Even before the wonderful world of Facebook (which allows you to pick bones, battles and wars with people you don't even know) I was the victim of public bone picking, or precisely, my friends were the victim, as in the big picture they were the ones who suffered. I was thrilled when the local evangelical Church who helped with our school christian club told me they were speaking at one of our upcoming school chapels. Like all English schools, weekly Christian teaching was mandatory, despite the fact the majority of the school were not practicing Christians. Waiting for chapel was torture- I was so excited for my friends to hear about real christianity rather than the watered down version which was usually handed out. The two Pastor's did a short presentation (chapel wasn't that long) it was slightly humorous, simplified, but made it's point and as far as I was concerned a success. We had a short time in homeroom before it was time to rush off to art class. I took my seat and my oil pastels and starting working on some ghastly still life, until finally I plucked up the courage to start the conversation "so what did you think of chapel today?". I was just sizing up the art room sink determining if it would be large enough for an impromptu baptismal service when to my horror my friends tore apart the chapel time.
You see, their home room teacher was the drama teacher, and she had a bone- and she picked it clean. The drama teacher was a substitute teacher who rumour had it also trained as a minister, she was filling in for an extended absence and at first I was delighted to have another christian staff member at the school- until that day. The drama teacher had used the brief time between chapel and art class to tear apart the message given at chapel. The Pastor had mentioned how his Dad had died but he was still able to be happy- a very oversimplified version of the peace of Christ but not exactly heretical, but it was highly offensive and outrageous to the drama teacher. She tore it and her fellow christian apart limb from limb, emphasizing the fact that Christians aren't always happy all the time and still feel pain. At this point in art class my imaginary lackeys were all yelling "cancel the baptism service, I repeat cancel the baptism" into their walkie talkies. I defended the pastors as much as I could but the battle was lost- and what had really been achieved?
I'm not saying that it was the perfect chapel, that the concept wasn't over simplified or even perhaps misleading. But surely the drama teacher could have found a way to perhaps expand on it to include the things she felt had been missed rather than tear it apart, or at least cool off and talk to the preacher before venting her theological frustrations at a class of Grade 10 students. She went on to complain to the senior school staff (though she did offer to run a chapel time herself) and the church was never invited back. I don't know what was going on in her life to bring about that reaction, I presume some deep hurt, but it doesn't excuse the behaviour of a senior member of God's family. My friends had the opportunity that day to learn about the Good News of Christ - but they hadn't heard any of the Good News, they only remembered the bad news that this preacher had said something wrong and couldn't be trusted and as a repercussion myself and the christian club were also tainted. What will they remember about God's family, the church? They won't remember that we are one body with many parts working together, they won't remember that though we are many we have one head in Jesus Christ, that we all partake in the same bread. No, they will just remember the bone.
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