iGod

I’d like to share an uncomfortable conversation with you

I had a difficult conversation with someone who is not a Christian, which made me feel deeply uncomfortable and incredibly sad. I was asked a simple question: “Doesn’t being a Christian mean living your life in a different way to the rest of us?

Er...yes,” I slowly replied.

Behind this question there was a whole heap of stuff kicking off. Their experience of Christians has been far from a good one. He has seen them blatantly lie, be foul-mouthed, lewd, be two-faced, put the proverbial knife in the back of others. The list goes on.  In short, he has seen them at their most pious and their most duplicitous.

In a not too gentle way, he was telling me that Christians’ ethics seem confused and leave a lot to be desired. Furthermore, it was not attractive to him.

And if that is not enough, let me now tell you that part of that picture was formed by working with Christian organisations.

How does this sit with you?  With me, it makes me want to squirm.

Now please hear me, I don’t write this from a sanctimonious attitude or am I about to suggest that Stour Valley Vineyard Church is the one getting it right, but my motive for sharing this is because someone else has been denied access to the real Jesus - and that just breaks my heart.

To be honest, I found it hard not to go on the defensive. I said some things such as people will always do people stuff, whether they are in or outside of the church.  I also said that Jesus held his greatest judgement on the religious people of the day who lived by the letter, but not by the spirit.

What would you have said?

At the end of the day I recognise that we are all hypocrites at one time or another and used to being hoisted on our own petards, but the main thing is to recognise this and repent of our ungodly attitudes, and work towards living a pure and holy life in Christ.

My heart’s desire is that people come to know the real Jesus and experience authentic Christianity. The trouble is authentic Christianity has a habit of showing up our worst features to ourselves and those around us.  It exposes us and makes us feel naked.  (If you are not a Christian and reading this please don’t give up looking. It is out there. It really is!)

However, we can’t hide the truth that with God’s mercy comes judgement. The Bible says clearly that all who profess to know Him and live in Him will be called to account for their actions, as much as those who reject Him.

 Paul writes in his first letter to the Corinthian church to beware of those who water down the gospel. He says, in effect, that they preach a false Jesus, a false gospel. He goes on to say ‘their end will be met with what it deserves’. Sober stuff!

I am of the firm belief that becoming a Christian is nothing short of a miracle, because left to only us we would make a right old hash of it. Sometimes I think too much blame is put at the convenient door of secularism, when really the problem is inside.

We live with the dialectic tension that we are the body, hands, feet, and voice of Christ, but without his perfection. Yet, by his grace, he still continues to use us.

And what an amazing grace it is too!  It stops me feeling condemned by uncomfortable conversations. However it is a grace given at a price – God’s own son tortured and murdered for you and me. That makes me want to value it not cheapen it.

Following Jesus has got to be a way of life, not a convenience, surely.

ASD

Some thoughts on why we don’t go to church

Article reproduced from Community News magazine

Someone once told me, jokingly, that he went to church.  He then went on to point out a local pub across the road.

I said, “Yeh, I go there too.”  I elaborated, “Well both provide great services!”

I suspect for some, believing in God and becoming a Christian probably means developing a dour lifestyle, which equates to “no fun”.  Yet, I don’t read that in my version of the Bible.  Far from it. In fact, I see life goes from black and white to colour; it becomes so much richer and deeper in experience.

But the church, regrettably, but understandably, is seen as an institution, much like a school or a municipal establishment.  For others, it’s simply another leisure activity or weekend hobby.

I believe, like sociologists, there is a large chunk of our community that wants to belong to something meaningful. We feel we’re better being in a group than alone. We somehow feel safe, comforted, supported and at ease with the world. 

Business marketing guru Seth Godin has written a book called Tribes. He makes the point that tribes get things done. Tribes change the world.  Tribes turn the tide.

Take Twitter, the micro-blogging site.  You’ll see in the top right-hand corner two distinct categories: Following and Followers.  It’s no accident it sounds like the language of a tribe.

