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T H E M AG A Z I N E O F T H E E VA N G E L I C A L A L L I A N C E
MAY/JUNE 2015
NEWS COMMENT FEATURES
HOPE TO THE HOPELESS
PRISON MINISTRY TODAY
Inspirational stories from across the world
THEOLOGY
60 SECONDS
FROM SATANISM TO CHRIST
How prison allowed one man to meet God
GOOD QUESTION
BIG INTERVIEW
THE THEOLOGY OF PRISON
And how to emulate Jesus in our disciple-making commission
CONNECT
ON THE JOB
IDEA MAGAZINE / 2
CONTENTS
Amaris Cole: The Church in the UK really is giving hope to the hopeless, and we’re proud to represent these people at the Alliance.
idea-torial
FIVE THINGS I DIDN’T KNOW UNTIL THIS ISSUE
Giving hope to the hopeless
Six out of 10 boys who have a father in prison go on to offend
At the Evangelical Alliance, we like our food. Barely a week goes by without some excuse for cake in the kitchen or a bring and share lunch. And so when it comes to the decision of where the staff Christmas meal will take place, it’s a big deal. Prison isn’t an obvious place to take 40 employees
almost entirely by inmates who are learning new skills they can take with them on their release. We had a brilliant time. It got us thinking about other great projects being run for ex-offenders by our members. I knew the Church did great work in this area, but I was inspired by the individuals I met while putting this edition together.
Nine out of 10 of those involved in the London riots were already known to the police
prison to bring the good news, organisations working to train offenders who have no formal education and
Where will you pitch your tent this year?
22 Shaken faith
XLP’s Patrick Regan writes…
16 Inspire Awards
The Inspire Awards are back. Who will you nominate? How can the Church respond in the digital age?
REGULARS 4-8 Connect
News from the Alliance.
12-13 In the thick of it
Inspirational prison ministry. The Alpha course is in 75 per cent of prisons
18-19 Big interview NT Wright drops into the Alliance.
33 Leaders’ question Every summer, some 24,000 people flock to New Wine
Is the Church too middle class?
NT Wright has written more than 50 books
34 Last word
We heard stories of people who have turned their life around thanks to the kindness of strangers going into
14-15 Festival fixtures
24-25 Modern mental health
for a festive feast, but last December we descended on HMP Brixton to visit The Clink, a restaurant staffed
FEATURES
36 idea-list
5 Christians who have been to prison. The general director Steve Clifford writes…
From the Archive
31
churches who meet ex-offenders at the gates and give them a home. The Church in the UK really is giving hope to the hopeless, and we’re proud to represent many of them at the Alliance. We also have some new features in this edition, and would love to hear what you think of those. Around the World Evangelical Alliance will bring you stories of our evangelical family across the globe, so we can pray and encourage their work. Turn to page 10 for that. We are also introducing our idea-playlist, so you
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35 idea-playlist
The good Lie
can listen to the tracks we had playing while making this magazine, watch the videos that have interested
Head Office Evangelical Alliance has moved:
Email address changes to members@eauk.org
us and read the books that aren’t to be missed.
176 Copenhagen Street, London N1 0ST tel 020 7520 3830 [Mon – Fri, 9am – 5pm] fax 020 7520 3850 info@eauk.org www.eauk.org
Northern Ireland Office First Floor Ravenhill House 105 Ravenhill Road, Belfast BT6 8DR tel: 028 9073 9079 nireland@eauk.org
I hope you enjoy this edition. As ever, we would love to hear your thoughts. Amaris Cole Editor
We’re on Twitter! Follow us @idea_mag
Evangelical Alliance leadership team Steve Clifford, Helen Calder, Fred Drummond, Elfed Godding, Dave Landrum, Peter Lynas, Chine Mbubaegbu
Wales Office 20 High Street, Cardiff CF10 1PT tel: 029 2022 9822 wales@eauk.org Scotland Office Evangelical Alliance Scotland, Blair Court, 100 Borron Street, Port Dundas, Glasgow, G4 9XG tel: 0141 353 0150 scotland@eauk.org
The Evangelical Alliance. A company limited by guarantee Registered in England & Wales No. 123448. Registered Charity No England and Wales: 212325, Scotland: SC040576. Registered Office: 176 Copenhagen Street, London, N1 0ST
MAY/JUNE 2015
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CONNECT
News from the Alliance across the UK
Northern Ireland Freedom of Conscience Bill A consultation has just closed on a draft private member’s bill that was prompted by the Asher’s Bakery case and other instances, where service providers and businesses acting on Christian conscience has led to court action. The consultation was about finding reasonable accommodation in cases involving religious belief and sexual orientation. The Alliance welcomed the concept behind the bill – providing space for reasonable accommodation in cases of conscience. We also welcomed the huge
public debate it generated. The Alliance felt the bill could be widened in scope to include other clashes of conscience and suggested that the specific language proposed be revisited to avoid misuse or discrimination. The full response is available on the Northern Ireland section of the Alliance website. Regular engagement with politicians, media and church leaders on these important issues around freedom of religion and conscience continues.
Five prayer points for the UK Alliance At the Evangelical Alliance, we start each day with 15 minutes of prayer for the work we do. Why don’t you join us in praying for these five things in May and June?
1. We are just days away from the general election. Please pray for the Show Up campaign and that thousands of Christians will show up to
Abortion
A Department of Justice consultation closed in January on allowing abortion in the cases of ‘fatal foetal abnormality and sexual crime.’ Before the consultation had closed the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission initiated a court action against the Department of Justice over its alleged failure to comply with international Human Rights Standards on access to abortion. These are very sensitive moral, legal and political issues. In the midst of uncertain times we continue to seek the wellbeing, life and dignity of women and their unborn children rejecting any dichotomy between
vote, helping to shape the future of our nations.
2. Please pray for Christians working in and with prisons in the UK. Pray for their witness to the prisoners and that, by the grace of God, many would come to faith.
the two. Again, the response to the recent consultation can be found on the Northern Ireland section of the Alliance website.
3. Join with us in prayer for all of the Alliance’s resources for Christians and church leaders – for idea magazine, Friday Night Theology emails, 21st
Reconciliation
Next year Northern Ireland will remember one hundred years since the 1916 Easter Rising and the battle of the Somme. The Alliance is involved in some exciting discussions about how the Church could help to heal, honour and give hope as we look back and then forward. We’re passionate about helping our society move from a place of curating the culture of the past to creating new culture for the future which everyone can share together.
Century Evangelicals research reports and many more. Ask God that He would use these to inform, inspire, challenge and engage His people with the wider evangelical Church and today’s culture.
4. Praise God for all that He is doing through the Public Leadership programme to support and equip Christians to lead in public life.
5. With Christian festivals fast approaching, spanning the summer months, pray that they will be times of worship, deepening faith and great fruitfulness for those who attend.
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CONNECT
Serve Scotland Serve Scotland, an Alliance coalition to connect Christian social action projects with each other and with local authorities, has seen continued development over the last few months with two pilot projects now up and running in Glasgow and Dundee, and another planned around Inverness. In Glasgow, churches are now meeting regularly with Glasgow City Council and in Dundee plans are being made for the
first Serve conference looking at the Church’s response to the area of mental health. An official launch is planned for later in 2015 with the Serve Scotland website due to go live in the coming days. servescotland.org
Abolition Scotland The Abolition Scotland coalition has been active over the last few months as the Human Trafficking and Exploitation (Scotland) Bill has been considered at Holyrood. In March the coalition was invited to give evidence to the justice committee considering the bill and since then have been active in seeking improvements to the legislation. We’re calling for improvements to tackle the demand for sex that often fuels trafficking, to strengthen survivor services and to put in place guardians for child victims of trafficking and encouraging supporters to contact their MSPs to ask for these to be added to the bill. We’re also
encouraged by the growing number of prayer groups regularly meeting in Edinburgh, Glasgow and East Kilbride to pray for the end of human trafficking and are excited to see this grow. Abolition Scotland is planning a number of events across the country in June to pray and encourage Christians to play their part in tackling human trafficking. For further details visit abolitionscotland. org or keep up with the Alliance Scotland Facebook page.
What kind of Church? After the success of the What Kind of Nation? document, where the Alliance managed to create a conversation with thousands of Christians in Scotland through meetings, study materials and social media, we now want to do the same about what God is calling the Church to be in the nation. We aim that from Stornoway to the Borders, lay people will be talking about the Church - what it is, what God is calling us to do and how we move forward. This is not a conversation about maintaining what is left, but asking whether we are being faithful to what God has called us to be.
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We’re working on producing a central resource for this discussion titled What Kind of Church? This and other accompanying materials are being written by the director of the Evangelical Alliance Scotland Fred Drummond with input from a host of other church and organisational leaders. The aim is to use again the methods that were so successful with What Kind of Nation? and have the resource, a social media campaign and a tour of Scotland. We aim to have the largest discussion about what God is calling us to be and do in our nation for a generation.
Conference examined the commison to those in prison Gweni’s recent conference, Caring for Those Affected by Prison, was an opportunity to bring focus and direction to work with exoffenders and their families in Wales. Paul Cowley from Caring For Ex-Offenders spoke about how churches can reach out to people who have known life behind bars and Mark John, the managing chaplain for Cardiff, Swansea, Prescoed and Usk prisons spoke of the desire for the chaplaincy to work with churches. During the conference, Evangelical Alliance Wales’s national director, Elfed Godding, offered a theological perspective on this important ministry. He said: “The most effective way to emulate Jesus in our disciple-making commission as his followers is to proclaim and demonstrate his justice, mercy and grace. Today’s Gweini conference provides inspiration to do that.” Turn to page 28 for the full piece on the theology of prison ministry.
Mother’s mission Evangelical Alliance Wales was involved in a mother’s pampering day for Mothering Sunday at Tabs Church, with bacon baps for all. A team pampered mothers, while fathers were treated to the morning papers and children were occupied by various craft activities. A mother of six said it was the best Mother’s Day she had ever had. One father returned to the church with another family he knew, so they could enjoy the fun. People involved in other outreach projects, including the Alpha Course, also attended. A prayer team was on hand throughout the day, with many taking the opportunity to ask for prayer. Margaret Haines, who works for Evangelical Alliance Wales, said: “The church was buzzing from start to finish and good conversations went on. We pray that contacts made will lead to friendships growing as we witness to them with the love of Jesus.” IDEA MAGAZINE / 5
CONNECT
News from the Alliance across the UK
World Evangelical Alliance’s new secretary general welcomed The Evangelical Alliance UK has welcomed the appointment of Bishop Efraim Tendero as the new secretary general and CEO of the World Evangelical Alliance (WEA).
Helen Calder, executive director: finances and services at the Evangelical Alliance UK, said: “As a founding member of the WEA in 1846, we are delighted to welcome Bishop Tendero to his new role. Our prayer is that he will play a strategic part in enabling the evangelical Church across the world to be united and confident in its mission to share the good news of Jesus Christ with those in our cities, our nations and our world. We look forward to welcoming him to our home in London in due course.”
Bishop Tendero – widely known as Bishop Ef – has been national director of the Philippine Council of Evangelical Churches (PCEC) for more than 20 years. He is also president of Philippine Relief and Development Services, the relief and development arm of PCEC that works with local churches to serve those in need.
Bishop Tendero, began his five-year tenure on 1 March, after being unanimously appointed by the International Council (IC) of the WEA. He succeeds Dr Geoff Tunnicliffe, who stepped down at the end of 2014. Read an interview with Bishop Ef in the next edition of idea magazine.
