for the teachers during their stay'
over the past ten years Lingua Franca has sponsored language courses in countries such as
Poland, Belarus, Hungary, Romania, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Russia, Ukraine, Czech
Republic. Courses usually last two or three weeks. English has been the main language
requested for the courses.
The essence of the project is that the teachers, the course organisers and the students all
gain from the course. it is about mutual sharing and intercultural exchange. The students
are en"ouruged to leave their grammar books behind, along with preconceived ideas of a
traditional language course. The presence of fluent speakers of the target language should
encourage an interactive and communicative approach to learning. You are not required or
"u"n "*p".ted to have any formal language teaching qualification or experience. Lingua
Franca wants to recruit teachers who are energetic and open, who respect diversity and who
are interested in cultural exchange.
,My time in Lithuania was brilliant - I'd never have thought of going there otherwise and
learned a lot about the people and history of a country that doesn't register in British
consciousness. I made good friends and years later am still in touch with them. I also
know Lithuanian for "mushroom"! I can recommend the LF course to anyone with a sense
of adventure, or looking for a cheap holiday!'
Hannah Daniels, SCM Co-ordinator 7994-96,
LF teacher, summer 7998
About the courses
. The language courses take place during the summer holidays'
. Each course last 2-3 weeks'
. ln general, two volunteer teachers are assigned per course'
. Teaching takes place for 3-4 hours per day.
. While the rest of the time is yours, your host will offer cultural activities and excursions.
lf you are interested and want to know more, e-mail wscf-linguafranca@hotmail.com or
contact the SCM office.
{"
*

SCM trainin$ event
6-8 September 2OO2 | Houghton, Cambridgeshire | 922
. Do you run a student group?
. Do you hope to get involved organising your chaplaincy?
. Do you want to set up an SCM group at your university or college?
Then this is a crucial event for you. lt is a valuable opportunity to get
some training and ideas before the start of the year. The programme
is designed to help you with skills for running activities. You will also
have time to share advice and ideas with others who face similar
issues.
There will be workshops on:
. Freshers'Week
. setting up a group
. worship planning
. teamwork
. group identity
This year's Training Event is being organised by SCM and MSL
(Methodist Student Link) and is supported by the Catholic Student
Trust. lt is being held at Houghton Chapel Retreat (nearest train
station is Huntingdon). The venue has beds, showers and disabled
access.
Get in touch if you're interested and we'll send you a booking form,
or you can book online on the SCM website. See if your student
union or chaplaincy can help you with the cost of attending. The
booking deadline is 31July,
|,
NEWS
SCM conference
2002
A few months ago, when I first heard about the
SCM conference, I was concerned the topic
seemed a best a little dry. As a sociologl
student I had sat through a year of 10am
Monday lectures on globalisation and had a bit
of a 'been there, done that, got the fair trade T-
shirt' feeling about the whole thing. So my first
pleasant surprise was to discover we were in
proper rooms with beds, with proper food (which
is nice considering I usually exist on a diet of
Super Noodles!) Everything was so well
organised, a real credit to the SCM team. To get
to know people we were in small groups for certain sessions throughout
the weekend, each given a country name - I was Cuba.
The main speaker was Andrew Bradstock. Far from being dull, Andrew
talked us through some of the economic issues, ethical issues of trade,
multinational corporations and Christian approaches to these. For the first
time I suddenly considered the possibility that I wasn't helpless, that
maybe I could make a difference, maybe buying (lots o0 fair trade
chocolate was not enough.
The workshops were wide-ranging. Stephen Raw's workshop on Visible
Language proved a real hit. lf someone had told me that in an hour and a
half we would create a 20 foot banner to hang in the chapel I would not
have believed them. I came out of the workshop feeling proud we had
created something fantastic in such a short space of time. The impact of what we had done was fully realised during the
Sunday worship session when we saw allthe banners together.
Robert BecKord's workshop on Labels provided more food for thought. First we had to label ourselves (good, mad, stupid,
childish) then others labelled us (posh, intelligent, outspoken). We discussed the ways in which the labels we give to people
can be positive or damaging. We thought about the issue of silence. Why had none of us described ourselves as white, for
example? Are the labels we don't give as important as those we do? Can we make a difference in the lives of these we
meet just by the labels we place upon them?
Throughout the weekend, particularly in the workshops and the panel
discussion, what was constantly affirmed is that we could make a differ
ence in the campaign to tackle the negative effects of globalisation.
may not have much money to give to good causes, but that is no
for inaction. I am not helpless. I can help to change the world. I
to Warwick feeling empowered. lf with very limited artistic talent
created the most amazing banners, with the incredible gifts and abil
God has given us surely we can create a better world!
Dominique
Warwick Christian
Globalisation is the theme for Movement 772's main feature. What do
think of $lobalisafion? Send your musrhgs and comments to the
address for inclusion in 'Vox Pops'.
a
t
t
t.
It may not seem long since I introduced
myself - but now I must say goodbye. I
originally hoped to work for SGM while
studying part-time for an MPhil; this
proved unrealistic. In June, I will leave my
post as office administrator to pursue my
research. I will keep up my membership,
and look forward to keeping in contact.
Many thanks to all those who have
supported and encouraged me, particularly
Ellie and Marie. 'Goodbye' means
'God be with you'.
Symon Hill, SCM Office Administrator
I
I
movementl5

NEWS
cetill
o -n
(^
News from the universitY world
llA,
-fJ)
valid potest ot dltti.SemiJism?
Attempts to persuade students to join a boycott of lsraeli goods
are raising fears that the bitterness of the Middle East conflict is
spilling over onto British campuses. Manchester University
Students' Union has debated a motion that accuses lsrael of racism
and apartheid-style policies and supports the Boycott lsraeli Goods
campaign. The move, backed by pro-Palestinian groups and the
socialist workers students society, has provoked a strong reaction
from the Union of Jewish Students. The NUS opposes such moves
which, it says, will make Jewish students feel threatened.
According to Clive Gabay, campaigns director of the Union of
Jewish students, the motion was the biggest challenge to Jewish
students in the uK for more than 5 years. He sees it as an attempt
eventually to ban lsraeli goods and speakers from university
campuses, with the long-term goal of banning all pro-Zionist groups
such as the Jewish society. 'lf this motion passes in Manchester, it
will create a domino effect around the country,' said Gabay'
Manchester University has a SOO-strong Jewish Society with
strong local community networks. The university also has about
2,500 Muslim students and a strong lslamic Society whose
members play an active role in student union politics. Andrew
Perfect, general secretary of the Manchester union, said that in the
wake of the 11 september attacks there was a passionately argued
debate about lslamophobia when Jewish students moved an
amendment to include anti-semitism. 'There was a lot of debate in
and around the meeting but both sides respected the other's
viewpoints.' The motion explicitly argues that 'anti-Zionism or
criticism of lsrael is not anti-Semitism.'
workin$ student?
Many students are forced to combine work and study simply to
survive their university days. A million students now have jobs when
they are studying, often poorly paid and in unsatisfactory conditions.
Many students complain that low pay forces them to work long,
unsociable hours.
The NUS in'partnership with the TUC are conducting research
which will form the basis of a major campaign this autumn to raise
awareness of rights for working students. They want to discover
what the situation really is. Using an online survey at
www.tuc.org.ul

20 April
Bodedands: ilardns and teeilret
london
Annual gathering of the Living Spirituality
Network. John Hull is the main speaker.
t: 01908 200675
e.' spirituality@ctbi.org. uk
19 lune
Ghdgtian Aid and Trrde lucdce ilorsment
mass lobby of Padhrneilt
t; 020 76204444
e: info@christian-aid.org
27 luV -3Agrst
tu hteFFai$ Perspectlva on Globdbaton
An international conference in Orford,
t,' Susan Leask,01865 740503
e: s.leask@plater.ac.uk
30 Apdl
Geltic SpidhnllU and Un Bible
Gatechead
Organised by the Living Spirituality Networ*.
t: 01908 200675
e: spirituali$@ctbi.org.uk
4ltLry
ile$odlst Strdqil llnk hnt ParU
Ganbridgp
e.' methsoc@cusu.cam.ac.uk
&10lllry
ARTthon rcd?
Wydah lhll, Scartoroq[
Brush, music, and pencil retreat.
t; O1723 859270
e: retreat@rvydale.co.uk
18 ilry
ilueh and SpldtnllU
llimiUtatn
t; 0116 2540770
e,' barbarabutler@christiansaware.co.uk
8 lune
Par Ghrfrff Annual Genenl HoodrE
Defty
Pax Ghristi is the Gatholic Peace Movement.
t: O2O 82034884
e.' paxchristi@gn.apc.org
$-7luU
Brcakost
BlmlUhan
Methodist youth event, including Methodist
Student Link presence.
t: O2O 746752Os
e; info@breakout-online.org.uk
$7rlfr
tUtlhSbcb lrst?
ShoffieH
Ghristian Ecoloey link annual conference.
t: O1423 871616
e,' info@chdstian+cologl.org.uk
23-25l[U
AGdcbrdm of Fdft d Fatuy
UnlrtntUof Ldcscter
Sea of Faith annual festival.
Keynote speaker Philip Pullman,
author ol The Amber Spyglass
lsee Movemerrt issue 110 for
reviewl. Special student rate
f,35 lnormal pdce t1251lnll board. Booking
forms from:
Paul (herend, The Anglican Ghaplaincy, 61 Park
PIace, Gadilf GF10 3AT.
e.' overend@cadiff .ac.uk
w: wnw.softr.org.uk
27t*-3&g.t
Trcacur h Erdton Yo.sob
Wdg Detty*nc
Gonferencs of the lnternational Ecumenical
Fellowship.
e: ianet@lowermoor.freeserue.co.uk
28 lrU- 4 &sr1t
ffithfum Suamer ftilmrge
Along the Pembrokeshire Goastal Path.
fi 0116 2540770
e: bafrarabudel@christiansawarc.co.uk
X23O llgst
GhdecEFaft
Lotoh llrl, ileneydde
lesuit retrcd for people aged 1&35.
f 0151 4264137
e,' loyola@c{ara.net
2+80lcpt
(h Fotl[,Ed BeE Frce
lom
lesbian and Gay week.
t: O2O7739t249
e; lgcm@lgcm.oE uk
6{ Seplcnber
Tl:alnlE Evoltt
HorEfilon Ghapel,
HunUruilon
Run by SGM and
Methodist Student
Unk, with support from Gatholic
Student Trust.
fi sGM, Ol2t 471 2404
e,' scm@movement.org.uk
diary
t[5 L
movement | 7

disarming actions
-l
disarming actions I helen steven
imperial powers
. Helen Steven works at
the Scottash Centle fol
Non-Violence.
Chapter 18 of the book of Revelation
is a son$ rejoicin$ at the destruction
of a mighty empire. lt makes fri$hten'
ingly appropriate readin$ in the
context of world events. But is it
Ghristian? ls it non-violent? ls it the
gospel?
During January, in a speech reminiscent of
Ronald Reagan, President Bush denounced
lran, lraq and North Korea as an 'axis of
evil', and many fear that this may be the
prelude to extending the 'war against terror'
to these countries.
In response Chris Patten, EU President,
made media headlines by urging the EU to
speak out and oppose the US policy before
it goes into what he called 'unilateralist
overdrive'. He identifies a widening gap
between US and European attitudes on how
to deal with terrorism, claiming that the US
is more interested in stamping out terrorism
than in tackling the causes of terror. Europe
contributes 55o/o of development assistance
and 213 of glrant aid, which he calls 'the hard
end of security', while the belli$erent
policies of the US are undermining Europe's
policy of 'constructive engagement' with
potentially threatening states.
Some years ago a friend of mine moved to
Washington DC in order to be, as he put it,
'in the belly of the Beast, at the heart of the
Empire'. Regularly every Monday morning,
he and a group of peace activists hold a
prayer vigil outside the Pentagon and
distribute leaflets against Trident. lt is clear
to this group that the 'evil empire' is the
United States itself, that Christian witness
must be made there.
At the press conference in Stockholm last
December when Trident Ploughshares was
$ven the Right Livelihood Award, Angie
Zelter prefaced her remarks with an apologt
for being a citizen of a terrorist nation, that
is, the UK as a possessor of weapons of
mass destruction. lf Trident has the
potential to kill everyone on the planet
twelve times over (as if one nuclear death
wasn't enough), who then is the terrorist?
And does our membership in the nuclear
club, our willingness to hold the wretched of
the earth in permanent indebtedness and
our refusal to stop polluting our planet not
make us too complicit in an axis of evil?
lf then we ourselves are in the very belly of
the beast, how as Christians can we live our
lives consistent with the gospel's demands?
Jesus said; 'Resist not evil with evil; rather
overcome evil with good'. He does not say
we shouldn't resist. lt is indeed our moral
imperative to resist - only the methods must
be different. So my friend Art Laffin in the
US is right where he ought to be, resisting at
the very centre of power. Just like the crowd
of church ministers who on 11 February this
year celebrated Communion in front of the
gates of Faslane Trident submarine base.
Sometimes we are called to resist in some
of the most difficult places of all.
But we must also overcome evil with good.
lf we are afraid, we must look at the causes
of our terror and seek to overcome it with
good. There is a story of St Francis who was
begged to help a village that was living in
terror of a fierce wolf. He disappeared into
the forest and was found talking with the
wolf. St Francis returned to the villagers and
told them that the wolf said it was hungry.
So the villagers regularly fed the wolf and
the terror ended. 'Feed the wolf. On 11
September 2OO1,,25,000 children died as a
direct result of hunger. They too were
innocent victims of our failure to feed the
hungry and address the causes of poverty.
And we must also love the US back to its
true calling under God. The theologian
Walter Wink points out that; 'People do not
change national attitudes and policies
simply because they are told they are
wrong. They change because of love of their
country', and 'We cannot minister to the
soul of America unless we love its soul. We
cannot love its soul faithfully and truly,
without sinking into idolatry, unless we have
correctly discerned its true vocation under
the God who holds the destiny of all the
nations ... and if we believe that our nation
stands under divine judgement for its evils,
then we are also stating, by implication, that
it has a vocation that it betrays by such
acts.' ,{n-
8lmovement
I

