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Being a Confidently Inclusive Church. 18.3.26
Let’s start with the elephant in the room… The Church of England, as we speak, is once again caught in the middle of a messy and complicated disagreement about human sexuality. This complicated and messy ‘process of discernment’ (argument also works as a description) has been going on for years, and is specifically about same-sex relationships, same-sex marriage, and (frankly) same-sex sex. In this disagreement, there are, very broadly, two ‘camps’. One considers that the Bible simply forbids same-sex unions of any kind, and that to allow (for example) a gay couple to marry in church would be against both God’s intention for creation and the command of Scripture. The other, well, disagrees with that. I hope it won’t surprise anyone at St Paul’s to hear that I myself am firmly in this ‘other’ camp – the one that thinks that we can, should and one day will, recognise and bless same-sex relationships in church. As I say, I hope this doesn’t come as a surprise; St Paul’s is a member of ‘Inclusive Church’ after all. And of course, you may also be aware that St Paul’s is part of a Diocese (The Diocese of Southwell and Nottingham) where that inclusive view is, well, relatively rare. I say relatively rare because across the Church of England as a whole, inclusive views are quite common: 52% of clergy in the church ‘parliament’ (General Synod) voted for special services of blessing for same-sex couples back in November 2023. But the truth is, on this issue, the Church of England is divided. And if the national Church of which we are part is so divided, why do I think it is important for us, at St Paul’s, to be confidently inclusive? How can we be confident if so many others disagree? Well, one reason is that the matter of inclusion is simply so much wider than questions around same-sex relationships. As an Inclusive Church, we at St Paul’s want to be inclusive of all, (at least all who come in safety – we absolutely do not have to welcome those who intend harm in any way). The Inclusive Church statement calls churches to ‘celebrate and affirm every person’ and challenges churches to ‘not discriminate against people on grounds of disability, economic power, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, learning disability, mental health, neurodiversity, or sexuality.’ So as you can see, the human sexuality aspect of being confidently inclusive is far from the only part; and I am quite sure all of us would be confident in our desire to welcome and include other categories of people in that statement. But can we also be confident in our inclusion and affirmation of, for example, same-sex attracted people, and, for example, Trans people? Well, yes. Yes we can. Partly this is for the same reason we can be confident of our inclusion to some of the other ‘groups’ (if I can use that term)… That is to say - This is us! To some extent, we are this list! I am delighted to say that we have people in our community who are Gay, who are Trans, who are neuro-diverse, who have different ethnicity, who come from different socio-economic backgrounds and who have differing learning needs and levels of Mental Health. Many of us (if not all of us) in different ways, and at different times, might identify with some of the terms in the Inclusive Church Statement. What I am saying is that the categories of people mentioned in that statement are not ‘other’ – they are people like us. They are us. But whilst it is important to say this; it doesn’t do to ignore the Elephant-in-the-room; the issue of inclusion of same-sex relationships; being argued about, right now, across the Anglican Church as a whole. So, once again, how can we be Confidently Inclusive? Well, there are three points I would make to help us in this. The first is this: Nothing in the Bible directly addresses the reality of loving, committed, same-sex relationships in the 21st Century. Monogamous, loving, same-sex relationships were simply not something that existed in the ancient world of the Bible. None of the verses that speak against same-sex behaviour in the Scriptures (and they do exist) are therefore speaking directly to this reality. What we find then, is simply a choice: Do we think the verses that do address same-sex behaviour apply to this new category of relationship that didn’t exist back then? Or do they not? You