WWJB?

I went to hear John Smith last night. He's an Australian biker, founder of God's Squad, and acclaimed preacher. He was speaking at Zac's Place, church for ragamuffins. Set up by Sean Stillman, it originally met in pubs but now has its own base in an old - and transformed - mission hall. Sean is a Harley biker and it's mostly aimed at bikers and those on the edge of society.

John Smith is a long-haired and leather-jacketed old hippy (his words). He turned away from his planned 'sermon' and as a result his talk was a bit meandering but basically he spoke about the church living as Jesus lived mixing with the outcasts, touching the untouchable, breaking the rules. He definitely doesn't like the prosperity gospel preached by some churches; nor does he like America, George Bush, John Howard or Tony Blair. But he loves Jesus. And the people he mixes with.

He also talked about being in touch with the culture you're trying to reach. And, more than anything else, being friends with it.

He suggested that instead of asking 'What would Jesus do?' we should ask 'Who would Jesus bomb?'

He veered from his planned talk because of Martyn Joseph. Martyn and John had toured together fifteen years earlier and Martyn had offered/agreed to come along and sing a few songs as part of the evening.

For those who don't know, Martyn Joseph is an old-fashioned protest singer. His songs speak of injustice against individuals and communities in Wales and further afield. He is what I think of as a sixties' singer.

A few years ago I was in a housegroup with some students. Two of them belonged to the University Conservative Society. That seemed, and seems, to me to be one of the saddest indictments of our society. If students are Conservative or conservative, what hope is there for the future?

Where are the protests? The sit-ins? The Love-ins? The standing up for rights, your own or someone else's? It's been said that students today have so much debt and financial problems to contend with that they don't have time to consider greater issues. They just need to be able to eat at the end of the day. So apathy, or self, rules.

I don't pretend to have great political ideals that I would die for but I've marched against the war in Iraq, supported CND, been to Greenham Common (remember the women?) and tried to influence our country by casting my vote.

John Smith said that if the church lived as Jesus lived we would make our countries ungovernable. We would force change. Pre-emptive war would not happen.

I really look up to people like Jon and Jodie who are trying to live by what they believe; to Jon M who thoughtfully considers issues and doesn't accept easy answers; to many young people in our church today (although at the moment I'm not too keen on my own son who doesn't phone me or answer my phone calls or email me!!!!!! - It was all getting a bit too serious there!)

Anyway, although I enjoyed what John Smith said - in spite of the hard old church chairs and the high heat - it was Martyn's last song that really got through to me.

'Turn me tender again.'

I have rambled for too long already while the dishes are calling me so more later.