EDITORIAL

Great Expectations

I was introduced to Dickens at an early age. Barely a toddler. I used to spend the occasional weekend at my grandparents. My grandfather would bring down his complete works of Dickens from the top bookshelf. I'd place the books on the dining table - piles of 2, 3 or 4 - and cover them with a bed sheet my grandmother would give me. My grandfather would then help me bring in large lumps of coal which we'd place on top of the sheet-covered pillars of books. I'd bring out my collections of lead soldiers, cowboys and Indians and, having placed them strategically behind, on, around and under the coals, I'd let them fight it out. Tension could be heightened with the curtains pulled and the engagement conducted by torchlight. The goodies always won. Dickens, then, has always meant a lot to me, even before I'd read a single word he'd ever written.

Born 200 yrs ago this year in Portsmouth, Dickens was both a renowned writer-cum-journalist and a broad-minded Christian who explored, developed and promoted the concepts of an all-embracing Christian ethos.

In 1849, Dickens wrote an important manuscript which was so personal to him that he requested it not be made public for 85 years. The work, The Life of Our Lord, first published in 1934, retold the Gospel narratives. Marie Dickens, Charles' daughter-in-law, described Dickens's secret work 'as a tribute to his heart and humanity, and also, his deep devotion to Our Lord'.

Dickens wrote The Life of Our Lord so that his children would become familiar with Jesus Christ. He often read it to them. When his children left home, he gave each a New Testament, 'the best book that ever was or will be known in the world'. It was towards the end of his life that Dickens wrote to a reader: 'I have always striven in my writings to express veneration for the life and lessons of Our Saviour'. As ever in Dickens' writings, just like when I first had recourse to his works, it's the goodies who win.