Very very gutsy thing to do:
Rev Hayley Young's courageous (that word again) explanation to her church about her HIV diagnosis following an attack. Good piece here on the BBC, including the struggle of being someone who's supposed to have 'the answers'. "There are times when God feels far away, but ultimately that peace and that strength are there".
Showing posts with label suffering. Show all posts
Showing posts with label suffering. Show all posts
Saturday, May 30, 2015
Sunday, February 01, 2015
Questions at the Pearly Gates
Stephen Fry has been in the news for a full and frank giving of views about what he'd say if he came face to face with God. As Krish Kandiah points out, he's not the first person to have asked these questions, and he won't be the last. (another good response by Madeleine Davies here)
Fry has probably got a much more robust conscience than I have. I'd be far more worried about what questions God would want to ask me.
A related but vaguely relevant aside: I heard the remark recently that the gates of heaven are made of pearl because they are a jewel which is formed through a process of suffering. Judging by Revelation (which we're working through at our church at the moment), most of those within the pearly gates will be those who have known suffering, and known God within it.
update: Pete Greig has also written a response, as has Red. Even Russell Brand has got involved, with a real curates egg of a piece, which combines serious argument with a fair dollop of postmodern spirituality. Having seen Brands piece, I find I'm more upset by Fry comments about Jesus than those about God. I guess it's because I don't recognise the God he describes, but to say that Jesus teachings are 'twee' and 'an insult to the human spirit'... I'm not really sure I want to say in print what I think about that.
and here's another response from Brother Ivo
and one at Christian Today from Ella Lloyd (which is a pseudonym): We all have reasons to be angry with God. Even those friends who I think are skipping around haven't got perfect lives. God has not granted anyone an easy ride. Anger is a healthy emotion and I am sure God is used to hearing it.
and Thou Shalt Not Question Stephen Fry at Fulcrum
Fry has probably got a much more robust conscience than I have. I'd be far more worried about what questions God would want to ask me.
A related but vaguely relevant aside: I heard the remark recently that the gates of heaven are made of pearl because they are a jewel which is formed through a process of suffering. Judging by Revelation (which we're working through at our church at the moment), most of those within the pearly gates will be those who have known suffering, and known God within it.
update: Pete Greig has also written a response, as has Red. Even Russell Brand has got involved, with a real curates egg of a piece, which combines serious argument with a fair dollop of postmodern spirituality. Having seen Brands piece, I find I'm more upset by Fry comments about Jesus than those about God. I guess it's because I don't recognise the God he describes, but to say that Jesus teachings are 'twee' and 'an insult to the human spirit'... I'm not really sure I want to say in print what I think about that.
and here's another response from Brother Ivo
and one at Christian Today from Ella Lloyd (which is a pseudonym): We all have reasons to be angry with God. Even those friends who I think are skipping around haven't got perfect lives. God has not granted anyone an easy ride. Anger is a healthy emotion and I am sure God is used to hearing it.
and Thou Shalt Not Question Stephen Fry at Fulcrum
Saturday, September 20, 2014
The Cross
Where is Jesus in the depths of our suffering? He is the God who became wholly human, who stood by our side, who sucked into himself every ounce of sin and suffering and brutality of this world, before then and after, in total injustice, absorbed it, held it, overcame it and rose from the dead, and is alive and with us by his Spirit today in reality and truth. And therefore death is defeated, despair is overcome, whatever we feel, wherever we are, however weak we are, afraid we are, depressed we are. You can be overwhelmed by the sorrows of this world – many are, sadly; depression assails them and only darkness seems all around. And yet Jesus remains light, whatever we feel, and loves us, however much we turn away.
So this cross is for all of us. It is the cross of sorrows and grief, that says God loved us enough to come and share every ounce of it with us. Grace upon grace, love to the loveless shown, that they might lovely be.
And the response he calls us to – to trust this grace and love with our lives. The one who is lifted high on the cross requires more than a glance from us, more than a quick squint or look. He calls us to believe, to trust, to take this love for us as the most certain thing in our lives. To become those who take up our cross and follow him. Who consider it fitting for us not to live life for ourselves, for our own glory, our own power, because that way lies evil and darkness. But live our lives for others, sacrificing everything. That is what it means to take up our cross, it’s what Jesus said. And when we do that, the morning breaks, the light fills our lives and our hearts and our world.
