Churches

  • Long Report: Life is shaping up, not moving on

    The pace of life is picking up across many broad sectors, showing that investment is working. As a result of this, life is shaping up into many different forms, and in-between these, the familiar cultural attributes of the UK are regaining their position. This is good news for all of us.

    While this is in line with some of our expectations, it changes the outlook of those involved in the early planning stages of a resurgence in development here. They thought most people would have moved on into new types of developments where new facilities provide their ‘old’ services.

    It didn’t happen, and so a different form of evolution has taken place. This is a changeover of responsibilities to those who form a new class of decision-maker, as well as a refreshed type of care and oversight in society. The belief is that things can stay the same, so the purpose is to adapt in stasis here. It’s what many have come to believe is our core strength.

    Smaller plans

    The centre of this sort of thinking is the local church. I’ve met many secular planners who don’t have a religious faith – but they’ve got one in community. The church is the liveliest example of this, so they’ve said to me. Much of their practical insight has come from being in these places, seeing things happen that produce results, and taking lessons from it.

    It’s small-scale living, an activity that involves interaction with others, which is a difficult field to explore, but the UK offers plenty of opportunities for it. There are stories of huge changes taking place in many people’s lifestyles as a result of concentrating on these such small places. The hyped up “future factor” of past planning meetings has given way to a simpler, sweeter form and version of seeing things as they should be.

    Open communities

    It’s a hybrid of progressive living and planning, and it’s proving to suit most tastes. The public at large are understanding things more, and believe their lives are better for it. Even democracy is broadening out, although it has a long way to go yet. The feelings are that life has to snap back together for it to derive benefit out of this groundswell of renewed resolve.

    The public services that define so much of the modern character of the UK are keeping up pace, and their challenge is laid out in more practical terms, too. The involvement of the right helps and supports will make that endeavour more worthwhile in the long-term. It will offer an enlightened set of results in time to come, showing – or proving – that we’re on a mission to prosper the best of our collective endeavours here.

  • What do evangelicals do now?

    A new Pope has arrived, and the Church of England will soon get its new Archbishop. Meanwhile, evangelicals will find themselves stuck between two worlds.

    It’s not easy to define what it is, and it looks set to get more complex.

    The moral issues are not its own necessarily. The troubles Churches find themselves in come of their own making. To wit, evangelical churches are used to having criticisms – and dealing with it.

    It doesn’t make for its future, anymore than it should be anyone’s expectation of it.

    The lack of direction is due to its lack of authority. It doesn’t seek leadership of the kind historic churches do. Albeit society tries to do so, it’s not subject to a village and its ideas on maturation.

  • Life at Westminster Cathedral

  • The way of being evangelical

    The religious ‘world’ is a turn of phrase for something we believe generally to understand. It’s not as simple as that of course but like the weather it helps if it can be.

    The simple ways in which things are described leads us to such conclusions as to not understand it.

    “If my life is any example to go by, maybe yours is too”, is one such statement made to me once. I didn’t agree but he was so cock sure of it I let it fly.

    The entrance made into a church is long and arduous for some. They are those who have a long road ahead of them because they’re ready for the journey. They also know it takes a lot to start out.

    In the other camp are those who take us along for a ride. It’s not always bumpy, they promise, and it can be fun. This isn’t always the case, but their intentions are laid out first by promises.

    It’s a minefield to navigate around and beyond with care because no one really understands what happens in there. The religious part is the mystery found anywhere else but the people are a real conundrum.

    It’s what I and others find out constantly as we tour religious groups and buildings.

    It isn’t a superior way of seeing things, it’s just a way of saying it.

    In my distant past I met a few key leaders who themselves did greater things than me. The miracles only ever come out of the best of us and folks like me don’t get there at all.

    It’s supposed to be another mystery we just can’t understand yet. The only remaining question is why they think it’s so.

    They’ve never been a mystery and neither are we.

  • The strange place of religion

    Religion doesn’t get a good rap these days. In fact, it’s public reputation is so bad that to some respondents, it just doesn’t have a place in “public life” at all.

    This is odd, considering its place in public life.

    Take for example the public services that are necessary to our way of life (christenings, confirmations, funerals, etc.), and you’ll get my point. The largesse of statecraft, and royalty, is also only brought down to our level by its religious aspect, otherwise it wouldn’t be understood at all.

    This is a fact of life right now, otherwise we would be atheists, indeed.

    Take for example St Paul’s Church, Covent Garden, pictured below. It’s a genial old fellow of a building, and protrudes boldly out from its towering height. Or at least, in times past it might have seemed more fantastic than it does today, in its quaint abode.

    The Entrance (Side View)
    The Entrance (Front View)

    The point is that these have existed before and exist today to be servants of a purpose. Mostly, we now view those purposes to be our own, as before but with a lot less enthusiasm about it.

    By it, I mean the religious aspect of saying the vows – secular and sacred – and meaning all of it (this is important too, in religion).

    Yes, the use of these buildings is low, but meaningfully they capture the spirit of the age, still.

    It’s not necessarily a top hat and religious dress type of set up, but it makes sense to find meaning and belonging if you want to. We all do this at some point in our lives, unless we’re atheists, or we’ve found a better place to do it.