BIG INTERVIEW ::
ınspıre
Holmes has even designed a polytunnel which is the length of a football fi eld and makes up six housing units, each with an allotment. It’s what he describes as a minimalistic, low cost, low carbon solution to climate change and economic collapse. What motivates him? “My Christian
“God has made us stewards of this planet, which is the jewel of the universe”
and concern over climate change, including nuclear power, have been his two all-consuming interests, leading him to take part in protests and demonstrations in strategic places, including party political conferences and recently the ‘Occupy London Stock Exchange’ demonstration. “It’s all about challenging the system,”
he says. “When Jesus turned over the tables in the temple he was attacking the fi nancial base of Jerusalem. I personally think that’s why he was crucifi ed. “Similarly, in our society, trade has
led to materialism and consumerism and this is causing us problems. “One consequence of materialism is the need for nuclear power stations which are a total nightmare, as with Fukushima in Japan. My motto is: ‘Go from materialism to minimalism with fun,’ because we’d be better off without all this excess.” Stuart’s own lifestyle is completely minimalistic. “I own nothing but my bike, one set of clothes and a rucksack containing my sleeping bag, mattress and paperwork. “I don’t eat animal products because
producing it isn’t the most effi cient use of land. You can, for example feed 40 times more people with a plot of land used for growing fruit and vegetables than you could if it was used to ‘grow’ cows and sheep.”
convictions drive me. God has made us stewards of this planet, which is the jewel of the universe. So far we haven’t found its equal – making it and us appear to be something extremely special. “Therefore, a blade of grass, even
a fl ea is a miracle, and we should see creation in those terms and live lifestyles which are least damaging to it. At present we’re not because we’re exploiting and wrecking what’s been entrusted to us. “I have an idea called ‘Christi-
anarchy’, a simplifi cation of Christianity. It pivots around the fact that, although I support the Church as an institution, it’s not the means by which I communicate with God, because, in Jesus, I can relate to him directly. “There are four imperatives: love God, (under that comes stewardship of the planet); second, love one another, (this includes not smoking); third, live like Jesus which is lifestyle, and lastly, get on with the job. As the Bible says, ‘the wolf will live with the lamb’. That’s the kingdom we should be working towards. “We’re born into a system aren’t we?
So it’s diffi cult to think outside the box, but that’s what we must do. We must start asking: what is a house? What is a job? What is money? What are the consequences of our actions? These are basic questions.
“I once had the notion that there was nothing I could do to change things, but that was a wrong way to think. With God’s help we can change things.”
www.inspiremagazine.org.uk 5
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