see-through faith

There are some who don’t think I’m a very good wife. I suppose it all depends on what your definition of a wife is, and what the expectations are. Since hubby doesn’t have many complaints, and since we are still together after 22 years, I’m probably not that bad of a wife (all things considered), although occassionally (and for financial reasons) he threatens to confiscate my passport and change the password on my amazon account (grin)

I started reading an excellent book a week or so ago. It’s by a favourite author (Margaret Forster) and it’s entitled Good Wives? Mary, Fanny, Jennie and me, 1845-2001.

Forster looks at the lives of three wives, all of important, prominent men (David Livingstone (missionary and explorer), Robert Lewis Stevenson (author), and Aneurin Bevan (Labour MP, Cabinet minister) and compares herself to them. The theme throughout is, not surprisingly, what is a good wife? but what was most interesting (for me) was the way at the end of each biographical section Margaret Forster writes a reflection, and evaluates her own experience of marriage (to author Hunter Davies) against the experiences of the other wives. It makes for fascinating reading.

Forster is a feminist, but not of the die-hard variety. What was interesting was that she had to get married, not because she was pregnant, but because they couldn’t rent a flat any other way. Only she didn’t (at first) really get married, but bought a curtain ring from Woolworths and passed herself off as Mrs Davies. In otherwords she was to all intents and purposes ‘a mistress … though I didn’t like that label either’. (p. 5.)

The quote that resonated most with me, reads

It is an urge, surely, felt by almost every wife at some point in a marriage – to get away, to think of oneself for a change, to escape all the domestic routines, and, indeed, to escape the husband however must he is loved, not to mention the children. All completely understandable, and yet somehow thought not quite the thing for a good wife to want to do even today.

I can so identify with that. And consider myself to be in a marriage where my husband and I both recognise my need to get away, and both love it too when I return.

Interestingly for me Margaret Forster herself, although totally approving of wives holidaying alone, never actually does it herself … what she prefers is having the house to herself for a while … but what she does have (and will not give up!) is her Saturdays.

Saturday is my holiday day, my weekly day off and I don’t want him tagging along. I want to be a single woman. … selfish woman that I am. I want to wander as a free spirit, changing directions as I change my mind, without having to discuss where I’m going and especiallly without having to think about eating [I can so identify with that!]. I want to sit on my own in parks and observe others, I want to go to plays and films and feel isolated among the audience, I want to walk miles and miles along the river, over the bridges, through the squares, an oldish invisible woman. I emphatically do not want to be part of a couple, a wife. No one notices me and that’s exhilarating. I don’t speak for the whole eight hours or so that I’m otu, except to ask for tickets and so forth, whereas, together, we never stop talking.

The lives of the three women Forster looks at are all very interesting, and to my shame, I knew very little about any of them, even Jennie Lee who was an MP in her own right. I’m not sure I agree with all of her conclusions, but I really enjoyed the book, particularly her reflections.

At the end of the book there is an epilogue, where Forster looks at the whole question of matrimony, particularly the church service. Hubby and I got married in a church here in Finland. We didn’t have the whole white wedding and expensive reception, but we did want God’s blessing on our lives together, and today, 22 years later, I still wouldn’t have had it any other way. I didn’t promise to obey him, but I did promise to love him and forsake all others for him (and he me). I think that is well in line with the spirit of what Paul writes to the Christians in Ephesus and Colossee . And I do believe God has smiled on our marriage over the years … for better for worse, for richer for poorer and in sickness and in health. Amen.

I love walking around in London. Today we caught the local train over to Putney (which used to be village further along the Thames). We went there around Easter and I loved it – so was happy to do a repeat visit.

Putney still has very much of a village feeling – with a small high street with pubs, shops and best of all secondhand charity shops which I love browsing, although today I came away with only one purchase: a book entitled Change the World 9-5, inspiring people to use their everyday actions to change the world. More on that later.

We went to Sally’s @ St Mary’s for coffee. Highly recommended! Last time here we shared a huge muffin oozing with lemon curd and white chocolate .. and today’s special was another mouth watering muffin with white chocolate and raspberries. Yummy. St Mary’s is an old church on the bank of the Thames (beautiful location), and there’s a very old clock with a special sort of sundial on the tower.

The inscription

‘time and tide wait for no man’

seem very appropriate amidst the hustle and bustle of everyday life in London, and right next to the very tidal river.

