also inside:
A LICC Resource
Edition 23 September 2009
1,2,6,7 – Neil Hudson on making the most of existing church structures TTT Time – Mark Greene on how 120 seconds in church can change the week
Building with the Word Antony Billington on why the Church can’t live without the Bible
The Word of God and the People of God LICC was founded on the principle of double listening – the need for Christians to give ear both to God’s word and to God’s world. Here, Antony Billington draws on the book of Nehemiah to illustrate the importance of the Bible to the building of the church… Building projects – in Ezra it’s the temple; in Nehemiah it’s the city walls. Bricks and mortar. Hard work. Hot work. Heavy work. Blood, sweat and tears. No less real – and no less hard graft – is the rebuilding of the people themselves. A restored temple and rebuilt walls to be sure, but at the centre of it all a renewed relationship with God, in community with others. Ezra and Nehemiah tell the story of how God restores his broken people after they return home from exile. And at the heart of that renewal, the means by which restoration comes, as Nehemiah 8 portrays, is the word of God. Often overlooked, the chapter suggests some key features of how God works through
2
Scripture to breathe new life into his people. It begins, as we might expect, with reading and understanding (8:1-8).
Reading and understanding Picture the scene: thousands crowd into the public square; Ezra stands on a raised platform large enough for other leaders to stand on either side of him, adding to the seriousness of what’s going on; unusually, the people have asked him to bring out the Book of the Law of Moses; when he opens the scroll they stand up, he blesses them, and they respond in worship. Ezra reads the book of the Law from daybreak to noon, for about six hours. And the people listen attentively (8:3) and reverently (8:5-6). But reading and listening alone is not enough. God’s word has to be explained in order to be understood. To ensure those gathered do not struggle (not least because the Law was written in Hebrew, and by this time most of the people spoke Aramaic) some Levites ‘read from the Book of the Law of God, making it clear and giving the meaning so that the people understood what was being read’ (8:8). Already the passage strongly suggests that the growth and renewal of God’s people depends not just on hearts hungry to read and listen to his word, but also on those who will explain it so that others will understand. But even this, it seems, is not the final goal…
Responding and celebrating Reading and understanding leads in turn to responding and celebrating, with weeping first, and then with joy (8:9-12). We’re not told why the people wept, but it’s not hard to imagine – especially as the rest of the story goes on – that they were convicted by what was read. Now they know how far they have drifted from God’s word. We should not miss the emotional nature of their response to God’s word, and the people are not discouraged from responding emotionally. In this case, however, weeping is an inappropriate response. It would appear that lengthy reading, attentive listening, and careful explanation do not automatically guarantee a fitting response to God’s word. There would be a right time for confession, as chapter 9 goes on to show, but this was not it. Meanwhile, the leaders are concerned not just that the people respond to God’s word, but that they respond appropriately, and the response called for here is celebration and rejoicing – that the people might discover that the joy of the Lord is their strength (8:10). Engagement with God’s word becomes engagement with God himself, which brings joy and strength to his people. And still there is more…
Reading and listening alone is not enough. God’s word has to be explained…
Remembering and participating The rest of the chapter shows the people remembering and participating (8:13-
18), celebrating the Feast of Tabernacles, living in tents – like some early Greenbelt festival – recalling how their ancestors lived in the wilderness, with everyone taking part, acting out God’s provision for them. We’re told there had been nothing like it since the days of Joshua (8:17), and it becomes a seven-day festival of reading and celebration (8:18). They are recovering what it means to be the people of God because they are hearing, understanding, and responding to the voice of God in the pages of his word. This rich chapter tells of the importance of the word of God to the life of the people of God. It reminds us that God renews through his word, that it’s a word for men and women and children, that his word addresses the whole community, that it is to be listened to attentively and reverently, and explained and understood too, and responded to appropriately, and that it makes a difference to how people live. Minds informed, hearts touched, lives changed – God renews through his word. If Nehemiah 8 speaks of renewal through the word of God, it becomes clear in chapter 9 that at the heart of renewal is restored relationship with God. As the biblical story is recounted, from creation right up to the present day (9:537), the people confess their faithlessness and God’s faithfulness in his dealings with them. When renewal comes through God’s word, it will lead – through confession – to restored relationship with him. And, as chapter 10 goes on to show, it comes to the people as a whole. The renewal of the covenant in chapter 10 flows from the awakening by the word of God in chapter 8 and the confession of sin in chapter 9. Of course, there is a need for ongoing renewal at the personal level. But what’s going on in Nehemiah, crucially, is corporate renewal, renewal of the people of God. A restored relationship with God leads to a restored relationship with each