Bishop Tendero
New member churches Christian Revival Centre International NORTHOLT Faversham Gospel Mission
FAVERSHAM
CleerWay Community Church
LISKEARD
RCCG Kingsborough Family HAYES Assemblies of God Central Pentecostal Church LONDON Elim Pentecostal Church HOLYHEAD RCCG Temple of Faith BASILDON Ark Community Church SUTTON COLDFIELD Restoration Outreach International Church SLOUGH RCCG Builder’s House SOUTH CROYDON Horizon Church Sutton SUTTON Exodus HARROW Cornerstone Community Church Wales SWANSEA Grace Community Church ARMAGH Crossover Chapel International LONDON St James Trowbridge TROWBRIDGE Liberty Christian Centre HEMEL HEMPSTEAD Fleet Baptist Church HAMPSHIRE Redeemer Croydon LONDON Hope Community Church CARSHALTON IDEA MAGAZINE / 6
The Good Shepherd Christian Church BRIDGWATER Newport City Church NEWPORT The Potters House Church CRAWLEY The Lord’s Church International Ministries LONDON Obra Evangelical Luz del Mundo UK LONDON Oasis Church ACCRINGTON Twynholm Baptist Church LONDON Holy Redeemer - Streatham LONDON The Life Word Centre MILTON KEYNES Sports Village Church LEIGH King’s Church Upminster UPMINSTER Church of the Holy Spirit with St Luke’s GUILFORD Restoration Gate Ministries LONDON Grace Church BROADSTONE Flaming Sword Ministries International LONDON Croydon Vineyard Church SOUTH CROYDON Grace Vineyard Purley COULSDON Life Church Lincoln LINCOLN Kingdom Life Chapel International LONDON Clapham Christian Fellowship LONDON
Power of Faith Assemblies of God Church READING Ethiopian Christian Fellowship Church LONDON Yeovil Vineyard Church YEOVIL Capstone Church ROMFORD Sunrise Church HEMEL HEMPSTEAD Bearfield Church BRADFORD ON AVON South Glasgow Church GLASGOW
New member organisations Living Out BRISTOL Jesus Women International Prayer Movement UK WITNEY The Bible Curriculum WYLAM Church Growth Trust Ltd CORBY Christ Central Churches Worldwide SALFORD The Lodge Trust OAKHAM Pulse Children’s and Youth Ministries WOLVERHAMPTON Commission Apostolic Trust Ltd BOURNEMOUTH Refreshment UK MANCHESTER The Filling Station Trust BATH Auchengray Church Centre Trust CARNWATH
News from the Alliance
MAY/JUNE 2015
CONNECT
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NEWS
by Cath Butcher
How HOPE 2014 has helped to shape the Church for the future come to faith after activities that were part of HOPE 2014. Christian youth agencies came together to back Hope Revolution’s 32 Mission Academies. These pioneered a new style of youth-led mission, supporting 750 young people to adopt a lifestyle of mission. HOPE’s Greater Love Remembrance and Silent Night Carols initiatives gained national media coverage and helped churches to engage with their communities in new ways. Hundreds of Silent Night Carols events were held across the country, with 60 in sports grounds, including Premier League stadiums hosting events. Around 75 per cent of churches involved with HOPE 2014 said they either held an event or used HOPE 2014 resources over the Advent/ Christmas period. The report was launched at the Leader’s Summit in Lake Windermere. The group, which included HOPE’s Roy Crowne and the Alliance’s Steve Clifford, planted a tree at the end of the meeting.
Churches in Trowbridge started their HOPE 2014 mission year with 24 hours of prayer, praying together over their town from one of Wiltshire’s White Horses. Also under the HOPE banner, churches in Rugby started a prayer room in the town centre, which began a wave of strategic church partnerships in the area. Churches in Hinkley, Leicestershire, developed a new relationship with their local newspaper and local Christians gained new confidence to speak about their faith as a result of HOPE 2014. In Carlisle, Cumbria, more than 400 volunteers were involved in 5,000 hours of social action, welcomed 1,000 people to community barbecues, cleared seven and a half tons of rubbish, washed 220 cars and hosted HOPE fun days for 80 families. HOPE 2014 helped hundreds of churches to work together to reach their neighbourhoods and almost half of those involved saw someone come to faith as a result according to a new report on the year. The Christian think tank Theos published A Year of Mission – an Evaluation of HOPE 2014 in March, which shows that HOPE 2014 built on the success of Hope08: • creating unity in mission; • helping local churches integrate mission in word and action; • beginning to embed a rhythm of mission in their church life; IDEA MAGAZINE / 8
• training and developing young people to lead in mission. General secretary of the Evangelical Alliance Steve Clifford, who chairs HOPE, said: “HOPE takes shape at the grassroots where hundreds of churches are working together. We want to thank all the individuals and local churches who have caught the vision and put it into practice in so many different, creative ways around the rhythm of mission.” Theos found that the HOPE network has become broader and more diverse than in 2008 - black and ethnic minority churches are now in its leadership, staff and programme development, alongside a greater range of mission agencies. The majority of churches taking part worked with churches of different denominations. Prayer was a major focus and feature of HOPE 2014: 600,000 copies of a Season of Prayer booklet were distributed to start the mission year in prayer and Redeemed Christian Church of God churches prioritised prayer for HOPE and the UK, with a rota of churches using HOPE’s monthly prayer calendar to pray daily. A third of the churches involved said they did more evangelism in words and action, and 90 per cent of local practitioners said that HOPE 2014 helped them reach their neighbourhood. Four in 10 respondents to the Theos survey said that someone had
Eastleigh churches said they had developed new levels of trust. They worked together on social transformation projects in July and a borough-wide Silent Night carols event at Hampshire County Cricket Club’s Ageas Bowl. Roy Crowne, HOPE’s director, said, “We are thrilled to see the Theos report confirming what we felt about HOPE 2014. More churches in villages, towns and cities worked together to do more in mission in words and action. It’s great to know that HOPE has helped to shape the church for the future, leaving a legacy that will last. But we recognise that there is still more to be done. We want to see more churches engaged in mission together being intentional about putting faith into words so that more people become followers of Jesus.” The Theos report on HOPE 2014 was presented at a Church Leaders’ Summit in March. At the event Steve Clifford announced that HOPE will go on working until 2020. Roy Crowne added that HOPE will continue to be a catalyst for evangelism in villages, towns and cities, emphasising a rhythm of mission through the church year to see evangelism embedded into the local church. In particular, 2018 will be a focused year, which will include churches bringing communities together to mark the centenary of the end of World War One. The full report can be downloaded from hopetogether.org.uk
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AROUND THE WORLD EVANGELICAL ALLIANCE
News from the evangelical Church across the world Evangelical Fellowship of Canada Ontario released a new physical education curriculum in February. The curriculum outlines a new sexual education component for the province’s public and Catholic schools, which teaches children from eight years old about sexual orientation and sexual acts. The details of the new curriculum haven’t been made public, following outrage when a similar proposal was introduced in 2010.
Rev Aiah Foday-Khabenje
The Evangelical Fellowship of Canada is asking Christians to write to the minister of education about concerns that the religious understanding of sexuality won’t be presented to children at school. Critics of the curriculum say parents should playing a role in educating their child on this issue, not schools. The EFC has now published a webpage of advice, sample letters and other resources on this issue at theEFC.ca/ OntarioPE2015.
Association of Evangelicals in Africa The Evangelical Fellowship of Zimbabwe is hosting the African Evangelical Alliance’s general assembly in June. The meeting will set the agenda of the AEA’s programmes for the next four years, as well as addressing issues it faces, such as the persecution being faced by Christians in North and West Africa. The Assembly will pray for the situation in Libya, where Coptic Christians are facing beheading and attacks on places of worship. “Prayer is not our last resort but a powerful weapon that we as Christians have in our armoury and in fact our first and primary line of defence,” said the Rev Aiah FodayKhabenje, general secretary of the AEA. The General Assembly will take place from 27 June to 2 July, 2015.
Education minister Liz Sandals announcing the new sex education curriculum
Evangelical Alliance of Malawi
Evangelical Fellowship of India
On 10 January, 2015, more than 17 districts were affected by heavy rains and thunderstorms in the low lying areas of Malawi, especially the southern region of the country. Malawi’s president, Peter Muntharika,
Aid helicopter hovering over floods in Malawi IDEA MAGAZINE / 10
declared 15 of these districts disaster areas. Official reports put the death toll at 176. Over 800 people are still reported missing and 300,000 displaced from their homes, and requiring some form of assistance. Houses, livestock and property have also been destroyed. In a bid to assist in the response efforts, churches in the country have launched the Church Response to Floods programme, a steering committee chaired by The Evangelical Alliance of Malawi. The Association has joined the Malawi Council of Churches and the Episcopal Conference of Malawi to form the initiative, with a goal of mobilising over three million people to give towards the needs of the affected people in the most hit districts.
The Evangelical Fellowship of India has released a statement about the Christian community’s concern over the intensity of the targeted violence against it. Violence against Christians picked up in independent India in the early 1990s, reaching its peak in 2008 to 2009, with more than 1,000 incidents of violence and hate crimes reported against the Christian community. Human Rights and civil society groups have documented the death of at least two people last year who were killed for their faith. Violence peaked between August and October, with 56 cases last year. The violence has continued well into the 2015, with more Catholic churches in the capital city of Delhi targeted,
as incidents continue in other states. Much of the violence, an estimated 54 per cent, involves threats, intimidation and coercion, often with the police looking on, reports claim. Physical violence constituted a quarter of all cases, 24 per cent, and violence against Christian women, a trend that is increasingly being seen since the incidents in Kandhamal, Odisha, in 2007 and 2008, was 11 per cent.
Child victim of anti-Christian violence in India
ON THE JOB
Unlocking potential
and transforming lives
Castle Huntly Open Estate near Dundee is Scotland’s only open prison with an emphasis on preparing inmates for release into the community through a focus on enhanced personal responsibility, job readiness and positive citizenship. We sent Kieran Turner behind bars to interview the Rev Anne Stewart, the local prison chaplain. He found out how prison chaplaincy is making a difference in helping the Scottish Prison Service (SPS). Fortunately they let him out to update us on what he found…
Rev Anne Stewart, the local prison chaplain
What does an average day involve?
What more can we do?
Haha – an average day! Maybe it’s more straightforward to talk about an average week, though even then every day can be different to what we plan. As chaplains we run a number of regular activities including Café Monday – a pub without the alcohol, Prison Fellowship on Tuesday and Alcoholics Anonymous on Wednesday. On a Sunday I’ll also run a service in the afternoon for any inmates who want to attend. But the regular activities are only part of the story. We operate our new centre, The Shack, as a drop in during the day so inmates, staff and anyone else can come and talk to us whenever they like. We find we are trusted by inmates because we are not part of the authority structures and by staff because they see the value of the service we provide. Additionally, we will spend time in different parts of the prison informally chatting to inmates and staff and on a Sunday a number of our inmates have visited our church as part of the weekend leave programme. Why did you end up doing this? It’s quite funny really and sounds very unspiritual. At the time we had small children and with my husband in parish ministry it wasn’t right or practical for me to be based in a different church. My husband saw this job and encouraged me to apply. Although I actually applied late I somehow ended up getting it. I vividly remember being on holiday shortly afterwards and
MAY/JUNE 2015
having a strong sense that this was exactly the right job – it felt like coming home when I returned to work. Very quickly I went from not having any idea I might end up doing prison chaplaincy to being totally content this was where God had called me. And seven years on now I wouldn’t change it for the world. What are some of the biggest positives and challenges of your work? One of the biggest positives is meeting the people, strange as that may sound in a prison. One of the things I’ve really learned is that human beings on the inside of prison are basically the same as those on the outside. We’re all made in the image of God and all fallen. We’re all capable of great evil, it is perhaps just a bit more obvious in a prison context. What this means is that many of the men I work with know their lives are broken – if they weren’t broken they wouldn’t be here – and this opens up opportunities to talk with them about redemption, forgiveness and transformation and the good news of the Jesus within all that. Last year at an Alliance event in Edinburgh, Kenny MacAskill, the then justice secretary, made the case for the positive contribution of prison chaplains and other Christians working with offenders to help reduce reoffending.