poetry
poetry: a lanSuaSe
for relision
ls religious language metaphorical?
How does religious language work?
Religious conseruatives often say that
we should take religious statements
literally, but there are obvious problems
with this. When we say that Jesus is the
Son of God, few theologians would say
that we're making a statement about
Jesus' biological parentage anymore.
God doesn't appear to have any
chromosomes so, whatever we believe
about the Virgin Birth, we can't take it
that Jesus is God's son because he
shares fifty per cent of his chromosomes
with the Father. Theologians
have come to invoke the phrase 'poetic
language' to talk about religious
language. But, at least among some
popular theologians, this looks a bit
like they're ducking the issue. The
since the nineteenth century it has been popular
to say that poetic Ianguage expresses emotion
but doesn't actually mean anything
claim is usually explained by saying
religious statements are metaphorical.
But that can appear to mean that
religious statements are roundabout
and misleading ways of saying
something that could be said in nonreligious
language - and that doesn't
seem to do. ln addition, since the
nineteenth century it has been popular
to say that poetic language expresses
emotion but doesn't actually mean
anything, but that doesn't seem to be a
E|ood account of poetry, let alone
religious language.
The emotional expression theory of poetry
eventually developed from seventeenth and
eighteenth century theories of language,
which are still those that we find natural. The
theories take it that words are labels that
attach to things in the world. Thus we say of
Hurrahing in Harvest
Summer ends now; now, barbarous in beauty the stooks rise
Around; up above, what wind-walks! What lovely behaviour
Of silk-sack clouds! has wilder, wllful-wavier
Meal-drift moulded ever and melted across skies?
I walk, I lift up, I lift up heart, eyes,
Down all that glory in the heavens to glean our Saviour;
And, eyes, heart, what looks, what lips yet gave you a
Rapturous love's greeting of realer, of rounder replies?
And the azurous hung hills are his world-wielding shoulder
Majestic - as a stallion stalwart, very-violet-sweet! -
These things, these things were here and but the beholder
Wanting; which two when they once meet,
The heart rears wings bold and bolder
And hurls for him, O half hurls earth for him off under his
feet.
Gerard Manley Hopkins
are on
('the cat is on the mat') or that they are
various colours ('the bottle is green'). All
deviations from this kind of language are
metaphorical and liable to be nonsense.
Hence the idea that poetry was the expression
of emotion. Conseruative theories of
religious language take it that religious
phrases must be literal claims about objects
of this order. But we don't go around saying
that cats are on mats - at least not unless
that is somehow significant. Much of the time
we do things like comfort each other, express
emotions, telljokes, and complain about the
conseruative theories of religious language
take it that religious phrases must
be literal claims about obiects
weather. These uses of language rely upon an
assumption of significance. Even on those
occasions where we tell each other what
things are or where things are, we do so with
some tacit assumption that these things
matter to us. We say that the glasses are on
the table when we are looking for the
glasses, or that the cat is on the mat when
we are looking for the cat, or perhaps
I
movementl9

poetry
when we are worried about the mat: 'the cat
is on the mat again!'
With this in mind, let us look at the poem in
the box on the previous page. This looks a lot
like an expression of emotion: Hopkins is
rejoicing in the fine weather at the end of
summer. But people rejoice in fine weather
Hopkins reioices because the world is
here and would be here without us
without using religious language to express
themselves. Why does Hopkins bring in the
language of religion? A clue lies in what I
think are the most beautiful lines of the
poem: 'These things, these things were here
and but the beholder/ wanting'. 'These things
were here' is a perfectly literal statement:
what is important here is that Hopkins thinks
it worth saying. Hopkins rejoices because the
world is here and would be here without us -
it does not depend on us. lt is therefore
gratuitous, a gift to us, grace, to use steadily
more religious categories. He is saying that
the already-there-ness of the world is worthy
of celebration - although that way of putting
it doesn't celebrate, which is why the poem's
language is more convincing.
This is certainly not talking about where
things are in the world, but nor is it just an
emotional expression. lt is instead trying to
express the significance of the world within
which we feel emotion and deal with things.
This is religious language. Not all kinds of
poetry do this: poetry earlier than the
nineteenth century is more modest in its
ambitions. lt mi$ht be better to say that some
poetry is religious language rather than that
religious language is Poetic. ,4p
David Anderson
Member of tho rltovement odltorial team
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interview
ure
for p
After 50 years in government, Tony Benn is now applying pressure
from underneath instead. lulian Lewis finds out more.
The sign on the front door announces 'l'm in
my office downstairs.' The sign on the door
downstairs invites 'Please knock and come
in.' These signs have been laminated for
constant use, but it makes me feel individually
welcome. I could be anyone, an obsessed
groupie or a Conseruative with a grudge, but
nevertheless I'm invited in. As if by magic, as
I hesitatingly go through this new door, Mr
Benn appears. He belies his years, is trim and
fit. lf only he would jump into bed with
corporate polver he could make a killing
advertising the benefits of lifelong tobacco
use. No fuss, no bother. Cup of tea - milk, no
sugar. Have a chair. Let's begin.
It's best to start interviews by asking some easy
lead-in questions to settle the neruous subject.
Pleasantries that probably have nothing to do with
the subject matter in hand, but do serve to delineate
the rules of engagement, who is in charge. So it is
that I find myself describing my journey, my new
daughter and how I come to be editing this estimable
journal.
Benn's office is like I remember my grandma's
house. Nothing thrown away, piles of interest and
clutter everywhere. Benn declared he would retire
ftom Parliament to become more active in politics.
He has become a speaker circuit favourite, is
interviewed ftequently, writes up his diaries - so
there's a lot of material he needs to keep handy. lt
makes me wonder what my grandma's excuse was?
At least I feel immediately comfortable: Benn is a real
person with the impedimenta of life fully in evidence.
Benn had been an MP for over 50 years, sat in
government cabinets and stood for the leadership of
the Labour Party, so the obvious place to start is his
take on the state of the country's democracy.
He believes that we are moving towards a one
parly state, where the choice available to people on
polling day is narrow - a choice of management. Like
the Soviet Union our figureheads change - Kruschev,
Breshnev, Gorbachev or whoever - but the system
itself is beyoqd discussion.
The coming abolition of the Post ffice monopoly
(established in 1666) provides a good example, one
that is dear to Benn's heart as a former Postmaster
General. The penny post was the intemet of the 19th
century which allowed people to communicate with
each other. The system only works with massive
cross subsidies, where a letter to my neighbour costs
about two pence, but if I post to Orkney it costs about
f,,20. So now the profitable side is to be subcontracted.
The Post ffice will be unable to maintain a
national service. lt's not the most important thing in
the world. Except for a lot of people - old people,
lonely people - the postman is the only one who calls
and can check they're alright, deliver their Giro.'
Predictably Benn sees this as the suMval of the
Thatcher philosophy that market forces are the
appropriate dominant societal factor. Benn believes
this has been the most powerful political statement
in recent years. With the eclipse of a genuine leftwing
party people aren't more engaged, because who can
we vote for if we want public services? This situation
is totally contrary to the interests of most people, so
people need to exert more pressure on govemment
to counter the pressure of the lMF, multinationals,
Washington, the media. And that's a lot of counter
pressure required! lt's the politics of pressure for
progress from underneath. Benn will retum to this
theme later.
Concern for the ordinary person is at the heart of
Benn's arguments. He abhors the abandonment of
public service in our political and economic life - if it
isn't commercial it isn't worth doing. He sees private
control of the health service, education and so on, as
part of the wider $obal philosophy of market
forces. At
I
national level people are disconnected.
I suggest that so long as services are
movementlll

interview
provided people don't care about the system, that
voter apathy is merely symptomatic of the fact that
sheep actually like to be lead?
Benn's response is vi$orous: 'The people who are
disconnected are actually saying "We're not
apathetic - the guys at the top are apathetic about
us." They don't care if we live a long way away and
can't get a letter, they don't care if we can't get a
decent school for our kids unless they pass an 11-
plus. So there is an alarming gap growing between
the govemment and the people. One in flve people
lives in poverly - do they agree to that? I've heard it
said that people don't vote because they are content'
But no one ever stopped me in the street and said,
'Tony, l'm not voting in the neK election because I'm
so happy with what you're doing." lt's absolutely
ludicrous! That is the spin doctors' explanation for the
disconnection they've achieved by cutting
themselves off fiom the people who elected them to
represent them. People feel managed, they don't feel
represented any more. MPs don't like it either - they
have been elected to represent people - so they are
retiring. The theory that people don't vote out of
contentment is too convenient an explanation.'
He holds out little hope that the media may bring
govemment to account, believing they pander to the
soap opera that govemment has become. The media
aren't responsible for it but they ampliff what they
want us to know and ignore the rest' Benn sees
parallels between the medieval church and modern
media. ln the old days the Church controlled
everybody - there was a priest in every parish' telling
people every week what to believe, buttressing the
established order which had the king at the top. After
Henry Vlll nationalised the church in En$and the
monarch explicitly controlled the church. Ukewise the
modem media merely panot the established order'
and under the guise of the word 'modernisation'
we're actually moving back to the Middle Ages.
Benn's geniality, erudition and sure footing make
my questions seem hesitant' Or is it because I know
his answers already that the questions seem inelevan?
Nevertheless I wonder whether therc is a
workable model for political engagemert by the
ordinary person other than voting once every few
years?
Benn responds with questions of his own. How did
women get the vote? How did trade unions get
organised? How did apartheid end? I suggest'
weakly, 'by campaigning ' Benn agfees' but
adamanUy expands that these only occuned because
committed people were prepared to break the law. All
protest, all genuine change and development in
favour of the ordinary person' comes from
undemeath, nevet ftom above. The idm that a kind
king pats you on the head and sa),s' "l'm tenibly
sorry, you can have a trade union, you can vote", ifs
just the establishment view: a hierarchical, aristocratic
view of politics, that if your people have a
problem you solve it and they go away thanktul and
contented. So what is the oldinary person who saved
with Enron to do when it declaies bankruptcy? Wth
this model government says, "We're not that
business and we realise they had to go bust."'
I accuse Benn of idealism, but he retorts that he is
a realist. The rich and poor have to co-exist. Again a
medierral metaphor emerges: the rich are crcating a
castle society where the peasants, the mob, are kept
the modern
media merely
parrot the
established
order, and
under the guise
of
the word
'modernisationt
we're actuallY
moving back
to the
Middle Ages
the Rigfit in
the end
reluctantly
acGepts
democracy,
or padial
democracy,
because it's the
safest way of
running society,
whereas the
left believes
in it and
demands it
out by the moat, walls and armed guards. People are
concerned about the comlption of power, but what
about the corruption of powerlessness? lf you're
powerless you throw a bomb. The suicide bombers in
New York remind us that however powerful we are'
someone will get through and do damage'
Perhaps he has too much faith in people? We have
democracy in the UK and who chose Thatcher, after
whom who chose Blair? lf sharing wealth is such a
wonderful idea, and democracy is so wonderfttl - why
hasn't the democratised West thrown up a nice
Communism-by-consent societl4
Benn deflects the criticism by questioning the
quality of our democracy' The UK doesn't elect its
head of state, it doesn't have an elected second
chamber. The reserved powers of the Prime Minister
go to war, appoint bishops, conduct foreign policy
-
(like making laws in Brussels) - aren't subject to
Parliament. Media and business are huge unaccountable
powers. We actually have a tiny sliver of control
over our future. Which is better than nothing' but
Benn exhorts us to use the power we have acquired
to change things.
The Right in the end reluctantly accepts
democracy, or partial democracy, because it's the
safest way of running society, whereas the Left
believes in it and demands it. That's how progress is
made - there is pressure for change and leaders
realise it is rather dangerous to resist and concede to
it. As soon as the pressure is gone they try to recover
the ground they've lost. That is the ongoing
democratic struggile.
Benn continues, with Messianic fervour. Many'
many ordinary people agree with him - it's the people
in power who won't listen. He explains, 'l learned my
radicalism by being in politics at the very top. The IMF
destroyed the Labour govemment of 1976 by forcing
us to cut public expenditurc. The fact is poraler
doesn't reside in people or Parliament. tt resides
elsewhere and Prime Ministers tend to listen to the
people with the money, so big business supports all
political parties and expects a pay-off whoever wins'
Look at the US. Ralph Nader's 2000 election
campaign was premised on that accusation. When
Bloomberg was elected mayor in New York he spent
$93 for every vote he got. How democratic is that? A
lot of people in NY would rather have had $93.'
Benn's critique of the location and uses of power is
exemplified bythe ongoingAfghanistan crisis. Benn is
a pacifist, by which he means belief in peaceful
settlements of disputes where possible, rather than a
rejection of the use of force in all circumstances. So
if the UN had acted against the Taliban, it would have
been in accordance with intemational law. But unilat'
eral action by the US and Britain in Afghanistan' as
variously in the past in the Falklands, the Gulf and
Kosovo, is imperial power play. They were all about
oil. The Falklands has as much oil arcund it as the
UK, the others were about pipelines to transport oil.
The US has occupied Afghanistan and killed more
people there than in the terrorist attack on the World
Trade Centre. Were these Afghans guilty of the
atrocitf The US funded the Taliban as a counter
measure against the Soviets. They could target
Taliban bases because they helped build them in the
first place. Benn continues: 'l went to see the Soviet
ambassador in 1978, to protest against the
I
Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. He said 'You're
funding terrorists to destroy the govemment of
12lmovement

