Cynicism kills. It doesn’t explode like a bomb or crash like a tidal wave; instead it slowly gnaws away at spiritual life until only a hollow shell remains. Once you’ve realised that your church isn’t perfect you can slip into cynical thinking. ‘Things will never change’, ‘No-one will come’, ‘It’s too much effort’, are symptomatic phrases or attitudes. The dry rot of cynicism kills off spiritual joy and godly ambition for Christ’s kingdom. Our Saviour was no cynic. He saw all his bride’s flaws and gave himself for her. Remember Christ’s love for the imperfect body of believers next time cynicism tempts you, rejoice that at his return the church will be made perfect, and know that serving his bride is truly worthwhile. In this issue we are delighted to share the stories of friends who have served the church in different places and ways. I hope you find their reports spiritually refreshing as you read of their love for Christ’s bride. We also have very interesting interviews with Richard Holdeman, the American pastor who spent a couple of months preaching in Ballyclabber RPC, and David Murray, the author of ‘Jesus on Every Page’. In his own unique style Stephen Steele has reviewed Murray’s book and thoroughly recommends it. For those of you who still can’t quite believe that Carl Trueman is writing a series for us, his second instalment will introduce you to Athanasius, a key figure in the early church who staunchly defended the doctrine of Christ’s full deity. Finally the rest of the Messenger team would like to congratulate Andrew and Erin Morrison on their recent marriage. We pray that God would bless and guide them in their new life together.
Andrew and Erin Morrison married September 13th
Abigail Nelson Alistair Rolleston Andrew Morrison Emma Dunwoody James McCullough Philip Aicken Robert McCollum Stephen Steele
The Messenger is the bi-monthly magazine of the Covenanter Youth, the young people’s association of the Reformed Presbyterian Church of Ireland. The subscription cost is £8/€10 per year (6 issues). Cheques made payable to the Messenger Magazine and sent to: Alistair Rolleston, 3 Hawthorn Close, Newtownards, BT23 8EU. Please visit our website for other payment and subscription options. You can contact the Messenger by email via messenger@rpc.org. All news items and articles must be with the committee by the first of the month prior to publication and be in accordance to the requested word count. Any reports of events, camps or go teams should be no longer than 350 words. The Editorial team reserve the right to alter the content and adjust the layout of all work submitted. S.D.G. -
TEN YEARS AGO ‘Cyberbullies’ and ‘Internet Trolls’ might have sounded like characters from a lacklustre Dr Who episode. In August 2013 these phrases comprised some very serious headlines. Two young teenagers took their own lives as a result of malicious online activity, and sadly these tragedies are beginning to become less shocking. Numerous people have been subjected to constant, faceless vitriol from ‘Internet Trolls’: abusive individuals who deliberately set out to provoke or upset others online. Twitter has also faced pressure to control its content abuse after some prominent women were targeted with violent and threatening attacks. Ask.fm, a site where you can anonymously respond to questions, is currently embroiled in controversy regarding a young girl’s suicide as a result of online abuse. The stereotypical image of an online abuser is of an old, creepy man masquerading as someone much younger for his own vile ends. We expect that the constant, horrible comments should be from obvious villains but recent cases reveal an even scarier truth. Behind the anonymity afforded by the internet, it is as likely to be another teenager telling their peer to kill themselves as it is to be someone more sinister masquerading as a youth. This seems truly horrifying; we instinctively feel that such hateful abuse as encouraging a 14-year old schoolgirl to take her own life and then giving her 16-year old sister online abuse after the death must be someone overtly wicked. The reality is that many perpetrators are of an age with their victims and are possibly victims themselves. They have merely been given an anonymous platform to speak their inner thoughts. The recent case of Caroline
Criado-Perez and Stella Creasy brought to the fore the recurring case of online trolls who target women. They were targeted initially because of their campaign to get Jane Austen represented on a banknote; not something that seems outwardly a controversial issue. However, they received a deluge of violent abuse with many graphic threats of rape and murder, with one woman receiving a picture of a masked man with a knife. It is the sad case that this type of vile, specifically violent sexual online abuse is becoming par for the course for many prominent women, particularly in spheres of academia and the media. Female archaeologists, historians, journalists, comedians and writers are all among those who have been threatened and harassed because of their sex online. By and large, male Cambridge academics are respected and their personal appearance is judged to be totally irrelevant to their academic achievement, yet classicist Mary Beard has also made the news for receiving vile online abuse about her appearance, sexual threats and in one case a bomb threat.