won’t be surprised to hear that I, and many others more learned than I, believe it is best not to read them as if they apply (for more on this, I can absolutely recommend the book ‘God and the Gay Christian’ by Matthew Vines). This, then becomes part of a broader question about how we read scripture, and the interpretive principles that we use as we do. It becomes about being Bible-Wise (another of our Church Values), rather than just taking verses out of context and assuming they address our situation. And this, in turn, brings me to my second point: We should read the scriptures, as Jesus did, for liberation. If you were at Church on Sunday (as I write) you would have heard me talking about the story in John 9, where Jesus clearly seems to break a law of Scripture (doing work on the Sabbath) in order to heal a man who was born blind. Certainly, that is what the keepers of the law (The Pharisees) accused him of. It seems that Jesus chose to disregard scripture (the Fourth Commandment itself) in order to liberate (heal) the needful man in front of him. The Church too, on a good day, knows how to read the scriptures for liberation, and often disregards scriptures that would not be liberative these days. You may be aware that Jesus was never (not once) remembered to have spoken about same-sex relationships. But he was remembered to have spoken about divorce: In Mark 10.2-12, Jesus clearly prohibits divorce. And yet many churches today will disregard Jesus’ statement on this, and permit divorce. And rightly so. They permit it because they have understood that Jesus was trying to liberate women who, in the culture of the time, could not divorce their husband, but who could themselves left destitute at any time, through divorce. We could say that churches choose, instead, to ask what liberation for women looks like these days, and to recognise that, sometimes, this will involve divorce. The same principle of reading for ‘liberation’ has also applied to Paul’s letters. Paul, in his letter to the Corinthians, instructs women to cover their heads in worship (1 Cor 11.2-16). Yet most churches have taken this to be a response to a local, cultural issue and ignore the clear instruction. Thank goodness. In the same way, Paul’s command that we always ‘greet each other with a holy kiss’ seems to have been left to one side by most churches. Again, probably for the best. When we read scripture for liberation, we realise the harm that is caused by teaching people that their sexuality is ‘wrong’ because of scriptures that address ancient understandings and behaviours. When we read scripture for liberation, we realise that though God is calling us all to Holiness, Holiness can be broader and more diverse (and more beautiful) than we ever imagined. Finally, the third reason we can be confidently inclusive, I think, is the simplest of all. Let us never forget that Jesus said this: ‘Do not Judge…’. (Matthew 7.1-5). As Christians, we are called to love God, and to love our neighbours as ourselves. We are called to love even our enemies. We are called to seek and pursue the justice of the Kingdom of God, and we are called to ‘take up our cross’ and follow Jesus. One thing we are not called to do, ever, is to be judgemental towards those who are different to us, those who also follow Jesus, and those who are sincerely seeking God for themselves and for their lives. That’s why we, at St Pauls, can be Confidently Inclusive. Tim On this subject, I would recommend learning about the tragic story of Lizzie Lowe - and her amazing, hopeful, legacy - at www.lizzielowe.org (trigger warning – the story involves suicide). St Paul’s Boundary Road is a member of Inclusive Church. www.inclusive-church.org The Inclusive Church Statement: “We believe in inclusive church – a church which celebrates and affirms every person and does not discriminate. We will continue to challenge the church where it continues to discriminate against people on grounds of disability, economic power, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, learning disability, mental health, neurodiversity, or sexuality. We believe in a Church which welcomes and serves all people in the name of Jesus Christ; which is scripturally faithful; which seeks to proclaim the Gospel afresh for each generation; and which, in the power of the Holy Spirit, allows all people to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Jesus Christ.”
