RELIGION AS POETRY
Mark Oakley's lecture can be viewed here:
‘We look for God in the multi-layered languages of music and poetry’

The full address may be watched / heard on our front page

In his exploration of the theme Canon Oakley stressed that reality is not mirrored neatly in the recitation of any creed. Faith is not a proud self-consistent philosophy. It is a living response to the grace of God as revealed in fragile lives.
Poetry is a soul language. We need to familiarise ourselves with it for it does not work like ordinary speech. It may confuse us a bit at first, but confusion is part of the journey of life. Poetry is a language of possibilities; it can be spiritually important. The difficult times in life as in poetry may be the most significant. The splash of words can begin to ripple outwards and help our spiritual development to take place.
God gives us our Being; we give back our Becoming.


Poetry and stories are there to make us better. Truth comes in this form, not in creeds. Truth is too important to be prosaic. It speaks for us the language of love, so surely this is the heart of religion.
Poetry challenges our first impressions. It stops us sleep-walking into the ready assumption that first impressions must be set in stone which will last for ever.
People today want quick information: the news bulletin. the world-wide-web. But we need more than information, we need transformation. “Relevance” has gone tomorrow; resonance stays.
The poets in our parishes are the Christians. As Christians we need ears to hear. This language is a sacrament not a utensil.


NB - Mark Oakley’s book 'The Collage of God' (published by Darton, Longman and Todd) is to be followed in July by his new book 'A Splash of Words'.
Mark Oakley's lecture can be viewed here:
Mark Oakley also preached on the following morning and this can be viewed HERE