Open letter to the UK Home Secretary

The UK Home Secretary is currently putting the ‘Investigatory Powers Bill’ before the Government; detractors call it the ’snoopers charter’. We are told that ‘those who have done nothing wrong, have nothing to fear’ from these powers.

I very rarely do not tell the truth
I routinely keep speed limits, and have no points on my driving licence
I have never been drunk in my life
I have never used illegal drugs or ‘legal highs’
I don’t watch porn, have never slept around or had an affair
I smoked one cigarette as a teenager, and I didn’t like it
I have no debts
I declare all sources of income and pay my taxes on time
I have never been arrested, charged or convicted of a crime
I have no involvement with terrorism other than to follow the news
I have only been inside a police station to report a lost wallet.

And yet I still do not want you reading my emails or tracking my phone calls or activities!

Although I recognise that the weight of responsibility for the UK’s security must weigh heavily on your shoulders, and I don’t assume you are particularly interested in watching me, I nonetheless do have something to fear:

You are not balancing the necessary measures to protect us from terrorism with the protection of privacy for ordinary citizens
You do not admit what the security services are doing unless forced to do so
You avoid transparency and accountability, and minimise the checks and balances to restrain the excesses of undue power
And you only make changes when the current position becomes untenable or is declared illegal.

I do not think that you are an evil person, or that you want to be a dictator. But protecting the security of our citizens includes protecting the privacy of ordinary people from unreasonable intrusion. Yet the clear trend is for increasing and intrusive surveillance of the general UK population and I do not see you trying to slow that trajectory. Rather, I see you trying to legalise after the event what has already been taking place in secret, and putting in place further loopholes that can be exploited in the future.

So, I do not trust you.

You have moved well beyond a reasonable concern for security, and I am fearful that this country, which once was known for its openness, honesty, justice and free speech, is becoming an oppressive state.

And I am fearful of that, for by your actions you are seriously eroding the security you claim to protect.

The taxonomy of sin

There are several classification systems for sin, but the most commonly referenced include the following:

A Biblical taxonomy of sin:

• Overarching definition of sin: rebellion against God - as in doing just as I please
  
• Sin (examples of): abuse, adultery, arrogance, boasting, brutality, conceit, debauchery, deceit, depravity, discord, dissension, disobedience to parents, divorce, drunkenness, envy, evil, fits of rage, God-hating, gossiping, greed, homosexual practice, idolatry, impurity, insolence, jealousy, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, love of money, lust, malice, murder, not lovers of the good, orgies, pride, selfish ambition, sexual immorality, slander, strife, theft, treachery, unforgiving, ungratefulness, unholiness, wickedness, witchcraft, without self-control (taken from Galatians 5v19-21, 2 Timothy 2v2-4, Romans 1v18-32)
• Unforgivable sin: none of the above

Western church taxonomy of sin (there are variations, but generally):

• Not sinful: greed, overwork, pride
• Normal human behaviour: envy, gossiping, half-truths, love of money, selfish ambition, strife
• Regrettable: deceit, divorce, drunkenness, slander, sleeping around, smoking
• Historical, and no longer extant: idolatry, witchcraft
• Sin: marital unfaithfulness
• Unforgivable sin: homosexuality

Western secular taxonomy of sin:

• Not sinful at all, in fact to be celebrated: greed, homosexuality, pride
• Normal human behaviour: drunkenness, envy, gossiping, lack of self-control, lust, pornography, sleeping around, strife
• Clever and to be admired: corruption (so long it is to one's benefit), manipulation, spinning the truth
• Interesting: witchcraft
• Understandable human failings: deceit, unfaithfulness, slander
• Historical, and no longer extant: idolatry
• Sin: paedophilia
• Unforgivable sin: anything which questions my right to do just as I please

Shooting our wounded or turning a blind eye

Sometimes church is the very last place where we want to admit our deep sinful failings. Maybe we have seen others do something like this and then seen the church’s reaction - to look down upon, to verbally or physically exclude, to make clear in one way or another that 'we don’t want your sort in here!’.

Meanwhile, those inside the church who so exclude others, those with a critical and judgemental spirit, also deny their own sinfulness and maintain the self-deception that they are different, better, holier! And so others are much more careful and dare not let their guard down; they appear fine on the outside, yet hurt on the inside while the pretence is increasingly difficult to maintain.

So churches that shoot their wounded remain filled only with ‘decent’ people, while those who know they are broken sinners - those who have been abused, those addicted to pornography, those whose marriages have ended badly, those confused about their sexual identity - do not feel they could ever belong.

