Undivided by Vicky Beeching - A Review

Reading through Vicky Beeching's memoir Undivided is an emotional experience. It cannot be read from a neutral position because none of us are robots and all of us have opinions on faith, LGBT+ issues and mental illness. Many of us also have our own experiences of these things. The thing about Vicky's book is it makes clear that whilst some feel free to be vocal about these things for others they are subjects of fear. To state my position from the start I am a progressive evangelical queer woman married to a f to m transman who is also a Methodist Probationer Minister. I work in a church too. So I'm sympathetic to the view she is espousing in the book.

Now I've got all that out of the way we can look at the book. It's an honest looking back on her journey and the way she wrestled not only with her own identity but also with the demands of being a successful Christian musician.

It's a book which shows that whatever one's view of the "celebrity LGBT+ Oxbridge elite" her journey has been very costly in both emotional and financial terms. Yes, she is part of that elite but it provided her with a support network which she needed around her coming out. I'm noting it but not knocking it in her case.

What I found interesting about the first parts of the book, including her time in Oxford were the way she used institutionalisation for safety. I was struck by the choice of Oxford College she describes, and am aware that it was a similar choice that she made when she went to Durham an experience briefly mentioned later in the book. (Aside here one of the most embarrassing moments of my life was realising what a twat I'd been when I'd been chatting to her and others in a bar in Durham on the day of my viva (one of the very few times I've met her by the way). I don't have a great gaydar and that day I had a total failure, which resulted in me giving a version of "the only gay in the village" spiel when the exact opposite was true). Anyway I digress back to the review.

This institutionalisation which many Christian young people get caught up in and which many of those of us in churches actually collude with in ways intended to be helpful and can lead to great opportunities, but which may also be deeply damaging is something which challenged me in reading the book.

In Vicky's case it was this which enabled her to have her song writing and performing career. Something which has to be applauded, but it was at a cost of conforming to a damaging Christian stereotype.

The LGBT+ narrative which is a central theme to the book is important because it is a story which needs to be told and shared widely. I believe that this book quite honestly has the power to save lives and that cannot be underestimated. There will still be young Vicky's who may at times feel the same suicidal pressures that are talked about in this book and to have a role model is important.

More than that though this is probably the easiest to read discussion of the scriptural arguments I've come across. It's a book I'd be happy to recommend to people as a key resource.

The discussion of chronic pain and illness is also important because it is through the sharing of these stories that progress is made.

I referred earlier to the Oxbridge elite and that is something I find interesting about this book and about some recent developments in both the Christian and secular LGBT+ worlds in this country. There is an elite and make no mistake they are doing a great job in pushing for equality but they are also clearly there and integrated into the institutions of this country. This book along with other developments I'm not going into here show that there is a change happening which is not primarily grass roots but taking place in the wood panelled or glass clad rooms of this country. This book is here because it fits into that world, but it is also here because as I've indicated it's a valuable resource.

So I recommend giving it a read and then giving time yourself time to reflect on it. I think for many it raises as many questions as it answers but thank you Vicky for writing it and for your bravery. This is a book that as I've said will help others but has clearly come at cost.

Just as a help if you've happened upon the book or this blog and you are looking for support as a LGBT+ Christian who is not out or who is not connected to other LGBT+ Christians can I recommend Diverse Church which has sections to support different age groups and parents of LGBT+ people.

Allies and Shared Struggles

Westminster Cathedral was full of people “Rediscovering Justice” and participating in “A Service of Hope on the 50^th anniversary of the death of The Reverend Dr Martin Luther King Jr” yesterday. The service was a moving one which called us to continuing action. According the the Ekklesia article about it the service was recorded and will be on Radio Four this Sunday.

 I was acutely aware throughout the service of the way in which race and gender identity are separate issues yet their intersectionality is a crucial factor when we look at those murdered around the world for being trans – trans BAME people are most at risk. I was also struck between the similarities of this service and Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDOR)  events in terms of tone and at points content, (the last time I heard Something Inside So Strong used in the way it was yesterday was at a TDOR event).

The Confession had the response “Forgive us and make us strong to raise our voices in hope” and the words throughout could be equally related to a range of issues. This is important because yesterday was a day for all who believe in justice and want to build what MLK described as the beloved community as Dr. R. David Muir reminded us in his testimony.

Amanda Khozi Mukwashi is the new chief executive of Christian Aid and within her testimony she talked of MLK as “inspiration from the past and energy for the future”. This is how I think his legacy should be taken. She, as others yesterday, remind us that he fought against the scandals of both poverty and injustice. A speaker on the Channel Four News last night, reflecting on the anniversary and his legacy reminded us of the need to tackle these at both a structural and personal level, engaging with both policy makers in meetings and the public on the street. Using both as a means of influencing decision makers and changing attitudes.

The address was given by the bishop of Woolwich, The Right Reverend Dr. Karowei Dorgu and throughout he used MLKs words “when there is injustice to one there is injustice to all” as a refrain. He asked “how many more young people die before stabbing and gun crime is declared as a national emergency?” I would echo this sentiment but add how many more trans people have to die before we act. I ask this in the same spirit because those young people and those trans people are both more likely to be from BAME backgrounds. Naomi Hersi, a trans woman of Somali origin, was one of those murdered in London this year….another one of those who was part of both communities.

In his address the bishop made the point that “the challenge is to make a difference on a national scale, we focus on the small things and miss the big picture”. I can’t help that this is the case with the debates around trans at the moment. There is so much focus around the issue of who can and should use which toilets – linked to the issue of self-identification we are losing sight of the much bigger justice issues, of which that is one part of the jigsaw. The fact is that trans people are dying, both through suicide (made worse by the time they are currently having to wait for assessment) and murder. Self-identification will be great but if the waiting list to be able to get the medical support needed to safely access hormones and then further life changing surgery, if desired, continues to grow people will continue to die.