Afghanistan and they've invited us to support them."'
The US currently has sanctions against Cuba because
it's Communist and undemocratic, but Saudi and
Kuwait have no democracy at all. lt is nothing to do
with justice, international law or human rights, but
makes sense when you factor in oil and the naked
war for resources. Humanity as a species must reach
a point where we can step beyond personal or
national interest. With the state of military
technolos/, if we don't the human race will end. I
can't think that's sensible - that's not in your interest,
or mine.'
However, Benn is a feryent internationalist. He
draws a distinction between globalisation and
internationalism. The lMF, NATO, the World Bank and
so on. are concerned with the former - the free
movement of capital, the restriction of labour and the
control of the world by money. lntemationalism is
about the common interest everyone in the world has
in peace, justice and democracy.
The UN is, on paper, an intemationalist organisation.
Every country sends their delegates, many ftom
democratically elected govemments, to the General
Assembly. lt has a foundational Charter and is
probably more democratic than our 1832 Parliament
where working people were un-represented. Benn
contends that there is much scope for reform, but the
UN is the best hope at the moment. lts organs are all
about development for the benefit of the ordinary
person - the Charter, the Universal Declaration of
Human Rights, the World Heath Organisation, agricultuml
organisations, UNESCO. The UN represents a
pledge from a previous generation to succeeding
ones, that is severely threatened by cunent US
policy. Bush talks of 'full spectrum dominance', the
'axis of evil powers', pours money into Star Wars
technologr. These are an attempt to dominate the
world from Washinglton, which is a threat to peace.
Washington in tum disregards the UN as it is a threat
to its empire.
Benn believes $obalisation is already breaking
down. Enron is the biggest bankruptcy in history, the
Japanese economy is in a state of collapse, Argentina
has recently had five presidents in 12 days because
the peso was linked to the dollar and therefore they
lost control of their economy. Benn remembers the
Depression of the 1930s and fears what extreme
times lead people to do to protect themselves.
Unless we deal with the underlying problems, the
theory that $obalisation will work is the most
idealistic of all.
Benn is at his most animated now. Earlier I was
having a convercation, perhaps with a lecturer. Now
I'm feeling the full force of a passionate campaigner.
'We have abolished the human being and created the
consumer. lfyou have no money you can't consume
so you don't count. The people who need things most
don't get what they need. lf you build a world on profit
instead of on need then you will have wide disparity
of weatth and poverty.' A lot of people, particularly
younger people, see they must do something -
protest at Seattle, Genoa and so on. lt's only a start
but it is a $obal movement for some form of
democratic control.
I suggest that Communism was an attempt to
structure the world around need, but that no-one
could reasonably defend it. Benn agrees, but says
the fatal weakness was that Communism wasn't
democratic. When Communism collapsed what
happened in Russia? Disaster. Look at Apartheid, a
non-democratic, capitalist system. lt collapsed.
Turmoil has followed.
Democracy is the most controversial idea,
especially for people in power. Religions are antidemocratic
- the Pope doesn't want it, he wants to
appoint cardinals himself. The mullahs aren't elected
in lran. Society doesn't elect heads of multi-nationals
or media moguls. Democracy is the most controversial
idea in the world. lf you have democracy people
will vote for policies that meet their needs. The
mayoral election in London was instructive - Livingstone
was denied the Labour ticket by the party
hierarchy, stood as an independent on a popular
platform, won hands down and arguably has been
hindered by the government ever since. Likewise the
UK should be able to elect a head of state. Benn
dismisses my claim that an unelected and therefore
non-partisan monarch is preferable to George Bush,
saying if a titular head of state is prefened they can
still be elected. ln passing he accuses me of deepseated
anti-democratic tendencies!
The discussion has been broad, but this is supposedly
a Christian magazine and it's about time I asked
something vaguely religious, so I slip in an innocuous
little question. As a supporter of disestablishment,
what role does Benn think is appropriate for
organised reli$on in our modern sociegp
'lf I advocated the nationalisation of the Roman
Catholic, Jewish and Muslim faiths, so that the Prime
Minister would appoint their leaders, you would think
I was mad and quite properly so. Henry Vlll nationalised
the Church of En$and because the Pope
raised more money in tithes than the king got in
taxation, and because he wanted a divorce. So it was
nationalised, the monarch is the head of the Church
of En$and and consequently a British Prime Minister,
who could be a Muslim, appoints the head of the
An$ican community. The fact the Church of En$and
doesn't want to be free is most interesting. The
bishops are in the House of Lords and have position
and status. Disestablishment will come, the appointment
of Carey's successor will move it forward and it
will happen, and the Church of En$and Wll have to
re-establish itself.'
So even the supplementary question boils down to
power politics. The man is driven! I felt like a pupil in
a tutorial. Writing up the interview I can think of many
questions I should have asked, but Benn was so
entertaining, so reasonable and pleasant that I just
sat back and enjoyed his company. His incidence is
old - the clothes, the pipe, the clutter. But his
essence is young - the ener$/, the ideas, the need to
still be involved. lt is a lovely conjunction. He is so in
command of himself and his subject, indeed he is so
charismatic, that it is dfficult not to be swept along
by his enthusiasm. lt nags at me that if this man is so
reasonable, his ideas so decent, so attractive, why
then have we not paid more heed? Has he been a
voice crying in the wildem""r"
,1t_
Julian lswis
interview
Benn is a
fervent
internationalist
who draws
a distinction
between
globalisation
and
internationalism
Democracy
is the most
controversial
idea in the
world. lf you
have democracy
people will vote
for policies
that meet
their needs
movementl13

small ritual
-1
rt
small ritual I
steve collins
different sides of the glass
. Steve Collins as a writel
and web designel in
London
t've been trying to pin down a discomfort I
have about the way churches and church
organisations discuss club culture. I'm in a
meeting somewhere, a church person is
telling me about some laudable initiative in
mission to the club culture, and it's all very
cool and the people are authentic '.. and yet
something bugs me, something's wrong.
And I think I've worked out what.
It's the way so many church people talk of
'club culture' as if it were a discrete selfcontained
entity, something that one is
either in or out of, something that can
therefore be analysed and ministered to.
Part of the Nine O'clock Service mistake,
part of its strangeness, was to treat club
culture this way, as discontinuous, oppositional,
apart from society and demandin$
one's whole allegiance. Maybe it's a London
thing, but as a clubber I never felt so
marked out from life in general. Some club
scenes are seParated, or separate
themselves. But club culture in the usual
sense means dance music culture - that
vast multifarious commercial entity that
permeates huge areas of our $eneral
culture.
There have been times, defining moments
when parts of it have been oppositional.
There are always undergrounds, but even
these are part of a continuum fading into
everyday life, with times and places of
greater intensity but never separate from
the general culture around us. For many
people clubs become their whole life at one
time or another, but then at other times it's
part of the background, part of leisure time.
Holidays in lbiza, DJ mix CDs and Mixmagin
WH Smiths. Ctub culture is so varied and
ftagmented, dance music so ubiquitous'
that it can't really be addressed separately
from the rest of contemporary society. So
the problem of how the Church relates to
club culture is a subset of the Church's
general culture problem. That the Ghurch
sees club culture as a separate entity is a
mark of its own separation. lt's almost the
only place where club culture isn't just part
of the background.
Talking to people in church organisations
about such things can lead to strange
conversations. Sometimes it feels like
there's a $ass wall between me and them.
We speak the same words, but mean
different things. lt's a hard matter to work
out why you're not connecting, because it's
about 'head-space' - the stuff you carry
inside you, the internal furniture of your life.
The things we say that sound alike come
with different pictures attached in our
heads, born out of different cultural vantage
points and references. A lot of this stuff
goes unexamined until we find ourselves
outside our normal context. We would have
to live one another's lives for a while, before
we could really understand what each was
trying to say. Church people talk to me
about cross-cultural mission, assumin$ that
because I'm a Christian I'm on their side of
the divide. But for lne, cross-cultural
mission means talking to people inside the
Church.
The hybrid called alternative worship can
be interpreted very differently depending on
which side of the glass you stand. For those
within the Church, alternative worship exists
within church culture and reaches out into
the secular. But for many - perhaps most -
of those who make it, alternative worship
exists within secular culture and reaches
into the Church. Both parties are looking at
the same thing. But how You read it
depends on where you're coming from. lt
affects what weight you $ve to its elements'
what you think it should be doing, and how.
I'm in a caf6, right, trying to explain this to
you. Consider Ghurch and world as two buns
on the table (not that sort of buns, please).
Church sees the task of alternative worship
as either building a bridge between the
buns, or making the Church bun more
tempting. But alternative worshippers are in
the other bun (the currants perhaps). They
don't want to cross over to the Ghurch bun.
They want to make the bun they're in into a
Church bun. To do this they'll use its existing
ingredients, plus stuff stolen from the
Church bun as required. Church as a
resource to help them where they are now'
not as a Place to move to.
The Church fondly imagines that alternative
worship is some kind of mission to
secular culture. Could it be that alternative
worship is really some kind of mission to the
Church? ,41-
14 |
movement
l
I

feature: mental health
mind
a
out for
mental health
Mind, the mental health charity, wants society to break its taboos
about mental health problems and work towards healing.
One in four of us every year will experience
mental health problems of some
kind. The World Health Organisation
estimated that 1, million people
committed suicide in 2000 and that by
the year 2O2O, depression will be the
second leading cause of death worldwide.
Shocking statistics, but
nonetheless true. Mental health is
increasingly an issue for all of us, yet
mental health still suffers from a bad
press and ne€lative public attitudes,
which sometimes feel so entrenched in
our psyche that they'd be impossible to
permeate.
Public attitudes to mental health problems
surface in many different ways. They are
apparent in the language people use to
describe mental illness and in their reactions
to those experiencing mental distress.
Traditional attitudes towards sex, race and
physical disabilities have all been challenged
quite successfully and it is no longer politically
correct to use pejorative terms in these
areas. Not so for mental distress.
These negative attitudes are evident in the
discrimination faced by so many people with
mental health problems. This discrimination
can affect almost every aspect of their lives:
employment, family life, finances, even basic
human rights under the Mental Health Act.
Mind has carried out research which clearly
suggests that people with mental health
problems are amongst the most socially
excluded ih Britain today.
Young people are no less affected by public
perceptions of mental health, yet they should
be. Young male suicide has risen by 2Oo/o over
the last decade and we only know the tip of
the iceberg of the extent to which young
people have eating distress and self-harm. A
recent survey from the Association of University
and College Counsellors shows that the
proportion of students with serious or severe
mental illness has risen substantially over the
last few years. Some studies estimate that
MiM
The Mental Health Charity
studies
estimate
that up to
50% of
students
suffer
from
anxiety or
depression
up to 50% of students suffer from varying
levels of anxiety or depression. Mental illness
of all kinds is exacerbated by stress. How
many students are juggling debt and parttime
work? How many feel pressured to get a
good job to justify expectations or pay off
their debts?
Many misconceptions surround mental
illness. Many believe that people experiencing
mental distress are violent, odd,
abnormal or are likely to behave
unpredictably, aggressively or violently.
People are unaware that mental health
problems can be overcome, that people can
'recover'. Many young people see mental
health issues as far removed from their own
experience. This attitude was compounded in
the findings of a MORI poll, which found that
23%of respondents said that ifthey had had,
or were having, psychiatric treatment they
would be reluctant or unwilling to admit this
to their friends. lt is hardly surprising that
mental health is still swept under the carpet,
even amongst close friends and family.
Psychiatrist Suman Fernando says: 'When
we do not understand people, we fit them
into categories we think we understand. The
same could be said of the pejorative terms
used by many to refer to people with mental
health problems. These terms are applied to
a whole variety of mental health problems
with very little thought.' 'Spastic', 'cripple',
'paki'and 'nigger'are no longer acceptable in
society, but read any tabloid, stand in any
pub or school playground and before long
you'll read or hear words like 'schizo',
'nutter', loony' and 'psycho' used as terms of
abuse. What does this reveal about our
attitudes to mental health problems? This
use of pejorative language has the effect of
dehumanising the person being described so
that they become the targets of cruel jokes or
public outrage.
A good example of this is the use of the
term 'schizophrenic' as a noun. The individual
is quickly reduced to just their diagnosis.
This can be seen when newspapers
I
movement | 15

