Monday 29 June 2009
Apostolic remains?
The Vatican claims that the remains of the apostle Paul have been found. You can read more here
Thursday 25 June 2009
Thursday Thoughts
Choices. Is a choice really a free choice if it is in any way influenced? Can a choice ever be made that is not in any way externally influenced? And if not, does that mean we are not free and have no real control over our own destiny?
Take a man who marries for love. We would all agree that he has made a good choice And we would probably want to argue that it was his own, free choice - that he wasn't forced into marriage nor did he make his choice out of some inner sense of obligation.
No he did it for love. He was swept away by the charm and grace of his future wife. Does this imply that his choice wasn't free and unaffected? There was no obligation. He didn't have to marry this woman. But in another sense he couldn't do anything but marry this woman. The force of love made him a happier man than the ability to make a wholly independent decision.
What do you think?
Take a man who marries for love. We would all agree that he has made a good choice And we would probably want to argue that it was his own, free choice - that he wasn't forced into marriage nor did he make his choice out of some inner sense of obligation.
No he did it for love. He was swept away by the charm and grace of his future wife. Does this imply that his choice wasn't free and unaffected? There was no obligation. He didn't have to marry this woman. But in another sense he couldn't do anything but marry this woman. The force of love made him a happier man than the ability to make a wholly independent decision.
What do you think?
Wednesday 24 June 2009
Duncan Campbell
I was having a clear out recently and came across a biography of Duncan Campbell, the leader of the revival on the Isle of Lewis in the mid-twentieth century. It's a fascinating read and there are a few surprises here and there.
Even in this short biography one feels something of the sense of God this man reputedly carried. The book is out of print, but the Wiki article will give you a flavour of Campbell's life and impact.
You can find some of his sermons on MP3 here .
Even in this short biography one feels something of the sense of God this man reputedly carried. The book is out of print, but the Wiki article will give you a flavour of Campbell's life and impact.
You can find some of his sermons on MP3 here .
Tuesday 23 June 2009
The stories pictures tell
I'm taking a long hard look at this picture of the Cambridge Seven. I'm asking myself what this picture of these young Cambridge educated English gentlemen can teach me about reaching out to all the different cultures that I live amongst. There is a clearer picture here.
C.T. Studd was the most famous. If you don't know which one he is, have a guess. Then take a look here. Surprised?
What story does the picture tell you?
Sunday 21 June 2009
Credit where it's really due
Great post from Steve Addison on the history that was really forgotten.
Saturday 20 June 2009
Thursday 18 June 2009
Thursday Thoughts
I was chatting to an old and good friend at Elim Conference. Somehow the conversation led to me explaining that I tended to be a bit Calvinistic in my outlook. Believe it or not we then began to discuss how we can make real choices if God predestines things - especially salvation.
Here's how I explained my position. Tell me what you think.
Human responsibility and divine sovereignty are like the parallel tracks of a railway line. The train needs both to get to its destination.
Our decisions and God's sovereign will are both vital components in salvation. But like the railway track, they run in parallel, neither cancelling out the other, and both needed to get us to our final destination.
Here's how I explained my position. Tell me what you think.
Human responsibility and divine sovereignty are like the parallel tracks of a railway line. The train needs both to get to its destination.
Our decisions and God's sovereign will are both vital components in salvation. But like the railway track, they run in parallel, neither cancelling out the other, and both needed to get us to our final destination.
Monday 15 June 2009
Chris Moyles Talks Up Church!
Here's Chris Moyles on the Pentecost Sunday broadcast from Peterborough's Kingsgate Community Church. Thanks to Sara for the heads up on this one.
Wednesday 10 June 2009
The prevailing power of an almost lost story
The Lost History of Christianity by Philip Jenkins is a must read. I am saying that even though I've only read two chapters! I think this book is going to be promoted in many places as a must read. There's so much in it. I do hope the BBC or Channel 4 or someone turns it into a documentary.
Its title sums up the main thread of the book: a lost story of how the Christian faith spread East and thrived for a thousand years after the fall of Rome. That story in itself is one that is little known and unfamiliarity makes it all the more exciting - you really don't know what's going to happen next!
In reality though, it is much more. A feel for the complex relationship between Islam and Christianity emerges from stories of interaction between Christians and Muslims. The refreshing approaches to mission of the Jacobites and the Nestorians, who despite their theological shortcomings were intent on winning the world for Christ. The towering figure of Bishop Timothy and the vast spiritual empire that he led. And perhaps most surprisingly, the relative backwardness of the Western Church and the darkness of the European continent.
There are pointers as to how faiths survive persecution and setback and why reversal comes about in the first place.