Churches can do so much. Whether it is volunteering to work in prisons through Prison Fellowship or supporting those who are leaving prison once they are in the community. We often get asked to help when SPS are aware there are no support networks for offenders who are leaving prison and it is wonderful to work with Caring for Ex-Offenders and local churches to see support networks established. Caring for Ex-Offenders has recently started working in Scotland and gives ex-offenders a mentor and support as they reintegrate into the community. In England they even meet prisoners at the gate and that’s something I would love to see here. In our own church inmates often visit on a Sunday as part of weekend leave and the church has provided a wonderful welcome with many of them serving on the tea and coffee rota. It’s important for churches to consider in advance how they will respond to those who have been in custody, but as Philemon reminds us offenders can change. As Christians we all know what it is to be redeemed from sin and offending behaviour ourselves – working in prisons helps us to pass that on and see lives positively transformed. If you’ve enjoyed reading about Anne’s work, then visit eauk.org/idea for more on what it’s like to be a prison chaplain, as well as an interview with Scott, who has changed his life around since spending time with chaplains inside prison. IDEA MAGAZINE / 11
IN THE THICK OF IT
by Amaris Cole
Prison ministry:
giving hope to the hopeless In August 2011 the London riots began in Tottenham, before spreading to 66 other places across the Capital and beyond. Nine out of 10 of those involved in the riots were already known to the police and those convicted had on average 12 other convictions. Despite what much of the reporting on the riots suggested, this wasn’t a phenomenon in its own right – it was a symptom of a much larger issue. Of those convicted, 75 per cent were under the age of 24, and many came from a fatherless home. An independent panel, convened by the government to explore the causes of the riots, found a link between poverty and those who ended up behind bars for their actions during the period – there was sense of consumerist entitlement, an anger at being left out of the job market and a feeling of being let down by the system.
needed to be tailored for those inside who may struggle with literacy and be turned off by formal education. Steve James was chosen to head this up. Having served four years in prison himself, he was an ideal candidate to develop this course, which is now being carried out in prisons around the world. “I became a Christian in 1997. I was serving a four year prison sentence, with a background of drug abuse and dealing. I didn’t see a future beyond drugs.” But while Steve was cleaning a wing in the prison, he overheard someone giving their testimony. “I wasn’t even supposed to be there – I wasn’t invited to the meeting. But I heard the gospel on the wing about how Jesus could change your life. My life changed from that day.”
It was these findings that sparked a new programme by Reflex, a prison ministry social franchise overseen by Alliance member Youth for Christ. They saw a direct correlation between poverty, a lack of aspiration, low self-esteem, broken families, unemployment and a lack of training, and imprisonment. So they decided to do something.
As an ex-offender, it was hard for Steve to get back into prison to begin trialling the new prison edition of the course, but the Welshman was granted access to Cardiff prison, and was allowed time to work through the Christianity Explored course with prisoners and their chaplains, exploring what worked with the original course and what didn’t.
“What we do is provide hope to the hopeless,” said Tim Rosier, head of outreach. “We teach them things that mums and dads should have taught us all.” The myLife course includes lessons on budgeting, how to make a meal, dealing with emotions and navigating the morals of society.
“It was quite academic, and that didn’t work, so we’ve made it really simple – very easy, very accessible. You don’t have to be able to read.” And feedback from both prisoners and chaplains show that it works – so much so that Christian Fellowship International approached them about taking it to 127 countries across the world. A pilot programme
“What determines whether someone makes the right choices in the heat of the moment is character,” Tim said of the life skills this course teaches. “Prisoners respond to us as we offer something that’s compelling and engaging and, most importantly, useful,” he said. “We are motivated by faith. We want to see transformation.” Evangelical Alliance member Christianity Explored also believe it’s personal development that will bring about long lasting change for those stuck in the cycle of crime. Eight years ago many prison chaplains were using the church edition of the Christianity Explored course, but the charity recognised that it
I think the Church forgets that we are all sinners.” IDEA MAGAZINE / 12
Prisoners in Nigeria who have completed ‘The Prisoner’s Journey’ course with Christianity Explored
IN THE THICK OF IT
What determines whether someone makes the right choices in the heat of the moment is character.” began last year called Prisoner Journey, based on the course Steve developed for prisons here in the UK. But it creates different challenges: “We are trying to reach a population of people who have no idea about Christianity,” Steve said. The courses are usually introduced by an event held on the wing, where prisoners are shown a DVD that explores the identity of Jesus and given gifts.
Prisoners taking part in the Christianity Explored programme.
“I think every prison around the world is unique. In some of the African countries, when you do an event you have a lot of people who are very desperate. In Brazil and Columbia you have some prisons where the prisoners are running the prisons, so it’s difficult.
Steve said he had lost all hope. “All I looked forward to going out and going back to drugs.” But that changed when he listened in to the meeting on the wing he was cleaning. “I went up to the people after and I off loaded. The guy said: ‘I don’t want to know about what you have done. Christ loves you and I love you’. He said if I wanted to come and live with him I could.”
“In the UK, if you want to run an event on a wing you are treated with a lot of suspicion. You have to talk to the governor and say what you are doing and what you’re trying to achieve.”
Bringing this gospel to prisons is “powerful”, Steve said. “I have heard prison called the dumping ground, but this is part of the great commissioning.”
So are the officials in UK prisons wary of Christian input? “Governors are usually happy to run these courses,” Steve explains. “If you’re working with a chaplain that has a good relationship with their governor you’re usually fine.”
Churches must be willing to accept ex-offenders among their congregations. It’s a big challenge, Steve said, but the Church needs to become comfortable with working in their local prisons and then supporting those prisoners on their release.
He says what helps with the course they run is it does “exactly what it says”. The charity also offers a discipleship course following the initial series to get to know God, so they have the skills to negotiate their Christian life for the rest of their sentence and beyond.
“I think the Church forgets that we are all offenders – we all fall short of God, we are all sinners. But God is in the business of changing people.”
But what can the Church do to help? Prison Fellowship currently have 2,200 volunteers up and down the country. Volunteering can take several forms, including offering chaplaincy support or writing letters to inmates. The charity is also looking for coordinators to for its Angel Tree programme, which buys and sends presents to the children of a particular prison. “The hidden victims of crime are the children of offenders,” said Gareth Russell, who represents Prison Fellowship. Both prisoners and their families find this programme valuable. “They’re delighted that their children have received these gifts,” he said. One sent the charity a letter saying: “Over the last two Christmases you have been there for my children when I couldn’t be, and I would like to thank you from the bottom of mine and my children’s hearts. Your charity is absolutely amazing and you never fail to please or do what you set out to do. While we are away being punished, why should our children suffer over our wrongdoings?” Assistants to work alongside these coordinators are also needed, along with treasurers for the programmes. But not everyone has the time to volunteer in prison ministry. All three organisations have asked for prayer for the work they do and those they are working with. They feel the Church could be doing more. “Jesus said: ‘I was in prison and you visited me’. For Jesus, the prostitutes, the prisoners, the widows were all really important,” said Steve of Christianity Explored. “Jesus said that’s one of the signs that you’re my followers. When I was in prison in 1997 nobody wanted to know me. I was only being visited by a Christian organisation willing to give up their time.” MAY/JUNE 2015
WHAT CAN YOU DO?
VOLUNTEER… Get involved with the work Prison Fellowship does. Volunteer to work at the Angel Tree project, or the other programmes the charities run: prisonfellowship.org.uk/get-involved/ If you’d like to volunteer with Reflex, you can do so via Prison Fellowship, who handle the application process. Look into Community Chaplaincies – faith-based organisations providing mentoring to people leaving prison, focusing on encouraging the individual to meet their own goals and build a positive life in the community away from crime. To find out more and find a project near you go to the website: communitychaplaincy.org.uk
PRAY… Pray for the individuals going into prisons regularly to volunteer Pray that the organisations working in prisons will continue to be granted access and funding Pray that thousands more prisoners will be met by these ministries and give their hearts to God
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Summer
by Chine Mbubaegbu
Festivals
CHRISTIAN FESTIVALS. We’re not talking here about Pentecost, Christmas or Easter. But Christian festivals of the kind where hundreds of Jesus followers pack up their rucksacks, pick up their tent pegs and spend a few nights in a field worshipping together, being inspired and refreshed through hearing the word of God. With so many to choose from, we thought we’d provide you with some handy information on some of the best festivals around to help you decide where you’ll be pitching your tent this summer.
The Pursuit
Keswick Convention
Spring Harvest for hipsters. The Pursuit is a four-day, 24/7 worship, prayer, community and justice gathering aimed at those in their 20s and 30s who are looking for something different. Yes there’ll be beards and yes there’ll be skinny jeans, but yes there’ll be young people passionate about living out their faith with authenticity. “You and your mates” are invited to spend as much or as little time as you like in what the organisers are describing as a “constant, creative worship hub”. The Pursuit speaks in the language of a generation where it’s not about big names, but about collaboration – about everyone bringing something to the table. The Alliance’s very own threads will be hosting a venue at the event, dubbed ‘The Secret Doubt Garden’.
This year’s theme at the popular Keswick Convention is: “The whole of life for Christ.” Thousands will gather over the three weeks of the convention to grapple with the challenge of living holistically for Christ – including in our workplaces, in our free time, in our communities, in our homes and in public life. Sung worship over the three weeks will be led by Stuart Townend, Steve James and Lewis Green. Keswick Ministries has been in existence for 140 years, impacting churches worldwide. With a focus on hearing from God, being part of God’s mission and becoming like Jesus, this is the festival for those who want to spend time away from the hustle and bustle of life to be refreshed before returning to live out every area of your life for God.