A focus on stopping young people dying is something that should be treated as a national emergency but so must the fight against the murder of trans people and against domestic violence, which also contribute to the scarily high numbers of those murdered in London this year. As the bishop made clear in his speech, “killings are our problem” and “we can’t afford to stand by as bystanders”. He also made clear “we don’t have the option to do nothing” and “It is all of us who must overcome the crippling disease of injustice”. As he said after referring to Pastor Niomeller’s First they came for … poem “We need to act with courage – inaction is not an option”.

These words struck me, as did the words in the act of commitment which began “Will you keep the dream alive, of justice for all peoples, without prejudice or favour?” That means that the LGBT+ community need to support the BAME community and put an end to the racism which has seen Stonewall pull out of Pride in London this year.  Other people too, including many churches, should be supporting the LGBT+ community – and putting an end to using BAME issues as a reason not too -an attitude which is in it’s own way racist too as it assumes that LGBT+ people will be white and all BAME people will oppose LGBT+ rights - which we know is a myth. It should mean that BAME diversity networks in companies should join as allies to the LGBT+ community and vice versa. 

The truth is that LGBT+ BAME people are the group most at risk and the current attitudes are contributing to the death of these family members here and abroad. If MLK’s justice means anything today…50 years and 1 day after he was murdered for speaking truth against injustice it means we must stand together against injustice and bigotry and the words we speak in his name must be more than words from history or service sheets.

Found Out by Alison Webster Reviewed

I was sitting in GBK and had, Found Out: Transgressivefaith and sexuality, the new book by Alison Webster on the table, ready to read whilst I was waiting for my burger. The waiter came over, took a look at the cover, and asked if he could have a look. I said of course, he picked it up and said, “oh, I thought it was a yoga book from the picture”. I smiled and said no, but as he continued to read the blurb he asked “what is it then?” I was part way through and replied, “it’s a book about different women’s experiences of life and sexuality and a book which explains even though life gets messy God loves them as they are.” He smiled and said, “I understand”.

In truth this book is far more than how I described it to the waiter and the description I gave does not give justice to what this book is. It’s an exercise in practical theology which takes things forward and gives voice. The opening chapter seeks to give the reader an introduction to this form.

It begins as a history book, where through the use of autobiography she gives voice to the experience of women of Alison’s generation – those now in their 50’s. As somebody just those few years younger I found this useful. I am old enough to have grown up through much of what she was talking about, but too young to have truly “lived” through it. There is a relevance in this because the book comes 20 years after Found Wanting, which looked at the experience of women in the church in what might now be described as a different time.

It then moves on to putting together a collage of participants voices and experiences. Looking at the topics of what Webster calls “resistance” and “reclaiming spirit”. The rich variety of people sharing - some heterosexual, some bi or gay, some black, some white, some Christian, some of other faiths, some cis, some trans, some intersex, some the partners of trans people, some single, some ordained, some lay, some abused, some loved – means that it gives a wider spectrum of books.

The participants are all anonymised yet all their stories are real, raw and powerful.

However, as I say this is not a sociological study seeking to unpack the stories and find the correlations between them and the reasons for those. Rather it is an exercise in practical theology which seeks to look at the overall pattern of what is being said through the lens of theological reflection.

The chapters start with a reflection on a part of the gospel story and then jump to the present having given a tool for the reader to think about how the narrative of the gospels and example of Jesus might relate to what is being spoken about.

Chapter five “Recreating Faith” looks at how a nuanced and slightly queered use of queer theory might enable us to develop a way of looking at faith which can deal with the dissonance and apparent contradiction which is apparent in the real, lived experience of many people.

Finally in “Remaking Love” Webster looks at the way in which we might live out our relationships (both with partners and more widely). In this chapter much of what was being said was not new but it was more concrete and wide-ranging than in other books (such as Robert Song’s Covenantand Calling). The reason for this gets to the root of this book. Whilst others are often looking at these issues from a theoretical point of view, Alison Webster looks at them from the point of view of current, real, lived experience. 

She is looking not to “solve the problem” of what to do about the churches engagement with those who don’t fit into the hetero-normative worldview that the institutions are working from. Rather she is looking at how those who don’t fit into that worldview are currently living and engaging with spirituality and what that might teach us as we move into the future.

The book also differs from many of the positive books relating to LGBT+ people and spirituality.  The use of the contributors voices is not to focus on victim-hood and injustice in a way which seeks to demand justice through rhetoric which refers back to the contributions. Rather this shows the reality of what is happening and how power, when misused is problematic, but how power can also be and is being reclaimed by those who may appear marginalised in creative and hopeful ways.

Do I recommend this book, of course I do for all the reasons given above. 

Oh and finally, must mention the publishers are Darton, Longman and Todd, who are producing a lot of the cutting edge, affordable practical theology at the moment.

Realms of Glory by Catherine Fox Reviewed

Realms of Glory by Catherine Fox is the third of the Lindchester Chronicles (after Acts and Omissions and Unseen Things Above). It again looks at life in this fictional Anglican diocese over the course of a year. As the third book it of course provides continuity but this one felt different, less catty – certainly from June and the middle of the book onward and desperate to give us some hope.

The books were written in weekly blog installments, but I have preferred to wait for the complete books. Thus, I didn’t know what to expect – although I did know this is the one where some of the loose ends or perhaps loose characters were likely to be sorted out. This tying up of loose ends was arguably too neat, but one knows that just because the end of one stage of life ends with apparent tidiness and just the odd frayed end that it can all unravel again and this is a mere snapshot of one point in time.

As I say this book somehow differed in tone but was perhaps my favourite as it was less pantomime in places. There was no moral commentary on what we should think of people and perhaps most importantly no highly characterised villain - (just as well because after the last one I spent two years as a university chaplain wearing a navy hoody with the word chaplain on the back being mocked by my husband). There were ordinary people struggling the difficult aspects of ordinary life.

