As heirs of the Reformation period, we know about the importance of the Bible and the slogan ‘Scripture Alone’ in our branch of Christianity. But what do the Scriptures mean to us today? Are they still relevant? Do we read them or only hear from them at church?

The Bible is still the most wide-spread and best-selling book in the world, after Shakespeare and Agatha Christie. As such the Bible as Christians know it, Old and New Testament, doesn’t of course stand on its own. Millions of holy books/texts/scrolls/scriptures are sold around the globe every year… and read every day: the Tenakh of the Jewish people, the Muslim Qur’an, the Baghad Vita, the Vedas, the Sutras, the I Tjing or the writings of Confucius and so on and so forth… Fact is that some kind of ‘Holy Book’ plays a major role in the lives of most believing people. We only need to look at the arts and see where many objects, buildings, pieces of music, etc… got their inspiration matter from. Laws –even those in secular societies- have more often than not been based on religious tenants and in a lot of countries swearing on the Bible at a trial is still common. Holy texts even influence our speech, even when we don’t realise it: “that’s the Bible on that subject”, “Milan is the mecca of fashion”, “please cite chapter and verse” “he’s the guru of the stock exchange”… the list is endless.

Non-believers might scoff at this or be wary or even fearful of this fact, but to the majority of humanity these texts do matter –in various degrees of importance- and they do have a daily, if not lifelong, impact. To be fair though to non-believers, some of their criticisms on how sacred texts are used/abused/misused or how they are perceived by believers are in fact correct and worthy of careful consideration, especially if it calls believers to the reassessment of so-called truths, held dear but not necessarily accurate. It’s a sad truth that many believers and readers of their respective holy books do not use these texts as solely a moral compass or a work of devotion, but as a weapon to knock people over the head with or as a tool of exclusion, as a proof of their –what they believe to be God-given- right. Just look at the televangelists in the US banging on about “the right to bear arms” and the “sanctity of life or marriage”, or the attacks in Mali or Algeria by Al-Qaida supporters.

Because let’s face it, a lot of religious followers, a lot of us, don’t really know their Bible/Qur’an/Vedas… that well or at all! It’s the age-old debate on inspiration versus dictation, on metaphor versus inerrancy, on the holy text as a rule book versus the text as a guide book. In a Christian setting, we could say that it’s about the difference between the Bible as dead letter versus the Bible as Living Word. Fundamentalists tend to quote Scriptures to get their own way and push their own –mostly political- agenda, but if you listen carefully, you will find they often quote the same passages, the same chapter and verse, over and over again.

But while some misuse the sacred books to divide, there are others that point out the similarities these texts share when speaking of human life and common experience. It’s interesting how these scriptures, so specific at times in the basic self-identification and self-definition of a religious tradition, could actually become vehicles for inter-denominational and inter-religious dialogue and action, of shared human values. One of these is of course the famous “do unto others what you would have them do unto you”, known in Christianity as the Golden Rule. The same phrase, albeit with slight variations, can be traced in all major religious and spiritual traditions. Even Atheists can wholeheartedly agree to it.

I think it’s very important for the future of peaceful coexistence, equality and justice that we take these similarities seriously and are not too eager to dismiss them from the get-go. I reckon it’s important therefore that we keep studying and reading, keep exploring our Holy Book or Books. So may I encourage you to do so: read your Bibles and books on them, watch some documentaries (there’s some very high quality programmes out there, especially if they’re marked BBC or National Geographic), etc…

We, as heirs of the Reformation, have a duty and a pleasure to hold the slogan ‘Scripture Alone’ very high and to hold the Scriptures in our hearts. It might seem a contradiction, but in order to overcome some of the religious divides, we would –in my opinion- do well to go back to the sources of our religion and see what the texts really have to say to us today.

