Tuesday 18 December 2012

A nice feeling Christmas

At this time of year we all like the familiar, warm feeling of Christmas - carol singers with candles, mince pies and mulled wine, nine lessons and carols, a Christmas tree with baubles and tinsel and enticing presents beneath. Somehow it is cozy and safe, reminding us of childhood excitement, snowmen and sledges, followed by hot chocolate.

If only that were the message of Christianity at Christmas!

I'm all for the things above - a time to pause from the bustle of life and re-connect with family and give gifts. But actually I'm very glad that this is not the message of Christianity! For it is also somehow irrelevant to the rather harsher realities of most of life, which includes financial struggles, unemployment, rejections, broken relationships and anxiety. If Christianity has anything useful to offer, it must be relevant to real life.

Perhaps that is why the Christian celebration of Christmas is about God coming into the world as a baby, born in poverty in a muddy shed, welcomed by a few and ignored by the majority, and the family's flight as refugees into exile as the despot ruler massacred children in an attempt to kill the baby.*

Umm, not much tinsel there ... and yet the Love of God revealed.

I hope you have a loving, safe and peaceful Christmas.


* You can read about it yourself in the Bible, in Matthew Chapter 2

Friday 14 December 2012

The wisdom of giving up

In my last post I talked about how difficult it is to know in the present when it is time to stop doing something - though we can all see with hindsight when we should have stopped. This post is on a similar, though slightly different theme: about giving up.

We don't like giving up. We are trained to persevere, to try harder, to keep working until we - hopefully - overcome. And, conversely, no-one wants to be seen as a 'quitter'!

But there are some times when it really is wise to give up!

When something cannot be accomplished, known or understood, to keep on trying leaves us immobilised, stuck, in limbo.

I think of people who cannot get over some terrible event because they cannot answer 'why?'; I think of people stuck following some significant injustice, but powerless to change the outcome; I think of people unable to move forward following a break-up or major rejection that they cannot reverse.

In these circumstances, giving up is the beginning of moving forward; it is the start of moving forward and living again.

Not everything can be known, not everything accomplished. When we have reached an impasse, despite our best efforts, there comes a time to give up, to let go. Here, the only - and best - human answer is "we don't know", or "I have tried but cannot do it".

But for Christians, this is also about knowing it is time to put the matter back into God's faithful hands - where it belongs - knowing that He does know, is just, and is loving.

Saturday 8 December 2012

Not knowing when to stop

We human beings seem to find it impossibly hard to know when to stop. We cannot identify the point in time when enough is enough - except with hindsight!

For example:

  • the banks lending mortgages to those who couldn't afford to repay, and eventually going bust
  • people seeking sexual gratification in more and more extreme ways, and wrecking their relationships and reputation along the way
  • a 'rogue trader' betting on the stock market and jeopardising the very survival of their firm
  • the gambler, drinker, smoker or drug addict not knowing when it's time to quit, until it's too late
  • an elderly person not letting go of some independence to accept needed care, and ending up having decisions taken out of their hands when the inevitable crisis arises
  • all of us continuing to emit greenhouse gases, and causing irreparable damage to the world's climate.

They are all forms of addiction - for money, excitement, control, independence - and they thrive on the fantasies:
  • that we are wiser than we actually are
  • that we will be able to spot some point in the future when it's time to stop
  • that we can always change our minds later, if or when we need to
  • or blind optimism that 'something will turn up' or that a solution is 'just around the corner'.

We are just not very good at knowing when enough is enough.

You may not be a rogue trader or a problem drinker, and so dismiss the gross examples above as not applying to you. But for the same reasons we all put off saying to God, "we've sinned, please have mercy on us!", thinking that we can always get right with Him at some (indeterminate) future time, 'before it's too late'.

Umm. Really?

The Bible says:
“All people are like grass,
and all their faithfulness is like the flowers of the field.
The grass withers and the flowers fall,
because the breath of the Lord blows on them.
Surely the people are grass.
The grass withers and the flowers fall,
but the word of our God endures forever.”

(Isaiah 40 v6-8, NIV)

Saturday 24 November 2012

Making a difference

Most people have some desire to do something 'worthwhile' with their lives. The nature and scale of what is seen as worthwhile varies greatly, but some of the following motivations are likely to be included:
  • to do some good
  • to make a difference for others
  • to give our children a better life than we have had
  • to leave something behind, so that we will be remembered
  • to make a mark on the world (even if just on one small corner)
  • to make life worth living, and not just to live purely for ourselves.

This sounds noble and good, and it may well be so.

But it's worth stopping to consider whether the recipients of our 'good deeds' really want that done to them!

Maybe
  • we can listen to what others are saying, before we rush in to help?
  • we can deal with people as equals, rather than 'needy people who should be grateful for our help'?
  • the worker in the developing-world would rather that we paid a fair price for their labour, than that we sent aid?
  • we could believe that (even needy) people have wisdom and know their circumstances and needs better than we do?
  • acknowledging our own weaknesses and failings enables others to help us, and so empowers them?
  • the best ways of helping involve building relationships, not money and stuff?
  • people who have few possessions have something to teach us?

Do we overlook the recipients in our desire to make a difference? And if so, what kind of difference are we making?

Friday 16 November 2012

World poverty is only half the problem

Who do we think we are kidding? There is a deceit at the heart of third-world development.

When we see people starving on our TVs due to a drought in some part of the world, we may respond with compassion, send some immediate aid and perhaps consider longer-term strategies aimed at helping people to help themselves.

And when we see the economy of some developing country improving and making progress towards lifting their population out of poverty, we are thankful as we see living standards being raised. Along with any altruistic motives, our guilt is also assuaged and there is probably relief that a part of the world needs less of our money and aid.

But this is only half the development story, as it propagates the assumption that under-developed nations should aspire to Western standards of life. The other half of the needed change is carefully suppressed and rarely spoken.

We also need to address first-world over-consumption and greed. Unless the West reduces its consumption of raw materials all round, and until we live in a sustainable way – that is, not plundering the rest for the few in the West – then we are continuing to buy the lie that can we raise the standards of the poor, but not lower the living standards of us who are rich. We cannot round everyone up to the level of the West.

It cannot be done!

Moreover, keeping the focus on the developing nations is also a way of avoiding (or even acknowledging) our own need to change!

Real progress would be to greatly simplify our Western lifestyles whilst also addressing the abject poverty of the many.

Perhaps we can stop raging against the current economic downturn and 'austerity measures' in many Western nations, and see it as the beginning (just the beginning) of going in the right direction. This would also mean dropping the delusion that the current downwards direction of travel is temporary and soon we'll be back to 'business as usual' - which means more raping the planet and exploiting the poor.

Austerity sounds harsh, but it could offer a simpler life, with less clutter, more balance, less rush and more time - which sounds good to me! However, for this to be so, also means tackling the growing inequalities in our own Western countries. While we continue to tolerate great disparities of wealth within the West, we have no difficulty accepting such inequality between rich and poor nations. If we do not tackle our local wealth gap, austerity just means that the wealthy are protected while others, especially the young, are cast into unemployment. Moreover, the West will pay even less to our wage-slaves in developing countries, as we export our misery in order to protect ourselves. That doesn't sound good to me!

Andrew Carnegie, one of the richest men the world has ever known, said "The man who dies rich dies disgraced" and went on to give away most of his fortune through philanthropic enterprises. Jose Mujica, the current president of Uruguay, who has been described as 'the world's poorest president' (see: www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-20243493) says, "Poor people are those who only work to try to keep an expensive lifestyle, and always want more and more".

