So here goes. I need to
reflect more. There are a number of
reasons for trying to be more thoughtful and theological reflective (and here’s
my first reflection!)…
1. I want to learn and live
joyfully, close to Jesus.
2. It is an area for my
development and spiritual formation at William Booth College. I am not naturally a reflector so this is
going to be a challenge!
3. I have realized from
working on a very challenging international working group that I need to take
more time to do some theology in order to give the ministry and mission here
some strong context and purpose. Essentially, I want to connect my faith to my
actions.
4. I want to know more about
myself
5. I want to make better
decisions in my role through having an informed faith.
6. I need to be more
biblically and theologically literate, particularly in my area of mission
7. I want to see if there is any change in my
views over the coming months. ( It was Thomas Merton who was supposed to have
said ‘If the you of five years ago would not consider the you of today a
heretic, you are not growing spiritually.’
So here goes, here’s my
starting point. Here are the foundations of my faith and views at the moment:
- I am not an inspirational preacher, I never will be. I am not an academic, I never will be. I am not a theologian, I never will be. I am just an ordinary Christian with a heart for the poor and the marginalized trying to live faithfully and love better.
- I very much see myself agreeing with Rev Roger Wolsey and lean towards viewing the bible through a hermeneutic of compassion, love and justice.
- l really like the strapline that Tearfund use for its work – ‘to draw people, through love, to faith in Christ’. Well I think that is what I am trying to do! Rightly or wrongly, that is the extent of my evangelical zeal and approach.
- Incidentally, I find liberal and progressive theology much more in line with my thinking than the evangelicals.
- I have made many many mistakes in my life but I believe every day God is transforming my life and as a result I want to play a part in the transformation change of others, both individuals and communities. . (’ My past is redeemed, my present makes sense and my future is secure.’ (Zimbabwian pastor)).
- I believe in the power of the gospel to transform lives and as a result I believe that the church exists to make a difference. I want my church to make a difference!
- I believe (and I understand that this might be a wee bit controversial) that social justice is now the Church’s most effective point of contact with the world. It’s the best starting point now and that’s one of the reasons I belong to The Salvation Army because it is committed to fighting for social justice, despite struggling with some of its doctrinal stances (more about that later).
- Transformation is the work of a community. We do as much as we can in community with others. I am not going to do anything here in Kenya on my own that will make any lasting difference; it can only be done in community. (‘The gospel message is a way of living with Christ and each other than enables the ministry of word, deed and sign’ Bryant Myers)
- I am open to learning from other faiths, who are part of our community and can offer valuable insights and different perspectives.
I could write more but those
are the foundations of my faith and over the next few weeks I intend to explore
whether they are strong enough to build on. Comments from and discussion with
architects, consultant and developers along the journey would be most helpful
and welcome!
