This is from Jared Wilson:
"Yes, people watch too much TV and play too many video games and spend too much time on the Internet and what-have-you. But the proper response to our media over-saturation is not a rigorous attention to the explicitly "spiritual" in every margin of life. Be a Christian, not an ascetic. Don't be lazy, but realize that Jesus Christ did not die and rise for you so that you would stress out about whether you're being spiritual enough. So take a nap. Watch some television. The gospel frees you to chill the heck out."
Saturday 27 March 2010
Wednesday 24 March 2010
Thursday 18 March 2010
Thy Kingdom Come: Subversive & Transformative
At the beginning of each and every sitting in the House of Commons they pray. Here's an example of one of the prayers that the Chaplain to the Speaker would pray:
Lord, the God of righteousness and truth, grant to our Queen and her government, to Members of Parliament and all in positions of responsibility, the guidance of your Spirit. May they never lead the nation wrongly through love of power, desire to please, or unworthy ideals but laying aside all private interests and prejudices keep in mind their responsibility to seek to improve the condition of all mankind; so may your kingdom come and your name be hallowed. Amen.
It appears to me that this says something about our political system, and about our faith in Jesus Christ.
Firstly, our political system. Many say that the politics of this country is based upon Christian ethics and values, and they are right. These things are not necessarily being attacked at the moment in this country... the atheist, the Muslim, the Hindu, would be in general agreement with laws against theft and murder, which is what people most often mean when they say this country is built upon Christian values. But something greater is both the foundation of politics in this country and being attacked before our eyes. It is this: that there is something above the system, something better than the system, something greater than law for laws sake, that we serve as Christians (and once did as a country through our politics) a God who is bring in His Kingdom, not ourselves as we seek to build our own. Clearly this has not always happened - and we can all see the fact of our fallenness throughout the history of Britain. But this is reflected in the above prayer - that we serve for the glory of another kingdom and another King, and that we need protection from the temptations of power, people-pleasing and private interest.
It is this foundation that is being attacked in British politics today. Unfortunately Mr. Campbell is wrong, in politics we do do God. Our country does, and indeed must, or we will be heading toward destruction (are we not, in fact, already on our way?). Equally, as Christians, we must never put a barrier between the God we love, serve and have communion with by the grace given us through Christ, and the politics we live in and live out in this country.
And so secondly, this prayer says something about our faith in Jesus Christ. It reminds us as Christians that we live for a different Kingdom than our society does - though we utilize the same means, the British Parliamentary democracy. We cannot be motivated in our lives by lust of power, wealth or fame. But we must be motivated by the love and grace given us freely, to go out and be graceful to others and to love others. This means we will inevitably share many of the same aims, goals and desires as many politicians - but we will often have different motives. We will be seeking His Kingdom Come. And whilst we pray that prayer above (as we indeed should, especially as we come toward a General Election), we must be mindful that we are not called to keep separate the sacred and the secular - in fact, that is a totally dehibilitating myth that we need to completely put out of our minds and lives as it is totally unbiblical - but we are called to love our neighbour, locally, nationally and internationally. And that will mean being involved in politics, locally, nationally and internationally, for the sake of Christ and to see people's lives changed - not just materially, though that be of great importance, but also spiritually. We want lives to be liberated and transformed inside and out - that's our vocation, that's our calling, that's our challenge. Let's seek His Kingdom in politics.
(The prayer is found in Krish Kandiah (ed.), Just Politics, p. 23.)
Lord, the God of righteousness and truth, grant to our Queen and her government, to Members of Parliament and all in positions of responsibility, the guidance of your Spirit. May they never lead the nation wrongly through love of power, desire to please, or unworthy ideals but laying aside all private interests and prejudices keep in mind their responsibility to seek to improve the condition of all mankind; so may your kingdom come and your name be hallowed. Amen.
It appears to me that this says something about our political system, and about our faith in Jesus Christ.