The tide was in today, in April we were able to walk on the sand – no chance today! – so we walked over the bridge into Fulham. (You can read more about that from my friend’s blog over at My Patch if you are interested)

While here in London I’ve been re-reading the Harry Potter books and watching the movies. So when I saw this photo (I had meant to take it to show the Thames Walk sign) I couldn’t help but think of the tunnel in which the dementors attacked Harry Potter and his cousin.

That happened in Surrey, which is kind of funny too, as I’m headed that way on Sunday evening. Hope I don’t run into any dementors though!

When I arrived in London two weeks ago a copy of this book was waiting for me

Priceless by Tom Davis

It’s a fictional story about the dramatic rescue of girls and young women who are caught up in the s-x slavery business in Russia, and is based on true life stories. As Natalie Grant (Christian songwriter) says

I applaud Tom’s courage in tackling this subject matter. While this is a fictional account, the s*x trade is a reality for millions of people.

I heard a really good sermon here in London on Sunday.

The churches here are much more political and community minded than those back in Finland. The Lambeth parish and circuit have been having a month of teaching on healing. Many churches I’ve been involved in / visited have had healing meetings, but the focus and emphasis here was very different. The topics tackled have included the healing of the nations (war, conflict, racism and violence) as well as the healing of mother earth (poverty, environmental issues etc). As the vicar, Alison, said on Sunday.

Making poverty history will become irrelevant because unless we do our bit against climate change and reduce our carbon footprint, poverty will become permanent.

Talking of politically minded churches … Just down the road from here Steve Chalk OBE (Anglican vicar) has launched a campaign STOP THE TRAFFICKING which tackles the very same issues as Priceless i.e. women and children (male and female) who are forced into the s-x business, indeed into slavery. Part of the campaign is to raise awareness of this very issue.

It’s so good to see not only individual Christians getting involved in making the world a better place, but churches too (and way beyond the let’s drink Fairtrade tea and coffee too!)

***

England is world cup mad. It’s all very exciting. Or was until England got knocked out by Germany a week or so ago. What the millions of fans here are far less aware of however is that lots and lots of women and girls were shipped into south africa for the duration of the camps to satisfy the needs of men in Pretoria, Port Elizabeth and other places where the matches were being played. Football truly has a seedier side.

Now, none of those men are likely to read the novel Priceless. It’s not aimed at them to be fair, and Priceless is definitely a ‘girlie’ type novel. Its primary readership will be Christian women, particularly Americans, some of whom will be from more conservative / fundamentalist backgrounds and therefore perhaps are less likely to read secular literature. But none the less it’s a good book with an important theme and deserves a wider audience.

The twist in the story is that while the heroes of the story have (some) faith, the (Orthodox) Church comes out smelling more like the fertiliser spread on the roses rather than the roses themselves.

The book has two parallel stories that of the photographer who gets caught up in the rescue operation and Marina an orphan who is freed. It’s very readable and the plot moves along quite quickly, with some very believable (and horrendously sad/scary) scenes in it. It does have a touch of Hollywood in that this episode does have a happy ending (and would make a good film), but the reader is well aware that this rescue was the tip of the iceberg and there are thousands of other women and girls (not only in Russia) still imprisoned, still s-xually abused, still trapped not only in poverty but enslaved to the perv*erted s*xual persuasions / addictions of others.

So what about the book itself?

I read the book fairly quickly -over a period of a few days, and was glad that I had the opportunity to read and review this. Any good review also lists a book’s shortcomings. So it’s only fair to say that what I didn’t like about the novel was the use of Russian in the dialogues (with translation into English in brackets). That was really irritating. It didn’t make the story more authentic for me. I didn’t learn any Russian because of it. And it slowed down the story. Worse, in some ways it felt that the author was simply showing off. Also, for those of us who do read a lot of secular literature, the plot lacked depth. It’s clear that the author’s goal was to highlight the travesty occurring over in Russia, but I felt there could have been more descriptions of what the girls were really being freed from, not in a smutty sense, but all too often it felt that this was the sanitised version as if Christian women could not cope with the harsh realities of what was really happening.

So 10 /10 for bravery in dealing with a topic that cries out for more public exposure, and over 7.5/10 for the book itself.

I’ve offered this copy to anyone who wants it. Several people signed up for the draw over at facebook (where I will also post this reflection) and I’ll draw it tonight. My hope is that this book will do the rounds, so that many women can read it (and then talk to men about it).

William Wilberforce stood up against slavery. Today we can, if we choose, stand up together to stop trafficking, which is, afterall, the slavery of the C21st.

You’ve got mail.

I received a copy of Priceless by Tom Davis this week. It was posted to me in London. This novel is a fictional account of an orphaned girl trapped in the s*x trade, and while fictional it’s based on the real-life experiences of women and girls who have been exploited in this way.