other, to a concern for the welfare of the whole community. That’s the vision offered by these chapters – renewal through the word of God, renewal in relationship with God, and renewal as the people of God. All of this reminds us of the important relationship between Scripture and church communities, where Scripture shapes the convictions and practices of churches as part of their ongoing commitment to live and worship faithfully before God. None of this is to detract from the importance of individual study of the Bible. But, giving Nehemiah 8 its proper due may mean recognising that the reading and interpretation of Scripture is most appropriately carried out by, and in the context of, the church community. It helps to prevent privatised readings of the Bible, and to correct some of the biases we may bring to certain texts. Our appropriation of Scripture takes place in recognition that we belong within and are answerable to a community of readers, not just those to whom we belong now, but to brothers and sisters in Christ extended through space and time. This has been a major emphasis of some current thinking, especially by those who are seeking to redefine evangelicalism apart from modernist assumptions, and who borrow from postmodern thinkers the notion that knowledge is mediated through communities and traditions with distinctive stories and language
The church stands under Scripture, not alongside it, and certainly not above it
and practices. There are important insights here: there is a communal dimension to the Christian faith, which evangelicalism has not always been good at paying attention to. But, occasionally the Christian community gets it wrong (which might not come as a huge surprise), just as the communities of faith in the Bible occasionally got it wrong. And when we do, Scripture brings us back on track. The church stands under Scripture, not alongside it, and certainly not above it. Authority lies not in the community, but in the God who speaks to the community through Scripture. Scripture must stand in a place where it might, if necessary, critique the teaching and practice of the church, where it might renew the community of faith, as it did in Nehemiah’s day. As we submit to God’s word, may our use of Scripture in churches – in preaching, in Bible studies, in disciplemaking courses, in children’s ministry – result in a whole-life discipleship that connects us with previous generations of faithful believers and extends that same faith into the very specific contexts in which we find ourselves in today’s world. This represents something of LICC’s vision and hope for churches – that the whole people of God might engage with the whole word of God in a way that touches and transforms the whole of our lives, individually and together, and for the sake of the world in which we are called to live. 3
The1,2,6,7 of Discipleship LICC’s Imagine project exists to help churches create a culture in which whole-life disciples can grow and flourish. Sometimes that requires significant change. At other times, it’s a matter of learning to use existing structures differently, as Neil Hudson explains… If you can remember the rich taste of Spangles; if you can remember coveting your neighbour’s Raleigh Chopper bike while wobbling slightly nauseously on a Space Hopper; if you can’t stop yourself involuntarily finishing this opening to a well-loved TV show: ‘It’s Friday, it’s 5 o’clock it’s…’, then we have much in common. One of the particular things we share is that we were probably educated in a very similar style. You may have had a table, but more likely you had a desk, inscribed with the graffiti of generations of bored children. Either way, the key thing was that they were all facing the front of the class. Your task was to pay attention to what was happening on and around the blackboard. If you dared to turn around to talk to your friends, you risked being struck by a flying blackboard cleaner, hurled from a position of authority in an attempt to stimulate lear ning. A h, happy days!
4
But times have changed, and with This scaffolding is an echo of many them the way in which children learn. of the disciple-making mechanisms Now, alongside a teacher addressing that the Church has used through the a class as a whole, there are four key ages. The Imagine project, working with ‘learning spaces’ in the churches determined lives of pupils. These t o b e c ome whole Frontlines spaces can be abbreviated life disciple-making The places where we to 1,2,6,7 as follows: communities, recognises spend most of our that everyone has to be Children need to time, where God has engaged in deep learning. placed us to make a be able to work alone, The question we’ve often difference for the sake confident in their own been confronted with goes of the kingdom. ability to tackle problems. something like this: ‘We One-Degree Shifts get the vision and we’re They are given Small changes that convinced of the need for opportunities to develop can be made in a culture shift. We want supportive relationships church life with a view to release people for the with a peer mentor. to effecting an entire adventure of whole-life culture shift. They sit around discipleship, living for tables and engage in work Christ on their frontlines. with their classmates in groups of six. We understand the concept of oneThey offer their own opinion and engage degree shifts and we can make some with the viewpoints of others. such changes. But we’re sitting here with this existing church structure. So how do An optimal number for a team. They we help people grow?’ are encouraged to be part of a team: Our response is to work with churches sport, music, dance; it matters little. Here to help them see their existing structures they learn self-discipline, their differently. Churches have many ‘spaces’ behaviour is modified, and their in which people can learn and grow. We characters are shaped. have corporate times together; we have – the teams that work together; we have small scaffolding for the groups; people have friendships; people development of a read and learn on their own. What is sustainable, healthy needed is some realignment of all these, life. Each experience often disparate activities, so that they are presents a different in line with our overall goal of nurturing learning environment whole-life disciples. and offers a So let’s look at the numbers again, different way through a different set of lenses. As we do of growth, and so, think about the activities your church children need is already engaged in. Could these be them all. used differently?
