Seeking After Truth

There is a certain way that churches do evangelism. Probably applies to conservative and evangelical churches more than liberal ones. Liberal ones tend not to do evangelism.

The methodology uses the metaphor of a meal and feeding a baby.

The parent has the food. As much food is put into the baby as possible who then needs to burp before any more can be taken.

The teacher has the truth. As much truth is put into the enquirer as possible who then needs to burp before more can be taken.

Alpha uses this model. The talks are the food and the discussion groups are the burp. It still works for some people, especially those who have a respect for the knowledge and ability of the teacher. The discussion groups allow people to respond to the talk and the next talk builds on this.

It was perhaps nearly twenty years ago that I met my first brother in Christ who would describe himself as an 'emergent' Christian. The person in question, who I encountered at a very funky little group at the Custard Factory in Brum where Christians involved in the arts could support each other, called himself a 'Seeker After Truth'.

I loved that. I loved the language, the spirit of enquiry, the lack of certainty (therefore the presence of mystery), the general cultural alertness of the members of the group.

In doing their work (and all were highly effective communicators of the gospel) they emphasised some things that operated counter to conservative Christian culture. I will call the communicator 'teacher' in these examples but I mean it more in the sense of philosopher, or journey-leader. Here are some emphases:

1. Seeking. Both teacher and disciple are seeking. Both might be changed by the process. The person who is interested or enquiring is valued as someone who has something to bring to the party. The whole one-beggar-sharing-bread-with-another thing.

2. Vulnerability A. The teacher owns up to uncertainty or times when Christians have disagreed. If there are two views both are expounded and decisions are not forced.

3. Vulnerability B. Rather than packing a meeting with seven Christians for every enquirer (again, often my Alpha experience) the teacher will go alone into a room full of seekers, facing the questions, the difficulties, alone.

4. Biblical literacy means talking about the historicity questions academic theologians have discussed for years but have largely been kept from congregations. It is about being honest with the truth.

5. Story. Stories have a power. Jesus used fiction to communicate. He very rarely told people what the story meant and even when he did his explanation often contained more mystery than certainty.

I ran Alpha for some years. Still would given half a chance. But I was quietly subverting it by setting out options and not insisting on one line. My Alpha course embraced universalism, hell as a metaphor not a reality, the possibility there was not a real Satan, the possibility of God no longer healing physically, the fact that some committed Christians were gay ... not saying these things were all acceptable but allowing people to come on board with such views and be included.

In reality Alpha don't like you mucking about with their course and still calling it Alpha. In my last church I just about held together some of the most liberal thinkers I have ever seen in a traditionally evangelical place of worship, including a number of lesbian and gay Christians. Almost all left shortly after I did. Which saddens me.

I'd like there to be a possibility of this not happening where I am now.

Evangelism

Evangelism. Do you like the word? At its root it means something like 'good-newsing.' So far so good, but ask anyone who is not a follower of Jesus and they will feel got at by it. It makes those who are being evangelised into a target audience, a potential customer-base and therefore to feel either the victims of advertising or over-zealous selling techniques. I reckon it is a mortally wounded word which can only be used effectively by Christian leaders talking about something they plan to do. It should not be allowed out in public any more. Yes, I am aware that this is public and therefore I am failing to follow my own advice. See this post as an obituary.

Who got it into trouble? Probably street-corner evangelists more than anyone else. Those who scatter-gun the gospel at passers-by in city centres. They hit any given individual only with theoshrapnel. Like telling someone about confectionery by throwing sugar-grains. They make me sad because I believe some of the same things as them.

Our Alpha Course at the pub finished this week. Again I have negotiated the minefield of running a genuine Alpha Course whilst holding back from its more conservative elements. On matters such as the nature of evil, answers to prayer and the work of the Holy Spirit I tend to present, 'Some Christians say this, others say that, what do you think?' I see the course as seeking after truth and allow the guests to seek. Our team consists of a range of theological views. We get on.

Again this week I had to listen to a comment about the clergy. I'm not bragging here although it will come across as such. A member of our course said, 'I didn't think that people like me could talk to vicars.'

Can we take a moment's silence to digest that please? Thank you.

What have we done, what have we done to the idea of ministry as service to the living God, God's hands on earth, intermediaries, helpers that someone, almost certainly representative of a goodly chunk of ordinary folk, might think they couldn't approach us, let alone talk to us?

So all I did over the last eleven weeks was be a bloke, in a pub sitting on a stool talking about Jesus to invited guests and then chatting over a drink in small groups. And it may well be that being accessible rather than clerical was more important than any of the talk content.

Four or five times in the last few years people have taken the trouble, either as I was walking down the street or after a public occasion, to congratulate me on being normal. Regular readers might recall me posting about this. It was what I set out to do twenty six years ago. I wanted to be a vicar without stopping being me. I wanted to stand up in church and say hello the way I normally say hello; to chat after church the way I chat in my lounge and to avoid feeling that an act of worship, after a lively conversation in a vestry, should be introduced in a pompous voice saying 'The hymn two hundred and forty five' or whatever and all personality should be left in the changing rooms.

