Dave Tomlinson - Culture Vulture

08 Oct 2009

Throughout the 1990s, author Dave Tomlinson led Holy Joes, an alternative church that met in a UK pub. Now he is the vicar of St Luke's in North London, an Anglican parish church that seeks to combine tradition with contemporary culture. 

Spanky Moore caught up with him on his recent speaking tour of New Zealand.

What was Holy Joes all about?
We advertised Holy Joes as 'God and a Pint.' It was a ten-year gathering of people in their twenties and early thirties that met in a south London pub. It was a place where people could come, question, doubt, and be frank. We’re talking no holds barred sort of questions, with no one giving a firm answer at the end of the evening.

What do you see as the challenges for faith in this new contemporary culture?
I think the challenge is to bridge the gap that exists between Christianity and churchless spirituality – those who don’t go to church but recognise spirituality in their lives. The challenge is, as Bonhoeffer put it, to ask, “Who is Jesus Christ for us today?” Jesus and what he represents in life needs to be reinvented and seen as life, hope and liberation.

So do you think the Anglican Church has much to offer in this process?

I think we live in a post-modern age that values symbols, image and metaphors, and where mediums like the internet, computers and TV have become very powerful. We’ve seen some church symbols, like the cross, become just trinkets. But the church has to learn to use our own symbols in positive ways, to reframe and configure them so that ‘spiritual pilgrims’ can find meaning in them.

Have you noticed anything unique about the kiwi approach while you’ve been visiting?
I’ve been impressed with the relaxed relationship between bishops and clergy here. I like it – It feels like people are working together. I also love the New Zealand Prayer Book. I enjoy its inclusive language, and there are lots of wonderful pieces of liturgy in it. I’ve been known to use it back home in London every now and then.

What is your latest book ‘Re-Enchanting Christianity’ about?
If my first book was for people who had felt disenchanted with faith, then this one is about trying to re-enchant people with a Christian faith. It looks at how we can find a second innocence and discover a fresh aspect of faith, rather than simply becoming jaded.

WORDS: SPANKY MOORE

PHOTO: TIM CHESNEY