Unitarianism and the emerging church?

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Blogs are good places for controversy- I think.

But not controversy just for the sake of controversy. So forgive me if I open up the issue that appears to be the nightmare of any fundamentalist (and many liberal) Christian- the spectre of Univeralist belief systems.

I have a reason for doing this. The idea of univeralism has crossed my path a few times recently. There was Fred Hammond’s response to this blog post. Fred is a Unitarian Minister in the America’s deep south- and has an interesting blog here.

I am also back from my brother-in-laws wedding. He and Emma chose to get married in a Unitarian Chapel in their home town of Belper in Derbyshire. It was a wonderful wedding, created by Chris and Emma as a highly individual celebration of their decision to live and love together. I picked up some leaflets about the chapel, first established in 1680, and about Unitarianism itself, which left me thinking…

Then there is our local hymn-writing hero, George Matheson, the Blind Preacher of Innellan, Argyll. He is perhaps most famous for writing the wonderful hymn ‘O love that wilt not let me go’, but in his time, thousands flocked to hear his oratory power. I came across one of his other hymns recently when attending a lecture at his former church in Innellan. It gives a whole different perspective on the theological melting pot that was Victorian religion in Britain.

Gather us in, Thou Love that fillest all;
Gather our rival faiths within Thy fold;
Rend each man’s temple veil, and bid it fall,
That we may know that Thou hast been of old.

Gather us in—we worship only Thee;
In varied names we stretch a common hand;
In diverse forms a common soul we see;
In many ships we seek one spirit land.

Each sees one color of Thy rainbow light,
Each looks upon one tint and calls it heaven;
Thou art the fullness of our partial sight;
We are not perfect till we find the seven.

Thine is the mystic life great India craves;
Thine is the Parsee’s sin-destroying beam;
Thine is the Buddhist’s rest from tossing waves;
Thine is the empire of vast China’s dream.

Thine is the Roman’s strength without his pride;
Thine is the Greek’s glad world without its graves;
Thine is Judea’s law with love beside,
The truth that censures and the grace that saves.

Some seek a Father in the heav’ns above;
Some ask a human image to adore;
Some crave a spirit vast as life and love;
Within Thy mansions we have all and more.

So- Unitarianism. What do they believe? The good old BBC has a summary (see here for more.) A couple of lines stood out…

everyone has the right to seek truth and meaning for themselves, using: their intellect; their conscience and their own experience of life

the best setting for finding religious truth and meaning is a community that welcomes each individual for themselves, complete with their beliefs, doubts and questions.

It occurs to me that many of the critics of the ’emerging church’ (whatever this is, or whatever we call it now!) categorise it’s followers as essentially liberal, and sliding towards a universalist position on faith and truth. That is to say, the suggestion is that we have bought into a post-modern way of thinking that sees everything as relative to your own individual perspective- and truth itself as multi-faceted and undefinable.

And, if I am honest, there seems to be much of the Unitarian tradition that I feel in sympathy with- the point above for example.

But I remain a follower of Jesus, and things that he said and is doing through us, his faulty followers. I have reminded myself that I am not universalist in my beliefs. I may be uninterested in labeling anyone else a heretic, but when it comes down to it, I do not believe that all routes lead to God, nor that all faiths bring equal but complimentary truth.

There may yet be a point at which the Emerging Church has emerged, into something with its own unifying doctrinal statements. I hope the two above will be there, more or less complete…

Margaret Thatcher and Elvis Costello

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news-graphics-2008-_661518a.jpg (JPEG Image, 350×330 pixels)

Margaret Thatcher’s daughter Carol has recently written movingly about her mother’s advancing Alzheimers Disease. THere was an interesting debate on the radio this evening concerning whether Carol should have revealed these intimate details of her mothers dementia, as her mother now lacks the ability to give her consent to this.

The spectre of old age infirmity and loss of faculties hangs over all of us. Author Terry Pratchett has been outspoken about his own dementia, and it seems to me that any publicity that raises the profile of the experience of this growing group of people is a good thing. Even better if this results in increased funding for research and development in treatment and care of older folks.

Anyone who has to visit the back wards of the oldest parts of our hospitals (where the ‘elderly acute’ wards are almost always to be found) will be aware that such places often appear to be nothing more than warehouses for amateur cadavers. Despite some wonderful staff, for most of the people who end their days there- after a referral of last resort- dignity has long gone.