And as God’s people we are called to go out and draw others to find that extraordinary life that is found in the death of Jesus Christ.
from Justin Welby's sermon this week at Bristol Cathedral. Read the rest here.
Wednesday, June 25, 2014
A theology of terrible things
"In the course of this month I’ve lost most of the use of my right hand because of a stroke, together with something akin to neuralgia, also connected with the stroke, which causes a continual, throbbing headache. It’s a long haul, and the future is uncertain, but medication and hard work are already beginning to show results. The thing I want to make clear, though, is that, however shitty things get, they will never be a measure of God’s love for me or those who are close to me. Terrible things happen to Christians. They die in car crashes. They become paralysed. Businesses fail. Dreams plummet. Nightmares become reality. Our leader was crucified. If we can’t beef up our puny little theology by embracing and incorporating these inescapable facts we might as well give up our ridiculous faith and join the Ember Day Bryanites. They do coffee and biscuits. They’ll do.
Not for me. I’m in for the long haul..."
Wednesday, June 18, 2014
Justin Welby at Parliamentary Prayer Breakfast
An inspiring, challenging and encouraging talk 'the global church in the 21st century' by the AB of C at the Parliamentary Prayer Breakfast earlier this week. The full text is here, video here, below are some snippets which jumped out at me:
whatever else the Church is, I hope and pray and we will never just be useful – what a dreadful condemnation that would be. There have been moments when we’ve fallen into that trap, and the walls of Lambeth Palace are lined with Archbishops looking useful [laughter], a bit like Hogwarts. But it’s always happened when we’ve lost sight of the fact that at the heart of being a Christian is knowing Jesus Christ, so that together as we meet with Him and share in worship, we find ourselves renewed and strengthened for the call of carrying the cross and following Him.
"The Church, though, is a suffering church in this century. It is growing and in growing it suffers. It carries a cross. That is as true today as ever, and the last few years have demonstrated the truth and cost of that reality. A couple of weeks ago, Caroline and I were in Lahore in Pakistan.... We met some of the clergy and the Bishop of Peshawar who were involved in the bomb explosion last September at All Saints Church, an Anglican church, in which over 200 people were killed. And you ask them: “How are things recovering? Are people still going to church?” “Oh,” they said. “The congregation has tripled.” It is a suffering church and a church of courage.
"And lastly we are a hospitable church in the 21st century if we follow Christ – utterly at home in a world of numerous faith traditions. Open about the hope we have while listening to others. In Lent I spent some time with Ibrahim Mogra, the remarkable Muslim leader from Leicester, and we shared together our scriptures: I read bits of John’s Gospel with him, and he read bits of the Qur’an with me. Hospitable. That belonging to one another, being different, diverse and yet authentic to oneself and to one’s tradition and the truth, is a gift this world needs. It’s the opposite of all this Trojan Horse process. It is a generosity of spirit and openness to listen. The 21st century Church knows that the good news of Jesus Christ is a gift which is to be shared in witness.
whatever else the Church is, I hope and pray and we will never just be useful – what a dreadful condemnation that would be. There have been moments when we’ve fallen into that trap, and the walls of Lambeth Palace are lined with Archbishops looking useful [laughter], a bit like Hogwarts. But it’s always happened when we’ve lost sight of the fact that at the heart of being a Christian is knowing Jesus Christ, so that together as we meet with Him and share in worship, we find ourselves renewed and strengthened for the call of carrying the cross and following Him.
