Keeping Alive the Rumor of God: When Most People Are Looking the Other Way

"Can't you hear those little bells tinkling? Down on your knees! They're bringing the sacraments to a dying God," wrote Heinrich Heine in 1834. It took a while but today it is happening. Across the Western world the traditional picture of God is dying, and institutional religion collapsing. Today we are trying something never done before, living with no agreed narrative that tells us who we are and with a materialist view of life. It isn't enough. An idea of God may have died but the mystery of our human life is of an inner depth which is not simply physical or material. Marvel, mystery, wonder, beauty, love, the numinous, the mysterium tremendum, remain the essence of who we are. What I am trying to do is describe this experience in such a way that those who have not had it can get a glimpse of it from inside and understand how it can give a life meaning and purpose. This is explored through a liberal Christian tradition committed to social justice and honest exploration. Scripture is vital to this but so are art, poetry, music, and beauty. When most people are looking the other way, we must keep the rumor of God alive.

Martin Camroux is a United Reformed Church minister and served in local ecumenical partnerships for over 30 years. He was co-founder of Free to Believe, the URC Liberal Network, and was the London Times "Preacher of the Year" in 2001. He is the author of Ecumenism in Retreat: How the URC Failed to Break the Mould (2016) and Keeping Aive the Rumor of God: When Most People are Looking the Other Way. (2020).

David Peel is a minister and theologian of the United Reformed Church. He was Principal of Northern College, Manchester (1993-2003), Director of Academic Development for the North East Oecumenical Course (2003-6), and Moderator of the General Assembly of the United Reformed Church (2005-6). He is author of Reforming Theology (2002), Ministry for Mission (2003), Encountering Church (2006), and The Story of the Moderators (2012).