I think it will make very interesting -if horrific – reading.

I wrote sometime ago about William Wilberforce, who, here in London, championed the plight of black men and women who were sold into captivity as slaves, to keep sugar plantations in America and the West Indies profitable enough to support the affluent life styles of rich landowners some of whom were British.

Slavery became illegal because of his efforts, and thanks to the tireless efforts of men like Martin Luther King in the United States in the 60s, and Nelson Mandela in the 80s and 90s in South Africa, and courageous women like Rosa Parks the discrimination against people of colour began to be a thing of the past.

But slavery continues, albeit in a different form. That’s what the novel Priceless addresses. It’s also what churches in London, including Oasis where I visited last Sunday night, are also trying to raise public awareness about. That’s one of the reasons I wanted to read this book. Because I think reading and blogging about it can make a difference.

The author, Tom Davis, President and CEO of Children’s Hope Chest has offered me a second copy of the novel which I would like to offer YOU.  When I have read the book I’ll post a review together with instructions how you can enter the draw. t

Ten days ago I received three books from Canongate to read and review, have to say I really didn’t enjoy the second of them, Serena by Ron Rash.

Ironically the book came with good reviews, and was even a finalist in the PEN Faulkner (American fiction) Award. It just goes to show how different we all are, because I didn’t rate this book highly at all.

The setting of the novel (the early days of the timber empire and rail roads in the Appalacian mountain) was interesting, and the novel started in a very exciting way, but then seemed to fizzle out.

I was fascinated by Serena’s method of rooting out the rattlesnakes. That eagle was magnificently majestic, and put a new spin on the idiom “having the eyes of a hawk”. I also found the description (towards the end of the novel) of the landscape post timber-felling heart-breakingly real. But otherwise the novel really didn’t work for me. The characters never really developed, the descriptions overall didn’t work well either, and I found the plot – ambition, violence and revenge – horribly depressing!

Because there is a lot of action in it, Serena might make a good film,  but as a novel, this was a disappointing read!

I’ll bookcross this book (in the autumn when I’m back in Finland) in the hope someone else will enjoy it more than I did.

A week ago I got three new books to review from Canongate. I’ve just finished reading the first. I can’t say I liked it, but it was interesting and it did make me think.

As I wrote in my post

The Crimson Petal and the White by Michel Faber is billed as “the first great 19th-century novel of the 21st century,” but actually seems to be anything but Victorian. I am expecting to be somewhat shocked by it, because the heroine, Sugar, a young pr*, “who is trying to drag herself from the gutter any way she can”.

In re-reading what I wrote earlier,  I realise that I was guilty of labelling the Victorian era as one of great moral values, forgetting that it was actually a time of great contradition.

The Victorians are of course famous for their outward appearance of good and pure moral values, and their strict social code of conduct which supported s*xual restraint. This outward appearance of high morals amongst the elite, however, was set against the extreme poverty of the ordinary people, and  the pure morals of the nobility and upper classes masked a huge web (hidden in the shadows) of prostitution, a plethora of mistresses, the horrors of child labour and awful conditions for workers such as those of the soap factories that the wealth of Rackham’s (the main family in the novel) was built upon.

The novel then, is set deep within Victorian London, and can be summarised as a story which sets virtue against corruption, filth against cleanliness.

Agnes (the wife) was – for me – a very disturbing character. Her lack of knowledge of any of the facts of life when set against Caroline and Sugar’s lifestyles – and their rudimentary rites of washing to avoid pregnancy – was horribly real. Agnes’ lack of any contact with (knowledge of?) her only child was truly horrific. Sugar (the heroine) was a very, very complex character and her relationship with Sophie (her protegee) a very intriguing one. The minor characters of Mrs Fox and William’s pious older brother, Henry, and their efforts to save souls was, for me, an interesting sub plot (more on that later). The existance of Rescue Societies, which concentrated their efforts on fallen women (and also little girls forced into prostitution), in that era was very real. It’s alarming too that they focused on the fallen women was because

A woman’s character unlike a man’s, was judged according to her s*xual reputation.Girls and women could ‘fall’ but boys could not, according to the Victorian sexual schema.

(Jackson Lousie A., Child S*xual Abuse in Victorian England, (London: Routledge, 2000)

Call me a prude but I do think the s*xual descriptions in the book were way, way too much, p*** graphic at times I felt. I honest don’t think there was much purpose in describing every act in so much detail … and I confess too that  -in the end- I did skip over most of them!