Personally, I am for getting materially poorer in order to work towards greater equality and fair shares all round. Then we will all be richer!

Saturday 20 October 2012

Being distinctively Christian

When Jesus commanded his followers to be salt and light, he was making clear that they were to be clearly different from their non-Christian neighbours: light in a dark world, etc. After all, if being a Christian makes no visible difference, then what is the point? And if those who are in the dark cannot see the light, then they will never be saved.

It's strange, then, how much effort some Christians take to distinguish their particular theological brand or denomination from other Christian brands or denominations - as if Christianity was some kind of internal competitive market.

Where Christians put more effort into this internal competition than being distinctively 'light' in a dark world, I wonder what's going on and who is being served.

I don't think that was what Jesus had in mind!

Sunday 14 October 2012

Pushing the boundaries

It's common childhood behaviour to push boundaries. In fact, long before teenage-hood, children discover the power and felt enjoyment in saying "No!". And usually it is only much later that we realise the reasons for those rules, which were usually designed for our own good.

God the Father, like human fathers (and mothers) also lays down the limits, the rules, the boundaries. Unlike human fathers, God's rules are always for our good. But, like children, we, the human race, are well practised in saying 'no' and pushing any boundaries we dislike.

The most basic set of rules were set out by God in the 10 commandments:

God said: “I am the Lord your God ... You shall have no other gods before me."
And we said: "All religions are of equal value and each person can worship whatever or whomever they want; equality demands that no god is put before others".

God said: “You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God"
And we said: "If I want to bow down to manmade statues or ideas, or to worship money and material things, why shouldn't I?"

God said: “You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name."
And we said: "Jesus, can't I even say what I want?"

God said: “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy."
And we said: "No chance! Sunday is the best shopping day!"

God said: “Honour your father and your mother"
And we said: "Honour them! It was due to them that I inherited these ugly genes, and it was them who screwed me up as a child by continually nagging and denying me what I wanted."

God said: “You shall not murder."
And we said: "On this we agree, though if people get killed in the third world through our using cheap labour, that's not our fault, it's just market forces."

God said: “You shall not commit adultery."
And we said: "Eh? What consenting adults do behind closed doors is up to them, so don't treat us like children!"

God said: “You shall not steal."
And we said: "You shall not steal my things. But if I rob those in the third world and future generations, that doesn't count."

God said: “You shall not give false testimony against your neighbour."
And we said: "I deny it! And if you continue with that slander I'll call my solicitor!"

God said: “You shall not covet your neighbour’s house ... or anything that belongs to your neighbour.”
And we said: "But he's got a bigger house than me, and just look at that car!

It seems we're still toddlers pushing boundaries...


Bible excerpts from Exodus Ch20 (NIV)

Saturday 15 September 2012

It's not fair!

How often do we feel or hear someone say that something's not fair? Well, I want to add my voice too.

It's not fair:
  • That I have clean water to drink
  • That I have enough food to eat
  • That I have a roof over my head and warmth when it's cold
  • That I have felt safe within a reasonable rule of law
  • That I have good health
  • That I received a good education
  • That I have a job which is fulfilling and interesting
  • That my income puts me in the richest one or two percent in the world*
  • That I have lived nearly 6 decades without experiencing war at first hand.

Nor is it fair that Jesus found me and took me under His saving wing**.

It's not fair!

--------------
* See www.givingwhatwecan.org/ or www.globalrichlist.com to see where your income lies in the world rankings
** This last point, alone in the above list, is available to everyone. However, it's totally undeserved, and so is also not fair.

Monday 10 September 2012

This special generation

The 'baby boomer' generation, born in the West in the years after the 2nd World War and now in their 50s and 60s, has been a remarkable generation!

They:
  • "Never had it so good" in the 1950s and 1960s, due to the dramatic rise in the standard of living
  • Liked the sound of 'free sex' in the 1960s and went for it big time with the aid of easy contraception
  • Ditched marriage in favour of easy divorce
  • Invented credit cards and spent, spent, spent
  • Stopped worshipping God and started worshipping themselves, and money
  • Turned their backs on community, and even family, in favour of individualism
  • Came to think that materialism was normal and became consumers par excellence, wanting more, more, more
  • Forgot that loans have to be repaid, with interest
  • Took rising standards of living for granted, an assumed infinite progression
  • Became besotted with 'progress', assuming that it is normal and always good
  • Turned houses into financial assets rather than places to live, and so shut their children out of home ownership
  • Forgot responsibility, but demanded their rights
  • Discarded troublesome honesty and adopted 'spin' and deceit
  • Enjoyed unprecedented decades of peace*, but exported war to other parts of the world through the arms trade and 'direct intervention'
  • Thought slavery had been abolished long ago, but kept the majority of the world in poverty in order to fund their lifestyles
  • And exploited & consumed far more of the world's resources than any other generation in history, leaving an unbearable debt burden and a denuded and polluted world for their children and children's children.

This special generation! This self-indulgent and avaricious generation.


* I am very well aware that there has been war in various parts of the world throughout all these years, including many directly involving the US and European armed forces. Yet it remains a fact that most of this generation has - very unusually - not experienced war at first hand.

Sunday 26 August 2012

5 ways to well-being

Returning to the theme of wellbeing (see Seeking well-being rather than salvation), I have been very struck by a paper by the 'New Economics Forum' (NEF) who reviewed the evidence for what activities enhance wellbeing and also reduces the risk of mental health problems. The NEF is an independent think tank whose tag line is 'economics as if people and the planet mattered'.

As a counsellor I am impressed with the findings they present in this paper. Here is the simple summary, in the report's own words:

Five ways to well-being*

A review of the most up-to-date evidence suggests that building the following five actions into our day-to-day lives is important for well-being:

Connect...
With the people around you. With family, friends, colleagues and neighbours. At home, work, school or in your local community. Think of these as the cornerstones of your life and invest time in developing them. Building these connections will support and enrich you every day.

Be active...
Go for a walk or run. Step outside. Cycle. Play a game. Garden. Dance. Exercising makes you feel good. Most importantly, discover a physical activity you enjoy and that suits your level of mobility and fitness.

Take notice...
Be curious. Catch sight of the beautiful. Remark on the unusual. Notice the changing seasons. Savour the moment, whether you are walking to work, eating lunch or talking to friends. Be aware of the world around you and what you are feeling. Reflecting on your experiences will help you appreciate what matters to you.

Keep learning...
Try something new. Rediscover an old interest. Sign up for that course. Take on a different responsibility at work. Fix a bike. Learn to play an instrument or how to cook your favourite food. Set a challenge you will enjoy achieving. Learning new things will make you more confident as well as being fun.

Give...
Do something nice for a friend, or a stranger. Thank someone. Smile. Volunteer your time. Join a community group. Look out, as well as in. Seeing yourself, and your happiness, linked to the wider community can be incredibly rewarding and creates connections with the people around you.



But I am most struck as a Christian with how closely these mesh with values at the heart of the Christian gospel. Jesus told us 2000 years ago that:

  • relationships matter greatly - with our Father in heaven, with our families, our neighbours and community; we are even to love our enemies
  • our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit and we are to take care of them
  • we should notice with awe, praise and thanks the remarkable works of our amazing Creator
  • there is always more to know of God our Father, and that we are to strive to become mature, the people that God intended and more clearly reflecting the image of Christ
  • and that it is more blessed to give than to receive.

Still, I suppose it's not a surprise that God knows what is good for us.


* The full Report is available from the New Economics Forum website.

