"Adamthologia" is in many ways the heart of "The Book of Adam" project (which so far also contains "Rushing Over A Formless Void", "Eden" and "The Fallen").

I began work on what would become "Adamthologia" at the very beginning of 2022. I laid down a handful of basic tracks and also started writing some of the poems, not entirely sure at that point how I was going to bring the music and the words together. I just kept thinking about Adam, and how he must feel if he could see the state of the world today, how his offspring treat each other, wars, racism, the battle between the sexes, and so on. I wondered if perhaps he had an overwhelming vision of all of this at the moment of The Fall?

I also wanted to try to combine electronica with ancient instrumentation, so I knew the project would have to include Harp, Lyre, and also Kalimba. Of course the oldest instrument known to humanity would be the human voice, and I began listening to and studying Gregorian Chant. (While true Gregorian Chant doesn't actually feature on these recordings, I used layers of my own voice to try to achieve a similar effect. I don't want to write too much about what I did musically, as I'd prefer for these tracks to draw you in and take you on this journey themselves. But I will write about what things were going through my mind as I was writing and recording these pieces).

I will just say that the poetry is deliberately low in the mix for a couple of reasons: Firstly, I’m very self-conscious about hearing my own voice, and for my poetry being so on-display. Secondly, R.E.M. have always been one of my favourite bands, and I particularly love their early records on the IRS label, where Michael Stipe’s voice was often treated more as a colour or texture, often forcing the listener to listen very closely and intently to try to decipher what he was saying. I wanted to try something similar, and have my voice emerge from the other sounds, rather than being crassly and artificially stuck on top of the mix. I’m not sure if I completely pulled it off, but I tried like my best.

This all coincided with a great deal of Theological change for me, as I began feeling very drawn towards Roman Catholic Christianity and Eastern Orthodoxy. A large part of this influence was the music and artwork, particularly Iconography, and I learned how in Eastern Christianity, the artwork shows a clear difference in understanding of such things as the Crucifixion; in Western Christian artwork, much of the focus is on the punishment that Christ would have undergone, and the resultant suffering for our sins in our place, as crimes against God. In Orthodoxy the focus is more on Christ, the New Adam, (His Mother, the Blessed Virgin Mary, the New Eve) being victorious King rescuing us from our sin; in Orthodox Iconography He is shown looking serene, with the Cross being more like a Throne. The understanding being that humanity are infected with a disease, and He is the only One Who can save us from it. After much reflection and some other things that happened in my life, I also began to understand that Christ’s death and resurrection redeemed the entire creation, not just a select group of people.

**I could be completely wrong with what I'm about to write, so I will preface it by saying I'm just some guy, and you will absolutely want to do your own research on this and not take my word for it** But I truly believe that EVERYTHING and EVERYONE will be redeemed one day, even Satan and the other angels who rebelled against their Creator. Won’t that be a beautiful end to the story? *That doesn’t mean that I don’t believe there will be a time when we all must stand before our Creator to give an account of our lives - I do believe that everything we do ultimately matters, and that there is such a condition or state that we might call Hell, but I believe it is a state of being rather than a place, but that it is temporary and that it is restorative and purifying, with the ultimate good of the creature as the goal, rather than being some kind of retributive punishment. I’ve read that some people believe that Heaven, Hell and Purgatory are actually the Presence of God - our experience of Him will determine which state we are in; if we have been purified and are in right standing with Him, it will be Heaven - conversely if we hate Him, His unveiled Presence will be Hell as we experience Him as the refining fire of His love that is both perfectly Merciful and perfectly Just.

I don’t have time to go into that here, but there are some helpful videos and articles online, so you can search for ‘Christian Universalism’ or ‘Apokastasis’ or ‘Universal Redemption’ if you would like to find out more.

One icon that really drew my attention is one where Christ is shown rescuing an ancient Adam and Eve from the realm of the dead, which brings us back to our first parents...