"The Church, though, is a suffering church in this century. It is growing and in growing it suffers. It carries a cross. That is as true today as ever, and the last few years have demonstrated the truth and cost of that reality. A couple of weeks ago, Caroline and I were in Lahore in Pakistan.... We met some of the clergy and the Bishop of Peshawar who were involved in the bomb explosion last September at All Saints Church, an Anglican church, in which over 200 people were killed. And you ask them: “How are things recovering? Are people still going to church?” “Oh,” they said. “The congregation has tripled.” It is a suffering church and a church of courage.
all Christians belong to one another as sister and brother, not as mutual members of a club. Through all our differences of culture... and we belong to one another not because we choose to but because God has made us that way; you can choose your friends, but you’re stuck with your relatives, and I have to tell you that all who follow Christ are relatives, so you’re stuck with me and I’m stuck with you, so we’d better get used to it. And that last point is essential to understanding how we act as the Church in the 21st century. We do not have the option, if we love one another, of simply ditching those with whom we disagree.
In the Church of England we are seeking to start a radical new way of being the Church: good and loving disagreement, a potential gift to a world of bitter and divisive conflict. What can be more radical than to disagree well, not by abandoning principle and truth, but affirming it – agreeing what is right, acting on it and yet continuing to love those who have a different view?
"The poor are not served by a divided church obsessed with inward issues.
even 20 years ago it took months to reach the far corners of the earth now, as we know, take seconds. Instant reaction has replaced reflective comment. That is a reality that you deal with in politics, and it demands a new reality of ways in which we accept one another, love each other, pray for each other. The best answer to a complex issue on which one has heard a soundbite from a sophisticated argument is not always given in 140 characters.
"International aid. The Church of the 21st century is among the most efficient and the best deliverers of help for the poor that exists on the face of the earth... Isn’t it wonderful, let’s celebrate what’s good – it’s easy to be cynical about politics – but let’s celebrate what’s good: that with cross-party support in this country we have maintained international aid at 0.7 per cent of GDP.
"In the South Sudan, again in January, Caroline and I were there, and we were called a couple of days before we got there by the Archbishop, Daniel Deng, one of the great heroes of the faith, and he said: “Would you come up to Bor with me?” A town in the middle of the fighting zone. Well, we did, with a slight objection from some people, but we did. And we went out and we found the town that had been taken and retaken four times. Bodies on the streets, the smell of death in 40 degrees of heat everywhere. Mass graves to consecrate. And what does Daniel do? He goes on national television in the South Sudan and calls for reconciliation. Isn’t that extraordinary? Doesn’t that speak of what the Church should be? And in Sudan, the Church is also speaking heroically for an imprisoned woman and her two children, Meriam, for whom truth matters enough to die. A 21st-century global church loves the poor and the victim, and stands for human dignity, challenges oppressors and supports victims. It speaks for women killed in lynchings called “honour killings”, or for those imprisoned under blasphemy laws. It does all that despite its own suffering. Truth and love embrace.
"And it’s a forgiven church because it’s a failing church. The Church is always full of failure, and I’m sorry to say that’s because it’s always full of people. Without wishing to be controversial, you’re sinners, and so am I. I once said that in a sermon and someone came up afterwards and said: “I’d never have come and listened to you if I knew you were a sinner.”
"And lastly we are a hospitable church in the 21st century if we follow Christ – utterly at home in a world of numerous faith traditions. Open about the hope we have while listening to others. In Lent I spent some time with Ibrahim Mogra, the remarkable Muslim leader from Leicester, and we shared together our scriptures: I read bits of John’s Gospel with him, and he read bits of the Qur’an with me. Hospitable. That belonging to one another, being different, diverse and yet authentic to oneself and to one’s tradition and the truth, is a gift this world needs. It’s the opposite of all this Trojan Horse process. It is a generosity of spirit and openness to listen. The 21st century Church knows that the good news of Jesus Christ is a gift which is to be shared in witness.
"The church is not an NGO with lots of old buildings. It is the Church of God, rejoicing in the realities of cultural diversity in a way never known before: global, cross-bearing, confident and welcoming. The Church holds for the world the treasure of reconciliation, and offers it as a gift freely given out of its own experience of struggling with the reality of it, of being reconciled ourselves through the sovereign love of God in Jesus Christ. The global Church is above all God's church, for all its failings, and in passionate devotion to him will offer the treasure He puts in our hands, unconditionally, always pointing in worship, deed and word to Jesus Christ.
Sorry, that's a lot of snippets, but there is a lot of good stuff in there. Well worth a read/listen.
