It's a quote from "The Sacred Diary of Adrian Plass, Christian Speaker, Aged 45 3/4". Go buy it. Or anything by Adrian Plass. He rocks.
Just before this excerpt, Anne has had a compassionate talk with Charles, a young man who is struggling with his desire to drop out of seminary ("the Muppet factory") because of his growing doubts about God and what he's always been told he believes. Doreen is his mother.
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Horrific scene with Doreen this evening.
First of all Richard phoned, almost incoherent, to say that Doreen was on her way to see Anne and me, and that she was, as he put it, in a ‘strongly rebuking mood’. Fact is, she was just plain seething. Refused anything to drink and wouldn’t sit down. I asked her why she was so angry.
She looked at Anne as she replied, ‘My son came to you in need of Christian counsel and you – you supported him in his sin and in his backsliding.’
‘Doreen,’ said Anne gently, ‘I honestly don’t think – ’
‘Did you tell him – ’ Doreen raised her arm and pointed at Anne like some Old Testament prophet declaring judgement on Israel, ‘that what he believes or does not believe is of no consequence?’
Anne shook her head in frustration. ‘Yes, but it was – ’
‘Did you encourage Charles to believe that the Lord is unconcerned with his sin of doubt, and did you – ’ Doreen’s face was suffused with colour as her voice lifted almost to a shout, ‘Did you yourself cast doubt on the very existence of God? Did you lead him to believe that all his past experiences were meaningless because they really meant something else, something that you should never have allowed to happen? Did you do that?’
‘Doreen, that’s a distortion of what really happened. I wanted Charles to relax so that his feelings about his father could – ’
‘You wanted! You wanted! You wanted! Why is what you wanted important? Tell me why the things you say and think and – want, have always been so much more important to my son than what I want. Why? Tell me why that is! I rebuke you in the name of the Lord for the way in which you have seduced him in the direction of your own ungodly liberalism and half-hearted adherence to the things of the Spirit and the word of God!’
This, obviously, was the speech that Doreen had been rehearsing on the way over to our house, and I have to admit that it left me quite speechless. I had a vague notion that, as the head of the household, I ought really to do something, but I couldn’t think what to say. I needn’t have worried. Anne suddenly stopped looking distressed and directed a very steady gaze towards Doreen. She spoke with a calm assurance that I’ve rarely heard, and, as she went on speaking, her voice was like the sound of a bell.
‘There is nothing liberal about coming down the road that another human being is traveling, to meet them and bring them to safety. If that is liberal, then God is a liberal. There is nothing liberal about helping people to smash the false gods and images of religion or worldliness that have let them down and given them nothing over the years. If doing that is liberal, then God is a liberal. There is nothing liberal about using divine gifts of creativity and flexibility and ingenuity to open doors of understanding and delight in those who desperately need to know that compassion and care really are waiting for them in the arms of the Father. If that is liberal then the God who created this world is a liberal. There is nothing liberal about treading the narrowest path imaginable yourself, but throwing your arms as wide as they’ll go to greet and enfold as many others as possible. If that is liberal, then all the most godly men and women I’ve ever known are liberals. There is nothing liberal, Doreen, about staying at the back of the expedition to tie shoelaces, and to encourage the fat ones and the slow ones and the ones whose feet hurt, rather than pushing triumphantly to the front of the line so that you can be the first to the ultimate destination. If doing that is liberal, then Jesus was the greatest liberal of them all.’
There was a pause, and when Anne spoke again, her voice was much softer.
‘Doreen, I know you’re really hurting, and I know a lot of it’s to do with feeling that Charles isn’t turning to you when he’s so needy. If I’ve ever, in any way made that worse, then I apologize without reserve, but don’t you think that if you just – if you were to just freely offer him your love and support without worrying too much about the Christian side of things, just for a while – don’t you think it might make all the difference? We all love him, don’t we? Please don’t let’s be enemies, Doreen. Won’t you come and give me a hug?’
Anne extended her arms and took a step forward. For an instant Doreen’s expression crumpled and softened, like a small child’s when she is suddenly overwhelmed by her own feelings, and I thought she was going to respond, but the moment passed, and a second later she was gone, slamming the door behind her.
‘I feel very sorry for that family,’ said Anne sadly, as I gave her a hug instead. ‘Finding a new way will be so difficult…’
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