Another difference I discovered between Western and Eastern Christianity is the view of the Fall; the Western Church sees Adam and Eve falling from perfection, whereas Eastern Orthodoxy views it as a fall from potential. The Incarnation and the Cross being the means the Triune God uses to bring humanity to it's potential - ("God became man, so that man might become god" as Athanasius of Alexandria said) through Theosis, where He allows His children to become as like Him as it's possible for creatures to be. Even to the point of explaining things like why the binary genders male and female are important - of course God is outside of gender, but male and female are equally reflective of the Divine Image, they just reveal different aspects of it, yet each cannot do without the other. This has far-reaching implications for how we treat the world around us, the plants, the animals, and each other not only as men and women, but also different people groups distinguished by culture, skin colour etc. and for what we do with our bodies - and for who we choose to do it with. Not only this, but also issues such as the sanctity of ALL life; from the unborn human being in its mother’s womb, to all people groups, all of the creatures we share this world with and finally to the elderly.

Whoever you are, whatever your age, gender, colour, socioeconomic standing or sexual preference - your life is precious. YOU ARE PRECIOUS. YOU ARE IMPORTANT. YOU MATTER. YOUR LIFE MATTERS. I often find that many people on opposing sides of arguments such as abortion rights, the death penalty, euthanasia etc. are often inconsistent. Many who campaign for animal rights support abortion but are against the death penalty. Do you see a blind spot here? Why is the life of a convicted criminal or an animal more important than an unborn human being? But also there are many who are very vocal supporters of the Pro Life side, who support war and the death penalty. Again, they are being just as inconsistent in their argument. In case you're curious, my personal view on these things; I'm Vegan, Pro Life, Anti War, Anti Death Penalty and Anti Euthanasia, because I believe that all life is sacred, and I'm trying my best to be consistent.

I realise I need to tread carefully here, as I truly do not wish to offend anyone. This isn't about arguing and trying to enforce a worldview on you; I'm simply asking questions, and I don't believe anything should be above being questioned. It's just how we go about it, and I'll try to do that here sensitively and in love. Be sure of this - God loves us; He loves you. He loves us so much that He, in the Second Person of the Trinity, became and lived as a human, and died for us. He loves us just as we are, but He loves us too much to leave us that way. He desires to make us like Him, remember.

I say all this because I realise that gender and sexuality are subjects where sadly more heat than light are generated today. We've forgotten how to discuss and debate things politely and having reverence and respect for each other, or treating each other with love and honour - in large part due to social media, I think. But here's the point - I love and respect you whoever you are, I definitely do not hate you. In fact, I'm especially making music for you if you feel like you're rejected, or an outcast, or a "weirdo", or you're bullied, or hurting, or you feel like you just don't fit anywhere, for whatever reason, because I have always been an outcast, a reject and a weirdo, I’ve been bullied and even now at 44 years old, most people don’t understand me, and my default setting is presuming that most people don’t like me. (One of the reasons why I hide behind WindHymn and An Arresting Strangeness).

Let's get back to Adam for a moment. Some commentators have speculated that Adam was created as a hermaphrodite, with the ability to reproduce within himself, but God decided that was not good, so He put Adam to sleep and literally tore him in two, resulting in Eve, Adam’s equal in every way, except they each now possess a corresponding half of a reproductive system. Perhaps Adam would have been more susceptible to pride before, but now he was humbled, knowing he was dependent on Eve for them to co-create humanity?

Not only that, we are told that male and female were equally created in God’s Image; that is, His Image is somehow split between the genders, meaning both are needed to reflect the Image of their Creator in His world. Man from his birth had to turn to one like him, but different, to fulfil his reason for being created, the same for woman. Only as they turned away from themselves, towards the other in love and humility would they become one flesh again, and together enable the other to do what they were created to do. It’s a beautiful story, isn’t it?

I don’t know how you who are reading this might respond. I just hope you might give it some thought. (One thing to perhaps consider is how tragic it is that fallen men have attempted to dominate and subjugate women, and often used religion to justify their behaviour, completely ignoring the truth that God created men and women equal. Lord, have mercy on us).