= The individual disciple Evangelicals have always stressed the need for Christians to have vibrant, personal relationships with God. And para-church organisations have sprung up to support that essential goal – with Bible reading plans, worship CDs, TV preachers, and enough books to fill a public library. We have never been richer in terms of Christian resources. But their use is often disconnected from the corporate life of the church. H ow d o e s you r church help people to grow as faithful, selfsustaining Christians? Some churches have experimented with mobile technology. Churches have sent mid-week text messages containing reading and prayer suggestions. Texting, by the way, works better than email; everyone reads a text message. We can help one another grow.
are often bigger than six members. We struggle with so small a number, and so the temptation is to be too large. 12 might be a great number for apostolic disciples, but it was never intended as a guide to the perfectly-sized house group! The important thing is to have a context where people can hear their own opinions being taken seriously, and engage with those of others. I met a lady who had been attending a small group for the past 18 months. She was reflecting on her experience and said that she had found confidence at work because of that small group. 18 months ago, she had struggled to know how to respond when colleagues challenged her about her faith. She felt powerless when they asked her about suffering, the uniqueness of Jesus, and the credibility of the Bible. However, more than a year of discussions in her house group had enabled her to find her voice. It was there that she began to explore some responses to the questions she faced. She offered her opinion within a safe space, and heard others offer theirs. Now she feels far more confident about witnessing at work.
most of our churches do not need to establish too many new structures to enable people to grow and flourish in Christ
= The pair of disciples Mentors, soul friends, spiritual accompaniers, friends – call them what you will, we need someone with whom we can share our challenges and opportunities. Some churches encourage this to happen naturally, but sometimes it needs helping along. Not everyone will know that they can access this sort of support, having never experienced this sort of friendship. Others may lack confidence in approaching others. We grow when we have spaces where we can be honest. The discussions need to be more than Bible studies together. They need to be spaces where the Bible is reflected on as we share the realities of life on our frontlines – wherever they may be. = The group of disciples The equivalent of six children round a table in a church setting would be a small group, but our small groups
= The team of disciples Church teams – cleaning teams, worship teams, hospitality teams, football teams, etc. – all are potential spaces where we can grow as disciples. If we learn about gentleness, sacrifice, service, dedication and communication whilst working alongside our fellow believers, and are
encouraged to act in the same way at work, or in the voluntary organisations we are part of, then we become more credible disciples. Our individualism and all that goes with it is tempered, and we are able to form the relationships that will allow the radical, disturbing, subversive peace of Jesus to be evident. Taken together, it becomes clear that most of our churches do not need to establish too many new structures to enable people to grow and flourish in Christ. We just need to align what we are doing with a clear purpose. When the mission opportunities presented by our frontlines are kept clearly in view, and when we encourage people towards intentional growth, then we will very likely discover we already have the structures we need. The value of thinking about the way we use our learning spaces is that it forces us to reflect on the relationship between our gathered church life and the scattered places where we serve God’s purposes. We don’t need to get bogged down on the actual numbers – I’m sure a team can be just as formative with five or nine members as with seven. It’s the purpose behind the activities that’s so centrally important. And the purpose is never merely that the church will run a little more smoothly. It’s that we find confidence and delight in bearing fruit, wherever we are. The inspiration for this article came from Professor John West-Burnham’s seminar at Walk This Way, King’s College, London January 2009
Whether or not you are in formal church leadership, you can think through your own experience of growth. What has helped you most? What would help you now? Can you cause the learning spaces that are already in your church life to be more productive? What would it take? Visit licc.org.uk/imagine/disciple-making-churches/ideas-exercises to watch a short film outlining the principles referred to in this article.