Saturday 4 August 2012

Love your neighbour as yourself

Jesus said that the second most important command was to "Love your neighbour as yourself" (Matthew 22 v39, quoting Leviticus 19 v18), as if loving ourselves was the most natural thing in the world and this clearly explained how we should go about loving our neighbours.

It's true that most people tend to eat when they are hungry, warm themselves when they are cold, seek security when they are fearful, etc. But is Jesus simply saying that loving our neighbour involves feeding or warming others when they're are hungry or cold, and offering security when they are afraid?

Moreover, working as a counsellor, I sometimes talk with people who self-harm, have eating disorders, or feel suicidal - people who appear not to know how to love themselves, let alone love others. Even those who don't struggle with such problems frequently behave in ways that are likely to leave them wounded - through the misuse of sex, alcohol or just leading an unhealthy lifestyle. In fact, when it comes down to it, all of us behave in ways that are selfish or self-damaging in various ways. And this isn't loving ourselves - it's love gone wrong, turned into greed or self-worship.

So do any of us really know what it is to love ourselves?

There is more to Jesus' command than simple advice to 'do as you would be done by', which, in the minds of many people is just seen as 'be nice to others in the hope that they'll be nice back', or is sometimes expressed as 'what goes around, comes around'.

Perhaps we need to understand more about love? What did Jesus mean when he said we should love both our neighbours and ourselves?

I drew a distinction between worldly and Godly views of love in one of my earliest posts - Whatever you do, don't love me - but we should look at that wonderful description of Christian love in the Bible to get a clear insight into what it is to love someone.

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonour others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. (1 Corinthians 13 v4-7)

This is proactive love - actively seeking ways to do good to our neighbour; it is much more than merely being nice to people.

Perhaps it is also then an instruction into how we should go about loving ourselves as well as our neighbour? Are we patient and kind towards ourselves? Do we let go of our anger and our grudges - even those we hold towards ourselves? Are we honest with ourselves? Do we forgive ourselves, protect ourselves? Do we trust ourselves - or do we try to deceive ourselves? Do we keep hoping and persevering, trusting that God will bring his good work in us to completion?

If we actively love ourselves in this way - knowing God first loved us - we may also become better at loving our neighbour.

Wednesday 25 July 2012

Seeking well-being rather than salvation

There is a fashion for talking about 'well-being' these days. Counselling services are becoming 'Well-being services' and the UK Government's Office for National Statistics has just completed its first national well-being survey (see: ONS Well-being Survey).

I'm all in favour of considering well-being rather than economics for a change; money and wealth are very bad proxies for quality of life. And thinking about well-being rather than all the plethora of negative mental health diagnoses makes for welcome relief - and improves my well-being immediately!

Working as a counsellor, often with young people, a common line of discussion is what a client's parents may think of their actions or decisions. One type of common reply goes along the lines of "Oh, they just want me to be happy".

But there is a problem here.

The assumption is that happiness is good. This sounds reasonable enough, but it's odd that Jesus never 'sold' Christianity on the basis that it would make you happy. He talked about Christians being blessed and it bringing peace, forgiveness, contentment and joy. He also said that following him led to living life in all its fullness (John 10 v10). But he didn't really mention happiness! In fact there are remarkably few references to happiness in the Bible.

(Don't confuse being blessed or being joyful with being happy! Christian joy is something much deeper and more reliable than mere happiness, which comes and goes as the wind blows.)

However, let's not take the reverse to be true - the Bible is not saying that being a Christian will make you unhappy, despite promising that it was likely to bring difficulty and persecution. Rather the promise seems to be that following Christ will bring purpose, direction, servant-heartedness, and contentment whatever the prevailing circumstances, whether life is easy or difficult.

So our Government's new interest in well-being is a small step in a positive direction - that is, away from measuring everything by money. But let's not be taken in by thinking that well-being or happiness are what really matters, or that they offer life in all its fullness!

Don't settle for well-being when you could have salvation...

Friday 29 June 2012

Stop the world, I want to get off, or ...

The world's gone crazy. There are horrible things going on and the natural inclination of most people is to try to escape from the horror. We do this by shutting our eyes, living life in a little bubble or pretending that the problems are nothing to do with us.

I sometimes get to the point of thinking "Stop the world, I want to get off".

But, Lord, that wasn't what you did. You said, "Let the world keep turning for a while longer, I want to get on!"

You got involved with sin, you mixed with the down-and-outs, the prostitutes and sinners, as well as with the arrogant and greedy leaders - you challenged selfishness, talked of service, you showed the way through your actions and ultimately through your death on a cross. But you were not overcome and none of this conquered you.

Lord, open our eyes and take us out of our comfort zone. Have mercy on us and fill us with your love. Enable us to shine with your light in the midst of the darkness.

Friday 22 June 2012

Neither austerity nor growth are the answer

There's currently a significant disagreement between governments and political parties about the alternative policies of austerity and growth - and there is a great deal of discussion about this in the media.

Those who say we should maintain austerity measures make a sensible point when they say that the cure for a big debt is not more debt; we must learn to live within our means. But those who promote growth also make sensible points in saying that there is no point having large sections of the population unemployed, which is both costly and unproductive; we should be encouraging growth so that people are earning, paying taxes and in that way we can all pay down our debts.

I've already written about debt (see: We're still in denial about debt). But I think both the austerity and growth arguments are fundamentally wrong; they are both built on a delusion.

Both models assume that the measure of progress is financial, that the way forward involves getting back to 'business as usual' and depends on reinvigorating the consumerist and materialist society with which we are all familiar. The disagreement is merely over the best way to get to that goal. But it's the wrong goal!

If a system is flawed, don't try to reinstate it! And it is flawed. It is built on the belief that we just need to better control the financial systems. But the Bible - and painful experience - have shown us that when you worship money and greed, they inevitably control you! Money is a very harsh god indeed:

  • it promises security, but actually robs people of security
  • it sets one person against another, causing scheming and deceit
  • it will never bring peace, fulfilment, happiness or contentment
  • it breaks up families and communities in the pursuit of the individual
  • and it keeps the majority of the population in poverty, exploited for the benefit of the few.

We definitely don't need to get back to 'business as usual'. Moreover, it isn't a matter of making minor changes to the existing system - the very nature of the beast is built on a devilish lie; it is inherently unstable and definitely unsustainable.

But we have an unusual opportunity at present. When all is apparently going along 'like normal', then no one will contemplate or countenance changing course. But at present, it is abundantly clear that all is not well and a change can be considered, in fact it has to be considered!

I recognise that we cannot create a 'Christian society' simply through political change (see my blog on 'Why do we expect non-Christians to behave as if they were'). For that, a change of heart is required which is only possible through submission to Christ and the work of the Holy Spirit. However, that is not to say that Christians cannot be 'salt and light', working for political change which is in line with the Bible.

We need policies that:
  • put families and community at the heart of policy; this has implications for tax, housing and working time policies ...
  • encourage local initiatives and local trading; this has implications for planning, food and transport policies ...
  • respect careers such as teaching and nursing over roles such as investment banking, and 'being a celebrity'; this will be reflected in the values seen across government policy and where time, resources and respect are allocated ...
  • create work, leisure and housing opportunities for the young; this has implications for apprenticeships, affordable housing, recreation and retirement policies ...
  • work to diminish pay differentials, say to 10 : 1 (i.e. top earners are paid no more than 10 times the lowest paid workers); this has implications for tax policy, pay and grading, and regulation of top salaries ...
  • look to long-term security and stability, not short-term financial or political gain; this has implications for cooperation between political parties on matters which require long-term planning ...
  • value good stewardship of natural resources rather than reckless exploitation of the world's dwindling reserves; this has implications for energy policy and would discourage the 'throw-away' society.