01-02-2013, 00:00 geschreven door jojanv  

Every Wednesday morning, we here at the Nordic Church have a coffee morning. I say 'coffee morning', but actually it's a buffet spread of cold and hot snacks and lots of cakes. We have a raffle and chit-chat, and since I've been here we've also revived a little meditation/presentation moment, an Andakt, prepared by yours truly. It's a short, couple of minutes, little 'speech' I give on a theme, religiously or spiritually inspired, like a short sermon... but different. Not everyone who attends coffee mornings is church-going or even believing, so I draw on a broader array of topics, while still mainting my own Christian view on the matter.
What follows is the Andakt I used to introduce myself and to re-introduce Andakt itself (and do some Ghent tourism promotion at the same time) the first week I came here. It was titled "Art which inspires". 
I thought perhaps people might find it interesting enough to read about... if so, do let me know, and I'll put up other ones as well...

What inspires us? Truly inspires us or moves us, even to tears? Which objects, buildings, musical compositions, performances or works of art give us those goose-bumps, that feeling of awe and gratitude? When do we recognise 'a gift'? When do we say to ourselves: “Someone has truly been touched from above! Someone touched them and gave them that ‘little bit of extra something’”

            In the Roman Catholic cathedral in Ghent there has for centuries been kept a very precious and renowned work of art; it’s known as The Ghent or Van Eyck Altar Piece, The Adoration of the Mystic Lamb, Het Lam Gods... It’s techniques are so intricate that reflections and movement seem to be really jumping off the oil canvas: water drops bounce back up from the water surface they’ve just hit; light hits objects at just the right angle; the realism of precious stones and luxury dress is breath-taking; among the myriads of faces, no two are the same… Books, theses and documentaries could fill entire libraries on describing it.

It’s a work of art that since its completion in 1432 by two brothers, Hubert and Jan Van Eyck, has caught the imaginations and devotion of millions through time and space, and around the globe. Its history is a chequered one and reads like a detective story, including iconoclasm and religious feuds, invasions by foreign troops, deportation by Nazi soldiers, storage in a salt mine, and even the theft of one of its panels... still missing to this very day. It’s the stuff of legends and just as it has inspired the devout, it unfortunately has also inspired the crackpots and the conspiracy theorists.

            Last year the Flemish government decided to mount a restoration project that will last five years. Teams of experts are currently and painstakingly uncovering, layer by layer, the original colours and more. Shadows where earlier those were not visible, the 3D effects of the tiles on the floor or in the ‘statues’, more details in facial expressions and jewellery, and so on... The breath-taking intricacy and realism are just getting more and more overwhelming with each new part and panel restored.

Reporters have dubbed the operation “een engelengeduld”,‘a patience of angels’; a very apt title for such an enterprise involving such a work of personal religious fervour. As if that ‘little bit of extra something’has been passed down through the centuries and was inherited by those lovingly working on its restoration, directly from the original artists.

            Though it’s not my personal favourite when it comes to religious Christian art, it still inspires me, it moves me, it makes me proud of my city. I'm astounded and moved by the sheer patience, not just the patience it took to create, but also to restore, to appreciate and the emotions it still instils.

I truly believe God's inspirational Spirit has had a hand in the production and history of this exraordinary altar piece. I believe the creative force of the God, who made Heaven and Earth, still creates today, just as it did in the 15th century, and inspires artists and public alike.

23-01-2013, 00:00 geschreven door jojanv  

On Tuesday last I left the mighty city of on the Mersey and travelled down south to the equally mighty city on the Thames.
No apocalyptic scenes of snowed-in villages and glaciers or avalanches causing or threatening to cause mayhem and destruction. Some white-powdered fields at most, not even a repeat of last week's terrential downpour.

So, smoothly I journeyed to the Nation's Capital and met up with a group of people that have become very dear to me over these last few years. We might not always agree, but it is a type of disagreement one could only find in the closest and warmest of families. A place also where I have been encouraged to rekindle an old love of mine, writing.

