Jonathan Aitken and Psalm 130

JONATHAN AITKEN AND PSALM 130

 In 1995, Jonathan Aitken, who served in the Cabinet of John Major as Chief Secretary to the Treasury, resigned from the conservative government because of a libel case with The Guardian. The newspaper had accused him of spending a vacation in Paris in a hotel that was paid for by an Arab to whom he had given a defence contract. Jonathan Aitken denied it, went to court, sued the newspaper for libel, and lost the case. He was sentenced to 18 months at the Belmarsh, one of the toughest prisons in London.

 He used this time to compile his memoirs, the first of which, Pride and Perjury, was soon followed by Porridge and Passion. It chronicles the rise and fall of Aitken’s remarkable life, from a wealthy, married Cabinet minister tipped as future leader of the Conservative party to an imprisoned convict—bankrupt, divorced, and disgraced. Yet, it was while in prison that Aitken was converted.

 Upon his release, he studied Theology for two years and has written several Christian books in the years since, among them Psalms for People Under Pressure. In this book, he describes what Psalm 130 means to him.

 “There was an incident right at the end of my prison sentence that served as a good illustration of the universality of the appeal in the Psalms. My friends in our prayer (or fellowship) group, as it began to be known, asked me to give a valedictory talk on Psalm 130 two weeks before my release date. The event was advertised on various notice boards. As a result, the attendance swelled beyond the usual Christian suspects. Indeed, there was a general astonishment when just before I got up to speak, we were joined in the prison chapel by no less a personage than The Big Face.  Every prison has among its inmates a head honcho called “The Big Face.” The term originally derives from the time when notorious criminals had their faces plastered on “Wanted” posters. Nowadays, it was for the most feared and ferocious prisoner in the jail. Our Big Face was an old-style gangland boss, …As the old Wild West saying has it, he was not a man to go to the well with. His unexpected arrival at our fellowship group made several people distinctly nervous, not least the speaker.

 I began my address by saying that this Psalm had made a great impact on me throughout my prison journey. I had come to believe that it might have a great message for anyone suffering in the depths. I mentioned that it was not only my favourite Psalm, it also happened to be the favourite Psalm of Augustine, Luther, and Calvin. The Big Face nodded gravely at this.

 Towards the end of my exegesis, I noticed that The Big Face was visibly moved. Tears were trickling down his cheeks as he listened in deep concentration. As I finished with a prayer, he joined in with a booming “Amen.” A few moments later, he drew me aside. “Jonh-o,” he said, “That there Psalm was beautiful, real beautiful. Got to me ‘eart, it did. And I want to ask you a favour. Do you think you could come over to my cell on a wind tomorrow night and say your piece over again? I’ve got a couple of me best mates it would mean a real lot to.” I may have looked a little anxious at the prospect of spending an evening in the company of The Big Face and two of his closest associates. Sensing my hesitation, he enlarged his invitation. “And, John-o, to make yourself feel comfortable, why don’t you bring a couple of your mates along with you? I mean, how about bringing those geezer you said like the Psalm so much? Augustus, and What’s-it, too, if they’re friends of yours in the B-Wing.”  Although I was unable to produce Augustine, Calvin and Luther as my companions, Psalm 130 went down well second time round in The Big Face’s cell. Although this surprised me at the time, the more I’ve come to know the Psalms the less they surprise me in their power to speak to a wide variety of people and situations. How I wish I had discovered their spiritual riches earlier in life.”

 For those interested, it is heart-warming to read that on 30 June 2018, Aitken was ordained in the Church of England as a deacon. Since then, he has served as a volunteer minister at St Matthew’s Church, Westminster and as a chaplain of Pentonville Prison. Among his other books are several biographies of well-known political figures.