We would end up materially poorer, but how much infinitely richer!

Thursday 14 June 2012

Holding labels tightly

Isn't it interesting how we identify ourselves? For example, people commonly define themselves by their work: "I'm a teacher"; sometimes by their sexual orientation: "I'm gay"; and sometimes by their faith: "I'm a Christian". In my particular case, in the 'About me' section on this blog I said 'I work as a counsellor' and also defined myself by saying 'I am a Christian'.

I understand that we need a simple way of introducing ourselves, but I am curious about how particular labels become such central parts of our identity that they are the first things we say when we introduce ourselves, and what effect this has on us and others.

1. Labels are always a shortcut

"Hello, I'm Mark and I'm a counsellor." Even though this is true, it is not a proper identity – I am also a husband, a father, a manager, and like paddling a canoe. Does it seem to change anything if I tell you that I am also a software programmer, a bass guitarist, and a 'biker' (motorcyclist)? We seem to have moved some way from the 'counsellor' label, but even this longer description merely lists some of the things I do, rather than 'who I am'...

In using labels as short-cuts, we both avoid the complexity and miss the richness of real relating; we hide many aspects of ourselves, dealing instead with stereotypes. These simplify our dealings with each other enormously, but at what cost?

2. Labels come to define our identity; they become self-fulfilling - not just descriptive but prescriptive; they influence our behaviour.

When a label becomes a central part of our identity it can be very restrictive. A label round our neck - even if we put it there ourselves - quickly becomes very difficult to remove.

If I define myself as 'a counsellor', then I start to behave in the ways that I think 'a counsellor' should behave, which in some measure will be a false self. And to what extent am I able to put that aside when I am being a husband or a friend, etc? If I continue to act as 'a counsellor' within those relationships, I threaten those relationships as my friends expect me to be a friend and my wife expects me to be a husband; neither asked for a counsellor.

3. A label can be a way of not taking responsibility; it can become an excuse.

Just as a label encourages us to behave in certain ways, it discourages us from behaving in other ways. When my church wants someone to help with serving the coffee after service, it is too easy for me to brush off their request for help - after all, I am 'a counsellor' and not a waiter. So I have excused myself from getting involved; I am of no use to them at all.

4. Another risk of labels is that we come to believe they are true.

I am 'a counsellor' in that this is what I am employed to do, but this side-steps questions about whether I am a good counsellor, or am proficient in some areas of counselling and weak in others, or am growing in knowledge or becoming rusty as a counsellor. The simplistic identity-label allows, in fact encourages, me to ignore all such honest reflections. We come to take its truth as self-evident. If we hold a label tightly in our heart, then what are we missing and what are we avoiding?


We've seen that our labels are gross simplifications, come to define and prescribe our identity, and are something we can hide behind. Moreover, there is a risk that we come to believe in them ourselves and give them a status and a precision they do not deserve.

I have used a simple 'counsellor' label as an example. Let's apply this to two other labels, one that isn't mine and one that is.

I gave an example above of people who define themselves by their sexual orientation, e.g. "I'm gay". Does what I have written still apply? I think it does. That label is certainly a short-cut, omitting saying a great deal of other things about a person. It is a label that some hold very tightly in their heart and can come to prescribe identity and behaviour; and it is possible to believe it is 'true', so avoiding the personal history and complexities that cannot be captured in a simple straight/gay definition. (And that last phrase may begin to rankle with those for whom this is a core part of their identity ... which also applies to straight people too, of course!)

More personally, I'm interested in my self-definition in my 'About me' bio. I said I 'work as a counsellor', which is different from saying 'I am a counsellor'. However, I also defined myself by saying 'I am a Christian', so it's personally challenging to consider whether all that I put above still holds true in my identity as 'a Christian'. Yes, this is also a short-cut; it does come to define and prescribe my identity and not just describe it. It's true that I may at times hide behind the label and I may also become complacent in assuming it's truth, when ultimately it will be God who decides whether this label fits when he looks up his Book of Life. (And some Christians will begin to prickle at the notion that their Christianity could or should be questioned.)

Used as a brief introduction, labels hide more than they reveal. They carry power and influence, for ourselves and our hearers. We need to hold labels lightly, even such core-identity-labels as these two examples.

Thursday 7 June 2012

Micro-choices matter!

From time to time major decisions come along that require considerable thought; for example, a change of career direction, whether to get married, the purchase of a house. Then there are other not-quite-so-big, but still notable decisions, such as buying a car, or deciding on a holiday.

For these big decisions, we may research the options and implications, think for quite a while, and discuss the pros and cons with someone we trust before eventually taking action. In fact, for some major decisions, we may hesitate for a long time, occasionally even for years, before finally taking the plunge.

Of course it makes sense to stop and weigh the options before taking major decisions, for the implications of 'getting it wrong' can be severe.

But each day, moment by moment, we are making a multitude of tiny 'beneath-the-radar' choices, which pass almost unnoticed: what to do this evening, whether to buy that little item, whether to phone that person...

We pay little attention to these micro-choices, which are mostly taken on 'auto-pilot'. And yet I believe that this is where the important action is taking place!

This isn't to say that we should agonise over every tiny decision - for we would quickly become immobilised! But it is the cumulative impact of thousands upon thousands of micro-decisions that form the pattern of our lives, that sets the nature of how we relate to others, and that coalesce into our priorities and the values we hold.

From repeated micro-choices come patterns of thinking and thus behaviour. These in turn form a lifestyle and our character. And through these we choose our destiny. And in this context, the decisions we agonised over concerning that holiday or even that mortgage, are of little consequence.

“Watch your thoughts; they become words.
Watch your words; they become actions.
Watch your actions; they become habits.
Watch your habits; they become character.
Watch your character; it becomes your destiny.”


[I have seen this quote attributed to John Wesley, to Lau Tzu and to Charles Reade; I have been unable to determine which is correct.]

Friday 1 June 2012

Why do we expect non-Christians to behave as if they were?

The world's gone mad!
  • Unruly youth
  • Binge-drinking
  • Drug addictions
  • Corruption in high places
  • Increasing divorce rates
  • Growing sexual perversions
  • Addiction to pornography
  • Rioting in the streets
  • Violence
... and that's not the half of it.

How we long for those former days - quieter, more genteel, better mannered, more Christian! Why don't people behave like that nowadays? What has become of our Christian nation?

Oops! There's a lie of the devil in there somewhere. Just because (in our rose-scented memories) life was 'nicer' in the past, don't confuse that with Christianity, and don't confuse civilisation with sanctification. Whatever being 'civilised' means, it is not the same as being Christian. Civilised people just have more polite ways of expressing their sinful nature...

In fact, the Bible makes clear that such behaviour is not a new problem at all. Written in the 1st century AD, Paul says: "The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like." (Galatians 5 v19-21)

Non-Christians are free to get on with doing things in whatever way they like. That, after all, is the definition of a non-Christian: they have chosen to do things their own way - not Christ's way.

Let's stop the pretence that we live in a Christian nation - we don't! Let us praise the Lord that as the world gets darker, Christians will stand out as more distinctive, with our counter-cultural Christ-centred ways. It's only in the dark that a light shines. Again, it is the Bible that says it well: "Let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven." (Matt 5 v16).

So, instead of moaning about the signs of the times, maybe we will get on with the job of rescuing people from the clutches of the devil, through the power of Jesus who gives new life. This isn't about simply expecting people to conform to certain behavioural norms of decency - which isn't Christianity anyway.

By the way, there are still decent young people, couples who are faithful in their marriages, men and women who are honest, etc. And these are people who need the saving love of Jesus no less than the others.