This book contains no sensational affairs or falls from grace, although the ones from the first book is touched upon at one point. It does contain compassionate, sensible safeguarding and pastoral care – perhaps reflecting on how the world and the church has moved on from when the first book was written. In fact, there is only one point when it moves into the realm of possible, but really? And that is when one of our heroes delivers a baby – but really? I mean he’s good but delivering a child that quickly as well as keeping the other kids occupied with cookies?  Still it did raise yet another smile in relation to this character who the reader has been rooting for through all three books.

The author lets herself slip through slightly more in this book I think. She is a lecturer who teaches creative writing and there are writing tips peppered through this one. Whilst all fictional it was interesting to see how life has mirrored art. The lecturer married to the archdeacon finds herself married to a bishop when he gets promotion. In real life Fox wrote this in blog form whilst married to a cathedral dean and by the time it was published in book form her husband had been promoted to bishop. The angst she, like many, felt about both Brexit and Trump also comes through.

But what of the CofE politics you might ask? Those things so prominent in the first two books. Well they’re here in this one…..the Green Report and the ongoing debate about same sex marriage. Yet they are less of a focus, certainly after Brexit. They move, rightly, into the background with points (such as the reliance of many diocese on LGBT+ staff) being implicitly rather than explicitly made.

Did I enjoy this book as much as the other two? Yes, and in some ways more. It wasn’t the happy endings it was the fact surprising things happened but in a more gentle way.

As I end this review I want to say thank you to the author for the trilogy, which I have very much enjoyed.

Why advice on pastoral care for families is needed alongside the liturgy of celebration

I fully welcome and celebrate the Church of England’s decision to move towards an official liturgy for trans people, but I think an element of the discussion has been missing. We are talking about giving ministers a liturgy to use, but we have not spoken about giving them advice or training on the pastoral care needed around administering these services and the feelings that they may arouse in family members, which will need to be handled with sensitivity.

I have spoken before on this blog about the feelings that were aroused in me when my husband had this type of liturgy within a service. Whilst it was a time of great celebration, it created feelings of real dissonance in me. I was suffering from feelings of ambiguous loss and had had no formal way of acknowledging that. For me, the naming liturgy felt like a funeral as well as a celebration. It was formally celebrating the “new” identity of Karl which implicitly meant his “dead” name was truly that, as was the “old identity”.

One aspect of the debate not being fully acknowledged or explored at the moment is the impact on family and partners who are supportive but are having to deal with the feelings of dissonance and ambiguous loss we have been talking about.

We need real work doing not just on the pastoral care of trans people but of their families too. Churches will often be welcoming families who are on a journey, not just the trans people.

Now, I get this is a sensitive subject – I have been in rooms where when I have spoken about this there has been difficult emotion. There have been trans people who have been rejected by families and there have been trans people who have felt guilt about the journey others have had to take with them. On line I have had trans people who have said what I am saying seems to reject trans people.

I want to be clear, my husband’s transition is the best thing ever to have happened to him and I have seen him flourish as a result of no longer having to repress who he is. We have a Hungry Caterpillar money box which celebrates the butterfly emerging. I am 100% supportive, but I had to go through a grief process as a result of this and those feelings of loss that family, particularly, go through needs to be recognised. We need to produce resources which help those coming alongside in churches to understand the complexity of these situations and how to pastorally approach them.

Political Night Prayer....Disturbing the Soul

120 + people turning out on a cold November evening in Birmingham for Political Night Prayer was not what I expected when I decided to go along. When I got there, I looked around and noted the faces I recognised and the “look” of those I didn’t. The room was full of those who might be described as veterans of activism. Yet, I think most of us were there because we were thinking “what now?” and none of us are quite sure how to deal with the current situation. We wanted Keith Hebden of the Urban Theology Unit/ Union (they’re in the middle of a name change) and others to guide us.

As the evening drew on I was struck by a range of things which both encouraged and disturbed me. First the encouraging: the room was full of people who wanted to come together prayerfully to look at where we go from here. The worship was well organised and in many ways beautiful. There was a clear will expressed amongst people to become co-ordinated in doing something to try and move forward from where we find ourselves at the moment. That was the positive…..

Now on to the stuff that disturbed me a bit, the stuff I want to use this post to help me unpack in my mind.

The key thing is we are looking at how to engage with a popularist uprising of the disengaged and the disenchanted. The “Islington Dinner Party” insult being used so much in the direction of the Labour Party leadership particularly is talking about an intellectual approach which is out of line with the thinking of many. Now, I want to say that I think, generally, this is an unfair slur on Corbyn. However, last night I got it a bit more. There is a relativism to things when it comes to class.

Hands up, I am middle class and in many ways might have that “Islington Dinner Party” insult thrown in my direction due to my academic background and that of many of my friends who I chat with on social media and so forth. Yet, last night I found myself feeling excluded and like I was in a room of “posh” people whose lives were obviously far removed from me.

In terms of worship one of the things was the singing Taize chants in a range of modern European languages, but none in English. Yes, the English subtitles were underneath but due to the complexity of the pronunciation, etc. I was unable to sing two of them. The short Latin one I could manage in full and then there was one where I could manage to sing one word over and over whilst leaving others to do the complicated bit. I did mutter to the person sitting next to me I wish I had a GCSE in some foreign language.



There was one folk style tune but nothing within the evening which might be described as “low culture”. I reflected on the difference between this and the way I had been able to really engage with the Shelter Carol Concert earlier in the week which for me had enabled me to comfortably engage than any faith based event I could remember. That event had included a bloke who had been in Dexy’s midnight runners singing “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas” as well as the Choir With No Name singing in a style which I could enjoy. It had also included some high culture, but unlike the night prayer it mixed both together and I had felt comfortable rather than excluded.

