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I recently attended a Deanery Synod, which was very thought provoking. The speaker dealt very efficiently and in much depth, on the topic of today's society. What is it? What are its attitudes? How does it function? etc. The old chestnut of a question "Is the Church out of date with what is going on, and is it relevant to today's society?" came up. It is the same topic that has been asked of the church since its inception 2000 and odd years ago. Like any institution the church has had to adapt in that time to change, and find new ways of presenting itself. I do actually have a mobile phone, a Laptop and can text...I felt like proclaiming!!!! The only thing I refuse to do is go on Facebook or Twitter!!!!!

So what POST periods are we in? Well apparently we are in the POSTSECULAR period, away from when state and religion kept each other at arm's length. We are in the advent of a new religious age that is focussed on individual experience.  Indeed we are not only POSTSECULAR but POSTMODERN.  Postmodernism is closely associated with relativism, where "anything goes". There is no absolute truth in this way of thinking, as knowledge depends on your perspective. As a result society is more fragmented than ever, with no cement of truth to hold it together. Most people seeking something look it up on the internet!!! They put "Truth" into a search engine, and keep reading until they find what they like, as there is no objective knowledge. If it makes them feel better they embrace it, if they don't they jettison it. Oh and by the way everything has to be NOW, nobody does TOMORROW anymore. There are large numbers of people out there sick to death of their daily grind, trying to find out who they are, and wanting something that will make their spiritual experience of life more worthwhile.

I take it that if this is the case, then the church needs to wake up to the fact that people aren't really bothered anymore between the doctrinal differences between Roman Catholics, Methodists, Anglicans, URCs, Brethren etc... We've all melted into one ecclesiastical pot, as far as the spiritual consumers are concerned. In fact we take our place in the Spiritual market place, with anything else that will make them feel better. (And just to remind you all, it better make me feel better and it has to do it NOW!!!).

At this point I have to admit I did feel a little uneasy that there was no truth in the world anymore, except what I defined it to be. It's rather like saying if I had cancer, I know chemotherapy may help me but so may eating chocolate. There clearly is a place for objective truth somewhere surely...

I wonder why Jesus said, "I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life no-one comes to the father except through me".? I wonder why he gave us all the evidence that he was indeed God's Son (now on the internet, by the way!!!).  I have a feeling TRUTH is always True and always will be...and when I experience it I feel better.  Well that's what people who have encountered Jesus have been telling the church for 2000 odd years. The good news is that the Church is still welcoming spiritual travellers with the truth of Christ...and will be for a while to come...

Yours in Christ,

Philip

Team Rector