SOS

(by way of introduction)

I have never been in an earthquake, so I must ask anyone who reads this but knows the terror of a real earthquake, to accept that the comparison is meaningful to me. The progressive changes that I have undergone in my view of the Bible (Note 1) have been combined with a feeling that all which once seemed stable and reliable had become insecure, and sometimes frightening. It felt like an earthquake. I used to be an evangelical fundamentalist and treasured my relationship with the scriptures, but I lost the Bible by valuing it too much. It had partly taken the place of God in my life and, as so often happens, I met life experiences and changes, which shook every one of my foundations that was not good and secure. I see such experiences as grace in action. That way we make sure that we can stand any real storm that comes our way. The Bible had become too important to me and much too familiar in the sense that it dominated my thinking and my conversation. Scarcely anything could happen without bringing a text into my file-index mind. As a habitual bible reader, I was therefore worried when I found that I could no longer continue my daily readings with any real enthusiasm. I gave up the habit for a number of years and, when I returned to the practise of frequent readings, it was not longer a habit. But during all the time that my Bible gathered dust I knew from inside that my spirit was as much in touch with God as previously. Only the outward forms of my faith had changed. I had admitted to a problem, which I had initially tried to cover up and hide - even from myself.

As the truth about myself began to dawn I started to tackle underlying doubts by thinking my thoughts on paper. Sometimes the essays and letters I wrote during that period were binned; but other times they were left to linger on a neglected computer disc or file. Some of those essays were circulated among a group of supportive friends who regularly exchanged ideas, articles, poems, correspondence and other literary gems that came their way. It was those friends who encouraged me to bring these articles together in SOS. The Bible was a frequent theme of my writing because my fundamentalism had become a stumbling block to my faith and I was trying to find a way out of my confusion. My thoughts and studies eventually led me to the point where this precious book was rescued from my fundamentalism and became, once again, a useful and enjoyable part of my life of faith.

After a number of years of questioning, searching and rediscovery it seemed good to take stock of my changing views and put them together in one volume. SOS has been around for several years now and has helped a number of Christians to find renewed enjoyment in God free from the legalistic restrictions imposed by their early teachers. This edition has been revised for Internet publishing,but also includes amendments resulting from reader feedback and further developments in my own thinking. I am sure that my ideas will continue to develop as I carry on learning and growing in the faith. I hope never to reach a point of fixed certainty, because the more I learn

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