Never heard of the Anglican-Lutheran Society? Well, it’s a multilingual and international organisation that aims at promoting and fostering deeper understanding of the Lutheran and Anglican traditions within the Christian Church. The Anglican-Lutheran Society or ALS (the abbreviation has caused initial concern among family and friends when first mentioned) is an international group of enthusiastic ecumenical-minded people who have taught me a lot about grass-roots interdenominational fellowship, but also about more high-level inter-church interactions. The Society has members from all over, on all continents save Antarctica! Our Conferences are always stimulating. They have taken place all over Europe and the World, and have always been well-attended and lively. Every year there is an Annual General Meeting, usually held in London. These are always enjoyable, often challenging, and also centred on specific topics.
We try to stay connected through other media too. There’s our well-received magazine, The Window. This is a great source of news and ‘gossip’, reports and photos of local get-togethers, book reviews, and accounts of relevant developments within and between our two traditions. There’s also the ever expanding social media. We have a website and a Facebook page and National Coordinators manage internet pages in their own localities. We are also experimenting with YouTube and virtual conferencing as possible means of actively engaging members restricted by intercontinental travel and visa issues.
But the really interesting bit is how the ALS came to exist:

Imagine having a friend -as most of us usually do, and usually more than one- and knowing that this friend attended church on Sundays, just like you, but not the same church. And imagine not knowing al that much about your friend's church, why they attend that one and not the same one you attend. Wouldn't you be curious? At least a little?
Now, I fully realise it's not fashionable to be interested in once own religious background, let alone someone else's -though times they are a-changing.
In many instances faith and religion have become such 'taboo subjects' that even close friends, acquaintances of many years if you prefer, don't discuss it (all that much). No finances, politics or religion at the dinner table, thank you very much... sex, drugs and rock'n'roll and the latest boyband or reality stars' escapades, those we can handle, but not God!
Why is that? Because we don't like to come across as pushy or a 'fundie' or -latest term inspired by Muslim terrorists- a 'Christianist'? Fair enough, the days of public testimony and martyrdom have long gone, but between friends??! Surely even faith and/or religion ('cause they're not the same!) are 'acceptable' topics of conversation between mates?! Surely that is the place and time to go beyond the modern 'disease' of 'religious embarrassment'?!

So back to the friends in our story. In 1984, these two friends, one Anglican and one Lutheran, discovered that -even though they were aware of each other's respective affiliation- they weren't all that well-informed. The ALS was born.
Surprising perhaps to some and certainly not that matter-of-fact in the '80s, let alone in our time, these friends decided to investigate and inquire more about each other's respective traditions. And to do so in a systematic and friendly way, they even founded an organisation. They created a neutral, common ground where Anglicans and Lutherans from around the globe could come and worship together, learn from and about each other and explore that shared Christian faith, whichever way or according to whatever 'style'.

What impact or importance can an organisation like the ALS potentially have? I think not even all of our own most loyal of members are fully aware of the reach and potential.
We recently celebrated the Baptism of Christ and we'll be moving into the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity tomorrow; that common heritage of baptism, of belonging, and that common inspiration to contribute to the Kingdom of God... well, it supersedes the 30.000+ groups labelling themselves 'Christian', it supersedes liturgy and church orders and hierarchies.
"What's in a name?" the Bard asked. Well, for us at the ALS it's 'Christ' who's in the name, His Name! Is it bad to specify denominations for practical reasons? Yes, it is if we forget the Name that ultimately matters!!

And that group of people, of friends, of fellow Christians, who I went to meet on Tuesday, they have taught me that even on our -growing!- little scale, there is an impact to be had... if just for one AGM, one conference, one ecumenical prayer service...

I'm really grateful there was no ice or snow that day to hinder me from going to the Nation's Capital.

ps; www.anglican-lutheran-society.org and www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Anglican-Lutheran-Society/373889079369252?fref=ts; Baptism of Christ=first Sunday after Epiphany, this year on 13th January 

17-01-2013, 19:07 geschreven door jojanv  

I came, I saw, and have been -so far- conquered...-ish.

Naturally I have only resided here for 5 days now, but Liverpool definitely has made a good first impression on me, and I must admit I am one for first impressions -though obviously I reserve the right to nuance or change my opinions as I see fit (usually only to revert to the original opinion, but that would lead us too far).

Every city has its quirks, and even though the 'vibe' in LPL is on the surface at least a lot less aggressive than that of LDN, I have admittedly already furrowed my brow and blinked in unbelief a few times while observing the locals going about their daily routine.

To cut a long story short, men in track suits, women with big hair, loads of eye shadow... and rollers in their hair while shopping on Main Street. After all, why hide the fact that you're getting ready for a great night out on the town later on? Things to do, people to meet, see-and-be-seen, and no capillary preparations shall deflect from that ultimate goal! (I truly mean this as a compliment, I applaud the confidence!)