But- Margaret Thatcher- vulnerable, human, just like the rest of us…

I grew up in Thatcher’s Britain. Communities I lived in where split apart by her calculated battle with the National Union of Miners, and now almost all the pits are gone. I write this sat in a car driving through Sheffield on out way down to Derbyshire to attend a family wedding. All the steel works are gone. The old industrial sites are covered with scrub, or been cleared back to make shrines to the great patron of retail parks, Margaret herself…

Were all those broken communities and broken lives necessary? Did economic reality make them inevitable, as Margaret always said? Did the Free Market really know best? History will decide, I suppose. But her status as an iconic epoch shifter is already cast in bronze.

But in the 1980’s, we knew who our enemy was. She was Satan in a twin-set. She personified everything that we rejected. It all came back to ideology- and hers was based on a selfish individualism, and an elevation of greed as an engine for social change. Or that is the way half of Britain saw it.

She inspired incredible idolatry from her followers. And generated genuine loathing from the other side of the spectrum, perhaps like no other democratic politician before or since. It is possible to understand the divisive effect she had more fully by remembering a song by Elvis Costello called ‘Tramp the dirt down.’ It included these lines;

I saw a newspaper picture from the political campaign
A woman was kissing a child, who was obviously in pain
She spills with compassion, as that young child’s
face in her hands she grips
Can you imagine all that greed and avarice
coming down on that child’s lips

Well I hope I don’t die too soon
I pray the Lord my soul to save
Oh I’ll be a good boy, I’m trying so hard to behave
Because there’s one thing I know, I’d like to live
long enough to savour
The day they finally put you in the ground

I’ll stand on your grave and tramp the dirt down

Words by Elvis Costello, from the album ‘Spike’, 1989.



With the benefit of a few years family-raising and Brodski-quartet-consorting, the angry man of pop might regret these words now, but the point is, some of us sang along to these words with relish at the time.

So Margaret, may your end be kind.

And may those whose fate was once in your hands not wish upon your head the pain of poverty and powerlessness.

And may each one of us be worth so much more than a distant decimal point in an economist’s prediction…

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What is God doing 4- The eternal perspective, free will and Mystery…

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This is a continuation of excerpts of an article on how we understand pain and suffering- which were begun following watching the film ‘God on Trial‘- see here and here and here for the others.

Free will


Following on from the point above, many would point to the fact that most of the worst disasters on the planet could never be thought of as ‘acts of God’. Wars are fought over many things, sometimes even religion, but we can not blame God for our refusal to live in peace with our brothers and sisters. War is rarely, if ever, ‘just’, and innocents always suffer.

As for famine and starvation, we tend to blame droughts and pestilence, and mass movements of people to escape disasters. But there seems little doubt that there is enough food in the world to feed everyone. It is just that we eat most of it in the rich west. Many would point out that the poor are poorer and more vulnerable following on from imperialist history and the capitalist system that perpetuates the inequality in the present day. Starvation and vulnerability to flood and many other so called natural disasters could be seen as economic problems, not natural ones. Men and women were given free will. This is the world that we made. And we blame God.

But there are still many dreadful things that happen to good people, for no apparent reason, except what sometimes seems like some kind of life lottery. Some have, some have not. Some suffer, others prosper. In the words of the writer of Ecclesiastes, “…all is meaningless…”

The eternal perspective


Many have emphasised the temporal nature of our stay on this earth- the one certainty about being born is that we are all going to die. My faith in God reminds me that whatever this life holds for me, there is more. It also teaches me that I can choose how to live my life- what I do with it, and how I use the talents, great or small, that he gave me. One day I will have to account for how I helped those suffering, sick, hungry and dirty whom God placed in front of me. Jesus said that if you do this for the least of these, then you do it for him.

There is a rich legacy of spiritual songs left behind by black slaves taken to America to work the plantations and mills of the New World. Most seem to focus on the eventual end of suffering brought on by death, and the blessing of the hereafter. Critical voices have been raised against a religion that promises good things in the by and by, whilst tolerating dreadful injustice in this world – even justifying them and giving them the sheen of respectability. This seems to be very like the ‘opium of the people’ that Marx referred to so disparagingly. We should remember, however, that the great anti-slavery reformers like Wilberforce, were also motivated by their faith in God.