feature: mental health
report a violent event as being carried out by
a 'schizophrenic' - the word alone explains
what has happened. ln reality a number of
reasons may explain why the violence
occurred. This language use reaffirms the
demonisation of people with schizophrenia
and perpetuates the myth that people with
mental health problems are violent' ln fact'
people diagnosed with schizophrenia are
many times more likely to be the victims of
violence than the perpetrators and are much
more likely to harm themselves than others'
How can this entrenched language be
challenged and changed? Mind and other
mental health organisations have employed
various tactics in recent years to encourage
people, especially younger people, to
coniront these issues and offer alternative'
more positive words. ln the recent 'Why use
labels when they don't fit?' campaigin, Mind
and\he HEA challenged young people to look
beyond the stereotype to understand the real
story behind an individual labelled as 'mad'
by using photo$raphs of people with terms
lile 'nutter' and 'psycho' superimposed'
The media is a serious offender when it
comes to re-enforcing the stigma that
surrounds mental distress. Mind again has
teamed up with the Department of Health
and other organisations to question the
media's continued use of negative images' A
recent study of the national press found that
around 43o/o of tabloid coverage of mental
health issues used pejorative terms' Another
Mind survey, 'Countin$ the Cost', found that
73o/o of respondents felt media coverage of
mental health issues over the last 3 years
had been unfair, unbalanced orvery negative'
50% said that this media coverage had a
negative effect on their mental health'
ln the popular press negative terms relating
to people with mental health problems are
often applied to people who have committed
violent crimes regardless of whether they
have been diagnosed with a mental health
problem or not. Perhaps it is easier to view
iapists, murderers and child abusers as'sick'
rather than to admit that a great many
seemingly 'ordinary' people are capable of
committing such crimes.
Despite all this, the overall messa$e from
Mind has to be one of hope and positivity'
Recent Mind research provides $ood news'
The charity wanted to find out to what extent
people with mental health problems felt they
learned to cope, what helped this process'
and what type of support helped people
manage their own mental health (to 'keep
well'). More than half (57%) of the 970
people questioned said they felt 'recovered'
or were coping with some kind of support'
The media
is a serious
offender
when it
comes to
fGenforcing
the stigma
that
surrounds
mental
distress
too many
people
visiting
their GP
for mental
health
problems
are
offered
medication
as the only
option
ln one respondent's words, 'l am proud to
have made a comeback from what I thought
was a life-sentence of benefits, social
exclusion and loneliness.' Another said, 'Last
year my psychiatrist told me I was a hopeless
tase and I shoutd need ECT, drugs and
hospital admissions for ever. I now have a
responsible full-time job, take no medication'
and haven't had a day off work in 9 months"
The report of the findings, will be used to
help address the 'serious lack of positive
messages' about how people can get over'
and leirn to live with, their mental health
problems - or 'recover'. The majority of
people can recover or cope' and support is
auailable. Mental health is somethin$ that we
all should be concerned with, but not scared
of.
Mind's latest campaign 'My Choice' is
aimed at increasing choices available to
mental health service users at primary care
level. Our experience shows us that different
people get the best results from a whole
rung" of treatments. Unfortunately, the
r""tlty is that doctors are not always aware of
what alternatives to medication mi$ht be
useful for dealing with mental health
problems, or do not have access to them'
There are a whole host of treatments that can
be reasonably offered, which can have a
positive impact on their patients' mental
health.
Too many people visiting their GP for
mental health problems are offered medication
as the only option. GPs only have a short
time with each patient, who may present with
a range of symptoms and concerns' Almost
SOYo of GP Practices do not have a
counselling seruice attached' At the same
time, prescribing anti-depressants has more
than doubled in the last ten Years'
lnterim results from a Mind snapshot
survey reveal that:
. 98i/o of respondents visiting their GP for
mental health problems were prescribed
medication, despite the fact that less than
2O"/ohad specifically asked for it;
. 54o/o of respondents felt they had not been
given enough choice;
. of those who had tried alternative
treatments, over one in three had to take
the initiative and ask for it - and often pay
for it - themselves;
. nearly one in ten had been unable to
access treatments because waiting lists
were too long.
So the work of organisations like Mind is
ongoing. The UK has a long way to $o before
pe6ple wittr mental health difficulties can feel
valued by and cared for in our society' ,{t
Fiona Jackson
Mind Pross Offlcer
I
I
16 lmovement

a daily torment
Througfrout the three years I was at university, I struggled with major
episodes of depression and suicidal feelings, and received no professional
support at all.
I was brouglrt up as a Christian but I found believing in God a struggle;
in fact during most of my teenage years it was practically impossible. I
became extremely depressed and withdrawn in myteens, brought on by
bullying at school. I frequently wanted to kill myself, but bore the burden
of knowing that suicide was a sin and that if I canied it througlh I would
go to Hell. The latter did not seem to matter at times as I felt that Hell
could not be as bad as the torment that I suffered on a daily basis.
I became isolated and had no fiiends at school, although I continued
to go to church as was expected. My feelings of isolation were made
worse when, at the age of about 17, I tded to talk to some of the church
members about my feelings of depression and the feeling that God
could not possibly love me.
I was told that I should pray more and believe in God, and that he
would help me. When this did not happen it was my fault for not having
enough faith. Some people simply did not understand that I could be
depressed 'for no reason'.
During my first year at university I was extremely homesick. I was
painfully shy, did not feel that I fitted in and made no real friends. I
drank a lot to try and feel more self-confident but this only made me
more miserable. I spent days at a time in my room not being able to
face anyone.
I eventually I plucked up the courage to go and see the college
counsellor, but he too was very unhelpful. He said that my depression
was due to the stresses of being a student. I left thinking, 'it must be
me', with no resources to help me cope.
The one time apart from lectures that I did mix with people was at a
Christian group on campus. I still had some belief in God at that time,
and did get some comfort ftom the meetings. But I also felt isolated
there too as the other students did not seem to struggle with a similar
lack of faith, let alone feelings of depression. I did confide in a few
people about how I felt, but received the same responses as I had from
people at my home church. I felt that God had completely let me down.
lronically, a non-Christian whom I met in my second year became
someone I could confide in and be honest with, and who did not judge
me. He himself had been judged by Christians for coming out as gay. At
first he treated me with geat scepticism and mistrust, as he knew I was
a Christian. We seemed to have an argument every time God was
mentioned, so we stopped talking about it! We realised that we were
both very unhappy, and began to talk to each other, neither of us having
anyone else to talk to. He remains my only contact from university.
After I graduated I continued to feel extremely depressed on a day-today
basis, but because of my experiences I did not know who I could
talk to who would help me. I started a placement in Salford with the
Christian organisation Careforce, and it was only when I came across a
book written by Spike Milligan about his own experiences that I realised
for the first time in almost 10 years that my feelings were not unique. I
continued to face misunderstanding, criticism for lack of faith and
ignorance about my depression ftom people in various churches. These
reactions on some occasions left me feeling suicidal.
In the last few years I have been in contact with self-help organisations
for people with depression and because of this have been able to
receive support and get help for my illness. However it has been a long
struggle and I believe that had I received the appropriate help at university
I would have not been so ill in the last few years.
Rachel Fitzsimmons
edttor of Crawler, ths newsloftel of the Churches' Campal€ln AEialnst Depresslon
feature: mental health
the need to
discern with
compassion
The spectrum between mental health
and mental illness is one we all travel
across, and there are no cast-iron
diagnostic tools to distinguish between
them. ln practice where we are largely
depends on whether or not we can
function and manage the tasks we are
set. Most of us find that there are periods
where we can't manage.
Supporting students begins with the need
to distinguish between three factors: overexcited
religious interest; the need simply
to listen and understand; and the requirement
to involve mental health
professionals.
Too many times in my early years as a
chaplain I failed to discern that a student's
exuberant interest in the spiritual and
experiential were actually the initial signs of
a disturbing mania, to the extent I now find
myself concerned when someone comes
initially presenting a 'religious' issue.
Conversely, many of the people who want to
talk because life is complicated, find that
underneath it all there are some pressing
r€ligaous, philosophical or spiritual issues.
Chaplains fill a gap between personal
tutors, who can't be approached in case it
looks like a sign of intellectual weakness,
and counselling services which require
some admission that one is more mentally
unwell than people are willing to admit.
But the third category of people are those
who clearly have significant problems that
require a more professional engagement
than a chaplain can be sure of providing. At
least universities offer a reasonably
immediate prospect of psychotherapeutic
support, and through health centres, more
chemically targeted psychiatric support
where necessary.
As society becomes increasin$y and debilitatingly
stressed, it has effects on the mental
health of all of us. Finding supportive people
who can offer sanity, expertise and compassion
is always at a premium.
Gavin Ashenden
Chaplaln, Unlvetslty of Sussex
movementllT

feature: mental health
a herd of ptgs and the
for$iveness of sin?
Perspectives on biblical approaches to healing and wholeness
Mental illness is a term that fills people
with apprehension, but in a sense the
term is meaningless. People do not talk
about physical illness, but about some
form of it - angina' cancer, an ulcer and
so on. Day to day terminologt, however'
lumps every form of affliction of the
mind under a single term. Yet this covers
everything from paranoid schizophrenia
to an irrational fear of snakes and mice.
ln a sense everyone with the mildest
phobia is mentally ill, makin$ the term a
nonsense - but it still remains.
It is interesting to read of mental illness in
the Old Testament. Four examples stand out.
There is King Saul with his fits of depression
and manic outbursts. At times these ver$e on
paranoia over David. There is Elijah, whose
activities on Mount Carmel suggest a manic
depressive personality frantic activity
followed by utter despair when he prays that
he may die. Then there is Job, in whose life the
tragedies lead to deep reactive depression.
Finalfy there is Nebuchadnezar who, it has
been suggested, may have had a hypermanic
personality with the potential to develop into
full blown manic depression. Doubtless there
are others, but these are the prominent
examples.
By contrast there appears to be very little
mental illness revealed in the Gospels. lt is
striking that all but one of Jesus' miracles are
performed on those who are physically sick'
with one having overtones that stand on the
border between physical and psychological.
400 years before the time of Christ'
Hippocrates,' 'the founder of modern
medicine', had separated medicine from
religion and superstition. He taught that all
illnesses had an organic source and must be
treated by physical measures such as
medicines. ln contrast it was believed by many
in the time of Christ that illnesses were caused
by demons. Many others saw them as the
wrath of God. lllness was also surrounded by
great superstition.
This tension must be borne in mind when
considering Christ's miracles. We must also
lesust
miracles are
concerned
with the
healing of
the whole
person
rather than
iust the body
Physical and
mental
health are
interrelated;
if one part is
not fully
healthy it will
affect the
other
think about the purpose of miracles. To the
onlooker they were merely sensational acts.
Yet their true purpose was to show that
physical healing is subseruient to much deeper
truths. 'Whose sin caused this man to be born
blind - his own or his parents'?' asked the
disciples on one occasion. The question has a
modern ring about it, as we wonder what we
did to deserue something bad that has
happened to us, or in a modern, sin-free
debate we consider the implications of genetic
inheritance. Christ's reply is very revealing: 'He
is blind so that God's power may be seen to be
at work in him.' The exchange raises issues
about the origins of suffering that lie far
beyond the scope of this article. But if
Hippocrates is concerned with healing as
something physical and medical, these words
remind us that in a sense the miracles are also
parables with deep spiritual truths within them.
They are concerned with divine power and
authority over every aspect of the world,
including sickness and even death. They are
also concerned with the healing of the whole
person rather than just the bodY.
The incident with the Gadarene swine is
particularly interesting. lt can be taken literally.
Legion was afflicted by demons; Jesus drove
them out; they went into the pigs (it was
believed that demons always went from one
source to another), causing them to rush into
the lake. Other interpretations may be valid.
Legion believed that because he was ill he was
devil-possessed; his wild actions upset the
pigs, causing them to rush away from him with
disastrous results; Jesus suggested to him
that this was proof that he was cured. lf so it
is a form of a cure in which healing comes as
much through believing in the efficacy of the
cure as through the cure on its own. What
seems to be a physical miracle is in fact a
mental one.
The other miracle worthy of attention is that
of the paralytic. Christ's immediate reaction to
the man is to for$ive his sins, leading to a
debate about His right to do such a thing. But
it is the prelude to the miracle itself and
integralto it. Again the link between mind
and body is emphasised; the forgiveness
I
18 lmovement

