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Letters
THROWING THE BABY OUT WITH THE BATH WATER
MY sister and I celebrated birthdays this month. She is now 82 and I have reached my 74th year. We were both born in the Salvation Army Mothers Hospital in Clapton. Although my sister left the Army when she married, I have remained within its ranks and currently worship at Middlesbrough Citadel, where God is clearly at work.
The changes currently being made within the fellowship have not always been easy for me to embrace, especially having grown up within Salvation Army tradition for over 70 years. My pride about this tradition and my long-term service have sometimes resulted in a misplaced allegiance to the organisation rather than to God. This has often led to me being blinkered to the necessity or possibility of change.
The following comment said to me recently has made me think: ‘Don’t throw the baby out with the bath water!’ Collins explains it: ‘If you throw the baby out with bath water, you lose the good parts of something as well as the bad parts, because you reject it as a whole instead of just removing what is bad.’ I wonder if people fearful of change are afraid of losing valuable ideas or things when attempts are being made to get rid of what is not wanted.
I remember being in a meeting many years ago when General Wickberg encouraged us to: ‘Let go, let God!’ I believe his words offer much to us in these times of change. For me, these times are not only challenging but also exciting.
Kate Cousins Middlesbrough
MIRACLES ARE STILL POSSIBLE
IN his ‘Thinkaloud’ column (Salvationist 2 April) John Coutts raised the issue of faith healing and invited people to share their thoughts. I believe that miracles are possible because Jesus Christ is ‘the same yesterday and today and for ever’ (Hebrews 13:18). What he did in his ministry on Earth, he can still do today. That does not imply that miracles are probable or provable! Although I do have experience of several amazing answers to prayer that seemed like miracles.
In his article John writes about modern medicine changing how we think about disease. I too value modern medicine but that does not undermine my confidence in the healings recorded in the New Testament. The people of those times may not have understood the nature of disease, but they knew when someone was healed. When Lazarus died, his sister, Mary, clearly knew he was dead. She told Jesus that Lazarus had been dead four days and that his body would now smell (see John 11:39). She also knew that when Jesus raised him to life, it was a miracle.
We must keep in mind that all prayer is a request. We cannot demand the answer we want. We certainly cannot manipulate God. Jesus told us to pray to God as our Father. We come to a Father who loves us. He will listen to our requests. He will have compassion on us in our pain, but he may know much better than we do the best answer to our prayers. Sometimes we may find that answer difficult to accept and sometimes we may be amazed by what happens.
I hope my few comments will be helpful. For a more robust discussion I suggest two books by CS Lewis: Miracles and How to Pray.
SCIENCE AND RELIGION
IN the recent paper Building Enthusiasm and Overcoming Fear, Dr Lydia Reid said that ‘in popular culture, the relationship between science and religion has often been portrayed as one of “conflict”’. UK-wide TV programmes that deal with hot potato issues such as human evolution can spawn local media programmes. It’s possible that a local church leader could be asked to contribute to a community radio studio debate on evolution. Lay folk might have opportunities to debate with their contacts in the world.
Here are a few proposed guidelines for Christians who would debate with others. First, recognise that concepts and ideas in science are often not static and clear-cut. Anthropologist Professor Alice Roberts might point out that Neanderthal people had large eye sockets. Were they fashioned by natural selection/evolution to possess good eyesight in low-level light? This would be a useful survival adaptation to the relative darkness of the Ice Age. Not necessarily. It might be simply an inherited feature of the race. Professor Roberts is an atheist.
Second, recognise that science cannot address all issues. Professor Alister McGrath, as a young atheist, realised that science does not have all the answers. Indeed, it was this dissonance that led to his conversion. Atheists and agnostics must contend with Romans 1:19–22. All have a knowledge of God and spirituality – even if they deny it.
Kevin Chubb Barry
THE COST OF SALVATION
IN two issues of Salvationist (22 January, 5 March), Major Cliff Kent and Major Ken Bartlett broached the subject of Hell and punishment for the wicked. The only place we find the balance is in the Scripture of the Old and New Testaments. From Genesis to Revelation we find a thread of God’s expectations for humankind. He lovingly created us in his image to live in his glory and expects us to obey him and worship him. To disobey him, ignore him or scorn him has consequences, leading to judgement, punishment, separation and death.
God is gracious, merciful and patient, yet justice must be done. The tendency in all of us (as people’s favourite verses prove) is to embrace the parts of Scripture that make us feel comfortable and secure. There is nothing wrong in that, yet we choose to close our eyes to God’s anger, as though it were not there.
I don’t like to dwell on these things. I don’t like reading them. I do not fully understand them. However, in faith, I believe them, for the same Bible that inspired me to faith and led me to salvation has all these things in it and they, too, are part of the reason I fled to Christ. We will never know the whole mind or purpose of God. We believe Jesus suffered the punishment we all deserve, to save us by the shedding of his blood. It’s gruesome, terrible, it horrifies us. However, this is the cost of salvation. You can’t have one without the other.