So the hypocrisy of the church that ‘shoots its wounded’ is plain to see and the damage done all round is profound.

Consequently, some Christians take a clearly different stance, which looks much more gentle and loving. They say to the fallen brother or sister, “We are all sinners, you are very welcome here and we will not judge you! The church is exactly the right place for sinners feel at home. Come on in, for Jesus is the friend of sinners.” They make no comment about the behaviour that is clearly unscriptural, not wanting to pass judgement for fear of discouraging or appearing to reject, or maybe regarding the behaviours as so commonplace that it does not even occur to us to pass comment.

But both stances preach a half-truth. The first recognises that God cannot stand in the presence of sin, and that God is the Awesome Judge of all. But there is no demonstration of God’s mercy and grace, nor a humble recognition that we are all, indeed, sinners - even if forgiven sinners! We take upon ourselves the role of judge, when Jesus is alone the Judge; and also forget our own sinfulness, for we are no better than those we exclude and don’t want to associate with.

The second preaches a fake love, inclusivity but not cleansing!  It forgets that our sin must be crucified before we can come into the presence of a Holy God. So, we deny the seriousness of sin - for example, saying ‘well, everyone sleeps around these days, it’s only to be expected in this day and age - in effect implying that Jesus need not have gone to the bother of being crucified over such a small matter, such a common behaviour!

But sin has very serious consequences: a separation from God and from others while a sense of shame pervades; trust is broken and people get deeply hurt; relationships, families, even communities are shattered; the domain of the Enemy is advanced!

We need to address the seriousness of our own and others' sinful behaviour, and yet together plead for God’s mercy, confident only in Jesus to cleanse our filth. A Love that does not challenge and deal with sin is no love at all.


(I wrote about the true nature of love in one of my earliest blogs: 'Whatever you do, do not love me’)

On morality and public opinion

I’ve read with some interest the recent news stories about the hacking of a website whose purpose was to enable married people to have affairs. I’m interested in the moral questions it raises.

First, I wonder why people who sign up to a site that encourages deceit, are so surprised when they are in turn are dealt with deceitfully?

And secondly, I’m curious about people’s reactions. Some apparently fear being blackmailed because they don’t want their activities made public. But if having affairs is as common as implied by these revelations, why it is still thought to be shameful?  However, it clearly is!

Here we see clearly the difference between knowing what is right, yet doing something felt to be wrong.

As a Christian I would like to think that people have some inherent sense of right and wrong, but I’m not sure whether this is actually the case.  Just a few decades ago having sexual relationships outside marriage was commonly thought to be wrong (though of course it still happened), and it was seen as wrong for a couple to live together outside of marriage (though it did sometimes happen), and to have a child outside of wedlock had serious consequences.  But in Western society nowadays these behaviours are all so commonplace that the Biblical view of sex belonging only within marriage is regarded as absurdly old fashioned and quaint, even among some Christians!

So, attitudes about morality can and do shift, sometimes quite quickly. [For example, redefining the question of gay marriage as an issue of ‘equality’ rather than an issue of ‘morality’, was a sleight of hand that changed public opinion remarkably quickly.]

So, where does morality come from? If it is just a matter of shifting public opinion, will there soon come a time where there will be no felt shame, no need for deceit and no risk of blackmail when one has an affair?

The Christian view is that morality is certainly not just a matter of public opinion - in fact it doesn’t come from people at all, but from God’s revelation; it is necessarily something defined beyond human beings. The most obvious example is the 10 Commandments in the Bible's Old Testament. These were not a moral code that Moses thought up, nor were they guidelines for good living offered by God to humankind in order to be helpful, but commandments about how people should live and the consequences laid down by God if they did not do so. (By the way, the 10th Commandment says “You shall not covet your neighbour’s wife”, Exodus 20 v17.)

But as most Western (supposedly ‘Christian’) societies have stopped believing in God, or at least in his authority, the resulting moral vacuum has been filled by 'public opinion’, which not only shifts but is different in different societies.

There is evident self-righteous hypocrisy when Western ‘morals’ are thought to be ‘right’ but another society’s ‘morals’ - for example that it is acceptable to marry girls at the age of 12 - are ‘obviously wrong’. Sorry, you cannot define your morality by public opinion and then condemn others who do what is considered normal amongst their public!

Either way, the Bible tells us clearly (e.g. Matt 10v26, Luke 12v2-3) that there will come a time when everything we have done - and even thought! - will be made public.  Although my name will not be on that particular list which has just become public, I do not gloat. There are plenty of other things that I would be ashamed of when they become public, were it not that Jesus’ already knows about them, and died so that I could be forgiven.