Some links to the media coverage of the breakfast here
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
"I feel that you are closer to God when you are messed up"
Somehow I ended up with a copy of the Observer at the weekend, which carried a thought-provoking interview with actress Samantha Morton. Some of it is quite tough reading, and what Morton says about her faith is quite striking.
'Lucy' is a character in The Unloved, a film she co-wrote and directed, an 11 year old whose experience of abuse and childrens homes mirrors Morton's own childhood. Morton comments:
...there is an element of Lucy that is about the true nature of Catholicism. She prays for people, even the people who have harmed her. She forgives." Is she saying that she was like that as a child? "In a way, yes. Catholicism played such a huge part in my life, I would not have survived without my faith."
How did it manifest itself? "I suppose what I'm trying to say is that I felt watched over as a kid." But did she never feel angry with God for letting these things happen to her? "No. Never. I was angry but not at God. I feel that you are closer to God when you are messed up. Definitely. That's when you most need God, and God cannot control what man does."
Does she still have her faith? Is she religious? "I'm not a Bible thumper, and I don't want to go on about this because it will always be misinterpreted, but I have a wonderful joy in my life and that is that I have always believed in God. I just have and I think I'm lucky. Some people question that faith but, when you are little, and you find something as powerful as that, you do not question it. It's what got me through it all."
Some people seem to endure horrific experiences and can't forgive God for not intervening. Others like Morton have those experiences but seem to end up with a stronger faith. I have no idea what makes the difference. To say that faith is simply a gift might be the answer, but it also sounds like a cop-out. Why do some get the gift and not others?
Other comment: the language of being 'watched over' is very common, in my limited experience it's one of the most frequent ways that people talk about God. I guess it comes out strongly with baptism families, the notion that a strong and protective God is watching over your small and vulnerable child. For weddings, very few couples believe they've come together by accident, the language of 'meant to be' hints at someone/thing having a hand in things.
'Lucy' is a character in The Unloved, a film she co-wrote and directed, an 11 year old whose experience of abuse and childrens homes mirrors Morton's own childhood. Morton comments:
...there is an element of Lucy that is about the true nature of Catholicism. She prays for people, even the people who have harmed her. She forgives." Is she saying that she was like that as a child? "In a way, yes. Catholicism played such a huge part in my life, I would not have survived without my faith."
How did it manifest itself? "I suppose what I'm trying to say is that I felt watched over as a kid." But did she never feel angry with God for letting these things happen to her? "No. Never. I was angry but not at God. I feel that you are closer to God when you are messed up. Definitely. That's when you most need God, and God cannot control what man does."
Does she still have her faith? Is she religious? "I'm not a Bible thumper, and I don't want to go on about this because it will always be misinterpreted, but I have a wonderful joy in my life and that is that I have always believed in God. I just have and I think I'm lucky. Some people question that faith but, when you are little, and you find something as powerful as that, you do not question it. It's what got me through it all."
Some people seem to endure horrific experiences and can't forgive God for not intervening. Others like Morton have those experiences but seem to end up with a stronger faith. I have no idea what makes the difference. To say that faith is simply a gift might be the answer, but it also sounds like a cop-out. Why do some get the gift and not others?
Other comment: the language of being 'watched over' is very common, in my limited experience it's one of the most frequent ways that people talk about God. I guess it comes out strongly with baptism families, the notion that a strong and protective God is watching over your small and vulnerable child. For weddings, very few couples believe they've come together by accident, the language of 'meant to be' hints at someone/thing having a hand in things.
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
'Blue Christmas' service
Simple Massing Priest has posted a Blue Christmas liturgy used for Christmas '08, together with reflections on how the service went. The idea is a Christmas service for those who find that time of year difficult or depressing, and who seek an act of worship which isn't resolutely upbeat and jolly.
I know it's far too early for Christmas, but if this idea does spark anyone off, at least you've got time to plan it in!
I know it's far too early for Christmas, but if this idea does spark anyone off, at least you've got time to plan it in!