When? 1-4 May Where? Grantham Website: thepursuit.co.uk In three words: Trendy, collaborative, beards
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When? Week 1: 11-17 July; Week 2: 18-24 July; Week 3: 25-31 July Where? Keswick Convention Centre Website: keswickministries.org In three words: Traditional, holistic, mission
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CLAN Gathering
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CLAN prides itself on being a place where people gathered from across denominations can come and seek refreshment and renewal in beautiful surroundings. Organisers hope to facilitate an environment focused on prayer and focus on Jesus. “Only when we comprehend the greatness of our King will we be inspired, encouraged and empowered to pour out from our gathering to bless and love our nation in Jesus’ name.” The main speaker at the all-age gathering this year will be theologian Amy Orr-Ewing and Kris Vallotton – senior associate leader of Bethel Church in Redding, California. When? 11-16 July Where? Kelburn Country Park, Largs Website: clangathering.org.uk In three words: Established, refreshment, renewal
New Horizon Last November after a bombing killed 40 Muslim schoolchildren, Ben Kwashi – the archbishop of Jos in northern Nigeria – spoke out against the extremist violence of Boko Haram. This summer, he is one of the main speakers at New Horizon – an annual summer event in Northern Ireland that attracts 5,000 people passionate about seeing God’s kingdom come in every area of their lives. Youthwork forms an integral part of New Horizon, with the Livewire team catering for the 350 teenagers who come together to grow in their faith. When? 1-7 August Where? University of Ulster, Coleraine Website: newhorizon.org.uk
Big Church Day Out Picture 20,000 people from across the country gathered together for fun, fellowship, music and worship. This is one you can take your non-Christian friends to. Headed up by Tim Jupp, formerly of Delirious? fame, the festival is backed by a number of supporters including Alliance members Mission Aviation Fellowship, Tearfund and UCB. This year will see a number of diverse Christian acts take to the stage – from Faithchild to Salvation Brass to Israel Houghton and Rend Collective. New for 2015 is the Big Church Bazaar where those attending can pick up resources, books and gift ideas. When? 23-24 May Where? Wiston House, West Sussex Website: bigchurchdayout.com In three words: Music, celebration, tents
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In three words: Passionate, holistic, vibrant
Momentum For thousands of young adult Christians, Momentum is the highlight of their summer. So often described as a generation missing from the Church, but at Momentum each morning and evening, you’ll see hundreds of people in their 20s and 30s packed in to the big top for times of worship, teaching and ministry. According to organisers, “the heart of Soul Survivor is to envision young people of all denominations to capture first a vision of Jesus, and then to equip, train, empower and release them into ministry in their everyday lives”. When? 27-31 August Where? Bath & West Showground, Shepton Mallet Website: momentum.org.uk In three words: Energetic, refreshing, trendy
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Creation Fest
New Wine: United
According to worship leader Ben Cantelon, Creation Fest is the highlight of his year. Unlike many other festivals, it’s free. It began in the summer of 2002 in north Devon as a one-day event and developed into a three-day festival. If you’re new to camping, you can try out this year’s new glamping units. With 14 artists confirmed, including Chaos Curb, Guvna B and US favourites Scott and Madi Cunningham, this year looks to be one of the best yet. Creation Fest exists to share “the good news of the God who has created us and loves us, of His Son, Jesus Christ, who has redeemed us, and of the Spirit who guides us”.
Every summer, some 24,000 people flock to New Wine – a movement passionate about seeing local churches equipped to change the nations. There’s something for everyone at New Wine, with seminars on leadership, social justice, mission and ethics among those listed. There’s never a dull moment at New Wine, with so much on the programme including worship, seminars and Bible teaching. But organisers realise that sometimes a rest is very much needed. So halfway through the week, there’s a day with a reduced programme to give you time to chill. Inspired.
When? 1-7 August Where? Royal Cornwall Showground, Wadebridge Website: creationfest.org.uk In three words: Family-friendly, free, fun
Solas Festival With arts and justice very much at the heart of this Perthshire festival, Solas endeavours to be a place of generosity and hospitality. Supported by the Methodist Church in Scotland, the festival derives inspiration and values from its Christian roots and brings together activists, writers and thinkers from across the political, cultural and religious spectrum to talk about issues of social justice, art and beauty. At this year’s offering – whose theme is ‘Between the lines’ you’ll be sure to see yurts, rising stars and innovative collaborations. When? 19-21 June Where? Perth Website: solasfestival.co.uk In three words: Art, justice, open
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When? Week 1: 25-31 July; Week 2: 2-8 August Where? Royal Bath & West Showground, Shepton Mallet Website: new-wine.org In three words: Impact, transformation, inspiration
One Event Hosted by the Ground Level Network of churches led by Stuart and Irene Bell, this year’s One Event line-up includes speakers Matt Summerfield, Miriam Swaffield and Jeff Lucas. The event is now in its fourth year, but builds on 30 years of what was previously known as the Grapevine celebration. This all-age event is about “being refreshed, empowered and finding a strong sense of unity across a variety of streams and networks”. There’s a real family feel at One Event, with lots of activities for youngsters, including sports, water fights, films and competitions. When? 28 August – 1 September Where? Lincolnshire Showground, Lincoln Website: one-event.org.uk In three words: Active, unity, energy
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BIG INTERVIEW
Gospel truth: why Jesu Renowned Bible scholar NT Wright has been described as the modern heir to CS Lewis. Here, he tells Chine Mbubaegbu why recapturing the right narrative of Jesus is key to understanding how faith in this Jesus is good news and why it makes a difference.
Tom Wright
A short while after Tom Wright drops in to see us at the Evangelical Alliance in London, a huge box arrives on my desk. Kindly donated to the Alliance library by SPCK, the box contains all 18 volumes of Wright’s New Testament for Everyone series. And it brings home to me just how much of a theological heavyweight he is. Author of more than 50 books, the former bishop of Durham is now research professor of New Testament and early Christianity at the University of St Andrews. “I grew up in a Christian home – in a very understated middly-Anglican way,” he says. “And from an early age I was overwhelmed with the sense of God loving me enough for IDEA MAGAZINE / 18
Jesus to die for me. I have memories of that when I was seven. So there’s never been any question. There was no great moment in which I said ‘oh my goodness, I’ve got it all wrong up till now and I’ve seen the light’. It was just a matter of discovering what was there in the world in which I already lived. And in a sense everything since then has been more of the same.” But after half a century of being sure of God’s existence and certain of his Christian faith, are there ever times when he doubts, I ask. He says no, but adds: “There are all sorts of things in the Bible that surprise or shock me. I have a long and a short list of things I want to ask Zechariah what they meant.
BIG INTERVIEW
s is simply good news The one that comes back again and again of course is the genocide and slaughter of the Canaanites. One feels the force of that. Is that how it had to be?” There many theologians of thinkers who have tried to explain why a loving God would command genocide. But for Wright, that’s a question we won’t be able to give a satisfactory answer to in this world. “There are cheap answers and I don’t like cheap answers, so you kind of live with those questions. If this is somehow strangely God’s story then it’s a story that we only really know in retrospect from seeing the cross. “And if we recognise that the cross is God’s story as well as our story then we realise that the whole thing is deeply mysterious. That when faced with the concepts of wickedness and suffering that God hasn’t just said ‘ok’. He’s come into the middle of it Himself. That’s not hugely helpful when reading the books of Joshua and Judges and Samuel. But there is a sense within the biblical narrative that the writer knows full well that this is less than the best. We must live within the story rather than have a neat package in which we’ve sorted out all the bits and pieces.” Wright has stopped in on his way to the launch of the Lumo Project – a groundbreaking, multi-language biblical film resource that aims to change the way we study and engage with the life of Jesus through the four gospels, through four feature-length films. He’s hopeful that the films will provide the means through which a new audience can engage with the person of Christ. But which Christ? So often it seems that the Church has different concepts of who Jesus is. Have we got the right one? Wright says: “Certainly in the UK there are quite different Christian narratives about Jesus. There is a traditional one that I suspect if you press the button for broadly evangelical groups it would come out as
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‘Jesus is the son of God born of a virgin who in order to save our sins died and rose again so that we could have fellowship with God’. “You would then have a kind of a puzzled liberal pushback which asks: ‘well what was all that he said about the kingdom of God?’ and how can we be sure that all those things really happened and maybe Jesus was just a good Jewish boy who would be horrified to think of having had a religion founded in his name. And there are Christians who go to church who genuinely ask those questions and are genuinely annoyed when evangelicals respond with: ‘Ah, you’ve just got to believe it and then it will be alright’. I see that as a kind of a dialogue of the deaf. When I was bishop of Durham I spent quite a lot of my time trying to interpret Christians who had the one narrative to Christians who had the other and trying to find some way between.” For Wright, it’s really important that we recover the first century narrative of Jesus, which the gospels are telling, but which is often forgotten. This is the subject of his latest book Simply Good News. “It’s the story of how God became king. This is the kingdom of God coming to earth as in heaven. Not as anyone imagined it would be like. The early Christians were quite clear that what had happened involved a redefinition of a kingdom of power as well as a fresh vision of God. And that’s basically a very Jewish story. There’s this problem with Christian Jewish relations, which is located exactly at this point. Jews for centuries have looked at Christians and said: ‘You changed the narrative. You’re telling a spiritual story about a spiritual experience and about going to heaven. Our story is about God caring about injustice in the world and coming to do something about it.’ Part of the answer is that from the beginning Christians have always said that Jesus would come again and sort it all out, which sort of just postponed that bit, as it were. But what the
Western Church has really forgotten is that that actually began when Jesus died and rose again. And this is about new creation having already begun and us being called to share that. In the Western tradition we’ve broken the gospel up into little bits and just taken the bits that fit the truncated narrative that we have rather than seeing the story whole as what it really was. In other words we’ve put the good news into a back story of our making rather than the back story that the first century disciples had.” As evangelicals, we believe we’re the good news people – passionate Jesus followers. But so often the rest of society doesn’t see evangelicals as good news: occasionally it’s the opposite. I try and get some wisdom from Professor Wright about his definitions of the boundaries of evangelicalism. What does it mean to be an evangelical? “I think it’s the wrong question,” he says. “Because it assumes that if only we could finally discover what an evangelical is then we could measure one and other by whether we shape up to that or not, which has all the wrong resonances. That implies that if only we could get a proper 18th century definition of what an evangelical is then we could then tell who’s in and who’s out. Immediately you would have nonsense going on. Instead I would ask the question like this: what are the tasks that God is calling the Church to in tomorrow’s world? What resources are there in the evangelical traditions to enable us to be equipped for those tasks? What problems might there be latent within some evangelical traditions that would stop us doing those tasks? And how can we wisely try to fix those problems? Including maybe learning from other traditions.” Simply Good News by NT Wright is published by SPCK in June.
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When faith gets shaken by Patrick Regan OBE
When I was diagnosed with a degenerative knee condition that would require major limb construction surgery, many people tried to encourage me that having to spend six months to a year in recovery would give me plenty of time to rest. They said things like: “Think of all the time you’ll have on your hands to pray and be in God’s presence,” and tried to reassure me that in the most painful times of their lives, they had known God the closest. It wasn’t like that for me. The physical challenges after the operation were tough. I had a huge metal frame circling my leg and kept in place with pins through the bones. It was agony to move and the first time I tried to go upstairs to bed I broke down and wept, not knowing how I was going to make it through the weeks and months of pain and immobility that lay ahead. But the hardest thing wasn’t the physical problems – it was feeling so spiritually numb. I had no sense of God’s presence. In the darkest moments I wondered if God had left me. I knew it wasn’t just the operation that was making me feel so low. It was an accumulation of years of working with broken people in desperate situations, years of limping on, worrying about my health and dealing with health problems in my family. I felt guilty for the impact my operation was taking on my wife, my family, and the team at XLP. The accumulative impact of all of it caught up with me and weighed heavily. My prayers became short and desperate: “Please say something God. Anything.” I took comfort in the words of Henry Nouwen who in 1995, a year before his death, wrote about prayer. Rather than describing an amazing intimacy with his creator as you might have expected from this spiritual giant, he described a painful lack. Though he had learnt much about prayer through painstaking research, he said he felt few emotions when praying: “I have lived with the expectation that prayer would be easier as I grow older and older and close to death. But the opposite seems to be happening. The words darkness and dryness seem to best describe my prayer today.”
I tried to focus on these things and hold on to the truth that God hadn’t left me.