Now please don’t get me wrong I’m not talking about differences in styles of worship here I’m talking about something deeper……….that gulf which seems to be getting wider in society between the “elite” and “the ordinary person on the street”. If we are seeking to bridge that and bring people together we need to do it in our worship as well as in our conversations.

That takes me on to Keith Hebden and what he was saying. Now don’t get me wrong I have a lot of time and respect for Keith and his theology and authenticity. Yet, when he was talking the nagging feeling of “the gap” was there. It spiked when he was talking about going to Lourdes, because he was passing. Now, he said it in the same way as somebody like me who doesn’t go trotting round France might talk about popping into Next when going through Birmingham, to just have a look around. For me and those who are more economically challenged than me the thought of just passing Lourdes was a complete anathema. Again if we are going to engage with what is going on we need to think about who “we” are and who “we” want to include.

As Keith spoke about acts of solidarity he had been involved in as well as the need to organise in order to mobilise I had mixed feelings. My thoughts moved between ungracious ones about hippies and into positive ones about there was something in this. I was conscious of the material in “Blueprint for Revolution: How to use rice pudding, Lego men, and other non-violent techniques to galvanise communities, overthrow dictators or simply change the world” by Srdja Popovic (of Canvas) and Matthew Miller, which is a book I would highly recommend to you. The need to go through a series of steps in the right order to achieve the change you desire rather than a void other people can exploit is so important.

As I sat reflecting on all this, and later woke in the night with my mind mulling these things over I was disturbed….I am disturbed. I could see the social movement theory in what he was saying but I was not sure I could see Christ.

We’re currently in Advent and I have already heard a variety opinion given on what that means in the current context; some talking of journeying, some talking of living in the now as if it were the what we are awaiting and some talking of time to be and reflect.

Something is bubbling up, something is disturbing, where is it leading? I am not sure, for now the best response seems to be to gather when we can, searching together for the answer. Taking opportunities like this to pray, but also engaging in organised and random acts of kindness as well as listening. Listening and hearing the voices of those we “other” through our middle-class elitism. That is where I am grateful for social media.

In his talk Keith Hebden talked about the way it does not give freedom of speech, it involves power given by others. This might be true, but it does give opportunity for us to hear those different voices from time to time if we stay connected to them when we may not like their posts. As for the alternative platform, he is suggesting. It will still have gatekeepers……these things always do.

 

So you see I have no answers either……in fact day by day I have less answers and a more disturbed spirit, but equally and paradoxically I do have more hope. I look at the way in which people are coming together and looking for what to do….rather than just what to say & there I do see Christ. 

Bringing in the Sheaves by Rev Richard Coles - Reviewed

It took me a couple of chapters to work out that Richard Coles was going through the year in his book Bringing in the Sheaves: What and Chaff from My Years as a Priest. To be honest I have to admit part of the reason it took the first three chapters was he starts with Petertide rather than advent or January. As with a lot of things in this book there is reason for this and explanation given. The structure of the book is this version of the liturgical year – with hatching, matching and dispatching, thrown in there too.

It also took me a few chapters to get a hang of what type of book this was. The style of writing is quite different to his first volume of his autobiography Fathomless Riches or How I Went from Pop to Pulpit (which I reviewed here). Where as that is based around anecdote and self-reflection with a bit of education mixed in this is a much more focused book. It has the clear purpose of raising religious literacy amongst its readers whilst giving the stories and titbits of gossip which keep it interesting for those whose tastes might generally be a bit more low brow.

Besides an unpacking of the meaning of different parts of the church year and the anecdotes there is also a rich seam of history running through this book. Coles looks at the lives of a range of saints too and demonstrates his pure passion for as well as in-depth knowledge for church history.

Having read the first books reflections on his time at Mirfield I was surprised that it got mentioned so often in this volume, as somewhere he had chosen to revisit.

He is still the wonderful camp guy making the point that he is determined to be open about his sexuality, yet he is also the happily “married” (legally civil partnered) guy who shares his life with the man he loves and their dogs.

The broadcasting career is in there but more interesting are his anecdotes relating to “ordinary” folk he comes across in the course of his ministry which has been to the very rich, the very poor and the standardly middle class.

So is it worth the read? Definitely but be prepared that this is much more Guardian Review than the Saturday Guardian Guide in style.

It is touching in places, particularly when he talks of his dad’s Parkinson’s, hilarious in others and overall enlightening. You learn lots without feeling that you are being hit over the head with it.

The overall feeling of this book is it is the one which Coles wanted to write. The one which enables him to write a theology book for the masses. Thus the biggest feeling I came away with was this guy has integrity. He’s not playing games, he’s writing the book he wants to. He is not worried it’s probably too faith based for some people outside the church and too honest for some in it. That’s what makes it so good, in my opinion – it’s an honest book written by a clever bloke who got famous through low culture but really has a heart for high culture.

 

Identity (Partners Story....A Narrative of Loss? 5)

This post is the one where I was going to look at how my journey has been different to how I expected it to be. It is the one which deals with my identity and how I see myself but before I get to that I need to get something off my chest.

There is a hidden body of work which I have come across this week, doing my research for the talk, which would have been so useful if I had come across it some time ago.

Some of it I have been able to access because I happen to have an academic email account, other parts have come through putting fragments of things together and coming up with gold.

One of the most important documents I have found is a 2012 thesis by Claire Jenkins whose PhD work was “Straddling the scalpel of identity: a critical study of transsexual transition in a familial context”. This was not found via your standard key word Google search. Rather I read a chapter in the Inclusive Church book Sexuality, (Cornwell, 2014) and the introduction to that chapter sent me on a search of the institution, topic and first name.