In case you thought you were not part of the darkness all around, the Bible makes clear that each of us is sinful. It is God, by his grace, who has shone his light into our hearts. "For God, who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ." (2 Cor 4 v6)

So we are not to condemn or look down on anyone, however unpleasant and evil they may seem; they are merely displaying our own true nature more clearly. Alexander Solzhenitsyn put it well: "The line dividing good and evil cuts through the heart of every human being."

And for those of a nervous disposition, whatever is happening in society, there is no need to fear that Christ's light will be extinguished. Speaking of Jesus, the gospel writer John says, "The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it". (John 1 v5). Nor will it ever.

Sunday 20 May 2012

The art of listening

Someone speaks, and there is:
  • the context - the setting, what has come before and is expected after
  • the genre - informing, chatting, story-telling, gossiping, warning, commanding
  • the attitude toward the listener - threatening, encouraging, caring, concerned
  • the degree of interest in or connection with others - or the degree of self-preoccupation
  • the tone of voice - melodic, flat, rasping
  • the volume - shouted, spoken, whispered
  • the use of breath - with a gentle flow, or caught in mid-flow
  • the rate of speech - in a rush to get it out, or with all the time in the world
  • the quantity - straight and to the point, extensive, or rambling
  • the degree of specificity - vague and evasive, or full of detail
  • the emotion portrayed - calmness, joy, sadness, despair, emptiness, hope
  • the degree of self displayed - very open and personal, distant and kept hidden
  • the words or phrases that are emphasised or repeated - and the meaning these repetitions carry
  • the tenses used - past, future, present
  • the degree of agency - or passivity
  • the beliefs, assumptions and worldview - threading the words together
  • the underlying messages - veiled, transparent, or hitting one over the head through the meaning between the lines
  • the 'ums' and 'ers' - the stutters and the chuckles
  • the silences - awkward or peaceful, reflective or hesitant
  • the eye contact - engaged or avoided, the glances at meaningful moments
  • the facial expression - frowning, worried, a mask, open, smiling, and how these play across the face
  • the body language - gesticulations, the lean of the body, the angle of the shoulders, and how these match, or do not match the spoken words
  • the variability - or the lack of variability in all the above
  • and what is not said.

Oh, and there are also the words themselves that are uttered.

Friday 18 May 2012

Listen with your eyes

Most people listen with their ears, look with their eyes and speak from their mind.

Rather, listen with your eyes, look with your heart and speak from your soul.

Monday 7 May 2012

24 hours in a day

Why do we value money more highly than time? Money has no limits - there is always the possibility of raising more! But there is no possibility of making more time; there are precisely 24 hours in each day - no more and no less.

This is not to say that there is too little time. God has given us the time he has given us, and who can say that God is wrong? It is we who rush and bustle, who think that time is short, but it is God who accomplishes his every purpose without any rush.

Perhaps this gives a clue as to the cause of our rush. God has given us exactly enough time to do his will, not too little and not too much. But we spend time doing other things, heedless of his will - things we think are important but are of no real consequence. So we squander his gift of time.

There isn't time to do his will and ours; we have to choose.

Tuesday 24 April 2012

Life in the first-person

Wonderful truth:

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.
For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will - to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves.
In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace that he lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding.
And he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, to be put into effect when the times will have reached their fulfilment - to bring all things in heaven and on earth together under one head, even Christ.
In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, in order that we, who were the first to hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory.
And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession — to the praise of his glory.

Amazing grace:

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed me in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.
For he chose me in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined me to be adopted as his son through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will - to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given me in the One he loves.
In him I have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace that he lavished on me with all wisdom and understanding.
And he made known to me the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, to be put into effect when the times will have reached their fulfilment— to bring all things in heaven and on earth together under one head, even Christ.
In him I was also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, in order that we, who were the first to hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory.
And I also was included in Christ when I heard the word of truth, the gospel of my salvation. Having believed, I was marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing my inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession — to the praise of his glory.


[The first version is Ephesians 1 v3-14 (NIV © 1973, 1978, 1984 by Biblica)]

Sunday 15 April 2012

Where is the fear and trembling?

The nation of Israel in Old Testament times was convinced it was God's chosen people, and so was often complacent in their obedience of God's commands. They were wrong on two counts - you can never be complacent before a Holy God, and God's heart was for all nations - a thread that runs through the OT and became much clearer in the New Testament.

Are many in the Christian church today just as complacent in assuming that they are God's chosen people and destined for heaven? But the complacency of disobedient Christians who are convinced of their salvation is so dangerous! Where is the fear and trembling before the holy and righteous God?

We have replaced the stiff starched shirts of former 'Sunday best' clothing, with jeans and chat as we casually wander into God's presence at our informal services. We don't need the stiff formality back, but we have thrown out the baby with the bath-water. We have whole-heartedly adopted the notion that God sees us we are anyway, so why bother with any kind of pretence before him. But we miss the lie contained therein - for this is to say: why bother with acknowledging our sinful nature before an awesome and holy God?

We turn the tables and imply that God can take or leave us as we are, whereas God says, "No, I alone am God. I am the potter and you the clay. I am Redeemer and Judge. This is the one I esteem: he who is humble and contrite in spirit, and trembles at my word." (see Isaiah 29 v16 & 66 v2)

Holiness is not much talked or thought about in the church today - perhaps it is too challenging, too troubling? We complacently rely on the simple declaration of faith we may have made many years ago, while having done little about following our Lord ever since. We cannot earn our salvation, but Jesus' gift of salvation, completed on the cross, needs putting into practice each day: "...continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling..." (Philippians 2 v12)

We presume upon God's love - without it occurring to us that he may see that our hearts are not humble and contrite before him - and so God may indeed justly leave us to our chosen fate... (see Matt 21 v28-32)

Where is the fear and trembling?

Friday 6 April 2012

The difficult act of seeking forgiveness

Imagine two people...

The first has no thought of sin, treating it lightly and seeing little need for forgiveness. True, from time to time he behaves in such a way that even he is momentarily disgusted with his own behaviour and so makes excuses, or perhaps admits an to 'error of judgement' or even offers an oblique apology.

The second person knows she needs forgiveness but finds it so hard to accept. She knows that God has made a name for himself as being good at forgiving people. He's had plenty of practice and it appears to come easily to him; in fact he even seems able to forgive really nasty people. But where the problem arises is in her willingness to forgive herself. It's exactly here that she trips over God's apparently poor judgement in matters of forgiveness: she asks for forgiveness and Jesus looks her in the eye and gently says, "I can forgive you", but then she finds she cannot forgive herself! Forgiveness sought, offered, but not accepted...

These two meet at Calvary, and at the foot of the cross both find their answer there, in Jesus' outstretched arms.

The first person sees a brutalised man, bloodied and bruised, dying on a cross. Not the kind of scene that he usually entertains, yet he cannot turn his eyes away. Looking into Jesus' eyes, the gaze is returned and the pain and hurt he has caused by his own drunken actions runs before his eyes, the shocking poverty of his global-neighbour resulting from his own unthinking greed is exposed, and he is appalled at his own inner emptiness, selfishness and sin. He looks again and sees Jesus' outstretched arms, not so much nailed to the cross as holding all his sin in the palm of his hands, and offering forgiveness. He falls on his knees...

The second person knew about the cross, but had not been there in person before. God may be very good at forgiving, she thought, but she found it so very hard! She had prayed for forgiveness, yet still held onto the guilt; she longed to be at peace, but remained deeply troubled; she longed to let go, but still chided herself for what she had done.

