For God's sake, let us sit upon the ground
And tell sad stories of the death of kings;
How some have been deposed; some slain in war,
Some haunted by the ghosts they have deposed;
Some poison'd by their wives: some sleeping kill'd;
All murder'd: for within the hollow crown
That rounds the mortal temples of a king
Keeps Death his court and there the antic sits,
Scoffing his state and grinning at his pomp,
Allowing him a breath, a little scene,
To monarchize, be fear'd and kill with looks,
Infusing him with self and vain conceit,
As if this flesh which walls about our life,
Were brass impregnable, and humour'd thus
Comes at the last and with a little pin
Bores through his castle wall, and farewell king!
Richard II (Act 3 Scene 2)
It is the 400th anniversary of the death of William Shakespeare and his influence is still felt all around the world. Perhaps the extent of that influence is demonstrated by the fact that, as I was contemplating the passing of Prince in this sad year of iconic deaths, these lines from Richard II came to mind.
Being honest, I was not a big fan of Bowie or Prince but I certainly recognise and respect their huge musical influence. The obvious devotion they inspired in millions of fans around the world demonstrates that their songwriting and performances touched a nerve and spoke to the hearts and minds of several generations of music fans. I grew up watching The Two Ronnies on a Saturday night and seeing Terry Wogan use his wit and charm to interview some of the most famous (and sometimes awkward) stars of their day. I came to Alan Rickman late in life but he more than brought Professor Snape to life in the Harry Potter films. Victoria Wood was a keen observer of the funniest and most poignant aspects of human nature.
We may not have sat and told sad stories of the death of actual kings this year but we have told tales of the deaths of entertainment icons, with whom many of us have grown up. We have lost musical geniuses, kings and queens of comedy and acting royalty. Hardly a week seems to go by at the moment without another familiar figure from our youth or childhood dying. Whether our collective sadness at these losses comes from genuine mourning or the sense of a loos of our childhoods is open to question.
What is unquestionable is that, as with Richard II, these deaths bring home to us the certainty of our own mortality. Kings and playwrights, comedians and pop stars, actors and world leaders - all of us face the fact that death is an unavoidable reality. We may leave a legacy of music or laughter. We may leave performances that now can be relived on the Internet for years to come. Not many of us will be able to claim that 400 years after our death we have shaped the English language so that many of the commonest phrases and sayings in the language were invented by us. However much we achieve in life, Richard reminds us that death scoffs at all our pomp and pride.
But all of us, without exception, will have some influence on the lives of others. All of us will have the opportunity to serve someone else - be it our children, our friends, our parents our spouses or strangers that perhaps we only meet once. It doesn't really matter whether we have achieved national or global celebrity when we finally shuffle off this mortal coil. What will matter is how we were able to receive and give love. What will really matter, above everything else, is whether we recognised and responded to God's love for us in Christ and allowed that love to shape our lives and impact on those around us.
And the truly remarkable reality in all of this is that, as we receive the love of God for us in Christ, we can defiantly reject Richard's pessimistic view of life. Death does NOT have the final word. Easter tells us that death's sting has been drawn, his victory is hollow, his reign of terror is over. This is good news.
We will lose more icons this year. But none of them will have the influence of the then unknown carpenter-rabbi who died at Golgotha. The story of the death of that King is not a sad story. It is the story that makes life worth living here and now and into an eternal future where death and mourning are things of the past.
Friday, 22 April 2016
Friday, 18 March 2016
While I've been away...
My last blog post before my hiatus was a note remembering the 50th anniversary of CS Lewis's death. That was on 21st November 2013. That's a long time ago so I thought I'd begin my return by reflecting on what has happened since - only a few things, don't panic! Here goes...
I've had three Christmases, three birthdays, two Easters and two summers for a start. That seems hard to take in. I've been to visit my good friends in Mississippi twice and am looking forward to a visit to the Burtons in Alabama this summer when I take my sabbatical after 9 years of ministry in Ballygrainey. (More about that in future posts.)
We have seen one son enter teenage years (not too traumatic so far but it's still early days) and another following rapidly on his big brother's heels.
In church we have seen a massive church building project through from plans on paper to reality. That has been exciting and challenging in equal measure but the results have been well worth it. We have also been through the usual ups and downs of church life with the sadnesses of having to say good bye to much loved members and friends who have died along with the joys of welcoming children into our church family and seeing people come to faith, grow in faith and encourage me in my faith.
But without doubt the biggest thing that has happened in my life in these last few years happened at the end of last summer when, after a short illness, my dad died on 21st August. I have walked through grief with many people but now I was doing the walking while they were providing the support. And they certainly did support. I continue to be profoundly thankful to God for my friends in Ballygrainey and further afield for all they did for us as a family.
I have learned some things about grief in that time that I share here. It may be of help. It may not. It may describe your experience with losing someone you love. It may be nothing like what you feel. That's OK. Your experience may have been much more traumatic than mine. Feel free to ignore whatever is unhelpful in what follows, or just to stop reading now.
One thing I learned was that grief is exhausting. It is physically, mentally and emotionally draining. It was the sheer physical tiredness that caught me by surprise. Yes, we had been doing a lot of running as a family since April to hospitals and latterly a care home but that doesn't begin to explain the sheer level of tiredness that came over me in the weeks following the funeral. Grief is incredibly tiring, so if you're grieving right now and there's lots of stuff to sort out post funeral, make sure you rest awhile.