That said, the novel made me think. It reminded me that life often isn’t quite what it seems.

The novel ends by Caroline slinking off  ‘before he has a chance to make her life too complicated’ . This really made me ponder. How had Sugar’s life been changed because of her encounter with Willam Rackham. Did she  actually drag herself out of the gutter or not? The end also poses a terrific ‘what if?’. And the reader – that’s you and me! – can only speculate on the future of Sugar and her protegee Sophie.

I was interested to note that Faber has written a sequel to this novel. It’s called The Apple: New Crimson Petal Stories, in which the author ‘returns to Silver St., conjuring tantalising glimpses of Sugar, Clara, Mr Bodly et al, their lives before we first encountered them and their intriguing futures’. I’m not sure I’d buy it, but if you really liked the first one, I am sure curiosity would compel you to do so.

PS. I’m bookcrossing this book on Friday.

So, if you live locally and want to read it, why not nip into the secondhand bookstore near the concert hall. (Omituiset Opekset in Sibeliuskatu). It’ll be on the FREE book shelf (opposite the door) from 11am on. (Note: You don’t have to be a member to bookcross, you can do so anonymously). There are other books available there too.

A friend bought me a copy of a Smith Wigglesworth devotional. (If you aren’t sure who Smith Wigglesworth is – this site might help. He is – to me – a hero of faith, is sometimes referred to as ‘the Apostle of Faith’ (and incidentally was born 100 years before me, in 1859 in England!)

Neither my friend nor I have yet got into the devotional properly (as we are using something else right now) but from time to time I’ve dipped into it.

This morning I felt I ought to pick it up.

The verse for the day was Heb 4:16

Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

It hit home.

To put this into perspective last night I got myself into a right funk. I don’t want to dwell on the facts, suffice to say that I’m struggling and have been for months. I’d call it a crisis of faith, though others I trust have put it differently, but in recent weeks it’s manifest in a lack of desire to read the Word, an inability to hear God for myself, and a general depression that’s been hard to shift.

Wigglesworth’s devotional text doesn’t dwell on Heb 4 at all but focuses much more on Romans 8. In particular Rom 8:30-31. He writes

It does not matter who is against us: ‘What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?’ If there are millions against you, God has purposed it and will bring you right through to glory. Human wisdom has to stand still.  ….

He goes on

Brothers and sisters, what do you want God to do for you? That is the question. What have you come here [to a revival meeting] for? … Our God is able to heal and to meet all of our needs. … Do you need to be healed of a criticial spirit?  … There is power in the blood of Christ to free us, to keep us and bring us healing.

And there’s more

Do not let the enemy cripple and bind you. Why don’t you believe God’s word?

As I said it really hit home.

I read this after a sms conversation with a friend, who wrote to me “Lorna, it’s not about you trying harder, it’s about you letting abba in”.

That’s when it struck me that my defence mechanism in all of my pain, hurt and rejection, has not been to draw closer to God at all, but to push Him away too. And it’s not working.

Maybe it is time to let Him in again. Maybe it is time to take the Bible at its word again, and trust that there is indeed power in the blood of Christ to free me, to sustain me and to bring me the healing (body, mind, spirit and emotions) that I need.

In recent years I’ve – not surprisingly – read quite extensively in the field of theology, (particularly in the area of what might loosely be described as emergent theology). High up amongst the books that have been highly influential have been those by authors Michael Frost and Alan Hirsch, in particular their first collaborative work : The Shaping of Things to Come: Innovation and Mission for the 21st century, but also their later work ReJesus: A Wild Messiah for a Missional Church. Frost’s solo work Exiles is brilliant too – because it makes one think in a new way, and not only think but be a do-er of the word.

Frost and Hirsch have a new book coming out.  But – as yet – it’s without a title. That’s where you and I come in.

Over at facebook they write

Name our next book!! Hirsch and Frost have written a new book together (our third) and we can’t seem to come up with a catchy title. If you can come up with our title we’ll mention our undying gratitude to you in the acknowledgments section of the book and send you a bunch of free copies.

The book deals with a theology of risk and adventure. It explores the importance of ordeal/ journey/mission for dynamic Christian discipleship. We began by wanting to elaborate on the theme of communitas—the concept of community being enriched and strengthened when facing an external challenge—but then we find ourselves broadening the scope and voila: we ended up with a zesty exploration of the theology, psychology, and sociology of risk and its impact on the church.

So go for it. Name that sucker!! If you can’t think of something more interesting we’re afraid the publisher might insist on “A Theology of Risk and Adventure”.

