ISSUE 13 / JAN - MAR 2012 / €2
NEW DESIGN
FEATURING
CHAMPIONS OF HOPE
“It’s not fair that many children have to drink dirty water.”
IT’S TIME TO STEP OUT Face to face with PJ Booth
RISKY BUSINESS Avoiding the ostrich syndrome
athiei is all in g is all in shep is all in samara is all in todd is all in
Are You All In? 2nd-14th July 2012 SportQuest Ireland will be running baseball, basketball, football and golf camps nationwide this summer. Would you like to come on board with us as a Coach or attend one of our camps? Watch out for us coming to a town near you! Contact us on 0863009450 or check out www.sportquestireland.com for more info.
EDITORIAL
Leaping into2012 wonder what it felt like. It wasn’t so much of a step as a scramble over and down the side of the rough wooden boat. And onto what?? Not a smooth-as-glass, picture-perfect lake. The wind was raging. The waves were mountainous. Did the water feel solid as rock or soft and pliable, like walking on a giant bouncy castle? Eyes determinedly fixed on Jesus, was there a thrill of adrenaline, a soaring exultation, as he defied the laws of nature and reason? Could he feel the splash of spray on his face, the icy cold water on his toes? How many steps did he take before he noticed the wind? At what point did the overwhelming tide of human logic break through the sugar rush of faith in action? I’ve always wondered why we shake our heads when Peter begins to sink. Perhaps we’d prefer him to stay safe and untested in the boat rather than walking on the water with Jesus?
VOX MAGAZINE
GET VOX THROUGH YOUR DOOR
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“HAVE NO FEAR OF SUDDEN DISASTER… FOR THE LORD WILL BE OUR CONFIDENCE AND WILL KEEP YOUR FOOT FROM BEING SNARED.” PROVERBS 3:26 Into the middle of our nation’s storms, Jesus comes to us walking on the water. And He invites us to take a risk, to step out and experience a new depth of faith. Our weakness and failure is not the barrier. That’s a given. But so is the safeguard of His presence. We’re not talking about reckless or careless behaviour - wise leaders count the cost and protect their people (Risky Business page 26). But the desperate needs of our nation will never be addressed if God’s people cower in fear or sink into the duvet of apathetic resignation. As the clocks chime for New Year, a challenge rings out from our leaders (This Year...! page 16, It’s time to step out page 24, ) and from the younger generations (Millennium Kids page 14 and Rising Up page 23). This year, let’s take a LEAP into the unknown. We might fall. We could sink. But we’ll get to walk on water too! And He’ll do more than we can ever imagine, even in our weakness!
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PS We hope you enjoy your new look and 25% bigger VOX magazine - thanks to designer Mark McCorkell, the generosity of a donor and, of course, our own Jonny Lindsay. JAN - MAR 2012 VOX
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THIS YEAR...!
COMPASSION IRELAND IS BORN
TRUTH, SCIENCE AND EVOLUTION
JAN - MARCH 2012, ISSUE 13 ISSN: 2009-2253 PUBLISH E R Solas Publishing EDITOR Ruth Garvey-Williams editor@vox.ie ADVERTI S I N G Jonny Lindsay advertising@vox.ie LAYOUT A N D O P E R AT I O N S Jonny Lindsay jonny@vox.ie PROJECT D I R E C TO R Tom Slattery (Evangelical Alliance Ireland) SUBSCRI P T I O N S Ireland (32 counties): €10 for four issues / €16 for eight issues Overseas: €15 for four issues / €24 for eight issues All cheques should be made payable to Solas Publishing. SOLAS P U B L I S H I N G Ulysses House 22 - 24 Foley Street Dublin 1 Tel: 01 443 4789 info@vox.ie www.vox.ie DISCLAIM E R
The views expressed in letters and articles are those of the respective authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of Solas Publishing or Evangelical Alliance. The acceptance of advertising does not indicate endorsement.
PRINT Beulah Print, Drogheda VOX magazine is a quarterly publication, brought to you by Solas Publishing, in partnership with Evangelical Alliance Ireland.
CONTENTS 14 24 26 12 18 20 23 28 30 16 06 08 10 12 16
COVER STORIES Millennium Kids are Champions of Hope It’s time to step out - face to face with PJ Booth Risky Business - avoiding the ostrich syndrome
FEATURES AND INTERVIEWS Opportunities and challenges @ IBI Compassion Ireland is born - “We have all we need to end extreme poverty” A Treasured Memory - a prize-winning entry from the VOX 2011 Writing Competition Rising Up! Developing a new generation of Irish leaders Truth, Science and Evolution Tackling the obscenity of extreme poverty
VOX VIEWS This year…! A New Year message from Pastor Tunde Adebayo-Oke
REGULAR FEATURES VOX: Shorts Your VOX: Letters VOX: World News New! Facts from Acts Family Focus
17 22 33 36 38
Confessions of a Feint Saint Web Watch Reviews Event Listing VOX: PS
Cover Image: Krista Burns - www.thecrimsonclover.net
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VOX JAN - MAR 2012
C.M.A. NAtioNAl RAlly
1 9-0 2Ne July Ju
drewstown house, co. Meath
Open to all bikers For more details email rally@cmaireland.ie
Christian Motorcyclists Association Our vision is to change the world, one heart at a time. We seek to bring the Good News of Jesus Christ (Íosa Críost) to the biking community and others. Luke 14:23 says to “go out to the highways and along the hedges and bring them in that my house may be filled.” If this ministry sounds right for you, first pray about it and then call us on 086 8057982. We’d be delighted to answer any of your questions.
We’d also like to offer you a Biker’s Bible “Hope for the Highway”.
on Please find us k: oo b ce Fa Christian Motorcyclists reland) Association (I
www.cmaireland.ie | info@cmaireland.ie www.country.cmainternational.org/ire | Tel: 086 8057982
VOX SHORTS
Latest Global Christian Statistics
If unity is the basis for Christian witness (“By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” John 13:35) the on-the-ground reality is disturbing. According to the latest statistics from Todd Johnson, David Barrett and Peter Crossing at the “Center for Study of Global Christianity” in Massachusetts, USA, fragmentation within the Christian community has accelerated over the last 12 years. The number of denominations was 34,100 in 2000 growing to a projected 43,000 by mid-2012 with an average growth rate of over two new denominations per day!
Winter Wamers - encouraging stories to banish the gloom!
In their report on the Status of Global Mission 2012 (published in the International Missionary Bulletin), the researchers also noted that of 417,000 foreign missionaries only 3.5% of these work in the 42 least-evangelized nations, which account for 14% of the world’s population. There was a staggering 2 billion monthly listeners/ viewers for Christian broadcasting worldwide. Highlighted challenges include almost one billion non-literate people in the world, over one billion urban slum dwellers and 100,000 Christian martyrs every year! See www.globalchristianity.org for further statistics and analysis.
Lads’ mags promote hostile sexist attitudes
Irish Aid invests in church HIV work
New research raises serious questions about the impact of so-called lads’ magazines. Psychologists from Middlesex University and the University of Surrey in the UK found there was little to distinguish the descriptions of women in the magazines from comments made by convicted rapists. The research, due to be published in the British Journal of Psychology, revealed that some comments in the lads’ mags were more derogatory than those of the rapists. Dr Peter Hegarty, of the University of Surrey’s Psychology Department, said: “There is a fundamental concern that the content of such magazines normalises the treatment of women as sexual objects. Are young men best prepared for fulfilling love and sex when they normalise views about women that are disturbingly close to those mirrored in the language of sexual offenders?”
In Malawi, one in five children born to a HIV-positive mother is infected with the virus. However, with anti-retroviral drugs and education, transmission can be stopped and children can grow up healthy. Irish Aid has awarded Tearfund Ireland a three-year grant, covering 72% of the project. A senior Irish diplomat in Malawi said, “We support Tearfund because they work through the local church. Their work is sustainable and can transform attitudes and behaviours.” Reuben Coulter, Chief Executive of Tearfund Ireland, added, "We are committed to raising the remaining 28% that is needed to ensure this project goes ahead." Visit www.tearfund.ie/ donate or call 01 878 3200.
Thanks to Irish churches for raising over €170,000 Since the drought crisis in Kenya, Ethiopia and Somalia nearly six months ago, Tearfund has helped more than 25,000 people, providing practical aid and long-term solutions to those most affected. Weblink: www.tearfund.ie The Great Big Giveaway: For over 20 years, Liberty church in Dublin has given away Christmas food hampers to needy people in their local community. This year, they invited their neighbours to partner with them to make their “Great Big Giveaway” even bigger than before - over 350 families received a hamper! Weblink: www.libertychurch.ie Boxes full of love: Team Hope sent 23 shipments of gift-filled Christmas shoeboxes from Ireland to countries in Africa and Eastern Europe, bringing the total of this year’s appeal to 172,383 boxes. Weblink: www.teamhope.ie Do you have some good news to share from your church or charity? Send brief updates to editor@vox.ie
Image: Tearfund
...some comments in the lads’ mags were more derogatory than those of the rapists. 06
VOX JAN - MAR 2012
VOX MAGAZINE
Virtual reality helps real life!
Research Reveals...
14.4%
Unemployment in Ireland has reached (over 300,000 people) while long-term unemployment has risen to 8.4%. The Deloitte consumer survey of Christmas spending predicted the Irish would still be the highest spenders in Europe in 2011 with an average household bill of
€943 40%
.
A new Facebook game enables players to help real charities. Wetopia creator Lincoln Brown developed his concept after years spent providing development aid in Haiti. “The idea was to merge social games with giving,” Lincoln Brown explained. “You build a better world for children in the game and the better it gets in the game, the better it gets in the real world.” Rather than making people feel guilty about the needs in the world, Wetopia is designed to give people a sense of excitement and empowerment by making giving part of everyday life and showing the real impact of the gift. And it had already attracted over 420,000 players by the end of 2011. Players earn virtual currency called Joy as they play. When they allocate their Joy to causes such as Save the Children, it becomes real-life money! Wetopia updates players on the impact of their support for specific causes, with videos and images that can be shared with friends.
of children would prefer time with their parents to extra Christmas gifts.
38.2%
A recent study showed Europeans have some kind of mental disorder. The most common are anxiety, insomnia and depression. Those who attend religious services regularly are more likely to have a positive outlook on life!
56%
Alpha Ireland appeals for help Budget measures hurt the most vulnerable
Age Action Ireland has expressed serious concern about the impact of budget measures on older people. Under budget provisions, the means-tested fuel payment will be paid over 26 weeks, compared to 32 weeks last year. “To cut the fuel allowance by more than 20% is going to create huge hardship among the most vulnerable of older people,” said spokesman Eamon Timmins. Fuel poverty continues to be a major problem for vulnerable older people. Age Action is most concerned about those who live alone, on low incomes, in poorly insulated homes and with a health problem or disability that restricts their mobility.