The people at the congregation I have the good fortune to do my church placement with have certainly won me over.

08-01-2013, 00:00 geschreven door jojanv  

That would be a likely response in Flanders, even when denoting myself more generally as 'Protestant'.

Protestantism to most, though admittedly a dwindling majority, is a 'foreign' religion, often German, mostly Dutch, or sometimes even those crazy people in America who talk funny about sex and guns. A home-grown Flemish Protestant is a rare thing indeed.
Never mind that during the Reformation era, most of Flanders was in fact Protestant; was, the Spanish Habsburgs saw to that rather quickly and viciously (Duke of Alva).
Most Protestants, 1 à 1,5 % of the Belgian population, are of Calvinist or Evangelical stock. There are only a handful Anglicans and Lutherans around. Apart from the expat Scandinavian Seamen's Churches, Flanders only has one -1!- 'native' Flemish-speaking Lutheran congregation, in Antwerp. I reside in Ghent, so that's why the Anglicans in that city get my custom, among other reasons, but I digress.

So why Lutheran? Because as a Lutheran I belong to that great human family and faith called Christianity, albeit in a specific and organised way.
No, the Lutheran Church was not founded by Luther in the 16th century, neither were the RCC and Orthodox founded by Christ Himself! In fact, Luther discouraged the use of the name 'Luther(i)an', given by his opponents, instead he preferred 'Christian' or in German 'evangelisch' (which translates in English as 'evangelical', which I realise just confuses people). If Christians of a certain -let's say- 'style' call themselves Lutheran it is in fact because they are wearing a swear-word as a badge of honour.
But because people like labels, and because of practical theological reasons, I shall stick to the denominational classification.

Lutheranism has always declared itself an heir of the Early Church, hence the Ecumenical Creeds; it's connected to millennia of Christian witness. It is not something new, it is something renewed. True, there are the Lutheran Confessions that specifically lay out the interpretation of Scripture and Faith as seen through Lutheran eyes, but even they build on earlier writings and traditions.

I love Christianity and the way of expressing that love and belonging according to the Lutheran 'style' comes most natural to me. The RCC and the Orthodox have too much bagage for my taste and although I feel very much at home in Anglicanism, Lutheranism is my home.
Just to clarify, I belong to a majority branch of the Lutheran 'tradition', a LWF-Lutheranism if you will. It is a very down-to-earth, Continental European 'brand' of Lutheranism with for example female ordination and a few of the other 'hot taboos' (but I'll keep those for possible future blogs).

It is the deep reverence and love for Scripture that draws me to Lutheranism; the study, the exegesis, the exciting adventure that is the Bible. The Bible as our guide, the Bible as... God's prayer to His world.

It is also an attitude towards faith, religion and by extension the world we live in, that I find fascinating, logical and applicable and to which I feel most akin; every single day we get the reaffirmed truth of God's love and grace for His creation, and every single day we as Christians look at how we experience and express this. We cannot take it for granted, we cannot take anything for granted! To me it is a 'type' of Christianity engaged in a constant return into the past, a constant affirmation of trust for the present, and constant renewal towards the future. Ecclesia semper reformanda.

This is most visible in the variety of Lutheran expressions; after all, in many ways Lutherans don't believe what they pray, but pray what they believe. Any half-decent Lutheran liturgy book should -ideally!- at the very least include the Small Catechism, the basics of Lutheranism 1-0-1, if you will, even if that same liturgy book contains half a dozen different settings for the same religious service. As such we might call Holy Communion 'eucharist' or 'mass' or just plain 'communion', fact is all Lutherans believe -at least in theory- in the Real Presence of our Lord in the Elements, i.e. that Baby Jesus is really in the bread and wine. That's of course just one example of many.
This makes for a colourful array of being Church, while standing and building on the shared faith and heritage the 16th century Reformers traced back even further to the Patristics and Apostles.

