The failure of God

A theology of Holy Saturday is for all those who cannot see the way ahead – who suffer, fail or doubt. Between Good Friday and Easter Sunday is where true spiritual growth happens, says Bishop Emma Ineson

I can vividly recall the time when I appeared before a selection panel to discern whether God was calling me to ordination in the Church of England. I was 25 at the time and mother to a small baby. In order to assess my fitness for ordained ministry, I attended several interviews. It was exhausting and, through the fog of my baby brain, I’m surprised I could even remember my name. 

Among the panoply of group exercises (terrifying) and psychometric tests (is that ink blot supposed to be a butterfly or a rabbit?), I remember one particular question: “In what sense, if any, do you recognise the failure of God?” The interviewer knew from my paperwork that I had a fairly conservative background.