Then there is the wealth of useful stuff on Canadian professor Elspeth Brown’s website which specifically relates to the partners of Trans Men. It was there I found the link to Nicola R. Brown, "TheSexual Relationships of Sexual-Minority Women Partnered with Trans Men: AQualitative Study", Archives of Sexual Behavior, Vol.39 No.2, 2010, pp.561-572. 

This latter article has helped me more than any other in working out how to describe my identity now & I only found it yesterday! Having another scan through Rachel Mann's excellent book Dazzling Darkness didn't hurt either.

Previous to the last 24 hours if asked to describe my relationship and identity I would have said that I was gay in a relationship beyond categorization.  However, I realized reading Brown’s article that whilst there are only a relatively small number of people in the same situation the relationship is not without categorization. It is simply a queer relationship.

Now I am of an age where I relate the word queer to slightly odd and I think that is one reason why I have been resistant. However, I think there has also been a huge desire to hold on to my own sexual orientation particularly as the law has not allowed me to (as I have had to move from civil partnership to marriage in order for my husband to be in a position where he can apply for his Gender Recognition Certificate (GRC)).

Yet, our relationship has been based on negotiation through the transition and a working together to ensure that the essential parts of our relationship which is based on far more than primary or secondary sex characteristics is not lost. If we adopt the word queer and say we are in a queer relationship it reflects the reality of what is going on, particularly as my husband is a man but one who is aware of the risks of genital reconstruction and so is not taking that route through transition.

The world may see it as straight and that is fine, (it is far easier than when my partner gets mis-gendered because they see two people of a similar height together) however, we know there is more than that going on. Embracing the word queer allows the whole situation to be embraced.

You might wonder why it has taken me so much time to get here…..well in part because somebody wise at the beginning of the journey said it was the loss of identity and issues around that which were most likely to see us not make it through. Thus it is an area I have sought at times to avoid really thinking about.

Having sat and thought it through though I think it helps that I am find intellectual attraction stronger than physical attraction and so the physical change has not been so difficult for me. Also the decisions regarding which surgery to have and not have my partner has made for safety reasons have also helped.

In terms of how you help people through the discussions and worries they have in this area it is a difficult one. This is an area where fear can be huge and where the worries of others are perhaps most likely to be voiced, (that was certainly my experience).

I think it is helpful to discuss the question but not in terms of “but you’re….. and how will that work now they’re……”

Sometimes it is easiest to let go of the labels and let people simply be people.

Holy Habits by Andrew Roberts Reviewed and Set in Context

There is a growing argument that there is an increasing need for people to develop good quality religious literacy in order to navigate the late modern world. This was one of the core themes of the four public lectures Grace Davie gave as part of the Birmingham University Cadbury series. For Christians that means not only understanding other religions and wider culture but also developed more nuanced literacy about their own faith and the different forms of language and communication that religious literacy should take within it. For those who missed the lectures the think tank Theos is going to reproduce the lecture content within a publication.

This increased religious literacy involves going back to basics and examining in an intelligent way the central concepts of discipleship. It also involves coming alongside people to help them learn how to reflect on their faith and actions arising from it in an intelligent way individually, corporately and globally. To do help people do this in a form which is easily accessible and can appeal both to the academic or “religious professional” and the average lay person is not an easy task. Yet, it is a task which Andrew Roberts (Methodist Learning and Development Officer for Bristol and the West Midland) succeeds in with his new book Holy Habits.

The book comes in two halves. The first talks about the “nature of discipleship” and puts aspects of charismatic and Pentecostal renewal as well as the Fresh Expressions movement into a wider context. The second half focuses upon the “nurture of discipleship”. It goes through a set of ten practices which are at the core of discipleship using Acts 2 as the passage to identify these practices.

It is a book which shows a real skill in bridging a series of complex fault lines within contemporary Christianity and I wonder if Roberts is one of the few who could write a book like this because of his unique set of experiences. He seems to some extent aware of this as he draws on these experiences to at times use autobiographical examples. These include his experiences of being a student at York and going to one of the churches which was recognised to be at the centre of the charismatic renewal of the period. They also include reference to his role within the Fresh Expressions movement and also his early life as a financial analyst within the motor industry.

In addition to these experiences this Methodist also brings in a narrative deeply rooted in the theology and thinkers of this denomination but not restricted by it. Anybody familiar with Methodist theologians will see what on one level amounts to a roll call within the book (Jane Leach and Francis Young seemed to be amongst the few obviously missing).

What shines through in this book is vulnerability and authenticity as well as intelligent thought.

It is a book that the individual should not rush, unless like me they read it to get the initial feel and then intend to go back to slowly work through the book. It is not a book which seeks to give the reader the right answer but rather to help them think, reflect and act both individually and corporately.

I read this book a few days after watching Robert Beckford’s excellent BBC documentary The Battle for Christianity. The programme which was an excellent production featuring a number of top theorists and churchmen (including Grace Davie, Linda Woodhead and the Archbishop of Canterbury) as well as  grass roots street pastors. As somebody interested in the local context of Birmingham I was interested to see Tim Hughes and the new Gas Street initiative featured as well as Birmingham Street Pastors. 

Both the programme and the Roberts book reflect that there is no longer one size fits when it comes to Christianity in the UK now and that we need to recognise this. In addition to the impact of immigrants there is also an increasing diversity in style of worship and theological outlook. There is also, as Woodhead explained in the programme, differences in the level of commitment that people want to give towards religion based upon whether they see it as a primary part of identity or not. One of the strengths of Roberts’s book is that whilst it puts an emphasis on community it also allows for individualism within that. That is to say we all have our own styles which help us develop personal discipleship whilst at the same time we will also have to at times move beyond our own preferences to benefit the whole community.