5
TTT Tıme Mark Greene reflects on how 120 seconds on a Sunday can change the week… I remember the day I first heard this idea. Not in quite the same way I remember where I was when Bobby Kennedy was murdered (doing a school entrance exam in Rutland), or where I first met my wife (the dining room at the London School of Theology), but still I remember the first day I heard this idea with some clarity; and, indeed, with great gratitude. I’d been doing a workshop on ‘How to Support the Workers’ for Methodist ministers. As ever, with a keen eye on the next workshop and the next book, I had been soliciting ideas from the practitioners (if you have any, do let me know – mark.greene@licc.org.uk). One of the ministers, whose face is still imprinted on my memory, told me about TTT. I’ve been passing it on ever since, but it’s only recently that I’ve realised why it is quite so effective. Here’s how it works. During a normal Sunday worship service, perhaps as little as once a month, the leader interviews one of the congregation for two minutes. He/she asks the interviewee two, three, or maybe four questions about their daily occupation, about what they will be
doing TTT – ‘This Time Tomorrow’. The questions can be really simple: What do you do? What are your challenges/joys? How can we pray for you? The interviewees do not need to the Chief of Police, the CEO of IBM or the England fly half. In fact, even if you happen to have the Chief of Police, the CEO of IBM and the current England fly half in your congregation, it’s usually best to start with people doing ordinary work in ordinary places, and to include people whose daily occupation may not be paid – a housewife, or a retired person involved in a variety of purposeful activities. This simple practice tends to have a range of transformative benefits. First, it acknowledges, affirms and honours the interviewee. It tells them that what they do every day is important to the leader, important to the church, and important to God. It makes the ordinary person the hero – and you can tell a church’s culture by its heroes, who it chooses to celebrate. Secondly, as TTT follows TTT month by month, the whole congregation recognises ever more deeply that ordinary Christians doing ordinary things are important to God – even if some people never get to share from the front. These stories and prayer requests become part of the way the church does life together, part of the culture. And you can tell the culture of a church by the stories it tells and the prayers it prays. T h i r d ly, T T T cr e ate s new conversations. It gives people who didn’t know the interviewee an easy way to talk to them, and perhaps to share similar challenges or pertinent insight or encouragement.
This simple practice tends to have a range of transformative benefits
Fourthly, it not only triggers new conversations it triggers a new kind of conversation. Issues that are often considered to be off the spiritual agenda – work, futility, failure, success, daily relationships, mission in daily life – issues that people feel that they can’t really talk about at church are validated as legitimate topics for conversation and prayer. In sum, TTT serves to build a community concerned with all of life. L a st Novem ber, Em m a nuel, Northwood, a fairly large Anglican community, instituted a workplace month (work is one of their eight areas of mission). They took a lot of initiatives: preached on work at every service, visited people on their frontlines, put on a special early morning prayer meeting, and in every service did TTT. Mike Talbot, the church’s leader, said that TTT had probably had the most impact. It’s an impact that was almost certainly increased by the way they handled the post-interview prayer time. In each instance, the leader invited anyone who had identified with the issues raised by the interviewee to stand when the interviewee was prayed for. And many did. Imagine the conversations that ensued. And imagine how it might feel for you to have the whole church praying for you in your daily occupation for the very first time. Imagine the difference it might make to you on your frontline, and the frontlines of the people in your church. TTT is one of a host of ideas you can find in Supporting Christians at Work by Mark Greene, available from LICC at £5.
On the Frontline: Peacemaking at Work John Parmiter, a property consultant, finds that the mediation skills he learned to help other organizations even work in his own… ‘Blessed are the peacemakers’, Jesus said. One of the ways we can bring peace to the world of work is by mediating between those whose relationship has broken down. I have recently found that mediating in the workplace – and my own workplace at that – can be enormously rewarding. Indeed, I have felt blessed. I have now completed three such mediations in the firm, two were great and one was very difficult. Here is a short account of one of them… Two colleagues had fallen out over the approach to a major consulting project they had just won. The strains had grown as they brought their very different approaches to bear on the project proposal. Their working relationship, not helped by being based at different locations, had deteriorated as they progressed. Despite all this they had won the job. Now they were due to meet the clients at an inception meeting. But they had stopped talking to each other and the emails had become more and more caustic. They could not agree on the presentation. It was major piece of work, a big fee-earner and strategically important to the consultancy. I was asked to see if my mediation skills – normally deployed elsewhere – could help. I suggested we meet on neutral territory, a hotel. Diaries meant that we met, in the morning, in the city where the inception meeting was to take place in the afternoon. I had spoken to each of them privately beforehand. I sensed that we had to start with how they both felt about the situation as they were both quite emotionally charged about it. In
fact, we spent 90 per cent of the two hours we had together exploring their feelings. It was a revelation. The older of the two was a slightly domineering man, with much experience of the background to the project subject. The younger was bright, and had just completed a similar project and brought with him valuable lessons. But before
they could even start to listen to each other’s contributions on the project I knew that they had to pause, and to first hear about where they were coming from. The younger man started off by saying he felt the older was too dogmatic and wouldn’t listen. There was an exchange that went nowhere. The older man said the younger wasn’t listening to what he knew about the project sensitivities. Then the younger began to explain about his last job: he had worked for a domineering man who he could not respect. So he decided to keep himself to himself and not share anything. He realised that he had taken this into his current job. This display of vulnerability was the start of a series
of exchanges that became more and more positive. The older apologised; the younger responded with more openness. And so the dialogue went on. I became more and more superfluous. After five phases of mediation, I left them sitting side by side at the laptop, putting their presentation together. I left and they went on to the inception meeting. It went very well. In fact, they still made their own contributions; but now they were blended and so that made 2+2=5. Before it would have been 3. When I got back to my emails I found this: ‘Thanks for helping [name] and I sort things out today. I thought your method was really impressive and your helpful interventions both fair-minded and perfectly timed. I think our chances of running a successful, interesting and above all happy job – which is what we both want – are dramatically increased.’ He went on to say: ‘I’m really looking forward to working with [name] o n th i s n o w. I think our respective experience is really complementary, and we’ ll make a good team.’