At the end of a busy and productive year, Alpha Ireland is feeling the pinch! National Coordinator, Paddy Monaghan has made an urgent appeal for funding to help continue the work. “There is great potential for Alpha in Ireland,” Paddy told VOX magazine. “Following a media campaign last autumn, 17 new courses were launched. Youth Alpha Coordinator, Jonny Somerville is running 13 Youth Alphas in secondary schools. And over the past 10 months, an Alpha for the Deaf DVD has been produced.” Donations can be made online at www.alphacourse.ie or sent to Alpha Ireland, 72 Hillcourt Road, Glenageary, Co. Dublin.
No law against it…
Irish people are more likely to use legal drugs (alcohol and tobacco) than their European and US counterparts. The Irish spend €2 billion a year on legal drugs, accounting for 19% of total consumer spending. There are approximately 95,000 people dependent on alcohol, 840,000 nicotine addicts and 22,000 people at risk from tranquilliser dependence in Ireland today.
JAN - MAR 2012 VOX
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YOUR VOX
Letters to the editor
Star Letter
of VOX we In each issue all of a €25 One4 ize award a pr r. tte le ite ur vo fa r voucher for ou u! It could be yo
Worrying implications I can agree with the substantive point of Dr. Keith McCrory’s article (Why evolution is not our enemy, VOX Oct - Dec 2011) - Christians may disagree on biblical interpretation regarding issues like evolution and still recognise each other as Christians. One can be wrong on a whole galaxy of points and yet be born again. I can also agree that theistic evolution need not challenge the central doctrines. Where it may have some worrying implications, however, is in what evolution tells us of the nature of our Creator. If the process of creation involved the continuing eradication of one species by another, does this indicate some vicious cruelty in the heart of God? And if death was a primary tool of the creative process, then why is it referred to in the New Testament as the final enemy? The biggest scriptural objection to the concept of theistic evolution would seem to me to be Paul’s prosaic statement, “...sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned” (Romans 5:12 NIV). If there was no death in the world before Adam sinned, then how could he have evolved through a process involving death? Scriptural interpretations of Christians are not infallible; neither are the proclamations of scientists. Sometimes we really ought to ask ourselves what it is we are being conditioned to believe, and why. A healthy skepticism may not be a bad thing.
JAMES PHELAN DUBLIN
DOING HONEST BUSINESS WITH DARWIN
Dr. Keith McCrory invites us to do some “honest business” with the theories of Charles Darwin. Central to this is the question Jesus asked the Pharisees, “Haven’t you read that at the beginning the Creator ‘made them male and female’?” It’s the first honest question the evolutionist must answer where did sex come from and how? Even Darwin in the Origin of the Species is honest enough to admit that it is a major problem for his theory. How could such an intricate development such as male and female human sexuality and the creation of DNA out of an ovum and a sperm coming from separate bodies have evolved over time? Let’s be honest and admit that the theory of evolution has absolutely nothing to say about the “how.” The claim in Genesis is that things were created already containing the seeds 08
VOX JAN - MAR 2012
required for their own reproduction. Based on this, we can assure the evolutionist that the chicken came first and then the egg, unless of course he has any alternative information that can accurately explain how it occurred. Science should tell me “how.” Evolution is a myth masquerading as science. It’s time for us who believe in truth and facts to be courageous enough to say to the evolutionist that he is not wearing any scientific clothes. SEAMUS O’CALLAGHAN CARLOW
SCIENCE IS TESTABLE; EVOLUTION IS THEORY
Just wanted to express my concern about the article on evolution. It seems to suggest that we as Christians should accept the theory of evolution so that we will be able to become greater witnesses. In my opinion, as someone who
struggled with this issue as a young Christian, when we start to adjust our understanding of God in accordance to what others see as normal, we start to lose our faith in God and in His word. The article finishes with the statement that the Bible’s sole purpose is to reveal the power of the cross. I believe that with God and His word, it needs to be all or nothing. If we are finding it hard to accept the fact that ‘God created,’ then the fact that ‘Jesus died’ becomes irrelevant. I believe that evolution at its core creates doubt into the truth that ‘God created’. Evolution is not science. If Christians are considered anti-science, then people’s perception of science needs to be adjusted. Science is testable; evolution is theory. Let’s not run after the world’s teachings at the expense of our faith... JOHN O’BRIEN LIMERICK
VOX MAGAZINE
DARWINISM LEAVES US WITH AN INCOHERENT FAITH
Keith McCrory makes the very serious accusation that creationists “change the whole foundation of our faith” by demanding belief in a six-day creation on top of the cross and resurrection. But it’s impossible to isolate the Gospel from its biblical context, which clearly records the fall following a recent creation. Throughout the New Testament, the historicity of Adam and/or his proximity to the creation is assumed. Paul clearly states in Romans 5 that death entered the world through Adam’s sin (thereby excluding natural selection as God’s creative tool), and in 1 Corinthians 15 he expounds at length on the critical correspondence between Adam’s historical fall and Christ’s historical resurrection. But if the former is simply a pious myth, where, logically, does that leave the latter? Accepting Darwinism leaves us with an incoherent faith. And conceding to evolution is not intellectually necessary. Cornell geneticist JC Sanford makes a practically unanswerable case against Darwin in his extraordinary book Genetic Entropy and the Mystery of the Genome. He clearly demonstrates that – contrary to evolutionary assumptions but consistent with the record of Genesis – the human genome is fatally degrading. The Darwinists have got it backwards! MARK MCCORMICK DUBLIN
FUNDAMENTALLY AT ODDS
In VOX magazine (Edition 12), Dr Keith McCrory incorrectly states that evolution is not our enemy. Death is essential to biological evolution, a fact that Steve Jobs (1955-2011) clearly understood when he described death as life’s “change agent” and “best invention.” In contrast, the Bible describes death as an “enemy,” the last such to be destroyed. Rather than being the “best” of anything, it is the penalty for man’s disobedience. Thus, the Bible’s account of origins and evolution’s are fundamentally at odds. ANDREW MCDONALD, PHD DUBLIN
WE DON’T HAVE TO RIP PAGES OUT OF THE BIBLE!
Thank you for publishing Keith McCrory’s article; I wish I had seen something similar while I was a younger Christian. I always believed that God created the world instantly in six days and any other interpretation was anathema. This belief came into sharp conflict with my passion for biology, but I reconciled my views by selecting young earth creationist reading material and visiting guest speakers who emphasised similar views. As I progressed in my scientific research and understood the emphasis on backing up claims with accredited references and experiments, I became increasingly dissatisfied with the attitude of some six-day creationist speakers, as I felt their lack of scientific scholarliness and arrogance did more harm than good to the Gospel. Meanwhile, a PhD in microbiology under my belt (lab coat), I continued to argue the case for a recent creation, but I was beginning to see big holes in my arguments. I eventually plucked up the courage to investigate what Christians who accept evolution have to say. I wept when I read The Language of God by Francis Collins. He wrote with a humble attitude and the evidence he presented was overwhelming. I could never choose science over God’s word. Rebuilding the Matrix and Can We Believe Genesis Today? helped me understand that accepting evolution is not the equivalent of ripping out pages from the Bible. I fear young people may feel they have to choose between science and the Bible if we continue with assertions that one cannot be a believer and accept the theory of evolution. DR. CLAIRE TUTTLEBEE CO. MEATH
WE’RE NOT AFRAID OF EVOLUTION
I was puzzled by the title of the recent article on evolution. The title assumes that your readers are afraid of evolution. While not personally acquainted with all VOX readers, I would question that all, or even a majority, are afraid of evolution. Or is it intended that VOX will only be read by Christians who reject evolution as a possible explanation of the mechanics behind creation? SEAN MULLAN DUBLIN
YOU’RE NOT A CHRISTIAN MAGAZINE
I’m not enjoying Issue 12 of VOX Magazine. I’ve accepted the FACT that you’re not a Christian magazine! You obviously believe that you were monkeys once upon a time. When I saw the heading “Why evolution is not our enemy,” I thought Rev. Dr. Keith McCrory was going to show us facts that God created the world 6,000 years ago which He [God] did. Adam & Eve are our ancestors whether you like it or not! When my subscription is finished, I will not be subscribing to VOX Magazine anymore. I don’t support wolves in sheep’s clothing! DAVID COUGHLAN NEWPORT, CO. TIPPERARY
CHRISTIANS HAVE NOTHING TO FEAR FROM GOOD SCIENCE
I would like to commend Dr. McCrory on a timely, well-balanced and sensible article on evolution - a topic that unfortunately often generates more heat than light. Dr. McCrory rightly disarms the false dichotomy that wrongly pitches God’s two ‘great books’ against each other: the Scriptures, which reveal His plans for mankind, and the Book of Nature, which tells of His great works in creation. As believers, we urgently need to learn how to read these books correctly and avoid bad theology and bad science. Evangelicals often lose the profound importance of the Genesis text by treating it like a science book - it’s much more important than that! Likewise, Christians have nothing to fear from good science (reading the Book of Nature correctly by measurement and observation), which clearly provides compelling evidence for Darwin’s theory of evolution, in areas such as molecular genetics. We do well to heed the warning of Dr. Mark Knoll when he says, ‘Creation science has damaged evangelism by making it much more difficult to think clearly about human origins, the age of the earth, and mechanisms of geological or biological change. But it has done more profound damage by undermining the ability to look at the world God has made and to understand what we see when we do look’ (The Scandal of the Evangelical Mind). An appreciation of both of God’s books gives us a rich and rewarding picture of ‘the way the world is.’ PROF. ANDREW BOWIE TRINITY COLLEGE DUBLIN JAN - MAR 2012 VOX
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WORLD NEWS
HELP SHARE GOOD NEWS IN NORTH KOREA... FOR JUST €10!
CALL TO ACTION FROM CHURCH IN CHAINS
David Turner writes: As 2012 begins, Christians in over 50 countries worldwide don’t have the same basic freedoms that we take for granted here in Ireland (freedom to meet together, to worship or to talk about our faith openly). The “Arab Spring” uprisings brought hope of change but there are growing fears that Christians will now face even more persecution. For 30 years, Church in Chains has been an Irish voice for persecuted Christians around the world. We have seen huge changes in that time: the fall of the Soviet Union, leading to the release of Christians from the gulags; the removal of restrictions on the church in Eastern Europe; the growth of the church in China and Iran, despite severe persecution. During 2012, Church in Chains will focus on: China, Egypt, Eritrea, India, Iran, Mexico, North Korea, Pakistan, Turkey and Uzbekistan. Please use your freedom to support persecuted Christians in these countries. You can make a difference by praying, acting and giving. Take the first step by visiting www. churchinchains.ie or find “Church in Chains” on Facebook. 10
VOX JAN - MAR 2012
RELIGIOUS FREEDOM IN DECLINE
“He is my refuge and my fortress.” These words of King David, the psalmist, are in the mouths of hostages held in Bedouin-operated camps in the Sinai, the wasteland halfway between Egypt and Israel – camps filled with hundreds of mainly Eritrean and predominantly Christian refugees. They have fled grinding poverty in the virulently anti-Christian Eritrean dictatorship and unwittingly been sold to traffickers in the Sinai. Hostages are raped, tortured, underfed and in many instances forced to drink their own urine while their captors demand up to $40,000 US for their release. The fortunate, who can raise their ransoms, face another grave risk, this time at the hands of the Egyptian border guards, who have shot many trying to cross into Israel. The less fortunate, those whose families cannot raise the ransom, eventually disappear, either to be murdered by the renegade Bedouins or to have their organs harvested and sold on the black market. Media organizations such as CNN, and advocacy groups like Amnesty, have taken up their cause, but relief is slow and new hostages are arriving all the time. Meanwhile the hostages are crying out for mercy. The Irish petition calling for political intervention to stop this trafficking, will be presented to the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Mr Eamon Gilmore TD. You can sign it online at www.petitiononline.ie (Rescue Sinai Hostages)
For more than 50 years, the isolation of North Korea has been a huge barrier to spreading the message of Jesus, as vigilant border guards ensured that no Bibles entered the country. However, new technology and the vision of growing numbers of Chinese Christians have dramatically changed the picture. Since 2008, 500 tiny MP3 audio players have been brought into North Korea each month, pre-loaded with the entire Bible, testimonies and music. The reception has been phenomenal! North Koreans are asking for more and more of these units. One woman wrote, "I was taught that Juche (North Korean ideology) was the truth and Christianity was a sex cult. Then the grandmother who sends us food told us the food was from Christians in another country. She shared with me a tiny MP3 player. God showed me He was real and I became a believer. I will spend my life sharing that Jesus sets people free." Each MP3 player costs just €10 and is so small that it can be used discreetly. You can donate online (via PayPal) at www.churchinchains.ie or by post to Church in Chains, PO Box 10447, Glenageary, Co. Dublin.