Patrick Regan OBE
alone. My wife, Diane, and I both felt at a loss for how to cope. At one particularly bleak moment she stepped out of the room to take a minute on her own to cry out to God. She told Him it was too hard and that she couldn’t do it anymore. As she prayed she saw a picture of a tunnel and immediately thought of the phrase ‘the light at the end of the tunnel’. But as she looked she couldn’t see any light in the distance; the tunnel looked too long. As she looked again she saw the light was around her, at the start of the tunnel not at the end. In that moment she knew God had given her our survival strategy to get us through the difficult months ahead: we had to be fully present in the moment. We couldn’t look to how life might be in a day, a week, a month or a year; if we looked ahead waiting for the light, we’d miss the fact that God was already with us, right where we stood. Over the last year I learnt about real courage, peace, anger, guilt, surrender, hope and God’s Love.
The picture he painted wasn’t entirely bleak. He also said: “Are the darkness and dryness of my prayer signs of God’s absence, or are the signs of presence deeper and wider than the senses can contain? Is the death of my prayer the end of my intimacy with God or the beginning of a new communion, beyond words, emotions and bodily sensations?” In the midst of the darkness he found light. He had hope that God was still with him and that no matter what was happening it could lead him to a greater intimacy with his heavenly father. I tried to focus on these things and hold on to the truth that God hadn’t left me. But day to day I was still in constant pain with my leg and additional pain in my back from the weight of the frame. I was dealing with symptoms of IBS and eczema brought about by stress, not sleeping well, and feeling helpless as I couldn’t even stand up IDEA MAGAZINE / 22
Patrick is the founder of XLP. His new book ‘When Faith Gets Shaken’ looks at how we keep going when it feels like life has fallen apart and we’re not sure where God is. You download a free chapter or order your copy from whenfaithgetshaken.com
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by Arianna Walker
Mental health in the digital age how can the Church keep up?
The young woman sat opposite me in my office, tears streaming down her face. She held in her hand a bracelet, nothing special it would seem, except that it represented her belonging to a secret online community of people who had pledged themselves to a deity called Ana – anorexia. IDEA MAGAZINE / 24
It was the first time I had ever heard of such a thing – an almost religious community based entirely online, complete with the ‘thin commandments’ and daily ‘thinspriations’. The young woman told me how she had initially accessed the website for support – it presented as a help-site for sufferers of anorexia – but within a few weeks she had been contacted by the administrators and been allowed entry to the dark side of the internet. Suddenly, she had become part of a members-only community of those committed to their anorexia as a ‘life-choice’, rather than seeing it as a dangerous eating disorder. She swore allegiance to Ana and dutifully said her thin commandments out loud every day: “I will stay thin or die trying, and Ana will smile upon me.”
As a Christian organisation dedicated to helping people live free from life controlling issues, we had just encountered a new enemy. Or, perhaps more accurately, the same enemy using a new weapon. My conversation with this young woman happened over 10 years ago and since then I have found little to alleviate my concern about the damaging effect that the internet and with it, the digital age, can have on vulnerable people. The potentially destructive nature of the digital age is not limited to pro-Ana or pro-Mia (bulimia) websites. Having been involved in pastoral care in different settings for over two decades, I have seen a dramatic increase in the damage done to people’s mental health due, in part, to the demand and the effect of the digital age. The rise
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is not here to stay – it is here to evolve. And therefore so must we. Providing live-streamed church services should become the norm. Investing time, energy and resources into our websites, podcasts and phone apps should be a priority. In the cacophony of virtual sound that is the internet, the Church of Jesus must rise up and make herself heard. We can be change agents, spearheading the direction of flow – signing online petitions, hosting forums, writing blogs, articles and tweets around issues that matter. Many are doing this already. For instance, mindandsoul.info are an excellent resource exploring Christianity and mental health with much of their work done entirely online, utilising podcasts, blogs and online articles to the max. Christian magazines and broadcasters are increasingly embracing their online audiences and I know of several churches that have more people watching their services online than are actually in attendance at the meeting.
and reach of online pornography is hugely disturbing and damaging, as is the plethora of ways in which strangers can access our children’s lives. The cyber-bullying that takes place on a daily basis is costing lives and I fear that we are raising a generation of people who live their lives through social media – portraying happy, perfect lives while dying inside. A recent article featured in The Independent stated that support groups for online gamblers were struggling to adequately respond to the cry for help that was coming from those trapped in the world wide web of online gambling addictions – an industry that has hit the £2billion-a-year mark and boasts nearly one million addicts in the UK alone. As someone who is old enough to remember a time when an apple was just MAY/JUNE 2015
a fruit and phones were just phones, I have an important decision to make. You see the digital age is not evil, wrong or damaging in and of itself. The internet – and the smart phones, devices and consoles that support it – is an amoral, inanimate tool that can be used by whomever knows best how to wield it. And therein lies our choice and challenge. The Church is largely led by my generation. Those between 40 and 60 years of age are the senior decision makers of our time, but when it comes to all things digital, on the whole we are lagging behind. Perhaps we have been ignorant or uninformed or unable to firmly grasp hold of the tool that has so successfully built these evil online empires, or perhaps we have simply been afraid? Whatever the reasons, we have to be willing to learn, grow and grasp hold of what is happening because the digital age
But there is much still to do. Even within my own organisation, Mercy Ministries UK, catching up to the digital age is slow and cumbersome. We have plans to make our application process much more user-friendly by setting up an online application portal, supporting people via live-chat is still on the cards but has not been actioned yet, and I would love to have our ‘Choices that bring Change’ curriculum available by means of a ‘virtual home,’ dramatically increasing the number and variety of people we can help. The world is moving on, and continues to do so at breakneck speed – the shapers of this new world – often the younger generation in their teens and 20s – are spearheading trends that affect us all. Their fluency in all things technical forces us to accept that though we may have had reservations about the digital age, it is time to remind ourselves that if we can’t beat them, we must join them, to have any say in shaping it. Arianna Walker is a speaker, a writer and the executive director of Mercy Ministries UK – a Christian charity that works in partnership with churches across the UK to provide residential care for young women who are dealing with life controlling issues. For more info visit mercyministries.co.uk IDEA MAGAZINE / 25
60 SECONDS WITH…
Prison ministry: core of the Church’s commission? Having spent nearly 40 years as an atheist, the Rev Paul Cowley MBE reckons it was as much a shock to God when he gave his life to Christ during the Alpha course as it was to him. The Caring for Ex-offenders and William Wilberforce Trust founder spends 60 seconds with Amaris Cole, talking about prison and his passion for unity. Tell us how you first became involved with prison ministry? “Both my parents were alcoholics so I left home at 15, was expelled from school and then got in trouble with the police. I went to Risley prison for a while – a borstal then now a prison. When I came out I didn’t want to get in trouble again and I didn’t want to go back to prison, and I eventually joined the army.” Cowley spent the next 16 years in the military, serving in Northern Ireland and Falklands, which included two marriages, two divorces and almost becoming an alcoholic. At the end of his army career he moved to London. “A few things happened where God was on the scene, but I didn’t know about Him because no one has spoken to me about Him. I went out for dinner with some friends and they mentioned this course called Alpha. I had too many questions that they couldn’t answer in one go. This chap said: ‘Why don’t you try one of these Alpha courses?’ I thought: 16 years in the army and I’ve done every course you could possibly think of, I’ll try a course on God. Half way through it I got a real shock, really. I met with God. It was probably a shock for both of us – I don’t know whether I was looking for Him, or He was looking for me.” After becoming a Christian Cowley gave a testimony at Holy Trinity Brompton, where he did the Alpha Course, and was asked to go into a prison with an HTB staff member. “And I said no. Why on earth would I? But she was very persuasive. I went to Dartmoor prison in between working as a volunteer and there was something in the prison that really struck me. I spoke to some of the men and their stories were horrendous. Mine was nowhere near as bad as theirs, but when I spoke to them I found myself speaking about God and about hope, and they were really interested.” IDEA MAGAZINE / 26
This got him thinking about whether Alpha would work in prisons. In 1997 Holy Trinity Brompton asked him to become a pastor with the aim to develop the Alpha course in the prison system.
How did that lead to the creation of the William Wilberforce Trust? “I started to get more involved with prisons, visiting and talking to chaplains, asking if they’d take [Alpha] up. At its height it was in about 100 prisons. Today the course is in over half of the UK prisons and more are now starting to run the course. As more men and women came to Christ, we had to get churches lined up [to support prisoners on their release].” They began offering ministries to tackle the issues that a huge proportion of prisoners face. “They’re homeless, they’re addicted to something, they’re in debt, they have mental health issues and they need mentoring. So we started all those different ministries at HTB.” But these weren’t joined up. “When someone asked me what I did, I just reeled off this sort of shopping list – it sounded a bit odd.” A fan of Wilberforce for his “47 years of tenacity” trying to get the slavery bill through, and his ideas about reforming society, Cowley chose to call this group of ministries the William Wilberforce Trust.
Rev Paul Cowley MBE
could possibly hear: emotional abuse, physical abuse, sexual abuse, but then I hear the next story. I’m constantly surprised at the state we get ourselves in.”
So is the Church doing enough to reach those in prisons and ex-offenders? While there are “loads of fantastic organisations, like Prison Fellowship and Reflex who are doing stuff with young offenders”, and other groups working outside prison, there’s room for improvement. “What we don’t seem to do as a Church in general is pull it all together and work together. I think that’s a shame and that’s my passion, unity.” Alpha has 7,000 churches signed up to run the Alpha course, but just 650 signed up to work in prisons and with ex-offenders. “Just imagine if we could get those 7,000 to sign up to actively participate in meeting men and women at the gate upon release. We could reduce reoffending overnight – we really could.”
“It tries to help people who are caught on the margins of society: rescue people who are caught in crisis, restore their lives by helping them with the courses and organisations we’re involved in, and then we try to reintegrate these men and women back into society.”
Matthew 25 forms the basis for the work the Wilberforce Trust does. “It’s meant to be at the epicentre of what we do, but sometimes it’s at the peripheral. Churches are busy – they’re doing lots of good stuff, but I think the lots of the stuff is peripheral, we need to be careful the good we do doesn’t stop us from doing the great we can do together. I think the core is supposed to be that Matthew 25 scripture, it’s our corporal acts of mercy”
You’ve worked in prisons a long time – does anything still surprise you when you meet with prisoners today?
You can watch the interview, with more questions and full responses from Paul, online at eauk.org/idea
“What we do to other human beings. I always think I’ve heard the worst story that you
Find out more at caringforexoffenders.org or williamwilberforcetrust.org
Tell us a little bit about what the organisation does today…
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Prison saved my life Interview by Miriam Skinner and words by Amaris Cole.