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Again, it seems that surely these men making such horrible threats must be obviously, superficially wicked; probably hardened criminals, we like to think, clearly deeply misogynistic. But in the arrests that have resulted from online abuse over the last months and years, there have been businessmen, young university -
students, outwardly respectable men. All this reminds us of the total depravity of our natural being; we are all sinners, and there but for the grace of God go we. It shows God’s incredible love to us that He would send His Son to die for such as us. And it also poses a challenge to us to search our own hearts; would we secretly say such things if we knew no one would find out? Given an anonymous, faceless platform, what would we say to those we dislike; that rile us; that we envy? Matthew 5:22 says to the smug Pharisees 22 `But I tell you this. Anyone who is angry with his brother without having a good reason, will be judged in court. Anyone who says wrong things to his brother will be judged for it in the big court. Anyone who says "You fool!" will be judged to go into hell fire.’ . Or more subtly; what is our attitude towards the issues highlighted? Are we tempted to turn a blind eye to rampant sexism in our culture as a reaction to extreme feminism? If we do not want to know about harassment against women, imbalance in the workplace, the worldwide repression of education for women, and treat women’s rights as a dirty word because of the associations with abortion, how can we lovingly talk to women and be taken seriously about issues like abortion? All these things serve to remind us of our own deeply sinful natures and should lead us to examine our hearts and draw near to the God who loved us and gave Himself for us whilst we were still sinners.
OCCASIONALY BEFORE EVEN finishing a book I start thinking about how to persuade everyone I know to read it. Last year it was Rosaria Butterfield's The Secret Thoughts of an Unexpected Convert. A few years ago it was Michael LeFebvre's Singing the Songs of Jesus. This year it's David Murray's Jesus on Every Page. RPCNA pastor Barry York ‘s glowing endorsement of this book points out that 'If you heard that archaeologists had discovered a genuine book with pictures of Jesus’ life, a diary of his thoughts, and further explanation of his ministry, would you not yearn to have that book in your hands? If you have the Old Testament, you do!' This book seeks to tackle the problem that 'Christians seem to have forgotten that the Old Testament has everything to do with Jesus Christ.’ Surveys show that the ratio of Old Testament to New Testament sermons is 1 to 10. Yet even if we sit under a balanced mix of preaching and even if we diligently read as much or more of the Old Testament as we do of the New, we can often fail to see how it relates to Jesus. Occasionally we may come across prophecies or appearances which are pretty clear, but we're far from seeing Jesus on every page.
Murray himself took a long time to see the Old Testament in this way. He went through 3 years of theological training, served as a pastor for a number of years and was then asked to teach Old Testament at the Free Church (Continuing) Seminary before the light even began to dawn. In the first section of the book he retraces the steps of his own journey, focusing especially on how key figures in the New Testament (Jesus, Peter, Paul and John) understood the Bible they preached from. Murray’s ten steps to seek and find Jesus in the Old Testament begin with Creation. He recounts how he was asked to speak at a conference on 'Christ in creation'. Up until then he had thought Genesis 1-2 was all about Creation versus Evolution. Yet being asked to speak at that conference was a turning point for him and in a few short pages he shows that Jesus is everywhere in the Bible's opening chapters; from creating sheep so he could teach sinners about how he is the good Shepherd to creating angels, not because he was lonely but to minister to his needy people and to himself in Gethsemane. The next nine steps are similarly short but profound. He covers seeing Jesus in Old Testament
characters, appearances, law, history and prophets. His chapter on 'Jesus' Pictures' (Old Testament 'types' or 'visual theology') takes Patrick Fairbairn's 700 page classic on the topic and reduces it to 10. The chapter on 'Christ's Promises' is a masterly introduction to what is in fact Covenant Theology, but with the usual jargon replaced by terms like 'The Covenant of the Defeated Serpent'. In fact, the book is really a Christ-centred Bible overview. It's Vaughan Robert’s God's Big Picture but simpler and more Jesus-focused. Murray also challenges popular conceptions of God's people before 1AD. They didn't trust in works of righteousness or an earthly king. Neither did they just have some vague hope of a Messiah to come. They had a lot clearer understanding of Jesus than we often give them credit for. As Mr and Mrs Israelite read the Old Testament, they were always peering over the horizon for the one who was to come. The book finishes by looking at Christ's Proverbs and Christ's Poems. Proverbs, 'the Old Testament Twitter', and the 10 Commandments are both expositions of Jesus' life. The section on the psalms brings the book towards a fitting climax; the fact that many have thrown out their Psalters and replaced them with gospel choruses is 'because of a fundamental misunderstanding of Old Testament theology'. And in light of everything that's gone before, guess what? He doesn't think the Song of Solomon is about marriage guidance! Every Christian will benefit from this book. Everyone who teaches the Bible in any capacity (whether to your children, in Sunday School or to a congregation) needs to read this book. Murray started off writing this book for pastors but then scrapped that idea and aimed it at everyone. It's really easy to read and brilliantly illustrated. It even includes study questions, which actually look good! I couldn't recommend it more highly. Like the picture of the book on our Facebook page before 14th November for a chance to win a free copy!
