search

editorial

This month I step down as the editor of en.

I have been asked to continue to write a monthly column, but Jonathan Worsley now takes over in the hot seat.

editorial

Ernest Shackleton’s advert for volunteers for his Antarctic expedition may be mythical.

Nevertheless, it truly reflects the brave spirit of the men who went. ‘Men wanted for a hazardous journey, small wages, bitter cold, constant danger, safe return doubtful…’ But such ‘foolhardy’ courage is desperately needed today by evangelicalism in the West. This relates to two particular areas.

editorial

Crowds celebrated the ‘Yes’ vote on 25 May for abortion to become legal in Ireland.

I, like many others, was overcome with huge sadness at the prospective killing of new lives. I’m not sure that these days, as a man, I am even allowed to have an opinion on the issue, but I know that God is a God of life, not death. In England, we have had legal abortion for over 50 years, yet the fact that, statistically, the most unsafe place for a baby is its mother’s womb, I find horrific.

editorial

How’s the money in your church?

I hope there’s enough and I hope you pay your pastor adequately (1 Timothy 5.17, 18). Without a proper salary he will worry about his family bills and that is bound to affect his ministry adversely. Churches who underpay their preacher tend to suffer spiritually. The ‘keep him poor, keep him humble’ attitude in some churches is appalling.

But, visiting various places, I have become aware that some churches are facing financial problems – and they are not the type of church you would expect to be in difficulties. They are generally growing churches. I have heard it said that the optimum church size financially is one of around 80 members – one pastor to support and volunteers doing what they can. It is when churches go beyond that threshold that expenses per capita rise steeply. More staff may be required (not least for administration), maybe the building needs to be enlarged, or a new kitchen is required. Perhaps more people are offering themselves for Bible College or the mission field.

editorial

Balance is crucial. It is especially crucial when it is easy to swing to extremes.

Following the Commons’ decision on 2 December for RAF airstrikes against Islamic State in Syria after the terrorist atrocity in Paris, there is a new recognition that the UK is at war. Our security forces are thwarting many planned attacks, but there may be reprisals meted out on us. The question is: how can Christians be praying in a biblically sensible way?

Facing extremism

Of course we need to be balanced towards Islam. Many Muslims are civilised people of peace and we need to honour them. But with Hilary Benn’s speech to Parliament the penny seems to have dropped that those supporting Islamic state are as much fascists, seeing themselves as superior beings willing to liquidate all ‘inferiors’, as the Nazis. The West is now engaged in a Third World War. So, how should we pray?

editorial

There is a stirring line in |Band of Brothers|.

The TV series tells the story of ‘Easy Company’ led by Dick Winters, part of the 101st US Airborne Division in the months following D-Day.

The German counter-attack came unexpectedly in December 1944 through the Ardennes and the 101st were given the task of holding the area around the strategic town of Bastogne. Short of warm clothing, equipment and ammunition, the soldiers of Easy Company arrive to find fellow Americans in retreat. At this point, Captain Winters is informed that the German panzers are about to cut the road to the South. ‘It looks like you guys are going to be surrounded’, explains Second Lieutenant George Rice. Then comes Winters’ heroic reply: ‘We’re paratroopers, Lieutenant. We’re supposed to be surrounded’.

editorial

A reader wrote into EN. He was worried.

He wondered what I thought of a talk on YouTube given at this year’s Spring Harvest. If you want to see for yourself what is being said, you can find it at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kAZ4FKHE9cQ.

The talk is given by Les Isaac, who is involved with Street Pastors ministry, and is about Christian unity. He refers to Revelation 7, which speaks of John’s vision of heaven in which people from every nation, tribe and language worship together before God’s throne. The speaker’s thrust is that a lot of Christians are waiting for such unity in heaven, but God ‘wants us to be one now’.

editorial

Mark Driscoll, the controversial pastor of Mars Hill mega-church in Seattle, wrote a blog in January, in which, among other things, he reflected upon the spiritual condition of the UK.

This came in the aftermath of an interview which appeared in the February issue of Christianity magazine, with which he took exception. It is good to see ourselves as others see us, so here are some of his words.

editorial

I have been in Western Kenya over the summer. Each time I visit the country there are invariably advertisements for big ‘Christian’ rallies promising the most extraordinary divine interventions.

One that sticks in my mind from a previous trip was the ‘Holy Spirit Explosion’ crusade. This time a certain well-known health and wealth preacher who frequents London was plying his trade among the poor of the city of Kisumu promising ‘financial breakthrough’. It was the usual approach. People are assured that, as they give their money to finance his ministry (and luxurious lifestyle?), the Lord will take them out of their poverty and make them wealthy.

editorial

A Passion for Life is a great evangelistic project and there is much excitement in our own congregation as we have seen many outsiders attending events as part of the build up to the main mission during Easter week. I am sure it is the same in other churches nationwide and we thank God for this.

If we long to see A Passion for Life being effective then we need to give ourselves to prayer, perhaps even prayer with fasting.

editorial

During November the European Union’s Lisbon treaty was finally ratified. Without any kind of public referendum on this in the UK, a great deal more power has been ceded to Brussels.

But beyond the politics, what kind of entity is the EU spiritually? Some have warned us of the power of Roman Catholicism behind it all. But if a recent trip to Paris is anything to go by it is far worse than that. The same spiritual deadness of secularism, which manipulates all public life here (from government, through education and the media), seems to hold an even greater sway there. Catholicism in France’s capital shows every sign of being in decline. A poster outside many of the churches of a smiling woman declaring ‘There is a church in my life’ turned out to be nothing more than an appeal to the French public for money. The campaign said that anyone baptised as an infant in an RC church belongs to the church and is responsible to meet the church’s needs. It all looked a bit desperate.

editorial

Recently we had a couple of folk baptised at our church. It was a great Sunday evening service and afterwards I got talking to one of the Christian relatives who had come to see his niece baptised.

‘Do you have any baptisms coming up?’ I asked. ‘Yes’, he replied, ‘we are due to baptise 13 people in November’. ‘Wow!’ I thought, ‘13! We hear of ones and twos being converted [we’re talking believer’s baptism here] but 13 is wonderful’. He did explain that it wasn’t quite so dramatic as might first appear because, for building reasons, they had not been able to hold baptisms for the earlier part of the year, so this group included a little backlog of candidates. But, nevertheless, it was great to hear of 13 folk coming to faith in one ordinary church.

editorial

At the end of December, the noted gay journalist Matthew Parris published an article in The Times, which encouraged many Christians but simultaneously left us sad for him.

It was titled ‘As an atheist, I truly believe Africa needs God’. Parris was brought up in what today is Malawi and he returned there recently in connection with the charity Pump Aid. It caused him to reflect on the impact of Christianity. Here is some of what he wrote: ‘In Africa Christianity changes people’s hearts… We had friends who were missionaries and as a child I often stayed with them… In the city we had working for us Africans who had converted and were strong believers. The Christians were always different. Far from having cowed or confined its converts, their faith appeared to have liberated and relaxed them… They stood tall.