I know you won’t believe me but the highest form of Human Excellence is to question oneself and others.
socrates
There are many types of questions – ultimate questions are questions about meaning and purpose; about life and death; about what is true and about what we mean by truth. These questions are the natural domain of religion and of philosophy. I would say philosophy asks the ‘big’ questions and religion seeks to answer them. It is not the task of any religion to provide easy answers or to claim to have all the answers – that way dogmatism lies. And when faith loses its sense of mystery it loses its soul. But we can discuss these big questions, and strive after an integrity where we can sit at peace in all this. So they are still really important even without easy answers. The blog page and sermons page explore some of these ultimate questions.
There are other types of questions though that do have reasonably clear and definable answers – practical matters about church doctrine, and practice, about what the furniture and colours you see in church buildings mean, and so on. A few of this type of question are addressed on this page.
If you have a question about church life (or indeed an ultimate question) or would like to know more, please click here or, of course, ask your local church. They would be happy to help you and support you.
Are faith and reason compatible…or do you have to leave reason at the church door?
No you don’t. Georges Lemaitre was a catholic priest and also a physicist and mathematician. He was the first to argue that the universe is expanding. He said ‘there are two roads to the truth and I take both’.
Why are there so may different types of churches, different ways of doing things?
Yes, they are all different and there are many different traditions and ways of doing things. I cover this in one of my blogs if you’re interested in exploring further. But essentially you have to think of a kind of extended family; we all share the same DNA, the same essence, but we grow up, move away from home, and establish our own patterns of behaviour. This website is written from a Church of England tradition and, within that faith, from the progressive, inclusive perspective. More on that later.
Can you tell me a bit about the Church of England?
The Church of England is the Established Church which gives it very special privileges and very special responsibilities. The whole country is divided into parishes – literally every inch of England. They are geographical in the sense that they cover physical space and have definably boundaries – they are of course also legal/ecclesiastical (meaning to do with the church) entities. So, you live at number 6, Wherever Road, Sometown, England. That means you live in the parish that covers that area and it will have its own local church and vicar (though some vicars/rectors now cover much bigger patches than one parish). By virtue of living in that parish you can seek advice and help from the church – regardless of whether or not you attend church or whatever you do or don’t believe.
To find out what parish you are in visit A Church Near You
So I have a ‘parish’ church – but what if I want to get married there? Can I?
The short answer is very probably yes – just find out where your local church is on A Church Near You and get in touch with the local vicar. They’ll arrange to meet with you and your partner, talk you through it, and get it booked in. Church weddings add a depth of spirituality and meaning that other venues just can’t reach. They are very competitive cost-wise, and will do all they can to meet your personal needs – music, readings and so on can all be adapted. The vows, which are beautiful and full of solemnity, can’t be altered though.
Oh, and you don’t need to be baptised or even a church go-er to marry in church. Most clergy will also marry divorcees, but you need to talk to them and be honest with them about past relationships.
There is a church we’d love to get married in, but we don’t live there. Is there a way to make that happen?
Yes, there is. Again, you need to speak to the vicar there first – go on A Church Near You, find out who the vicar is and give them a phone call. Essentially, to marry in a church that is not you or your partner’s parish church you need to establish a ‘qualifying connection’ – perhaps your parents lived in that parish, or your grandparents, or someone in your family was baptised in that church? If there are no such connections you can establish one by worshipping with the church for six months.
What about gay marriage?
Sadly, for now, it isn’t possible for gay couples to be married in church though many of us are hopeful it will happen soon. Meanwhile, the Church of England is working its way through a very long process to work out prayerfully its future doctrine and how to accommodate all those clergy who are supportive of your love and believe it to be entirely Biblical and blessed by God already. This period of reflection and consultation is known as ‘Living in Love and Faith‘ or LLF. Even those inclusive churches who would be glad to marry a faithful gay couple, can’t do so yet. But they can and will offer you a blessing and you will always be made welcome. You are who God has made you to be and for that we give thanks.
My local parish has a rector, is that the same as a vicar?
In essence, yes. There are historical differences but they fulfil the same role. Here’s a helpful guide – when anyone is ordained they become part of the clergy – they are a curate for a few years – that is a trainee. The first year of that training they are known as a deacon, and from the second year they are ordained a priest (though some feel called to be distinctive deacons). While they’re a curate – whether deacon or priest – they remain under the supervision of their incumbent, the priest or rector of the church in which they are training. After training they may become a vicar, a rector or chaplain (working in an institution like a school or prison) – or take on some other role but they are all priests after that first year of training.
Can you tell me more about baptism?
Baptism (sometimes known as a christening) is the rite of initiation in Christianity. Some churches (see elsewhere about traditions) will only baptise people who are old enough to answer for themselves, but others (such as the Church of England) will baptise people of any age. Baptism is important for a number of reasons – it marks the beginning of a journey of faith (the font, the place where baptism happens, is most often near the entrance to the church for this symbolic reason); it follows the example of Jesus who was himself baptised; and it marks the ‘official’ entry of the individual into the world-wide family of the Church.
I can understand adults choosing to be baptised, but why babies? How can they know what they believe?
