I haven’t had the opportunity to read his books.

The more I read about this author the more intrigued I am with getting my hands on Shadowmancer and Wormwood.

The Wittenburg Door has an interview with G.P. Taylor, rebel turned police officer, turned vicar and best selling children’s author.

DOOR: Um, so exactly how did your experiences as a pop music promoter for The Sex Pistols and a police officer influence your ministry?

TAYLOR: It showed me that nothing is clear-cut. There were a lot of gray areas in people’s lives, and that God is a God of gray areas. I’m an evangelical Christian but it’s broadened my theology to show me that God often operates ninety percent of the time outside the church, and ninety percent of the time He uses non-Christians rather than Christians.

DOOR: We suspect the folks from your Sex Pistols or police officer days are a little bit surprised to see where you’ve ended up now.

TAYLOR: Quite a lot of people stop me in supermarkets and say, “Graham, we never would have thought you’d have written a book,” and “Graham, you have trouble reading books – let alone writing them.”

on clergy

DOOR: Why did you cast your villain as a vicar?

TAYLOR: He was based on a high-ranking member of the Church of England who was really getting up my nose because of his pathetic liberal views. So, I thought to myself, “I’ll have a bit of fun.”

TAYLOR: There is a line in the book where he says, “Church is a place for the reciting of meaningless words to a God who isn’t listening anymore.” It’s basically having sat through a sermon where this minister had given up on his belief in God, and said that when you die there is nothing. I was once told at seminary to put my Bible away and use my brain for a change, and also that Jesus gets in the way of Christianity, which to me were kind of challenging statements. Also, I based him on his mannerisms really, the very affected, very sort of camp high Anglo Catholic, sort of candles, bells, and smells, and plenty of cologne. The clergy take themselves far too seriously. I think we’ve got to learn to start thinking how everybody’s taking a piss on us behind our backs, and that we are quite humorous characters.

DOOR: Does any of that have any parallel with the fact that now you could be in a position of power should you chose to, given your current status as a writer?

TAYLOR: I’m not in a position of power. I’m in a position of weakness, and vulnerability. If God wants to take this all away from me, He can. And, having been very ill over the last year, I realize how fickle life is. So I would never deem to put myself into a position of power. Power is quite a negative thing, and especially for me as a Christian.

DOOR: That’s very refreshing. Many in the clergy do not share your humble perspective.

TAYLOR: They ought to read the Book – not my book – the Boss’s book.

The Wittenburg Door via god-of-small-things