is fundamental to his being able to walk again.
Some people lose the will to live after a
personal disaster and even though they are
apparently healthy they slip downhill rapidly.
We have the concept of dying of a broken
heart, and of people dying because they have
nothing for which to live. The corollary of this is
that some people have suruived apparently
terminal illness by sheer willpower. Perhaps in
the case of the paralysed man there was
something in his past that had to be overcome
before he could recover physically, and the
removal of this lay at the heart of Christ's
miracle. A Latin phrase springs to mind: Mens
sana in corpore sano - a healthy mind in a
perfect body. Physical and mental health are
interrelated; if one part is not fully healthy it
will affect the other.
We have moved on considerably from the
time of Christ. 'Madness' is increasingly
disused as an acceptable term. The majority of
people in the West, Christians and otherwise,
probably no longer believe the appropriate
response to mental health problems is
exorcism (or rather more poetically, the
Ministry of Deliverance as it is now more often
called), or that they themselves possibly result
from being 'touched by god (or the gods)'. But
there remains this tension between the two
aspects of healing I have outlined.
They are in a sense reconciled in the modern
treatment of mental illnesses such as clinical
depression, where help is given on both
psychological and physical levels. The study
and treatment of depression (which is my area
of experience and interest) have advanced
enormously in the past century, from the idea
of melancholia and the use of electro-convulsive
therapy or even brain surgery, to the more
nuanced and sophisticated range of analyses
and treatments today. The physical treatment
of depression is seen in the use of drugs to
adjust the chemistry of the brain in cases
where this is felt to be the root of the problem.
It is also seen in the use of sunlamps to help
those suffering from Seasonal Affective
Disorder, the so-called 'winter blues', and the
continued use of ECT, albeit less frequently
than in the past. However, depression has its
origins for many people in such things as their
personalities or loneliness or the effects of
stress or in their inability to cope with
distressing events in their lives (summed up in
the idea of losses of various types).These may
be treated by 'talking therapies' such as
psychotherapy and cognitive behavioural
therapy (often in conjunction with anti-depresthere
need
not
necessarily
be
a conflict
between the
spiritual
and physical
in healing
what are we
to make of
people who
claim to
have been
healed
through
prayer or
healing
ministry
reminiscent
of the
Biblical
miracle
stories?
feature: mental health
sant drugs). ln some cases healing can come
through a reassessment and changing of the
patient's philosophy and lifestyle, allowing him
to come to terms with himself, his situation
and with life in general.
As a community of faith and love, the Church
should be in a position to offer support and
help, generally at a non-specialist level, that
could help many people suffering from mental
health difficulties. As ever the Church reflects
society and practices vary enormously. On the
one hand effort is put into organisations such
as the Churches' Campaign Against Depression,
and ministers and pastoral visitors
provide much-needed assistance. On the
other, we occasionally hear lurid stories about
faith healing or 'Ghristian counselling' which
seems to have exacerbated a sufferer's
problems. What then are we to make of people
who claim to have been healed through prayer
or healing ministry reminiscent of the Biblical
miracle stories? ls it our lack of faith that
prevents us from believing too, or are we
justified in being sceptical?
Other forms of therapy are also available and
can be very simple, including such things as
diet, exercise, relaxation and meditation. Selfhelp
organisations like the Depression Alliance
(of which I am the Secretary) can also provide
help by creating'spaces'where people can be
vulnerable without shame, thus enabling
healing to take place. These include self-help
groups, a pen-friend seruice and a newsletter,
acting as forums for sharing pain and finding
healing. ln these and other ways the mind is
healed in both a physical and a psychological
way, and the patient has the potential to
recover from a very unpleasant affliction.
Thus there need not necessarily be a conflict
between the spiritual and physical in healing,
be it in the fields of mental or physical illness.
The human being is a total person composed
of body, mind and spirit with each potentially
affected by the pressures that are on the
individual. The current debate today about
whether depression is a physical or mental
illness shows how futile it is to ignore this fact.
Medicine, religion and psychologl all have a
part to play. Healing is about the whole
person. The Church, like other aspects of life,
has much to offer in this field. What is needed
is a partnership of equals and the respect for
the contribution of all towards fulfilling a
common aim. ,6
Chaplaln to the Deprosslon Alllance
This article has been written from a personal
perspective and is not to be taken as the opinion or
policy of the Depression A[Iiance.
movementl19

feature: mental health
mental health stattlstics
The Higher Educational Statistical Agency collects data based on
self-report, and mental health difficulties are notoriously under'
reported. The pressure to succeed, course deadlines, examinations,
large lecture groups, reduced contact with key teaching staff and
the intensity (or isolation) of social and residential experiences can
all have potentially disabling effects for indMduals who experience
mental health dfficulties, and may prevent them from experiencing
the full benefrts higher education has to offer.
The acknowledgement of these issues and the creation of a culture
that encourages individuals to identi$ their support needs is important
in our universities. With the advent of the Special Educational Needs
and Disability Act, which extends the rights of disabled students,
universities are now developing schemes to provide additional support
(mental health liaison officers, note-takers, personal assistants,
mentors, support workers) and technological aids to facilitate learning
for students with mental health difficulties.
The next step will be to make curriculum delivery and assessment
design as accessible as possible, to meet individual needs and as a
general principle. This will require debate on issues of academic
practice and standards, not least examination methods. Additionally,
institutions will need to further develop responsive and responsible
procedures for supportive intervention in cases of emerging mental
HeII on Earth?
'At least you don't have to worry about going to Hell,'
said a colleague in 1993, 'you've been there already.'
t had had a mental breakdown a year after becoming a vicar in
t974. I was off work for 3 months, 3 weeks of which were spent
in a psychiatric hospital. There, in ahaze of prescribed drugs and
deep depression, I felt I had let everyone down, especially God. ln
1980 I moved ftom inner city Lancashire to rural Bedfordshire to
start a new life. There the trouble struck again and in 1985 h was
decided that I should take early retirement on health glounds.
Much against my will, I agreed.
3 years of mental torment followed, fighting depression, phobic
problems and a sense of total worthlessness. The most frightening
aspect of being mentally disturbed is not being 'insane'. At
times I yeamed for that in order to remove the pain. lt is knowing
you are on the slippery slope to total inationality yet being unable
to do anything about it. This period polarised relationships with
other people, strengthening ties with those who stuck with me
and ineparably damaging those with people who walked away.
Being ill also changed my relationship with God, as I was first
angry with Him, then made friends with doubt and finally
developed a new theologr forged in the foundry of inner pain.
see also,,,
Books
Sharrng Spaees? Prayer and the Counselling,
Relationship by Jessica Rose (Darton,
Longman and Todd, f,,9.95)
Madness.' A Brief History by Roy Porter
(Oxford University Press, t11.99)
Students' Mental Health Needs: problems
and responses (Jessica Kingsley Publishers,
r15.95)
See wwwjko.com
health difficulties. The peak age for the onset of schizophrenia, for
example, is t8-24, so it is to be expected that a number of students
will experience their first psychotic episode while studying at university.
lnstitutions must develop procedures that detect and respond
sensitively to concerns about individuals' wellbeing. This is of particular
relevance for those students who move away from their family to study.
Peers, flatmates, course tutors and hall wardens may provide a crucial
role in tracking behavioural changes that might suggest emerging
mental health problems. Attendance monitoring systems may be used
to detect potential difiiculties, and protocols for intervening and
refening to specialists within the institution and externally can also be
developed.
We can expect an increase in disclosure of mental health difficulties
as a result of these efforts, as more students come to realise the
benefits to be gained from identiffing their needs. This should, in fact,
be regarded as a positive indicator of progress in promoting inclusion
in our universities,
Hsd or studod suppon ss'vr6 !r xonr*i;:tJ "o"tJ*l
ffiracted from a piece witten fot a student menta, health feature in
Educationcuatdian.co.uk. For the full afticle, and other articles in the series,
Eo to hw: I leducation. Euafdian.co.uklstudents.
I was also exposed to society's prejudices against mental
illness. I wish I could say that I found all of them outside the
Church, but I cannot. However, in 1986 | joined the charity
Depression Alliance. I became a trustee and have remained so
ever since. At present I am Secretary and Newsletter Editor, and
have had a stint as Chairman. Through it I have been able to gve
help and receive it from some wonderful people. lt has kept me
busy and restored my battered self-esteem. I am also Chaplain to
the Churches'Campaign Against Depression, and am able to take
seMces in local parishes where required. Thus a new ministry has
emerged, one in which the sacred and secular meet and are
enriched by one another.
I still have a mental millstone around my neck, but I have come
to terms with it and have adapted life around it. I have leamed
that suffering is only negative if we make it negative. Someone
put it this way: 'Without God we cannot, without us God will not.'
Someone else put it more prosaically: You would not have been
able to do half the things you have done if you remained a parish
priest.'
Organisations
Student Services
Your college and/or student union will in all
likelihood have an advice seruice. Even if
the service itself is unable to offer direct
assistance, staff should be able to signpost
you to suitable services. Does your department
offer a personal tutor system? Always
remember that your doctor will be able to
help in a similar manner, particularly if it is
a practice that specialises in or has
cornered the student market.
Nightline
A student welfare, telephone helpline
scheme run by students, who care about
their peers. Student volunteers provide an
understanding ear for fellow students with
problems. Nightline is not a professional
service, but the website gives contact
details for each local service, though they
should be publicised in your student union,
through departments, and so on.
m www,ni$htline.org.uk
Mind
For information on all forms of mental
illness, Publishes a leaflet 'How to cope
with the stress of student life'.
t: 08457 660 163
w; www.mind.org.uk
Chaplaln to t re DepEsslon AlllaE
fhe Samaritans
t: Q8457 909 090 (24 hour service)
w.. www. samaritans.org. u k
Churches' Campaign for Awareness of
Depression
47 Astil Street, Burton-on-Trent,
Derbyshire DE15 gDL.
tr 07905 789479
e; ccad@hotmail.com
w; www.ccad.freeserye,co. uk
Depression Alliance
wj www.depressionalliance.org.uk
Eating Disorders Association
r: 01603 621- 4L4 (office hours)
w; www.edauk.com
National Schizophrenia Fellowship
t: O2O 8974 6814 (limited availability)
w.. web: www. nsf .org. uk
20 lmovement

the road goes ever on
"l
the road goes ever on I ruth goodall
a diverting allegory
Our story starts with Frodo: a young
hobbit, quite bright, a bit dissatisfied
with what he's learned so far and with
his mates back home, who just seem
to want to get jobs and settle down
and drink beer. He's also very much in
awe of his tutor and mentor, the very
senior Professor Gandalf, so when
Gandalf suggests he take on a short
project for him (carryingf the Ring to
Rivendell), he agrees.
Frodo very quickly encounters the
shadowy forces of fear and despair which
will haunt the rest of his journey and leave
permanent scars on his psyche, but he also
makes some useful friends. ln particular, he
spends an evening down at the pub with
Aragorn, who has been wandering the world
for many years as Gandalfs postdoc and
becomes his adviser when Gandalf isn't
around.
After Frodo has completed his first
project, Gandalf (along with Head of Department
Elrond) proposes that the work should
be extended. He assembles a large research
group, including visiting students Gimli and
Legolas, the foreign postdoc Boromir, and
several of Frodo's own friends from his
undergraduate days. Frodo agrees to tackle
this larger project, though he has mixed
feelings about it. ('l will take the Ring', he
said, 'although I do not know why.')
Very rapidly, things go wrong. First,
Gandalf disappears and has no more
interaction with Frodo until everything is
over. Frodo assumes his supervisor is dead
(in fact, he's simply found a more
interesting topic, or perhaps a prettier
student, and is working on that instead). At
his first international conference in Lorien,
Frodo is cross-examined terrifyingly by
Galadriel, who nevertheless has the wit to
leave Frodo's ghastly project well alone.
Unlike other members of the research
group. Anxious to get the credit for the work
himself and become a leading figure in the
field, Boromir attempts to wrest control of
the project from Frodo.
To preserve the integrity of the original
project, Frodo cuts himself off from the rest
of his team. From now on, he will only
discuss his work with Sam, a trusty old
friend who doesn't really understand what
it's all about, but in any case is prepared to
give Frodo credit for being rather cleverer
than he is. Also the final write-up will look
impressive and arty, as it will follow in the
pupil-teacher dialogue mould favoured by
Plato and other illustrious forbears. Then
Frodo and Sam set out towards Mordor.
The last and darkest period of the journey
clearly represents the writing-up stage, as
Frodo struggles towards Mount
Doom(submission), finding his burden
growing heavier and heavier, yet more and
more a part of himself; more and more
terrified of failure. Plagued by the figure of
Gollum, the student who carried the Ring
before him but never wrote up and still
hangs around as a burned-out, jealous
shadow. Talking less and less even to Sam.
When he submits the Ring to the fire, it is in
desperate confusion rather than with
confidence, and for a while the world seems
empty. Eventually it is over. The Ring is
gone, everyone congratulates him, and for a
few days he can convince himself that his
troubles are over.
But there is one more obstacle to
overcome. Months later, back in the Shire,
he must confront the external examiner
Saruman. This old enemy of Gandalfs is
embittered at seeing his own work shot
down in flames by the success of the project
and seeks to humiliate and destroy his
rival's prot6g6. With the help of his friends
and colleagues, Frodo passes through this
ordeal, but discovers at the end that victory
has no left for him. While his friends return
to settling down, finding jobs and starting
families, Frodo remains in limbo. Finally,
along with Gandalf, Elrond and many other
pensioned-off old duffers, he joins the brain
drain across the Western Ocean to the new
land beyond. ,+?
Ruth Goodall
. Ruth Goodall is studyinEl
for a PhD at the Medical
Research Centre, UCL
For a review of the film The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring go to pa{e 28
movement |
21

