Swiss rules...

Reaction to the referendum result in Switzerland yesterday, banning the building of minarets on mosques has predictably been mixed (see here for the story on the BBC). It all seems a bit unlikely in Switzerland of all places, but, then, I've never been there and wouldn't know. What is interesting is how quick some have been to condemn the Swiss decision who you don't hear saying anything very much about regimes which actively discriminate against and persecute Christians (or if they do say anything it's not reported). On the other hand I fear that there are some Christians in the UK who could be alarmingly envious of what has happened in Switzerland, who seem to live in almost perpetual fear of Islam, and regret that we as Christians aren't accorded more special treatment from the powers that be by virtue of the church's role in Britain's heritage. The question such good folk are asking it seems to me is, "What kind of country we want to live in?". And it's a fair question. But I'm not sure it should be the first question we should ask if we're serious about living as followers of Jesus. Maybe that should be something more like, "What kind of church do we want to be part of?". And the answer, for me at least, would include something about being part of a church that's sufficiently confident in the message of God becoming human with all the vulnerability of a baby - a baby, who grew up to die in a uniquely sacrificial way and ultimately defy death itself; sufficiently confident in this message and its intrinsic power that we don't need state support, aren't always after the government fighting our corner and aren't unduly threatened by any other belief system, however belligerent some of its adherents might be. In other words, we shouldn't be after anyone legislating against other beliefs or even in favour of Christian beliefs, as if that somehow proved something - either about us as believers or about the rest of the society in which we live.

One final thought: can you believe they actually had a referendum on this in Switzerland, when we didn't even get one on the EU constitution? Maybe not much else happens in Swiss politics or something...

Song lyrics

Why is it that song lyrics sometimes just seem so clever? They don't even have to be profound or great poetry; witty will do, and sometimes it's not even that. Anyway, here are two of my current favourites. First, Pixie Lott:

I got your emails
You just don't get females now, do you?

Classic. Just for rhyming "emails" and "females" really. And then Robbie Williams:

I've been doing what I like, when I like, how I like
It was joyless.

Maybe that's a bit more profound, though hard to be too serious about against the '50s do-wop backing. And Robbie has one of my all time favourites too:

I'm contemplating, thinking about thinking
It's overrated, let's get another drink in

Maybe not something to aspire to, but for all that it's always strangely reminded me of the book of Ecclesiastes. But that's another story.

Schools

Heard today that Isobel's school got an "Outstanding" Ofsted report, following a recent inspection. They're naturally very pleased, and it is a great achievement for a mixed-ability school in a grammar dominated area (Toby's school also got an "Outstanding" earlier in the year). But having been a little bit on the other side of the system as a governor at the primary school where Elliot is the last remaining Leveson, it's hard not to have a few questions about the whole system. One of the principles underlying inspections nowadays is that "attainment is a limiting factor" - in other words if results in national tests/exams (SATs or GCSEs) don't reach certain standards then every other area of the school's life is judged accordingly. Now I wouldn't want to knock the value of academic achievement; but I would want to suggest that when it becomes THE significant criteria for judging the value or effectiveness of schooling, then it is in danger of becoming an idol. And one that, while no doubt with the intention of making our world more inclusive, actually highlights the lines that society draws between those who are deemed to be succesful and those who aren't. Anyway, rant over. On a positive note it's good to see groups like the Jubilee Centre seeking to engage with these issues from a Christian point of view. It's certainly needed.

Appearance

Well, have been playing a bit with the look of this. Think I like this better now, but time will tell.

Read of the Year...

...for me at least has been Gilead by Marilynne Robinson. Not new this year I know, but I discovered it this year, read it over the summer and am now reading it again. Not many novels make me want to do that, but this is beautifully written. The fact it's about a Pastor probably helps - it's in effect a series of letters/thoughts that an elderly Pastor in 1950s America leaves for his 7 year old son to read when he grows up. If that doesn't exactly sound gripping, you'd be surprised! It's positive, realistic, sad at times and makes you grateful to be alive. And is full of some great lines that are quotable out of context and still have an impact. Here are just two examples:

"People want to respect the pastor and I'm not going to interfere with that. But I've developed a great reputation for wisdom by ordering more books than I ever had time to read, and reading more books, by far, than I ever learned anything useful from, except, of course, that some very tedious gentlemen have written books. This is not a new insight, but the truth of it is something you have to experience to fully grasp."

"A good sermon is one side of a passionate conversation. It has to be heard in that way..."

I'm now looking forward to reading Home, the follow-up as such which did come out this year, I think.

Engage conference

Just back from a full day at Care for the Family's Engage conference. All in all an excellent, thought-provoking day, with lots of great stories and examples of churches that are really making a difference in their community. And some healthy realism as well, in the midst of it, with some helpful talk about doing one thing well rather than trying to do everything. Lots to think about and work and pray through about what it means for us in our context in Wilmington; but there are some exciting possibilities ahead. Some questions to ponder too, that aren't new or unique to our situation by any means but that doesn't make them any less real:

• There is a journey to go on so we're all understanding that getting involved in the community isn't ultimately "about" getting people into church, it doesn't need to be "sneaky evangelism"
• How do we best discern what the real needs are in our community and match them to the resources we have available?
• Are we big enough to get things wrong some of the time and not give up just because it doesn't all happen at once?

Obviously there are plenty of resources available to help with these kind of questions, but the answers have to be owned or else all our efforts could be short-lived. Finally a couple of observations about the day:

• Considering the event was in central London, and given the high proportion of Christians in London who are part of Black Majority churches, they didn't seem well represented at the day. There could be all sorts of good reasons for this, but I was a bit surprised I guess.
• It was encouraging that two of the plenary speakers (Rob Parsons and Ian Coffey) made a point of anchoring part of their talks at least in the Bible; but also interesting that most of the attendees didn't seem to expect that. At least, I didn't see anyone who had Bibles obviously with them or open on their laps (in fairness I didn't get mine out of my bag either). Read into that what you will!

Why?

Well, this is a bit of an experiment, really...The thought was that if I start a blog then it could be useful for when I go to India in the New Year to give updates as we go (internet connection permitting). But why wait for then? So I'm starting now, and we'll see how we go. Not convinced how regularly I'll post, or whether anyone will read it. And I wonder if the title shouldn't really be "Mark in the way", which seems a pretty good description of how things seem at times! But anyway, it's started now, so we'll see what happens...