Mediation is: ‘The intervention into a dispute by an impartial third party, whose role it is to assist the parties in reaching their own mutually acceptable settlement.’ It is a confidential, voluntary process, involving parties who are willing to take part and have authority to settle. In more formal disputes the process is often under the umbrella of a Mediation Agreement, and the terms on which they are settled put into a Settlement Agreement, which the courts can enforce. Mediation is quick, easy to arrange, cheap and good on relationships. It is widespread in commercial disputes, and is now increasingly common in marriage, neighbour and workplace settings. For more information visit cedr.co.uk or civilmediation.org
7
The White Swan Formula Mark Greene introduces a brand new LICC resource… ‘Never waste a good crisis,’ Hilary Clinton once said; surely a good piece of advice to apply to the current financial crisis. Indeed, now that the first shockwaves of the crunch have dissipated, there is a distinct danger that UK PLC will simply slink back to business as usual, chastened by disappointment but still gung-ho about the overall system. What a tragedy that would be. The question is: will we let the system determine our values, or will we find a way to allow more socially responsible values to shape our systems and regulations and companies? Obviously, as Christians, we not only need to develop a robust set of Christian values that spring from the gospel of the Messiah, but we also need to find a way to communicate those values in language that will compel the attention of those working in the financial and policy sectors who do not share our faith. It was with those concerns in mind that James Featherby wrote The White Swan Formula. James, an LICC Workplace Associate, has worked for a leading law firm in the City for over 25 years, primarily in Mergers and Acquisitions. James himself was much influenced in his thinking by John Howard Yoder’s brilliant The Politics of Jesus and its emphasis on Jesus’ understanding and inauguration of the Jubilee. The White Swan Formula, however, aware of its goal of triggering a conversation in the financial sector as a whole, makes the case for a new set of values without explicitly exploring their provenance in the Bible. And it does it in less than 5,000 words, making it short enough to read on a journey home or in a spare half hour. It’s a conversation starter, not the last word.
8
The White Swan Formula is certainly not anti-business. Rather, James affirms business’ role in wealth generation whilst seeking to keep in view business’ biblical
Hastings, suggest that the material has the capacity to do precisely what it intends. And that’s certainly our hope. As Alexander Hoare, Managing Partner of the UK’s leading independent private bank, C Hoare & Co. put it: ‘I am slightly grumpy with James Featherby for beating me to saying everything that needs to be said - but it greatly simplifies writing my next talk!’ On a different tack, Matt Valler, National Youthwork Coordinator for Tearfund, wrote this: ‘Just read this great little devotional called The White Swan Formula. I say devotional because as I paused over each of the 38 value statements on the centre pages, I felt like I was drinking from a deep and cleansing well.’
role as contributing not only to wealth but also to creating a society, a world, indeed, where people can flourish. Helpfully, James not only offers a specific set of values for debate but also contrasts them with the values that often characterise where we have been. So, for example:
Ideally, people will not only read it themselves but also buy copies for colleagues and friends. And that’s reflected in the pricing. Buy one for £2.50; buy four for £5.00; or buy copies for your whole office at a rate you can negotiate – with kingdom values in mind, to be sure. You can comment on the booklet on licc.org. uk/whiteswan and download a copy of the address James gave at its launch. Do join the debate.