This way of looking at things which takes the important principles of faith and looks at how to apply them in the contemporary mix of contexts not just through Fresh Expression type is refreshing. It helps develop that good quality religious literacy but it also is contributing to some new and exciting discussions around church growth. This includes the work of David Goodhew and his team but also goes beyond it including the initiatives such as the forthcoming Rethink Church conference.  

Of course we cannot just look at these things in an ethnocentric bubble and part of our increased literacy has to be understanding how religion and faith are operating and changing globally. This is where the work of the International Panel on Social Progress which Davie highlighted during her Cadbury lecture series and of which she is a key part of the panel on religion is important. The work of the panel is due to be opened up for public consultation and discussion in July of this year and I believe that it will give us a clear picture of what some of the global aspects to be borne in mind are.

Chasing Francis Study Questions 1

Further to this blog post Chasing Francis questions are starting to be explored. I am not going to put everything on here due to it being a public space and blog but I do want to share a flavour of my thoughts.

The first set of questions arise from the fact that the protagonist in the book is experiencing a crisis of faith where they begin to question their conservative / entrepreneurial evangelical approach. The writer refers the reader explicitly to the work of Dave Tomlinson and implicitly to the work of John Drane in the questions.

The first question asks the reader to think about the statement “I love Jesus – it’s Christianity that drives me crazy”. There was a time when I would have given this an unequivocal yes, that’s exactly how I feel. Yet, I realise that I am past that stage in my journey.

Yes, I love Jesus and yes aspects of Christianity drive me mad. Yet, I am increasingly recognising that it is aspects of Christianity which frustrate me not the whole of it.

I get driven mad by thinks like the competition for resources which occurs between tribes within and between denominations.

I get driven mad by arguments about whether or not to show God’s love in practice to LGBT people.

I get driven mad by the way we expect people to sit, stand (and at times even do the Hokey Cokey) just because they happen to be in the same room as a bunch of other Christians.

There are other things that frustrate me at times too about the music, the apparent consumerism which creeps in and so on. BUT I realise that I am a Christian and part of the church. I am part of what makes up this thing we call Christianity. I am part of what will be driving other people mad.

I know that amid the clamour and competition for resources are lots of dedicated people simply trying to keep going in our largely secularised society as well as lots of people who are seeking the resources to try something new.

I know that caught up in the arguments around LGBT issues in the church are lots of LGBT people who face physical danger in their countries due to the way in which Christianity is used to promote a certain view. I know that there are lots of people in this country who feel unable to attend church because of the exclusion they have faced through actions and words. I know that for them we need to keep going on this journey of seeking justice in the church.

Yet, at the same time I know there are lots of good people who are trying to work their way through this and reconcile the dissonance they feel between what they interpret the bible as saying and the LGBT people they know. I know there are people who are genuinely struggling about what they are doing to LGBT people yet feel they have to hold on to their interpretation of the bible or to the teachings of a church they regard as family. In short I know this is not as simple as I would like it to be for a lot of people.

In terms of when to stand, sit and so on. I am gaining an appreciation that to lots of people that sort of ritual matters in a way which I just can’t get. To them the bodily actions of sitting and standing at certain times is a way to enable them to express their whole selves in worship.

 The next question asks you to examine the limitations of evangelicalism. I could go into this but I won’t. I have been on the journey to the edges of evangelicalism and have journeyed back in slightly. I no longer go to an evangelical church but I am still evangelical in some of my thinking. I prefix it now with the term Open or Progressive which I know to some will mean I cannot be an evangelical really. Yet, I regard myself as an evangelical. That strand of faith is an important part of what nurtured my faith, and shaped me and it is still there within me even if it is now mixed with a cocktail of other Christian influences.

The next question relates to experiencing a crisis of faith. I do not have time to go into it here but the simple answer is yes. I believe it is almost impossible to be a LGBT evangelical and not to go through a crisis of faith as you seek to wrestle with who you are. Indeed I would argue that anybody, LGBT or not, who takes their faith seriously is likely to if they open themselves up to different influences and not live in an enclosed bubble.

The next question asks how you would counsel somebody who becomes cynical and disillusioned with the culture and theology of their church and have you ever felt that way. Yes, I have felt that way. In terms of counselling somebody who feels like that you need to be ready to listen. Context is important and you need to understand where that cynicism and disillusionment is coming from before you can counsel them. My key thing would be to have ready a list of books or other resources you might want to signpost them to, as appropriate. You also need to be ready to journey with them through this or be able to signpost them to somebody else who would be able to.

The final question in this part of the study course asks how we can make church a safe place for everybody to voice their doubts and struggles whilst feeling valued and accepted. The answer to this is I don’t know fully. Whilst we might seek to have policies in place which allow this and might seek to build an inclusive culture churches by their very being tend to be unsafe places to doubt because there is a fear that if people do voice their doubts or views which might go against the orthodoxy of the institution the whole thing will come tumbling down. Small groups are one way to provide safe spaces, but will these be safe for all? I don’t know but this is an important question we need to wrestle with. Any ideas please drop them into the comments section.

 

Chasing Francis by Ian Morgan Cron Reviewed and a Journey Begun

Chasing Francis: A Pilgrims Tale by Ian Morgan Cron is an interesting book which is put forward as a novel, but has a study guide at the back (which is significantly different to thoughts for a book group). The reviewer will reach different conclusions depending on how they view this book. If you see it primarily as a novel you will think it is mediocre and not detailed enough to be a decent novel. However, if you regard it as a Christian teaching book it scores extremely highly.

It focuses around an evangelical pastor who experiences a crisis of faith and ends up in Italy learning about St. Francis of Assisi and exploring how his teaching may be lived out today.

I personally found it an interesting and challenging book. It was interesting in how it put forward some ideas regarding what faith in a late/ post-modern world might look like and because of how it used narrative to explore these ideas. It was challenging because however comfortable one might be with the theological ideas underpinning what was being said it was clear that few of us, apart from a few exceptional individuals, are living this stuff out.

