Distinctly Welcoming

Tony Blair's Faith Foundation and good compromise

I was talking to someone the other day about Tony Blair's new Faith Foundation. This austere site gives the briefest of information about its purposes. In between sorting out ecological meltdown and the intractable divisions of Israel and Palestine, Tony Blair will be giving his attention to relations between faiths in Britain. A whole load of experts and practitioners are being canvassed for their views on the issues of faith and community cohesion and I was intrigued to hear the view expressed that, "It's going to happen, there's going to be lots of money spent, these people don't know what they're doing so let's at least make it happen as well as possible."

This got me thinking about compromise: a word loaded with negativity. But actually, is an engaged life about a whole series of considered compromises? In the church we have ideals (big assumption I know), but those ideals have to inform real practice on the ground. It's not about debunking ideals but living in the tension of what we are and what we are becoming.  A whole series of exciting developments  in the church (Pioneer Ministry, Bishop's Mission Order to name but 2) are to some extent good "compromises". The ideal is that the church organically releases and affirms mission and new leadership; in the meantime broken people and structures fail to do so. Is that a cause for revolution to bring about necessary change or compromise? To resist the compromise and hold on to the ideal is in danger of creating a sectarian church that somehow denies God's grace to transform the whole of life. Seeing God's vision limited to the structure conversely immunises us from the prophetic challenge that we all need to live with. It's the already and the not yet of the kingdom. For many, the church is "already" sorted and fine thankyou very much. For others, it's "not yet" something they wish to be part of/suffer any longer.

So what  good compromises are you deciding to make? The very fact that it is a "compromise" involves decision and cost, and dare I say it, some humility. Are our ideas for interfaith relations, the church, society the best, or do we believe we have to work with and alongside some discomfort to be part of God's work?

Christian Muslim Dialogue - Youth style

Back in July, while UK rivers surged and flooded, I was involved in an outward bound weekend for a group of local Christian and Muslim teenage guys. The theme was "What does it mean to be a man of God?". During the weekend, we went mountain biking in the mud (hence the photo!), did fencing (now there's a model for Christian-Muslim get togethers: do some fencing!), assault courses and canoeing. In between times, some genuine and surprising relationships were forged, commitments made to one another and lots of laughter had! Don't tell anyone, but during one of the evenings, we even played a game that involved throwing around a plastic cartoon bomb that would "explode" if not passed on quickly. The point is, we need to start with the basics of what we have in common and that, funnily enough, is not any doctrinal belief, but our humanity: the teenage guys' need for excitement, humour, poking at establishment and preconceptions. And then we get down to some of the beliefs we share; and then we begin to discover some of the significant beliefs we differ on.....The thing us, taken this way, you end up being obliged to be friends through the difference because you have engaged with the fullness of the other person.

This sort of dialogue is a rare occurrence and it's been my privilege to work with a Scripture Union colleague "Smeeee" and join in stuff he's been putting into practice for over ten years now. Check his site out here and have a look at the stories and guidelines to dialogue. It's small scale but substantial and authentic and it's what is needed mirrored right across our world....and not just for young people!

Alan Alda was being interviewed on Radio 4 last night and he was talking about the need for people to listen to each other. Listening, he said, "requires us to be changed by what we hear". If you're in a  conversation with someone else and all you're doing is waiting for them to stop speaking so you can regugitate a list of things you want to say to the other, it's not listening. That is just a pause. Back in July, we listened to each other and I think we were all changed.....When we was the last time you really listened to a Muslim/Christian?