Being a Bible-Wise Church. 11.3.26
As I write this, all around the world, Christians are getting properly into the rhythm of Lent. Or at least – that’s the idea. There will be no judgement from me if you have, for example, secretly gone back on the choccy biscuits! Perhaps something has indeed been ‘given up’; and the space that whatever-it-was has left has been given over to deepening prayer and contemplation. Or perhaps something has been ‘taken up’ instead; a new discipline or practice that can, through patience and repetition, slowly form our lives into an ever-so-slightly different shape. But it may be that discipline and practice, in and of themselves, feel like unhelpful ideas. It may be that you are, instead of ‘taking up’ or ‘giving up’ something, wisely resting from what might feel like Lenten demands. There is nothing wrong with that, either. You see, Lent has always been, for me, a season that demands wisdom. Used well, its encouragement to search our hearts and lives for the unnecessary and unhelpful (and be deliberate about seeking God) can be life-giving. Life-changing even. But used unwisely, it can be a heavy ‘yoke’; heaping pressure (and even condemnation) on people to whom Jesus would have instead called to come ‘unto me and rest…’ Used well, Lent is a meeting-place; a deepening place; a place of encounter with the life changing, world-changing love of God. Used badly, it can be, well, not that. And I would dare to say (and this might sound quite daring) that the Bible is the same. Don’t worry, this isn’t nearly as controversial as it might sound… Used well, The Bible can absolutely be a meeting-place; a deepening place, a place of encounter with Jesus. It can be a place of beauty, a place of meaning, and a place of instruction. It can inspire, comfort and delight, and it can (and should) be a place where we are formed in the way of Jesus as disciples. But used badly, frankly, it can be a weapon. A weapon that can cause great damage and harm. Now, this time you might think that I have definitely said something controversial; but I promise I really haven’t. And I can tell you a couple of reasons why. One goes like this: Have you ever heard the old saying ‘the Devil can cite scripture for his purpose’? Well, believe it or not this is actually from Shakespeare (the Merchant of Venice) and is a reference to a famous Lenten bible reading: the Temptation of Jesus in Matthew 4.1-11. What we see here in this passage is the character that embodies the utmost evil in the world (the Devil) tempting Jesus by quoting the Bible at him (actually a passage from Psalm 91) saying, ‘If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down, for it is written, ‘He will command his Angels concerning you…’ If the character in the New Testament that embodies evil itself can quote the Bible in order to try and cause Jesus to sin, we should arrive at an inescapable conclusion: It is not merely enough to read the Bible, we actually have to use it wisely. But another reason why it is not controversial to say we need to use the Bible wisely, is that this is what good Bible interpreters have always thought. Even back to the time of Jesus. The Jewish Rabbis taught that their Bible (what we would call the Old Testament) could not just be simply read, but needed wise interpretation. One of my favourite quotes from the old Rabbis is this: ‘When two people read Torah’ (which was their name for scripture) ‘God is present in the space between them…’ This, beautifully, sums up the ancient idea that different understandings or interpretations of a text are not a problem, but perhaps even a gift, because not one person has the ‘correct’ interpretation figured out all by themselves. God is not ‘with’ one or the other, in this image; because one or the other is not ‘correct’ all by themselves. But rather, God is present in the space between them. I find this profoundly moving, and very hopeful. In a global church full of division, perhaps we have something to learn from the ancients, who knew that they didn’t have to have it all worked out by themselves. I want St Paul’s to be a place where we can learn, together, how to do what Jesus himself did, and wisely discern the best way to interpret and use the ancients texts which we are given, in order to make them places of encounter with the God of love, the God who is most clearly revealed to us in the person of Jesus. Amen! P.S. The wonderful (and much missed) writer and scholar Rachel Held Evans wrote these wise and wonderful words about the Bible: “If you are looking for verses with which to support slavery, you will find them. If you are looking for verses with which to abolish slavery, you will find them. If you are looking for verses with which to oppress women, you will find them. If you are looking for verses with which to liberate or honour women, you will find them. If you are looking for reasons to wage war, you will find them. If you are looking for reasons to promote peace, you will find them. If you are looking for an out-dated, irrelevant ancient text, you will find it. If you are looking for truth, believe me, you will find it. This is why there are times when the most instructive question to bring to the text is not "what does it say?", but "what am I looking for?" I suspect Jesus knew this when he said, "ask and it will be given to you, seek and you will find, knock and the door will be opened." If you want to do violence in this world, you will always find the weapons. If you want to heal, you will always find the balm.” ― Rachel Held Evans, A Year of Biblical Womanhood
Being a Spiritual and Spirit-Full Church. 25.2.26