Can you tell us a bit about yourself and your family? I’m married to Shona and we have five children, Allan (17), Angus (16), Joni (11), Amy (10), and Scot (3 months). It’s been such a joy and privilege to have a baby in the family again. We live in Grand Rapids, MI, and have done so since 2007. I teach Old Testament and Practical Theology at Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary. I also pastor Grand Rapids Free Reformed Church. I was born and brought up in Glasgow. I left school at 17 and worked with a Scottish life assurance and pensions company for five years before I was converted and called to the ministry. How did you meet your wife? Although we were attending the same church for some years I had never really spoken to Shona as I was not a Christian and had no interest in Christians. When I was converted to Christ, I saw her in a new light and we happened to “bump into one another” on the way to the Prayer Meeting one night. As I had just started studying for the ministry, and she was studying medicine at the same university, we met up often, and the rest, as they say, is history. What do you miss most about Scotland? Family is the main miss – and that can feel huge at times. I also miss catching fresh Atlantic salmon in the small Scottish rivers. Apart from that, I have to be honest and say I don’t miss too much else. Can you tell us a bit about your conversion? Although I was raised by two godly parents, I rebelled in my teens and into my twenties. However, God pursued me in my conscience, and many’s a time as I was chasing the “world” the Lord was hunting me down and convicting me of sin. A number of events happened that showed me the emptiness of the world and the ugliness of the life I was living until over a few months the Lord so worked in my soul that I began to hate the things I loved, and love the things I hated. The Lord Jesus became increasingly real and precious to me. One thing is for sure - I can say, “Salvation is of the Lord.”
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What do you think that we in the UK and Ireland can learn from the church in America? The main thing is a greater cheerfulness and optimism. I know it’s not easy when there is so much discouragement around, but we have to make more of an effort to engage in Philippians 4:8 therapy. What books or authors have you found especially helpful in the Christian life? Authors I’ve enjoyed are Iain Murray (no relation), Kevin DeYoung, John Flavel, Martyn Lloyd-Jones, and many, many bloggers. Books that have blessed me include Note to Self, Christ of the Covenants, Knowing Jesus Through the Old Testament, Christ’s (and The Apostle’s) Doctrine of the Atonement by George Smeaton. Having taught now at theological colleges in both Scotland and the States, are there any emphases or insights in theological training you have found helpful over there that you would like to see more of in the UK? Or vice versa? I’d like to see preaching being brought into every subject rather than just have a preaching class, whether it’s OT, NT, Church History, etc. If the aim is to produce preachers, then we should be working towards preaching assignments in as many classes as possible. I’d also like to see much more face-to-face counselling training – not just lectures but actual practice with real people. What made you want to write a book about Jesus in the Old Testament? This subject has been a growing passion of mine since I started listening to my father-in-law’s preaching 25 years ago. It was different to anything I’d heard before and I was so blessed by it. I’d never heard anyone preach in such a Christ-centered way from the Old Testament. As I read and studied more, I realised there was very little on this subject at a popular level that would give people the tools
to read their Old Testaments as Christians. It's clear from your book that you don't think of seeing Christ in the Old Testament as an added extra, but the way God intended the Bible to be read. What effect will it have on someone's Christian life if they diligently read the Old Testament but rarely see Christ? Or sit under preaching that is generally orthodox but doesn't talk much about Jesus? Christ-less Christianity or Christ-less preaching kills the soul. We cannot get to the Father but by Jesus. We cannot have any spiritual life apart from Christ – neither at the beginning or on the way many years. I once heard a sermon that did not refer to Christ once, and it was so painful. My soul was just screaming out at the end, “Give me Jesus!” I was struck by what you said in your chapter on the Song of Solomon about our Western tendency to suppress our emotions (which is probably even more the case in Northern Ireland than America or the Scottish highlands!). What ways can we fight this tendency to be overly analytical about our faith? It’s very difficult because we are so unused to it. Cultivating and expressing emotion make us feel vulnerable and even weak, but that’s a wrong view of our humanity; it’s denying how God made us. It’s also often a mark of pride, especially in men, that we are not willing to open ourselves up to emotional experiences because of what people may think of us. We can ask the Holy Spirit to tenderise our hearts and make us more sensitive. Like everything, it takes practice. So far you've written books on sermon crafting, depression and now Jesus on Every Page. Are there any other topics you could see yourself writing a book about in the future? Yes, I’ve been working on a book called Positive Faith: Optimistic Living in a Negative Culture. Should get lots of sales in Scotland and Northern Ireland!
