巴格达的英国牧师(Vicar of baghda)：Andrew White

知道Andrew White这个名字是前不久在教堂帮忙卖书，看到了一本书叫《Vicar of baghda：Andrew White》，　顿时感兴趣，这位放下西方舒适的生活的英国牧师，为什么会想起去巴格达呢？　他去那干什么了？他以前还是在医院工作的，　我们的文化和传统总是教育我们读好书，有个好工作，然后生孩子过日子，传种接代是最基本的，然而这位叫Andrew White的英国牧师，在自己有正常工作后完全可以安然过日子，可是突然一天他的脑海里冒出一个问题：《我下一步要做什么？》， 然后就放弃已有的工作，从师宗教事业。他去英国剑桥大学学神学，并在大学里对犹太教和伊斯兰教感兴趣，这也为他今后能去巴格达当牧师奠定了基础，这样的生活显然比他留在医院精彩得多了。

我想精彩的人生不一定就是挣钱，成名，（当然我们也需要钱）人生的意义也许是在大千世界里找到了自己的心灵所在，是付出，为一种信仰， 而不是成天魂不守舍地在那悠闲着或苦力着，当你为某种信仰奉献自己，那种内心的愉悦是不可名状的， 这也解释为什么以前为什么有先烈抛头颅洒热血，当今的现代社会偶尔得停电，就已经不知所措，更不要说黑色周五了， 要出血的干活哪是要上法庭的！ 为什么我们的文化总是宣传那种所谓的成功，一种不惜代价的成功，也就是就是些数字上的显赫， 这数字的背后不知糟蹋了多少人力物力和自然资源。

后来教堂的朋友告诉我去年Andrew White　曾经来我们教堂作过演讲，　我不知道去哪里？回中国了吧，　我们那每次周日的礼拜都有牧师讲经，并有录音，如果没去教堂的话，　还可以花一点点钱的一个ＣＤ，买了一个Andrew White演讲的ＣＤ，　我本来就很感兴趣中东。　我们的教堂周日礼拜与其说是讲圣经，可一点也不枯燥，牧师的思想都很开放，天南地北都说，还说不少笑话，所以每次去教堂总有收获，每次去听都很开阔眼界，也得到很多做人的道理，对我来说就像是我的生活教练life coach.。

当我读到Andrew White感到伦敦的生活很无聊，　我觉得很有意思意思，现代文明会让人觉得无聊？！　生命的意义到底是什么？是读书，好的工作，晋升？出人头地？最近我越来越感到，生活就是旅游，结果重要也不重要，重要的是自己人生的体验，　如果人生过程中自己曾有过给予付出，曾有过爱和被爱，有亲情友情，自己有过快乐和痛苦，最好是快乐大于痛苦，当我离开这个世界时如果能留下健康快乐的孩子，我会非常高兴地带着愉快的记忆走向另一个新的世界，开始另一个新的旅程．．．

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)