In Depth:  Marcus Honeysett

Recently a church leader said to me: ‘It has just dawned on me that the Bible says that my job is to work with people for their joy in God. That revolutionises what I think I should be doing’.

He had made a critical discovery: biblical leadership is about growing and equipping disciples who are full of the joy of the Lord. And who, in turn, make more disciples.

Several months ago I was on a train which came to an abrupt and terminal stop. We waited for half an hour before the announcement: ‘Ladies and gentlemen please disembark as there is a large hole in the fuel tank’.

This became obvious from the overpowering smell of diesel that hit us as soon as we were outside. I liked being on the train. It was comfortable and they served refreshments. But it wasn’t going anywhere and from inside it was impossible to see why.

When Nigel Lee first discovered he had life-threatening cancer he said to a friend ‘this is when people get to see if I really believe all I’ve been preaching about all these years.’

We have. He did. And now he is with the Lord in the glory of eternity and the famous Lee smile is broader than ever.

What is study like in Higher Education these days? What sort of values and opinions can you expect to be taught? In a recent straw poll, a group of 60 Christian Union leaders from around Britain, studying a variety of subjects, were asked to indicate whether they had faced open opposition in class from academics for being Christians. Around 50% had, mostly for contending that there is such a thing as truth.

Why would that happen? How should you be prepared if you meet the same pressures in your study? While the sample that was surveyed was small, it indicates fairly the challenge that many Christian students face — university and colleges are places where it is increasingly difficult to stand for truth. It may come as a shock to learn that theology and Religious Studies courses are often not exceptions.