Introduction
Markus van Alphen
First the personal details. Born in 1960 in Pretoria, South Africa, I received my education in English: Primary school, high school and later university. I received my degree in Electrical and Electronic Engineering at the University of Cape Town in 1983. Now living in the Netherlands, married to Brigitte, having studied Clinical Psychology at the University of Amsterdam and working as a psychologist, trainer, coach and facilitator. I have two grown-up daughters from a previous marriage.
As a young child, my family was involved in the Liberal Catholic Church, where my father was priest, later bishop and even later Presiding Bishop. The Theosophical Society also played an important role, both my parents being members. Having been "born into the church", I was quite used to the "zing" of a well-performed ritual. Looking back I realise that one becomes quite blasé when a certain standard is the norm.
After my teenage years I had little interest for church, religion and spirituality and my interests were consumed in pursuing my career. After emigrating to the Netherlands in 1991, I gradually started taking an interest in spirituality again, which led me back to the Liberal Catholic Church and the Theosophical Society in 1996. Some two years later I was ordained to the priesthood by bishop Philip Draaisma and was actively involved, not only as a priest, but also as executive editor for both the Dutch and the International journals of the Liberal Catholic Church. The disillusionment started around 2002, with the formation of the Dutch schism. Then one starts seeing the in-fighting, the power plays, the political gaming and the sometimes inhumane ways in which people are treated as saints the one day and as heretics the next, when their purpose has been served.
It took me many years to process all this and come up with a viable alternative. At the time of my leaving the Liberal Catholic Church I had only vague ideas on the direction I wanted to move into, these ideas only starting to fully work out after my consecration to the Episcopate in 2006. The dilemma is: How do you keep the old (or regain what was lost) whilst providing a form fitting with the age in which we now live. In a way, by setting up the Young Rite, we have regained some lost aspects. In early Christianity, there was no one doctrine, dogma and institution, but a gamut of various expressions of the Christian message. The power of diversity lies in encouraging different viewpoints. So, each circle is autonomous. Organisation and structure are kept small and the energy is spent where it is needed - on the work itself.
For the rest, I believe strongly in inclusivity, diversity and each individual's ability to know for themselves what is good for them. I also firmly believe in the power of change, meaning that every solution you come up with is temporary –for this moment in time- until a better solution can be found. In this way the destination is of lesser importance, it is the journey that counts. I hope to inspire others to become seekers.
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