However, it hadn’t occurred to me before that the fulfilment of the Biblical prophecy that 'all will be made known' might come about through computer hacking! I suppose this is just a tiny foretaste of the judgement still to come.

The poor will always be with us

Some people are rich and others poor. It's the way of the world, and even Jesus said the poor will always be with us.

This story is mainly about a person called Jubilation. Such names were not so unusual in her country. She lived surrounded by her family and friends. Although she often found her work a struggle, she was used to it, and though her health was not always good, she didn't complain. Even when her husband had died, leaving her with the children, she trusted that God would provide.

Her favourite times were seeing friends, even better, being able to have some visitor come to her home. On these occasions she lavished her best on the honoured guest, and her smile beamed from her face - her eyes sparkling, and the warmth of her welcome was unmistakeable; and so was her faith in God. Her name, Jubilation, was well chosen indeed.

Looking after her own family was her priority of course. The youngest was only two, but the oldest now 18, and she gave them the best she could. But as there were 12 children in all, there was not a lot to go round - rice and beans was the usual fare. They were blessed to have such a mother, and she in turn, despite the challenges of parenthood, was blessed by them.

Meanwhile, far away lived another mother. Nancy's life was very different to Jubilation's, though her life also had its hardships, and as she flicked the channels on her TV she saw only bad news in the stock-market. She poured herself another drink, then checked her email again - nothing but junk mail. Why didn't her son write? He was something big in finance.

Yes, and when Christmas came round, Jubilation, having worked from before sunrise to after sunset in the fields all year, had been able to save up so she could afford meat for her family and her face beamed, basking in the glow of her 12 children squatting around her on the dirt floor in eager anticipation. Yes, she was indeed blessed, a loved child of God, and spreading her love to all around.

At the same time, Nancy was getting ready to go out to an expensive restaurant for her Christmas meal. It was better to be out in company, even if sitting at a table by oneself, than eating alone at home. The restaurant was a favourite of Nancy's and the manager there knew her well; he also knew what would happen - she'd drink more than was good for her, and eventually he would order a taxi to take her home. When she did get back to her penthouse apartment she checked her answerphone in the forlorn hope that her son had called. Nothing.

Yes, Jesus knew that the poor would always be with us, and sorrow filled his heart as he thought of Nancy - the poverty of her relationships, her values, her ambitions, her life. But he went where he'd been invited and joined the family on the mud floor as the honoured guest at Jubilation's meal and delighted in her thankful heart and her generosity, and in the richness of her smile, reflecting his own heart of love.

Why God made us human

It seems common amongst Christians to dislike and distrust our earthly nature, to see every earthly desire and need as an expression of 'the fall' (which was the rebellion of humankind against God, as described in the Bible in Genesis 3), and to assume that our goal is to overcome our sinful humanity.

And yet ... God created us human!

God made us frail people, created out of dust, who get hungry and need food, get tired and need rest, get lonely and need relationships, and as human beings our knowledge and understanding is limited. And this was before the fall. God created us human, and said his creation was "very good".

So, what happened after the fall? Well, amongst other things, we misused our God-given good desires, and became gluttonous, lazy, misused sex outside of marriage, and we thought we knew better than God. And so we decided that we didn’t want to be human; we thought we should be more than mere humans, we should be gods ourselves!

Consequently, people spend a lot of time and effort trying to prove that they are not human, that they can live 24/7, that they can keep going with some kind of 'pick-me-up', that they can exceed their human boundaries, that they 'know it all' and can 'do it all' and be 'super-human'. And many Christians join in, working 'tirelessly' yet getting exhausted, rushing around being busy, thinking we understand it all, and trying to be 'super-Christians'! And in this way we all fall for the Enemy's lie that we are not mere humans, we are surely something more…

We confuse ‘pressing on toward the goal’ (Phil 3v14) with thinking we should ignore tiredness, ignore rest, ignore our limits, pretend our small understanding is great knowledge and wisdom … in fact, ignore that we are human.

No, God made us human, and that was "very good". But why? So that we may live content within the God-given limitations that he created within us. For being human is not a sin. It is how God intended us to be - his creatures living in relation with our creator and dependent upon him for his love and every provision.

Salt and light

Jesus told his followers that they were to be salt and light in the world, meaning that they both preserved and made life 'tasty', and brought light into a dark world - not just for themselves but with their mere presence impacting the whole of society. Jesus also used a similar metaphor by describing Christians as ‘yeast’ in a batch of dough - where just a little yeast has a dramatic impact on the whole mixture, on the whole of society.