And supremely, the brute fact that even an expression of Christianity as vibrant as that described in the pages of The Lost History of Christianity can be swept away almost without a trace. And therein lies the strength of the book - to engage you emotionally as well as intellectually.
Its title sums up the main thread of the book: a lost story of how the Christian faith spread East and thrived for a thousand years after the fall of Rome. That story in itself is one that is little known and unfamiliarity makes it all the more exciting - you really don't know what's going to happen next!
In reality though, it is much more. A feel for the complex relationship between Islam and Christianity emerges from stories of interaction between Christians and Muslims. The refreshing approaches to mission of the Jacobites and the Nestorians, who despite their theological shortcomings were intent on winning the world for Christ. The towering figure of Bishop Timothy and the vast spiritual empire that he led. And perhaps most surprisingly, the relative backwardness of the Western Church and the darkness of the European continent.
There are pointers as to how faiths survive persecution and setback and why reversal comes about in the first place.
And supremely, the brute fact that even an expression of Christianity as vibrant as that described in the pages of The Lost History of Christianity can be swept away almost without a trace. And therein lies the strength of the book - to engage you emotionally as well as intellectually.
Tuesday 9 June 2009
The Celtic Deal
I cuaght up with the second part of the BBC series on the Celts at the weekend. This time St. Columba and his mission to the Scottish territory of the Kingdom of Dalriada (West of Scotland) and eventually into the land of the Picts was part of the subject.
Again, it was fascinating to learn about a period of history with which I am unfamiliar. I also felt I was touching the authentic Celtic spirit. Some of what bears the moniker "Celtic" is at best loosely connected with the missionaries of the dark ages.
An expert from the Ulster Museum commented that the Celtic missionaries were testing themselves to the limit and were making a new settlement footprint [on Iona] that had never been seen before.
What an intriguing way to describe the courageous pioneering efforts of these men. Testing yourself to the limit might just be one prerequisite for any man, woman or movement that wants to break new ground. Leaving a footprint that's never been seen before will most assuredly be the consequence. It seems to me you can't have one without the other. It's the Celtic deal. It's the mission deal.
Again, it was fascinating to learn about a period of history with which I am unfamiliar. I also felt I was touching the authentic Celtic spirit. Some of what bears the moniker "Celtic" is at best loosely connected with the missionaries of the dark ages.
An expert from the Ulster Museum commented that the Celtic missionaries were testing themselves to the limit and were making a new settlement footprint [on Iona] that had never been seen before.
What an intriguing way to describe the courageous pioneering efforts of these men. Testing yourself to the limit might just be one prerequisite for any man, woman or movement that wants to break new ground. Leaving a footprint that's never been seen before will most assuredly be the consequence. It seems to me you can't have one without the other. It's the Celtic deal. It's the mission deal.
Sunday 7 June 2009
Pulled and Pushed
Last week was spent at Elim's annual conference in Prestatyn, North Wales, hence the silence from Outthere in the blogosphere.
Elim's annual bash in the land of song combines conducting charity business with some first class ministry from experienced and capable speakers.
One of the discussions in the business sessions revolved around how we should celebrate the hundredth anniversary of our birth in 2015. Our interaction generated some ideas that I think have some mileage. It will be interesting to see what emerges as our vehicles of celebration for our centenary.
What will the world look like in 2015 anyway? Will all the options of celebrating such anniversaries still be open to the church in 2015? Will we be battling for survival in the face of sustained persecution? Or riding a wave of revival and seeing the nation come back to God? Or, paradoxically, will it be a strange amalgam of both?
One of the things worth remembering is that the Pentecostal fathers and mothers didn't set out to invent pentecostalism. They set out to rediscover the dynamism of early Christianity, a dynamism that pulled them closer to God and pushed them into mission. If Elim is still experiencing the pull and the push in 2015 we'll have much to celebrate, whatever the social and political conditions.
Elim's annual bash in the land of song combines conducting charity business with some first class ministry from experienced and capable speakers.
One of the discussions in the business sessions revolved around how we should celebrate the hundredth anniversary of our birth in 2015. Our interaction generated some ideas that I think have some mileage. It will be interesting to see what emerges as our vehicles of celebration for our centenary.
What will the world look like in 2015 anyway? Will all the options of celebrating such anniversaries still be open to the church in 2015? Will we be battling for survival in the face of sustained persecution? Or riding a wave of revival and seeing the nation come back to God? Or, paradoxically, will it be a strange amalgam of both?
One of the things worth remembering is that the Pentecostal fathers and mothers didn't set out to invent pentecostalism. They set out to rediscover the dynamism of early Christianity, a dynamism that pulled them closer to God and pushed them into mission. If Elim is still experiencing the pull and the push in 2015 we'll have much to celebrate, whatever the social and political conditions.
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