What people need to remember when attempting to interpret the Bible is that it’s firstly a collection of separate books, written in different genres, including Poetry and Historical Narrative, over a long period of time. Yes, inspired by God, but at the same time written by human authors. Within that mix we find things that are binding for all of time, but also things that were for certain people at a certain point in history - the problem comes when we get this mixed up, and sadly many people become burdened with things that God never intended for them. For example, the prohibition for women to not have short hair, or to cover their heads. These things were never intended to subjugate women, but they were written specifically for that ancient culture for a reason. In the same way, we have to attempt to understand that if there is a prohibition against same-sex relationships in the Scriptures, was it binding for all time, or just within an ancient culture? And if it is for all time, could the reasons be more Mystical than they are Moral?

Edit April 2024: Since originally writing these things I've done a lot more thinking, praying and studying. It turns out that the Catholic Church actually speaks about the mystical relationship between the two sexes; God is outside of gender, but the Second Person of the Holy Trinity did become a man in His Incarnation, but don't let that confuse you for now. It goes like this: God The Holy Spirit is the love between God The Father and God The Son, and in reflection of this truth, because we are created in the Image of God, the love between husband and wife can produce a child. This succinctly explains the Biblical views on sexuality and gender. This is not hate speech. As one wise Priest said; "To love is not sin. You can love whoever you want. It is the sexual act (between two persons of the same sex) that is sin."

Again, this is not hate speech, despite that being a popular accusation today. It is not a sin to be attracted to a person of the same sex, but it absolutely is a sin to treat these precious souls with discrimination, hatred or bullying of any kind. If you're reading this, and you've been treated like that, I encourage you, no, I plead with you, don't let it come between you and God. Reach out to him, because He is waiting for you.

So I think that as is often the case, people who think that God is against those who experience same-sex attraction for some kind of moral reason have jumped the gun - and like so often happens, God is misrepresented, which leads people to either say they don't believe in Him or want nothing to do with Him, when the truth is they've just been told a lie about Who God is and what He is actually like? And of course, we've all seen people who are using religion to prop-up their own prejudice and hatred, and then claiming that that's how God is.

Unfortunately it would seem that this is what the so-called "Christian right" or "Moral majority" think, but might they be oversimplifying it?

Could it be instead that what the sexual revolution called "traditional" is actually far more mystical than people realise? There are so many things we don’t understand, yet people on both sides of these discussions are guilty of knee jerk reactions and straw-men arguments.

Could it be that many of us have missed the point and, without wanting to attempt to put words in the Mouth of God - because there's a very good chance that I might be wrong about all of this - I wonder if the truth is instead much deeper and much more fundamental to who we are and what we were created to be? We might not like some or all of the instructions God has given us through the Scriptures and the classical teaching of the Church for 2000 years, but it's often the case that we assume we know what God is saying, when we often get the wrong end of things, or we don't have a deep enough understanding of what's going on. To add to this problem, many who call themselves Christians believe the Bible was given to tell us everything about everything, but the truth is, in the Scriptures, it is as if God is "baby-talking" to us, because as smart as we think we are, He is the source of all wisdom and intelligence. It’s like with Creation; did God literally take dirt from the ground and shape it into Adam, and then breathe life into him? Possibly, I mean God is God and He can do that, because He is pure being and the source of life. Alternatively, perhaps that is poetic language, and maybe He used an evolutionary process that is possibly even more complex than scientists realise. I don’t know, I wasn’t there, so I’ve got no problem with either option. The point is, the job of the Scriptures is to tell us Who created everything, not how He did it.

He knows an awful lot more about everything than we ever will, He made us, and He has the right to tell us how He wants us to live, whether we like it or not. The question is, are we going to continue going against the grain, always trying to be our own god in this story, or are we going to humble ourselves and get on His plan? Perhaps where it says “What God has joined together, let not man separate” (often quoted in Christian marriage services) it’s not just talking just about a particular marriage? Maybe we’re being warned about something far bigger and deeper and more fundamental to humanity than we realise? Maybe this is why there are such strong encouragements for marriage to be between one man and one woman for life, as the two are re-joined into one flesh, because it has consequences not only for families, but society as a whole? Maybe this isn’t about “morals” or “tradition” but about the very fabric that holds the human race together? Lots of questions that need thinking about.