Whether you're the official State Religion or just a minority within a minority, that international and historical connection, through that shared faith and doctrine, that mutual recognition of theological jargon, the shared hymns, that insider debate on the Confessions and ministry, the differences in hierarchy with or without bishops/superintendents, the Bible studies, all based on the same solas, that makes me -and proudly so- a Lutheran!

ps: The Ecumenical Creeds are the Apostles' Creed, the Nicene Creed and the Athanasian Creed; The Lutheran Confessions are collected in the Book of Concord (1580); Ecclesia semper reformanda: "the Church need constant renewal/ the Church needs to be reformed constantly"; The Small Catechism was written by Luther and published in 1529; 'Eucharist' comes from the Greek 'eucharisto', 'to give thanks'; 'Mass' comes from the final blessing in the Latin service "ite, missa est", "go, it has been completed"; The 3 basic solas are: sola Scriptura, sola gratia, sola fide (by Scripture, grace and faith alone).

28-12-2012, 00:00 geschreven door jojanv  

Well, there's a first time for everything, even for a blog.

It was actually my cousin, Kim, who gave me the idea; she had a blog while doing her journalism placement in India and so I thought to myself "You'll be starting your placement in Liverpool soon, how about your own blog?"
So here it is... my first time... blogging.

Liverpool will not be my first time living abroad -I lived in London for 4 years and Dublin for 7 months- and it will not be my first time active in a parish, a group of people calling themselves Christians and coming together around the Christ-figure and His life and message to the world. I've been involved in the local Anglican parish in Ghent (Saint John's) as a lay assistant for years.
But it will be the first time I move abroad to actively take up a specific 'official' role in a parish after obtaining my theology degree and applying formally for ordination. Somehow it all has become much more serious now, and to be honest I'm glad, even relieved; finally something is happening.

I'm also glad and relieved that I didn't rush into a theology programme immediately after secondary school, that I studied Art History and Middle Eastern studies before signing up for a 'course on God'. Luckily I had met a pastor who recognised the zeal of the convert (I was raised an Atheist) when he saw one and gave me the good advice to "let any potential call sink in". Gaining experiences was very important he said, after all how could anyone become a minister, when they're a wall flower that has ever left their own patch and never met a whole array of people walking on God's green earth?

So I read other subjects first, both in Ghent and London, and worked and travelled a more, before finally deciding that the opportune moment had arrived for me to enroll at the Protestant Faculty in Brussels. And so since September of this year, I'm allowed to call myself an 'MTh', all signed by the dean and stamped by the secretary. It had taken me 5 years part-time, with ups and downs, and it took until the moment I handed in my dissertation (on Anglicans and Lutherans in Israel-Palestine), that I knew I had made the right decision; come what may, I would have that diploma on my wall!
Even if it meant never touching a Bible again... which as a Lutheran is highly unlikely!

I jobbed here and there, customer service -so I do have some idea of what makes people tick- and even teaching, religion for the Anglican community in Flemish official schools.

And thus, I visited other places -very few career options for future Lutheran pastors in mostly RC Flanders- and was greeted very warmly at the Nordic Church in Liverpool, where it became evident during the course of a lovely weekend there, that I might just fit in to give it a go. So we agreed on a trial period of 3 months... meantime the Lutheran Church in Great Britain has ample opportunity to scrutinize my application for ordination... and then...

I 'leave behind' a loving partner and a cheeky cat, but I've been blessed with a relationship of dialogue and humour ("Liverpool? Fun! Another holiday address!"), so I'm confident that the 3 months (starting on 3rd January) will bring more clarity and certitude on how I fit in God's plan for that congregation and my own calling to the ministry. It will again be a joined enterprise with the local CofE priest -I feel a pattern emerging- and I am excited... very excited... the sort of very excited that makes you a little nervous and anxious... you know the feeling, the kind of feeling when you are excited and then scared it might be too good to be true.

Then I take a deep breath and say to myself "If it wasn't meant to be, they wouldn't have asked you to get on an aeroplane -grief, I hate flying!- come over and work with them. After all it's a first for this congregation as well!
So 3 months of Liverpool, here I come!
But first we'll get through the holidays, and the packing, and o yes, I need to fill out forms for the bank and the health insurance as well, and trying to put up this blog properly... for the first time.

26-12-2012, 00:00 geschreven door jojanv