worldview
decade towards
the centenary
The Student Ghristian Movement of lndia
The Student Ghristian Movement of
lndia is one of the earliest ecumenical
bodies in lndia that has played a key
role in the life of both Church and
society. Formed in LgL2, SCMI has
enabled students from different re$ions
and differing religious, cultural, and
socio-economic backgrounds to come
together and find out for themselves
the streng[h that they $ain in being
toglether to promote life in all its
fullness. Recognisin$ richness in the
plurality expressed in diversities and
working towards minimisin$ the differences
that promote discriminations
that nurture violence through inequality
enables us to build a holistic
community of communities.
SCMI enables Ghristian students to reaffirm
their faith in lesus Ghrist not only as their
Lord and Saviour, but also as their Liberator
ln a nation where Christianity accounts for
only 3% of people, this movement has made
a significant contribution in the formation of
Church leaders and good citizens who
respond to the realities around them with a
prophetic role, even though it may be a lone
voice in the wilderness. lt enables Christian
students to reaffirm their faith in Jesus Christ
not only as their Lord and Saviour, but also as
their Liberator, that gives the impetus to
march forward with acts of liberation as the
expression of our faith in Christ. Present
membership is about 10,000 spread across
lndia.
A look at our glorious past enables us to
strengthen our commitment for the future.
Especially, this being the 90th year of our
existence, we must take stock of our achievements
and envisage the challenges that are
ahead of us. The major events in which the
SGMI has participated actively during the last
90 years are the freedom struggle in the
thirties and forties, nation-building after
Independence (1947) and especially durin$
the emergency period in the seventies, the
great awakening to the issues of gender
awareness and justice in the ei8hties (l am
the first female General Secretary of SCMI),
followed by the revolutionary response to the
Dalit and Adivasi struggles during the last
decade. Thus, SCMI has had a fruitful
existence responding to the struggles of
people who are no people - 9O years that
point to the history of liberation and the
liberation of history! Today we are faced with
the struggle against caste, class and gender
inequalities. And we keep in mind the continuing
displacement of the Dalits and various
tribal peoples in the name of 'development',
where poverty and repeated displacement is
their lot. Therefore, as we look toward our
centenary we have declared this the 'Decade
Towards the Centenary: Dedicated to the
Underside of History.'
The ongoing cry of the tribals and the Dalits
of the Sardar Sarovar Project (SSP) is very
pathetic. SCMers have taken a keen interest
in this struggle for justice and struggle for
life. Many groups have been there with the
people at different times expressing our
solidarity over the last few years. Committed
students and senior friends have opted to
stay back for longer periods ranging from
months to years, taking a leading role. lt is
revealed publicly now that there are more
than 30,000 families still in the reservoir
area of SSP waiting to be rehabilitated. This
struggle for the last 22 years has brought
immense pain and tribulations to the victims.
So far only 10,000 families have been
rehabilitated from the first project in t97t,
and even this has thrown up enormous
problems! lt is very sad that recently, two of
the states involved in the project, Madhya
Pradesh and Maharashtra, are now
confessing that they do not have any land to
give as compensation. So the latest decision
to give money as compensation instead of
the land will be putting displaced peoples into
greater difficulties, as the amount will be a
meagre one and these people will not be able
22 lmovement

to rehabilitate themselves with such an
amount.
ln the south the Adivasi struggle to get the
lands allotted to them. They starve when the
godowns of the Food Corporation of lndia are
bursting with food grain amounting to 60
million tones! SCMers from this region took
an active part in these struggles to get their
demands sanctioned. The question of poverlry
amidst plenty is indeed our problem in
relation to food and resources. 320 million
people do not earn even 10 rupees a day ($1
= 46 rupees)! Thus every third person in our
country is poor. We have about 200 million
Dalits (like untouchables in the caste
system), more than 95o/oot whom fall into this
category. The Dalit struggles for human
dignity and right to live cannot be dealt with
in the limited space allotted for this article
and therefore is not spoken of here.
The other major issues include militarism -
the militancy in Jammu & Kashmir,
Celebrity
Theologian
Rosemary
Radford
Ruether
Who's this?
A contemporary feminist Catholic theologian
whose work spans three decades. Married to
Herman, with three grown-up children...
Never heard of her.
Well, perhaps you could be forgiven for that,
since her area of expertise is a little specialised.
What would that be, then?
Ecofeminism.
Duh?
Well, it's an ideology that sees links between
the oppression of women by men, and the
exploitation of the earth. Many ecofeminists
say that sexism was the original form of oppression,
and that if we got rid of it we'd also be
free of racism, class hierarchy and all the other
dodgy have-and-have-not relationships that we
see in the viorld.
5o she's quite political then?
Absolutely. Our Rosemary was a sixties
youngster and after she'd got herself a couple of
degrees she found politics, just as the civil rights
movement was kicking off. Went on a lot of
peace marches, did a few stints in jail. And hung
out with the activist-monk, Thomas Merton.
5o where does theoloty come into all this?
Well, Ruether's most famous work, Sexism and
Cod-talk, is about rebuilding the whole Christian
Northeastern region and the growing tensions
between lndia and Pakistan call us to rededicate
our commitment for peace and justice.
The communal violence that erupts every now
and then is another major issue we are
facing. SCMI is taking initiatives to promote
inter-faith relations, especially among the
younger generations. Hindutva, which
promotes terrorist activities, calls for an
united action from all those who are for
peace and communal harmony. We look
forward to our biennial conference in May
and June this year, which will consequently
focus on the theme 'Terrorism and its lmpact
on Students: lssues and Challenges in
Education'. The struggle for peace and
justice, to be a live and valuable Christian
contribution to lndia, consumes SCMI. Our
conference we hope will equip us further to
respond to these realities in a better manner.
Elizabeth Joy
tradition along ecofeminist lines. She thinks we
should get rid of anything that smacks of sexism
and patriarchy, and try to recover lost and
neglected elements of our tradition which reflect
feminist and egalitarian values.
A tall order, some would say.
lndeed they would. But Ruether is very good at
digging out stuff that's been lost or buried in the
Bible and other traditional sources. For example,
in the Old Testament there are occasional hints
at a mother Coddess and Ruether thinks this is a
much-neglected element of our tradition, which
we ought to recover and make use of.
But that's paganism!
Well, you wouldn't be the first to say so. But
Rosemary Ruether has never been overly
concerned with orthodoxy in that sense. Her
benchmark is 'does it promote the full humanity
of women?'
Hasn't this got her into trouble?
Well, no doubt a few clerics have huffed and
stamped their feet in exasperation, but since
she's neither a priest nor a religious she's more
or less free to say whatever she pleases. And,
no doubt to the irritation of traditionalists, she
refuses to wash her hands of the Christian
church as many feminists have done before her.
Don't say:
A woman should be silent in the church!
Do say:
A woman needs a man like a fish needs...
sorry... present company accepted, Herman.
Debble Gurnock
fheologly EiladuatG and SCM lndlyldual member
worldview
communal
violence
that erupts
is a major
issue
we are
facing
. Ellzaboth ,oy ls Goneral
Secretary of SCMI
in the Old
Testament
there are
occasional
hints at a
mother
Goddess
and Ruether
thinks this
is a muchneglected
element of
our tradition
movement 123

ties and binds
ties and binds I jim cotter
goodbye Spike
. Jim Cotter runs Cairns
Publishing, an
independent Chlistian
implint
The last Goon has died. The boY in me
relishes the memory of Spike Milli$an'
Peter Sellers, and Harry Secombe, all
of them no doubt ancient of daYs to
readers of Movement. lt was not only
their zany humour that was a deli$ht'
but the puzzled exPression on mY
mother's and father's faces: theY
didn't get at. Their ears were mystified
by what came out of the radio (they
probably called it the wireless) as well
as by their son's helpless laughter.
The Goons opened a door to a new,
almost tangiible, world. They created surreal
characters, like us but not quite the same
as us. Philip Pullman more seriously does
the same in his trilo$/ His Dark Materials,
with the different universes inhabited by
Lyra and Will. I can still hear Spike Milligan
singing, 'l'm walking backwards for
Christmas, across the lrish Sea', and it still
cheers me when I join in (out of earshot).
For a few moments I am in another world.
Then the song ends. lt has been a jolt, a
dislocation. Terry Wogan once asked Spike
Milligan if he ever looked back at his
childhood. 'No', came the reply, 'it hurts my
neck'.
One of the Man brothers said he wanted
to go to heaven for the climate and to hell
for the company. I laugh at that because I
recognise the sentiment, reminding me of
high-flown but pale pieties and raucous
laughter among colourful characters who
know they are among life's failures. Spike
Milligan again: 'Being a Catholic is like a
blood group - I can't change it ... lf there is
heaven, fine, I'd like to go. But if Jeffrey
Archer is there, I'd rather go to Lewisham.'
It's the unexpected Lewisham which makes
it distinct from the Man brothers. And of
course you either get it or you don't. You
laugh - or you wonder what on earth this
columnist is on about.
Even if we both laugh, and the laugh does
us good, the debate is not far behind. Of
course, it's all nonsense really. ls it? Or
does humour $ve us $impses of another
world, not separate from this one, but
distinct from it?
The phrase, 'Turn the other cheek',
troubled me for years. lt seemed to me like
an impossible demand, even a sli$ht
encouragement to masochism and being a
doormat. Remember its ori$n: 'lf someone
slaps you on the right cheek, offer him the
other also.' (Matthew 5:39) The context is
that of a confrontation between imperial
power and oppressed peasant. ln such a
cotonial society, and one where notions of
honour and shame are deeply embedded' it
is shaming if someone, especially one who
has power over you, hits you on the right
cheek with the back of his (and I mean 'his')
right hand. This was the conventional and
recognised exact way of delivering an insult.
So, if the person you have slapped then
turns his left cheek towards you, you cannot
hit him with the back of your ri$ht hand
without making a clumsy and ineffective
manoeuvre which makes you look foolish.
Try it. Briefly it is the more powerful person
who is dishonoured. There is a fragmentary
exchange of power and the one who has
been insulted retrieves a little of his diSnity
- by being 'cheeky'. The balance of power is
upset, and a new world is glimpsed. lt is of
course only temporary - the imperial
structure is too strong for that. And such
systems may change their names, but there
are still 'soldiers' and 'peasants' in this old
world of ours.
Back in the 18th century, the story goes'
a haughty member of the Anglo-lrish
Ascendancy found himself separated from
the rest of the hunt one afternoon. He
stopped an lrish peasant, 'My man, did the
gentry pass this way?' 'Now let me see'
your honour, I rather think they did.' 'How
long since?' 'About 200 years ago' your
honour.'
You can tell who is on the side of the
angels if you think of the indignation of the
huntsman's companions when he recounted
the story that evenin$, and the laughter of
the peasant's.
This issue of Movement will be in your
hands soon after l April, Easter Monday' All
Fools' Day. Toast the Goons - or your
equivalent. And if there is truth in that other
story, the one of Resurrection, it's even
more world-dislocating and bizarre than any
tale that even Spike Milligan told. {n-
Jlm Gotter
24 | movement

eviews: books
fO VJ E'V3
fundamentally flawed?
ls there a future for religious belief post 11 September 2OOI?
The agendum of lslam and the West has
litUe specifically to do with cunent relations
between lslam and Westem nations. Rather
it appears to me that this book, taking
advantage ofthe tenorism of 11 September,
seeks to argue that there is an extremely fine
line between doctrinal adherence to a
reli$on, and the violent perversion of that
reli$on that is blamed for the events such as
the destruction of the Wodd Trade Center.
I do not regard mysetf as a militant
fundamentalist. But I do hold to a particular
set of beliefs, many of which are upheld by
the institution of the Church, and I worship
Christ together with like-minded people on a
Sunday moming. Van de Weyer writes about
us, 'Since organized reli$on by its nature
tends to be bad, promoting bigotry and
contempt, it leaves people restless and
unfulfilled; and they try to assuage these
unhappy feelings through the acquisition of
goods and through expensive amusements.'
I'm not quite sure how to sensibly ref,rte this
claim, except by sayingthat in my experience
it is often those who subscribe to organised
religion who, rather than indulging in
expensive amusements, are capable of
unusual compassion in their sense for social
justice.
It is worth noting that I am not able to
locate a place where van de Weyer discusses
the role of faith. lnstead, calling the reader's
attention to the multitude of the world's
reli$ons and the vastness of the univerce, he
writes, 'So it seems inherently unlikely that
one reli$on is right, while all the others are
wrong ... Hence the doctrines of organized
Christianity and lslam have quite simply been
rendered absurd; indeed acceptance of
reli$ous dogma of any kind invotues intellectual
dishonesty.'Vfrth no fiaith, this argument
holds water. But with faith, with an
understanding (enhanced, by the way, by the
fact that I happen to be a theoretical
physicist) that the wodd is tundamentally
absurd, comprehending as C S Lewis does in
Merc Christiantty that the (hypothetical!)
corectness of one doctrine does not entirely
lslam and the West; a new political and reliSious order post September !7
Robert van de Weyer I O Books I t6.99
invalidate those doctrines claiming mutually
exclusive beliefr, and, supremely, agreeing
with Dietrich Bonhoeffer that only a suffering
God can help, I think it makes perfect sense
to adhere to the idea that Jesus is the Son of
God.
Nevertheless, van de Weyer is ceftainly
conect in asserting that many evils have
been committed in the name of religon. So
what should we do about trytng to prevent
this continuing in the f,rture? Van de Weyer
suggests the following: 'Our two greatest
spiritual challenges are to find rituals and
symbols that can uplift and transform people,
while requiring no formal belief on their part;
and to hand to popular control the places
where rituals are traditionally enacted, and
which themsefues are powerfirl and benign
symbols ... But we may tentatively suggest a
simple form that itsetf symbolizes ftee and
open reli$on: the figure O. This, of course,
stands for zero; and in ftee and open reli$on
there are no beliefs [sic].' This line of astion
is epitomised for me by the idea that synbols
can be both powerful and benign. Surely
symbols have power only if they bear some
relation to our perception of tnrth? ln which
case surely they are not benign, but rather
related to a world that experiences both
tragedy andjoy, both tenorism and compassion,
both war and peace? An enMronment of
ftee reli$on is about tolemnce of others'
beliefs rather than an intolerance of any
belief whatsoever. lbelievethatthere has not
been a more important or testing time for
inter-faith dialogue.
I have concentmted, perhaps overly so, on
the final section of lslam and the West
because the purpose of the first three
sections seems only to allow the presence of
the fourth section. ln these eadier parts of the
book, van de Weyer gives tlre reader a potted
history of relaUons between the Middle East
and the West sinc€ the year 6OO. lt's quite
entertaining, atthough I suspect that most
university readerc would appreciate rather
more documentary evidence for the history
than is presented. Unfortunately, the last 20
years are given relawely litUe attention. Van
de Weyer's argument for replacing the $obalisation
of goods and capital with the
$obalisation of people and knoWedge is
probably as progessive as his 'reli$ous
orde/, although I have to confess that I didn't
entirely undestand it.
To conclude, I think that lslam and the
West is a thought-provoking book, atthough I
would wam people to beware the title as a
description of the contents. I have no doubt
that Robert van de Weyer is a fascinating
man; it would certainly be an interesting
exercise to debate in person what we have
discussed remotelV!
4n.
RoddyVann
WanYid( Chrlsflan Focus
movementl25