Yet the tribe called the church often comes under fiercest criticism. To be honest, at a national level it sometimes deserves it. 

At a local level, I meet people who want nothing to do with the church because of “all those religious hypocrites.” However, often behind the comment is some deep seated pain.

Maybe a husband has cheated on his wife for years, but still happily toddles off to church every Sunday morning. Wouldn’t that shape your view of Church or God? It would for me.

But one thing we have to admit is that an institution in itself can’t hurt anybody.  Institutions are simply structures made up of people like you and me, and people do people stuff!  

So when I hear that someone has a beef with the Church I ask what their name is. It is always about someone, never about ‘the system’.  Something has usually happened. It is the pain talking, sometimes shouting.

The truth is, we will never be free from our pain unless we have the courage to deal with it. That can mean a little more pain before it happens.  Only then can we begin the process of being set free.

Now please hear me, I am not saying our church is perfect or has the ‘people stuff’ wonderfully cracked, but we aim to always be real with God and with each other; to treat people well and show kindness to strangers. We are not interested in our own position.

The Bible says we are created to be relational beings because God himself is relational: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. It says we are “made in his image”.

It also says that “God is love”.

Whenever someone asks me to prove there is a God I have to say, “Well scientifically I can’t prove God, but neither can you disprove him. However, I believe that Love provides us with the greatest evidence that he does. Love makes us human. It separates us from the animal kingdom.

Life without love dehumanises us. The Nazi concentration camps show us that in harrowing detail.  When love is absent we have the potential of becoming “animals”.

Most amazingly, Jesus shared in our pain by allowing himself to become the victim of jealous, angry institutionalised people. If anyone was justified in bearing a grudge it was Jesus, yet he didn’t, he was all Love. The act of forgiveness is an incredibly powerful healing experience.

At Stour Valley Vineyard Church we get a few glimpses of that wonderful grace. What’s more, we invite you to come and experience it for yourself. God bless you.

ASD

 

 

The Reason for God – a quick review

I am afraid this week has been one of those weeks where there has been too much to do and my health has not been great. Hence the paltry lack of posts.  Anyhow, in the midst of it I have been finding time to enjoy Timothy Keller’s book The Reason for God.

It is very much an up-to-date apologetic for our times and is being hailed as one of the most significant books on the subject since Oxford don CS Lewis wrote his Mere Christianity and his other classics in the 50s.

However, unlike CS Lewis, Keller is a church pastor theologian in cosmopolitan New York City. He addresses all the tough questions put to the Western Church today and, from what I have read so far, I have been deeply impressed by the linear logic of his reasoning. Mind you, you can undoubtedly hear the whispering voice of CS Lewis in his thoughts.

One of the common arguments he respectfully takes to task is that religion was the stop gap until science came along to supersede it with more superior worldview. Ergo, religion has now has outlived its usefulness. The argument goes on to say that religion has been a historic conditioning.

He says that to view religion in this way requires an objectivity in itself, but how can anyone really achieve objectivity as we all live in society?  We are all affected by our environment. In short, if we are conditioned by religion what is to stop us being conditioned by secularism. If the West is marked by its self critical attitude and individualism, how can it be truly objective?

It is often said that if we were born in a country like Saudi Arabia would we not be conditioned to be a Muslim? Therefore, how can we know for sure there is no God when we suffer from subjectivism just like any other person?

So the truth has to be established in other ways at which Keller’s book goes on to set out.

ASD

Living in a growing culture of distrust

Is society broken? Now there’s a question.

It is something that I have asked myself repeatedly this weekend when reading the newspapers. Here are three quick cases in point.

Firstly, just down the road, not far from where I live, in Great Tey, Colchester, I heard how a dinner lady has been suspended for telling a bullied child’s parents what was happening to her at school. Apparently, the school was not amused that confidence had been being breached. However, friends, neighbours and fellow parents have rallied around this popular woman in an act of community-led solidarity.  