EGYPT’S CHRISTIANS PRAY FOR THE FUTURE
Over 70,000 people attended an all-night prayer event in Cairo in November. The twelve-hour event took place at the famous “Cave Church” in Mokattam, the rubbish dump district of Cairo. Participants followed proceedings on big screens, and millions more watched on television as the event was broadcast live across the Middle East and North Africa. One Egyptian Christian leader said, "I saw signs of the beginning of revival that I have never seen before!" In contrast to the optimism surrounding the prayer event, Egyptian Christians reacted with concern to the results of the first round of parliamentary elections, which saw Islamist parties take over 60% of the vote. This has led to fears that strict Islamic law may be introduced in Egypt, entrenching the second-class status of Christians and leading to increased persecution. Further rounds of voting, including a referendum on a new constitution and a presidential election, are due in the first half of 2012.
Still going Strong‌ After three years, VOX magazine continues to grow and develop thanks to our amazing team of volunteers. Writers, photographers, illustrators, graphic designers, distributors, advertising sales people, administrators, mailing helpers and advisors as well as our Editor and Operations Manager... we are all unpaid volunteers... WHY? We believe Christians in Ireland deserve a highquality, contemporary and uniquely Irish magazine, which helps us to engage with one another and with our society. Support the vision! We welcome new volunteers to write, take photos or provide practical support as well as financial partners. VOX relies on donations to expand into new areas of ministry. Please contact us if you want to help! Email jonny@vox.ie or call 01 443 4789.
REALITY
OPPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGES @ IBI BY PATRICK MITCHEL
Ireland’s only non-denominational, evangelical Bible college is facing some big opportunities and challenges in 2012. For the staff at the Irish Bible Institute (IBI) the biggest challenge is providing highquality theological education that engages head, hands and heart. This type of education can be life-changing. It is not just for “clever people” or “theology geeks” and it is a deeply spiritual process. è ‘Heart learning’ is about emotions as well as ideas. It is about loving God more deeply and loving others. It is about being thrilled by the good news and being motivated to share it. è ‘Hands learning’ is about students putting into practice what they are learning in the classroom. Someone has said, “Truth must be lived into meaning before it can be truly known.” è ‘Head learning’ calls students to think with a Christian mind about the whole of life, to know God’s truth deeply and be able to communicate it simply.
1
IBI’s training is made possible by the IBI premises, located in the heart of Dublin. According to the original property deal drawn up in 2005/06, IBI agreed to purchase the three units in 2018/19. The total debt is €4 million once VAT and other costs are factored in. However, in the last month, a new deal with the bank has become possible. Details are being finalised, but there is an amazing opportunity for IBI to buy the premises outright for 35% of the outstanding debt, clearing the whole €4 million for around €1.4 million! IBI will launch a fundraising brochure in early 2012 inviting people to ‘buy’ one square foot for €150, two for €300 and so on. See www.ibi.ie for details.
2
In October 2011, the University of Wales announced it would be withdrawing all external validations. IBI can continue with Wales into 2012/13 but is now exploring partnerships with other potential validating universities for 2013/14.
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PART 1
Great Script! Get me a producer. n TV land a few potted plants in the corner of the studio indicates that an ‘expert’ is speaking, and a silly plot embellished by computer wizardry and a famous face or two makes a blockbuster. Would that the resources of a big studio were focused on bringing the Acts of the Apostles to screen! An adventure, spread over 30 years with 120 named characters, plus thousands of extras, with Roman, Jewish, Greek and African people in lead roles; a summary of Old Testament history in just one chapter and the work of Jesus in a paragraph; the story of a few nobodies who, in the words of their opponents, turned the world round on its tracks! It tells how the Good News was brought from Jerusalem to Rome, the heart of the Empire, despite all the obstacles that ignorance, powerful people and fossilized religions put in its path; a frail green shoot from a backwater, which eventually cracked the Roman Empire open. And a story packed with headline-making drama: terrorists, riots and renta-mob, trials, shipwrecks, the occult… and for the “Ah” factor there are the little human cameos: a dressmaker’s handiwork, a young man falling asleep during a sermon, Paul gathering sticks for a fire.
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But most of all, it is the story of changed people: Paul the opponent of Christianity, Cornelius the devout, Peter with a restricted view of God’s mercy, Lydia the business woman, the panic-stricken prison guard, Dionysius (Denis, to us) an intellectual, and others. And, because it is about real people, it also tells of those who for one reason or another rejected the offer of new life. Yes, indeed, it could be a riveting series for television. You can daydream about the actors you would use for the parts. But it is more than that. When we consider the way our world lurches from crisis after crisis (moral, political and economic) as a multiplication of a million personal crises, despite having more information available to any single individual with a PC than entire governments had 50 years ago, we want to cry out – “Go back and read Acts again; let experts in every field of knowledge and culture rethink their theories by its light”. BY WARREN NELSON
REALITY
Millennium kids are
CHAMPIONS OF
WE CAN GO TO A TAP AND GET CLEAN WATER AND OTHERS IN THE WORLD CANNOT. IT’S NOT FAIR.
VOX MAGAZINE
hen a remarkable group of children in Dublin decided they wanted to raise money for Africa, no one could have dreamed of what they would accomplish. “Champions of Hope” was born when Crinken church minister Trevor Stevenson (and founder of charity Fields of Life) sat at a kitchen table with 10-year-old Luke Adams discussing how he and his friends could help to drill a well in Uganda. With support from Luke’s mum, a youth leader and a Sunday School teacher from the church, 17 children, all born in the Millennium year, spent a month brainstorming ideas before developing a campaign that ran throughout Lent. For six weeks, they wore bright yellow T-shirts, performed dramas to share the vision, produced leaflets, organised fund-raising events and challenged their families, their church and their community to get involved. The 10 and 11-year-olds met every week, starting their time with simple one-sentence prayers as they asked for God’s help. Their hope was to raise €3,000. At the heart of their project was the idea of sacrifice - giving up Facebook, biscuits, desserts and other luxuries in order to help others. For the final celebration service, the youngsters invited friends and neighbours from the community who had helped to raise money. It was an emotional moment when the youngsters discovered they had raised over €7,000 and that this would be doubled by a local businessman! Instead of building one well, they had raised enough for five!
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LUKE ADAMS:
My name is Luke. I play hockey, BMX and skateboard and I love my Mum’s sausage casserole! I want to help Africa out of poverty. I think this could be possible and I would like to be part of this. I have water and they don’t in Uganda; that’s not fair. I was flabbergasted [when the businessman doubled our money]. He was a very generous man. I was amazed that we were able to build five wells.
TO BE PART OF SOMETHING SO BIG JUST MAKES YOU WANT TO STEP BACK AND SAY “WOW!” JASMIN LEECH:
I’m Jasmin and I do knitting, sewing, dancing, singing and loads of reading! As well as giving life to other people, I guess I’ve felt like I never belonged to a church. In doing this project I have helped save lives and have made some brilliant friends as well. To be part of something so big just makes you want to step back and say “Wow!” It’s amazing!
KAREN NEVIN:
My name is Karen Nevin. I am 11 years old. I am in 5th class and my hobbies are swimming, dancing, running, hockey, singing and art.
I think Fields of Life is a great charity. They do amazing things. I never thought that we could raise the money to even build one well. First of all we told everyone in church [about our project] by doing a little play. We did a sale. For Lent, we gave up things that cost money, and gave the money that we saved to Fields of Life.
DAVID STEVENSON:
My name is David. I am 10 and love to play football and soccer and chess. We can go to a tap and get clean water and others in the world cannot. It’s not fair that many children (people) have to drink dirty water. I like to see others have clean water so that’s why I loved this project. We ended up helping to drill five wells, and my dad tells me that will help about 5000 people have access to clean water. I felt very good to be able to help children in Uganda so they will be more healthy, and I also liked working with my friends. I would like to do something like this again because it would be a privilege. Also, there is still so much need, and we must help others. I would also encourage other children in churches and schools to do it because they will get more from doing it than they will give away.
GREAT THINGS ARE DONE BY A SERIES OF SMALL THINGS BROUGHT TOGETHER.” - VINCENT VAN GOGH
CAITLIN BRADSHAW:
I’m Caitlin and I’m 11. I like to draw and run. We felt we should do something to help others - in this case, families in Africa. We got together to talk about how we could raise money. We take water for granted. Clean water can make such a difference in Africa - less sickness and death, less time spent fetching dirty water and more time at school and playing. It was during Lent so we decided to give up some of our treats - sweets, magazines, meals out etc. In this way we weren’t asking for more and we weren’t putting extra pressure on our parents. We had a market where we sold things and we asked people in church to donate money. I was really pleased and maybe a little surprised [about what we achieved] we’re only 10 and 11! I’d love to do something like this again. In fact, I’ve started selling some of our eggs to raise money. Then I started making bracelets from wool and selling them. People in school began helping me and the principal said we could sell them officially in school. Then it caught on in church and everyone got involved - three weeks on we already have €331! JAN - MAR 2012 VOX
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FAITH
THIS YEAR..! BY PASTOR TUNDE ADEBAYO-OKE
astor Tunde Adebayo-Oke is the National Pastor of the Redeemed Christian Church of God in Ireland (the third largest Christian denomination in the country). This is his challenge for VOX readers at the start of 2012.
focused and determined. We need to live like they did in the Acts of the Apostles - looking out for each other, being there for each other, providing for each other and totally depending on God leading us by His We are grateful for the beginning of a New Holy Spirit. This will mean coming out of Year. It gives us the opportunity to reflect on all we our comfort zone, being led by the Holy experienced in the previous 12 months. This helps us Spirit and taking leaps of faith. plan for a better year ahead. 2011 was a bit of a roller The interesting thing about leaps of coaster mostly because of the financial climate of the faith is that what we are required to do country. This helps us as Christians appreciate more doesn’t always make sense at the time than ever that God alone is our source. that’s why it is called a “leap”. Last year we faced all manner of troubles. Nobody I look forward to churches in likes affliction but, the truth is, it helps us become Ireland working together regardless of more resilient. We learn a lot of lessons and hopefully denomination - inspiring each other, become better people, not bitter people. motivating each other, learning from each In a movie, a other. That would be young successful a huge leap of faith wrestler was considering the lack asked what WHAT WE ARE REQUIRED TO DO DOESN’T ALWAYS of true relationship motivated him to that exists right now. MAKE SENSE AT THE TIME. succeed. He said The Apostle Paul he imagined his constantly did things opponent was without knowing trying to drown what the end result him so he had to do whatever it took to remain alive. would be. As long as it was God leading This kind of attitude will help us tremendously him, he went. We need to live like that this year. We have to do whatever God wants us do to this year. If we do, there will be exciting live successful lives. We will definitely need to be more times ahead.
