‘I feel restored and inspired when I walk among any part of God’s creation’
In conversation with PHILLIP HOCKLEY
Phillip Hockley CS is a member of the Christian Science Board of Lectureship
Q Tell me about your background.
A I was born and raised in a small village in south Wales, near coalmines, steelworks and sea ports. My three brothers and I spent most of our childhood playing on the mountains and beaches nearby.
My dad passed away when I was five and we had to take on some extra responsibilities from an early age. This taught me some good life lessons, which helped greatly in my adult life.
Q When did you come to faith?
A I became a Christian after a dramatic healing of a number of incurable diseases at a Christian Science lecture in 2001. This quite literally turned my life around from feeling sick and empty to being really whole and fulfilled.
Q Have you ever had a gnawing doubt about your faith?
A Not since I was able to study more about God as the principle of all things, as described in the creation story of Genesis. Understanding God and the laws of God helped me to trust that the more I understood a principle, the more I could get expected results, like in maths.
Q Could you envisage a life without faith?
A Having lived the first half of my life without this faith, I can honestly say that this new view of God, from studying Christian Science, means I could never lose my faith again.
Q Is there a difference between being spiritual and being religious?
A In some cases, there can be. I had some rough experiences as a child at the hands of people who called themselves religious and attended religious services, but they didn’t act in a kind or loving way. On the other hand, some who call themselves spiritual have proved to be very kind and loving. I would hope to see more occasions where people could be both religious and spiritual, with all the blessings which that could include.
Q Are you ever frustrated by your own faith or denomination?
A Wherever you have a material organisation you are likely to find some form of differences of opinion. But that need not turn us away from associating with them — maybe we can be a source of some new way of doing something which helps to heal and harmonise those differences in the organisation?
Q Are you afraid to die, or can you look beyond death?
A From my understanding of God as being my life and being everlasting, then I can accept the promise of life everlasting, both before and after so-called death — as Jesus mentions the glory we had with Him before the world was.
Q Is your faith fulfilling what you understand to be its mission?
A The mission of Christian Science is stated in part as healing sin and sickness. And this can be accounted for, after Christ Jesus sometimes asked if a person was ready to be made whole before the healing they experienced; also his clear instruction to “sin no more” to the adulterous woman. I have seen many situations where someone has relied on Christian Science for healing and not only have they been healed, but they have also experienced a change of character, being more loving and good.
Q Have you ever experienced a leap-of-faith moment?
A Yes, when I was just about to step out on stage to deliver a Christian Science lecture. I had struggled with a cough and had tried all kinds of material aids, but still I was coughing. So I reached out in prayer to God and I felt completely at peace. I spoke for more than two hours without a single cough. I was incredibly humbled by this and truly grateful to know and experience the Bible promise that God is a very present help.
Q What misconceptions are there about your faith/denomination?
A I commonly hear the misconception that Christian Science is not Christian, and yet it relies entirely on the teaching and healing example of the master Christian, Christ Jesus. Also it can sometimes be confused as being Scientology, with which it certainly has no similarities.
Q Why are so many people turning their backs on organised religion?
A If spiritual healing is not properly understood and demonstrated, as Christ Jesus taught it, some people may not feel drawn to including it in their lives. Fortunately, the healing and saving grace of Christian Science is being understood and demonstrated in the countless thousands of testimonies of healings, like my own in 2001, and can be replicated by anyone who sincerely seeks this same understanding.
Q How do you think faith is portrayed in the media?
A It is often portrayed as a ‘last resort’; where I have found it to be the most effective ‘first resort’ in facing challenges life has dealt me.
Q Have you ever been angry with God?
A Yes. I was praying for about a week about someone who was doing me wrong, to forgive them, but also secretly hoping it would change their actions. After this week-long effort, I encountered this person and they did the same thing again. I lost my patience and exclaimed out loud to God: “I cannot forgive this person any more.” To my amazement, I heard these words clearly in my own thinking: “That’s OK, Phillip, because I will forgive them.” This completely changed me, from feeling really frustrated and angry to calm and quiet. The next day, I again met this person and they had completely changed their behaviour, without a single word being said by me. God had shown them a new way of being, after showing me that way first.
Q What happens after death?
A Christ Jesus taught us that “to trust in his teachings and practise them” would give us life everlasting. So I have a real trust that there is still a life to be experienced even after what is called “death”.
Q Where do you feel closest to God?
A Understanding the Bible message of how we “live and move and breathe in spirit” helps me to feel close to God in all places, in all circumstances and at all times.
Q How do you relax?
A I feel restored and inspired when I walk among God’s creation.
Q How would you like to be remembered?
A As one who could be trusted, who cared deeply about the welfare of his fellow men and women and the world we live in, and as one who loved and laughed in equal measure.
Phillip Hockley will give a lecture titled A New View Of God And Its Effects On Wellbeing in the Christian Science church at 393 Holywood Road, Belfast, on May 18 at 2.30pm