Secondly, I read earlier in the week in another part of Essex how a boy aged just nine was allegedly accused of racism for making the gun shape with his fingers towards a friend during a lesson. After a conversation with the deputy head he went home to ask his parents what racism was.

From what I understand the child was simply playing a game, but because the other boy was Polish it was seen as more sinister.  Hmm!  

Thirdly, I hear that school teachers can no longer apply a plaster or antiseptic cream to a cut or graze. Instead they give a child a damp cloth to put on it. At the end of the day the teacher has to ask each child if they have been hurt at all and then write it up to report back to each parent. Of course, at 5 years old children see this is as a game, not an exercise in health and safety.

All this leads me, and probably you, to think what is happening to our society. It seems to be equally gripped by fear and good intentions. It is not hard to see how stories like these breed distrust while earnestly no doubt trying to protect the vulnerable. Of course, there are always two sides to a story and I suspect the teachers have been misrepresented along the way for just trying to do their jobs.

There is undoubtedly an element of good in the original thinking, but I am concerned by the increasing reaction by some who should, perhaps, rediscover the merit of giving the benefit of the doubt. Now that’s a phrase that isn’t heard too much nowadays, is it?

In the school playground, in the workplace and among neighbours our society is being taught to become suspicious of others. Nothing is to be taken as innocent anymore. Not a great place to build good relationships from.

It has been my experience that even when you have known someone for a long length of time they can still think the worse of you. Is it something you have done?  No. The problem often lies with the insecurity that has been exploited in us. They have been taught not to trust, to think the worse, because that is how you survive. How sad.

Remember Jesus’ words: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, soul and mind”?

I find our Lord’s words becoming increasingly relevant these days. Trust has become an unreliable word. Church leaders aren’t trusted. Doctors aren’t trusted. Police aren’t trusted. Politicians definitely aren’t trusted.

The notion of trust needs to be redeemed. It is a central tenet in Christian thought and is part of the common Christian experience. We should not underestimate how trusting someone empowers them and gives confidence. Not least helps them be fulfilled as adults. With trust comes responsibility. Surely that is no bad thing.

If ever the church can find space to stand out for something in these insecure and fearful times it is by living out a culture of trust in church life.  Of course, this will mean from time-to-time people will take advantage of us, but that is part of the cost of vulnerability. We have to be willing to be fools for Christ for people to see the wisdom of his words.

Meantime, in our church we will do our government-required CRB checks. We will do our best to practice grace to all; acceptance of all. We want to live by the Christ-like principle of giving people the benefit of the doubt, not thinking the worse.  

And just for the record, the teachers in my kids’ schools do a wonderful job.  They have my trust. Furthermore, if one of them broke the ranks and stuck a plaster on my child’s graze they would not be hearing from my solicitor, but probably my wife, along with a letter of indebted thanks.

ASD

The Church and what it's not

Been thinking a lot about what the church is and what it isn't. Sometimes it is very convenient to put the blame on an institution and not have to personally deal with the relationship stuff. 

We can talk about 'it', but really it is 'us'. So easy to forget when we are having a bad time of things. Hopefully, the church (the people) is a place where we want to be because we enjoy the fellowship and friendship it offers - and where we can ultimately experience the presence of God.

It kind of also makes the phrase 'church-goer' well and truly redundant. And that's no bad thing, either! What a horrible reductionist term that is.

Cartoon by Asbo Jesus

ASD

I am a Muslim

Now there's a headline grabber!

Actually, this is the title of Carl Medearis' latest post which is well worth a quick browse. It is all about how we communicate - or not as the case may be.

Carl makes some valid points, not least when he says that good talkers do not necessarily make good communicators. Talking is not enough. That's the easy part. When we live in multicultural towns and cities and where a variety of lifestyles are lived, we need to rethink the issues with our minds as well as our hearts.

When we say we are a Christian to people we hope they will understand exactly what we mean by that. And of course, we delude ourselves if we think they do. 