For older readers of this magazine the word Woodstock may suggest images of a rather notorious music festival. For others it may be a reminder of a cute little cartoon bird in Snoopy. For us the name Woodstock is far more significant. It's the name we are using to identify the area of East Belfast where the Reformed Presbyterian Church is seeking to follow on the Gospel witness which continued there for over 100 years. Since October 2012 a group has been meeting for Bible study each Tuesday evening in the Cregagh Road church building, and since December others have used the building on Thursday mornings as a base where free tea, coffee, chat and literature have been offered to those passing up and down the Woodstock Road. For some time the church building had been used as a charity shop by Blythswood Care. When they moved to other premises, the Eastern Presbytery suggested seeking God's will regarding the use of the building. A small committee was appointed and took those first steps on Tuesday evenings and Thursday mornings. After a few months we believed the Lord was leading us to move forward in faith and so arranged a public meeting in April at which Robert Robb spoke on the subject of 'Depression'. More than fifty people came, including over twenty from the locality. That same month we began a worship service on the Lord's Day morning. A core group of around ten people now come to the Tuesday evening Bible study with some from the local area. Attendance on the Lord's Day has varied from seven to fourteen and every week there have been people from the area. We have rejoiced to see the evidence of God's grace at work. Following the example of Shaftesbury Square a class for those wishing to learn English was started and on the first evening more than
thirty arrived! The numbers have been fairly steady and about eleven different nationalities represented. The Eastern Presbytery reviewed the work at its September meeting and have decided to continue services for the next six months. One of the great encouragements we have had since October has been the obvious interest and prayer support around RP congregations and beyond. When we were leaving the church building after the first service one of the men from the Gospel Hall next door stopped to say they are glad to see us back and are praying for us. At the end of one of the first Bible studies, David McCullough and I discussed the small group of men who for years had met in the present building and prayed for God's blessing on that part of the city. David commented, "Surely their prayers have not fallen to the ground." God does graciously hear the prayers of his people. He sends the answers in his appointed way and at his appointed time.
These are early days at Woodstock but God has given us many encouragements. Please pray that he will draw people to himself and that Christ will be honoured as lives are changed by his grace in the Gospel.
Angelo Failla, Flickr
healthcare and education, a civilised country, stable government and easy going locals. It’s like home but with sun. We dress in Ripcurl t-shirts with long flowery Quicksilver shorts, buy hair products that give us a ‘messed up beach-blown look’, take our bodyboards out on Portstewart Strand and pretend to live the surf lifestyle. They actually live it. It looks like the good life. But it’s killing them. The good times are lulling them to spiritual sleep. People are lazily and idyllically slumbering their way to Hell, and they don’t know it. Riches and the good things of this world are dangerous. Jesus warned, “How difficult it is for those who have wealth to enter the Kingdom of God” (Luke 18:24). Australia’s good life creates the illusion that they don’t need God. Many believe this illusion and so are in greater danger of death
AUSTRALIA is full of things that can kill you: the Box Jellyfish (the most venomous creature in the world), the Blue Ring Octopus, the Stonefish, Red Back spiders, Taipan snakes, Brown snakes, Tiger snakes and sharks. That’s just a few. Even a Kangaroo can be deadly – hit one at speed on a county road at night and you’ll glad if you live to tell the tale. Reigning supreme amongst Australia’s killers is the Saltwater Crocodile. Travel writer Bill Bryson chillingly describes it as, “a creature so perfectly engineered to kill that it has scarcely changed in 200 million years”. While his dating is wrong, his sentiment is right – the Master Engineer has designed a killing machine. As one tour guide told us, “If you’re in the water and you see one of these bad boys coming for you, there is nothing you can do. Nothing.” Yet there have only been 29 fatal crocodile attacks since 1867. Australia is full of things that will kill you. But it probably won’t be the animals. There are two things more likely to cause death in Australia. The first is its happy-go-lucky, relaxed, ‘we’ve got the best lifestyle in the world’ atmosphere. Australians do have it good. Travelling down the east coast from Port Douglas to Sydney we met many Irish people. Most come for a year initially, and then don’t go home. It’s easy to understand why: the endless sun and beaches, all the conveniences of modern life, good -
“ than they’ll ever be from crocodiles – eternal death. The second thing more likely than crocodiles to cause death is the cost of the work of warning these endangered people. Men have gone there to warn the Australians of their danger and to proclaim the good news that there is a King who gave his own life that they might have life in all its fullness. For these men every day there is a death. Every day -
they take up their cross and die to their own desires and wishes. Ed Blackwood in Frankston dies to his desires to be with his children and grandchildren in America. Graeme Hart in the small McKinnon congregation dies to the desire to be in a large congregation with his old friends in Geelong. Andrew Stewart in Geelong dies to the desire to be home and with family in a time of sickness. Australia is not a dangerous frontier mission work and these men are not martyrs like Jim Elliot, but they are still dying for the sake of the Gospel. They are dying to self because Australians are in danger of eternal death. They are dying to self because their Saviour died for them. They are dying to self because they know it’s the path to real, full, joyful, eternal life now and in the future. What about a gap year in Australia? It’s a great place, well worth a visit. And it’s a great place to die. Not by crocodile attack. Not by choking to death on the riches of this world at Surfer’s Paradise or Bondi Beach. But by dying to your pleasures and dreams in this world and going to work or study in Melbourne for a year, bearing the cost for the cause of King Jesus in Geelong, McKinnon, Frankston and the rest of this vast needy country.