Oftentimes, Christians seem to feel that they are having very little impact on society, which appears to be becoming increasingly unsavoury and dark.

Moreover, the majority of the population, who appear uninterested in things of faith, sometimes see Christians and those of other religions as bringers of trouble and division, and feel that society would be better off without them!

But imagine what society would be like if there were no Christians and no Christian values. Actually, you don’t need to imagine, for there are just a few areas of the world where all Christians have been killed or driven out - and they are areas where unfettered evil and darkness reign, and life is most definitely unsavoury!

So, in the rest of the world where there are at least a scattering of Christians, be assured that their presence has a profound and good effect for all - and may they shine yet more brightly!

Signing our own death warrant

Today at church we baptised seven new Christians. One of them had been a Moslem.

When a Moslem becomes interested in Christianity, their family will do everything in their power to dissuade this interest. But when that person gets baptised as a Christian, their family know that the battle is lost, and in some cases will even seek to kill their relative for becoming a Christian. So, for a Moslem to choose to be baptised as a Christian can literally be to sign their own death warrant.

As Christians we can take baptism much too casually, for we know that, of itself, it does not make someone a Christian. For this young man there was nothing casual about it!

And, actually, nor should there be for any of us, as it signifies that we have put to death our ‘old life’, and risen to 'new life' in Jesus Christ.

Mistaking the real danger

Today the news headlines round much of the world proclaim: '147 killed at Kenyan university'. The dead were mostly students at a university in Garissa, Kenya. They died at the hands of gunmen who reportedly selected Christians to kill.

As I am a Christian and live on the campus of another university in Kenya, albeit many miles from Garissa, it is understandable that people who know me worry about my safety at times like this.

Such news reminds us - if we need reminding - of the dangers of the world in which we live.

Although such news is both shocking and tragic, I believe that we mistake where the greatest danger lies, fearing bullets and bombs, but being oblivious to the much greater dangers that affect our eternal destiny.

Do not get me wrong, I do not seek to die at the hands of any gunman, and will review again my already tight security. However, as I believe God called me to live and work here, I have no intention of moving to somewhere that might look more secure, if by so doing I am being disobedient to my God.

Today also happens to be Good Friday, the day on which Christians remember that Jesus was killed in the most gruesome manner possible, in order to take the punishment for the sin of mankind. But I look forward to two days’ time, when we will celebrate Easter - Jesus’ resurrection! - and so know that his promise of eternal life to all who will accept him as Lord is true.

It was Jesus who said, "Do not be afraid of those who kill the body, but cannot kill the soul. Rather be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell." (Matthew 10v28)

I am much more secure here, doing the work that God has given me to do, than living in some quiet corner of the world just minding my own business.

The profit motive

I watched a series on TV a while back about various influential economists and their differing theories.

Although they had very different ways of understanding economic systems, and disagreed with each other over many fundamentals, it struck me that the profit motive - both at an individual and corporate level - was taken for granted by all of them. But then, they were economists!

Our western economies rely on the same assumption. Businesses exist to make a profit, pay grades are structured so as to motivate the successful, and individuals aspire to raise their income and thus their spending power. (Even thieves and the corrupt share the motivation, but look for short-cuts for all the hard work that is normally involved.)

There is no denying that this profit motive has led businesses to innovate and increase their market share, to amazing advances in science and technology, and individuals to work hard to move up the ladder. In this way, the theory goes, civilisation advances, the human lot improves and the world goes round.

And so it does seem!

But, considering the centrality / ubiquity of the profit motive, as a Christian I find it surprising that it seems to be completely absent from the teaching and lifestyle of Jesus!

Ah, we may think, he lived and taught in a pre-industrial age, in a simple hand-to-mouth society; what could he know about the profit motive? Yet a closer reading indicates that he was indeed acutely aware of the profit motive - and he wanted nothing to do with it!

Jesus and the Bible speak very plainly against the love of money. For example:
"No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.” (Matt 6v24)
"Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, ‘Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.’ “ (Hebrews 13:5)
"For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.” (1 Timothy 6:10)

(However, the Bible also makes clear that there is nothing wrong with money per se: we are to work to earn our living, we are to pay taxes, we are to have honest dealings in trade.)

But what is the ‘love of money’? It is precisely the profit motive - for without the love of money there is no motivation!

So, how does Jesus expect civilisation to advance and the world to go round, if we are not to be motivated by money?

He poses a clear choice: love God or love money. So the alternative is to love God - and love our neighbour as ourselves (Matt 22v39). If we were to choose to love God and our neighbour, that would motivate us to seek the good of others, for they are also God’s creation. Thus we are motivated to educate, to find new remedies for illness, to work to address poverty, to be good stewards of the world for the good of all people, and to share God’s love to all people. And in so doing it is reasonable to earn one’s living - for “the worker deserves his wages.” (1 Timothy 5:18.)