So – a little about me… Many of you might have heard me describe myself, once or twice, as a ‘bad Charismatic’. If you have heard me say this, you might have thought that I was just being contrary, (we are in a local area with lots of very Charismatic Evangelical churches) or weird, or alternatively, you might have simply not had a clue what I was on about. I mean, the terms ‘Charismatic’ and ‘Charismatic Evangelical’ don’t exactly explain themselves to everyone! So what do I mean by describing myself as a ‘bad Charismatic’ and what has this got to do with our vision at St Paul’s…? Well, let me explain! For a start, the word ‘Charismatic’, when used to describe Christians or Christian churches, tends to be used to describe people or communities who believe that the gifts of the Holy Spirit, as described in New Testament books such as 1 Corinthians (see 1 Cor 12), are real and vital for us to be receiving, and using, in our lives and in our worship. The word ‘Charismatic’ derives from the Greek word for ‘Gift’ that St Paul uses: Charism. A church that is Charismatic, in this usage, is a church where there is a real expectation of the immediacy of God’s presence to be revealed in gifts of tongues (a sort of spiritual prayer-language) of healing, and of prophetic words and images. And who wouldn’t want to see God at work, powerfully, through the Holy Spirit, in our services of worship! If that is what being a Charismatic is, well you can count me in! When I was young, these sorts of churches described themselves as ‘Spirit-filled’ – and I longed to be ‘filled with the Spirit’ – to experience these spectacular gifts for myself. But here’s the thing; although I grew up in and around Charismatic churches, frankly, I was never really very good at it. And it took me a long time to work out why. Stay with me here folks – because I think there is something here that is very important for a church to understand. Once or twice in my life, I have had ‘pictures’ – an image that comes to the mind, that seems to be ‘impressed upon’ from the outside, a gift from God’s Holy Spirit. Perhaps three or four (or maybe more) times in my life I have had powerful ‘words’ from God; a sentence or a phrase that, again, appears in the mind unbidden, and that changes everything; a gift of a loving parent to a needful child. And these things, these memories, these stories, are incredibly precious and important to me. They are wonderful. They are ‘Charisms’ – gifts. But I certainly don’t have an experience like this every week. And I don’t think many of us do. Now, I have been in churches that are run by people who do seem to have experiences like this regularly, and they often seem to expect that everyone else should as well, and that if you don’t well, clearly you must be doing something wrong. If you have ever felt that you are a second-tier Christian, or that you must be doing something wrong because you don’t have experiences like this at all, or don’t have them very regularly, then I want to tell you that this is not the case at all. And I am sorry that you have been made to feel like that. It is more likely that you are an entirely normal Christian, who is called to find and encounter God in the normal, beautiful, God-filled world! And I think that this gets to the heart of that thing which a good church needs to understand and embody in the 21st Century: God is ‘out there’ as much as God is ‘in here’. And more of us, more of the time (or even most of us, most of the time) are not having ‘words’ and ‘pictures’ and experiencing the unmediated presence of God in spectacular ways; but are finding that God’s presence is revealed in more ordinary ways: the real, the beautiful, the normal, the neighbour, the stranger. All of these revealing God’s loving and continual presence to us when we attend to them. The point is that this is not a ‘glitch’ or a ‘problem’; but simply the way that God seems to operate, for most people, most of the time. Finding God in the real, the beautiful, the normal, the stranger and the neighbour is something that the tradition of Christian Spirituality and the contemplative and mystical writers understand very well. And so, I want St Paul’s to be a church that is deeply Spiritual, rather than simply Charismatic. I want us to be a church that understands, as the contemplatives do, that God appears to us, most often, as the gentle whisper of presence in the silence, and the warm flicker of love in our hearts. And yet… You see, it is not enough for me to simply say that I want St Paul’s to be a church that is ‘Spiritual’. And that is because, across a congregation, those rare revealings of God’s powerful presence may not actually be all that rare after all. Because there are many of us, God’s gifts – those Charisms – are more present to us as a community than perhaps we realise. And this helps me to understand why it’s ok (in my terms) to be a bad Charismatic. Because it’s not all about me! Immediately after St Paul writes about Spiritual Gifts in 1 Corinthians 12, he (in the very same chapter) goes on to write his famous and well-loved words about being the Body of Christ. Paul’s point is that the gifts are given to the church as a whole, to the community, not to individuals. If we take this seriously it makes perfect sense that to an individual, these ‘spectacular’ moments would of course be rare. But when we gather together, and dare to share what God is doing in us, we may find that, actually, God’s power is more present and busy that we think across our church. And so, finally, I want St Paul’s to a church that is Spiritual – yes – but also one that is ‘Spirit-Full’ (to coin a phrase). Spiritual, and Spirit-full. A spiritual and spirit-full church is, for me, a church that holds well the understanding of what the Christian experience, as individuals, is really like; but holds it together with the hope that as we gather, we are encouraged (and maybe even amazed) by the power of God working continuously among us, and drawing us together. Amen to that. Tim.
