Cheat the taxman

While waiting for a shower at Greenbelt I had the unfortunate experience of being able to hear the large communion service.

There were many things about it that I didn't like, but my favourite was based around the collection.


All the congregation members were asked to sit in groups of up to 20 on their arrival so they could be handed a worship bag. I think it contained communion stuff, hymn sheets and envelopes for money with space for the gift aid to be completed.

Once the time came for the collection to be taken the process was announced from the stage

"if you are a UK tax payer then please can you complete the gift aid part on the envelope, and if you're not then give your donation to someone else in your party who is, so Greenbelt can claim the tax back"

Thus encouraging a large group of people to cheat the taxman via gift aid.

Why do I/we hate God?

I'd never heard that phrase from someone while talking about serving and loving God.


While listening to Stanley Hauerwas read from his new book Hannah's Child, A Theologian's Memoir at Greenbelt he asked the question "Why do we hate God?"



After the session was over I asked my wife what did he mean, everything we hear is about us loving God, following Jesus, serving and following and loving God. So why would this leading theologian talk about why we hate God. It makes sense that if we really love someone and they ask to behave/live/do certain things we do them.

But God constantly asks us to behave/live/do things and I/we constantly fail.


I think I get the fact that God still loves us regardless, or certainly I understand it from a brain point of view but don't necessarily feel it from an emotional point of view.


I don't think I hate God, but neither am I sure I love God. I love my wife, my children, my family, my community but do I love God?


I know love my wife because I feel differently when she is/isn't around, I care deeply for her in a way that I know that that is love, I look forward to seeing her even if it is only from not seeing her for a couple of hours. I understand this as love.


Do I feel a yearning for God? Do I miss God when I haven't been around for a while?

I don't know.

I suppose for me the only way to answer this question is to answer the question what is my relationship with God?