I was one of eight members of the Cloughmills Go Team that took place this summer from 4th-10th August. There were six other team members and we were led by Philip Dunwoody. We arrived in Cloughmills in time for evening worship and supper, and received our very busy timetable for the week! Each morning we arrived early to allow time for our own personal Quiet Times and a short team prayer time in preparation for the day ahead. The children arrived for Holiday Bible Club at 10am, with an average attendance of forty-five. There were games on arrival, juice and biscuits, singing, talks and memory verses. Anne Forgrave’s and Andrea McKelvey’s organisation was top-notch and the club ran like clockwork.
This year, I had the privilege of attending RPCI Senior Camp for the first time. I was really excited to experience camp first hand, having heard so much about it. The speaker for this year’s camp was Mark Loughridge who gave six encouraging and thought-provoking messages focused on different aspects of “Fixing Your Eyes on Christ”. Besides the excellent messages, there were many other highlights throughout the week. Coming from the relatively small Canadian RP church, I found spending time with over a hundred other RP young people and getting to know more about them and their congregations very encouraging. It was so uplifting to gather to worship God and sing psalms together. The daily discussion groups were very profitable and gave us all a great opportunity to get to know each other better by digging deeper into Mark’s messages. The leaders and the committee did a fantastic job planning a packed schedule of games and activities. A heated evening of competitive icebreakers resulted in
After lunch, we had a team Bible study. The studies were on the first few chapters of Acts, led by Philip. We all found them extremely encouraging, thought-provoking and challenging, causing us to reflect on our congregations and ourselves. If only we could have the zeal of the early Church! Each afternoon had a different activity – a scavenger hunt, community service, the annual Pensioners’ Tea Party (and concert), a Leader Hunt (where we dressed as different characters and the community had to find us) and a carnival. David “Mario” Loughridge was relatively easy to spot, as was Philip “Sonic the Hedgehog” Dunwoody! In the evenings, we held a teenagers’ Youth Club, including table tennis, pool, games and a short talk particularly applicable to young people. It was great to be able to have conversations with the youth of the community. All in all, it was a week of great spiritual blessing. All of us felt quite a strong bond by the end and it was difficult to have to leave on Saturday!
several fortunate campers being awarded the freedom of not having to do dishes for the rest of camp. The Apprentice, the murder mystery and ice-skating were all highpoints of the week. We were blessed with some excellent weather, which added to the enjoyment of McCollums’ Madness and the competitive sports afternoon. On Thursday night we were treated to a variety of acts from the highly talented youth of the RPCI at the annual Camp Concert. The committee also organized and led a very helpful seminar on guidance and how to make decisions that honor God in all areas of life. Throughout the week, we were treated to excellent food prepared by the dedicated and gifted cooks who gave up their time to come and make sure that we were well fed at camp. They were always cheerful and never ceased to provide us with delicious meals despite the huge number of people to feed! Senior Camp 2013 was an absolutely terrific experience and one that I won’t soon forget. I am so glad that I had the blessing of going to camp, meeting so many new people and having my faith strengthened through the talks and the uplifting Christian fellowship. Thanks again to the leaders, committee, speaker and cooks who made this camp possible; your work is greatly appreciated!