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In 2012 we will need to conquer fear. It is what stops us from achieving all that God wants us to do. Fear prevents us from pursuing our dreams. It works against faith. This year we must believe God and take the limits off. We must be more community minded and look out for others. This year we all need to depend on Him and enjoy the reality of our Christianity. The Bible encourages us to walk by faith and not by sight. For too long we have lived like those that do not have a relationship with Jesus. I believe this year our light will shine and as we do the right thing others will be drawn to the God that we serve.
FAMILY FOCUS Are you due for a check up?
If someone asked you when your car was due its next service, would you be offended? As inconvenient as it may be, it is essential to help keep us safe on the roads; you’d be more surprised to find someone who insisted it wasn’t necessary! But what about your marriage? When did you last have a ‘Marriage check-up? Again, the question does not presume there is a problem. Many think that marriage enrichment weekends and relationship courses are for when marriage goes stale or there is a break-up on the horizon. But what if married people regularly practised maintenance and prevention rather than waiting for the need for a cure? What if couples planted some hedges around their marriage? Jerry B. Jenkins, author of Hedges: Loving Your Marriage Enough to Protect It says, “I have planted hedges around myself, to protect me, my wife, my family, my employer, my church and supremely, the reputation of Christ. I share them not to boast but to admit that I’m still fleeing [temptation] and in the hope that they 16
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might be of some benefit to you.” You’d never dream of putting someone you love in a car if you weren’t sure of its safety. And we should be like that with our marriages. We should be intentional about protecting them from the pitfalls and temptations that we can see and hear around us every day. Don’t take risks with your relationship. Plant ‘hedges’ around your marriage. All that said, it’s never too late to make efforts to save your marriage. If we can help you in any way, please do get in touch with us. It is our desire to help you and your marriage thrive! You can call us on 01 8066288 or email us info@family.ie Check out www. family.ie for lots of helpful articles and resources.
CONFESSIONS OF A FEINT SAINT
I’m afraid it’s been blown out of proportion... By Annmarie Miles have a terrible fear of balloons! I can’t help it! I’m afraid they’ll burst in my face and I usually back away slowly from anyone who’s holding one! I can’t count the times I’ve had a trusting little child come to me asking… “Amawee, can you bwow dis bawoon up for me peeeeese?” Gingerly I take the dangerous object from the child. I give two measly blows and tie a knot. The trusting face turns to bewildered disappointment as the child walks away with a balloon no bigger than their own fist. And balloons are not the only things I’m afraid of. I don’t like the dark if I’m alone. I can’t bear noises I don’t recognise. A moth in the room makes me scream. Oh, and I dread the thought of false imprisonment! I kid you not. So as you can imagine, I could very well spend a large chunk of my day being jumpy (especially if there’s a kids' party on… at night… with the windows open… hosted by a prison warden!!!!) My Dad, on the other hand, due to his interesting state of mind is not afraid of anything! He’d go to bed after opening the front door for some fresh air, leaving
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everything still plugged in, carrying tea, biscuits, his jacket and half a dozen other things up the stairs! So there’s the other thing I’m afraid of… watching my Dad walk up the stairs. I’ve heard it said that the Bible tells us not to fear about 365 times… one for every day. When God says something more than once… it’s probably time to sit up and listen. But it’s not a daily smack on the wrist. It’s an acknowledgment that God knows we fear and that He wants us to trust Him. Even if He’d only said it once, it would still stand. I don’t know where my bizarre fears come from, but know I need to listen to God when he says, “Fear not, for I am with you.” In the meantime, if you need someone to blow up a balloon…. ask my Dad. But please wait ‘til he’s at the top of the stairs and make sure to close the door as you leave! Illustration: Olly Blake - www.ollyblake.com
Annmarie Miles comes from Tallaght in Dublin and is married to Richard, from Wales. She works for Focus on the Family and loves to cook, sing, read, talk and eat! Follow Annmarie’s blog at www.auntyamo.wordpress.com.
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REALITY
COMPASSION IRELAND IS BORN! BY RUTH GARVEY-WILLIAMS
WE NEED TO GET BACK TO KINGDOM THINKING – WORKING TOGETHER TO ELIMINATE THE SCOURGE OF EXTREME POVERTY.
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was at a children’s ministry conference in 2001 in England and passed the Compassion UK table. I saw a little boy in a day-glow yellow T-shirt and shorts with an extended tummy and he just ‘talked’ to me. So I sponsored him! His name is Tembo from Uganda. He is nearly 18 years old… back then he was just 8!” This was how Olly van der Flier from Wicklow first became involved with Compassion, an international Christian charity focused on releasing children from extreme poverty. Then in spring 2010, Olly received a telephone call from Helen Duff (Compassion Northern Ireland). “They were looking to set up Compassion Ireland as a new charity and wanted my husband Dirk and I to consider being trustees,” Olly explained. “I had just sat down to write a letter to my sponsor child at the time so I couldn’t discount the significance of this phone call!” A few months later Compassion offered Olly the opportunity to head up the new Irish charity. “First of all, I said no – I wasn’t looking for a job – I was happy to volunteer and help out where possible, but pretty quickly I realised this was what God wanted me to do.” … and so Compassion Ireland was born! In May 2011, the charity was officially registered. “It was wonderful to receive charity status so quickly,” Olly added. Over 1.3 million children are sponsored through Compassion around the world – Compassion Ireland now joins partner countries the UK, The Netherlands, Italy, Spain, Switzerland, Germany, France, South Korea, Australia, the USA and Canada, all working together to see children released from extreme poverty.
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HELPING THE MOST VULNERABLE
poor. His full story can be read online at www.blog.compassion.com/kenya“In areas of extreme poverty, the most vulnerable slums-out-of-the-slums-of-kenya/ are the children,” Olly explained. “Often aid does not filter down as far as a child. Compassion’s child RETURNING TO KINGDOM THINKING sponsorship model takes children and puts them in Recognising that setting up a new the centre of our efforts to combat poverty. In an aid agency could be seen as competition upward spiral effect, the children grow up and affect for other charities, Olly commented, their community and start to change their whole “Compassion Ireland is very much geared environment. Poverty ends with them because they towards children. There are other great now have an opportunity to live differently.” organisations and charities in Ireland Each sponsored child receives at least one that are doing amazing work around the nutritious meal a day along with regular health world. We need to get back to kingdom screening and the cost of any medical treatment. The thinking – working together to eliminate sponsorship also covers all education costs, school the scourge of extreme poverty.” uniform, books, shoes and other essentials. Olly admitted that it If the family is in dire straights, can be a challenge basic food provisions will be launching a given to the family (e.g. charity at rice, oil, etc.). IN AREAS OF EXTREME POVERTY, THE a time of “Compassion only MOST VULNERABLE ARE THE CHILDREN. economic crisis, works with the local however, she is church and enables the very encouraged by local church to do the work,” people’s response as they Olly explained. This helps to ensure see just how much impact they can have the support provided is culturally appropriate and on a child’s life for one Euro per day. directed to those in greatest need. Compassion also ensures that the child’s spiritual TIME TO LOOK BEYOND OURSELVES needs are met alongside their physical and emotional Lisa Fitzsimons recently joined the needs. “We are releasing children from poverty in Compassion Ireland team. She shared, Jesus’ name and through child sponsorship, many are “My prayer for Ireland is that people’s coming to know Jesus personally,” Olly explained. hearts and attitudes are changed. Here “For me, this is the greatest encouragement and people keep talking about how bad things reason for finding sponsors for children through are. They have become desensitised to Compassion.” others. There is apathy, and it is hard to overcome that. We want people FOUND IN THE SLUMS! to support Compassion because they While the sheer size of the challenge of poverty believe in what we stand for and not out can be overwhelming, Compassion’s focus on helping of guilt or duty or giving money without one child at a time is making a significant impact. knowing where it is going. It has to come Here is one of countless stories of God at work: from the heart and that takes time.” Joshua Miago was sponsored as a child through “People think that poverty is just Compassion. He was living in a horrific slum in there and there is nothing they can do Nairobi, Kenya. While at school, teachers soon about it. Yet we have all we need to end identified his potential. His sponsorship enabled him extreme poverty. The question is, will to attend university, and he went on to win a postwe do what it takes? If so, then it could graduate scholarship to The Netherlands, where he works to develop an effective malaria vaccine with the intention of making it available to the poorest of the
all change. Yes, there is poverty in Ireland, but when it comes to extreme poverty, it’s not the case here.”
INTO ACTION
Sponsoring a child with Compassion costs just €1 per day / €30 per month. You can sponsor as an individual, as a family, as a small group, as a Sunday School or even as a church. Compassion Ireland is committed to partnering churches here in Ireland with churches in developing communities. This is far more than the financial commitment; this is a long-lasting personal relationship between churches as they fight to end the injustice of poverty. Churches can sponsor children from the same project/town, which helps the whole church to forge a special connection with that place. Then there are opportunities to visit the church and your sponsored child as individuals or as a church. The Compassion Ireland team offers churches a ‘Compassion Sunday’ presentation complete with a resource pack for church leaders. A Compassion Sunday explains the ministry of Compassion and shows the transformation that takes place in these children’s lives through the Sponsorship programme.
To find out more contact: ollyvdf@compassion.ie or lisaf@compassion.ie Or visit www.compassion.ie Find Compassion Ireland on Facebook or follow on Twitter!