Richard Taylor is just 23, but has spent the last eight years in prison. Following a difficult childhood, he “went off the rails” at 14 and was sentenced to life imprisonment by Newcastle Crown Court for being involved in a fight with knife. He told idea magazine his incredible story. “I grew up in an abusive home. I was violently abused by my stepdad and I was bullied at school, which led to me going off the rails,” Richard begins through his thick Geordie accent, speaking about the build up to the incident that left him behind bars at 14. “I had always believed in God. When I started my sentence I started to explore other religions, but eventually I realised that Jesus was the true way and I prayed so hard to get out [of prison], but nothing ever happened. So I started to read about the devil and things, and I ended up having an unhealthy obsession with him. One night in January 2012 I gave my life to the devil, and I had become a Satanist.” Following his commitment to Satanism, Richard still went to the prison chaplain – mostly to see his friends. But then something happened: “In the midst of the madness, the Holy Spirit spoke to me and told me that I was going to be going back to God, and going back to God sooner than I thought. I just dismissed it, but on 20 August, 2013, the Holy Spirit hit me in the exercise yard.” While having this free time, Richard said God opened his eyes to the dangers of being a Satanist and what it really meant to ‘mess around with his soul, and the reality of hell and how serious this thing actually was’. “Eventually it led to my repentance to God.” While in prison, Richard completed the Alpha Course – “which I passed with flying colours!” – and was supported by Junction 42, a charity working in partnership with Reflex. But reading the testimonies of others was how he was most encouraged. “I was helped by how they had been right low in the depths of darkness, as I was. After hearing their testimonies I wanted so bad to get out of Satanism. I just wasn’t happy anymore. I wanted what Jesus was offering. “The Holy Spirit confirmed that He was real and that He did love me and He wanted to bring me out of that place. He wanted to help me to help other people who are in darkness right now to get out.” Despite the strength Richard found in God, prison was tough. “It is hard [to be a Christian in prison], but if you surround yourself with the word of God you really understand what Jesus is saying. He said if the world hates you, remember that it hated me first. He says to stand firm, because your rewards are with Him in heaven. He says look to Him with every problem, because when Jesus was on earth he was faced with every temptation we face.” MAY/JUNE 2015
Richard Taylor
Richard can remember the day he was released. “When I was getting let out, I stood by the gates with my bags and stopped. I prayed: ‘Jesus, I met you in here, and I need you to come out with me.’ When I got out I spent a lot of time in my room. I didn’t know how to deal with the outside world because I’d been in for so long.” He said his release was “overwhelming”. Prison is a completely different world to the outside, with structure and rules all becoming compared to freedom. “I was surprised just how different the Church is out here, and how lost people are these days. Everything has changed.” So what would he like to see the Church doing to support exoffenders like him? “Love them and just really follow the word of God. Take in what Jesus is saying. If you forgive, your father in heaven will forgive you. Jesus said: ‘Whatever you do for one of these, you do for me’, so the blessing becomes greater.” Richard now plans to go to Bible college, and is giving his testimony to encourage others, “which is my total pleasure”. “It is hard being a Christian but at the same time I wouldn’t swap it for any other luxury. I like the freedom I have in Christ and as hard as it is I wouldn’t want anything else.”
When I was getting let out, I stood by the gates with my bags and stopped. I prayed: ‘Jesus, I met you in here, and I need you to come out with me.” IDEA MAGAZINE / 27
THEOLOGY
Evangelical Alliance Wales’s national director, Elfed Godding, offers a theological perspective on this important ministry The gospel is inextricably linked to justice, mercy and grace. This may sound like a bold claim, but this connection is exemplified clearly in Jesus and the apostles. For example when Paul, Silas and their companions followed a vision to preach in Philippi the gospel had a phenomenal effect on each stratum of the Philippian society. The converts included a rich business women to whom the word of God was presented, a vulnerable and exploited girl from who a demon was cast and a jailer who was about to take his own life. What a blend of lifestyles in the embryonic Church. The best explanation is that the kingdom of God was demonstrated in Philippi. Heaven’s justice, mercy and grace was experienced on earth. We should not be surprised since it is the way Jesus taught us to pray – your kingdom come, will be done on earth as it is in heaven. But how did Jesus proclaim and demonstrate the gospel? From his inaugural sermon in the Nazareth synagogue onwards the theme of justice, mercy and grace pervaded his ministry. This I believe can be seen in three ways. Firstly, Jesus announced his ministry in the language of liberation in Luke 4:18-19 and Isaiah 61:1-2. Fresh from his temptation, Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Holy Spirit and
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Elfed Godding Evangelical Alliance Wales’s national director
The the of pri faced his home crowd in Nazareth. Reading from the scroll of Isaiah, Jesus declared its fulfilment there and then in his presence. It’s interesting though that he omitted the last clause of the Isaiah reading, which mentions “the day of vengeance of our God”. While demonstrating justice he showed that mercy triumphs over judgement (James 2:13). I have preached in hundreds of churches across Wales over the last 15 years. On one occasion I preached on forgiveness at a small church in the south. A man in his 50s came up to me after the service and asked
for a private conversation. “I am a convicted paedophile,” he said, “and while I was in prison an officer shared the gospel with me and eventually I became a Christian. I have served my sentence; I’m on the sex offenders’ register. The pastor of this church is fully aware of who I am and supervises my presence in this church. He has been a tremendous help. I have a question for you. Am I forgiven by God?” What is the answer? It is yes. This is the gospel. With allusion to the year of jubilee, Jesus chose to announce the good news as the alleviation of poverty, freedom for prisoners,
THEOLOGY
eology ison healing for the blind and release for the oppressed – the signs of a transformed society; the language of liberation from sin and it consequences into life as God intended. The Christ-likeness of a society is measured in part by the way that it treats those on its margins, including offenders and their families. Secondly, Jesus executed his ministry by bringing justice, mercy and grace in different ways to different people. In John chapter 3 Jesus explained to
MAY/JUNE 2015
Nicodemas that he needed to be born again. He had to allow God to do something that his training could not achieve. We like this chapter as evangelicals. We are often good as explaining to affluent professionals that they need to be born again. And that is great, but we cannot just do that. Our message cannot just be aimed towards affluent professionals. In the next chapter Jesus offers living water to a despised Samaritan woman who is standing next to a well. She had to allow God to do something that her dysfunctional relationships could not achieve.
Still later in John 8 Jesus offers an adulteress forgiveness and the opportunity for a new start in life, while at the same time exposing the sheer hypocrisy and deviousness of her accusers. Justice, mercy and grace. And thirdly, Jesus concluded his ministry with specific reference to freedom for prisoners. He told a story to illustrate the ultimate test of a living faith in Matthew 25:31 to 46; often referred to as the story of the sheep and goats: “I was in prison and you came to visit me”. It is startling to many of us that Jesus makes no reference to ‘believing’ in this story. The commendation and acceptance seems to be based on acts of justice, mercy and grace. But there is no surprise here because Paul wrote that “it is by grace we have been saved through faith – not of works so that no one can boast,” Ephesians 5:8. James adds: “Faith without deeds is dead.” 2:26. Faith is not real unless it has expression. It is not mental assent and not passive. Jesus approaches the end of his ministry on earth still proclaiming the gospel in the language of liberation and demonstrating it with justice, mercy and grace, the most striking examples of which are those on the margins of society. The final conversation that Jesus had before his death was with an offender being punished for his crime and yet receiving forgiveness from Jesus in Luke 23:41–43. The most effective way to emulate Jesus in our disciple-making commission as his followers is to proclaim and demonstrate his justice, mercy and grace.
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GOOD QUESTION
by David Smyth, public policy officer for Evangelical Alliance Northern Ireland
Would Jesus look like a Christian today? Firstly, it’s important to state a few preliminary points. Jesus is God. He is holy, other, without sin. He was before all things, and all things were created in and through him. A rather obvious point. Yet he dwelt in human flesh. Jesus was a Jewish man rooted in a specific place and time in history. So it’s perhaps helpful to begin by remembering that Jesus is simultaneously altogether other, and yet present through his image and the Holy Spirit dwelling in Christians today.
“Jesus would surely have fun with some of my cool hipster Christian friends – I think he’d have an affinity with their beards and love of fine craftsmanship.”
Good question? This is a great question, one that I’m a little scared to answer to be honest. I’m a 32-year-old man, similar in age to Jesus at the peak of his ministry. But I’m 2,000 years later and 2,000 miles away. I call myself a Christian, but would Jesus look anything like those who claim to follow him today?
Christians can be Western, Asian, African, North and South American, Jewish, Palestinian, evangelical, conservative, liberal, Coptic, Protestant, Catholic, Arminian, Calvinistic – you can add your own descriptor here. I could be wrong, but I think it would be pretty hard to neatly categorise Jesus as a Christian today. I don’t think our man-made labels would stick easily to him. Given the way he approached many questions put to him in the gospels, I’m not sure he would answer such a query on our terms. Continuing on the theme of Jesus’s words, they were never ill-conceived, sinful, careless or misjudged. They were sometimes very offensive to the people around him, often misunderstood, always true. Always spoken with perfect justice and perfect love. He had the opportunity to teach systematic theology on the mountain top, but he talked of neighbours and anger, lust and the birds of the air. He could have expounded the theory of – well – everything, but he chose to tell stories about farmers and people who had lost coins. The deep spiritual truths about God and the good news of His kingdom was revealed in surprisingly down to earth language and encounters. I think Christians today are beginning to rediscover the power of their words under God’s word, but I’m still pretty sure Jesus would sound different to the average Christian talking today. We should also consider the Christian subculture. What would he make of Christian television channels and radio stations, the Christian worship industry, Christian book industry, the millions of Christian blogs, articles and social media chatter? Maybe Jesus today would make good use of the press and the internet maybe he would have his own YouTube channel to disciple his followers. Maybe
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he would lead a mega-congregation, a worship band or a Christian life-coaching consultancy. But I’m not so sure. While I’ve no doubt he approves and celebrates many of these ways of spreading the good news, I wonder if he’d also have some ‘table in the temple’ moments. Today, Christians are found in every sphere of culture: health, education, law, politics, science agricultural and the arts. Jesus was a carpenter in a small, rural town. He was a street preacher and temple teacher, spreading the message of the kingdom of God. He healed and cast out demons. He performed miracles that pointed to the Father. He went fishing with his friends and enjoyed meals with them. He debated with the religious and political leaders of the day. In this way I think Jesus would be like Christians today - about his Father’s work and spreading the good news of the kingdom across every area of culture. I said I was a little scared about writing this piece. I’ve been confronted with the fact that Jesus would look very different to me today. Knowing that he is returning to judge the earth one day, he would not be judgemental like I can be all too often. He would be kind when I am not and he would see the people I ignore. He would love more practically, pray more powerfully, do more radically, and live more abundantly. And the list goes on. Infinitely. But while I’m writing I’m also reminded of Jesus’s grace and his simple and profound love. For me and for his Church. He loves each one individually, even with their faults and failures and man-made labels. Jesus would surely have fun with some of my cool hipster Christian friends – I think he’d have an affinity with their beards and love of fine craftsmanship. He’d enjoy hanging out with those whose heart for the poor and the hurting reminds me of him and blows my mind. I know he already loves spending time with some of the older and wiser Christians, whose love for him, scriptures and the lost, genuinely challenges me. The more I reflect, I keep coming back to the paradox that Jesus would look entirely different, and yet at times look remarkably like some of the Christians I know today. Like me, this might surprise you, but maybe it shouldn’t given that we’re being recreated in his holy image.
Our new space to look back through the Alliance archive
Write a Song for Cliff Richard In celebration of the publication of the biography of Cliff Richard by the editor of our Crusade magazine, readers were offered the opportunity to compose a gospel song in a competition to be judged by Cliff himself. Prizes included a three-wave band transistor radio (value £14) for the winner in the words only category and a portable cassette tape recorder (value £27) for the winner in the words and music category. Around 400 entries were received and the winners in the two categories were John Owens and Keith Craddock. Some of the entries came in for some harsh criticism with some described by the editor as: “Lame, cliché-ridden, oversensitive, and embarrassingly subjective.”