• Service before self • Long-term value before short-term price • Reward aligned with risk • Maturity before growth • Support for recovery not profiting from misfortune • Perspective not immediacy Early reaction to the booklet, and the forewords by Ken Costa and Lord
Friends of LICC will find a copy of The White Swan Formula enclosed with this issue of EG. Further copies are available from LICC. Buy online at www.licc.org. uk/shop, or call 020 7399 9555. For some other resources of interest, see the ‘Contact & Choice’ page opposite
Contact
Choice
Top titles for engaging with the world
Highly recommended Christian titles
Good Value, Reflections on Money, Morality and an Uncertain World
Body, Soul, and Human Life: The Nature of Humanity in the Bible
Stephen Green
Joel B Green
Allen Lane, 2009
Paternoster, 2008
Stephen Green is Chairman of HSBC and an ordained Anglican. In this elegantly written exploration of the state of the world, he takes a softly-softly approach to engaging his readers with the question of values. His biblical perspective becomes more overt as the book proceeds from analysis towards the basis for a new order. Personal in tone, gentle but full of conviction, Stephen invokes a broad range of reference from literature and art, and a broad range of experience in the world at large, ending with a meditation on the cross. Mark Greene
Surprised by Hope
Grace and Mortgage, The Language of Faith and the Debt of the World Peter Selby Darton, Longman & Todd, 1997
Stunning. First issued in 1997, the book’s prescience and relevance has led to its reprinting. A rich theological engagement with the psychological and physical impacts on rich and poor of a market economy where debt has been re-branded as credit, and vaunted as a necessary and inevitable good. Selby reveals how deep is the language of debt and its forgiveness, both in Jesus’ teaching and in the biblical story. ‘Forgive us our debts as we also have forgiven our debtors’ is a radical prayer. Might this language once again help our debt-burdened societies understand the outrageous grace that pays for our sins, and releases us into new life? Mark Greene
Outliers: The Story of Success Malcolm Gladwell Penguin, 2008
From the author of The Tipping Point and Blink, this equally fascinating book looks at factors in the success of ‘outliers’ (those exceptionally gifted beyond the normal range of talent). Using real-life examples – from Bill Gates to The Beatles, from hockey players to Korean pilots – he explores the significance of advantageous opportunities, meaningful work, practical intelligence, concerted cultivation of children, and cultural legacy, much of it cohering with a Christian worldview. Antony Billington
Tom Wright SPCK, 2007
Joel Green’s last paragraph reads, ‘This reminds us, again, that the capacity for “afterlife” is not a property of humanity, but is a divine gift, divinely enacted. It also underscores the reality that, in eschatological salvation, we are not rescued from the cosmos in resurrection, but transformed with it in new creation.’ (italics mine) Both these books set out to challenge popular ideas about heaven and earth, soul, body and immortality. Where or what is the soul? What do we mean by ‘the resurrection of the body’? Is eternity simply time going on forever? Joel Green’s book arose from studies in both biblical theology and neuroscience. He looks closely at the nature of human beings, what the Bible means by soul, and what happens when we die. Tom Wright looks at views of heaven inhabited by disembodied souls, illustrating ‘error’ from popular hymns. He argues that a new creation – a new earth – means exactly that, and that Jesus’ very physical resurrection is the sign that God is already renewing the whole creation. The promise of a new creation, tangibly recognisable, has huge implications for how we live in this present life in this present age. We are not ‘warehoused for heaven’, but are called to transform this world in preparation for its re-creation. Margaret Killingray
Living at the Crossroads: An Introduction to Christian Worldview Michael W Goheen and Craig G. Bartholomew SPCK, 2008
A follow-up to their widely-acclaimed The Drama of Scripture: Finding Our Place in the Biblical Story, this provides an excellent introduction to Christian worldview thinking based on the scriptural story of creation-sinrestoration, how it relates to the western story’s move from modernity to postmodernity, and how it applies to key areas of life such as education, economics, sport, and politics. Antony Billington
9
Ready, Aim, Grow… As a youngster, Jason Gardner wanted to be an astronaut when he grew up, then a doctor. Instead, he became LICC’s Lecturer in Youth Discipleship. Here, he explains the importance of giving young disciples a goal, and of pointing them in the right direction to achieve that goal… When you were 10, what did you want to be when you grew up? Astronaut? Nurse? Lollypop lady? Did you still harbour the same dreams as you grew older, or did new careers beckon? Either way, how true was your aim? Did every decision, every course of study, every venture take you a step closer towards your destination? Or did you drift, and as you drifted your goals change as a matter of necessity? It’s important to have a goal; it’s also vital to make sure we’re actually aiming at it. We often think of life goals in terms of a career and our progression in it. Throughout the biblical narrative, however, God seems rarely concerned with acting as a careers advisor. Obviously, he cares about our work, but his primary goal for us, young and old, is maturity. In my role as Lecturer in Youth Discipleship with LICC, one of my central concerns is to explore the ways in which young people effectively grow
10
to maturity in faith. However, it’s not just about marking out the goalposts, it’s also about teaching them how to aim. So what constitutes maturity in God’s eyes? Graham Tomlin, in his book Spiritual Fitness, suggests there are several ‘false goals’ that we’ve often highlighted as marks of Christian maturity; Bible knowledge, for instance. Certainly, a deep love of Scripture is vital to our relationship with God and is a path to maturity, but it’s not the end goal. Similarly, ‘super-spirituality’ – being able to pray in tongues, prophesy etc.; these can lead to maturity but are not what we should be aiming at. And social activism – campaigning against injustice and expending our energy on behalf of the poor – whilst highly commendable, is a path to maturity rather than maturity itself.