In an ever-increasing secularised society how can people ever hope to get a non-distorted view of Christianity?  It is often poorly portrayed as hypocritical or a crutch to hapless no-hopers. Not perhaps what we really want to be saying to our neighbours.

Carl gives us these useful pointers:

"I suggest we think of these three things when we speak of anything potentially controversial or complicated:

1. Be sensitive to the hearers.  Place yourself in their shoes. Ask questions to fully understand where they’re coming from and how they might hear (feel) what you’re about to say.
2. Avoid one-word terms.  Or at least if you use them, define them. Words like “conservative” or “liberal” or “church” or “Christian” or “bible” or “evangelical” don’t really communicate that well these days. Be skeptical of your ability to really say what you mean by using a one word term.  I prefer to not use words like that at all, but rather explain what I mean in 2 or 3 sentences.
3. Ask the hearer if they caught what you said after you say it. Don’t assume.  You know what ass-u-me…ing does."

ASD

Ever wondered why we're not liked?

And we say 'God is love?' Hmmm!

ASD

JRR Tolkien - the Bible translator

Just returned from our hols and it is good to be back!

My family and I were blessed to spend two glorious weeks staying at a wonderful house in Chipping Campden, deep in the heart of the Cotswolds. The house we were camped out at was littered with some amazing books. In all I counted that I read some seven books with another two in part. Oh, the joy of escaping TV.

One of those was Michael White's biography of JRR Tolkien (Abacus 2001). White discusses in some detail the Inklings Club that met regularly at the Eagle and Child pub in Oxford, as well as his Catholic conversion and complex relationship he had with 'Jack' (CS Lewis).

Of course, most people know JRR Tolkien as the author of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. It is less known that he was actually an Oxford professor and a philologist.

But perhaps most unknown about JRR Tolkien is that he was an editor of The Jerusalem Bible, published in 1966 just after the conclusion of the Second Vatican Council. Tolkien's contribution was the translation of Jonah, one of the most famous Bible stories.

Darton, Longman and Todd, the publisher for this new paperback volume, was also the original publisher of the original 1966 Jerusalem Bible. They have now studied the original manuscript of Tolkien's translation of the Book of Jonah and now planning to republish it soon.

So far I am not able to find out much about this new Tolkien book, apart from seeing that it will be available soon through Amazon, but keep your eyes peeled. If anyone else has any more info, I'd love to hear from you.

Meanwhile, it is probably best not to expect Gandalf or Frodo to make an apocryphal guest appearance in the Old Testament book, but...then...you never know.

Have I mentioned that it's good to be back?

ASD

Ours is a "Sunday Service" - What's yours called?

I'd be interested to know what you call your own church gathering on a Sunday and why?

One of our guys whom I love very much asked me a very good question this weekend: "why do you call it a Sunday Service?"  It made me stop and think - which is always a good thing I have discovered.

After all, other Vineyards and independent churches may call theirs "celebrations". While other churches still, simply "meetings" or "gatherings".

The problem is every word, more often than not, has various connotations for different people - good and bad. At one level "Sunday service" seems mundane and functional and a little, well, religious. So I understand why other churches call theirs "celebrations", but I guarantee this would be lost on a visitor or someone outside church culture. For them a "celebration" is equated to a birthday or wedding anniversary. Is that helpful?

Here's why we call ours a "church service".

We are an outward-focussed church. We are all about thinking from a visitor's perspective. Everything we do is set up for the newcomer, not the die-hard regular. Bill Hybels calls this "seeker friendly". We try to be that sole organisation that exist for its non-members.

If someone is seeking God they might just have enough knowledge to work out that Christians go to Church on a Sunday morning, so they will scan noticeboards, newspapers and websites for "service times". There seems little point adding additional words to the vocabulary for the uninitiated when they are already scantily understood.

When we use unintentional "Christianese" we are sending out a signal that we want people to abide by our rules. It raises the bar to finding Jesus.  Now I know there are counter-arguments and I am sure that there are some very good ones, but I want our church to be that servant church in a serve-me world.