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F
TURE
Have you nominated your hero for the Inspire Awards yet? Looking at today’s world you could be forgiven for thinking there wasn’t anyone willing to help those in need - let alone go out of their way to do something extraordinary. But the Inspire Awards know different and are back for 2015. Following the launch of this year’s awards in the last idea magazine, the nominations are flooding in for the competition, run by Inspire magazine and the Evangelical Alliance. This year’s panel are once again looking for examples of the thousands of ways churches and individuals are bringing hope to their communities. Whether it be street work with young people, interactive lessons in schools, work with addicts, lobbying, fundraising or completely different. Real people making a real difference. Here we highlight a past winner and a current nomination.
To nominate an individual, local programme or children work project that inspires you, visit eauk.org/inspireawards IDEA MAGAZINE / 32
Green Pastures
Lifeline Community Action
Green Pastures is a housing charity that won the 2011 Inspire award for their work housing the homeless and motivating the UK Church to tackle the issue.
Lifeline Community Action is a project nominated for an Inspire Award 2015. Serving the South Durham area, they support more than 3,000 people in need each year. As well as a drop-in centre providing free emotional support, friendship and practical advice for vulnerable people, the Helping Hands project has been developed to help and support people in crisis living in the area.
Green Pastures, through their many partner projects, now house over 660 people permanently and have seen over 3,000 vulnerable adults become part of their local communities.
Pastor Pete collecting the Inspire Award
Green Pastures have partners working with ex-offenders in Pontefract, Wakefield, Stoke and Bolton. Prison Reform Trust data shows that nationally 46 per cent of adults re-offend within the first year. However, using an identical measurement, Green Pastures partners provide evidence in their region that their rates are down to as low as 12 per cent. Darron Armstrong started up the Be Strong project in Bolton to house ex-offenders, enabling them to get back on track. He provides training for participants to become washing machine engineers and this has developed into a social enterprise. “We refurbish washing machines and sell them”, said Darren. “It’s simple and it allows the guys to move to the next level of their rehabilitation. We have even created a funky patio fire pit from unusable washing machine drums.” Pastor Pete Cunningham, co-founder of Green Pastures, said: “We are humbled and thrilled about what God is doing. We demonstrate the love of Christ and see lives transformed. Lives that were chaotic and that have in some ways been discarded others. “If every church had one house, the Church would make a major dent in the homeless statistics and see greater numbers of lives transformed.” greenpastures.org be-strong.org.uk
Dedicated volunteers distribute supplies of household goods and offer nonjudgemental, urgent and effective practical assistance to anyone in need or experiencing hardship. Many who once benefitted from the Helping Hands project are now volunteering, testament to the difference it made in their life. The relatively deprived area of Newton Aycliffe has a high unemployment rate of 5.2 per cent compared with 3.9 per cent in England as a whole and double the national average claim Job Seekers Allowance or Incapacity Benefit. Referrals of people with severe financial problems come in from social services, job centres and community agencies and Lifeline Community Action volunteers establish their particular needs. Individuals who use the drop-in centre often have opportunities to help make decisions about how the centre is run. Programmes of social, leisure, vocational and health activities include workshops on practical living skills, improving physical health, entertainment, training and job skills Lifeline Community Action was launched in 2010 by a group of Christians from the local Life church and the volunteers share the love of Jesus. Susan Sadler, founder, said: “Often we share a short testimony and we offer to pray with people and invite them to church. Many have asked Jesus into their lives and the team keep in touch to support them throughout the weeks. I love the opportunity He has given us to serve.” lifelinecommunityaction.co.uk
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LEADERS’ QUESTIONS
Is the Church too middle class? Basically yes, there are parts of the Church where we need to be really careful that we aren’t talking about going to the poor, doing things for the poor. We should be with. There are all kinds of people in the Church but it is the prepondonence of people who have been to certain universities that lead “successful” churches. We need to get rid of our view of success – get to the grass roots. We need to go alongside, be loving and ask: what can I learn? How can I be humble in this situation?
Sara Hyde, community activist
Is the Church too middle class? No, I don’t think it is because the Church is global and there are plenty people across the world who wouldn’t call themselves middle class. They’d call themselves poor, actually. Is the Church too middle class in our particular part of the world? Possibly, but I think there’s nothing wrong with being middle class. I think the question should really be are there people in our Church who don’t really care about people who aren’t like them. That’s the real question. Some churches yes, some churches no. but I’m certainly not going to write the church off as being too middle class. Is the Church beautiful? Yes she is.
Dai Hankey, pastor of Hill City Church,
East Wales and director of 29 Acts Wales
Initially yes, but I want to qualify that: the Church struggles to know how to engage with the working class, and the difficulties and issues they face, that perhaps the middle class don’t face themselves. My experience of working with working class communities is that even those who are working class nearly become middle class [when they become Christians] and don’t quite know how to engage with that dysfunctionality that lives inside them. It’s about helping them to put away the fear, and finding a way to just talk and just listen.
Rev Margaret Ferguson, East Belfast Mission for Elim
I don’t think the question should be is the Church too middle class as there are middle class people in the Church and there are folks who are not middle class. It’s not a question about class it’s about people. So long as we do people then we do church.
Nims Obunge, pastor of Freedom’s Ark and CEO of the Peace Alliance
That’s a difficult question in lots of ways but I think the simple answer is yes and the reason I say that is because dominate culture in church leadership is middle class and we see that in a lot of contexts. People don’t really think when they say things the context they’re saying it in – some from a middle class context. Part of that I think comes from the success of outreach into universities and colleges over decades where salvation has come and they’ve gone into church leadership. But that perpetuates that by and large church leadership is a middle class preserve.
Paul Brown, City Hope Bermondsey You can watch all of these answers, and more, on the website. Visit eauk.org/idea/leaders-question to watch church leaders respond to this question. MAY/JUNE 2015
IDEA MAGAZINE / 33
CULTURE
Holly Price is a writer with Damaris, which provides free resources for Damaris Film Clubs
The journey
“If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.” African proverb
The Good Lie is released in cinemas on 24 April 2015. Free official resources are available at damaris.org/thegoodlie The Good Lie charts the astonishing real-life journey of a group of young refugees from the Sudanese civil war, usually affectionately referred to as Sudan’s Lost Boys. Three young men arrive in Kansas City, Missouri, with only airline giveaways for luggage. They are greeted brusquely by employment consultant Carrie (Reese Witherspoon): “You must be the guys from Somalia … Senegal?” Their introduction to American life is an eye opener, but their journey began long before the plane left its African runway. When civil war took away their family and home, the village chief’s children, Theo (Okwar Jale/Femi Oguns), Mamere (Peterdeng Mongok/Arnold Oceng) and Abital (Keji Jale/Kuoth Wiel) gathered their surviving peers and made a run for it. Encountering wild animals, a harsh environment and a ruthless recruiting army, the group walked for hundreds of miles in search of refuge. Along the way, they were joined by fellow orphans of war, survival savvy Paul (Deng Ajuet/Emmanuel Jal) and Bible follower Jeremiah (Thon Kueth/Ger Duany). The survivors of this journey found safety in a refugee camp in Kenya. When, 13 years later, they took the opportunity to resettle in America, the men went to Kansas, but Abital was sent to Boston. So, arriving in ‘the land of the free and the home of the brave’, the trio’s hopes are simple: safety, freedom and family. IDEA MAGAZINE / 34
The heart of the matter Witherspoon provides the film with star power, but her feisty character offers western viewers much more than a familiar face. Carrie initially embodies the halfhearted concern towards African tragedy that is so prevalent in our culture. As this film confronts us with the experience of this small clan, we glimpse the enormity of their loss – the loss experienced by 20,000 displaced children. The filmmakers have ensured that their story takes centre stage, and largely cast Sudanese actors to play Sudanese roles, including former child soldiers, lost boys and their children. If the lost boys are to adapt to American life, Carrie must guide them through an amusing array of culture clashes. But Carrie must also face up to the pitfalls of living in a wealthy country. On one level Carrie has excellent ‘survival skills’: she owns a house; she has a good job. But she has perhaps neglected her heart and in so doing is missing what is essential for the journey ahead of her. Carrie must confront her own indifference and her country’s bureaucracy if she is to truly help this family.
What to pack Jeremiah’s treasured possession – at one time, his only possession – is a Bible. He treats their journey like a personal Exodus: a journey from slavery to freedom, which involves trusting in God when one is
uncertain of the way ahead. Jeremiah’s faith has the power to inspire us all to live courageously. It also challenges us to look at our lives and differentiate between essential kit and extraneous knickknacks. The Bible puts the pursuit of wealth, prestige and power into the knickknacks column, explaining that they can lead our hearts into all kinds of evil and grief. Even the pursuit of humanitarian aid comes to nothing, it says, if it does not come out of hearts transformed by love. Here is one of the Bible’s kit lists for life: If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing … And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love. (1 Corinthians 13:2-3, 13) Are we treasuring that which we most need? What are our hopes – for ourselves and our world? Are we prepared for a change of heart? This unique, moving story shows us that you can fast-track your way up the ladder of success, or trudge resolutely across vast countries, but without love, arriving will mean nothing. See damaris.org/ filmclubs and damaris. org/filmblog
MUSIC
idea-playlist
CULTURE
Our list of the best things to read, do and listen to.
The idea iPod
What to watch
1. GLORY TO THE ONE –
A new short film has been released by koko, an award-winning blog for teenage girls about friendships. The I’ve Got your Back film was launched at the Alliance member Girls’ Brigade spring conference in March. The film features 30 girls from Stockport School, and promotes healthy friendships calling on teenage girls to encourage each other and build one another up.
Vineyard UK, from Waterfalls – Live in St Albans 2. WE WILL NOT BE SHAKEN –
Bethel Music, from We Will Not Be Shaken
Meg Cannon, koko project co-ordinator, said: “We’ve been hearing on the koko website and in schools that girls’ friendships can be pretty toxic and destructive. We wanted to produce a piece that would challenge and inspire teenage girls towards a more positive approach to friendship. The reality is, we can all make an effort to be kinder, more generous and caring.” Girls’ Brigade hope that this film will create a ripple effect with teenage girls across the UK and beyond as they explore what healthy friendships look like.
3. WIDE AWAKE –
Josh Record, from Pillars
The koko story
thekokostory.com/koko-videos/
REVIEWS
STUDIES OF THE BIBLE AND SAME-SEX RELATIONSHIPS SINCE 2003 by Martin Davie Martin Davie has produced a detailed and scholarly review and study that examines the main attempts to produce revisionist accounts of scripture as it relates to same-sex relationships. He sets them against orthodox approaches to all the relevant biblical passages and concludes with a concise evaluation. The author’s conclusions show that despite decades of controversy the many and varied attempts at revisionism have not proved persuasive and that orthodox understanding of the Bible remains effectively unchallenged. Readers engaged in the conversations set up to address this controversial question by the Church of England will find this a highly useful resource.
In his inimitable style, Tom Wright presents the profound yet so often forgotten truths of the gospel in a way that is totally accessible yet potentially life-changing. The Christian Church, he argues, has for too long told an incomplete story of the good news of Jesus Christ. He writes that for a complete gospel we must recapture the person of Christ as he would have been received in the first century: God coming to bring about a kingdom on heaven as well as earth – not simply put into place a rescue plan to send us off to heaven. A must-read.