Mystery
‘God works in mysterious ways, his wonders to perform’, or so says the old hymn. We still hear this quoted, as if to excuse all the bad things that happen in this world.

Could it be, however, that there is a hidden purpose, yet to be revealed? Perhaps there are complex webs of circumstances that might have a final wonderful outcome, and God, like a master strategist, has a great cosmic war game laid out before him, and he will have his Waterloo.

Again, there seems to be some truth in these words. Life has a way of moving on. Difficult circumstances often forge wonderful solutions, and give birth to new and beautiful things.

After a blazing forest fire there comes fresh and clean new growth. Out of war came peace and the United Nations. Out of grief and loss comes a woman giving her life to supporting others in similar circumstances. After brokenness and humility come eternal life.

We are fearfully and wonderfully made, and our capacity for resilience and adaptation is seemingly endless – particularly in situations of adversity.

We search for meaning, but “My ways are not your ways, and neither are my thoughts your thoughts, declares the Lord.” (Isaiah 55: 8).

Del’s beautiful (but absolutely pointless) machine…

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Time for something to lighten the mood I reckon- after all the discussion about pain and suffering and death and gas chambers.

Check out the clip.

This old guy must have spent countless hours making this lovely thing. It is a work of rough-handed, craftsman-genius.

It has no discernible purpose. It has no obvious meaning.

He is either slightly bonkers, or a backwoods savant who deserves international recognition. Or both.

But I love the fact that we humans can create such things. Perhaps there is no higher modern art form than this one…

It breaks the earth…

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African sky
Brilliant blue
With clouds improbable
Puff balls from a child’s painting
And bright green hills
With warm grass
Worming in the wind
The garments of fertility
Fecund, but fragile.

But there a man scrapes back the bright colours
Exposes the hungry rust-red soil
And in the heat, moisture escapes
Giving the air the smell of blood
Then the pick arcs and thuds deep
Turning and piling high the spoil heap
The wastage.

And at the edge of Mbana’s mothers grave
A few people gather.
Here for the food and the warm weak beer
Sadness tempered by familiarity
Grief is now a thing for children
Tears can never turn back time.

AIDS
All Innocence Dies
It breaks the Earth
It breaks the Earth.

27.2.05. Children in need, South Africa.

What is God doing 3- Pain, testing

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There is a book by Philip Yancey and Dr. Paul Brand, called ‘Pain, the gift nobody wants’.

Dr Brand was a world renowned authority on leprosy, and spent his whole life working amongst the untouchables of the Indian subcontinent. What he was able to show was that leprosy was not the direct cause of the damage to skin and tissue or the loss of extremities so common in this terrible disease. Instead, this was caused by the effect of living a life unable to feel pain. Leprosy damages the central nervous system, and suddenly our sensitivity to the world around us – its sharp edges, its heat and its pressure – is removed. The end result is terrible damage. What Dr. Brand was able to show was that pain, far from being a cosmic accident, was in fact a blessing. This was revealed most clearly in the absence of pain seen in sufferers of leprosy – normality in negative.

Could it be then, that at some level, suffering is good for us? It is how we learn about ourselves, and our relationship to objects around us, and helps us to learn essential things that ensure that we do not put our bodies at risk?

This led me to thinking about whether we could apply some of this logic to the more complex human emotions – what would life be like with no suffering?

What if there was no hate?

What if there was no grief?

What if there was no anxiety and fear?

How could we know about love if we had no understanding of what the alternative is like?

If we did not feel appalling loss at the death of a loved one, what would be the value of human life?

Lepers are seen as outcasts, less than human. I wonder what the effect of being impervious to emotional pain would be like. I have come to think that the ability to suffer is one of those defining characteristics of being human.

Perhaps lepers are in fact super-human.

What is light without shade?

But it is all easy for me to get philosophical about this stuff- my skin is clear…

Testing
Others have described suffering as a test from God: a process by which our faith is put to the heat and tempered. Some would even say that what does not kill you will only make you stronger.

