- Was it my church? Kinda...
- Was it the College? Also, Kinda...
- Was it my housegroup? Sometimes...
- Was it sharing a meal and fellowship with friends? Often...
- The place I truly belong, spiritually, is Greenbelt.
At a session he presented with the (wonderful) poet Stuart Henderson, Martyn Joseph was asked what makes Greenbelt special for him - and he answered that it's a place for spiritual refugees. And I thought, yes, that's right. And also, yes, that's me.
Now it might seem strange for one as embedded in a denomination as I am to appropriate the label of spiritual refugee, but honestly, it's true: my favourite songs (which I want played at my funeral) (which I'm planning for 2082 in case you're wondering) are U2 'I still haven't found what I'm looking for' and Martyn Joseph 'Treasure the questions'.
Questioning everything and dissatisfaction with the status quo run deep within me, and hence I find myself drawn not just to Baptist ecclesiology, but also to Anabaptism and, of course, Greenbelt. This year was my 22nd (in 24 years), which if you add it up means I've spent nearly 3 months of my life at Greenbelt. Time well spent, I feel.
Highlights this year for me included:
- A talk by Bishop Gene Robinson on human sexuality.
He (rightly in my view) suggested that if the church wants to properly address the issue of homosexuality, it must be done in the context of a much broader debate about sexuality in general, and that perhaps a good starting point might be to get all the heterosexuals in the church to have an honest conversation about their own experience of sexuality, before then turning to the 'problem' of the homosexuals in their midst.
- A lecture by Paula Gooder:
entitled Taking a very long view: the end of the world in the Bible at which she said pretty much what I'd have said if they'd asked me to do it instead!
- A performance by Ockham's Razor, which was visually stunning and thought provoking.
And a high-energy concert by the wonderful Duke Special:
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