But would the world still go round, would civilisation advance? It would look different, for sure, but I believe it would!

In fact there would be less inequality, less pollution, less corruption, less meaningless ‘stuff', less waste, less destruction of the environment - for these are also the results of the profit motive. And there would be more time, better relationships and a greater sense of community, better care for the sick, the poor, and the disabled - for these are all cast aside by the profit motive.

But, for now, as most people assume the profit motive is an unquestioned good, those of us who disagree must live in such a way that demonstrates Jesus’ radical alternative. I think that this way of living is called ‘being in the world but not of it’.

An open question

... a change of style; a short story ...

The centre of the forest was a special place, far enough off the beaten track to keep all but the most inquisitive at bay. It was here that the grandest and oldest of the oak trees stood, mostly unobserved by human eyes, but familiar to the birds and wildlife who knew it as a place of safety.

I had on rare occasions been there and seen the grandeur of this tree, its great girth and wide-spread branches. Youth and vigour were long gone, the splendid majesty of its full-grown canopy had enjoyed many years of maturity, and now old age was upon it. It held a place in my heart.

Walking at the fringes of the forest one quiet day, I heard a sudden agonised tearing of wood from wood, something between a scream and a groan, a giving up and a letting go, distant yet clearly heard right across the forest. I stopped and listened, feeling the impact in my soul.

A tree breaking, for sure, but which? There was something that compelled me go and find out, to bear witness. As I neared the heart of the forest I found the old oak. A full third of it lay broken on the ground, a raw wound splitting the trunk almost to the ground.

Why at this particular moment its strength had failed, I do not know, yet the weight of its enormous branches could no longer be borne and in a moment split and crashed to the ground.

Was this the last gasp of old age, a sign of something rotten within? Was it the work of some tiny insect horde, eating away the strength of the core? I did not know. But I knew that sometimes from old wounds new growth and vigour could spring. So was it a necessary letting go, a precursor to new growth, enabling new shoots to bud once the wound was healed?

Was it screaming in rage, defeated? Or was this a strategic withdrawal to preserve a future? Death pangs, or the beginning of new life?

For various reasons I never returned to the centre of the forest, so I do not know what became of that oak. I do not know ... but I wonder.

Yet that tree and its scream remain lodged in my mind, leaving an open question. Is old age and death the end, or the beginnings of new life? We hear the cry and see the wounds, the wreckage of old age, but what is yet to come is unknown, unseen. I do not know ... but I hope.

Je suis

Various factions have been in the news recently following the recent murders in Paris. And placards saying Je suis Charlie, or Je suis Muslim - and many other variations - have been proclaimed through marches and trends on social media.

These placards and media postings have been demonstrations of allegiance or support, and indicate what people feel they stand for - be it for free speech, one's faith, or some other significant marker of identity.

As a Christian, I think first of God my Father, who has told us that His name is I AM* - or Je suis in French - when he first held that placard way back in Old Testament times. And I know that he proclaimed his support and all-encompassing love for all peoples, all tribes and all nations. In Jesus, he identified with each person, demonstrating this love by dying - for me, for you, and for all - so that all who would call upon his name may be saved.

Je suis - it’s God’s name.

* Exodus 3v14

The Western church smorgasbord

Setting: Jesus, dressed as a waiter, talks to a new convert to Christianity.

Jesus: "Congratulations on becoming a Christian, sir; an excellent choice if I may say so! Are you ready to order your choice of church?"

New convert: "Yes, I think so. What have you got?"

Jesus: "Well, we have small friendly churches, standard churches, or you could go large and join a mega-church."

New convert: "I think I'll have a small friendly church please."

Jesus: "Now, what style of preacher would you like to go with that? We have pastors, ministers, priests, and bishops, and each is available as a wooly liberal, middle-of-the-road, or a Bible-thumper, and with or without women. We can also prepare them in anything from jeans to cassocks, to your taste."

New convert: “Well what I'd really like is a pastor who explains the Bible, but without too much thumping. I'm not sure about women, though. But I’d like mine with a jacket and trousers, but no tie."

Jesus: “No problem; we can do that, sir; if you decide about the women, just let me know. Now which sauce would you like? We have Evangelical, Catholic, Pentecostal and Middle-of-the-road - and these can come with or without the Spirit."

New convert: “I think I'll have Evangelical, and not too much Spirit, please."