Having said that, most people have a completely wrong idea of Who God is and what He is like. They imagine Him to be some kind of cosmic killjoy, always wanting to ruin our fun. So I recommend reading the story Jesus told, commonly called “The Prodigal Son”, and then think about it deeply - particularly about the Father in that story. Angry tyrant? Hardly. You will find that all of us are going to be either like the younger son who runs away from his Father, so that he could indulge himself in all that this world has to offer, or like the self-righteous older son, who thinks he’s never done anything wrong and condemns his younger brother, and doesn’t see his own need of his Father’s mercy. (We divide people in all kinds of ways, but God only divides us in this way - we're either those who know we do not and cannot measure up to His standard of perfection, and so have to throw ourselves on His mercy and hope for grace, or we're those who try to go it our own way, and spend our time judging and condemning others, all the while thinking we're OK. Remember who Jesus had the harsh words for - it was the religious people who looked down on everyone else, and thought they were in right standing with God).

So I had all these things going through my mind while recording these pieces and writing the poems. I've written some where Adam is speaking to us, his children, and it was challenging writing in the voice of someone else (those are unfinished and may or may not appear on a second volume).

Influential records I listened to during this time were "I Trawl The Megahertz" by Prefab Sprout, in particular the opening track which shares it's name with the album. Also stuff by Tom Waits, particularly spoken word pieces like "What's He Building In There?" I love the way Waits, very much like Bob Dylan, can emphasize a particular word or even syllable, and leave you in hysterics or thinking "That sounds really cool" but not knowing why. Unfortunately I just don't have his gift of phrasing or writing. Similarly the work of Punk Poet John Cooper-Clarke.

This is clearly not a Punk record, but Punk has been a big influence on me since I was a teenager, and I think this is a big factor on me having this guilt about promoting my work, or "selling out". Although sonically this is Electronica, the Punk DIY ethic behind all my work is still there, in how I record with very basic and minimal equipment. It's also I think a fairly countercultural record. I'll be honest, it's taken me a while to build up the courage to release it, firstly because it's the first release to feature my poetry, which I normally don't let anyone see or hear, and secondly, because of the thing's I've written here. I'm not a person who likes conflict, in fact, I do all I can to avoid it. I'm not an assertive person by any means, and it absolutely crushes me to think that I might hurt someone or offend them by saying something carelessly. I was bullied all the way through school, and words that hurt me 40 years ago still hurt. So if you've read anything here that makes you feel like that, I am truly sorry. It is never my intention to offend you, I'm just asking questions and wrestling for answers.

So however you identify yourself - thank you so much for taking the time to read through all of this, I really do appreciate it. Thank you for making it though to the end:)

I write these things as a person who wrestles with lots of issues of my own; I’m no moral authority, believe me. These might be uncomfortable things to read or hear, they’re even more uncomfortable to meditate on for a long time, and for me to write.

I love you and I respect you, and I believe you are created in the Image of God. I believe you should not be marginalised or persecuted or victimised in any way at all, by anyone, regardless of your gender or sexual preferences. As Billy Bragg wrote, "And just because you're gay, I won't turn you away. If you stick around, I'm sure that we can find some common ground."

Jesus won't turn you away either. Perhaps read the story commonly called "The Woman Caught In Adultery, from John's Gospel, (it's Chapter 7 verse 53 to Chapter 8 verse 11) and put yourself in the position of some of the characters in the story. Who are you most like?(Notice the similar divide to the story of the Prodigal Son - one person broken by their sin, and seeking forgiveness, and others who think they're OK?)

Like I said, there's no condemnation or judgment here, just one child of Adam, a sinner in need of mercy telling another of Adam's children where they can find it, if they want it. Christ has undone everything that Adam did. He has reconciled ALL of God's children - that's every man, woman and child - with their Creator. The prison has been opened, Christ Himself descended into Hades, emptied it and destroyed death - the effects of that are still being worked out in time. We don't have to keep running away from Him. It's time to come home.