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“So, how was Guinea-Bissau?” is a question I’ve been asked more times than I can count since returning a few months ago. I’ve found that question very difficult to answer on the spot, and so most people probably received unsatisfactory vague answers full of meaningless superlatives. This time I’ll try to give a proper answer, and share some of the blessings and challenges I experienced. In February 2013 I headed off to this tiny little country on the west coast of Africa to spend three months of my gap year working as an English teacher with the global missionary organisation WEC International. Arriving in a foreign country where I knew nobody and could hardly speak any of the local language was a daunting prospect. However, God was gracious in placing me in the town of Ingore among missionaries and local Christians who were so friendly and welcoming, helping me to learn their Creole language and get familiar with their culture. My main role in Ingore was to teach a class in the English club which is run by the missionaries and the church. My classes on weekday
afternoons focused on learning to use basic English grammar and improving reading and writing in English. We also played games to help increase vocabulary. Teaching was a real challenge as it was unfamiliar territory for me. I was often very tired from the heat and struggled to think of new ideas at times. But again God was there helping me, giving me strength and inspiration when I most needed it. He taught me to be totally reliant upon him for my health and abilities. Aside from teaching, I was able to get involves with the local churches, particularly the youth church in Ingore. I thoroughly enjoyed attending youth meetings, playing football, having meals with them and being involved in their outreach efforts in the town and surrounding villages. It was a real blessing to be able to have fellowship with Christians my own age. Sabbath mornings saw me travelling along with the Ingore missionaries to a small nearby town called Barro, where a church has recently been planted. We met to worship with around fifteen Christians from the town. I was greatly encouraged to find that I could understand a lot of what the
pastor said as he preached. What a blessing this was, that God was still speaking to me and teaching me through his Word, even in a different language! I also got the chance to visit a remote tribal village called Campeane, where a missionary called Salomi has been serving. She has been witnessing in this village for a few years, but as yet no-one has come to faith. Her faithfulness and trust in the Lord’s sovereignty was a huge challenge to me. She sees it as a joy and an honour to proclaim the gospel, and is not put off by discouraging results. She understands that she is merely sowing the seed, and that only the Lord in his time can save a person. It was both humbling and inspiring to see Salomi’s faith and her willingness to serve God in such a difficult place. It’s been incredible for me to see how God is at work in this small, widely unknown part of the world, and how people from so many different races, languages and cultures can be united through the joy of saving faith in Christ.
23rd November 2013 A Conference about the Gospel Ministry Covenanter Book Centre, Knockbracken, 10:15 am Text Rev. Warren Peel to register 07982465570
ministering for the master
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THE EARLY CHURCH wrestled long and hard with these implications for the first three centuries of her postPentecost existence. At the heart of these discussions was the matter of the Son’s relationship to the Father. Was the Son God as the Father was God, equal to him in every way, or was he somehow a slightly lesser god, subordinate to his Father not only in terms of the role he played in salvation but also in his very being. These might seem like tedious, even pedantic questions, but they were – and are – of vital and pressing importance. Put simply: if the Son is not truly God as the Father is truly God, then he cannot save. He cannot reveal the Father, he cannot truly conquer death, and he cannot bring his people into communion with the Father. This matter was brought into sharp relief in the early fourth century by the work of a presbyter from Libya named Arius. His thought is somewhat obscure, partly because his later status as heretic meant that much of his writing was destroyed and partly because much
of what survives is either in the form of quotations provided by his opponents or in doggerel poetry. What he seems to have argued, however, is that the Son was something akin to a highly exalted creature and not God as the Father is God. Arius’s writings came to the attention of Alexander, then the Bishop of Alexandria, who pressed the case against him and brought matters to a head in 325 at the First Council of Nicaea (Nicaea I). Dan Brown’s fiction notwithstanding, the council overwhelmingly voted against Arius and his followers and affirmed the full deity of the Son.
“ The victory was somewhat temporary. Alexander died shortly after the Council and was succeeded by Athanasius who had not been a significant player at Nicaea but was growing in stature as an ecclesiastical statesman and a -
theologian. Unfortunately, he was no diplomat and for much of the rest of his life was to be alternately Bishop of Alexandria and then in exile (five times, totaling 17 years), sometimes due to his theological stand, at others simply due to upsetting the emperor. Athanasius' significance lies in two areas, one doctrinal, the other practical. Doctrinally, Athanasius saw very clearly the absolute necessity of maintaining the full deity of Christ. Perhaps this can best be illustrated by looking at the technical vocabulary developed in the fourth century for articulating this position. Nicaea I used the term ‘homoousios’ to describe the Father and Son. Literally, this claimed that they were of ‘the same substance’. In other words, that which makes them what they are is shared in common, that is, their deity or ‘Godness.’ One cannot distinguish the Father from the Son by saying that one is somehow a superior being to the other; in terms of their being, they are both equal.