But then she looked up at the person on the cross and their eyes met. He seemed to be saying, "Is it really so easy for me to forgive? Do you really think my standards are lower than yours? Yet I do forgive you. Will you now forgive yourself?" And she is drawn to his outstretched arms, inviting her, and knew then that he had done all that was needed there on the cross. She knew she was loved, precious and that her sin had been completely dealt with; that she was forgiven!

They met at Calvary, and at the foot of the cross both found their answer there, in Jesus' outstretched arms.

Saturday 31 March 2012

The problem of authority

One of the wisest pieces of advice I recall receiving as a young man was along the lines of "before you can handle being in authority, you first have to learn to be under authority". This also seems to be a Christian principle, for until we submit to Christ's authority, he will certainly not entrust us with having any small authority under him.

But why is submitting to authority so difficult? Of course, it's only difficult when we disagree with those in authority over us; where we are in agreement, all is straightforward.  

Let's think of an example in order to help us make the issue more real. (I'm not interested here in the issue itself, but rather in how we respond to authority in this example.) The Church of England is painfully divided over the issue of women Bishops.  Whichever side of the issue we are on, if we disagree with the church leadership, will we submit to their authority?  Now this is no longer a theoretical matter - it feels a whole lot harder!

There are several possible ways of responding to this conundrum.

1. If we believe the church leadership is wrong, then we will disobey and do what we see to be right

This clearly places ourselves above the leadership; we do not accept their authority. We retain authority in ourselves and do not submit to their leadership.

2. They are the leaders, our job is to follow

At the other end of the spectrum, this response accepts that, even if we disagree with the leaders, they are nonetheless in authority and shoulder the responsibility for the decision; our job is to submit to their leadership.

Actually there are two ways in which we may take this stance:
  • We may do this in an attitude of humility, submitting to the authority of the church leaders in the pattern of Acts 15. It also respects the responsibility they hold, even if we do not personally agree with their decision over these particular matters.
  • But we can take this stance as a way to shirk our own responsibility: "it's not my fault; I just do what I'm told". This isn't so much a humble submission to authority, as a denial of our own responsibility in choosing to follow.
So far we have just considered the authority of other men or women.  But in Christian circles we cannot ignore God (actually, we cannot ignore God in any area of life!). Suddenly the issue of authority gets harder. While Christians will probably agree that Jesus has the ultimate authority, we may well disagree over how to understand and interpret his will! Here we are inclined to bring out our most invincible of all weapons: "God says so: it's in the Bible".

3. So long as it doesn't contradict God's word in the Bible, I'll submit to their authority

So we come to a commonly held position amongst Christians: 'So long as the leadership doesn't ask us to disobey God's command, we'll obey; but we won't go against God's command'. At first sight there is a lot to commend this stance; there is even a Biblical precedent (Acts 5 v29).

But this is often not as clear-cut as it might sound! There are some very clear foundational truths in the Christian faith. The ancient creeds were written by the apostles and early church leaders to set these down as inviolable; there can be no submission over matters which undermine the foundations of the Christian faith. But our sample issue of women bishops is not addressed by the creeds, and people on both sides of the argument point to scripture to back their cause. So the difficult issue of authority hits us full force, especially if we disagree with the position of the church leadership.

We need to proceed very humbly in asserting the authority of the Bible. Are we really bowing to the authority of the Bible, or are we merely holding to 'my interpretation of the Bible'? The latter actually puts myself back in charge as the ultimate authority, not the Bible. And we are right back to the difficult authority question...

We are sinful human beings, inevitably seeing things our own way and prone to putting ourselves - rather than Jesus - centre-stage. So we need to look beyond ourselves to other Christians, and together humbly and openly seek God's leading and a right application of Scripture. 

But if we are to look beyond ourselves for a shared Christian understanding of an issue, then why are we not submitting to the view of the church leadership? Are we wriggling and wanting to choose a 'panel of Christian experts who will agree with us'? This is nothing but jury rigging!

The trouble is that we tend to herd together with other like-minded Christians in order to reassure ourselves that we are right after all. So we first form cliques, and then go further to create power blocs in order to promote our particular view. If this is what we are doing, we are certainly not openly and humbly seeking God's will. Moreover, such behaviour is condemned in the Bible. We read Titus 3 v10 and point the finger at the other side but miss God's warning to us. We like verses such as Acts 5 v29 (which is about the limits to submission to worldly authorities, but need to be read in the context Rom 13 v1-7 and 1 Pet 2 v13f) but we skirt around Acts 16 v4 and Heb 13 v17, which are about submission to church authorities. Jesus' own example was ultimately one of choosing to submit to a worldly authority which was patently ungodly!

I sometimes wonder whether God may be less interested in the actual issue, but in how we conduct ourselves in seeking his will over the issue.  If we are 'right' but have spent our time using worldly and underhand means, dressed up with a few handy Bible verses, to assert our personally preferred outcome, what Christian merit is there in that? And what a shameful witness! Jesus' prayer was for unity amongst Christians; there was no prayer that the 'rights' of each individual or faction should be recognised and allowed for!

Perhaps it is time we reminded ourselves of the starting point: Before you can handle being in authority, you first have to learn to be under authority (even when you believe the leaders are wrong).


[In case you wonder about my personal motives in writing this piece, I am one who leans toward disagreeing with the church leadership on this particular issue, but I acknowledge that I am subject to their authority under Christ.]

Saturday 10 March 2012

Specialist Christians, specialist churches

In the city near to where I live there is a church that's well known for its Bible teaching; it attracts a good crowd of intelligent, thinking Christians. There is also a church that has become known for being charismatic, and the spirit-filled Christians go there. There's a church that is superb at reaching people who have no prior church background, and offers a great welcome and a message that is understandable to newcomers.

There is the church that has beautiful music, the one that is full of young families, the one with great youth work and the one that has an older congregation.

So it is that, as people become Christians or move into the area, that they look for the church that feels most comfortable to them, according to whether they are a new Christian, a young family, want a particular emphasis on the Bible, or the Spirit, etc.

What were probably once minor differences of emphasis in this way grow over time into full-blown specialisms. The differences, nay the gulf, between the churches grow and we propagate a generation of specialist Christians - all experts in their chosen field, relating to and learning from other like-minded people.

The only problem with all of this is that it's not God's model of church! This is a consumerist approach to church.

What's wrong with that, some will say? Knowledge and learning in each field grows, and we attract people into churches that are easily accessible to those of different persuasions.

Well, here are some of the things that are wrong with this way of doing church:
  • We teach Christians that relating to others who are different in some way is beyond what the church can accomplish
  • We are all impoverished by the lack of any balance and roundedness to our knowledge and Christian understanding and experience, and come to imagine God in our own narrow likeness
  • We don't experience the joint worship and witness of Christians of all ages and persuasions, of all backgrounds and levels of maturity coming together in love for one another to worship and magnify the One God, our Lord
  • We develop a wariness of churches with a different slant, largely out of ignorance arising from lack of exposure to other Christian traditions
  • We become commuter-Christians, travelling to and from our chosen church, rather than a local community of Christians, living shoulder to shoulder, accountable to one another, and providing a united witness in our neighbourhood
  • We disobey Jesus' command that Christians be united, and come to disbelieve that this is even possible, assuming that this splitting is the natural order of things, the way they have always been
  • We rob the church of the power that comes from Christian unity, undermining our witness and demonstrating a worldly attitude which non-Christians can see, along with the hypocrisy of our words of love which are not lived out in practice
  • And the church, both locally and world-wide, fragments
  • And the devil laughs.