eviews: books
bedtime readinS?
Melodramatic, enigmatic and fatally mysterious...
I lan McEwan
I f,7.ee
The cover bfurb of Atonement
adeptly captures the tone of both
the book and one of its leading
characters, Briony Tallis: 'BY the
end of that day ... BrionY will
have witnessed mysteries, and
committed a crime for which she
will spend the rest of her life
trying to atone.' Melodramatic,
enigmatic and fatally mysterious.
lan McEwan uses the intense, highly
charged framework of Britain on the
brink and later in the throes of World
War Two as the backdroP to an
exploration of the dangerous relationship
of fantasy and imagination with
reality - the tensions that arise from
the blurring overlap between the way
things actually are, and the waY in
which the mind, or imagination,
perceives them.
Radio 4 has recently given
Atonement the late night Book at
Bedtime srot, but in my opinion it is
most definitely not bedtime reading. lt
is both complex and utterly absorbing,
and as such, needs to be read
carefully and given the time and
attention it merits. Any attempt to dip
carelessly in and out of this book is
likely to result in confusion and a
sadly diluted experience of the
powerful love, guilt and shame that
drive the plot. This is a story to be
savoured like a romantic dinner, not
gobbled like a lukewarm MacDonalds
on the way home from work.
The plot centres on three main
characters, Briony Tallis, her elder
sister Cecilia and Robbie Turner, the
son of the Tallis family's cleaner and
Cecilia's childhood friend. Robbie was
supported at eambridge by the Tallis
family and has ambitions to become a
doctor, Cecilia is drifting along post-
Cambridge, while 13-year-old Briony
has an all-consuming desire to be a
writer. The book is divided into three
sections, the first set in 1935, during
a summer heatwave at the Tallis family
mansion in Surrey, where the crime is
committed. The second part jumps
forward to May 1940, focusing on the
experiences of Robbie and BrionY
Fascinating and
subtle as the crime
is, the unfolding
consequences far
outstrip it and these,
coupled with a
Disney-style desire for
a happy ending, kept
me reading to the end
during the Dunkirk retreat, seen from
France and St Thomas' HosPital in
their respective roles as army corporal
and nurse. The final section, set in
1999, sees an ageing Briony, now a
famous novelist, diagnosed with the
onset of dementia and returning to her
family home, where a surprise awaits
her ... and the reader.
For all its promised melodrama, the
story begins rather slowly, with Briony
attempting to lead her neglected
cousins Lola, Pierrot and Jackson
(twins) in a play she has written to
welcome home her elder brother Leon
and his rich friend, Paul Marshall.
Their fragile mother Emily and a father
absent due to 'work' complete the
cast. McEwan spends a lot of time in
this first section describing the same
events from different perspectives'
particularly Briony's developing talent
and frustrations with her play, and
Robbie and Cecilia's gradual realisation
that they are in love.
The bulk of the action, therefore,
takes place inside the characters'
heads and after a while, since we
know that the heralded life-changing
crime has to take place at some point
during the given day, the urge to cut to
the action and discover what it is
makes it difficult not to skim forwards.
Resist - your patience will be well
rewarded. When it happens, the crime
is a case of blink-and-you've-missedit,
and its immediate consequences
sweep the first section swiftlY to a
close, leaving the reader as
bewildered as the characters.
Fascinating and subtle as the crime
is, the unfolding consequences far
outstrip it and these, coupled with a
Disney-style desire for a happy ending,
kept me reading to the end. McEwan
moves smoothly from the disPassionate
observer into a stronglY
empathic style as we exPerience
Cecilia and Robbie struggling to
support each other and sustain their
love across the separation forced by
Briony's crime and then the war.
McEwan weaves a powerful sense of
poignancy into his depiction of the
Dunkirk retreat on both sides of the
Channel, conveying the dazed
unreality of the soldiers' experience
alongside the brutal clinical reality
viewed by the British nurses who
receive them. Throughout all of this'
Briony's own personal stru$$le for
atonement continues, but it is not
until the closing pages of the novel
that we learn how successful her
efforts have been. And no, I'm not
giving anything away. Go read it
yourselves - it'll be much more fun
that way. 4h*
Glaire Gonnor
Cathollc laY GhaPlain'
GKT Medical School' London
26 |
movement

ooh, you are naugih$
reviews: books
It's all about purity and propedy, apparently.
First ask yourself, 'How naughty
am a?' Then ask, 'By whose
standards?'Then read this attractively
packaged (pleasinglly so for
a theologr book) reprint and if you
aren't challenged and perplexed
in equal measure, I suspect you
must have some strange habits
that have just been vindicated.
The bulk of Dirt... is good oldfashioned
liberaltheolos/. lt looks at
sexual ethics as outlined in the
Bible, but instead of succumbing to
simplistic 'this is right, this is wrong'
analysis, Countryman tries to
penetrate the cultural and moral
mind of the Bible writers. Jewish
purity (dirt) and property (greed)
codes are central here, the former
which Countryman suggests
manifests in very different ways in
our culture of licence.
What is unclean is that which
crosses boundaries. Hence
homosexuality, as one man will
invariably assume a supposedly
female role in sexual union. Crossing
such boundaries is an affront to the
God-ordered world. What ignores the
property rights of another man is
wrong. So, incest, rather than
guarding against genetic misfortune,
protects the patriarch's right to his
wife, because she is his property.
Though naturally a man could have
many wives, and other females
under him in his household could
also be regarded as sexual property
if he so wished.
What is unclean is
that which crosses
boundaries. Grossing
such boundaries is an
affront to the Godordered
world
Countryman's sophisticated
analysis warrants careful reading. He
boldly elucidates New Testament
principles, which emerged as critique
of and supplement to the familial,
patriarchal society governed by the
rules of the Old Testament. He then
tries to translate these in a
meaningf,ul way to Western, individualistic
society. The scope of 'sex' is
of course broad, encompassing the
deed itself, marriage, gender,
equality, education of the young and
so on. Pleasingly, Countryman
doesn't duck the issue of the preference
for celibacy expressed by Paul.
However, the work exhibits the
weakness of liberal theologr. Short
of learning Greek, how is the reader
to respond to slick interpretation?
How many academic contortions are
Dirt, Greed and Sex is
so challenging
because it throws
down the gauntlet to
Gomfortable
Ghristianity
permissible before the interpretation
the theologian requires is arrived at?
At times it comes across as just too
convenient to be true.
Other niggles? Countryman's
implication that we cannot say
something is forbidden if the Bible
does not treat of it is unimpressive,
bestiality being a surprising example.
At the least he conveniently forgets
that many at risk animals are at least
someone's property. Perhaps the
actual owner is permitted but not his
shepherds? Countryman also
suggests that physical adultery isn't
that great a deal. And then there's
Dirt, Greed and Sex I
SCM Classics | 9L2.95
p
L William Countryman
meone
$rcm

evrews: clnema
one fiIm to rule them aII?
A long-expected film gets lhe Movement orG€-oYGr.
Lord of the Rings; The Fellowship of the Ring I Peter Jackson
I have been told that Movement started
its days called Bilbo. No one could
come up with a better name, so the
then editors plumped for a name that
was on everyone's lips at the time. Ihe
Lord of the Rings opens with Bilbo
Baggins' eleventy-first birthday. What a
coincidence, then, that this review
should appear in Movement issue 111!
And Bilbo is still a name on everyone's
lips due to the recent film of The Lord of
the Rings. Surely there can be hardly
anyone who isn't aware of the release of
this eagerly awaited film? I think it is
excellent, and lives up to all the hype
surrounding it. ln my opinion it is a good
adaptation of the book and not at all
unfaithful. The prologue of the film is
especially good for anyone who hasn't
read the book or its precursor, The
Hobbit, providing background information
required to follow the rest of the
action. lnterestingly, in this section
Jackson has portrayed the Dark Lord
Sauron as a character before he was
destroyed. ln the book Sauron is the
menace slowly engulfing Middle Earth,
but never actually makes an appearance
individually. Only his spirit remains, as
Gandalf explains to Frodo in the film.
It is such devices that make the film
work, but that annoy the purists. Don't
be swayed. Only remember that books
and films are different media that require
handling differently and you will see that
the fllm works as a film. I must be a bit
of a Tolkien anorak, as in several places
I sat there waiting for the next bit which
was slightly condensed or even omitted.
This however did have to be done if we
didn't want to sit in the cinema for at
least an extra hour watching the film - it
is long enough at just under 3 hours!
The special effects are excellent.
Frodo and Bilbo disappearing when they
put the ring on is a particularly pleasing
effect. The ring-wearer is transported
into the Dark Lord's version of the world,
so the nine Black Riders, robed undead
in Frodo's normal perception, appear as
they were when they were still human
kings in an earlier age. Likewise when
Frodo offers the ring to Galadriel, an
elvish queen, we see her as she would
become once she had succumbed to its
awful power. 'ln place of the Dark Lord
you will set up a Queen. I shall not be
dark, but beautiful and terrible ... all
shall love me and despair!'
The only thing that I found
disappointing about the film was some of
the peripheral casting. lf you've had any
acquaintance with fantasy novels or
films, the elves and dwarves were just
routine. But then, perhaps that's
because Tolkien stands over the genre
like a colossus and few people have
been able to break free since. Also the
fact that Lurtz, the big baddie uruk-hai
(think goblins on steroids with nasty
spiky weapons) was killed at the end. The
scriptwriters invented the character, but
they could have dovetailed him into one
of the uruk-hai who make a brief appearance
early in the second book before
they too are killed (hint: don't be a urukhai
in a Tolkien story, there's no future in
it).
Having said that, Jackson does bravely
play up the roles of two female characters
- Arwen and Galadriel. The book is
irredeemably male and female characters
are minor and few and far between.
Tolkien was a Catholic and the film
reflects the religious motif of the struggle
between good and evil that underpin the
book. Boromir is one of the Fellowship
assigned to protect Frodo, but is
seduced by the power of the Ring,
believing it should be used against
Sauron. His attempt to take the Ring
from Frodo precipitates the final
disaster. Realising his mistake he does
not just repent, but is proactive in trying
to help, sacrificing his life to permit
Frodo to escape the aforementioned
Lurtz. Boromir's final wish to the
remaining members of the Fellowship is
to be forgiven for what he did. That is
what Lent is a time for. lt is time to leave
behind what we are ashamed of and
return to God.
Having seen the other recent bi$
fantasy film, I have to say thal Harry
Potter can never hope to match Lord of
the Rings for style or quality. I know I'll
be in the queue when the next two instalments
are released over subsequent
Christmases. ,{n_
Mike Gouglhlan
Llverpool Cathsoc
28lmovement

