The Incongruent Believer

I was listening to a dramatisation of The Brothers Karamazov whilst on a long drive from north to south. It was the second time I had listened to this great work of literature and, as can happen quite often, I was struck by something Ivan Fyodorovich Karamazov had to say that I didn't pay much attention to. He is in dialogue with his brother Alyosha, the younger brother in 'training' to become a monk. Ivan is a writer who seems fully comfortable with the assertions of the Enlightenment writing some articles that offend the Orthodox Church, so there is somewhat of a backdrop creating uneasiness between these two estranged brothers who have been flung together because of a family crisis. Ivan reminds Alyosha that everything is permissible, a variation of 1 Corinthians 6:12 where Paul writes of sexual immorality, and asserts that if he does not accept God then he is able to do what he wills and not God. If you do not believe in God then you have no moral imperative, no need ...

ਸੱਚ For some reason my children and I have really got into Asian music, either via the BBC Asian Network or Punjabi Radio. It started as curiosity on their part - 'what is that radio station all about' - but now when they get in my car they instantly reach for the button (it's on my favourites list now') that tunes in to either Asian Network or Punjabi Radio. A few days ago they tuned into Punjabi Radio during a morning excursion (we normally find ourselves travelling in my car in the evening) which meant that rather than the usual Bhangra or traditional Asian music, we were greeted with a Sikh preacher and strangely enough they didn't change channels but listened. The preacher was talking about the importance of truth in our lives in all its forms; being true to ourselves; being true to our beliefs; being truthful to others. He spoke of this truth as being a foundation, a liberating force that helped lead to a godly life.  Reflecting on that I couldn't h...

The clothing that we are familiar with a Vicar, Father or other Reverend is not something stipulated by God, so if we are to be fully authentic should the clergy do away with any apparel that makes them look different. The history of the garb I will not bore you with aside to say that the Dog Collar originates from the Protestant origins personified by John Wesley who purportedly wore black and chose a white sweatband (cravat) to wear around their necks for the purpose of riding on horseback. Further, let us remember that the Protestant church arose from those who challenged the traditions and trappings of the Catholic church in a concerted effort to become more authentic. In Acts we read about Barnabas and Saul being "set apart" by the Holy Spirit to serve as apostles, and Paul occasionally talks about being "set apart" to serve the Gospel. So perhaps looking different is a good thing for clergy, and modestly wearing clothing that marks them as a person set ...

There is no denying the fact that I am really struggling with Church at the moment, part of the reason is that following a somewhat ignominious departure from the ministry I also departed from the church and fellowship that I had grown up in for nearly 20 years. I withdrew from long standing relationships, made little effort to keep in touch and reconcile with my past. Initially I also struggled with my relationship with God, trying to hide my face from him because of what I perceived as my failure to serve him. If we the add to that the hurt that I experienced from the Baptist Union, who were faced with someone who was obviously unwell and mentally unstable following the departure of their wife, yet sought to condemn rather than help. My whole world crashed around me and eventually so did my opinion and love of Church. I left a lot behind at that little Baptist Church at the bottom of the hill; plans, aspirations, friends, mentor, memories. Since then I have been a bit of a chur...