Rules, Rules, Rules!!

I met up with Ray this Wednesday to chat about where we both were in our thinking about the pub monastery vision. We met in the leafy area of Clifton, Bristol and mused together while admiring the breathtaking view from Clifton Downs (Who knew that was there? I always said the Bristol wasn't too bad for an English city). The conversation soon settled on discussing the monastic concept of 'rule of life'.

The idea of a rule of life is simple: it is a basic set of ideas and concepts that define a monastic community and provide a framework within which its members must conduct their lives. The classic Benedictine rule of life, established by the legendary Saint Benedict himself in the sixth century, consists of three vows that the initiate monk must make: the vow of obedience, the vow of poverty and the vow of chastity. Most traditional monstic orders follow a similar rule of life, but some of the new monsatic communities are coming up with their own innovative rules, based on what is appropriate for their own contexts (a great example is the Northumbria Community's rule of 'availability and vulnerability' - see  http://www.northumbriacommunity.org/who-we-are/the-rule-briefly)

So, Ray and I were stood there overlooking this dramatic vista, silently hoping that decades of weather erosion weren't going to finally catch up on the precarious cliff ledge we were perched on, and began thinking about what a rule of life might look like for a community of faith - or a network or communities of faith - that met in a bar (or bars). After much deliberation, we came up with the following three aspects:

1 - Love wins. This is the bottom line of all understanding of God and how he acts in the world. Jesus came to show that when all is said and done, love does and will ultimately win. Our imitation of Christ must be understood in this light.

2 - Jesus can and does change lives. This is the source of all our hope and is why no one and no situation is ever written off.

3 - Incarnation. We are called to be 'out there' blessing the world in any and every way, not stuck behind church walls in our little cliques of holiness.

 Hmm...definitely room for further extrapolation, exploration, exaggeration and examination, but it's a start!

Culture Club

I've been thinking about culture recently. By this I don't mean that I've been ruminating over the latest exhibition at the Tate Modern or been immersing myself in Marlovian tragedies at the Barbican, but more from a theological perspective - to what extent should contemporary culture influence the church?

At this point many good evangelicals (and probably high-churchers for that matter) would begin to cry 'heresy!' at the top of their voices while reaching for their pitchforks, but it's a serious question. For those not au fait with Christian understandings of the church's relationship with contemporary culture, for many it's very simple - we've got it right, they've got it wrong. We should try to influence culture, but we can NEVER let culture influence us.

From the start there are some obvious problems with this position, the main one being that it's rubbish. Most of those much loved bulwarks of 'church life' that many don't want to get rid of (e.g. hymn singing, pews, preaching, flower rotas etc) were at one point in time culturally relevant, and that is why they were introduced (William Booth, founder of the Salvation Army, once famously said in regard to contemporising church music, 'why should the devil have all the best tunes?'). It goes back even further though. In the Bible we have examples of St. Paul unapologetically using contemporary Greek mythology to explain about Jesus at the Areopagus (place where philosophers came to discuss stuff in Athens), and even some of our most treasured traditions (Christmas/Easter) are based on ancient pagan birth/death/rebirth rituals.

Now I'm not saying that the Church does not have something unique and incredible important to show the world because it does, but as a wise woman once said let's keep the main thing the main thing! We don't need to be afraid of culture or in some way protect God from it, as though he can't look after himself. Christianity is about a gospel of hope, redemption and forgiveness and has always been most powerful when enriched by the culture in which it finds itself. Churches cannot keep Jesus locked up in a comfortable box of Victorian ecclesiology. Let's find ways of doing church that are authentic and honest to the place where God has put us.

The Hard Lessons

It's a funny thing, hindsight. The things we look back on that seem so obvious to us now were so completely unfathomable at the time. It's often the lessons learnt from hindsight though that are the most useful - and painful - for stepping into the future. As I think about the 'pub monastery' vision, it would be inadvisable bordering on  irresponsible not to consider the lessons I myself have learnt.

Concepts and ideas can be addictive and when I first came upon the idea of a pub-church, I was hooked. I say came upon, because it was not my idea in the first place. Back in 2003 (I think) I found myself one Sunday evening in a bar in Cardiff City Centre being run by a group called Bar None. I can't remember how I came upon these guys, but it was my experience on that fateful night that introduced me to the idea of pub church. It was a debate evening, and the topic under discussion was 'is there such a thing as just war'. The open, inclusive, non-judgemental attitude they had towards everyone, no matter their opinion, blew me away. The atmosphere was safe, welcoming, as though you wouldn't be thrown out no matter how outrageous your beliefs or shady your past. I remember thinking, 'this is what church should be like'.