There seems to be some truth in this as I look around me. We learn far more about our selves and our relationship to life’s big questions during difficult times than when all is calm and peaceful. It seems that we only really turn to God in those moments when all alternatives have been tried and failed. When there is no hope left, but Him. Strangely enough, many people report a strengthening of their faith through adverse circumstances. You must know people like this, and perhaps like me marvel at their fortitude. It is almost as if pain and suffering become a bridge to allow God into the centre of people’s lives – bringing a new kind of peace and joy and certainty. Suffering itself seems for some to have redemptive power – somehow it brings the best (and the worst) from us.

But it is only a small step from accepting that God would use these circumstances for our advantage to wondering if he sent them in the first place. Is there really no other way?

What is God doing 2- Job’s comforters

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( a continuation of a thread of excerpts from an article. The previous one is here.)

Blake's Job

The pictures are all by that hoary old mystic, William Blake.

One book of the Bible tries to examine the issue of pain and suffering in the world issue more than any other – the book of Job. It is a difficult book, with many questions unanswered about its origins. Some say the book was written down around the time of Abraham, or Jacob, perhaps by Job himself. Other say the book is much later, perhaps written by a great poet, such as Isaiah. Some of the style of the writing may be in keeping with the time of David and Solomon.

There is also divided opinion as to whether there was an actual historical figure called Job, or whether this was rather a didactic poem, prophetically inspired to shine light on some truths about God. It is clearly a historic book from the outset, but Hebrew scholars have often seen the story as a parable.

What of the story?

Job was a good man – rich in family and possessions, and a benefactor to the poor and needy. He had it all, and had already lived a long and prosperous life before the tale begins. Then, for some reason, God allowed the Devil to test Job, so that the Devil could see that Job’s goodness was not dependent on God’s blessing. Firstly, the Devil was given power over Job’s property. He lost all his cattle, then his sheep, and finally his camels. Then a cruel desert wind blew on the house of his eldest son and it fell, killing all his sons and daughters who had gathered to eat together.

Job tore his clothes in grief, but had this to say,

“Naked I came out of my mother’s womb, and naked I will leave this world behind. The Lord gives, and the Lord takes away. Blessed be the name of the Lord.”

Next the Devil was given permission to attack Job directly, and Job contracted some dreadful skin disease. He sat in the ashes of his life, and was forced to scrape at his sores with a broken pot to try to get relief. In despair, his wife tells him to “curse God, and die.” But Job says, “We receive from God all that is good, why should he not also send trouble?”

Job then gets a visit from three old friends. They sat with Job in silence for seven days, pondering his fate, searching for wisdom. What was God doing?  Then, in turn, they spoke. First Job was accused of harbouring some secret sin – any man who had experienced the misfortune that he had must have done much to deserve it. Job should repent and throw himself on the mercy of God, who was correcting his ways. But Job can only protest that his punishment is more than his crime.

Job’s friends start to list the glories of God – who can fathom the mysteries of God? And Job’s replies become more and more bitter, and angry. Who can blame him?

“…so man wastes away like something rotten; like a garment eaten by moths. Man born of woman is of few days and full of trouble. He springs up like a flower and withers away; like a fleeting shadow, he does not endure. Will God fix his eye upon such a one? Will you bring him before you for judgment? Who can bring what is pure from what is impure? No-one! Man’s days are determined; you have decreed the number of his months and have set limits he cannot exceed. So look away from him and let him alone till he has put in his time like a hired hand.” (Ch. 14)

And from the comfort of respectability, Job’s friends continue to caution him against his rash words, but he becomes less tolerant of their self- righteousness. The whole story begins to read like a court room drama, with God being accused of crimes against humanity.

Then, step forward a younger man, Elihu, angry with Job for justifying himself against God, and angry at the others for their inability to bring Job to his senses. He speaks bravely about the wonders of God, and suggests that suffering might be put upon man to keep him from greater sin, and for moral betterment. Elihu speaks well and is obviously a good man, but his words ring just as hollow as mine seem to when I too try to explain human suffering.

Suddenly, into the story steps God. It is almost as if he can hold himself back no longer. God offers no explanations; rather he bursts out question after question;

“Where were you when I made the world?”
“Have you ever given orders to the morning or shown the dawn its place?”
“Can you raise yourself to the clouds and cover yourself with springs of water?”
“Will the one who contends with the Almighty correct him?”