Saturday 3 March 2012

We're still in denial about debt

Financial debt

Financial debt - personal, corporate and national - has been much in the news recently. We're beginning to recognise the glaringly obvious: that we can't continue to live beyond our means. Debts have to be repaid sooner or later and this is usually painful.

As a nation we are struggling to put in place austerity measures which will bring the debt mountain down while still protecting the poorest and most vulnerable. So far we seem to be failing on both counts, in that our national debt is still increasing, while it is the poor, the young and the vulnerable who are being worst hit by the cuts.

The cost of addressing this debt is counted in redundancies, unemployment, longer working lives and reduced pensions. It's painful, and is likely to last years.

But this is only the financial debt - the one kind of debt we are waking up to and daring to address. There are other, much greater debts, not even spoken of or considered, and which will demand a much more savage repayment.

Debt to the third world

We in the Western world continue to live our affluent lives on the backs of exploited labour and plundered resources, which we take without proper recompense from the third world. This is a debt to the majority of the world's population, kept in poverty in order to maintain the minority in comfort - so we can pamper our pets, worry about losing weight, and have shiny cars to wash. ['The West' - the North American, European and Australasian continents plus Japan - amounts to about 22% of the world’s population.]

The cost of addressing this debt would be much greater costs for many goods, and a consequent significant decrease in the living standards in the West over the decades to come. No - let's not even think about that!

But do we think this can continue forever without some pay-back? Civil unrest, mass migration, wars and the fall of western powers are all likely.

Debt of natural resources

But there is a yet greater debt! It arises from the profligate use of the world's natural resources. We use up millions of years of coal and oil in a few decades; we take iron, other raw materials and precious natural minerals as if there is no tomorrow.

And in so doing we rape the planet, change the climate, melt the ice caps - and make it increasingly likely that there will be no tomorrow for our children and our grandchildren.

The cost of this debt is weighed in the survival of the human race in any form that we would recognise today, quite probably within the space of hundreds of years.

The debt of sin

Finally we enter the realm of debt where the cost is not just a matter of belt-tightening or redundancies, nor even significant changes in lifestyle, but is a matter of personal life and death.

All the above comes under the heading of sin. And for this there is no repayment possible other than falling on our knees in humble repentance and seeking God's undeserved forgiveness.

Don't assume this is a small matter - the cost to Jesus was death, and to us is choosing whether to acknowledge Jesus as Lord. And this decision has consequences not just for tens or hundreds of years, but for all of our eternity.


Like the financial debts, none of these other debts are going to go away; they only get worse while we pretend we're fine. The question is: are we going to continue to turn a blind eye until it is too late and we reap the consequences of our actions? Or are we going to begin right now?

Sunday 26 February 2012

Just here to make up the numbers?

If you're anything like me, then you're not rich or famous, your name isn't in the newspapers or on the TV, you're not a celebrity or a film star, you haven't written a book, you don't have great power or influence, and beyond your family and friends you're probably not very widely known.

We hear and read about the rich, the famous and the powerful, the movers and shakers. But the rest of us ... well, we're just the 'extras' on the film set of life, we are just here to make up the numbers, the workers, the consumers, going about our insignificant lives, while the important people strut their stuff on the world stage.

This, at least, is the common notion.

And yet ... how strange it is, then, that Jesus had a clear bias in favour of the poor and downtrodden. In fact, he said, "The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free," (Luke 4 v18). He also said, "How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God!" (Luke 18 v23)

If these were just well-meaning but empty words we could cast him aside as a woolly liberal. But he demonstrated that he meant what he said by his actions - to the point of being nailed to a gruesome cross for the nobodies of this world!

But this presents this nobody with a problem: I can no longer continue living my life out of the spot-light and in the safety of obscurity where no-one notices or cares - because Jesus does notice and care!

I am loved and given worth, and he offers new life and a new work to do in his kingdom.

So, are you here just to make up the numbers?

Sunday 12 February 2012

God's labels

As human beings we love to understand things, to sort out and categorise everything. We sort the contents of our kitchens into frozen goods, tinned goods, fresh produce, spices etc. We sort our books alphabetically, or by topic, or size or even colour. And we sort people into male and female, children, youths, adults and old people. Actually we go much further than this: we sort people into good and bad people, rich and poor people, different racial groups and lifestyles, people who are like us and those who are not, people who read this particular newspaper or drive that kind of car. Then we categorise personality traits, not just (for example) as 'rather gloomy', but 'depressed'; though actually even that won't do, for then we need to decide whether this is seasonal affective disorder, dysthymic disorder, a major depressive disorder, atypical depression, bi-polar disorder ... and so the list goes on.

Actually the list of the ways we categorise people goes on and on ... and on!

All this categorising others helps us to 'pigeon-hole' people and that simplifies our dealings with them enormously. Though in fact none of these labels are as straightforward as they at first sight appear! Even the most basic categorisation as 'male' or 'female' is actually much more complicated than it at first sight appears, and making even this simple division means that we end up not knowing the rich and diverse uniqueness of each individual; we know the stereotypes and the labels but not the person.

God knows each of us individually, even to knowing the number of hairs on their head, so we might suppose he'd be a master at labelling people. But he doesn't appear to use many labels at all in relating to us! There are a very few, though: 'sinner', but this applies to everyone equally; 'loved', yes this applies to every single person too, again equally! But there is one significant division that God accepts and painfully honours - there are those people who will accept his forgiveness and those who will not.

So, when God calls us by name, he is not relating to us through any stereotypes or labels. He knows me as 'Mark', and he knows you as - please substitute your own name.

Saturday 4 February 2012

Rights and wrongs

Rights

People tend to talk about their 'rights' in a catch-all manner, whereas the rights included in the European Convention on Human Rights are much more tightly defined, including basic rights such as:
  • the right to life
  • freedom from slavery and torture
  • right to a fair trial
  • freedom of speech, thought, conscience and religion

To the extent that the Convention on Human Rights is a helpful document, I would argue that it reflects God's character. For example:
  • God gives life, both natural and spiritual. Our lives are in his hands alone; we are not to take that right back into human hands.
  • God made all people equally in his image and all are equally loved. We are not to regard anyone as having more or less worth than another.
  • Jesus died to free all who would accept him from the slavery to sin. We are not to put people into slavery or bondage of any kind.
  • God is just; in Him there is no injustice. We are to act justly in all things.
  • God gives us free choice over whether to accept Him or to turn our back on Him, as we wish. We are not to force, manipulate or coerce others in matters of religion.

Wrongs

But the 'rights agenda' goes far beyond the above, to grossly generalise our 'rights' into something like: I have a right to do anything I wish just so long as I don't hurt someone else. I can choose what to do with my life, how to spend my money and time, who to sleep with, even how and when to end my life - I have the right to choose all such things.

That's how the rights argument goes. And it seems difficult to argue against this; after all, what right do I have to tell you what to do or what is right for you?

This sounds just fine while we are thinking about the individual - be it 'me' or 'you'. But the reality is that these are not rights, they are wrongs! There is no such thing as an individual isolated from all others. We have family, friends, neighbours, colleagues and acquaintances, not to mention people around the whole world who are affected by our choices and actions; even future generations are affected.

What I choose to do with my life, how I behave, how I spend my money, who I sleep with, even what I watch on TV in the privacy of my own home - all these affect others, directly or indirectly by channeling funds, providing a market or an audience. My every action impacts on others.

Although the 'rights' argument sounds fine when we are talking about individuals, in reality we live as relational beings. Margaret Thatcher once famously said, "There is no such thing as society" (though this quote is taken out of context), but actually there is no such thing as 'the individual'. My choices and behaviour always affect others; my 'rights' always impinge on your 'rights'.