Being an Ancient-Progressive Church. 25.2.26
Every 500 years. That’s what the writer and historian Phyllis Tickle said. Now you may not have heard of Phyllis Tickle (despite the amusing name), but a few years ago she wrote an influential book called The Great Emergence that observed that the world, and the global Christian church with it, went through a major upheaval roughly every 500 years. So, let’s have a very quick history lesson! Her first ‘upheaval’ was the original emergence of the Christian Faith 2000 years ago, as the followers of Jesus split from Judaism and forged their own path. Her second was the fall of the Roman Empire roughly 500 years later, and the emergence of the Monastic Movement that revitalised the church. 500 years after that came the third upheaval; as the Eastern and Western Christian world split apart in the ‘Great Schism’ that has divided Orthodox and Roman Christianity ever since. And then 500 years ago, the world and the church was rocked again by the Reformation and the emergence of Protestantism. Martin Luther and all that. King Henry VIII and his divorce. You know! But what, you may ask, has this got to do with anything, or with our values at St Paul’s? Well, the keen observer might have spotted that 500 years have now passed since the Reformation; and Phyllis Tickle (and many others after her) have shown that there does indeed seem to be something new happening in the world and in the Christian church. We might call it ‘postmodernism’ in the wider world; the loss of the simple confidence (birthed back in the Enlightenment period) that we can know – everything, or in fact anything – for sure. Faith-wise, what seems to be emerging in this uncertain postmodern space, is Church that refuses to claim complete correctness, or certainty, or that everyone-else-must-agree with-us, but rather turns back to ancient ways, seeking to be held secure in the openness and fluidity of this current moment by the concreteness and solidity of what has gone before. ‘Seek the Ancient paths’ says the prophet in Jeremiah 6.16… ‘where the good way lies, and find rest for your souls.’ And seeking the ancient paths in a 21st Century world is very much what this new upheaval; this ‘Emerging Church’ movement (for so it seems to be named) is all about. The academic Robert Webber called this ‘ancient-future’ church. Some call it ‘progressive’ church, as its openness and fluidity tends to enable inclusive and progressive readings of scripture and society. I find it helpful to call it ‘ancient-progressive’; and this is indeed one of the values that I want to encourage us to embody, as we think about our vision together now. And in case anyone is tempted to think that I am talking about our church being aligned with some strange sounding movement in the wider world, rather than our own Anglican tradition; let me say this - I am not at all! In point of fact, both of the American writers that I have mentioned, Robert Webber and Phyllis Tickle, go out of their way to suggest that Anglicanism (this is true!) is, of all the church types they have known or examined; the ideal way to embody these emergent ideas! They both speak of Anglicanism holding the ancient and the future together in a way that can be truly progressive, and yet deeply connected to the traditions and treasures; the ‘ancient paths’, that the church has inherited. Personally, I find that rather encouraging! The truth is, there is a movement of vibrant Churches around the world, who are asking again what it is to connect the now into the ancient, and who are discovering again the joys of creed, of contemplation, church-year and rhythm; of liturgy, ‘rules’ of life, and monastic mystic wisdom. At the same time these churches can be open, inclusive, welcoming, joyful, light, with an expectation of the power of the Holy Spirit; with sung worship that is engaging and up-to-date as well as traditional. Perhaps we, as Anglicans, are indeed well-placed to embody this. I do believe that we, at St Paul’s are particularly so. I think that this is exciting. Let’s embrace the possibilities of being ‘ancient-future’ together, as an ‘Ancient-Progressive’ church. Tim.
