Truth from a Rowing Boat

This is a collection of simple reflections on my life. They cover varying experiences, from my birth onwards. I have recorded the events just as they took place in the village, as a carpenter/joiner, as a student, followed by the ministry and into retirement.

Working as a minister with and alongside people, is a privilege which enables one to see and learn, how people react in different situations, be it at worship, weddings, funerals and work. At my age many memories have been lost, however the mind seems to have retained the unusual, the insensitive, the funny and the sad.

A reader without any religious experience, who has not been confronted by the thought that there might be ‘something’ beyond the present, may be tempted to discard entirely my experiences and observations. That attitude I can fully understand and these reflections will also highlight my own difficulties when it comes to religious dogma, false piety and religious fundamentalism, much of which, in the words of Martin Buber ‘masks the face of God.’ I readily tell people that I am now a confused Baptist worshipping in an Anglican church and it’s a position I find quite acceptable.

There were many times when I was angry with God, such as the death of young and middle-aged people who had still so much to give to their families and the Kingdom of God. Man’s inhumanity to man which results in the suffering of the innocent. To use an insensitive and meaningless colloquialism, it seems on occasions that God has shot himself in the foot!

Many church members took seriously their commitment to the Christian faith, they were anxious to discover the mind of Christ and how they could serve Him within and beyond the church building. However, for others, attending church was a hobby, akin to being a member of a skittles or camera club. I would invite the reader to consider what a Christian should do for the extension of God’s kingdom, apart from attending church on Sundays. The Church speaks of Sunday services, however the service really begins as the congregation leave the church and becomes involved in daily activities. Over the years I also met ‘second mile’ Christians who were anxious to participate in New Wine, Spring Harvest, Slain in the Spirit and all similar activities and experiences, but who hadn’t walked the first mile of Christian responsibility and commitment in their own homes and church fellowships.

Those various levels of commitment will become apparent in my reflections. The reader may be aware of some of these attitudes and experiences. Money from the sale of these memoirs will go to Prostate Cancer UK, a condition which all men will experience at some point in their lives and one that I have lived with comfortably for eight years.

If any part is found to be offensive, I sincerely apologise, because that was not my intention when writing these simple reflections.

Charles Sutherland, March 2016