巴格達的英國牧師(Vicar of baghda)：Andrew White

知道Andrew White這個名字是前不久在教堂幫忙賣書，看到了一本書叫《Vicar of baghda：Andrew White》，　頓時感興趣，這位放下西方舒適的生活的英國牧師，為什麽會想起去巴格達呢？　他去那幹什麽了？他以前還是在醫院工作的，　我們的文化和傳統總是教育我們讀好書，有個好工作，然後生孩子過日子，傳種接代是最基本的，然而這位叫Andrew White的英國牧師，在自己有正常工作後完全可以安然過日子，可是突然一天他的腦海裏冒出一個問題：《我下一步要做什麽？》， 然後就放棄已有的工作，從師宗教事業。他去英國劍橋大學學神學，並在大學裏對猶太教和伊斯蘭教感興趣，這也為他今後能去巴格達當牧師奠定了基礎，這樣的生活顯然比他留在醫院精彩得多了。

我想精彩的人生不一定就是掙錢，成名，（當然我們也需要錢）人生的意義也許是在大千世界裏找到了自己的心靈所在，是付出，為一種信仰， 而不是成天魂不守舍地在那悠閑著或苦力著，當你為某種信仰奉獻自己，那種內心的愉悅是不可名狀的， 這也解釋為什麽以前為什麽有先烈拋頭顱灑熱血，當今的現代社會偶爾得停電，就已經不知所措，更不要說黑色周五了， 要出血的幹活哪是要上法庭的！ 為什麽我們的文化總是宣傳那種所謂的成功，一種不惜代價的成功，也就是就是些數字上的顯赫， 這數字的背後不知糟蹋了多少人力物力和自然資源。

後來教堂的朋友告訴我去年Andrew White　曾經來我們教堂作過演講，　我不知道去哪裏？回中國了吧，　我們那每次周日的禮拜都有牧師講經，並有錄音，如果沒去教堂的話，　還可以花一點點錢的一個ＣＤ，買了一個Andrew White演講的ＣＤ，　我本來就很感興趣中東。　我們的教堂周日禮拜與其說是講聖經，可一點也不枯燥，牧師的思想都很開放，天南地北都說，還說不少笑話，所以每次去教堂總有收獲，每次去聽都很開闊眼界，也得到很多做人的道理，對我來說就像是我的生活教練life coach.。

當我讀到Andrew White感到倫敦的生活很無聊，　我覺得很有意思意思，現代文明會讓人覺得無聊？！　生命的意義到底是什麽？是讀書，好的工作，晉升？出人頭地？最近我越來越感到，生活就是旅遊，結果重要也不重要，重要的是自己人生的體驗，　如果人生過程中自己曾有過給予付出，曾有過愛和被愛，有親情友情，自己有過快樂和痛苦，最好是快樂大於痛苦，當我離開這個世界時如果能留下健康快樂的孩子，我會非常高興地帶著愉快的記憶走向另一個新的世界，開始另一個新的旅程．．．

Life is beautiful



The Reverend Canon Andrew White (born 1964) is vicar of St George's Church, Baghdad, the only Anglican church in Iraq. He has thus been dubbed the "Vicar of Baghdad". He is also President of the Foundation for Relief and Reconciliation in the Middle East He was previously Director of International Ministry at the International Centre for Reconciliation at Coventry Cathedral, England. At the age of 33 years he was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, a condition which affects his mobility and his speech

White grew up in Bexley, in the suburbs of south-east London in Kent. His family was very religious, between strict Baptist and Pentecostal. He visited an elderly house-bound woman, and got to know an Anglican priest who visited her to give her communion.^[2]

Education and call to the priesthood

He studied at St Thomas' Hospital, London and qualified as an Operating Department Practitioner in 1985.^[2] He worked in anaesthetics and was a member of the cardiac arrest team.^[2] He spent a short time in Derby and became an active and valued member of the Elim Pentecostal church there. One day he realised that he had done everything he had set out to achieve and asked himself, "what next?", and then decided to join the Church.^[2] He studied theology, training for the priesthood at Ridley Hall, Cambridge, where he decided to learn about Judaism and Islam.^[2] He also spent time at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. He was ordained in 1990,^[3] and became a curate at St Mark's, Battersea Rise in the Diocese of Southwark. During his time at Southwark Andrew had his first appearance on TV, he was interviewed on the street by a member of the That's Life team. He first saw his wife from the pulpit when she was in the congregation, and when six weeks later he asked her to marry him, she initially said "maybe". He later became a vicar of the Church of the Ascension, Balham Hill in the same diocese.

In 1997 – his final year as vicar of the Church of the Ascension – he was a Wandsworth Borough Councillor and served as Deputy Chairman of Social Services

Vicar of Baghdad
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Personal life

White's brother died on 31 August 1997, the same day as Princess Diana. His body was found washed up by the sea and White assumes that he probably jumped off a cliff, although the cause of death has not been established officially and given an open verdict.^[2]

At the age of 33 years, White was investigated for poor vision and balance problems about six weeks after he became a canon at Coventry Cathedral. He was hospitalised, and a diagnosis of multiple sclerosis was given to him on the same day his second son was born. Being in the same hospital as his wife, he was able to attend the birth. His wife and two sons currently live in the southeast of England.^[2]

White does not know anyone else who would do his work, because of the long term relationships he has in the Middle East and his religion. Through his work he has become unaccustomed to a normal civilian life, and has said that he would find life in London boring

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrew_White_(clergyman)