JAN - MAR 2011 VOX
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FAITH
A TREASURED MEMORY BY MICHAEL KENNING
Michael Kenning’s beautiful entry won third prize in VOX magazine’s My Story Writing Competition (2011). We are delighted to share it with you. Image: Lee Bailey
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VOX MAGAZINE
IT HAD TURNED INTO ONE OF THOSE WARM LUMINOUS JUNE EVENINGS, FULL OF BIRDSONG AND THE HUM OF INSECTS.
was 19 and attending university in England. At the end of my first year, my parents came over from Ireland and collected me with their caravan. We set off to return home to County Down by wandering our way up the English East Coast, sightseeing through Yorkshire and the Scottish borders before catching the boat at Stranraer. We arrived at the campsite in Northumberland with relief. The weather during the day had been wet. The heavy rain and steamed-up car windows oppressed us with overcast thoughts made worse by the flares from the refineries and industrial complexes of Middlesborough and the rush-hour traffic we encountered at Gateshead. But now the skies had cleared, and it had turned into one of those warm luminous June evenings, full of birdsong and the hum of insects. Having eaten our tea, my parents were settling down to read with the caravan door half open, and, seeking solitude and time to reflect, I was drawn by an inner prompting to climb a small grassy hill that rose behind us. I had only been a Christian for three years, but already I recognised the voice of the Lord whispering quietly but insistently to draw aside and listen to what He might say. And so I climbed, and coming to the brow of the hill, I was surprised to find that on the far side there was an old quarry and the hill fell away in a mini clifflike amphitheatre. Beyond, spread before me, was the most glorious view. The North Sea, distant and seemingly calm, undulated slowly, its azure creases sparkling occasionally. To my left lay Lindisfarne: Holy Island, where Aidan and his Irish monks had come from Iona and set up their base, winning the Northumbrians for Christ with their love, patience and devotion. Ahead of me, the Farne Islands were becalmed like ships at anchor, the lighthouse already winking. I thought of Cuthbert exiling himself there among the birds and seals to think and pray and draw closer to God.
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Over to my right, the westering sun behind me gilded the battlements of Bamburgh Castle with deep, rich, glowing ochre hues. This was Bamburgh of the Saxon Northumbrian Kings and of Oswald, the first Christian King who Bede said would sit with his hands upturned in his lap when he prayed. Layer upon layer of God’s presence and power down through the centuries. A slight inshore breeze was getting up, and my gaze was drawn in from the panorama of God’s love to the detail. I watched a fulmar silently soaring on the air being funnelled up the cliff face, effortlessly held aloft; seemingly delighting in the moment, the merest whoosh of sound as it skimmed past me at eye level. I felt drawn to examine the delicate intricacy of wildflowers growing on the cliff top and consider their designer. A pool nearby revealed a crested newt hanging motionless mid water in its own world beneath the surface, perfectly formed and strangely beautiful. I knew deep inside that God was calling me like Adam to walk with Him in this ‘garden’ so that He could communicate His nurturing care and show me a selection of His treasures. That night, it was as if the Lord was especially present, bidding me look at the things He had made for no other reason than to show me His love and friendship. The gospel of John says that after Jesus rose from the dead, one early morning the disciples glimpsed Him through the semi light and mist of dawn. On that numinous summer evening, the sense of His presence was almost palpable; like them, I knew I had been with Him and glimpsed His glory: a memory I treasure still.
Michael Kenning was born in Belfast and grew up in Bangor, Co. Down. He now lives in Mallow, Co. Cork, with his wife, Liz, and two children. He works as a podiatrist for the HSE and is part of the leadership team at Grace Christian Fellowship in Cork City.
LAYER UPON LAYER OF GOD’S PRESENCE AND POWER DOWN THROUGH THE CENTURIES.
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[ WEBWATCH ]
My top five... Web highlights from VOX readers www.kiva.org A non-profit organisation with a mission to connect people by lending to alleviate poverty. Kiva lets individuals lend as little as $25 via Paypal to help create opportunity around the world. I stumbled on this a few years ago. If you want, you can reclaim loans, once repaid!...or better still, roll it over again and again. www.imagejournal.org Image occupies a unique place in the religion/arts world, avoiding theological jargon, offering depth while still remaining comprehensible to a general readership. This has an American bias but is well worth a look. Often there are sumptuous colour illustrations of modern art, as well as poetry, fiction and essays. www.fastcoexist.com/1678905/toilet-entrepreneurs-powered-bymit-innovation Sanergy is a business full of waste! The startup—funded in part by the U.S. government—gives toilets away to business people in the slums, who charge for use. In exchange, Sanergy gets the… leftovers, which they convert into electricity and sell. There’s imagination and innovation! www.fastcodesign.com/1665522/a-roller-coaster-for-wimpsyou-walk-instead-of-ride An art installation on the Rhine offers all of the expectation but none of the heart-pounding thrill of an amusement-park ride. Not quite sure how a person manages to walk upside down but.... www.faitharts.ie/index.html Faitharts is for those interested in the relationship between religion and the arts, especially the popular arts, and in relation to education. The perspective is Catholic and Irish, and its particular audience is religion teachers. Layout is pedestrian but it is a useful resource (other than the Spartan poetry offering!). “Could do better” - as the teacher often chided.
Louis Hemmings is married with two lads and a rescue dog, Jack-the-Lad. He is a long-established writer and poet who’s happiest being an ideas engineer and almost-angel investor. He is an active supporter of Third Space Cafe, Smithfield, Dublin.
LIFE
RISING UP!
A NEW GENERATION OF IRISH LEADERS BY KEN BAKER
eleasing and empowering a radical group of young leaders is the passion behind the NRG (New Rising Generation) discipleship programme in the West and Midlands. Ken Baker shares what lies behind the innovative programme.
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What is NRG and where did it come from?
NRG is a discipleship programme for 18 to 25-year-olds, developed in the west of Ireland in response to a summons to make mission centre stage. Graeme Wylie, one of the “midwives” of the NRG programme, explains its genesis: “Last November, during the Global Leadership Summit in Dublin, I felt the Lord challenging me about the needs of the 18-25 young adults in our churches. “As I began praying, I felt an outline of a biblical discipleship programme formulating to help them develop in self leadership. Sharing my ideas with others, we decided to launch the NRG programme in September. It met with an enthusiastic response from the young adults and from many in the churches who were willing to sponsor them. “Now that we are nearly halfway through the first year, the dynamic in the group is exciting. The creative potential is promising, and there is great interplay between [the participants] and the seasoned leaders who are facilitating the programme. “I think this has been one of the most significant initiatives we have launched for some time, and I expect that the fruit it will produce will be reaped in the years ahead. We are now thinking and planning for the next
phase in these exciting days for Christians in Ireland.”
So where does mission fit in?
“Mission is not an event, a two week project or a gap year,” shared Catherine, an NRG participant responding to the statement, “Love is the springboard to mission.” “We need to stop fuelling up our Christian pizzazz for a Christian ‘venture.’ I’m not suggesting that mission trips are bad or unworthy of our time. Of course, they are good things to do. But we need to have a change in our perspective and not see them as things to do but rather let them be expressions of a love-driven missional life.”
The participants come from a wide range of churches, so how does the programme “keep it together”? We use the Mighty Craic course website (http://mightycraic.wordpress. com) as a clearing house. All the lectures and video links are posted there. Then, each person is expected to develop their own blog, to post their responses to the lectures and to link them to the main site. Absolutely pain free. And paper-free!
Doesn’t this pre-suppose a lot of techno know how? Perhaps so at first. But we’re happy to help get things kick-started and our experience is that these guys (we call them NRG-isers) are well able handle any basic computer wizardry (more so than some of the staff!).
the concepts of NRG was that it could be a kind of gap-year programme between school and college or university.
What do you hope to achieve with these young adults?
We hope they will become a group of missional leaders; that they will take the baton and learn to run with it. And it is already happening. NRG-isers have led events in Athlone and Longford. We have just had a phenomenal Firefall residential youth conference in Athlone with fifty teenagers worshipping together over three days. Next February, we’re going to raise the bar and do a bigger NRG-led Firefall in Kilkenny. And in the pipeline: We plan to focus on the St Patrick’s Day Parade in Ballina next March, on the Portumna Plumbline conference in May, further youth camps in Leitrim and a planned UK mission next summer. As one participant put it: “The world is our lobster.” Couldn’t have put it better myself. It’s important to develop creative strategies. Many of the NRG-isers are already competent musicians, so worship is an important part of the programme, but we want to develop more drama, poetry and art as forms of Christian expression. Some are already young teachers in their first jobs. Imagine the impact of such “a great army” once it is properly mobilized. I believe that the recession stops right here in the powerful God-given optimism of our young people.
What comes next? What follows the NRG year?
There are plenty of new applicants to step into the programme next September, plus we have some exciting plans for those who want to step it up a little.
What about qualifications for course participants?
There are no qualifications, as such. We are interested in young people where they are. The youngest have just completed their Leaving Cert. One of
“I’M TRYING TO FREE YOUR MIND, NEO. BUT I CAN ONLY SHOW YOU THE DOOR. YOU’RE THE ONE THAT HAS TO WALK THROUGH IT.” - MORPHEUS, THE MATRIX
Ken Baker is the pastor of Hope Community, Roscommon and the husband of Val. As the secondprize winner of the VOX Writing Competition last year, Ken seems set to become a regular contributor to the magazine.
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INTERVIEW
IT’S TIME TO STEP OUT! BY RUTH GARVEY-WILLIAMS
N January 1 2012, PJ Booth became the new National Leader for Assemblies of God Ireland (AGI) - a network of 30 churches from Derry and Belfast to Dublin, Cork, Limerick, Galway and beyond. Established eight years ago as a partnership between North and South, AGI has seen significant growth under the leadership of Gary Davidson (an American by birth but Irish at heart after 31 years here). Gary was delighted to fulfil his dream of handing over the leadership of AGI to an Irishman.
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I meet up PJ with at his church (Open Arms) in Newbridge, Co Kildare, just as he is emerging from a team breakfast (full Irish with all the trimmings - good thing for my waistline I am too late for anything more than a coffee). In a relaxed meeting room, PJ is eager to share his story and his vision for this nation. I am warmed by his honesty and humility. “I don’t think of myself first and foremost as a leader,” he explains. “I think of myself as PJ - a child of God. To do everything I need to do, to be everything I need to be - whether as a pastor, a husband, a father or the leader of AGI - I need Jesus in my life. I know I can’t make it without him.” He’s quietly unashamed of this desperate need, “People say Jesus is my crutch. Jesus is my bed, my wheelchair, my life!” PJ’s story begins with an all-too-familiar refrain. Married young to his teenage sweetheart and loveof-his-life, Elizabeth, PJ hit rock bottom when the marriage started to break down. “I ended up hating myself,” PJ admits. “People told me what I was doing wrong, but they could not give me any help. No one had the ability to change my heart. I wanted my life to stop and the pain to go away. I was filled with shame, guilt and remorse.” A friend from Galway intervened, inviting Elizabeth to stay and asking if someone could pray with her. That someone was church leader and Christian counsellor Graeme Wylie. Elizabeth was so broken that she agreed. Talking and praying with Graeme, she had a real God encounter. “I wanted to meet this guy, so ten days later I went to Galway,” PJ recalls. “I thought I was going into a 24
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counselling session. Graeme explained that the only way forward was Jesus. As soon as I made that commitment, the change was instant. God took my guilt away. I walked into the office with a ton weight on me and walked out transformed.” New believers and with new hope for their marriage, PJ and Elizabeth began attending St Marks church in Dublin. Two years later PJ was at Bible college. In 1996, they started a home group in Newbridge - with just two people! From February to September that year, they prayed for over 100 people in their community. Then in September, they launched an Alpha course. “I expected 12 and we ended up with 37! The church emerged from there. We went full time in Easter 2000 with about 30 people and moved into this building in January 2003.” Today Open Arms runs two services on a Sunday morning with a combined congregation of over 500 people. Engaging with his local community, PJ is convinced of the local church’s vital role. “I believe with a passion that a local church that is biblically based, led by the Holy Spirit and head over heels in love with Jesus is the hope for our nation,” he enthuses. “So why are you in love with Jesus?” The question stops PJ in is tracks. For a split second I’m afraid he won’t have an answer. Then his face softens. He starts slowly, simply, “…because He loves me.” But warming to the theme, his eyes ignite. “He is gracious and kind. He never rejects me but loves me so much
that He is not willing to leave me as I am. He inspires me and equips me. He believes in me more than I believe in me. He has the complete plan. His heart is all compassion, grace, mercy, gentleness and kindness, but He is a real man. He is no wimp. He is bold, strong, courageous… I love that! “Jesus Christ is the way, the truth and the life, not just for eternity but also for right now.” PJ is emphatic as he returns to his vision for the nation. “We want to see changed hearts, changed families and changed communities.” From this passion, three focus areas have emerged for AGI: strengthening the local church, developing leaders and church planting. PJ is pretty blunt when it comes to the challenges facing the church, “The greatest obstacles to the waves coming in are waves going out. We shackle so many young people and they are leaving our churches in droves. They have a passion, a calling and an anointing, but we will not release them into leadership roles. Existing leaders will not relinquish leadership.” The answer is radical discipleship, which not only raises up new leaders but also releases them! This conviction is fuelling AGI’s new discipleship programme set to launch in autumn 2012.