Athanasius saw this as crucial for making sense of the Bible. The Son can only reveal the Father if he is God manifest in the flesh, if the same substance is revealed through the flesh. The Son’s language about he and the Father being one can only make sense if they have the same substance. Prophecies such as those in Ezk. 34 only make sense if the Son is God. We could multiply examples indefinitely but the basic point is clear: if the Son is not God, he cannot save. Only God can reach down and grasp human flesh and bring it up into communion with himself. A creature can never transcend that divide. This is why, in the 350s and 360s, Athanasius was unable to agree with a proposed modification of the term ‘homoousios’ which might seem to good way of bring the moderates on both sides together. This term was ‘homoiousios,’ ‘of like [or similar] substance.’ There is only one letter that has been added, that little Greek letter iota. But Athanasius saw clearly that this one little letter brought with it a vast ocean of theological difference. If A is similar to B, then A must possess or lack some property which differentiates it from B. In other words, A must be different to B, no matter how many properties they hold in common. For this reason, Athanasius could not agree to surrender homoousios for homoiousios. To have done so would be to surrender the very point he had tried to maintain all along and, indeed, ultimately to abandon the gospel. A Christ who is similar to God cannot save. This brings us to the second point where we can learn from Athanasius: sometimes apparently trivial differences can have massive theological implications and therefore cannot be relativized or ignored. There is a pedagogical context to all theology, of course. We should not expect the new Christian or even the typical Christian who attends church faithfully each week, to understand immediately the intricacies and importance of something like the term ‘homoousios.’ But we do need
to make sure that those who hold office in the church do understand what is at stake in the great formulations of doctrine, particularly on the matters of the Godhead and the Incarnation. One iota does not seem to make much difference – until, that is, one explores the history of the doctrine and comes to realize that it actually made all the difference in the world. Humanly speaking, the church
“ owes Athanasius and his allies a huge debt. The defence of the full deity of the Son was vital; and, while Athanasius died in 373, the creed formualted at the Council of Constantinople in 381, which articulated the deity of both the Son and Spirit, was the historical watershed for the Trinitarian doctrine of God which then paved the way for the clear definition of the Incarnation at the Council of Chalcedon in 451. That creed, known somewhat inaccurately as the Nicene Creed, remains perhaps the most beautiful, precise and concise statement about God the church has ever produced. For those wishing to read more about Athanasius, a good place to start is his treatise, On the Incarnation which is available in various translations, some of which can be found for free on the web. And, given that this is a magazine produced by a denomination which maintains exclusive psalmody, you may also find his Letter to Marcellinus to be a real gem. In this work, Athanasius explains which psalms are appropriate for which situations in life. A classic pastoral letter.
Visit our Facebook page for a link to Athanasius’ treatise.
After arriving on Saturday 24th August the Go team joined the CY for some crazy golf, followed by a large chippie – the Go team had certainly got off to a good start! We met with the congregation for worship and lunch on the Sabbath. Rev. Andrew Kerr spoke to us from Eph 5v18, which was helpful as we began the Go week. We were reminded that as Christians God lives in us by his Spirit and how we needed to ask God to fill us again and again with his Spirit as we met the challenges of the week ahead. God, our loving Heavenly Father, fills us if we ask (Luke 11v13). The days then began to fall into a familiar pattern: beginning at 9am (some seemed to find this more difficult than others!) for Bible study on the parables followed by a time of prayer, led by our team leader Rob McCaughan. Thanks must go to Rob for the work he put into these and the organisation of the week. After a quick cup of coffee we headed off, map in hand, to distribute leaflets to the surrounding area. One afternoon was spent visiting some older members of the congregation and it was lovely to chat, read, pray and sing together. Free time was often filled with table tennis, uni-hoc, football or volleyball - we were a little competitive! Around 15 children attended the Holiday Bible Club each night and we were delighted to see some teenage girls returning with their friends. Evenings were filled with games, crafts, quizzes, memory verses and talks on the parables. On Friday a BBQ was held for children and parents with lots of fun games and concluding with a message from Rev. Andrew Kerr. A huge thank you to the members of Knockbracken for making us feel so welcome, whether by hosting us, providing meals or entertaining us for an evening. I pray that you benefitted and were as encouraged from the week as I was.
I'd never seen much need for Bible study software before doing placement abroad. Needing to get hold of a few of the newer commentaries that I couldn't borrow, and not wanting to add weight to my suitcase, I looked at digital options. The Kindle versions were cheaper than paper, but I felt digital commentaries should offer more - like being able to easily show any Bible texts referenced. Enter Logos, for which it is possible to buy tens of thousands of Bibles, commentaries, bible dictionaries etc. These resources tend to be more expensive than print versions - but they are 'value added'. Type in a Bible passage and any resources you have which reference it will open at the relevant section. Another advantage over regular ebooks is that in a few seconds you can search for any word or Bible reference not just in one book but in your whole library. Furthermore, Logos resources don't take up shelf space and are fire and theft proof, and are accessible anywhere on computer, tablet or phone.