Reviewed by Don Horrocks
Reviewed by Chine Mbubaegbu
MAY/JUNE 2015
SIMPLY GOOD NEWS (SPCK)
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IDEA-LIST
by Amaris Cole
Five famous Christians who went to prison Dietrich Bonhoeffer “Mere waiting and looking on is not Christian behaviour. The Christian is called to sympathy and action, not in the first place by his own sufferings, but by the sufferings of his brethren, for whose sake Christ suffered.” Bonhoeffer was born into middle-class comfort in 1906s Germany, and was expected to follow his father into medicine or pursue an interest in music. But Bonhoeffer opted to study theology and ministered in Harlem to become a pastor. When the Nazis took power, Bonhoeffer and other liberal churchmen formed a communion, turning down the chance to move abroad and avoid persecution. He chose to be in Germany for the duration of the war, establishing the anti-Nazi Confessing Church. Bonhoeffer was arrested in 1943 and held until just 23 days before the end of the war, when he was hanged. Before his death, he wrote a great deal. Later, Letters and Papers from Prison was published from these writings – effectively his last will and testament.
Martin Luther King Jr In 1963 Martin Luther King Jr. was arrested and sent to jail for protesting against the segregation of society, from businesses to churches to libraries. Blacks faced constant discrimination and the constant threat of violence. The children of Israel, King preached, “felt that if they were to get to the Promised Land they would only get there by God’s power.” But God had told Moses: “Go back and tell them something for me. When they cry to me, tell them to go
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Our recent Faith in politics? report shows 42 per cent of evangelicals believe if Jesus was living in the UK today he would go to prison. So we decided to look at five other Christians who have served time behind bars.
forward. Don’t sit around waiting for me to do it all by myself.” With the Exodus imagery, the determination to be free was clear in King’s decision to go to jail on Good Friday, 12 April. He would suffer so that others could be redeemed. He had often preached: “They can put you in jail and transform you to glory”, and now he was putting this into action. While in prison, King wrote a response to clergymen that criticised him for the protests. “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere,” he wrote.
Paul “I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.” Paul is still recognised as a great Christian theologian. After his encounter with Jesus on the road to Damascus, Paul became one of the most recognisable Christians of his time. His letters written during his imprisonment were so important to Christian theology that they were incorporated into the New Testament. His correspondence to the Christian communities of the Colossians, the Ephesians, the Philippians and Philemon formed the basis of modern Christianity, and were later closely read by Martin Luther during his time in prison.
Brother Yun The Heavenly Man. Born into a life of poverty in communist China’s Henan Province, Yun became a house church leader while still in his youth, bringing the forbidden gospel to his community. He was imprisoned and tortured for his Christian faith after refusing to join the government-controlled Christian organisation. But while in prison, he continued with his ministry and brought
many of those around him to Christ – including the prison guards. While in the Zhengzhou maximum security prison Yun heard a voice telling him to walk out of the heavily guarded facility. Obeying the voice and risking death, Yun said the Holy Spirit called him to walk straight past the guards and out through the gates. He said it was as if he was invisible, and subsequently guards at the prison have lost their job due to the “embarrassing mishap”. Now in exile he evangelises across the world.
Meriam Ibrahim A Sudanese Christian sentenced for her faith. She was sentenced to death for her refusal to convert to Islam, but was eventually was allowed to flee Africa and seek refuge in the United States. Subjected to intense pressure to give up her Christian beliefs, she gave birth to her second child while behind bars, but says she never once considered giving in to her captor’s demands. Meriam says she stayed firm on behalf of the women of Sudan and Christians who are persecuted. “There are many Meriam’s in Sudan and throughout the world,” she said. Charged with apostasy, she was given three days by officials in Khartoum to convert. There was international campaigning for her release when she was sentence to 100 lashes and death by hanging. Leaders such as David Cameron called for her release. The Pope granted Meriam an audience following her release.
LETTERS: HAVE YOUR SAY
In your words
We love hearing from you, so have your say on any of the issues raised in idea or make any comments about the Evangelical Alliance by emailing idea@eauk.org
ECONOMY IS A KEY ISSUE Thank you for the March/April issue of idea, with its wake up call and guidance about being involved in politics. Suggestions about issues we should consider when deciding for whom to vote were also helpful, but I was surprised that one significant issue seemed to be missing from the ‘issues evangelicals care about’. While those listed are important, of course, should we not also care about the increasing burden of debt that our generation is accumulating for our children and their children? By demanding no fall in our rather greedy living standards, we inflict a future, potentially catastrophic, fall in standards for our children, while greedily using the resources they may one day need. Already we see the erosion of their opportunity to retire when still young enough to enjoy it. Surely, eliminating the deficit and beginning to tackle the enormous national debt must rank with the other big issues, however painful it might be. Otherwise we are guilty of stealing from future generations. Grace and peace Andrew Heath-Coleman Via email THANK YOU We do really appreciate all the wonderful work you do as an organisation. Your redesigned idea magazine and websites are such an encouragement and help to us all.
I am finding the emailing of reports etc a real help. It is so good to be kept up to date with the news almost as soon as it is happening. It makes our praying for you so much more effective and specific. Raymond Bodkin Hailsham, East Sussex If you would like to receive regular email communication from the Evangelical Alliance to stay up to date with the work we are doing, please visit eauk.org/connect/about-us/stayin-the-loop LOVING ATTITUDE? I always enjoy reading your magazine, particularly the parts I disagree with, as I find it challenging and stimulating. One of the areas where we disagree strongly is that of same sex marriage. As an evangelical Christian, I believe absolutely in Christ’s call to love our neighbours as ourselves, and therefore I cannot support anything which makes gay people feel like outsiders in God’s house. I was particularly disappointed to read the recent review of Ed Shaw’s book, The Plausibility Problem which referred to people ‘ having’ same sex attraction as though it was some form of disease. Is this really a loving Christian attitude? Wishing you many blessings in Christ Sean Galpin Via email
Editor Amaris Cole – idea@eauk.org
Director of media & communications Chine Mbubaegbu
Consulting editors Chine Mbubaegbu and Peter Lynas
idea is published bi-monthly and sent free of charge to members of the Evangelical Alliance. Formed in 1846, the Alliance’s mission is to unite evangelicals to present Christ credibly as good news for spiritual and social transformation. There are around two million evangelical Christians in the UK, according to a 2007 Tearfund survey.
Contributing writers David Smyth, Kieran Turner, Elfed Godding, Holly Price, Cath Butcher, Chine Mbubaegbu, Patrick Regan OBE, Arianna Walker Advertising manager Candy O’Donovan c.odonovan@eauk.org Design & Print Cliffe Enterprise MAY/JUNE 2015
idea is published in accordance with the Alliance’s Basis of Faith, although it is impossible in every article to articulate each detail and nuance of belief held by Alliance members. Articles in idea may therefore express views on which there is a divergence of
heard in tweets Anne Witton @AgapeAnne Interesting to see how representatives from diff parties respond to poverty, euthanasia & samesex marriage ow.ly/JPAGl @idea_mag Joe Ware @wareisjoe Loving the political edition of @idea_mag that landed on my desk today. Rev Martyn Travers @mptravers Love the latest @idea_mag from @EAUKnews focus on engagement with politics. Salt & Light needed to stop the rot and to shine the truth. Toby May @2bmay Interesting snapshot of 5 parties’ policies on some (not all) important issues by Evangelical Alliance bit.ly/1zKKibg via @idea_mag Church Urban Fund @churchurbanfund Poverty top issue for evangelical voters, says new @EAUKnews survey #GeneralElection eauk.org/current-affair… Paul the Christian @Grace_and_Love In 140 characters can you tell us why Christians should vote for you? A challenge to all Prospective candidates @ UCBMedia @EAUKnews Dawn @ofdibley Interesting idea: Mums in ministry say having children makes them better vicars eauk.co/1L7ngpU via @ EAUKnews Ian Mayer @ianrmayer Amazing meeting with @GatherUK #team today. Thank you @CedarCourtHotel for your hospitality #livingthedream @EAUKnews pic.twitter. com/ZYKzi4gm4j Kieran Turner @theTurnertweets After media work yesterday back @ScotParl today & visiting prison tmw for @idea_ mag. Life never dull @EAScotland!
opinion or understanding among evangelicals. Letters and story ideas from members are welcome, and will be considered by the editorial board, which reserves the right to edit letters and stories for length and style. We regret that we are unable to engage in personal correspondence. Unsolicited material will only be returned if accompanied by a stamped, self-addressed envelope. idea accepts advertisements and inserts to offset printing costs. Advertising in idea does not imply editorial endorsement. The Alliance reserves the right to accept or refuse advertisements at its discretion. Articles may be reproduced only with permission from the editor. IDEA MAGAZINE / 37
LAST WORD
Steve Clifford the general director, writes…
Good work or good news? It was one of those days, a whole series of meetings, one after another. Steve Gambill, senior pastor of Life Church, Bradford was waiting in reception. After an initial greeting, he told me this great story.
On the short journey from his hotel to our building in King’s Cross, he had led the taxi driver in a prayer of commitment to Christ. I have reflected a lot on that encounter over the last few weeks. I’m sure that morning he hadn’t expected that particular conversation. It was just another day driving around the crazy city that we call London, but Steve took the initiative, shared his faith and gave an opportunity to respond in prayer. As I heard of the events that took place on that short journey, I found myself profoundly challenged. When was the last time I dived in and shared my faith with a random stranger, a fellow passenger on a plane or train journey? I have to confess I’m usually looking for some uninterrupted time to catch up on emails or reading. As I sit down I tend to send out the signals ‘don’t talk to me I’m busy’. But could it be God has other things in mind and I’m just too busy? There is so much going on in the UK Church that I’m really proud of. The explosion of social action initiatives in recent years has been extraordinary. There’s hardly a member church of the Evangelical Alliance that isn’t involved in some activities that are designed to serve their wider community. I thank God for foodbanks, street pastors, night shelters, debt counselling, family support and prison ministries. Who would have imagined a few years ago that the breadth of the Church’s IDEA MAGAZINE / 38
engagement in the deep needs of our society. This really is the Church reaching out and loving people through meeting their practical needs. While I’m thankful to God for all this amazing activity, and we mustn’t stop, there is also an enormous challenge. How do we avoid the Church – particularly at this time when government spending has been so dramatically cut – simply delivering cheap social work? How are we going to take the next steps of sharing our faith and allow people the opportunity of giving their lives to Christ? It seems to me there is one thing that we as a Church can offer, that no other agency can, it’s called salvation. I guess the challenge we face is simple. Are we in danger in the busyness of our lives and church activities of losing the heart of our message, the one amazing life changing encounter that we have to offer? Before you start writing to the editor to complain, I do know that for many churches social action has provided enormous opportunities, not simply to be good news, but to share the good news. Our friends at CAP (Christians against Poverty) are supporting churches in the provision of debt counselling, but at the same time have an incredible track record of people giving their lives to Christ. Around 781 people made a commitment to Christ in 2014 alone, and 2,954 people over the last five years. I also
know that we as a Christian community need to work at finding fresh vocabulary and stories in order to make the gospel understandable to a 21st Century audience. But I am also convinced the challenge for each of us remains. To what degree are we willing, both individually and corporately, to create opportunities and perhaps more importantly to take the opportunities to share something of our faith story and our commitment to Jesus. It might not be a short taxi journey, but it could be a chat with a colleague at work, a cup of tea with a neighbour or family member, a car ride with a friend. Being good news people means we have some good news to tell. For church leaders it will require asking the serious questions as to how we take the relationships, which we have nurtured through our social engagement, and are faithful to ensure that the Christian message is heard as part of our care. The words of the Apostle Paul ring in our ears: “But how can people call for help if they don’t know who to trust? And how can they know who to trust if they haven’t heard of the one who can be trusted? And how can they hear if nobody tells them? And how is anyone going to tell them, unless someone is sent to do it?” Romans 10:14 –15 The Message.
MAY/JUNE 2015
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