Shortly before Christmas, I arrived at the office to discover my colleagues sniggering to themselves in the corridor. It took a few minutes to get an answer out of them as to the cause of their mirth. When they finally let me in on the joke, I learned that a package had been left anonymously in the building addressed ‘to the pastors’. The package contained a Christmas gift of sorts, which came in three parts.
The first and second parts were a sheet of stickers, bearing the face of yours truly, and an explanatory note which read as follows:
Theologically Endorsed by Liam Thatcher
The world is bewildering. Every shelf, screen and pulpit groans under the weight of confident voices saying entirely different things. Some are earnest. Some are loud. Some are simply wrong. Discernment, once a virtue, now feels like a full-time job.
This is where Theologically Endorsed by Liam Thatcher comes in.
A small, reassuring sticker. A quiet signal. A mark that says: this has been read carefully, thought about properly, and weighed against the historic Christian faith – and found to be sound.
Affix the sticker to books on your shelf to show, at a glance, which volumes can be trusted. No margin-scribbling. No half-remembered caveats. Just a clear indication that this particular work has passed theological muster.
The stickers are designed to be used alongside the List of Theologically Approved Books, available at liamthatcher.com. Consult the list. Apply the sticker. Sleep a little easier.
In a bewildering age, certainty was a rare commodity until now: just look for the familiar face.
Consult the list • Apply the sticker • Sleep a little easier.
As if that wasn’t already enough, the third item took it to a whole new level. A hand-painted icon, with some very well-googled Greek lettering, spelling out:
‘Jack of all trades, master of Naan’ and ‘Look at the stars, see how they shine for you’ referencing my love of breadmaking and dislike of Coldplay. Both statements were signed off ‘Saint Liam’, a title I shall be using from henceforth.
The culprit was none other than Al McNicoll, and the icon was the handiwork of his son (which I have to say, was pretty impressive!) After a few months of rickrolling (Mr Astley has been found in QR codes on posters, official work emails, and other locations besides) Al clearly had too much time on his hands and decided to raise the stakes.
Unfortunately for Al, had he been a true devotee of liamthatcher.com he would have read this decade-old post containing my recipe for Chinese Cinnamon Buns. And had he read it, he might have thought twice before leaving behind his little parcel of delights. Alas.
My aim in sharing this is threefold:
- I thought some of you nerdier readers may find it amusing.
- I liked the idea that someone coming to my website would indeed now find a post entitled ‘Theologically endorsed by Liam Thatcher’
- I hoped this might give some context for the retribution that is sure to follow…
Watch this space.
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Liam Thatcher 