A GOD OPPORTUNITY FOR IRELAND
And what lies in store for the coming year and beyond? PJ shares how, on his way to church one Sunday
I WALKED INTO THE OFFICE WITH A TON WEIGHT ON ME AND WALKED OUT TRANSFORMED.
VOX MAGAZINE
WE WANT TO SEE CHANGED HEARTS, CHANGED FAMILIES AND CHANGED COMMUNITIES.
morning, he was struck by the words of Isaiah in The Message: “God sent me to announce the year of his grace - a celebration of God’s destruction of our enemies - and to comfort all who mourn, to care for the needs of all who mourn in Zion, give them bouquets of roses instead of ashes, messages of joy instead of news of doom, a praising heart instead of a languid spirit.” Isaiah 61:1-3 He rushed out to buy bunches of roses and gave them out to people during the worship time. “For me that has to be our heart - seeing Jesus transforming lives.” “There is a hunger for spirituality in Ireland. The traditional pillars of society have come down - pillars of religion, politics and the economy. Now is the God opportunity for Ireland.” “Around the nation, we must break down the walls of the church. Our purpose is to reach a lost, dying world.” “We need to step out, break the mould and be the hands, the heart and the voice of God to our community. We need to be the Accident and Emergency Department, not a fivestar hotel. The A&E is messy and bloody, and it may seem a bit out of control, but it is in the business of saving lives. “I want to see churches filled with people who are broken and made whole. Jesus did not come for those who are well but for those who are sick. We’ve got to be risk takers!”
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LIFE
RISKY BUSINESS WHY CHURCHES AND CHARITIES NEED TO AVOID THE OSTRICH SYNDROME BY DAVID HAMILTON
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Since all churches and charities have insurance, surely their risks are covered. How then can they be sure they are getting the most competitive price?
Establishing a good risk management programme is a guaranteed way of securing the most economical premium costs. Usually, boards only look at their premium costs a month or so before renewal. However, why not make a point of communicating what you are doing to minimise risks (assuming it is positive, of course!) months in advance of your renewal negotiations? Your insurance cover is your last line of defence when all risk management measures have failed. So the best way to maintain competitive premium costs is not to have claims. Mark Twain famously said, “A banker is a fellow who lends you his umbrella when the sun is shining, but wants it back the minute it begins to rain.” Unfortunately, insurance companies are a bit like that!
Can you identify the types of risks that charities should be aware of? The story of Patrick using the shamrock to illustrate the Trinity is just a legend, but it is still a wonderful picture of the ‘oneness’ of our God. In relation to risk, we can use a four-leaf clover as an illustration. Each leaf represents a risk category. The risks facing charities and churches can be divided into: 1. Hazard 2. Operational/Ministry 3. Strategic 4. Financial
A risk that springs to mind under the hazard category would be fire safety, especially if you have people gathering In these challenging financial days, the work risk is for different events during the week. constantly used. In a nutshell, what is risk? Under operational/ministry, one that Certain terms used by business and financial is often overlooked is the dependency geeks are coming upon a specific more and more individual worker. into our regular If an important communications. NO RESPONSIBLE PARENT WOULD ALLOW THEIR operation or One of these THREE-YEAR-OLD CHILD TO PLAY WITH MATCHES. ministry relies is “risk” almost entirely on specifically, risk the skills or charisma management and of one individual, risk assessment. We need to be able to identify and it represents a significant risk either if minimise anything that could negatively affect our something happens to that person or if activities rather than leave things to chance. At times, they are discredited in any way. Christians can use the “God card” to avoid the sheer How the charity or church effort it takes to review and critique an idea or plan communicates with their members is, before putting it into effect. of course, critical. I would view this 26
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Sign courtesy of Wicklow County Council
egular VOX reader David Hamilton is a Risk Consultant from an insurance background and has worked with a broad range of companies, including many charities. He talks about the risks faced by churches and charities and shares some helpful advice to assist those who carry the responsibility of leading a church or faith-based charity.
VOX MAGAZINE
HAVING A RISK MANAGEMENT POLICY OR SAFETY STATEMENT AND NOT IMPLEMENTING IT IS LIKE HOLDING A LOADED GUN TO YOUR HEAD.
under the strategic banner. Be very careful about giving individuals total electronic access to your membership. Some time ago, a private-sector business was rolling out training for their email system. One guy sent a mail to his colleague making derogatory comments about his boss. His colleague received the mail and they joked about the content. The only problem was the entire workforce also received the mail – all 30,000 of them worldwide! Another critical strategic risk is that churches or Christian charities at times pay only lip service to prayer. A question to ask is whether you have designed and implemented a prayer structure?
Psalm 5:3 reads, “In the morning I lay my requests before God and wait in expectation.” There are two extremes in discussing financial risks. One is talking too much about it; the other is to avoid talking about it. Speaking with Bill Hybels, a famous businessman once commented that in an economic crisis, cash is king. Bill quietly reflected his belief that Jesus is King! However, it is true that finance is mission critical to any group, including churches and charities. Unfortunately, since money does not grow on trees, we have to be realistic about what we can achieve and what promises we can make.
Once you have identified risks under these four headings, what do you do with them? C S Lewis said, “I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen: not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else.” No responsible parent would allow their three-year-old child to play with matches. When risk management stops being a legalistic burden and becomes part of our way of life, we see things differently. Our determination to do things right and keep on a straight path should mirror the psalmist: “I have chosen the way of truth; I have set my heart on your laws. I hold fast to your statutes, O Lord…” Psalm 119:30-31. Once you have identified the risks to your church or charity, you can ask three questions: What are our 10 or 20 top risks? Do we have a Policy to address these risks, or are we just ‘winging it’? Do we have Procedures in place to ensure our commitment is a reality and not just aspirational? Do we have a method of assessment to ensure we Practice what we preach? It is good to critically analyse how you do business. Without a doubt, the weakest link in the three steps is an honest and accurate assessment of what is happening in reality. In the insurance world, there is a significant growth in the charities sector in what is known as mental anguish claims (bullying, stress and harassment). I would exhort all in responsible leadership positions to avoid the ostrich syndrome and ensure the management of risk becomes an integral component of any church or charity in 21st Century Ireland.
At the end of the day, is it not just a bit of paper - a document that you can point to if it all goes very wrong?
Having a risk management policy or safety statement and not implementing it is like holding a loaded gun to your head. The golden rule is, if you don’t do it in practice, don’t lie on paper and say that you do! A risk management policy or safety statement is not like an insurance policy. Just because you have one, it does not mean you are covered.
If you are insured and some unplanned event occurs that falls within the scope of your cover, all you need is that important piece of paper. However, if one of your volunteers is injured in a road traffic accident, your safety policy needs to turn into safety practice very quickly.
Surely a charity is protected if they have trustees or a board of directors? Statutory legislation uses the word competency. It is such an important word that it is defined in detail and has been debated in the courts. There are two principle risks for boards or trustees that can affect them in discharging their duties: Being too closely aligned with the operational leadership and therefore unable to ensure accountability and transparency. Being too disconnected from the activities of the charity or church to actually know what is happening on the ground. The challenge with rolling out risk management structures is the fear of the unknown, especially where there is autocratic, top-down leadership. From my experience, charities may ignore their own policies and procedures because it is “inconvenient” to bother with the paperwork. This can be quite common and, I am afraid to say, especially common among Christian groups. I have worked with boards (secular) trying to recover from the stigma of sexual abuse, bullying and harassment issues. If any healthcare worker is accused of such things, their innocence goes out the window. In court, they will be proven either guilty or not guilty, but they can forget about being proven innocent. A board is responsible to ensure there are policies and procedures in place to protect the leadership, employees, users of their service and their volunteers. They must have the courage to put the brakes on, if they see enthusiasm running out of control and the work getting beyond what is realistic or manageable. I am convinced that the implementation of these principles can benefit the ministry of any church or charity.
David is married to Evelyn and lives in Portmarnock. They have four children and one grandson. For more information on his company’s services, email david@hamiltonrisk. ie. As a volunteer, David is also Chairman of Zest4Kidz – a charity dedicated to bringing hope to children in desperate circumstances. JAN - MAR 2012 VOX
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FAITH
TRUTH, SCIENCE AND EVOLUTION BY SEAMUS O’CALLAGHAN
functional protein or gene - is complex beyond our own creative capacities, a reality which is the very antithesis of chance, which excels in every sense anything produced by the intelligence of man?” (Evolution, a Theory in Crisis).
