Admittedly, I don’t actually talk about religion much on my blog – when I do, the Religion category to the right brings it up – but why is my Christian faith so shocking to so many of my friends? Yes I’m cynical, sceptical, and swear occasionally though not much at all in “real life” — but what do people expect from a Christian nowadays? After all, I have dedicated three years of my life to discussing Christianity, and in particular the historical issues and Bible pretty frankly and openly on the James Randi forum and the Richard Dawkins forum. The folks there seem to envisage me as some aging tweedy vicar, a full time Christian apologist – and I guess they might be right in the latter, in that I cheerfully proclaim and discuss my faith – but why the incredulity?
Maybe it was my post in response to Keith Hitchman’s blog on Family Nights confused people?I knew Keith when he was uni chaplain, good bloke as i recall – my disagreement was over the University of Gloucestershire’s control over this thing. Maybe my passing comments about Holy Trinity? Nice enough folks – a vibrant charismatic church, attended by a good few of my friends. Or is it my interest in ghosts and psychical research? I see that as the frontline in the discussion with the Materialists and New Atheists — where science and religion meet: parapsychology. Or maybe I’m just a baby eating monster who everyone assumes is really a satanist? Is it because I don’t try and convert people to thinking like me and ram my personal beliefs down their throats till they choke?
Bah, in future I shall dress like this —
Kenny Everett preaches!
That should do the trick!
“Hey – didily-ho neighbours!”
cj x
"And sometimes he's so nameless" 
I often get the same surprised reaction from people about my Christian faith CJ. It’s usually because: a)I’m ‘into’ the paranormal and this is often seen to be ‘dabbling with the devil’, or ‘incompatible’ with being a Christian; b)I like rude jokes; c) I like sex and looking at pretty girls ; and d) I often make irreverant jokey remarks about Church matters (but always about the sillier side of things, never anything blasphemous).
Oh yeah, and I love Monty Python’s Life of Brian!!
Hi Chris,
Thanks for the name check. I shall take the ‘nice enough bloke’ in the best possible way. I am still around. Still at Trinity – I think. Off sick currently with stress (4 months to date). Trying not to force my personal beliefs on anyone.
You ight like to check out my new blog – ‘Flow’ – at 2flow.wordpress.com
Cheers,
K
You never did Keith – you ARE one of the good guys, a thoughtful intelligent Christian. Stress? I think we all suffer that, but the ministry team at Trin must get more of it than I can even envisage, so have a rest. You know as well as do that almost all the great evangelicals – Spurgeon, Wesley, in fact moist of them – faced the “dark night of the soul” as St. John of the Cross called it. I think we have all had our run ins with stress (in my case depression) – I remember you going to the pub with me when I was at my lowest, many years ago.
Great to hear from you, and if I can ever help out in any small way just ask – I’m pretty good at cycling round town doing errands! Met one of your dudes a while back, he seemed to regard me as a dangerous weirdo! Well maybe he has ye olde “gift of discernment” – I’m much as always.
Have a good rest, and I know Dawn and Liz and my friends from Trin will be missing you – they never said you were off! – but as Dawn said once “Keith is the approachable nice one.” I’m sure Mark is as well, but you are good with people. You take care and get back to shepherding dude!
cj x
They say that more people today believe in ghosts than believe in God… I find that really odd!
Looking at some of things I wrote in my last reply to your post, I realise that I’ve given the impression that I’m quite flippant and not-too-serious about my faith.
Not so.
My interest in the paranormal goes naturally with my Christian faith… I enjoy a rude joke but not a crude or sick one…I like sex but am naturally monogomous and enjoy it within the context of a loving relationship… and the point of Life of Brian is that it’s NOT about Jesus…!
Sorry CJ, I’m wittering on because I’m bored today. Enough of my drivel.
I can never understand why people cannot understand that you can be a Christian or believe in God and have an interest in the paranormal.
For far too long, if you said you were interested in the paranormal or had any sort of pyschic ability, you were looked on as a subhuman form that worshipped the devil and was missing the intellectual part of your brain.