Change without decay

Well the bee has been busily buzzing in my bonnet since that Dispatches programme. But it has made my brain tick in a way that I hadn't quite expected.

My point for so far is that Britain is changing in ways that pose a challenge to the church and that neither fight - attacking our perceived or real ideological opponents - or flight - retreating into "safety behaviours" is an adequate way to respond.

Change in any area of life can hit us at an emotional level in a way that we sometimes find hard to articulate. I think that to some extent explains the sometimes fearful and angry reactions of Christians to what is happening in Britain today. But as the apostle James says anger does not produce righteousness (James 1.20) and we all know that the apostles Paul and John saw no place for a spirit of fear within Christians and as something that was driven out by love.

The truth is that the changes we are experiencing in the makeup of our society are not going to go away. Immigration and emigration are part of life. And immigrants and emigres bring / take their cultural values with them. Islamic mullahs in full Middle Eastern garb who have some very politically incorrect ideas are at home in London or Blackburn or many another town or city in the UK. At the same time, expat Brits have made a life for themsleves in France or Spain, sometimes creating a corner of some foreign field that is, at least for the time being, England.

Something that we don't always factor into our discussions of the future of the church in Britain is the fact that population in Europe is in decline. The result is that the indigenous population is greying - the number of elderly people is increasing whilst the number of younger people is declining. This, obviously has far reaching consequences that are both economic and social. In the long run, it can be argued, Europe needs people from other countries and cultures across the world to come and settle in Europe.

We can either recognise and embrace this change and see it as an opportunity from God. Or we can pretend that it is not happening or can be stopped and find ourselves lost in a soup of emotions that are fuelled by values that really are not those of the kingdom of God.

It does have some real implications for the church. We will have to give reasons for our faith. We will have to think more carefully about how we reach out to people whose values and beliefs are sometimes hostile to Christianity (But hasn't that been the case from the earliest days of the church?)

And it might also mean more churches like KICC and Jesus House. And perhaps we will have to learn some evangelistic strategies from the church in places like China or Iran. Perhaps Christians should have more children! One way to increase the faith.

What an exciting time to be alive!

For more on Europe's declining population:

A BBC report. A couple of articles from the Washington Post after The New York Times. And some research from the UN .

Uneasy vision

In the midst of all the excitement and challenge of pastoring a great church with a great heritage in one of the world's great cities, I occasionally find the time to be uneasy. This occasional unease has been a feature of my ministry right from my first days as an assistant pastor.

The state of Britain and Europe has been the source of my unease. It used to be the slide into secularism which seemed to gnaw away at me. Things might have been going well in the particular church I was serving at the time, but deep down there was and is this disturbing feeling that we're losing ground in our communities and market places.

Uneasiness flared up again just recently.

This article alleging that Islamic radicals had infiltrated the Labour Party and Channel 4's Dispatches were unwelcome reminders of the battle going on for the soul of our nation, a battle that many, especially politicians, are afraid to acknowledge is going on.

Islamisation is happening in parts of the UK. And in part it is because society has turned its back on Christianity. This coverage of an interview with the retiring Archbishop of Prague has too loud a ring of truth for comfort; there is a religious vacuum in Europe and Islam is well placed to fill it.

I didn't want to come back after a lengthy absence from the blogosphere with something that might seem discouraging. But this is part of the reality we face as we witness for Christ in 21st century Britain and Europe.

Nor do I intend to leave it there. I plan to post later in the week or at the beginning of next week some things we can do to rise to one of the challenges of our era. And I hope that your comments will help me to tackle my unease.

You can find out more about the Islamic Forum Europe at their website

Monday Fun - not quite

Very sorry that there is no Monday Fun video today. For some reason I can't upload videos. Hope that this will be sorted soon.

If you want to have a look at something a bit hairy, take a look at this .

Now for something a bit more off beat. I caught a news article on Radio 4 this morning about the show to see in France this spring. It's called The Satin Slipper (Le Soulier de Satin). I think the reporter said it lasted eleven hours - that's right eleven hours.

The play was written by a conservative French Catholic writer, Paul Claudel. A New York Times review described the film version as a "profoundly religious movie that exalts self-sacrifice redemption and eternal life."

I know I might well be grasping at straws, but I think we are entitled to ask why this kind of production is so popular in probably the most secular nation in Europe, if not the world? Is it a sign of spiritual hunger in that most anti-religious of European nations?

If you want to go to Paris to take a look, you can find details here

Lennox / Hitchens

The interest here is a little personal as well as professional. John Lennox grew up in my home town. His family are well known there.


The debate between John Lennox (Christian apologist) and Christopher Hitchens (well-known athiest) was held during the Edinburgh Festival in the Usher Hall. The motion was : "The New Europe Should Prefer The New Atheism"


The links below have extensive coverage of the encounter.


I think it is amazing that 1400 people in a supposedly post Christian society would turn out for such a debate. And that opinion should swing in Lennox's direction. Or perhaps I - we - should see it as evidence that God is still after people's hearts and minds, even in secular Europe.


http://thinkingmatters.org.nz/2008/08/should-europe-embrace-the-new-atheism-john-lennox-v-christopher-hitchens/


http://wetlenses.blogspot.com/2008/08/new-europe-new-atheism.html


http://theologica.blogspot.com/2008/08/hitchens-vs-lennox-and-winner-was.html