What science is not able to do is analyse a miracle. What would modern scientists have concluded about a glass S Christians, we are transformed by the of exceptionally good-quality wine that renewing of our minds as we decide not had just come from a jar of water ( John to conform to the thinking patterns of the 2:9-10)? world. In this process, we are called to put The theory of off things that are false and to believe in things that are evolution is a bit like true. that. It tries to explain AS BELIEVERS IN THE TRUTH, WE CANNOT TAKE THE Right actions come from thinking about things how man and other SAME POSITION AS THOSE WHO IGNORE THE FACTS. that are right and our souls reap the reward. However, living things have it is also clear from Scripture that we only have partial come into being, but information and that our reasoning processes develop it is vastly limited in as we put childish ways of thinking behind us. what it has been able Time after time, God challenges us to see things Another non-Christian, professor to prove. (and other people) from His perspective. It is about of biochemistry Michael Behe, put it Evolutionist Richard Dawkins learning to deal with issues in a new way, even with like this: “Molecular evolution is not explained the problem: “And we find people who disagree with us. We may know the right based on scientific authority. There many of them already in an advanced answers, but unless we transmit them in the right way, state of evolution, the very first time they is no publication in the scientific people will not come to the knowledge of the truth. literature in prestigious journals, appear. It is as though they were just In doing this, we also have to guard our own hearts planted there, without any evolutionary specialty journals, or books that and minds against “godless myths and old wives’ describes how molecular evolution history. Needless to say, this appearance tales” (1 Tim 4:7). We have to take care not to get of any real, complex, biochemical of sudden planting has delighted sucked into controversies about disputable matters, system either did occur or even might creationists - the only alternative as they only lead to quarrels. We have a responsibility have occurred. There are assertions explanation of the sudden appearance to check out the facts in the same way the disciples that such evolution occurred, but of so many complex animal types in the checked to be absolutely sure that Christ had risen absolutely none are supported Cambrian era is divine creation.” (The from the dead. by pertinent experiments or Blind Watchmaker) Christians have a mandate to be scientists. “I calculations.” (Darwin’s Black Box: The Molecular biologist Michael Denton will meditate on all your works and consider all Biochemical Challenge to Evolution) (not a Christian) explains that things are your mighty deeds” (Ps 77:12). There is no problem Nowadays, hundreds of not as simple as first thought: “To grasp between the Scriptures, which tell of what God did, leading scientists worldwide are the reality of and science, which tries to abandoning Darwin’s theory (see life as it has explain how He did it. www.dissentfromdarwin.org) and been revealed However, we don’t looking elsewhere. They see the CHRISTIANS HAVE A MANDATE TO BE SCIENTISTS. by molecular make the mistake of theory as “effectively dead, despite its biology, we thinking that the Bible persistence as textbook orthodoxy” must magnify a contains instructions (Stephen Jay Gould, Professor of cell a thousand for scientific experiments. Science consists of million times until it is twenty kilometers Zoology and Geology, Harvard proposing a theory, researching to see what is already University, USA, Is a new and general in diameter and resembles a giant known, conducting experiments, gathering and theory of evolution emerging?). airship large enough to cover a great interpreting data, verifying the results, and noting the Theories such as creative city like London or New York. What we experimental conditions, shortcomings, conclusions evolution and others have received would then see would be an object of and any further questions that need to be answered. wide support, but “when carefully unparalleled complexity and adaptive In this process, the onus is clearly on the scientist to examined, were all eventually design. Is it really credible that random prove and justify their conclusions and the observed abandoned as untenable” ( Jerry processes could have constructed a facts have to be in agreement. Bergman, The century-and-a-half reality, the smallest element of which
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failure in the quest for the source of new genetic information). So where to now for the scientists? One of them points the way ahead: “Today, our duty is to destroy the myth of evolution, considered as a simple, understood and explained phenomenon which keeps rapidly unfolding before us. Biologists must be encouraged to think about the weaknesses of the interpretations and extrapolations that theoreticians lay down as established truths. The deceit is sometimes unconscious, but not always, since some people, owing to their sectarianism, purposely overlook reality and refuse to acknowledge the inadequacies and the falsity of their beliefs.” Pierre P. Grasse, former Chair of Evolution, Sorbonne University and ex-president of the French Academie des Sciences (Evolution of Living Organisms: Evidence for a New Theory of Transformation). So what are Christians supposed to think about evolution if even the nonChristian scientists are having this many problems believing it? When it comes to issues of origins, we cannot be argumentative as we were
not there to observe or witness the events. If we were, God might simply ask us, Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundation? Tell me, if you understand. Who marked off its dimensions? Surely you know! Who stretched a measuring line across it? On what were its footings set, or who laid its cornerstone while the morning stars sang together and all the angels shouted for joy? ( Job 38:4-7) Charles Darwin made it clear in his book that he had numerous problems with his own theory. So far, after 150 years of research, none of these has ever been resolved. His brother Erasmus consoled him: “In fact the a priori reasoning is so entirely satisfactory to me that …if the facts won’t fit in, why, so much the worse for the facts, is my feeling.” (The Life of Charles Darwin) As believers in the truth, we cannot take the same position as those who ignore the facts. We must encourage scientists to pursue the facts, the truth and the development of things that benefit mankind.
Evolution is now regarded by some scientists as a “theory in crisis” and “effectively dead” by others. As such, it does not in any way threaten the authority and infallibility of Scripture and “holds no threat to the future mission of the church.” Perhaps it’s time to move on in our thinking to “Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right...”.
Seamus O’Callaghan is pastor of Carlow Christian Community.
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Visit www.vox.ie and click on The Conversation to join with people across Ireland in discussing real issues of faith and life. Share your views on VOX magazine articles and go deeper with bonus features. Whether you are interested in current affairs and deep issues of theology, or you simply want to have a chat with other folks like you… The Conversation is your place! Start your own conversations about issues that matter to you or find other people with similar passions so you can stop talking and start doing something! Join The Conversation today! JAN - MAR 2012 VOX
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REALITY
TACKLING THE OBSCENITY OF EXTREME POVERTY “I didn’t do enough…but I did something.”
ony Neeves, the co-Director of the film “58,” behalf of the poor and needy, you will was guest of honour at the Irish premiere in call on me and I will answer. You will The Helix, Dublin (organised by the Global experience the incredible blessings of a Leadership Summit in partnership with close relationship with me.” I believe Compassion Ireland). Over a cup of tea, VOX Editor that means revival! Ruth Garvey-Williams asked him about the making of We will never see the end of poverty the film and how we should respond. Here’s what he had and suffering until Jesus comes again to say: because sinful men are greedy. But it is It all started in Uganda. I was thinking and humanly possible to deal with the issue praying about what I should do and I began of extreme poverty (people living on less meditating on Isaiah 58. I have two callings: to than €1 a day). We must work tirelessly comfort the afflicted and to afflict the comfortable. and “spend ourselves” to this end. That has been a passion of mine for some time! Christians give on average about 3% I am 66, from Tunbridge Wells in England and of their income and most stays within just retired but the church. We for 16 years I was need to get Vice President serious about of Compassion PEOPLE ARE SUFFERING AND THAT IS AN OBSCENITY. getting behind International. organisations In 2007, a like Tearfund, group of us met Compassion and in Oxford to pray along with Tim, my son, who others. People ask, “What can I do?” is a filmmaker. People are suffering and that is an Here are five first steps: obscenity. 26% of the population of the world still lives in extreme poverty. We decided to make a film to 1) READ Isaiah 58 and meditate on the fan the flame of awareness. We spent a year planning, kind of worship God wants from His researching and finding the locations. We finally people. started filming in January 2009. Making the film was not easy. I cry a lot but 2) PRAY - it is all too easy to have a the way I cope with it and live with it is by doing knee-jerk reaction - throwing some extra something about it. I enter into the lives of the people money in the collection plate. Maybe we are telling the stories about - that is the only way I God is calling you to a whole different can represent their dignity. Each one is made in the set of values. Don’t take an immediate image of God and dearly loved. Once we see people, action - ask Him what you should do. once we look past the filth and the dirt and their awful circumstances, we see them as wonderful people. If 3) THINK about what is going on in our people watch 58 and go away unmoved, then the film world. Think about what God is doing. is a huge failure. I want church leaders to tell their congregations 4) FIND an organisation that resonates that this is what it means to be a Christian. When with your heart - support children your heart is resonating with the heart of God, there through Compassion, help with is no better place to be. When we were in the slums community development and relief work walking around with Pastor Joel, our hearts were through Tearfund or set child prostitutes beating to the same tune as God’s, and it was just free with International Justice Mission. awesome. When my kids were young, we would give them 5) JOIN the movement. When my a reward when they did well in an exam. In Isaiah grandchild asks me, “What did you do to 58, God is promising incredible blessings. “If you help the poor?” I want to be able to say, “I do this,” God says, “…if you spend yourselves on didn’t do enough…but I did something.”
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BOOK REVIEWS BY MARK WALSH
From Touching Rock Bottom to Touching The Nations by Nick Park
This book added to my stress. I started reading it on a very busy day and discovered it to be so compelling that I couldn’t put it down. My plans were in shreds! Nick’s book is an amazing story of God’s incredible and remarkable grace. It is a story of heartbreak, turmoil, pain, darkness and potential wasted. It is also a story of courage, faith, vision, transformation and potential realised. The author is astonishingly honest, deeply insightful and some of his reflections are enormously disturbing. At the same time, it could not be more encouraging. A homeless alcoholic teenager in the deeply divided community of Northern Ireland has his life dramatically changed by a God of grace. What a story! What a God! I was moved to tears, profoundly disturbed and prompted to wonder and praise. If you have any doubts about the power of God to change lives, read this book. Be prepared to be humbled, motivated, inspired and stirred to action. Nick is constantly candid. There is no covering up or glossing over mistakes and flaws in the life of a Christian leader. This book is a challenge to the church to be a friend of sinners. It is a challenge to all Christians never to write anyone off. It is a challenge to integrity, consistency and holiness in the lives of Christians, not least Christian leaders. It is a reminder of the miracle of conversion and the richness of a church where Christians of all nations form God’s rainbow people. I pray it will lead many to have a heart for the homeless, a love for the lonely and a passion for the lost. You will not regret reading it. Reviewed by Bishop Ken Clarke
A New Kind of Big
I knew Jesus before He was a Christian… and I liked Him better then
We all know churches have potential to change communities. Indeed, over the years VOX has highlighted many examples of churches doing just that. However, with the relatively small size of many of Ireland’s churches, it’s easy to be daunted by the scale of all the needs that surround us. A New Kind of Big tells the story of how one church in Atlanta decided to partner with other churches of varying sizes with the goal of transforming their city. Today the partnership, known as Unite, consists of over 175 churches. But even before it grew that large, God used the limited resources of the various member churches to provide seemingly unlimited blessings to countless needy people throughout various sectors of the city’s life. Apart from telling the inspiring story, the book outlines practical ways in which churches can join together to bring transformation to their communities.
