The Pensive Pilgrim

Whenever I get into a conversation about faith, I suggest that faith must, by definition, include an element of doubt.  The writer of the Letter to The Hebrews says, "Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen." (Heb11:1). It is, therefore, possible to hold convictions (i.e. to passionately believe in something) whilst not knowing that it is true. Faith is about believing in something despite a lack of evidence. Certainty, on the other hand, is about knowing something for which there is conclusive evidence and where there is no room for doubt or questioning. Religious faith is, therefore, a matter of trust. I am able to believe in God despite not knowing that God exists; and no matter how strong my religious convictions, my capacity to doubt or question (to whatever degree) authenticates my faith.     Where this faith mutates into supposed certainty, serious problems arise. As well as being an oxymoron, 'religious certainty'...

It was good to recently visit the Church in which I regularly worshipped before training for ordination at Chichester Theological College. St Wilfrid's Harrogate is an impressive edifice by any standards. The subject of John Betjeman's poem 'Perp. revival i' the north' , it's regarded as one of Edwardian architect Temple Moore's finest works, and its grandeur surpasses that of many a Cathedral.  Built on a hill to the north of the spa town, spacious, light and airy, it speaks of the glory and majesty of God and remains, as was always intended, a beacon of  Anglo-Catholicism. Many years ago, it was to St Wilfrid's that I ventured one Ascension Day evening - abandoning my own beloved middle-of-the-road Parish Church of Christ Church, Harrogate  - to sample what I had heard described as 'High Church' worship.  There I discovered the beauty and power of High Mass and began to encounter the riches of the Catholic faith.  I was well and tru...

"Gosh you're brave!" "That must have taken an awful lot of courage." Those comments were made by several members of my congregation a few Sundays ago. They were referring to the fact that at our 'New Fire' (Charismatic style) Mass that morning I had replaced the sermon with what was in effect a personal testimony. I had decided to tell the story of my own spiritual pilgrimage thus far - up to and including the re-awakening of my Charismatic spirituality, which I thought I had abandoned once and for all many years ago. As I was about to disappear on three months' Sabbatical exploring Charismatic Renewal in churches of a Catholic tradition,  it seemed right to me to set this in context for our Church family. It also felt like the right time to explain why I believed the development of the  'New Fire Mass' was so important and why I have been encouraging those who are so inclined to explore further the role of the Holy Spirit in their live...

It was with very mixed feelings that I set out last week to attend the 2018 On Fire Mission conference at High Leigh Conference Centre.  On the one hand, I was excited at the prospect of further exploring a recently awakened Charismatic spirituality which had lain dormant for well over thirty years; on the other, I was uncertain of quite what to expect, particularly in relation to the excesses and abuses that had driven me away from Charismatic Christianity in the first place. Fortunately, On Fire Mission  wasn't entirely new to me. It describes itself as '..... a network, rooted in the Church of England, which is dedicated to promoting charismatic renewal blended with the riches of Catholic spirituality', and since the epiphany that re-opened my eyes as a 'card-carrying Anglo-Catholic' to the power of the Holy Spirit, I have attended OFM's annual   Midlands Renewal Days for the last three years. I knew, therefore, that the worship would be f...