Being a Jesus-centred church 18.2.26
As we think about our vision and identity as a church over the next few weeks, during Lent, I want to take the time to write a little about the values that we will be exploring together, and that will help to describe that identity and vision. This week, I have been thinking about what it means to be a Jesus-centred church. Now, I imagine it may seem a little redundant to talk about a church being ‘Jesus-centred’. In fact, I hope that it may seem so. I mean, what else is a church supposed to be? Appropriate Trinitarian considerations aside; any and every church should surely be Jesus-centred in prayer and worship; as we (naturally) sing our songs and say our prayers to Jesus. When we celebrate Holy Communion we believe that Jesus is, mysteriously, somehow, made present to us. So of course we are Jesus-centred! But I do think that this is still worth saying; still worth considering. In fact, when we look at the world we live in, with all of its troubles and struggles, I think that this is something that we need to consider and say more and more, if only to ourselves! We need to keep asking ‘What does it mean – what does it really mean - to be a church that is Jesus-centred?’ And this can be a hard question to answer! But before we get to the hard bit, it is worth reminding ourselves that, at the centre of the Christian experience is a revelation of Jesus Christ. You see, believing in God doesn’t make us Christians. Neither does believing that Jesus is real; that someone called Jesus walked (and talked) in the Holy land 2000 years ago. We are Christians not because we know about Jesus; rather we are Christians because of something much more mysterious: an experience of Jesus. St Paul himself talked about God being ‘pleased to reveal to him’ that Jesus was God (see Galatians 1.13-16). At the root of all of Christian faith is some sort of encounter with or experience of the resurrected Christ; the Spirit of God somehow revealing to us who Jesus is. It’s a matter of the heart, not just the head. But as well as God revealing Jesus to us, Jesus also reveals God to us. Jesus was remembered to have said ‘anyone who has seen me has seen the Father’ (John 14.9) and Paul said that Jesus ‘Is the visible image of the invisible God (Colossians 1.15). This matters, because the Bible doesn’t give a single or monolithic picture of God. Very broadly, the ancient stories of the Old Testament show that the people thought God was at times, angry, war-like, and desirous of animal sacrifice. The Prophets then came along and described God as compassionate, merciful, full of loving-kindness and longing for justice. But we believe that this deepening understanding of the nature of God found its fulfilment in Jesus: when we look at Jesus, we can know what God is truly like (which is very good news indeed!) These are good reasons to say that we must be Jesus-centred! But another reason is simply that a Christian is not just someone who Jesus has been revealed to, but someone who follows the Way of Jesus. Being a Christian is active too. We are called to be disciples of Jesus; followers who try their best to do as Jesus did, and live with the same love and compassion that he showed. And this is where it gets challenging. To be a Jesus-centred church is to take seriously this call to discipleship. To ask ourselves that evergreen question ‘What would Jesus do.’ To allow our lives to be formed and shaped by telling, sharing and reflecting-on the story and stories-of Jesus. And then to put in to practice whatever principles or practices we find. This, perhaps inevitably, means that we may come into some opposition; Jesus was always seeking to show God’s love and blessing to outsiders, to strangers, to sinners, to the ‘unclean’ of the time. And he was well-known for being a thorn in the side of the comfortably (self)righteous. Jesus, ultimately, spent his power and his life on others; even giving up his life to death on the cross. The way of Christ is not necessarily comfortable! But it is joyful. As Christians we have the joy of knowing that we are changing the world around us by being Jesus’ hands-and-feet on earth. We have the Joy of community; a community formed around Jesus who unites us in our diversity. We have the joy of knowing that God is with us, no matter what comes. We have the joy of finding God’s endless, infinite, tender and patient love, revealed to us in Jesus. So, to sum up: Love that is life-changing. Hope that is eternal. Community that is life-giving. Justice and compassion for the world. That is what we find when we put Jesus at the centre. This is why we should never stop trying to be a Jesus-centred church! Tim.