Jesus: "And what kind of music would you like on the side? We have 19th century hymns accompanied by an organ, a gospel choir, a band with all the latest effects, or a choir in purple robes. May I commend the choir, which is particularly good today."

New convert: "A difficult choice. I’m sure the choir is excellent, but I think I'll have the band with a range of effects. But I don't like drums, so can you prepare the music without the drums?"

Jesus: "No problem, sir. And to drink? May I recommend the house Ribena, which will go well with your church, but we do have red wine if you prefer."

New convert: "Well, if you recommend the Ribena, I'll try that. I think that will be all, thank you."

Jesus: "So that will be a small friendly church, with a pastor who explains the Bible, but without too much thumping, in a jacket and trousers but no tie, Evangelical sauce but not too much Spirit, the band with effects but no drums, and the house Ribena. That's an excellent choice, if I may say so, sir." [For all well-trained waiters say your order is ‘an excellent choice’.]

Is this really how we are to think about choosing a church?

Women bishops

The question about women bishops is back in the news in the UK; the Church of England has today voted to accept having women bishops.

This is a subject that seems guaranteed to raise strong feelings one way or the other, but personally I don’t know quite what I think about it - I can see both views.

However I have been very interested in the ways people have made their arguments, in the motivations and the resulting stances, whichever way they have been arguing.

Here are a number of arguments that I have heard put forward frequently:

• the equality agenda demands action to address a clear inequality
• if the church is to keep up with public opinion it's high time to address this anachronism
• the church has always done things this way, and changes in public opinion are no reason to change now
• it's clearly not fair
• what was right in 1st-century Palestine is not necessarily right now
• the 'stained-glass ceiling' effect
• that one view is obviously right and the other side is being belligerent / unreasonable / old-fashioned / liberal / etc.

All the above arguments appeal to common sense, human opinion, or an internal sense of 'rightness' or fairness. It is hard to disagree with such arguments; they are common and useful bases from which to make judgements.

However, they are all also 'human worldly thinking’, even when Bible verses are tacked on the end to ‘prove their point’!

And I am certainly wary of any argument that resorts to force or that does not take seriously the views of the ‘other side’.

There are some behaviours that are ‘obviously wrong’ - for example thieving is wrong. Few people would argue that thieving is right, and the Bible is unequivocal: “Do not steal” is one of the 10 commandments.

But the issue of women bishops is not such an issue - there are many, many people who care deeply about this, and present their case carefully for or against - and many use scriptures to back their view. There is no straightforward commandment, “Thou shalt / shalt not have women bishops”, but there were certainly many ways in which Jesus went against the cultural norms of his day to recognise and value the place of women, and there are also passages which speak about leadership being male.

So this seems to be one of those issues that is not ‘core’ Christian doctrine - such as Jesus’ humanity and divinity, death and resurrection, and salvation by faith, are. And yet it is an issue that people feel strongly about!

So, I am happy to hear from any who...

• will grapple honestly with the complexities of what the Bible has to say about men and women, and about leadership
• who demonstrate their love for those of the opposite opinion, by listening carefully and respectfully, and by working for their wellbeing if they are hurt by the outcome.
• and who speak with humility, and listen with openness to the mind of Christ.

For I know that honesty, humility, and love are qualities of God.

Safely agnostic?

A man was walking along a road when he came to a fork in the way.

To the left was a good, wide path, which seemed to lead to pleasant green meadows, well-fed cattle and trees laden with good-looking fruit. To the right the path was narrow, and looked rocky and difficult; he couldn’t see where it was leading.

Now the man remembered his Sunday-school lessons, and realised that the good-looking path to the left might not be the right way to go - but then it looked so inviting! So he decided to sit a while on the fence that he noticed between the two roads; from there he could see which path other travellers would choose.

As time went by many came and chose the left path, and he could see them going on to enjoy the meadow and the fruits. A few, just a few, decided to turn to the right and he could see them struggling over the rough terrain until they went out of sight.

Then a well-dressed man came to the fork, and noticing our traveller sitting on the fence, went up to him and said, “I see you have decided which way you are going!”

“No, sir!” he replied, “I am sitting here on the fence watching people coming by and choosing which path to take, before I decide for myself.”

But the well-dressed man responded, “No, you have decided already!”

“Who are you, sir, that you know so much?” the man replied.

“I’m sorry, I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Satan. That meadow and those fruit trees to the left belong to me.” And without waiting for a reply, he continued, "And so does that fence that you are sitting upon; it also belongs to me, for I put it there."


(I claim no authorship, other than for retelling this story in my own words; I first heard it at my church and do not know its origin.)