It should be noted that a limited version of the basic Logos program is available for free. However, for indepth study you'll want a more powerful option. Logos strongly push users to buy one of their seven 'base packages' ranging from ÂŁ190 to over ÂŁ3200, adding features and bundled resources. The bronze package, which we've been given to review, costs ÂŁ406 (though discounts of 10-15% off are easy to find). Still, it's not cheap - so what do you get for your money? First, it includes over 400 resources, which Logos claim have a print value of $8,000. These include Bibles, original language resources, commentaries, Bible introductions and surveys, reference works, church history and devotional resources, maps, ministry resources, theology books and more. However, Logos' claims regarding how many resources you're getting and how much you're saving need to be taken with a large pinch of salt. Many of the resources are old and freely available online; and a lot of the
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others you are unlikely to have wanted. That's not to say they're all worthless. Some of the resources are definitely worth having, and many will find the integration of value added older resources (eg Calvin and Matthew Henry) worth paying for. Yet while the included resources are a mixed bag, you're also paying for some powerful features. Timeline lets you click on a person or an event and see where they fit into biblical, church or world history. The Bible Facts tool lets you type in a biblical person, place, thing or event and gives a short description, family tree, relevant Bible references, and a list of related people and topics. Topic Guide pulls up key verses and resources on Biblical topics. However, as with everything in Logos, it's limited to whatever resources you have in your library. Logos also has a dedicated image search, though most included images are dated black and white ones - a pity given how much the package costs. The Exegetical Guide provides powerful original language search and analysis. There is no doubt that Logos is a powerful piece of software. The cost is prohibitive, but a silver lining for full-time theological students is their academic program which offers a Biblical Languages package (all features, great resources, little guff) as well as 30-50% off most resources. Ministers might want to look at the Gold or Platinum versions which contain all Logos features and lots of good resources. Some will prefer to stick with printed books but, especially for those starting out and not committed to print, Logos deserves serious consideration.
A Brief History In September 2011, the Reformed Presbyterian Church of Scotland began services in Edinburgh in Chris and Jenny Somerville’s home. In January 2012, the group began meeting each week in Craigroyston Community High School. In June 2012, Peter Loughridge was inducted as organising pastor.
Our Work On Sundays we have a morning service in a classroom in the school at 11am. Our average attendance is 17. Each week we eat lunch together after the service, then we have a time of Bible study, sharing prayer points and praying together at 5.30pm. The school we meet in runs a number of community classes and activities. Members of the church have been getting involved in these as a way of meeting and getting to know people from the local community. On Tuesday mornings, Edinburgh City Mission runs a food bank in the area. This provides a simple emergency food supply for a short period of time for people in a crisis. We go along to chat to people while they are waiting for their food, get to know them and share the good news of Jesus with them. This has
been one of the most effective ways of making contacts in our community and many of the newcomers to church (especially those from no church background) have come through this. Every few months we distribute invitations to church or leaflets containing members’ testimonies. In June this year a mission team organised by the RPCNA helped us with distribution and we were also able to take part with them in RE classes in the school for a week. On either side of the school where we hold our services, there are two housing estates (called ‘schemes’ in Scotland) – Muirhouse and Pilton. These schemes have a lot of problems with crime, deprivation, addiction and violence. We feel strongly that this is the part of Edinburgh to which God has led us to and there aren’t many other good churches in this part of the city. A lot of our ongoing work is on a one-to-one basis with people from the community. Recently we have been really encouraged and excited as four ‘households’ (some students, some families) from our church have moved into Muirhouse and Pilton. We believe this will be a more effective way of reaching these communities as we build relationships with neighbours, see people at the local shops, join in community activities, etc.
Prayer First, we want to say a massive thank you to those who already pray for us. We’re very aware of the prayer support we receive from way beyond Edinburgh and we’re really grateful to God and to you for it. Please continue to pray: — For the non-Christians we have contact with and who come to church – that God would miraculously bring many from death to life. — For the new Christians in our church – that God would make them strong and help them to grow and that they would make wise choices. — For our core group – that we will continue to be passionate and prayerful about glorifying God by taking his wonderful news of salvation to those in the community where he has placed us. If you’d like to receive regular prayer points about the work in North Edinburgh, please email us – peterloughridge@hotmail.com
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