| VISITORS to my home in North Wales occasionally raise an eyebrow, or give a quizzical double-take. My home, you see, seems to have been taken over by teddy bears.
My interest in teddy bears began when I was non-stipendiary house-for-duty priest-in-charge of two delightful parishes in Suffolk in the late 1970s. I began to notice teddy bears in the congregation. Then I noticed teddy bears in charity shops (looking lonely and sad) and so began a rescue campaign.
Teddy Horsley appeared in my rural congregation in the early 1980s, bringing my godson and his family with him. He made me rethink the traditional teachings of the Church in ways that made sense to the experience-based world of teddy bears.
In his first book The Picnic (published in 1983), Teddy Horsley gained access to eucharistic theology by drawing on his experience of picnics. In his second book, The Windy Day, Teddy Horsley explored the Christian theology of Pentecost by drawing on his experience of the wind.
When Teddy Horsley moved with me to my present home I was not expecting him to occupy an ancient bishop’s chair in the entrance hall. Now, he keeps a watchful eye on all who enter. Like me, Teddy Horsley recognises that there are two types of people in the world — those who talk to him, and those who ignore him. He makes no judgement, but he does observe.
Over the years, friends have introduced him to numerous companions. They have moved in, too, and began by colonising the rest of the entrance hall. Now they have overflowed into other parts of the house. Teddy bears are in the bedrooms, the dining room, and the study — but I try to stop them from taking over the kitchen.
I would have no hesitation in inviting others to share the joy of this pastime. But there are, perhaps, just three words of caution. At one end of the market, there are so many teddy bears resting in charity shops, waiting to be rescued, that no one individual is going to be able to rescue them all.
At the other end of the market, there are so many antique and (properly) highly priced teddy bears awaiting collection that there remains urgent need for a well-endowed charity to mount a proper campaign to liberate them into warm and welcoming Christian homes.
Finally, there is the (disputed) text: “It is more blessed to give bears to others (to bear their sorrows) than to allow them to remain where moth and dust doth corrupt.”
The Revd Dr Francis is Professor of Religions and Education in the University of Warwick.
Teddy Horsley books, by Nicola M. Slee and Leslie J. Francis, are published by Christian Education and CWR.
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