Does your God give you a choice?

The assumption that one chooses one’s faith and religion is almost taken for granted in the Western world. However, this is not the case everywhere and, in fact, it probably doesn’t apply in the majority of the world. The most common version is simply to be born into a culture which expects its members to have a certain religious outlook and belief system; the most extreme version comes as: “Convert or be killed”!

Personally, I struggle to see how any god who requires force to acquire adherents is any god at all - but if he is, then he is nothing but a tyrant. But perhaps this is just my own particular upbringing and view of religion. I don’t know.

But this I do know: the God of the Christians always gives us a free choice. He didn't create us to be, and he doesn't want us to be, automatons. Rather, he made us in his image, giving us free will - including the choice of whether or not to enter into a relationship with him.

Along with choice, the Christian God recognises us as responsible for our choices and actions, for in his love He created us free and responsible people, not slaves!

I also know this: that Satan deals in deception, power and compulsion, and disguises choices except where it suits him. He also peddles the lie that we are not responsible for our actions (although responsibility cannot be so easily waved away!). Satan enslaves us, ensnaring us in bondage; we are not free at all, for he deals in power, in force, and not in love!

It is only the Christian God who gives us choice! When a religion restricts our choice to believe or stop believing, or does not recognise our responsibility for our actions, be very clear who is behind it!

The most extreme version of this is seen in some parts of the Middle East at present, where one group says we must be compelled to accept their view, or be killed! And yet these people, who deny there is any other choice, are indeed making a choice - for themselves and for others! - and they are responsible for their actions and will be held to account, in this life or the next, unless they repent and turn to the God who is Love!

Inside you and me

The world seems a particularly violent and evil place at the moment - brutal force, savage wars, beheadings - and I am shocked. Not especially shocked that people can act in such a manner, but shocked to realise that this is merely a reflection of what is inside you and me.

Most of the time I am fooled by the thin veneer of 'civilisation' and 'decency', and so too easily think of myself as 'respectable', even 'good'.

But in some of the actions we've seen on the news, we observe the raw power of satan working in people, and then I remember that there is no difference at all between me and them - except the saving work of Jesus! For without Jesus, my destiny was in the hands of that same evil power we see so clearly uncloaked just now.

And in all the decent people I know, who have never deliberately gone out of their way to seriously harm another, let alone to maim or kill them - and yet have no time for Jesus - I am aghast that they would entrust their destiny into that same hideous and evil power.

All praise be to Jesus, whose goodness and light far outshines the evil and darkness of satan - and was willing to die to save me - and all who will call on him - from those evil clutches.

God is a jealous God!

The Lord God is a jealous God and he does not want us to put in place anything that we value more than him! Exodus 20v5 - in the passage where God gave Moses the 10 commandments - says "I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God”; there are similar passages in Exodus 34v14 and Deuteronomy 4v24.

The first of these passages says we are to 'break down the altars, smash the sacred stones’ of anything that does not worship God alone.

I am a Christian and do not have any carved idols or sacred stones, so I can race past such Bible passages without seeing any relevance for me.

But one of the ways in which we see whether we are genuine about loving God is when we seek his guidance. For it is here that we often put in place provisos, limitations and loop-holes. When our prayers take the form:

• “Lord, if you will do this for me, then I will do that for you" - then we set up a proviso
• “Lord, I will happily do this for you, but I couldn’t do that” - then we put in place a limitation
• “Lord, please let me know what you want me to do, and I will do it if I can” - then we leave ourselves a loop-hole.

And by so doing we are revealing those things that we value more than God; in effect, they are false gods!

We are very good at setting limits on what we will allow God to do! Sometimes we are directly disobedient, and will not obey what we know is right, but much more often we simply and subtly put in place provisos, limitations, or loop-holes in what we are prepared to do for God. Frequently these sound very good, even ‘Christian’, and much less blatant than the examples above.

For example, I am fairly new working in my current work place, which is a mission counselling centre, and am about to take a leadership role there. So, here are some of the things that I want for this job:

• I want our centre to be successful in supporting people who are going through difficult times
• I want our centre to be an example of what good missionary care looks like
• I want us to contribute to the mission of supporting those who are in the front line of sharing the gospel to those who have not yet heard
• And I want to be a good team leader

These are some of the things I care about - and there is nothing wrong with them. Except that God is a jealous God, and He is not really interested in my ideas, but He is interested in whether I am open and obedient to His plans!

If I am just concerned about what I want, it leads me to praying like this:

• Lord, please help us to be successful in supporting missionaries
• Lord, please make us an example of what good missionary care looks like
• Lord, please make me a good team leader
• etc.