I was challenged about how out of line my life is with the faith I profess as a result of reading this book and I am sure that is where the study guide comes in useful. There is also a useful bibliography at the end of the book making clear that any pretence this is a novel in the normal sense should be abandoned.

Am I glad I have read it and would I recommend it? Yes, certainly especially to those who are weary with faith or wondering what on earth God is calling them into as Christians in 2016. I’d also recommend it to those who might want to be exploring Christian spirituality who have a cynicism about the church. It shows that there is another way possible and in small pockets people are seeking that vision and living it out.

I intend to go through the study material and will share my thoughts on that on here in due course. What I am interested in thinking about though is if anybody else would be interested in reading the book and joining in a discussion on it with me? I'll leave that question hanging a few days and if anybody is up for it can you let me know what date you think you'd be able to read the book by so we can set a date for the first study section discussion.

Exodus: Gods and Kings & Five Stones and a Burnt Stick Reviewed

Boxing Day was spent exploring the story of Moses using two different forms of art. The first was the film Exodus: Gods and Kings and the second was the book Five Stones and a Burnt Stick: Wisdom Stories about Intimacy by Ernesto Lozada-Uzuriaga Steele. In this review I intend to look at each individually, but also how engaging with both together provides an interesting new look at Moses.

Exodus: Gods and Kings from director Ridley Scott which was released in the UK today is in many ways a retro movie; a large scale biblical epic with more than a feel of a bygone era to it. Christian Bale plays Moses in a way which has depth but it is Joel Edgerton as Ramses, the Pharaoh in the latter part of the film, who has the type of intensity which one associated with the classic actors of the 50's and 60's. He would have fitted in perfectly alongside Richard Burton of Charlton Heston and the scenes with him and his baby son, (both when alive and dead), were particularly moving.

Whilst employing some dramatic licence it was reasonably near to the Judeo-Christian narrative apart a couple of key things. The first problematic movement away from the text was the fact in the film Moses had no problem with speech and thus his brother Aaron was not required to speak for him. The second was when he left to go back to Egypt his wife and son did not join him in the film. Neither was a problem in itself but was slightly annoying. It was also not made clear in the film that Moses would not see the promised land and rather it would be Joshua who would lead them into Canaan. That said it was far better than Noah, the other recent biblical narrative. Whilst not the best film I have seen this year it was certainly not the worst and if you have a couple of hours to spare it is certainly worth a trip to see.

 

As I indicated in the introduction I also read Five Stones and a Burnt Stick today. It is a short book, a mere 90 pages, which uses Moses to explore the theme of intimacy in its various forms. The six chapters, sandwiched between the prologue and epilogue, alternate between looking at intimacy with God, self, a sexual partner, (in this case Moses' wife Zipporah), and one's children.

This is a creative piece of theological writing which imaginatively uses Moses as a springboard. Whilst it does contain reference to the biblical narrative, like the film, it veers from it to explore the emotions and intimate relationships Moses had. This means one is forced to move away from the common problem one has when reading the bible of reading in a way which makes the key characters somewhat one dimensional.  Rather you engage with the character as a person who had emotions, relationships and a whole lot more going on in the background than the biblical narrative might tell you.

The strength of this approach is that it challenges the reader to re-engage with the patriarch and what can be learnt from him. We are encouraged through this to think about our own intimacy and relationships. Three chapters do this particularly well, these are entitled The First Stone: Demarcation, The Forth Stone: Disclosure and The Fifth Stone: Discovery.

The first of these briefly explores the importance of having our own boundaries, which contains our "own sacred space". Through this we protect ourselves but also ensure that we respect others and allow them their own freedom.

The middle uses the concept of the Leviathan to explore the way in which fear exists within each of us and is the biggest curse resulting from man's sin. Yet, as this chapter proclaims, fear can be overcome if we understand we cannot fight it but rather through disclosing it, confronting it, naming it and eventually taming it.

The final of these chapters, the one on discovery explores vocation. It links finding one's true vocation to freeing the soul and so it is possible to look "beyond the interests of money, power and lust". It is interesting that Steel is not only a writer but also an artist and Anglican priest and as such should know much about the topic of following ones vocation(s). Therefore, it is perhaps not surprising that this was probably the most profound part of the book.

These were the strengths, yet there is a major weakness and it is one in some way shared with the film. There was an awkwardness in the romantic, more sexual scenes between Moses and Zipporah. Such scenes are notoriously difficult to write and it has to be said that whilst the screen writers handled them better than Steel in both they were slightly awkward and made one relieved to have got past them. The intensity of the relationship between Zipporah and Moses and the sexual nature of it was important but could have been portrayed equally well implicitly.

I would recommend the book, but with the caveat that you may wish to skip quickly over parts of Chapter III Welcome Home and Chapter VI The Last Night where the awkward prose weakens the generally imaginative narrative.

I would also recommend the approach of reading the book and watching the film in a close time frame. I found they did complement each other and having watched the film I was able to picture the dialogue between God and Moses in a way I hadn't previously. In Exodus: Gods and Men God (Yahweh) is portrayed as a child, who looks somewhat like a young Buddhist monk and in both book and film the dialogue between them was strong and complex. This portrayal of their relationship was a strength of both.

Both the book and film are worth giving time to I think because they help the reader engage anew with the biblical narrative in Exodus but also to think beyond it. The nature of the two gives the reader an invitation to bring their own imagination to the text and allow God, through the Holy Spirit, to speak to them through this.