eviews: performance
can sonteone in a
Ieotard change your life?
Artifact I William Forsythe
(Forsythe's work is frequently performed in theatres across the country)
Real Presences I George Steiner I University of Ghicago Press
Until November last year, when I thougfit
of ballet I thought of $rls in tutus and
men in tights. I thought ol Swan l-ake,
Romeo and Juliet or the Nutcracker suite.
To me, ballet was synonymous with
tellang a well-known story. lt was dancing
a narrative to music.
How little prepared was I then, for a new
experience of a new kind of ballet which, at
the risk of sounding over-dramatic, changed
my life and made me think about the idea of
art as a vehicle for reli$ous experience.
A friend invited me to see Aftifact by
William Forsythe performed by Ballet
Frankfurt at Sadler's Wells in London.
Forsythe is an American choreogapher
described as one of the best of our time,
and wrote the four-part Aftihct in 1984
when he became director of the worldfamous
German ballet company. lt was not
peformed in Britain until 1999, when it
took the Edinburgh Festival by storm. When
I took my seat, however, I was unaware of
Forsythe's fame. I was uninitiated -
perhaps more receptive.
No curtain separated the stage from the
audience and even as people were still
entering, a female dancer, completely
coated in a grey clay-like paint (not a tutu
in sight) paced slowly around the stage
pedorming hieratic gestures. ln the first
part of the 2-hour ballet, she was joined by
a man dressed in shirt and tie wielding a
megaphone, and a Catherine de Medici
character who announced, 'Welcome to
what you think you see.' Over, and
sometimes in competition with, his
intermittent robotic mutterings through the
megaphone, 'Catherine de Medici'
repeated snatches of a text which
continued to play on the idea of a gap
between perception and reality. Her words
mixed senses and tenses, speaking of
'hearing what you saw you thought' and
'knowing what you could not hear.' To
music by Eva Crossman-Hecht, she
became hysterical, her recitations seeming
to break down into nonsense.
Gradually though, the chaos of this pair
was thrown into contmst by the appearance
on stage of the corps de ballet, who were
dimly lit and simply dressed in shades of
grey so as to remain anonymous. The basic
steps modulated into formations that were
literally mesmerising. Unlike a conventional
corps, Forsythe did not self-consciously
parade them. Rather they moved as if
according to some pre-ordained natural
design, whose intemal coherence they were
all attuned to. They seemed a crowd of
flocking birds; organic forms tracking the
stage in scattered pattems and interweaving
lines. The beaug of what I saw was so
ovenvhelming that it moved me to tears.
I have cried at films before now and even
occasionally at the theatre, but this
emotional response to pure movement was
a new experience. lt was not a vague
feeling, but rather a strong sense of
something breaking directly and incisively
into my consciousness from outside, as
both a visitation and a summons. lt truly
felt like an epiphany and an encounter.
Words which are common currency in
theolos/ made me wonder, as I later
discovered George Steiner does in his book
Real Presences, whether my response to
what I saw was somehow part of a reli$ous
experience. Steiner asks a daring question:
can poetry, painting, sculpture, music and
dance ever be created in the absence of
God, or does a transcendent reality ground
all art and our interaction with it?
This is a thorny issue which raises
questions too numerous to tackle here, but
both my'reading' of Mifact and Forsythe's
own explanation of his work which I heard
him give in conversation with the sculptor
Anthony Gormley after the ballet, resonate
with Steiner's theory. Steiner claims that:
'The poem, the statue, the sonata are not
so much read, viewed or heard as they are
lived. The encounter with the aesthetic is,
together with certain modes of reli$ous
and metaphysical experience, the most
'ingressive', transformative summons
available to human experiencing.'
Forsythe offers his audience as many
possible openings for encounter as he can
- challenging the conventional performerviewer
relationship. The pacing figure on
stage at the be$nning of the ballet invited
us into the work, the Catherine de Medici
figure welcomed us, whilst also calling into
question our ability to perceive fully what
we thought we were seeing. And in the
second part of the ballet, during two
absorbing pas de deux danced to Bach's
Chaconne in D Minor, the safety curtain
thudded down at arbitrary moments,
depriving us, cutting us off, then rose again
to reveal the continuing dance. This was
profoundly unsettling. At our most
enchanted, we were suddenly, completely,
if momentarily, estranged and this privation
served to highlight our desire for encounter
even more,
Our involvement with Artifact seemed
integral to its very meaning. As it was
performed, we were called into relationship
with it. Dare I suggest here an echo of the
way in which God himself calls us into
participation with His creation? ln a striking
way, Forsythe does 'play God'. Talking to
Gormley, he took credit for the entire
orchestration of Artifact - from choreography
to set design, lighting and sound
collage. He described each performance as
a separate 'handwerk', whose meaning
only comes into being on stage, and as an
'ecolog!'. During the ballet, he sits in front
of the sound desk, situated in the middle of
the audience, and allegedly listens to the
public breathing in order to gauge our
response to what is happening on stage.
Accordingly, he then adjusts the instrumental
mix or gives more volume to the
voices as a way of 'getting the work right'
and 'making it happen.'This is radical and
deliberate - Forsythe even likens the difference
between traditional storytelling
through classical ballet and his own work to
the difference between iconography and
direct conversation in a neo-platonic
sense. Preoccupied with form, with the
potential of the human body for dialogue
with gravity and space and for the balletic,
Forsythe seems to seek the making formal
of epiphany, to seek openings for a 'shining
through.'
Steiner declares boldly, 'there is
aesthetic creation because there is a
creation.' He sees the 'aft-act', created
seemingly out of nothingness as a replication
of the first divine fiat. He claims that
because we are created, we seek to
create, or rather to imitate creation. This
theory rests on his presumption of a 'real
presence' at the root of everything and I do
not know if, as an artist, Forsythe shares
this presumption.
And yet I wonder if it matters, or if he can
escape it? ln the beauty of the balletic
configurations created by his dancers on
stage, I saw - recognised, you might say -
forms which recalled migrating birds flying
in formation, speeded-up films I've seen of
flowers coming into bloom. His Artifact, a
work always in progress for as long as it
lasts, called out to me and called me out to
something beyond myself. I left the theatre
changed. And dancine.
4n.
Kathryn Powell
movement 129

preview: greenbelt
mud, mud,
o -
rious m.rd!
Greenbelt Festival
Mud, music, wristbands and late nights
are some of the words that spring to
mind when I think of Greenbelt - the
Christian festival that takes place
every bank holiday weekend at the end
of August.
I went to Greenbelt for the first time
with my family in the early 80s and have
been many times since. lt started its life
in 1973 as a small pop festival, run by
Christians. Having gone through many
changes over the years it has become a
Christian arts festival that focuses on
expressing Christianity in contemporary
culture. Originally aimed at 'young
people', Greenbelt today attracts people
of all ages so it would be more accurate
to say that it caters for 'the young at
heart'. Some years it attracts as many as
30,000 such people!
ffi*i"bels
Greenbelt did recently go through a
rocky patch, due to a decline in ticket
sales. Fans held their breath but the
good news is the festival does appear to
be on the up again. Holding the festival
at a venue with indoor facilities
(Cheltenham racecourse) has helped, as
has the introduction of Greenbelt Angels
- people who donate regularly to
Greenbelt. Christian Aid is a
major funder of the festival and
is Greenbelt's main partner but
new partners came on board
last year - SPCK, USPG and
CMS. This all makes Greenbelt's
future look much more secure -
phew!
As soon as you arrive at
Greenbelt, you realise that
you're going to spend the
weekend with a mixed bunch of
people! As you put up your tent,
you may overhear the singing of
some cheesy Christian classics
accompanied by a guitar. Or you
may be camped near a youth
club, blaring out thrash music,
who have already entered into
festival mode by dying their hair
red. Or the incense and ethnic
brigade. Greenbelt has
something to offer all kinds of
people!
One thing is certain, you will
not be able to avoid Greenbelt
veterans who will probably be
sporting their Greenbelt T-shirt from 5 or
more years ago, proclaiming 'Of course,
things are cushy now - you should have
seen the old toilets!' I have to admit to
having abandoned festival etiquette to
have a shower at last year's Greenbelt -
they're located in discreet places to
make it easy for people to sneak off to
them. However, your companions will
soon notice that you've
sold out and washed
away the 'Greenbelt
odour'.
Another certainty is that
nobody gets bored at
Greenbelt. ln fact, the
main problem is that
there is too much to
choose from. Just looking
at the festival
programme can hurt the
brain! There is everything
- all styles of live music,
dance, theatre, films,
stalls with lots of
tempting merchandise
and all kinds of worshiP.
There is a full seminar
programme with people
from all over the world
speaking about social
justice and getting people to engage with
contemporary social issues.
The highlight of the weekend for many
is the Sunday morning worship which
always takes place at the main stage. lt
is a very moving experience to worship in
a crowd of 30,000 and each Year
something new is tried out. Some ideas
have been more successful than others,
but it is simply a source of amusement
when things go wrong!
I recommend that all SCM members
give Greenbelt a try. lt's the only
Christian festival I know of that has such
an open-minded and fun approach to
Christianity while still addressing social
justice concerns. You're likely to bump
into all kinds or friends from the past you
didn't know to be regular Greenbelters.
The tickets might seem expensive but as
you can see from what I've said, you do
get a lot for your money.
Want some money off your ticket
price? SCM is having a stall in the Action
Fair again this year. Book in to help out
and we'll help you with the cost of the
ticket. /tt_
Ellie Mensingh
SCM Co-ordinator
and Greenbelt addict
3O I
movement

the serpent
DR GOD?
Following my recent
revelation that
students could not
have written the
Bible, further digging
around the CV of the
Almighty has revealed
his claims to having
achieved a doctorate
are bogus. While the
CV is generally
impressive, God
never makes clear
whether the
is
doctorate
academic (claims
to be all-knowing)
or medical (note
many healings)-
Triggered by these
initial suspicions the
main findings of my
report to the matriculation
board at the
University of Life are
as follows:
1. Thesis
His supposed thesis,
'The Bible', is His only
major publication. lt
was written in
many obscure,
extinct
languages,
rendering
meanings and
findings open to
debate. lt has no
references and has
not as yet been
published in a
refereed journal.
There is some doubt
that He even wrote it
by himself (note
earlier research into
academic
provenance,
Movement ttL,
2OOL).
2. Research
It may be true that He
created the. world,
but what has He done
since then? His cooperative
efforts have
been limited. The
scientific community
has had a hard time
his
replicating
results. He never
applied to the ethics
board for permission
to use human
subjects. When one
experiment went awry
he tried to cover up
the evidence by
his
drowning
subjects.
subjects
didn't
I
J
When
behave
as
predicted, he
deleted them
from the
sample.
3. Teaching
He rarely attended
lectures, telling His
students to 'Read the
book.' There is
evidence of nepotism
in His influence on
academic appoint-
with
ments,
consistent rumours
that He appointed His
son as assistant
reader on His own
course.
His pastoral care of
students has been
erratic in the
extreme, for which
examples abound. He
expelled his first two
students for learning.
Later, although there
were only ten requirements,
most of His
students failed His
tests. Finally His
office hours were
infrequent and the
office itself appears
to have been located
off-campus at the top
of a nearby mountain.
4. Grammar and
Megalomania
His demand that the
rest of the University
capitalise the third
person pronoun when
referring to Him is
indicative of incipient
megalomania. I
recommend that He
be referred for
counselling.
However the
university
may like to
take an
option
on His
life
story
following the recent
success of 'mentally
troubled academic'
films
t
Beautiful Mind.
such as
AXIS TO GRIND?
Angered by George
Bush's snubbing by
omission f rom his
recent diatribe
against potentially
naughty states a
variety of the usual
suspects have
banded together to
form their own clubs.
Cuba, Sudan and
Serbia have become
founder members of
the Axis of Somewhat
Evil. Meanwhile
Libya, China, and
Syria announced they
had formed the Axis
of Just as Evil,
claiming to be much
worse than the
lightweight lran-lraq-
Korea
North
grouping.
ln an official
statement released
to the world press,
Axis of Evil members
immediately
dismissed the new
axes. 'Sufferers the
world over know
we're the best at
being evil, that ours
is the original and
best brand of evil on
the market. We ask
that countries refrain
from applying to join
our Axis. Our
forebears in World
War ll, Germany,
Italy, and Japan,
established that an
axis may only have
three members. Our
Axis is full. That is
until the USA bombs
one of us into
oblivion, but
because they're
the good guys
we're sure
they won't
do
^-.
something as
evil as that.'
With the criteria
proving somewhat
flexible, but all the
most desirable
axes filling up,
Sierra Leone, El
Salvador
and
Rwanda applied to
be called the Axis of
Countries That Aren't
the Worst But
Certainly Won't Be
Asked to Host the
Olympics. Canada,
Mexico, and France
formed the Axis of
Nations That Are
Actually Quite Nice
But Secretly Have
Nasty Thoughts About
America. Meanwhile
Scotland and New
Zealand are
canvassing for a third
country to join them
in th e Axis of
Countries That Be
Allowed to Ask Sheep
to Wear Lipstick. The
White House said it
would accept all
applications on their
merits and asked
nations to be patient
while it sorts out the
paperwork, which
requires presidential
Little
approval.
George has to be
taught to write his
signature joined up
so that he doesn't
look silly.
KHRIST KRUSIFIED
ON A KROSS
Following news of a
Malaysian skhoolteasher's
instruktion
to pupils not to kross
their 't's, I exhort all
readers to embark
upon reprisals. The
religion teasher
klaims to be protekting
lslam from the
Khristian influense of
the kross-like letter
't'. Until further
o
notise Serpent will
refrain from using
the letter 'c' (l had
to use it
there,
otherwise
you may
have
bekome
konfused). The
phonetics 'k'
and
! _'s'
will be
used as
ot "f';'::ll?i
,"
a well-known
symbol of lslam and
therefore represents
a signifikant threat to
our Khristian faith
and must be avoided
at all kosts.

D5t{,rdent
m
CONTAGT:
Cbrbtian
Student Ghristian Movement, University of Birmingham,
Weoley Park Road, Selly Oak, Birmingham B29 6LL.
t: OL21,47t 2404
e; scm@movement.org.uk w.' vvlvw.movement.org.uk