And these prayers all centre around asking God to do my will! I need to tear down these good ideas of mine, these altars in my heart. For God is a jealous God and He will not stand for things that I love more than Him.

Like God testing Abraham by telling him to sacrifice his only son Isaac, God requires us to let go of the very things we love the most.

For it is only when we lay down our good ideas, and the limits we try to place on God, that God will show us His perfect way forward. God will not guide us while we set limits, or if we are just going to consider His leading! Our ideas may be ‘good’, but they are not as good as God’s perfect plan!

God is a jealous God, but He is also utterly loving - His desire is not to thwart us, but to bless us!

When we set limits, we are probably trying to protect ourselves – after all, I am frequently afraid that God will ask me to do something that is too difficult. But God’s purpose is not to curse us, but to bless us! He wants nothing but the absolute best for us – as individuals, couples, as families, and as Christian organisations. He really does not want us to have second best by going after some other goal or god, however good they may look, when we can be truly safe and totally blessed by following wherever He leads us!

So, next time we face some decision, or seek God’s guidance for the way forward, remember that God does not want us to experience anything less good, less safe, less perfect, than He has planned for us. We are to say to Him, "Show me what to do and where to go, and I will do it; I put no restrictions in place. The things I care most deeply about, even if they are good, I will put them aside to follow wherever you lead."

For God is a jealous, and absolutely loving, God.

Blessing the spoons and dustbins

We have been surprised a number of times in the various churches in Nairobi that we have been to in recent months, notably the first time we saw we saw gifts to the church being blessed. Traditionally Kenyans eat with spoons, so when a member of the congregation gave a large number of spoons to the church, these spoons were blessed by the pastor for the members’ future use.

I admit that initially this struck me as strange, but, on reflection, I think they are on to something. Very clearly the attitude was that all gifts, even spoons, are gifts from the Lord, and are to be used in ways that bless the Lord through the members of the church. Nothing is to be taken for granted or used carelessly, it is all His provision and to be used accordingly!

Coming from a materialistic culture, it has made me realise how much I take for granted that most things can just be bought, used and, sooner or later, thrown away.

So this week we blessed some new dustbins that a member had given to the church to help keep the compound clean…

So, the next time we go shopping - whether for food, household goods, clothes, cash from the hole in the wall, or whatever - how about we come back home and dedicate their use to God’s glory?

5 loaves and 2 fish

The story in Matthew 14 of Jesus feeding the five thousand with just five loaves and two fish, is well known.

Having moved continents recently, I have realised that there is a cultural component to how food is shared when in a group. Back home in the UK, when invited to eat with others, we do a kind of mental calculation about the quantity of food available. For example: ‘there are 8 pieces of chicken and 6 people, so I better take just one piece; to take two would look greedy!’ In this way everyone has their share, and the awkwardness only comes later when considering seconds, and then we say ‘No, after you’, ‘No after you’ etc, or perhaps engage in some more devious manoeuvring to increase our chances of getting one of the two remaining pieces of chicken!

In some African cultures, the sharing of food is handled quite differently. The first person to help themselves takes all the food they would like, with no thought that there may not be enough for later eaters. This is not an expression of greed, but simply a different understanding of responsibility.

In the British model, it is the eaters’ responsibility to ensure everyone has food and so they calculate their share. In the African mindset, it is seen as the host’s responsibility to ensure that there is enough food for everyone, and so if the people at the end of the line end up with nothing, this demonstrates the under-provision by the host, not the greed or insensitivity of those at the front of the queue. In the event of the food running out, the host is expected to go and prepare some more.

But, if you are anything like me, I find it difficult not to look at those ‘greedy and insensitive’ people at the front of the queue who have left me without! It is very difficult to put my British mindset aside!

Back to Jesus and the five loaves and two fish.

Imagine yourself sitting in the crowd - a huge crowd of "about five thousand men, besides women and children” (Matt 14 v21), and one of the disciples eventually gets to where you are sitting. You can see that he only has a bit of bread and even less fish, and there are many, many people behind you, still waiting to eat. How much bread and fish do you take?

My first thought was to take just a tiny piece of bread - like at a communion service! - and maybe a flake or two of fish. Even that is more than my share! So I see it as a symbolic meal rather than an ‘eat-all-u-can’ offer that you sometimes see at a restaurant.

The trouble is, that in doing this, I have robbed myself of feasting on Jesus’ abundant provision; I have not realised that the Host is very well able to provide all that I - and everyone else - could possibly need, and indeed much more!

And this Bible passage tells us that He can, and He did!