So I am not with the family (which trust me is not easy--but it is important to start this PhD) and don't really know anyone at all here. So I though, in addition to the Byzantine process of matriculation which, bi musaa3idat Allah, I completed today, I thought, I should check out the Christian groups on campus. I looked at the Anglicans and they had a) a female chaplain, and b) nothing going on for new students. I checked out the evangelical group and eventually learned that their leaders have to subscribe to six-day creationism. Now I don't mind six-day creationism, but making it an article of faith seems a little, um, unbiblical to me.
So I went to the BBQ the Catholics were having, and guess what, I had a really good time. I met one young guy who wants to become a priest, and two others who are thinking about it. In Scotland. You don't know how odd that is for Scotland. If nothing else this indicates that we have here a serious community of faith. And people were really welcoming. After the BBQ we went to a local pub and hung out and talked about sundry topics like Gaelic and Celtic languages, the monarchy, and Humanae Vitae. After that we went for a lengthy walk, and then got some food (fish and chips for me--still have not tried haggis, but I will) and went back to the Catholic student office, where some monks live, and had tea (at 9 pm).
One thing I lied was that when I said I was Anglican, they were like, "OK, hope you like the food and enjoy your time here and come back to hang out." As opposed to what I often get at evangelical groups (and let me say for the bazzilionth time that I AM EVANGELICAL), where I get the treatment of, "Isn't it nice the Lord has brought us this nominal Christian from a dead church so we can evangelize him?" I mean, that is born from good motives. But were I am emotionally and spiritually right now, I'm just not up for it. Sorry.
So I am one of the few Anglican members of the Catholic group. Praise be to God that his grace and love know no boundaries, even when we try to build them, he is greater.