This ministry lark could be the easiest job in the world. Before we have any chance of doing the complicated business of speaking of God we need to spend a few years demonstrating that those of us who speak of God are ordinary people.

A new style of invitation to church beckons, 'Come and meet our vicar; you'll be amazed how ordinary he is.'

Devil in Disguise?

I have a well-documented, and frankly well-moaned-about, allergy to furry animals.

The 'How can I resist evil?' Alpha session is the hardest one for me. It involves a complex understanding of the nature of religious language and metaphor, the reality of a world that includes suffering and a God of mercy and a variety of experiences from the punters some of whom face true adversity with resilience and others who blame the devil if they break a fingernail.

I have never been happy with my talks on this subject and last night's was no different, with one exception. Just as I had covered the material about the biblical imagery of the devil as a horned beast with a forked tail not being useful to take literally the door of our pub meeting room creaked slowly open.

Eyes went to the door but nothing entered at human height. Then, the fattest cat I have ever seen walked in and marched straight towards me (thanks Tim for the rescue operation).

That nails it folks. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion. Like. A. Roaring. Lion. A purring, furry depiction of evil. Get the cats before they get you folks. It's a war.

Alpha Begins

I'm not sure I would pass muster if the OffAlpha inspectors came round but I love the course. We have ten weeks and a Saturday to introduce people to what Christians believe, with an opportunity for questions and discussion over a meal. My doubts about my authenticity are largely because I don't tend to present such a dogmatic version of Christianity as the course does. On the ethical or divisive issues I tend to say, 'Some Christians believe this; others believe that, what do you make of it?'

No matter how many times I do Alpha though I have to say that the nervousness at the start of  a new course doesn't go away. By and large this is not to do with the content or the discussions. I love the opportunity to do the talks and take part in the groups afterwards. Most of my hesitations are to do with admin. What if people don't turn up and we've ordered too much food in the pub for which we will have to pay? What if the atmosphere in the room is wrong? What if I've told everyone the wrong time? (I'm sure I haven't.)

Over the years I've been OK at admin but that is, I think, because it causes me so much more stress than most people that I go over-the-top in double-checking. It's not my best side.

What if someone who I booked in to tonight's guest supper three weeks ago is sitting at home expecting me to confirm? What if someone has forgotten to tell me they are a vegetarian? Help.

Could the next five hours pass quite quickly please?

Oh, and it's too late to come to the Nailsea guest supper tonight (unless you beg) but if you wanted to join our Alpha course, or bring a friend you can come to week one next week when the course proper begins. Just give me a call or drop me an email, message or tweet.

Alpha

I was a late arriver at the Alpha Ball but over the last five years have seen it make a tremendous difference to many lives.

The way I do it is slightly more explorative than some. We set out the mainstream Christian material, point out where others differ, field questions and discuss them, all with no pressure to sign up for church or anything like.

It is a remarkable opportunity. I've put a bit of a nag here on Trendleblog to my church folk to come along (with friends) but its concerning me a bit that the take up is slow.

If you pray then that would be a good thing to do please. If you have been meaning to sign up but haven't got round to it please calm my nerves by filling out a registration form. If you have been planning to bring a guest don't put off inviting them for a day longer.

The dumb and the blind

Well It had to happen eventually. Statistics say that everything must happen eventually so I'll keep trying to strike that match on a jelly (see post on training Mum to use her DVD player).

As the cold I had been incubating got its timing perfect for making me feel dog-rough on the night of the Alpha healing talk I realised that the delightful Meg and Alan were sitting on the front row. Now Alan is unable to speak properly following a stroke - he has only said 'yes' or no' to me so far and Meg has very limited vision. I guess it helped me to work hard at the apparently random nature of healing today. Jesus made the blind see and the dumb speak once. Would he?

At the end of the talk I gave an opportunity for anyone who wished for prayers for healing to be prayed for. It wouldn't be fair of me to tell you who, or how many, took up this option.

When we had finished praying we had coffee and I got into an interesting discussion about whether eczema was too trivial a matter to ask God to heal (given the state of others so much worse off). I thought this was so nice a question, so humbly and sensitively put, that I intend to pray for the sufferer without telling them. Why don't you too?

As we left and Alan and Meg got their coats and headed out the door I said, 'Goodnight Alan'. He turned to face me and, clear as a bell, said 'Goodnight.' Meg turned round at once and said, 'That was very good; I think he's getting better.'

Once, when I was young, I asked God to make it snow heavily to show me he was there. (I did meet him half way; I prayed in Birmingham in winter.) The next day there was a light covering of snow. So God was lightly there. Ever since then I have experienced God's light touch here and there - a flurry not a maelstrom. Goodnight Alan.