A catchy title doesn’t always mean a good read but in this case you will be as impressed by the content as the title. Author Rubel Shelly contrasts the radical revolutionary nature of Jesus’ message of the Kingdom of God with the poor substitute that often passes for church and Christianity. Although often critical of modern nominal Christianity, this is not a case of someone merely ranting about the wrongs of others. Rather, it is a call by one who clearly loves the church to let Jesus’ life and teaching astound us afresh and inspire us to follow Him with a new passion. One of the author’s main contentions is, “So long as church is a place or a series of events, it will continue to have minimal-to-decreasing influence for changing the world.” He encourages us to go beyond the walls of our churches to explore ways of building the kind of community, openness, confession and authenticity that ought to be in the church.
by Chip Sweney
by Phil Groom
Christian Apologetics by Douglas Groothuis
In an increasingly secular society, anti-Christian sentiment appears to be something we face more and more often. All the more reason why we should be ready to obey Peter’s advice (1 Peter 3:15) to “always be ready to give a reason for the hope within you”. Although Christian faith engages more than merely our reason and intellect, that does not mean it is unreasonable or anti-intellectual. In this comprehensive volume, Douglas Groothuis outlines the principal arguments for the Christian faith. He also details common objections and provides suggestions for how to respond. The contents are right up-to-date including sections on the postmodern concept of truth, Darwinism and intelligent design, and religious pluralism, along with the expected chapters including arguments for God’s existence and discussion of the problem of evil. Written in a clear and readable manner, this will serve as a valuable reference for many years to come. At over 750 pages, it’s also great value. JAN - MAR 2012 VOX
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MUSIC REVIEWS BY LEANNE NICHOLS
WOW Hits 2012
Glory
Mylo Xyloto
Since 1995, Wow has been releasing an annual double disc set containing the years’ bestloved Christian tracks. Tracks such as Lead Me by Sanctus Real and I will follow by Chris Tomlin will be familiar to Spirit Radio listeners. Most of the songs on the two CDs are uplifting, with artists like Casting Crowns, TobyMac, David Crowder Band, Francessca Battistelli and Jeremy Camp. Of the 30 songs plus bonuses, only a few break the mainstream mould. Awake & Alive by Skillet and Faceless by Red add a splash of rock/ alternative to the mix. Overall a great album contains some strong lyrics, beautiful harmonies and some brilliant get-up-and-praise tracks. VOX Rating: 3 out of 5
When I first played Glory, it took me a few minutes and several skipped tracks to realise this was a completely instrumental album, recorded with a 65-piece orchestra at London’s prestigious AIR studios. It showcases Michael W’s famous piano playing but also his exceptional compositional skills. You get the feeling of a cinematic score. Each track is aptly titled; the opening Glory overture is big and bold with a strong brass and sweeping strings . Patriot has a drum beat and Heroes contains a beautiful horn solo. Michael W Smith continues to produce exceptional music and Glory is one of his best. This is a must-have for any collection. VOX Rating: 5 out of 5
Coldplay’s highly anticipated last album was one I couldn’t wait to hear, with the singles Every teardrop is a waterfall and Paradise giving fans a taste of what to expect. Opening with a feel good track, Hurts like Heaven makes you want to get up and dance. Us against the world is the first slow song and has the unmistakable Coldplay charm with some beautiful lyrics, simple guitars and a quiet harmony. Up in flames opens with a hip-hop beat, adds some piano and Chris Martin and gives you one of the best songs on the album, proving that the band can do both simple and complex with ease. The penultimate track has proven to be the most played (on my iPod anyway) and is a throwback to Viva La Vida, Don’t let it break your heart is a fast-paced, uplifting song that is just classic Coldplay. Great album - if it is the last one, then they have gone out in style. VOX Rating: 4 out of 5
Various
Michael W Smith
Coldplay
Come to the Well Casting Crowns
Come to the Well is the fifth studio album from the hugely popular Casting Crowns. Inspired by the woman at the well, the title track The Well illuminates the CD’s main theme. "She thought she was standing by a well talking to a man, but really she was standing by a hole in the ground and she was talking to the well," frontman Mark Hall says. Courageous is the leading single for the album and is a song for fathers, calling on them to lead the way for their families, “We were warriors on the frontlines standing unafraid, now we’re watchers on the sidelines, while our families slip away.” City on a Hill is slower but no less meaningful conveying the loss of light from the city on a hill because its people are fighting. Sung by Megan Garrett Just another birthday is a hauntingly poignant song about a father who never calls. The singer finds God to be “the father to the fatherless”.
The driving electic guitar rhythm in My own worst enemy is a new sound from Casting Crowns but it works well with the prayer for deliverance from the battle of flesh vs spirit. In Wedding Day, God is restoring purity and wiping away past mistakes, “but today she stands before Him and wears His righteousness, she will be who He adores this is what he made her for”. The final track on the album So far to find you speaks of how much Jesus has done to bring us back to him and how much He desires to have an intimate relationship with us. Overall, one of Casting Crowns' best. What it lacks melodically, it makes up for in beautifully heartfelt lyrics. VOX Rating: 3.5 out of 5
EVENTS
VOX MAGAZINE
Events Calendar What’s happening where and when JANUARY Living Faith Conference Saturday, 7 January, 10 am The Exchange, Gardiner St, Dublin www.tearfund.ie/events Living Faith Conference Saturday, 14 January, 12:30 pm Ardfallen Methodist Church, Cork www.tearfund.ie/events Gospel Voices 2012 Saturday, 28 January, 7 pm Victory Centre, Tallaght, Dublin www.gospelvoices2012.com
APRIL Dream 2012 - AGI Family Conference 9 - 11 April (Easter) Enfield, Co. Meath www.agireland.org
(Do you have an event running in your area that you’d like people to know about? Tell us and we’ll list it here at no cost.)
Word of Life Bible Conference 13 - 14 April Lucan, Co. Dublin www.agireland.org Inclusive Exclusivism: Christ for all Contexts (Conference) 24 - 25 April London www.thegoodbook.co.uk/a29we
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13 & 14 April 2012 There will be three meetings on Friday, at 11.30am, 2.30pm and 8pm, and four meetings on Saturday at 9.30am, 11.30am, 2.30am and 8pm.
Speakers Les Wheeldon and Blaesius Fultang Lucan Spa Hotel, Lucan, Co Dublin More info at www.wordoflife.ie or 086 251 759
VOX MAGAZINE
FILM REVIEWS BY LEANNE NICHOLS
Kung Fu Panda 2
“I do have dreams but my dreams will never come true… so let me have no dreams at all.” '58' is a rare film about poverty that doesn’t sink to sensationalism and sentiment. It succeeds where many have failed, capturing the reality and the brutality while maintaining the quiet dignity and immense value of the world’s poorest and most vulnerable people. The big screen does justice to a masterful, high-quality production by father and son team Tony and Tim Neeves, sponsored by aid agency Compassion. It follows the stories of individuals and communities around the world. From rural mud huts to city slums where raw sewage runs in the streets and on into the heart of darkness - the Indian brothels where small children are bought and sold and horribly abused: at times the journey is harrowing. An unscripted line leaves the audience shaken and sobbing. A 12-year-old boy, trapped in bonded slavery along with his whole family, admits, “I do have dreams but my dreams will never come true… so let me have no dreams at all.” Other phrases ring in our ears. “As God’s people, we cannot stand by while people live in this way. As followers of Christ, we simply do not have the option of doing nothing.” Yet the overwhelming picture is inspirational: the African pastor who returns to the slum where he grew up; the American coffee shop owner, dedicated to ethical trading and sharing his profits; the Indian church changing the future for dozens of children through education; and the one-time drug dealer, now handing out hope on the streets of Brazil. Just a fraction long at 75 minutes, yet this is undeniably worth the watch. Get it for your church, your home group, your youth group or your family now. Watch it with a box of tissues. Have your Bible open at Isaiah 58 and get ready for action. Doing nothing is not an option! VOX rating: MUST SEE Reviewed by Ruth Garvey-Williams DVDs available from Compassion Ireland (www.compassion.ie)
These days it’s fairly common (and justifiable) for people to roll their eyes when they see another sequel to a pretty decent movie. I was a sceptical when I heard that Jack Black, Angelina Jolie, Jackie Chan and cast were reprising their roles for a second instalment of the Dragon Warrior and the Furious Five. However, I was pleasantly surprised and impressed. Kung Fu Panda 2 picks up right where the first one left off, only this time we delve into Po’s past. What follows is a hilariously well written and evenly paced plot with some great laugh-out-loud moments. The movie contains some good themes on family, letting go of the past and the importance of teamwork. All in all, a really great film - perfect for all the family VOX rating: 4.5 out of 5
Rise of Planet of The Apes
Will Rodman (James Franco) works in a pharmaceutical lab that believes it has found a cure for Alzheimer's disease by testing a genetically engineered gene therapy on 12 chimps. When the testing goes wrong and the chimps have to be put down, Will rescues a baby and takes him to home to live with him and his father, who suffers from Alzheimer’s. The chimp (incredibly portrayed by Andy Serkis), now named Caesar, grows and develops an amazing intellect. But as his intelligence grows, so does his understanding that he is biologically different from Will and his father. After a violent encounter with a neighbour, Caesar is placed in a sanctuary for chimps, where he is treated badly by the owner’s son, Dodge (Tom Felton), the staff and initially by the other chimps. However, as time goes by, Caesar uses his higher brain function to gain the respect and control of the chimps in the sanctuary. The entire movie is spectacularly done with astounding special effects, and the technology that brought Caesar to life is just incredible to watch. The final battle scene brings together the Planet of the Apes stories and really cements it as the prequel to the famous original movies. Great movie, with a 12A rating - maybe not one for all the family but well worth the watch. VOX rating: 4 out of 5 JAN - MAR 2012 VOX
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HEROES AND VILLAINS BY SEÁN MULLAN
eroes? They’re not always what they’re what they did. We, on the other hand, cracked up to be. Be it X-Factor are ordinary. We could never be like that contestants, Premiership footballers or – dah dee dah dee dah! I know it sounds your favourite saint, they can be a right like humility but I’m thinking it’s really letdown. X-factor heroes disappear pretty quickly escapism. It’s a slick way of avoiding the once the show is over. Whatever happened to...? challenge of being me, or you, and living Many footballers seem to value earning more the particular lives we each have in the than winning, and they don’t confine playing away place and time we have been given. from home to the football field. And if you are into As I get older I’m more and more saints, you will find there are quite a few who turned inclined to leave the heroes to the comic out to have a flaw or three alongside their saintly books and the Hollywood creative types. traits. If I’m going to look up to someone and Then there are the characters in the Bible. People admire them, maybe even imitate them, who haven’t read the Bible, or at least not much of then I’d prefer someone who has a few it, tend to think of it as a book of heroes, a collection flaws and knows it. They aren’t afraid to of holy people who lived really good lives and who admit it. They have travelled a stretch should be seen as examples to be imitated. on the road of life. They have learned What a pile of proverbial, if you’ll pardon my enough about themselves and God and bluntness! Nothing could be further from the truth. life and others to be able to share some Abraham was a liar who was quite happy to have his wisdom and encouragement. wife in the bed of a pagan king if that meant he could After all, that’s how we know about save his own skin. Peter, despite being forewarned, Abraham and Peter and David. They disowned Jesus quicker than Brian Cowen’s cabinet disavowed him after the last election. And one of the Old Testament’s IF YOU ARE INTO SAINTS YOU WILL FIND THERE ARE central characters, King David, was a murderer and adulterer who as an QUITE A FEW WHO TURNED OUT TO HAVE A FLAW OR old man used a young virgin to keep THREE ALONGSIDE THEIR SAINTLY TRAITS. him warm in bed even when he was, thankfully, too old to have sex with her. Next time a preacher tells you that you should be like David, ask him which particular weren’t afraid to tell others about their aspect of David’s character he wants you to imitate. failures. They even allowed them to be A lot of hero worship is pious avoidance. “I recorded for posterity. The Bible is full of admire them but I’ll never be like them!” The notion heroes and villains – and they’re the same is they were so much better than we could ever be. people. Except for one. But that’s a story They were special people; that’s why they achieved for another day.
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Seán Mullan has been working in church leadership for many years. He is developing a new project in Dublin City Centre called “Third Space”.
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