In Depth:  Paul Blackham

Paul Blackham

Moses was African. Jesus was Asian. Cornelius (and possibly Luke) was European.

The ancient church throughout the Scriptures lived where these three continents converged and combatted one another. The Bible often refers to the mixing and mingling of nations from these three continents – and addresses the temptations and trials, the pain and prosperity that was generated by the conflict and the commerce.

Paul Blackham

How did the church win over so many ancient civilisations, and how could that be done again?

The Libyan Christian martyrs on the beach in 2015 made an immensely powerful witness to the reality of the Lord Jesus Christ. If He offered any of us the opportunity to do the same, would we accept that?

Paul Blackham

The concept of confession isn’t new. In ancient times, sins were openly confessed within the community – as we read in the Law of Moses.

Leviticus 1:4 described how ancient saints pressed their hands onto the head of the sacrificial animal when it was to be offered for their sin. If we compare that with Leviticus 16:21 when the high priest confessed sins as he pressed his hands onto the animal, it is reasonable to assume that this act of confession was included in all such sacrifices.

Paul Blackham

There are many cultural expressions of the Christian faith – from the obvious things like Christmas trees, Christmas cakes/ puddings, Easter eggs and Shrove Tuesday pancakes through to ashed foreheads on Ash Wednesday, Lenten fasts, all kinds of Christian music/songs (carols, Mass, chants) and symbols like crosses and Bible verses on posters.

There are many other less well-known Christian traditions involving all kinds of rhymes and recipes, songs and stews, feasts and festivals. Some have become completely secularised so that nobody has any memory of their original Christian nature (like the croissant, which was associated historically with the defeat of Islamic armies, and thus was banned by Islamic State in 2013).