Excellent question and the answer is, of course, they can’t! That’s why it’s important to think of baptism as the beginning of a journey of faith not the end. We’re all working out what we believe and as Christians we are all seeking to grow closer to God. When babies or young children are baptised they have older people (godparents) to speak for them and who promise to encourage their journey of discovery. But this is not the same as saying babies have no say in what happens – indeed, when they are older, they can come and choose to confirm the vows made on their behalf – this is called a Confirmation service.
I‘ve noticed the church offers support at key moments in life such as the birth of a baby, and getting married. But what about death – what about funerals?
Your local church can help you here – after someone’s death, probably the best port of call first is the undertaker or funeral director. They will hopefully ask if the dead person had a faith. Now, it gets tricky. Most people, unless their loved one attended a church or other place of worship, would probably say no. But most of us are not so categorical or binary – and lots of people would like a funeral either in church or at a crematorium, led by a church minister, even if they didn’t attend a place of worship and were unsure of what they believed. This is easy to arrange – get the funeral director to call your local vicar, because the funeral can still happen in church or at a crem, and the clergy will help you plan the funeral and conduct it on your behalf. And it will be personalised and full of meaning.
I don’t know what I believe really. I have an interest in exploring faith but I don’t want to be jumped on as soon as I walk through the church door? What to do?
Don’t worry – that won’t happen! Attending a local church – just sitting at the back and not feeling obligated to join in – is a very good place to start actually. Maybe go along to a Christmas service as there will be lots of newcomers around and the services are very engaging and inclusive. Also, see if there are any ‘introduction to faith’ courses around – not as dreary or as formal as it sounds. Talk to others, and talk to the vicar. A Church Near You is helpful and will let you know what’s going on and give you contact numbers. But I would start with just visiting a church and, of course, reading a Bible.
Can you tell me about the Bible?
The Bible is the heart of the Christian faith because it tells the story of God and our place in that story. It is a story of relationships. But the Bible is a complex and layered text and its not a single book, it’s 66 books. It should be read with care and with prayer. Mahatma Gandhi said it contained dynamite and he was right. When reading the Bible, consider taking advice on the ‘best’ version to help you and begin with the Gospels – the first four books of the New Testament. That is the right door to enter the Bible through – the stories of Jesus.
By the by, in Anglican tradition there are three ‘pillars’ of faith – Scripture, tradition and reason – in other words, the Bible, church history and our own God-given intellect. Use all three.
Can you tell me more about the fixtures and fittings in the church, and the buildings themselves?
Sure, I’ll go into a bit more detail about a few of them below. But they do all ‘mean’ something – the font, the altar, candles and crosses for example, and the colours on display. Oh, and if you ever find yourself in an older church, lay on the floor and look up to the ceiling – it’ll help you understand why the main body of the church is called the ‘nave!
What is this a picture of?
The Altar is a central part of almost any church. But it may have different names and be in greater or lesser focus depending on the tradition of the church. If it’s called an altar it’s because it represents the place of sacrifice and is most likely in a ‘higher’ church where the celebration of Communion or Mass is a re-enactment of the sacrifice of Jesus, the Pascal Lamb.
In lower traditions, the same piece of furniture may be called the Lord’s Table, and is where the Lord’s Supper (Communion) is remembered following the Last Supper Jesus had with his disciples. In lower churches the act is less sacramental and more about remembering (one of the sermons covers this topic).
What is this a picture of?
It’s a candle but a very special candle! You will usually find lots of candles in churches. This is partly because Christianity has been around much longer than electricity! And so a lot of the symbolism of the faith is rooted in history too. Candles used to be the only source of light (other than the sun) and have so become hugely symbolic of light – especially the light that Jesus brought into the world. Jesus described himself as the light of the world – light leads us, guides us, shows us the way out of the darkness.
But this is a special candle as I said – it is known as a Pascal Candle. Each Easter morning a new pascal candle is blessed and lit as symbolic of the Resurrection of Jesus, the Light of the World. Many churches will, during the year, light a smaller candle from this candle whenever there is a baptism, and give it to the person being baptised, indicating that she or he is now part of that one light.
What is this a picture of?
This is a font. It is the place in a church where water is placed and a baptism occurs. You don’t actually need a font to conduct a baptism – it’s the water that counts and, in the Church of England and many other churches, what also matters is that the baptism happens in the name of The Trinity. Fonts come in all shapes and sizes, may well be made of stone in old Norman churches, and are often elaborately carved.
Some modern churches, instead of a font, have a baptismal pool and the candidate for baptism may be fully immersed in water rather than have water sprinkled over them. But they must ‘go under’ the water in some sense. Traditionally fonts are positioned near the entrance to the church because baptism represents entry into the Christian faith.
I know some crosses in churches have the image of the body of Jesus on them, and some don’t, but why? What’s the difference?
You will always find a good number of crosses in a typical Church of England church. They are there because they represent the central principle of the Christian faith – that Jesus came to the world as God incarnate, died and rose again.
Those crosses that have an image of Jesus on them are called crucifixes and they focus us and allow us to meditate on the death of Christ. They point to Good Friday, the day Jesus died. Those crosses that are empty and have no body on them tend, as you might expect, to focus instead on Easter Day, the day of Christ’s Resurrection. Whether we are seeing a cross or a crucifix though, the key thing is that this one-time symbol of death and despair has, because of Jesus, become instead a sign of life and of hope.
What are your questions? Let’s chat