When we launched our version of pub church, Solace, it was this concept that I doggedly clung to. I wanted to recreate this amazing atmosphere for other people to be blown away by. However, this approach, in hindsight, was one of the problems. Here was a concept that I was determined to make work. It was as though the idea itself was this new brand of revolutionary washing powder, fresh off the production line, which I was hell-bent on selling. When we launched Solace we even had an opening night to which around a hundred people came, including press! This was my idea (even though it wasn't), my baby, and I was going to make it work. 'I', 'me', 'mine'. The idea had become for me the focus.

Pride is an insidious sin. You don't even know it's there until your neck deep in it.

What to learn? Well, it seems as though Jesus' approach to things was about as opposite to mine as is possible. "Go and make disciples" he said, "I will build my church". We make the disciples, he builds the church. It's not about creating a new brand, but about obeying him.

Trust God. Keep focus. Relinquish control. Learn to enjoy the taste of humble pie. If I get another chance I'll try doing things His way next time, not my own.

Ancient Examples 3: Monks of War

Mention the Knights Templar to most people these days and the chances are, if they knew what you were talking about at all, they would assume you were referring to a new book by Dan Brown. If they were a bit better read, they might engage you in a conversation about the crusades and the immorality of invading a foreign country in the name of God (this may lead to a follow up conversation about a certain American president's attitude towards Middle Eastern, 'dangerous', oil-producing countries). However, I've read stuff recently (Desmond Seward's Monks of War) that has got me thinking the Knights Templar, Knights of St. John, Knights Who Say Ni and other European military orders of the Middle Ages have got something to say for a 21st century faith community.

Now before anyone accuses me of being a closet supporter of Nick Griffin, let me explain. The Knightly Orders were first and foremost monks, following all the ascetic rigours of their non-military brethren. The first order, the Order of the Temple, was founded by a chap named Hugues de Payens and grew from a group of ragged knights that Hugues had put together in 1118 to guard the monastic hospitals in and around Jerusalem. The 'Poor Knights' became a monastic order when St Bernard of Clairvaux composed a rule for them in 1123. Thus they had two vocations - to pray and to fight.

What the Templars did - killing in the name of God, is reprehensible to anyone with any understanding of the Bible, God and common goodness. This was even recognised by some at the time, for instance the Cistercian abbot Isaac of Etoile who wrote "Its (The Templar's) members consider that they have every right to attack anyone not confessing Christ's name...whereas if they themselves are killed while thus unjustly attacking the pagans, they are called martyrs." It is the principle that interests me, however, the principle of action.

Monastic orders in general are known for contemplation, prayer and spiritual insight, but not so much for action. In a world wracked by so much injustice, churches need some of the spirit of passionate, zealous action. There are plenty of evils surrounding us that need to and CAN be combated by those with a mind - women trafficked into sex slavery, children forced to produce our clothes, atrocities committed against innocent people so we can use mobile phones.

St Bernard wrote of the Templars, "They can fight the battle of the Lord and indeed be soldiers of Christ." Perhaps churches need to learn something about this. There are evils and injustices that need to be fought against with passion and zeal. Perhaps there are things we can learn from the Monks of War.

Beerton Abbey

Sorry for the lame title to this post but thought I'd try to slip in a cheeky pop-culture reference. Fail. Be that as it may, I want to say a bit more about how the whole bar/abbey/monastery/community thing might work...as usual, I'm very open to comments and suggestions.

First, a history lesson (naturally).

In the summer of 395, St Columba and a band of twelve monks landed on Iona and began building their abbey. There is evidence to suggest that Columba had connections with local rulers and, for the first season at least, received resources from elsewhere to help establish the monastery, but soon it was self-sufficient and quickly gaining reputation.  This became a missionary base that for some centuries was the hub of Christianity in Britain.

The abbey was a place of worship, a home, a base for local ministry and the 'mother house' that other communities were planted from and affiliated to. It was from Iona that Aidan went to establish the famous abbey on Lindisfarne (Holy Island).