According to the Bible, when it comes to the goal of maturity its character that counts. It’s a point Paul makes well in 1 Corinthians 13. The greatest piece of prose ever written on love, this chapter is also one of the greatest passages on maturity. Paul is addressing a church that is missing the point when it comes to Christian community. So it’s not about super-spirituality, as the Corinthians are in danger of thinking (‘If I speak in human or angelic tongues…’), nor is it about superior insight (‘If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries…’), nor about being philanthropic (‘If I give all I possess to the poor…’). No, it’s about love; and Paul goes on to describe how a character shaped by love does and does not act. There are lessons to be learnt from Paul in seeking to ensure that young Christians are progressing towards maturity: that they have the right goal of developing character in sight and are aiming well. Being a film fan, I like to think that Paul’s ‘aim’ within his epistles is to progress his hearers along a positive ‘character arc’. The character arc in most stories charts the journey of a hero or heroine. It marks out what kind of character they are at the start, and how they are at the end – depending on their journey. Some films chart meteoric rises, heroes who, from humble beginnings, become champions, overcoming any obstacle thrown their way. Others mark deterioration in character, behaviour
It’s important to have a goal; it’s also vital to make sure we’re actually aiming at it
that leads to downfall or regret, as in the case of Michael Corleone in The Godfather films. He starts optimistic and idealistic, vowing that he won’t become a gangster like his father, but after taking up the mantle the last shot of The G odfather Part 2 sees him as an old man in a wheelchair, his eyes filled with regret. Most films, as most stories, follow a tried-and-tested formula when it comes to plots in order to develop the lead part’s character arc. To put it simply, most plots have a goal, a journey, and hindrances to that journey. First the goal – an end target that the hero fixes their sights on. It could be becoming the guru or destroying an all-powerful evil ring; finding the man or woman of your dreams, or simply making it home in time for Christmas. Then there’s the journey to that goal, how the hero or heroine makes attempts to move forwards, and the encounters along the way that help move them towards or away from it. More than likely, in order to develop plot tension, there will be hindrances on the journey to that goal. No film is plain sailing; where’s the excitement in that? So the woman wanting to find her perfect man is beset by orcs and goblins, the young hero wanting to bring peace to Middle Earth finds out his best friend is after the same… (or perhaps it’s the other way round). ‘Where is Paul in all this?’, I hear you ask. Obviously, the apostle had never set foot near a Cineplex, but you can find the themes of goal, hindrance and journey as he seeks to nurture good Christian character within his nascent church communities.
We’ve already outlined the goal. Time and again in Paul’s letters he outlines good character. Not content with simply saying ‘be like Christ’, he frequently directly contrasts the actions of godly character over and against those of ungodly character. This is evident not only in 1 Corinthians 13, but also in passages such as Colossians 3:5-14 and Galatians 5:19-26. Paul also provides ample polemic against hindrances: those ideas and teachings that prove an obstacle to freedom in Christ. Frequently, Paul critiques those who seek to introduce legalistic thinking into the Church; not even Peter is spared when it comes to removing practice that hinders maturity (Galatians 2.11-21). When it comes to the journey Paul doesn’t just mark out the road ahead, he keeps running back to say ‘Whoah! Keep going! You won’t believe what’s coming next!’ The fuel that fires our engines, that keeps us putting one foot in front of the other when it comes to spiritual maturity, is the desire to know Christ. Paul is the master of encouragement and exhortation. He strives to stir up a righteous jealousy in his readers that they might desire to know Christ as he knows Christ, and revel in the treasures of such divine illumination and revelation: ‘My goal is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love,
…not even Peter is spared when it comes to removing practice that hinders maturity
so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge’ (Colossians 2:2-3). Which film most closely resembles Paul’s depiction of the path to spiritual maturity? An Indiana Jones film surely suits best. There, the path to riches is dangerous, full of risk, there are traps to be avoided and the goal is only achieved through personal sacrifice; but we keep finding more and more treasure. When it comes to young people we need to ensure that we present with them the right goals. Good careers, a nice home and 2.4 kids aren’t first priorities; godly character is. Having marked out the goal, we need to encourage them to keep aiming in the right direction. We also need to identify what hinders them. What schools of thought (both inside and outside the Church) stop them achieving freedom in Christ? But most importantly, have we, like Paul, travelled the road before them? Can we tell them stories of our journey with Christ, show them the scars, tell them ‘here be dragons’, and disclose where precious jewels can be uncovered? Perhaps the reason why so many young people leave the church is because we have been guilty of painting Christianity as a pale adventure. The reality is that spiritual maturity has nothing to do with restraint or a world-weariness that douses the flames of youthful enthusiasm, and everything to do with a flame that burns brighter for having burned longer. May this be our goal, and may we, in turn, like Paul, be able to say to the young: ‘Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ’ (1 Corinthians 11:1). 11
Coming Up @ LICC
Coming Up @ LICC Manchester
Young Disciples: Mentoring Matters With Jon Langford
Kiss the World Beautiful – Beginners’ Workshops in Engaging with Contemporary Culture
September 22, 9.00am – 1.00pm, at LICC
With Members of LICC & LICC Manchester Teams
An introduction to mentoring, exploring the benefits and challenges of working one-to-one with young people in intentional relationships. Jon will introduce key concepts in creating a culture conducive to mentoring, explore the issues of safe practice, together with the recruitment, training, and monitoring of mentors. Young Disciples is a series of training and teaching halfdays, seeking to equip churches to face the unique challenges of disciple making in the 21st century. The next event will be in October, when Nick Shepherd will address the theme, ‘Trying to be Christian’.