Firstly, our political system. Many say that the politics of this country is based upon Christian ethics and values, and they are right. These things are not necessarily being attacked at the moment in this country... the atheist, the Muslim, the Hindu, would be in general agreement with laws against theft and murder, which is what people most often mean when they say this country is built upon Christian values. But something greater is both the foundation of politics in this country and being attacked before our eyes. It is this: that there is something above the system, something better than the system, something greater than law for laws sake, that we serve as Christians (and once did as a country through our politics) a God who is bring in His Kingdom, not ourselves as we seek to build our own. Clearly this has not always happened - and we can all see the fact of our fallenness throughout the history of Britain. But this is reflected in the above prayer - that we serve for the glory of another kingdom and another King, and that we need protection from the temptations of power, people-pleasing and private interest.
It is this foundation that is being attacked in British politics today. Unfortunately Mr. Campbell is wrong, in politics we do do God. Our country does, and indeed must, or we will be heading toward destruction (are we not, in fact, already on our way?). Equally, as Christians, we must never put a barrier between the God we love, serve and have communion with by the grace given us through Christ, and the politics we live in and live out in this country.
And so secondly, this prayer says something about our faith in Jesus Christ. It reminds us as Christians that we live for a different Kingdom than our society does - though we utilize the same means, the British Parliamentary democracy. We cannot be motivated in our lives by lust of power, wealth or fame. But we must be motivated by the love and grace given us freely, to go out and be graceful to others and to love others. This means we will inevitably share many of the same aims, goals and desires as many politicians - but we will often have different motives. We will be seeking His Kingdom Come. And whilst we pray that prayer above (as we indeed should, especially as we come toward a General Election), we must be mindful that we are not called to keep separate the sacred and the secular - in fact, that is a totally dehibilitating myth that we need to completely put out of our minds and lives as it is totally unbiblical - but we are called to love our neighbour, locally, nationally and internationally. And that will mean being involved in politics, locally, nationally and internationally, for the sake of Christ and to see people's lives changed - not just materially, though that be of great importance, but also spiritually. We want lives to be liberated and transformed inside and out - that's our vocation, that's our calling, that's our challenge. Let's seek His Kingdom in politics.
(The prayer is found in Krish Kandiah (ed.), Just Politics, p. 23.)
Sunday 14 March 2010
Friday 12 March 2010
How should we be missional?
Helder Camara says this:
"Instead of planning to go to the Third World to try and arouse violence there, stay at home in order to help your rich countries to discover that they too are in need of a cultural revolution which will produce a new hierarchy of values, a new world vision…"
[in Church and Colonialism (London: Sheed & Ward, 1969), p. 111.]
Is this right? Does our country need us more than other countries do?
"Instead of planning to go to the Third World to try and arouse violence there, stay at home in order to help your rich countries to discover that they too are in need of a cultural revolution which will produce a new hierarchy of values, a new world vision…"
[in Church and Colonialism (London: Sheed & Ward, 1969), p. 111.]
Is this right? Does our country need us more than other countries do?
Tuesday 9 March 2010
Reconciliation
When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Feed my lambs.” He said to him a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Tend my sheep.” He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” Peter was grieved because he said to him the third time, “Do you love me?” and he said to him, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep. Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were young, you used to dress yourself and walk wherever you wanted, but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will dress you and carry you where you do not want to go.” (This he said to show by what kind of death he was to glorify God.) And after saying this he said to him, “Follow me.”
John 21:15-19
(N.B. I don't know if the picture is copyrighted, nor whether it should be displayed publicly on a blog - if any know any more, or know that it definitely should not be displayed, do let me know and I'll remove it immediately.)
Friday 5 March 2010
Can you count?
Have the BBC already made the cuts they are talking about?
They've noted that Mascherano is 23 years old, here. He is in fact 25.
And in this article, is has been 18 years since 1998 and that Michael Owen goal. Actually, it's only been 12 years... but I guess that's an easy mistake to make when you are working under the worry and stress of BBC cutbacks...
They've noted that Mascherano is 23 years old, here. He is in fact 25.
And in this article, is has been 18 years since 1998 and that Michael Owen goal. Actually, it's only been 12 years... but I guess that's an easy mistake to make when you are working under the worry and stress of BBC cutbacks...
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