A place where you can bring your doubts 19.1.26
At the start of this year, I am thinking about what makes St Paul’s a special place. This may sound a touch ‘prideful’ – or a least a little self-congratulatory, but I hope it isn’t. Rather, at the start of this year, as we think about things such as our vision and who we are as a church, I want to identify and celebrate the things that we do well. Firstly because these things are simply worth celebrating, but also so we can better discern what God is inviting us to build on as we look to the future. So what makes St Paul’s a special place? Well, naturally it’s lots of things, and (equally naturally) lots of people. But recently I have been thinking about one aspect of who we are and what we do well that I think is really, really, important; and it is to do with doubt. It is this: I think that St Paul’s is a safe place to bring your doubts. Why does this matter? Well, simply because a church’s relationship with doubt shows a huge amount about who they are, and a huge amount about what it is like to be a member of that church… But also (and perhaps this sounds a little contradictory) because I think that doubt is actually an important part of faith. You see, doubt is not the opposite of faith. As many have said, if anything is the opposite of faith, it might be certainty. Faith is a choice, even an action, that we make or do in the presence of mystery, and the reality that we can’t know for certain. The choice to follow the way of Jesus, to believe in Jesus, is always a choice. Perhaps we first make that choice because we have experienced something of God’s love in our hearts. Perhaps we first make it because it was the way we were invited to see the world when we were young. We choose, as Christians, to be held by this ancient faith, by the creeds that the Church profess and by the scriptures and beliefs that make sense (perhaps) of the life experiences that we have had. But this remains an action, a choice. Faith remains a ‘leap’. And that’s ok. What’s not ok is to demand that no-one ever doubts, or to see doubts and questions as a weakness, or a failure. If anyone ever made you feel like your questions or doubts were a failure; then I want to say that I am sorry. I don’t think that is right. Actually, I find that the place of doubt and questioning is the place where our faith can deepen. And it is certainly the place where authentic Christian community can be formed. This is because the need to question is human. If a church doesn’t allow people to question, then it doesn’t allow them to be fully themselves. If we have questions, we need to ask them, we need to them to be taken seriously, not batted away or trivialised. Furthermore, if we don’t allow people to doubt or question, then we create an environment where faith can easily become coercive and controlling. The certainty that encourages some leaders and churches to tell people what they must think or must believe can be comforting. But it also creates division, and it leads to a church that is unable to hold together those who (for example) understand a scripture or a doctrine differently. Perhaps this is what lies at the root of the Anglican Church’s current disagreements on human sexuality. I want St Paul’s to be a safe place to bring your doubts and questions. I hope it is. Actually, as I have said, I think it is. So do you have questions? Ask them! I can promise you that they won’t be trivialised or obscured. Do you have doubts? That’s ok! It’s not a problem to doubt; It’s actually much more of a problem to think that you are so right and correct that the only way anyone else can be correct and right is to agree with you. When we come together around the shared mystery that is life and faith, when we choose to believe together in the person and world-changing way of Jesus despite our doubts, when we ask together the difficult questions that arise, then a truly life-giving, holistic, beautiful and deep faith can be the result. And that’s what I want to see here. Thank you, everyone, for making St Paul’s a safe space to bring your doubts. Tim Fox. If you do have any questions about faith and want to speak to Tim, please email him at St.paulschurchvicar@outlook.com