header-photo

Saturday, April 15, 2006

Listen

Driving home from the bookstore on Thursday night, I took the long way home because I liked what I heard on the radio. CBC radio was playing a re-run of Tapestry, and I was so moved by what I heard, I had to pull over and jot some notes in my notebook. It didn't occur to me until later how delightfully appropriate it was that I'd stopped the car next to a shadowy graveyard and a lit cathedral.

The program was an interview with Alan Jones. His book, Reimagining Christianity: Reconnect Your Spirit Without Disconnecting your Mind is now on my wish list. You can hear the interview here.

Here are a few of the things I jotted down...
- the opposite of faith is not doubt, but certainty
- religion doesn't answer the questions, it deepens them
- religion is meant to be uncomfortable - it will piss you off if it means anything
- "mine must have been the slowest conversion in history - I have an enormous capacity for missing the point"
- Christianity is a "way" not a "state"
- you can't opt out of belonging - if you opt out, then you belong to those others who have opted out
- the universe is made up of stories, not atoms
- imagine the beautiful irony of Jesus, who is the "word of God" but was born as a baby, unable to speak - word and silence must be part of each other

It also helps that his voice is like ear-candy. I think I could listen to it all day.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

CBC radio has become my favourite station these days. Often very interesting listening.

Anonymous said...

I love that - "the opposite of faith is not doubt."

Bobita said...

Great post!

I saw a television interview many years ago with Maya Angelou, who was asked if she was a Christian. She said something like..."No, but I hope to be one day. I see it more as a process, not as a state of being or even a destination."

Her words challenged me.