The Anglican Way: What exactly does this mean? When I became a Christian at my baptism it was not some sort of magical enterprise for me. Nor was I baptised as anything else but a Christian. As a child of God I was not baptised an Anglican, nor was I transformed into a better human being automatically. My parents and others made promises before God to bring me up in the faith of Christ.

As I look back on my confirmation I had to train to become who God intended me to be — a freedom loving Christian — Christlike. These last several years I’m absolutely sure by reorienting my life according to the gospel I may very well appear to be a fool in the eyes of those in authority who follow “The Anglican Way” — meaning of course the self-centred way, not Christ-centred.

I’m absolutely sure the father of lies and the Truth who is Jesus Christ dominates the Gospel of John. The Lord not only vanquishes fear and intimidation but also gives you and me a share in his victory through the Holy Spirit; the exaltation of Jesus Christ on the Cross releases the Spirit.

I’m sure the paschal triumph has not only expiated our sins and justified us before God but also brought the outpouring of the Holy Spirit who has been given to us (Romans 5:5). The Spirit enables us to conquer arrogance, self-deception, and dishonesty, endears us to the truth of God, and leads us to know eternal realities.

Friends have asked how I am doing since retirement from the church. Truthfully, I feel I have an extension on life. I am at the point where encountering Jesus in many people outside the Church — at the supermarket, on the streets of the city, wherever I journey - is the key to peace of mind and tranquillity with God. I don’t find that peace under the present leadership. There are clearly many ways for me to be a Christian and follow my baptismal promises outside the church. It is possible for me to see Jesus not as the founder of a new religion - but as the exemplar of a new way of being human — a new Adam.

In a quip that makes the rounds, ‘Jesus preached the coming of the kingdom, but it was the church that came;’ or more precisely for us ‘The Anglican Way’! A way I find terribly broken, weak, and totally ineffective amongst the young. I was never quite sure what to do about it — I did try in a humble way.

What a difference it would make if Christians were gently invited to come tell others what they already know of God — instead of being hammered as to what they ought to believe by the leaders of churches as ‘The Anglican Way’? What if Christians were blessed for what they are doing in the world instead of being chastised and continually put down by those in authority? What if the church was more like a way station than a destination? Christ-centred and not self-centred? What if our job were to move people out of the door instead of trying to keep them in — convincing them that God needs them more in the world than in the church? The horrible business of guilt tripping by clergy is a cruel and powerful weapon in their hands, especially preached from the pulpit at confirmation services. It destroys creativity and turns discussion into diatribe. I feel after a period of not attending church I have not lost my relationship with Jesus. After 34 years of serving Mother Church at the altar, I am now going to pitch my tent in God’s world, using much of what Jesus taught me, to make a tiny ripple on the waters in His name.

To tell the truth, I know I have heard the gospel. The good news of God in Christ is, ‘you have everything you need to be human. Go into the world and use what you have!’ I know there is nothing outside of me that I still need — no approval from anyone — no attendance at church, no key truth hidden in the tenth chapter of some sacred book. In my life right now, Jesus has given me everything that I need to be human. I prefer to think that I have been given another chance as a Christian, although with few of the assurances that attracted me before.

I have gathered up all the life I found in my hospital room after major surgery, and will do with it what God alone shows me. My faith consists of trusting God in the face of vastly pitiful childishness by clergy who tell me there is ‘The Anglican Way’. There is only one way for me as I worship with Christians — the Christ-centred Way! Even those like me who have no choice but to be carried toward safety on a stretcher from a parking lot, having crashed a car into a wall, will eventually be given the chance to take up their mats and walk, and even those whose legs still will not work can discover how agile a healed spirit can be when healed by Christ.

It is now that I realise how much I miss officiating at outdoor sacraments. God blessed that part of my ministry. The outdoors is His beautiful church. My how much I miss the little children who noisily went through church during worship services. They are so precious in God’s eyes.

Perhaps our teens are not old enough to serve on the church vestry but they have a better grasp of what church is all about than the Pharisees who think there is one way only, ‘The Anglican Way’. Ask the Pharisees what the Anglican Way means.

For me the only effective foundation for change lies in Christ-consciousness, in moving beyond the bare letter of the Bible into the God-consciousness of Jesus.

I accept myself for what I am. I have long ceased to hunger for the acceptance of others. I have no wish to be popular. I do not fear criticism. I am not plagued with bowing to others, because simply being true to myself brings lasting inner peace.

I am a risk-taker who listens to the Spirit speaking through the intelligence of my emotions. I am ready to chance something new, fully aware that the history of Christian spirituality is not consistently one of obedient conformity. That’s where I am in retirement. I shall always try to do as Jesus commands — listen to God’s voice, seek His spiritual direction and remain unafraid of what people might say, what they might think of me, or, what they might do to me.