Three books arrived today – out of the blue – from Canongate Books (Scotland)  for me to review. All are novels, none of which are Christian and none of which are probably on the recommended reading list for any seminary anywhere, and yet they all (in their own way) look good. I’ll enjoy reading and reviewing them I think.

The first (The Crimson Petal and the White) is billed as “the first great 19th-century novel of the 21st century,” but actually seems to be anything but Victorian. I am expecting to be somewhat shocked by it, because the heroine, Sugar, a young pr*, “who is trying to drag herself from the gutter any way she can” Watch this space for my thoughts on this!

The second (Serena by Ron Rash) also has a woman as the heroine.

The year is 1929, and newlyweds George and Serena Pemberton arrive from Boston in the North Carolina mountains to create a timber empire. Serena is new to the mountains – but she soon shows herself the equal of any worker, overseeing crews, hunting rattlesnakes, even saving her husband’s life in the wilderness. Yet she also learns that she will never bear a child. Serena’s discovery will set in motion a course of events that will change the lives of everyone in this remote community. (backcover)

Looks interesting doesn’t it!

The third novel, however, is the one that intrigues me the most. Even its title is intriguing: Stranger to History: A Son’s Journey through Isl*mic Lands (by Aatish Taseer).

The Spectator review states

This is a work though ought to be read by policy-makers in Whitehall and Washington as well as in Isl*mic countries – for its insights into the thinking of angry young M*slim men.

So watch this space. I’ll review each of them in due course! And all will be bookcrossed later too so they can enjoy a wider audience.

Reviews will come during the summer. (At least one this coming week before I skip off to England.)

Yesterday I started to write a post about a new book I’m reading

As you can see it’s by Brian McLaren, a Christian leader who admits he has been labelled “a heretic”, “dangerous” and “unbiblical” (and probably a lot worse!)

So why then am I reading him? It’s a good question!

I first came across McLaren’s writings when I was still in seminary. We did a course on post-modernism. The teaching left a lot to be desired (to put it mildly!) and so I went on a quest on my own. McLaren was one of the writers I discovered. But there were others too. What they all had in common was that they made me think. And what I found was- surprise surprise- new ways of engaging with the God I love and hold in awe.

Just before Christmas I heard McLaren speak in person. He and Steve Chalk were put in the hot spots in a local church just behind Waterloo station in London and grilled. Actually it wasn’t quite like that. They handled a whole range of questions from a very interested and diverse audience.  It was there my friend bought the book I’m now reading as a Christmas gift to me.

I could write loads about A New Kind of Christianity, but most of it would fail to give justice to it, because McLaren really does have the talent of getting under my skin, and as I said already, making me engage in the text and think for myself.

Example: McLaren talks about slavery. That’s a topic close to my heart. While in London at Easter I was privileged to watch the movie Amazing Grace which tells of the struggle of William Wilberforce, a deeply religious man, who was led not into the pastoral ranks but into the world of politics, and who spent his life working for the abolition of slavery in the United Kingdom.

But to get back to McLaren. He makes the very interesting point (page after page – pp.93-100) that for years slavery was defended by “the argument that the Bible defends and legitimises slavery” (p.97), can be defended by passages in both the Old and New Testament (Eph 6:5-8, Tit 2:9-10, and Col 3:22-4) but that ‘that whole argument ended up in ‘oblivion’ because it was discredited by events’.

McLaren goes on to write

We not only stopped defending [slavery], we repented of it, so that now a pro-slavery advocate would be excommunicated from the very denominations whose leading pastors once defended slavery in the name of a ‘pro-slavery God’, quoting a ‘pro-slavery Bible’

And perhaps equally importantly

We’ve gone through a similar process in regard to anti-semitism, segregation and apartheid. Many of us have also gone through a similar process regarding the status of women in the Church … We are also going through a similar process regarding stewardship of the environment, religious supremacy and (I hope) the sanctioning of war

I really don’t want to get into a debate here about any of these issues in themselves (we all hold opinions that we feel are right and in line with the Bible as we understand it) but what I find most interesting is McLaren’s suggestion that we ought to question

the habitual, conventional way of reading and interpreting the Bible – that allowed slavery, anti-Semitism, apartheid, chauvenism, environmenal plundering, prejudice … and other injustices to be legitimised and defended for so long.

As I said it’s all making me think. And that’s great! There is a connection too to yesterday’s post entitled but is it church?, which I feel is more than a co-incidence (hence the title of this post)

Sadly I’m out of time now … but check back later, I’ll be back to write more on this.

-stf