Ray and I see the potential for a modern day version of this model. Currently he lives in Watford but is often on the road, networking pubchurch groups and trying to set up new ones. I on the other hand am much more of a 'stationary' kind of guy, feeling drawn to one place and looking after the community there. When translated into our vision, Ray naturally wants to set up/network the small dispersed communities, where as I naturally want to look after the central bar church itself. It was pointed out to us recently that this is a classic Celtic bishop/abbot role allocation - the bishop overseas all the churches in one area where as the abbot is specifically looking after the abbey.

Hmm...not sure my Baptist sensibilities really appreciate the idea of being an abbot! Plus abbots are supposed to be holy types...not sure I really fit the bill (but that's another story!). Well Ray and I are trying to meet up sometime before Christmas to chat further, so hopefully more stuff will be revealed then.

And of course we still have our main problem: no people!

Still excited though!! :)

Wanted - visionary pub landlords. Apply within.

Can't remember if I mentioned but in July I'm moving on from my current church job. Now, this turn of events leaves me in a very interesting situation. On one hand it's pretty terrifying, as for the first time in my life the future is uncertain and suddenly I'm experiencing a disconcerting vulnerability. On the other hand it's amazingly exciting as it means the bar church vision is a real possibility!

It also means that some time soon I have to make some decisions. In an ideal world, I would be pursuing the vision in partnership with someone who has both experience and qualification in licensed retail management (the jargon just drips from my tongue now!), but as we all know this world is seldom ideal and I'm not. Therefore, for the time being at least i have to assume I'll be both running the business AND shepherding the flock (jargon works both ways). Problem: theological training I have, bar management training I have not. The obvious solution? Get some training.

I've done a lot of research into how to do this and there is one organisation, the BII (British Institute of Inkeepers), which runs 'industry standard' courses for experience and qualifications. There are dozens of these courses covering everything from stock control to cooking theory to door supervision, but at the very least there are two courses that seem vital, the licensing qualification itself and 'introduction to licensed retail operations'. In total these two alone cost almost 600 squid (which is not an insignificant amount of money), but they're necessary.

With everything changing in July I have a chance to go all out for this, to do the courses and try get some experience in a bar/pub somewhere. The step is obviosuly a huge one, meaning a complete career change (while I get some experience at least) and a sizable financial investment (the training). Things are starting to get serious.

Any visionaries out there fancy being a bar manager? Any takers?

Anyone?

Ancient Examples 2: The Celtic Penitentials

In my quest for ancient examples of forgotten church practice, I have recently come across a collection of writings called 'penitentials', specifically a bunch of them that were written in Ireland and Wales roughly 1300 years ago. For those of you not really interested in 8th century texts written by monks living in Co. Meath (are there any??), a penitential is simply a list of instructions of how to get 'back on track' with God after a person has done something wrong. The formula runs thus: mess up, go to priest, priest looks up corresponding penitential, priest tells you what to do, do it, things all good again.

If there are any Roman Catholic of Eastern Orthodox folk reading, you will be much more familiar with this sort of thing than I am, being a rather blinkered Baptist. But before everyone gets up in arms about this sort of legalistic formula being what's wrong with Christianity in general, let me say why I found the principles behind the Celtic penitentials both enlightening and also potentially important for a 21st century Christian church.

Tom O'Loughlin writes that the penitentials' understanding of 'repentance' (because that is ultimately what we're talking about here) comes from ancient Celtic culture. The Welsh and Irish legal systems were based on what is called 'honour price'. The idea was that if you committed a crime against another person, you would have to pay that person's family an honour price (depending on severity of the crime, family's status etc), and once the was done, the matter was settled. Behind this practice is the idea that ALL crimes are redeemable. Now put God in the equation. So you've done something to break one of God's laws (i.e. committed a crime against him), and there is an honour price you have to pay (as recorded in the penitential). Depending on what you have done this price might be more of less, but ultimately there IS a way back onto the right path. There always is, without exception.

If there's one thing I excel at as a Christian, it's messing up. Sometimes I've messed up so badly that I feel God is on the other side of the galaxy and that there's no way back to him, I could never get myself out of the hole I've gotten myself into. For people like me (and I think there might be a few), the penitentials bring a message of hope. There IS a way back. It might not be an easy road and may involve me paying a high price in terms of forgiving, seeking forgiveness, reforming habits etc, but there is always a way.

There is always a way.

 Everything is redeemable.

Surely this is a message that people in our country need to hear.