A while I ago I confessed to selling out to middle class culture by playing Golf (I have yet to succumb a second time - thanks in part I'm sure to your prayers) Friday, however I finally gave in and betrayed one of my most passionately held principles! I was interviewed on Premier Christian radio... Not about Emerging Church... though I did manage to talk a bit about our vision... but on the whole Cross wearing debate... partly due to our community using the cross of Brendan as a visible sign of commitment and partly because Arch-Bish Sentamu couldn't do it!
Personally I can't see how wearing a cross could be seen as an 'evangelism tool', the symbol has become completely devalued/stripped of it's meaning in contemporary culture... certainly in terms of a piece of jewellery. It was interesting at the gathering of 'Emerging Church Leaders' how many different crosses were being worn... most, if not all had a link with a Saint or a place and had significance for the community who wore it... just like our Brendan's Cross... they were being worn as a symbol of community and vision not particularly to speak to those outside the community... believers or non-believers! Though I suppose wearing a 'different' cross does prompt questions, we have to get beyond the idea that a piece of jewellery, a T-shirt, a car sticker, blah blah blah, is some kind of evangelistic 'way in'... why are we always looking for easy ways, rather than noticing the 'easiest way' staring us in the face (writ large in Scripture!)... committed, sacrificial relationships with people... shared life! And it's fun to live with people, to walk with them in their life... I love standing on the terraces, travelling on the coach to away games, talking with people in the Bar... some of them even like talking to me! I love lounging on couches with young people talking about why their Granny had to die! I love meeting with the council/MP/Communtity leaders and asking what exactly they are going to do about Slavery etc! I love sitting on the carpet and talking to a Pagan Druid (apparently there are other types!) gassing about the spirituality of the planet! I love sharing our vision with people whose only understanding of Church is as a building "full" of old-people! I love having a mug of tea with Mums (mainly) talking about whether children have guardian angels! Funnily enough, when I do wear a cross... no-one has ever stopped me and asked whether it had any spiritual significance (although one or two have commented on my Brendan's Cross) I pray that people see Christ in me and through the things I do, rather than through a badge I wear on my person!
BTW the best bit of the whole interview was listening to the link in... the lady presenter came out of a Stuart Townsend Song about God being good or something with the word "Amen... we all agree with that", then got herself in a bit of a muddle with (paraphrased) "Wouldn't we? well, we should, shouldn't we?..." etc. etc. I had to bite my lip to stop from laughing! I might have to listen to Premier... if it always this funny!
Mark, thank you. That second paragraph is awesome! Very moving. A wonderful, real and natural statement of purpose....and without even meaning it I think! A great encouragement on a cold and wet Monday morning. I wonder have I just experienced the 'Christ in the things that you do'?! Thank you for putting a smile on my face and a skip in my step this morning.
In future when people ask me how they can create the 'safe space' that young people seek I will simply reply, "Go and ask Mark Berry. He's doing it."
Thank you.
Posted by: Phil Rankin | 23/10/2006 at 11:36
yep, there are even Christian Druids. Being a Druid is all about story-telling. I would imagine it would fit in quite well with what you're doing.
Posted by: Libbie | 23/10/2006 at 22:37
I'm not sure I'd go as far as 'Druid' especially as I'm pretty sure any notion we have of 'Druid' is more Victorian invention than pre-Christian Celtic tradition... we would however talk about the Bardic tradition... which in some ways started here...
http://markjberry.blogs.com/way_out_west/2006/09/missional_poet.html
Posted by: Mark | 23/10/2006 at 22:52