Feral Christians

I first heard of feral in connection with Christian faith from my friend Henry. He was exploring it in relation to priesthood, and it has an obvious application to the Christian adventure more widely. Feral can mean ‘having returned to an untamed state from domestication’. And domestication is not infrequently one of the consequences of a tamed, institutionalised, Christianity.

I started sketching out what being a feral Christian might look like, or include. So far -

SPHERE	MIGHT LOOK LIKE
BELIEF	A growing sense of an untamed God, arising from seeing how organised religions tend to tame their gods An increased acceptance that we know little about Jesus, and that Gospel accounts may reach us after embellishment and editing; matched by a deepened focus upon the man and his meaning (especially in relation to the Incarnation perhaps more than his resurrection)
CHURCH (AS INSTITUTION)	Properly sceptical (not cynical) of some of its claims and ways Clearer about how it not only informs but also deforms our apprehension of the divine Awareness of how the institutional life of the church can oppress people and insulate against the Gospel’s message
CHURCH (AS WIDER BODY OF FOLLOWERS AS CONTRASTED WITH THE CHURCH AS INSTITUTION)	This is likely to assume greater significance for feral Christians: Christ's mystical body and presence beyond church walls A growing (or already present) mystical apprehension of God being always and everywhere present Faith that sacramental action is found in countless ‘ordinary’ moments, way beyond the formal sacraments of the church
PRAYER	Less set or formulaic patterns; more a move to an attitude and disposition that are prayerful more and more of the time. From saying prayers to being prayerful
BEHAVIOUR	Greater sense of contingency – that we are wholly dependent on realities beyond us Less concerned with reputation or esteem in the eyes of others Service to others without the mantle of institution or ‘this is Christian’ Less conformist, more risk taking (for the Gospel) More surreptitious, clandestine maybe. Good by stealth perhaps