The difference

The difference between human rights, as conceived by the European Convention, and the 'rights agenda' is one of focus. The former is about protecting people from abuse by others; the latter is about a promoting my own desires over others. This is no small distinction! The former (in a small way) reflects God's nature, the latter is self-centredness and sin.

The way forward

At one level the way forward is to deliberately make choices that will do good to others, respect their humanity and dignity, and enhance the community and environment for others in the present and the future. However, this is a very partial answer - for our attempts to do good to others are severely limited and always tainted with self-interest. The deeper answer comes in an unexpected form.

The Bible tells us that we have all fallen short of God's standards and gone our own way (Isaiah 53 v6); there is no good in us. Promoting our own desires over others is nothing but arrogance or selfishness. Moreover - though this is not Biblical language - the Bible makes clear that before God we have no rights whatsoever; he is the creator, we the creatures; he is Lord, we the subjects! This is not a message likely to win many friends in this rights-driven age!

However, although this message sounds disheartening, it is a paradox. There is a stark contrast: the devil says 'stand up for your rights', but ultimately offers self-centredness, unhappiness and destruction; Jesus says 'you have no rights' but offers peace, joy and life to those who will accept it.

Those promoting their own rights will find that they have bought a lie, and built on quicksand. For myself, I'm happy in knowing that I have no rights, but am in the safest possible place - in the hands of the all-powerful but loving God.

Tuesday 24 January 2012

We choose to be stupid

"I'm sorry, I didn't know, I didn't realise, I didn't think, it wasn't my fault ..."

We choose not to ask
We choose to fill our minds with trivia
We choose not to look into matters too deeply
We choose to listen only to the reassuring voices
We choose to spend our time being busy doing little of worth
We choose to think only about ourselves and our very small circle
We choose to speak fine-sounding but meaningless nonsense
We choose to shut our eyes and turn a blind eye
We choose not to address the difficult issues
We choose to believe the reassuring lies
We choose to go along with the crowd
We choose not to make the effort
We choose to be stupid

We choose our destiny.


"Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God." James 4 v4
"Wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it." Matthew 7 v13

Thursday 19 January 2012

Germ warfare

You must have noticed how keen the advertisers are to have you worry about germs and bacteria. I'm not often on the side of advertisers, but in this case I can see their point.

After all, think of the other things we might be concerned about...

  • World recession and the euro-crisis fills the headlines - which leads us to recognising that money is a particularly unreliable god
  • Debt, the collapse of banks and the inequalities between the 'fat cats' and the rest of us - which challenges us to think about our personal spending and borrowing habits as well as to face our own greed
  • The world running out of mineral and other vital natural resources, even drinkable water - which raises difficult questions about our own lifestyles
  • The inequalities between the Western world and the under-developed nations - which touches on the existential guilt of those in the West for using much, much more than our fair share
  • The rise of the BRIC nations (Brazil, India & China) and the decline of the West - which leaves us apprehensive about the future and challenges the basis of our security
  • The rise in sexually transmitted infections and HIV - which belies the popular notion that sex is just for fun
  • The breakdown of family life - which leaves us uprooted and blown about, feeling alone in a difficult world, trying to find some sort of connection
  • And our place in eternity - which forces us to recognise our mortality and the choice of which God we serve.

It's no wonder we keep worrying about the germs instead.

And yet - if that is all we dare focus on - we miss out on the opportunity to find a God who is utterly reliable, knows all about justice and loving relationships, and can deal with our personal greed and insecurity and offer peace in the midst of a troubling world. And who then equips us to go and make a life-changing difference for others.

Alternatively, we can carry on worrying about the germs.

Saturday 14 January 2012

You're not worth it, apparently

There is a dangerous double message in our media.

On the one hand, you are presented with choice on every side and are the keystone of our capitalist economy, with companies everywhere ready and eager to pander to your every wish. You, as consumer, reign: "You are worth it".

But if you listen to the adverts a little more carefully, it also appears that you are fair game for manipulation, exploitation, blinding with fake science and are regarded as a mere consumer, there to be exploited and ripped off. You are there to be sweet talked until you hand over your cash, but are seen as devoid of intelligence, common sense, humanity or dignity. You are not worth it, apparently, after all. And this subtext eats into our soul all the while we are preferring to hear the positive message.

Contrast this with the message of Christianity, which says you are a sinner: your every thought and action springs from pride or greed or worse - yet you are so utterly loved that God sent his only Son, Jesus, to die in your place and pay the penalty for your sinfulness with his life. You are worth it!

It's a shocking contrast: the media speaks nice sounding but hollow words, which have a financial and psychological price attached. Christianity speaks harsh-sounding truth, but with the deepest comfort on offer, and the life-sentence already paid!

Monday 2 January 2012

Is your faith well founded?

It seems to be common for people to think that faith comes into play when we cannot explain something.  This is a fundamental error in understanding of the nature of faith, at least where it applies to Christianity.

There is a common confusion between 'religion' arising from what we do not understand and cannot explain, and faith which is founded on sure belief.

It is said that 'nature abhors a vacuum', and likewise our minds hate not knowing. There is a deep longing within us all to find explanations for what we do not understand, and where the information and facts are missing, we turn to all manner of means for filling the gap in order to construct some kind of understanding.

So for many people, a kind of religion fills the gap, providing fragile comfort against what is unknown and unsettling.

But this is not to be confused with Christian faith. Rather, this is a 'child's comforter', and is indeed a mental crutch and a delusion! It is akin to superstition. Where one's 'faith' is based on nothing more than filling the gaps we cannot explain, then this is not faith at all. Moreover it is very shaky ground on which to build one's life, for gradually, one piece at a time, as human understanding and knowledge grow - two steps forward and one back - so those areas of ignorance are filled in, and so such 'faith' is undermined and appears to become irrelevant.

In fact, this is largely why science is often thought of as being in opposition to Christianity. As some new scientific discovery is made, some new understanding gained, such 'faith' becomes obsolete. We can see this loss of 'faith' all around us.

But this is based on a false understanding of Christian faith. Do not confuse this with a faith based on a firm foundation!

So what is Christian faith, if not the above?

The Christian faith - rooted in real historical events - is to believe that Jesus is who he said he is: God incarnate. God is Spirit, and this belief is not a matter that can be tested, measured or scientifically proved or disproved. "We live in a world where, if you can measure it, it's real; and if you can't, then it's not real. I live in a world where the most important things are immeasurable." (1)

"God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.” (John 4 v24)

The spiritual dimension is something which science will never either prove or disprove.  To apply science to Christian faith is like asking a blind man to tell us about the colour of something he or she cannot see. For this task, science is a blind guide! In fact, the image of a blind man having his eyes opened to see and understand who Jesus was, is a New Testament analogy. We will never see nor understand unless our 'eyes are opened', and this is a work of God (2 Corinthians 4 v4-6).

"No one knows who the Son is except the Father, and no one knows who the Father is except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.” (Luke 10 v22 & Matthew 11 v27). But the Bible also makes clear that this revelation is available not just to a select few, but to all who are prepared to put their lives into God's hands.

The Christian faith is no 'comforter' for a frightened child - it is full of hard truth; some of it difficult to understand and yet not beyond the understanding of the simplest soul; much of it flies in the face of worldly wisdom, yet it makes perfect sense.

Those who trust in science to explain everything, can continue to suck on their particular child's comforter... But the most important things in life are immeasurable and are based on faith.

There is no firmer foundation than believing in the God who came to save.


1. Quote from Lida Cardozo Kindersley