When the Equalities Act was passed more than a decade ago, it seemed to limit the freedoms that Christians had long taken for granted.
It became unlawful to discriminate against others on grounds of religion or sexual orientation with the result that, for example, a Christian-owned hotel could no longer refuse a room to a same-sex couple. Similarly, a Christian could not serve as a magistrate and take the view that children were always better adopted by a heterosexual couple. New laws against hate speech meant Christians were more fearful of preaching the gospel in case they offended others; and they faced the possibility of disciplinary action in the workplace if they challenged transgender ideology. These changes reflected the fact that we live in a secular, post-Christian context. Christian views and values are no longer widely shared across society and deemed worthy of privileged status. Instead, government has to balance the interests of competing opinions in a multicultural society.
Instead of hosting a party to celebrate her son’s tenth birthday Seema Misra was sent to prison. She was eight weeks pregnant.
What was her crime? She had run the village post office in West Byfleet, but had unaccountable shortfalls in her accounts. She put in £20,000 from her family savings to resolve the issue, but the problems continued and, eventually, she was convicted of stealing £74,000. The local newspaper described her as the ‘pregnant thief’. Her life was in tatters.
I have a great love for cities;
especially London, where
I was born and bred.
However, despite
their
attractiveness as major
centres of cultural and
intellectual activity, when
we consider the UK’s soaring
urban crime rates and the relatively higher
incidences of self-harm and suicide in our
cities,
it’s clear that something has gone
seriously wrong.
Last year, in our urban cities and towns,
there were 34.7 recorded acts of violent crime
per 1,000 population, compared to 6.8 in
rural areas. Additionally, there were more than
double the number of vehicle offences per
1,000 in predominantly urban areas, when
compared to predominantly rural areas.
While social scientists have discovered an
exponential relationship between population
density and both deprivation and the crime
rate, unravelling
the underlying causes –
and, more importantly, potential cures – has
proven far more difficult.
Frederic
Le
Play
was
a
celebrated
19th-century French
sociologist, engineer
and economist, who,
in his twenties, was
converted to Christ from atheism. He was also
the first scholar to investigate shifts in family
configurations systematically. His ability to
speak five languages and understand eight
facilitated his extensive surveys of working-class families in different European, North
American, Asian, North-African and Asian
countries.
Although a pioneering technologist, one of
the key findings from his 1855 publication
‘Les ouvriers européens’ (‘European workers’) was that, despite the benefits of
industry
and urban development, the major social
upheaval that they caused had resulted in
smaller nuclear families replacing traditional
extended
families. He also explained that
the resultant
loss of
intergenerational ties
(including moral and
religious
traditions)
had led to moral decay.
Despite this evidence, Le Play’s findings
were keenly contested by some of the 20th
century’s
leading
sociologists,
until
his
position was eventually vindicated by later
studies.
Wrestling
is
a
strange
image of prayer. If you
read some of the pieces
written
about
prayer
today,
it
seems
even
more strange.
They
tell us
(rightly)
that prayer is about intimacy
and relationship, about knowing God. The
Bible’s image of wrestling suggests instead
conflict and hard work. It may be an intimate
way to fight, but it isn’t sweet. This kind of
fighting is sweaty, painful – and all about
endurance.
‘These are difficult times when there’s not that much good news. And I think this is one of those things that is universally good. No matter where you are on planet Earth, this is a universally good thing.’
Those words were delivered earlier this summer. So quick quiz (without cheating and looking down this column for answers): who said them, and about what?
‘Money can’t buy life’ (Bob Marley). ‘We are beggars – this is true’ (Martin Luther). ‘Happy…’ (Raphael). ‘Now God be with you, my dear children; I have breakfasted with you, and shall sup with my Lord Jesus Christ this night’ (Robert Bruce).
As the regular writer of this column, I believe that last words are important. Although I confess both a foolishness and a propensity to go over my word count, I disagree with Karl Marx, who on his deathbed apparently barked: ‘Go on, get out! Last words are for fools who haven’t said enough.’
No Evangelical worth their salt would want to argue that evangelism doesn’t matter. For a movement so closely connected with the evangel that we enshrine it in our nomenclature, it would be a surprise if we said otherwise.
Whilst Evangelicalism has been notoriously difficult to define as a term, you would be hard pressed to find any attempt to do so that doesn’t land on our activist tendency to go and share the gospel.
‘Drink silver particles in water.’ ‘Make your body more alkaline.’ ‘Drink water every 15 minutes.’ These were just three online cures which circulated at the start of the Covid-19 (C-19) pandemic.
All such claims were plainly ridiculous, but there were others that sounded more plausible, due to being wrapped up in nice ‘science-y’-sounding language.
Evangelical churches are busy places, aren’t they? There is so much to do.
There are, of course, all the usual rotas that one might be on: music, Sunday School, tea and coffee, welcome, etc. Then there are all the opportunities for mission and discipleship. Add to that the endless calls for training on every point of minutiae that ever takes place and, before long, you can find yourself swamped with stuff to do.
Most of us claim to want freedom. We don’t like being constrained. We want to do things our way, according to our pref-erences, how things suit us. We can get behind the concept of personal autonomy.
What we’re less happy about is when the autonomy granted to us is extended to others. Though we perhaps acknowledge the world would be a very boring place if we were all the same, there’s that little part of us that thinks – despite that – we’re basically right, the way we do things is best and so if everyone was a bit more like us the world would be a happier place. We are the arbiters of normal, moderate credible living and others are different shades of weird based on how closely they ape the way we do things.
I’ve been visiting Athens annually for the last eight years to speak in various Greek Evangelical churches and lecture at the Greek Bible College.
It’s always a fascinating cross-cultural experience, and it’s not unwelcome that the weather in Autumn is always much nicer there than it is in Cambridge. My last trip was the strangest yet, however, as I had also been invited to give a lecture to a large audience containing the Papal Nuncio, the Catholic Archbishop, Jesuit priests, lots of nuns, some Reformed Presbyterians, and the odd Anglican.
As we look ahead to the coming year, what may happen?
According to American pastor F. Kenton Beshore, the second coming of Jesus will be between 2018 and 2028, with the Rapture by 2021 at the latest. Well, who knows? Maybe F. (as I affectionately call him for short) will be proved right. Or maybe not. F. reckons it’s all got to kick off within a generation of the founding of modern Israel in 1948, with a generation being 70-80 years. He’s not one for vagueness, our F. He’s not Church of England.
New homes are being built near us, as in many places up and down the country. I can see them from our bedroom window.
I can only dream of living in one of these places – they’re completely out of my price bracket, but still, I couldn’t help but have a nose around the show home. I got ready for this exciting excursion by looking up the details online. After all, if you can’t afford something, it’s reassuring to know how much you can’t afford it.
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.
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.
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.
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?
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’.
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’.
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.
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.
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.
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.
How equalities legislation can benefit us as Christians
When the Equalities Act was passed more than a decade ago, it seemed to limit the freedoms that Christians had long taken for granted.
It became unlawful to discriminate against others on grounds of religion or sexual orientation with the result that, for example, a Christian-owned hotel could no longer refuse a room to a same-sex couple. Similarly, a Christian could not serve as a magistrate and take the view that children were always better adopted by a heterosexual couple. New laws against hate speech meant Christians were more fearful of preaching the gospel in case they offended others; and they faced the possibility of disciplinary action in the workplace if they challenged transgender ideology. These changes reflected the fact that we live in a secular, post-Christian context. Christian views and values are no longer widely shared across society and deemed worthy of privileged status. Instead, government has to balance the interests of competing opinions in a multicultural society.