And Job does what we all must do. He falls on his face and says, “I am unworthy. How can I reply to you?” “My ears had heard you, but now I have seen you. Therefore I despise myself, and repent in dust and ashes.” Job saw God, in all his glory, in all his power and splendour, and lived.

God corrects Job’s comforters (but Elihu is not mentioned) and restores Job. He lives for another 140 years, old enough to see his great-grandchildren prosper.

As I look back at this story – it is all there. Sin and the fall of man, greed and man’s injustice, the test that comes to us through pain. Writ large is an eternal perspective, and a God who through it all, still loves, still wants to be close to us. Also, however, is the God of mystery. He did not answer the why questions apart from using who questions of his own in reply. He is God.

At the end of my searching, reviewing and wrestling, I still can not answer the questions of why there is pain and suffering and starvation in this world. I have some clues, and perhaps like Elihu, I can gain some part of the truth. But ultimately, God is God. Who am I to presume to understand? Like Job, we live our lives in the shadow of the wings of the Almighty. We search for meaning and for significance, and many of us have found this in part through relationship and encounters with God – but ultimately, I think,  we all walk towards wonderful (and at times unfathomable) mystery.

All the wonderful images were pinched from here.

EBAY launches WorldofGood

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I thought it was worth giving this new enterprise a plug. With ebay behind it, it should be successful!

Here’s the blurb;

WorldofGood.com by eBay is the world’s first online marketplace to convene thousands of People Positive and Eco Positive sellers and products all in one place, empowering you to shop in ways that align with your personal values. Respected, independent organizations verify the positive impact every product has on people and the planet. Our goal is to ensure that every choice you make here is a good one.

Check it out here.

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What is God doing? SIN

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In response to the my recent post about the film ‘God on Trial’ I am going to post excerpts from an article I wrote called ‘What is God doing?’

This is the big question for all of us trying to stumble through life. What is it all about? If there IS a God, what is he doing? Does he not see all the pain and suffering in the world? Why does he allow the flowering of such evil in the lives of those created in his image? How about landslides and Tsunami’s and earthquakes? So many lives snuffed out casually and with no discernible heavenly distress. What is he doing?

Some members of my family, who I love, have looked at this God of ours, and come to the conclusion that religion is all smoke and mirrors, behind which lies emptiness. Evolution brought us here, they would say, and we will leave nothing behind but a DNA chain (if we are lucky) when we end. On the few occasions I have tried to talk about this a little more with them, we have rarely got beyond the spectre of starving children. No God of love could allow such a thing, ergo there is no God. I try to reply, but even to my ears, the words sound weak, and inadequate. Because I too want to ask Him, what are you doing?

The teachings of the church over millennia have had to grapple with these same problems, and some explanations have been offered. Some of these answers now seem shallow at best, and others downright repugnant. Perhaps we should not judge too harshly those who have carried the responsibility of interpreting such mysteries for others. A simple certainty can be very seductive.

I decided to try to gather together some of the main perspectives that had been handed down to me through my own tradition – a kind of review of the arguments- a view from the anthill.

Sin

Some would say that bad things happen to people for a reason, as judgement on those who have sinned and displeased God. We can justify this statement by following the story lines of the Old Testament – evidence of a punishing and wrathful God can be found. There have been those throughout the history of the church who have used this image of God to explain famine, flood and loss in battle. More recently, through high profile disasters, voices have again been raised proclaiming Gods judgement on those outside his laws. The attack on the twin towers in Manhattan was seen as just rewards on New York’s gay community. The Tsunami was proclaimed as an attack on the largely Moslem countries found around the Indian Ocean. Sure, many non-Moslems, and non-gay people died, but they were innocent victims killed by friendly fire. I am not making this up, honestly!

A powerful school of thought, which has gained dominance, particularly in evangelical and fundamentalist circles, has increasingly seen the course of history in terms of dispensations. The world as we know it is in decline- sliding towards its inevitable destruction. It has been so bad that first God decided to remove his Holy Spirit, and eventually will remove his Church, prior to the end times, when the world will be destroyed, and replaced with Planet Earth, mark 2. The end result is a world view that sees the sinful and faulty planet as a hopeless case. The sooner we all leave it, the better. The more we isolate ourselves and live as a people set apart, the better. When bad things happen, they will be an inevitable consequence of living in a world fragmenting and falling into destruction.