Nov 2, 9, 16, 23 & 30, 7.30-9.30pm, at Nazarene Theological College, Didsbury
How Muslims do Mission: Diverse Methods and Christian Responses With Peter Riddell September 24, 6.45pm – 8.30pm, at LICC
Given the diversity of Islam, and its nature as a missionary faith (communicated through a wide range of methods, from traditional ‘evangelistic’ approaches to the use of cutting-edge technologies), how might Christians respond and engage with Muslims today? Peter Riddell, formerly Professor of Islamic Studies at London School of Theology, and now Professorial Dean of the BCV Centre for the Study of Islam and Other Faiths in Melbourne, Australia, is a noted international expert on Islam and Christian-Muslim relations.
How Christians can Bring About a Social Revolution: The Relational Agenda With Dr Michael Schluter CBE October 19, 6.45pm – 8.30pm, at LICC
For those who have eyes to see, Britain is in a mess: Families are falling apart; one in eight adults is on anti-depressants; there is evidence of greed, not just in the City and in Parliament, but all over our popular culture. As a country, we seem to have lost our way. Christians, however, have an idea for finding it again. Launching Mark Greene’s new book, The Greatest Idea in the World, Michael Schluter, Chairman of The Relationships Foundation International, will share the idea and describe how it can bring about a social revolution.
Visions of God in a Dark World: A Study Day on Ezekiel With Antony Billington
Delivered as part of Manchester Bible School’s Autumn Term programme, this five-evening course in developing skills in biblical and cultural engagement will feature a stimulating mix of teaching, discussion and practical exercises. To book, call Judith Crofts on 0161 4314683
Supporting Christians in Education: An Opportunity Education Sunday in 2010 is on 31 January. The theme is ‘Vocation’, and will have two dimensions: the first will be giving thanks and praying for those who have a vocation in education through being teachers and learners; the second will be supporting those who are seeking God’s path for their career. LICC has teamed up with Education Sunday for 2010 and will be offering its publication Supporting Christians in Education (SCIE) at a significant discount for bulk purchase. Why not get involved in the event, and purchase a copy of SCIE for every teacher, school governor etc. in your church? Education Sunday 2010 will be an opportunity to celebrate that every Christian is a full-time worker for God, and to reflect on the vocation that God has called each of us to. The materials for 2010 will be available on the Education Sunday website (educationsunday.org) from the end of September. Additionally, you can order bulk quantities of SCIE from LICC at the discounted rate from our online store (licc.org.uk/shop/ books), or by calling 020 7399 9555.
Continue Making a Difference – Leave a Legacy At LICC we find ourselves with ever-increasing opportunities to disseminate the vital ideas that LICC was founded to champion to denominations, theological colleges, Christian organisations and churches, as well as a growing number of Christians. We’re seeking a sustainable, long-term change in the culture of the UK church, but our future plans need to be matched by financial resources to enable our vision to become a reality over the long-term. To this end, we’ve produced a new pack, detailing how you can leave a legacy to LICC in your will, should you wish to do so. To request one of these packs, please call 020 7399 9555, or send an email to mail@licc.org.uk
November 18, 10.00am – 4.00pm, at LICC
An introduction to Ezekiel, focusing especially on the main visions throughout his ministry, which map out the movement from judgment to restoration of the people of God – visions of God in a dark world. For more information about any or all of these events, go to licc. org.uk/about-licc/events, or call 020 7399 9555
The London Institute for Contemporary Christianity St. Peter’s · Vere Street · London · W1G 0DQ (t) 020 7399 9555 (f) 020 7399 9556 · (e) mail@licc.org.uk · (w) www.licc.org.uk Editor: Nigel Hopper · Executive Director: Mark Greene · Designed & printed by x1.ltd.uk All articles ©LICC – use only with prior permission from the publishers. LICC Ltd is a registered charity No. 286102