It's not a bad thing to be Jesus-servers as well as Jesus-followers. Therefore, unlike the traditional ecclesiastical model, I don't see why the senior pastor has to be the sole minister at all. Everyone can play!  We are all ministers.  After all, isn't this what the word is actually all about anyway?

My Bible says something about how Jesus came "to serve and not to be served". Like the traditional Jewish rabbi and his chosen disciples, we don't want just follow Jesus, we want to be like Him in every way. So to follow Jesus is to serve Him by serving others. Think about it, isn't this how Christ is revealed best?

So for the visitor who has not experienced his generosity and grace we want them to come and be served, which is why I like "Sunday Service". It is an outward-focussed expression of public worship and hospitality.

Of course, I am not suggesting ours is the only way, but it is a way and has significance for us. Meanwhile, if you are in a church, I'd love to know what yours is called.

ASD

Why I have no faith in religion (article reproduced)

The following article appeared in June's edition of Community News, a great little magazine which goes out to our town and surrounding areas. As I am aware that a large number are out of the circulation area, here it is again...

As the pastor of Stour Valley Vineyard Church, I have a confession: I have no faith in religion. There, said it. However, I think faith is great and a lot of us are pretty good at it. You might be thinking, “isn’t that being semantic? Aren’t religion and faith the same?”

Nope!  But stick with me and I’ll try and explain.  Faith leads to hope, it helps us to live life. Faith overcomes fear. Faith is also the dividing line between us and other species.

And contrary to opinion, faith is not the property of the Church.  Everyone has faith of some sort. Faith the sun will rise; faith that if we drop an egg it will break because of Newton’s gravity; faith in other people’s advice. In short, faith is critical to life. Without it we would do nothing.

And then there is religious faith.

There is the religion of large corporations like IBM and Google and Apple. There is the religion of sport, the religion of music. Each one draws its own set of followers and requires it adheres to its set of spoken or unspoken rules.

This is why we humans invented religion: to give our faith a system to belong, grow and develop. Religion is a like a mantra that tells us that belief is okay, it will help to get us there.

I once played, by invitation, at a rather posh golf club. At one point during play my gamesmanship was called into question. Later as I left the clubhouse a member thrust a weighty rule book into my hand. I was embarrassed and humiliated to say the least. This is the problem with religion, when you don’t play by its rules it wants to correct you, whether you want it or not.  At this point you accept or reject it. I never played there again.

The problem is that religion is a hindrance for many of us; it doesn’t support our faith, merely props up the status quo.  At worse, it judges, divides and subdues us.

Now, even by me writing these things I suspect some might feel threatened. Not by the implied criticism of some long held rituals and methodology, but because it probably feels like criticism of personal faith.  Please don’t. That’s not my intention. Faith is a gift from God.

I love my own faith because of what it stands for.  I guess I wouldn’t be a pastor if I didn’t!  But I understand that not all people share my enthusiasm. This is maybe because for them being a Christian is another word for being ‘religious’ and therefore is a barrier. It would be for me.  Yet if we lose the institutional aspects of church life maybe we might find at its core something that is personal, practical and real. Something that Jesus, perhaps, meant it to be.

The truth is I don’t want people to love religion or become ‘church goers’.  Pretty sure God doesn’t either.  I simply want people to have the chance to know God personally through his son Jesus –without all the nonsense.

I am told that well over 50% of the population believe in God.  Along with other churches in our area we’d like to help turn that belief into a personal faith.  Faith that gives hope and healing.

Maybe at some stage Emma and I might see you at a service at the Town Hall, Sudbury (usually 2^nd & 4^th Sundays of the month). Whatever, you’ll be welcome to come just as you are.

We’re a normal bunch of informal, all embracing, non-critical, non-religious people.  And I promise not to put a ‘rule book’ in your hand as you leave.

Have a blessed weekend and Father's Day.

ASD