Friday, September 04, 2009
Perspectives on Evil and Suffering: Wright, Bauckham, Ward
Great to find this collection of vids posted by St. Johns Nottingham, Tom Wright on the Resurrection, Richard Bauckham on how the NT was put together. It's a good day for online video resources (see previous post).
For a taster, here's the first of a two parter on evil and suffering, recently posted, featuring Keith Ward, Tom Wright and Richard Bauckham.
some of the blurb from the college:
As well as a number of the Extension Studies DVDs being showcased, featuring;
Tom Wright, Richard Burridge, James Dunn, Graham Stanton and Stephen Travis,
we also have extracts from a number of videos that will be used in our multimedia Interactive Timeline project. They feature Richard Bauckham, Karen Kilby, Anthony Thiselton, Larry Hurtado, Tim Hull and Ben Fulford, introducing Jurgen Moltmann Von Balthasar, Karl Rahner, Paul Ricoeur , Wolfhart Pannenberg and Han Frei.
We are at this moment trying out a provisional web version of our timeline, that focuses on 20th and 21st century theology and modern thought, where you can see how some of the above videos are going to be used. This link will follow in due course.
Also soon to follow, we hope there will be extracts of videos, featuring Keith Ward discussing the problem of evil, William Lane Craig discussing Richard Dawkins’ The God Delusion and many more.
excellent. Watch this space.
For a taster, here's the first of a two parter on evil and suffering, recently posted, featuring Keith Ward, Tom Wright and Richard Bauckham.
some of the blurb from the college:
As well as a number of the Extension Studies DVDs being showcased, featuring;
Tom Wright, Richard Burridge, James Dunn, Graham Stanton and Stephen Travis,
we also have extracts from a number of videos that will be used in our multimedia Interactive Timeline project. They feature Richard Bauckham, Karen Kilby, Anthony Thiselton, Larry Hurtado, Tim Hull and Ben Fulford, introducing Jurgen Moltmann Von Balthasar, Karl Rahner, Paul Ricoeur , Wolfhart Pannenberg and Han Frei.
We are at this moment trying out a provisional web version of our timeline, that focuses on 20th and 21st century theology and modern thought, where you can see how some of the above videos are going to be used. This link will follow in due course.
Also soon to follow, we hope there will be extracts of videos, featuring Keith Ward discussing the problem of evil, William Lane Craig discussing Richard Dawkins’ The God Delusion and many more.
excellent. Watch this space.
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Living with Questions
struck by these powerful words from David Hayward
It takes incredible resolve to allow questions to hover indefinitely.
I have no patience for the Answer Men. I have no time for the Sirs of Solutions. I can’t tolerate the Dampers of Doubt, the Question Quenchers. It’s all show. It’s all marketing. It’s all profit. It’s all sham. I’m no longer interested in answers. They’re a dime a dozen. Certitude now wreaks of fraud. And I am not ashamed that the people I will gather with tonight are just as confused as I am… on the cross before God wailing our unrequited questions.
It takes incredible resolve to allow questions to hover indefinitely.
I have no patience for the Answer Men. I have no time for the Sirs of Solutions. I can’t tolerate the Dampers of Doubt, the Question Quenchers. It’s all show. It’s all marketing. It’s all profit. It’s all sham. I’m no longer interested in answers. They’re a dime a dozen. Certitude now wreaks of fraud. And I am not ashamed that the people I will gather with tonight are just as confused as I am… on the cross before God wailing our unrequited questions.
Monday, May 19, 2008
Monday, April 21, 2008
2 Brave Men
1. John Prescott, going public with his struggle with bulimia. Well done him, if it helps even one person ask for help or get support it will have been worth it.
2. Jon Birch, for posting this cartoon after agonising about it.
Along with another cartoon on Jons blog it's already attracted a torrent of comments, several from people who seem relieved at the chance to break the silence on what they do. "I'd buried it but not dealt with it until today."Monday, July 30, 2007
John Simpson on suffering
Richard Franks ever-excellent blog links today to a piece by John Simpson, the BBC correspondent, on the change in his attitude to suffering following the recent birth of his son. For one who's been in on most of the major conflicts of the last 30 years, and seen so much war and destruction, it's quite striking to hear what he says.
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