Other teachers who have studied the Bible describe a different version of the fall of man- going something like this. God made the world, and over all placed men (and women). He gave free will to his people, and when they turned from Him, all creation groaned. Everything became out of balance, distorted and discordant. From this process, rivers flood, volcanoes erupt and people fight, grab and lust- sin is let loose on all creation. God did not give up. Throughout history, he has tried to offer men and women redemption and the chance to participate with Him in a different way of being, but we live in a world untransformed and awaiting a final day when, according to the bible, Jesus will return. According to this view of history, our understanding of sin is still crucial to ideas of why bad things happen in the world, but it is about an unfolding process, not about individual guilt.

Powerful and biblical though this picture is, I still feel pangs of dissatisfaction. Does God sit next to some great cosmic scales of justice waiting for the sands to run out, watching us all running our little human races? Having the means to intervene and sort out this mess, but not the inclination?

This image of God troubles me greatly. This is a distortion of all that I have come to believe and hope for. I believe in a God who tempers anger with mercy, to such an extent that he sent his own Son to take on the sin of a fallen world. I believe in a gospel that proclaims the coming of a new Kingdom HERE and NOW, introducing the constant tension between our calling to work for good in our time, whilst living in hope for a future when all things will be made new.

Castles and boundaries…

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We humans are so good at creating boundaries- in groups, and out groups. Nations states often seem to have a dependent relationship with their enemies.

We have seen the extremes of this- the walls around China, or Berlin, and now- Palestine.

This learning to love thing- it is tough.

I have commented before on how difficult living in community with others can be- how it peels you and then salts the sore bits. (See here.)

At times I think that anyone who tries to live like this is engaging in a foolish ritual, that is guaranteed to be fruitless and painful. Like squatting in spurs.

But then I see a flicker again of how things should be. A friend with an arm around another, seeming to generate warmth that is tangible. Or a relationship that has been bad, now made good… and the picture given to us in Acts 3 seems possible.

32All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they shared everything they had. 33With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and much grace was upon them all. 34There were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned lands or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales 35and put it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to anyone as he had need.

But lets never kid ourselves that this path of love is an easy one- or even an instinctive one.

our rambling old house

our rambling old house

We British people have been blessed with many good things- comparative peace, the rule of law, freedoms that others envy. Our experience of poverty and injustice is often second hand. But sometimes, our castles are seiged- just a little,,,

We live in a big old house in Dunoon, that we regard as God’s house. (Although, somewhat unfairly, the mortgage is ours!) We try to keep open doors, and offer respite to folk who need it. We use the many rooms for all sorts of different things, and for us, the house is a blessing through which we seek to bless others.

In our town there are many issues over boundaries and access to property. Our house is accessed over a rough track that goes over land owned by another property. This is no problem of itself- there are laws that deal with ‘kith and carriage’, and the requirement to maintain people’s rights of access. Our house was built in 1840, and used to be a hotel- so these are not new issues!

But there will always be some for whom this becomes a problem. We were unfortunate enough to have one of these people moving into the property over which we accessed our house. He decided that he did not like other people using his lane, and did everything he could to try to make it difficult for us, our visitors, and the other people who live up the lane.

He narrowed the entrance, and put in huge speed bumps that damaged cars. He refused to cut away obstructive trees. He blocked the lane with vehicles and refused to let our visitors in or out. He set his dog loose, and laughed when it attacked me.

Neighbours got involved in pitched battles with him, in which he threatened violence. Police and solicitors were involved. We tried our best to stay out of it all. We tried to build a relationship with him, and to speak to his wife and his young son, who would scurry on by. We worried about what sort of life they were leading in the midst of all this aggression and anger.

But living with this eats away at you. Finding a position of love and forgiveness in the shadow of such unpleasantness- this is hard.

It was a great relief to us when he moved away, to a more isolated location up country.

But this being a small town, I keep bumping into him, or his wife. He glares, and I seethe a little.

I need some Holy Spirit help… perhaps yet there will be an opportunity to show something of Jesus…

One thing that happened a couple of days ago though,was that we received a solicitors letter informing us that half of the house next door had been built on our land. It was asking us if we would give consent for the boundaries to be re-drawn.

It was an easy decision to make, and felt very good.