Five Stones & a Burnt Stick by Ernesto Lozada-Uzuriaga Steele, (2014), Whispering Tree Original Books, ISBN: 978-0-9927363-1-6

More than just Christian and Proud

It's June, the sun is shining and Pride in London season is almost upon us. That means it's time to freshen up the purple Christians Together at Pride t-shirts proclaiming we are Christian and Proud and get ready to head to the capital not once but twice. On 28th June we head down to the main Pride in London event meeting outside Methodist Church House where last year we had a communion on the pavement, which I found really moving, before going and lining up for the parade. Then on 5th July there is the Christians Together at Pride service which is part of the wider festival of events that go on for pride. There are full details on their website, together with a note that the last date for t-shirt orders is Monday 23rd June.

June is also the month which has Tracey Byrne formally start her new job as CEO of LGCM and I wish her well in that. She is a familiar face to Greenbelt people having been one of the driving forces behind the Outerspace events.

On the subject of Greenbelt which is a great arts festival for people of all faiths and none besides the Outerspace events happening over the weekend I'd like to bring attention to a few other recent announcements re the festival which you may be interested in. Christian Feminist Network have announced they are hosting one of the worship events, Feminist academic and philosopher Marika Rose has been announced as one of the speakers and Vicky Beeching has announced she is hosting a panel looking which will be exploring faith and LGBT issues. This is an area where both her and Steve Chalke are increasingly acting as vocal allies in. Both of them are speaking at the Accepting Evangelicals anniversary event in October, (Vicky has recently been announced as a patron of this organisation) and at an exciting event Oasis are running next April The Church, Sexuality, Mission and theFuture which you can currently book for. Vicky is also one of the speakers at the Gay Christian Network (GCN) conference in the US next year.

GCN is an international network which is led by Justin Lee author of Torn. This organisation has members all over the world, including the UK, but is based in the US. They announced this week they have launched a new ministry programme called Sanctuary to create safe spaces in local congregations for LGBT Christians and those who care for them.  

Something to be celebrated too is the announcement that Rachel Mann, a trans lesbian Anglican priest, has been made a minor cannon at Manchester Cathedral. It is interesting to note that this together with the publication of a couple of other articles caused Anglican Mainstream (a conservative Anglican organisation) to claim in a post there were coordinated LGBT messages being put forward in  the English Christian media. The claim, which one can understand this type of organisation making as part of their wider campaign against what is happening at the moment, is wrong I believe and misunderstands what is happening.

The truth is there are a couple of things which have happened/ are happening which may make it look like this but are actually signs of something different.

The first reason I think there is more coverage at the moment is that we are now at a place where the subject is being properly debated, however uncomfortable that is for many, in a number of forums. The "don't ask, don't tell" and "don't mention the issue" culture is slowly and surely being eroded by a more healthy one where differences can be discussed as adults and people can be open about who they really are. Whilst this is not always easy I believe the spirit of fear is being broken, but in a way which seeks to be sensitive to those who find it difficult because of their own interpretations of scripture. This is something I think we should be especially thankful to high profile allies such as Chalke and Beeching for. The Christian media, who have a set of news values and processes just like other forms of media, is simply reflecting this spirit I believe.

The second is that there has been the emergence of new groups and new voices over the last couple of years. For example Diverse Church, a sister organisation to Two:23, which is the wonderful new group supporting 18-30 year olds, particularly who are in churches where they are not supported or affirmed. Some of these voices have been slowly, quietly developing over a number of years but because of the new climate are now being heard more widely. They are also involving people who are plugged in to a range of networks within the LGBT Christian world and beyond. The fruits we are seeing now are, in part , due to the mentoring which has gone in the past.

Thirdly, linked to my second point, there is a spirit of co-operation at the moment which means the fragmented Christian LGBT world is becoming far less fragmented. We are becoming much more of a networked community where "evangelical" and "liberal" groups are communicating well. This has led to something being formed which may seem akin to a movement because yes people are becoming more coordinated and media savvy, but it this is not the conspiracy Anglican Mainstream would like to claim.

There is also a growing body of academic work around queer studies which is actively seeking to include religion in its work. I have spoken about the Weeks Centre before and next week they host a conference looking at Queer Youth Histories. Queering Religion, Religious Queers edited by Yvette Taylor and Ria Snowden will be launched at this event. A review of the book will be published on this blog at some point over the next couple of weeks, (when my marking pile diminishes enough for me to read it properly and give it the attention it deserves). This is opening up ears in some quarters too I believe.

Finally, there has been a wider change I have started to observe. People are separating  the issues of who should be allowed to do what from the pastoral issues. There appears to be a wider recognition of the need to be pastorally sensitive to LGBT people. This is exemplified by  the fact the Methodist Conference programme shows a slot for discussing the pastoral implications of changes in marriage legislation on Monday 30th June which is separate to the main debate on the report of the working party on marriage and civil partnership happening on Wednesday 2nd July.

Going back to my third point there is also a growth in the cooperation between different parts of the LGBandT communities, the T is being more consciously included. This isn't just applicable in Christian circles, where organisations such as Accepting Evangelicals are exemplifying it. I was heartened to read on Twitter this week that Stonewall's Ruth Hunt is having a meeting with trans activists about further cooperation. I really, really hope that these talks are productive and that the trans activists going don't become a stumbling block in this process. Stonewall Scotland already includes the T element in its work and I passionately believe, as does my trans husband, that Stonewall England and Wales need to too.

Update: As I wrote this I hadn't caught up with the fact Colin Coward Director of Changing Attitude has been awarded an MBE in the Queens Birthday Honours List. This is well deserved and I congratulate him on this for all the hard work he and his team do. This is an example of how external factors often influence the timing of stories in both the secular and Christian media, something even Anglican Mainstream have to acknowledge cannot be controlled by LGBT activists.

Also caught a tweet from God_Loves_Women to say she had nominated Rachel Mann for a Diversity Award. Seems like something good to get behind and involved with. Nominations for the National Diversity Awards close on 18th July 2014