Grief also catches you by surprise. Over the months since my dad's death life for us as a family has changed of course, although not as much as it has for my mum. But the routines have remained the same. School, church, work, family stuff all still happen. We've been through some of the major events - dad's birthday in September, Christmas etc and although things were different this year, we were still able to celebrate and enjoy the season with family and friends pretty much as usual.
Where it came as a surprise was when Andrew got his exam results after Christmas. Andrew, our youngest son, is also the youngest grandchild. He was sitting his AQE tests in November (for those who don't know these are the tests that grammar schools in N. Ireland still require P7 pupils to sit before transferring from primary school) and he got his results in February. He did well in his exams and got into his chosen school but that morning the grief came back with a vengeance. After phoning his grandma to share the news with her, Andrew broke down. Why? Because granda wasn't there to share it with him. When Andrew cried, I cried as well because it hit home afresh how much we all miss my dad for times like that.
But grief does not have to dominate life. I was always familiar with Paul's words 'we do not grieve like the rest of men who have no hope'. I have shared them at funeral services and with grieving families. But I never experienced the reality of those words until last summer. Grief did not overshadow love or laughter as our family got together to support each other through the days between death and funeral. It would have been something dad would have approved of if he had been able to see his six grandchildren, ranging in age from 22 to 10 out playing cricket in the streets outside his house in those days.
But of course the reality behind this hope is that in a just over a week's time we will celebrate the reason why grief does not have the final word any more. Grief does not have the last word because of Easter. Now, I'm not saying that there won't be sadness once again for us as a family this Easter. But because we know who dad believed, we also know that He is able to keep him and us safe until we all experience the joy of that glorious resurrection. This year when I sing the familiar resurrection hymns, I have no doubt they will have added meaning, significance and poignancy. But my hope is that their truth will ring out with greater clarity in my heart.
May the same be true for you this Easter, whether you are in the midst of grief or joy, sorrow or laughter. May you share in the glorious victory of Jesus over sin and sickness, sorrow and death.
I've had three Christmases, three birthdays, two Easters and two summers for a start. That seems hard to take in. I've been to visit my good friends in Mississippi twice and am looking forward to a visit to the Burtons in Alabama this summer when I take my sabbatical after 9 years of ministry in Ballygrainey. (More about that in future posts.)
We have seen one son enter teenage years (not too traumatic so far but it's still early days) and another following rapidly on his big brother's heels.
In church we have seen a massive church building project through from plans on paper to reality. That has been exciting and challenging in equal measure but the results have been well worth it. We have also been through the usual ups and downs of church life with the sadnesses of having to say good bye to much loved members and friends who have died along with the joys of welcoming children into our church family and seeing people come to faith, grow in faith and encourage me in my faith.
But without doubt the biggest thing that has happened in my life in these last few years happened at the end of last summer when, after a short illness, my dad died on 21st August. I have walked through grief with many people but now I was doing the walking while they were providing the support. And they certainly did support. I continue to be profoundly thankful to God for my friends in Ballygrainey and further afield for all they did for us as a family.
I have learned some things about grief in that time that I share here. It may be of help. It may not. It may describe your experience with losing someone you love. It may be nothing like what you feel. That's OK. Your experience may have been much more traumatic than mine. Feel free to ignore whatever is unhelpful in what follows, or just to stop reading now.
One thing I learned was that grief is exhausting. It is physically, mentally and emotionally draining. It was the sheer physical tiredness that caught me by surprise. Yes, we had been doing a lot of running as a family since April to hospitals and latterly a care home but that doesn't begin to explain the sheer level of tiredness that came over me in the weeks following the funeral. Grief is incredibly tiring, so if you're grieving right now and there's lots of stuff to sort out post funeral, make sure you rest awhile.
Grief also catches you by surprise. Over the months since my dad's death life for us as a family has changed of course, although not as much as it has for my mum. But the routines have remained the same. School, church, work, family stuff all still happen. We've been through some of the major events - dad's birthday in September, Christmas etc and although things were different this year, we were still able to celebrate and enjoy the season with family and friends pretty much as usual.
Where it came as a surprise was when Andrew got his exam results after Christmas. Andrew, our youngest son, is also the youngest grandchild. He was sitting his AQE tests in November (for those who don't know these are the tests that grammar schools in N. Ireland still require P7 pupils to sit before transferring from primary school) and he got his results in February. He did well in his exams and got into his chosen school but that morning the grief came back with a vengeance. After phoning his grandma to share the news with her, Andrew broke down. Why? Because granda wasn't there to share it with him. When Andrew cried, I cried as well because it hit home afresh how much we all miss my dad for times like that.
But grief does not have to dominate life. I was always familiar with Paul's words 'we do not grieve like the rest of men who have no hope'. I have shared them at funeral services and with grieving families. But I never experienced the reality of those words until last summer. Grief did not overshadow love or laughter as our family got together to support each other through the days between death and funeral. It would have been something dad would have approved of if he had been able to see his six grandchildren, ranging in age from 22 to 10 out playing cricket in the streets outside his house in those days.
But of course the reality behind this hope is that in a just over a week's time we will celebrate the reason why grief does not have the final word any more. Grief does not have the last word because of Easter. Now, I'm not saying that there won't be sadness once again for us as a family this Easter. But because we know who dad believed, we also know that He is able to keep him and us safe until we all experience the joy of that glorious resurrection. This year when I sing the familiar resurrection hymns, I have no doubt they will have added meaning, significance and poignancy. But my hope is that their truth will ring out with greater clarity in my heart.
May the same be true for you this Easter, whether you are in the midst of grief or joy, sorrow or laughter. May you share in the glorious victory of Jesus over sin and sickness, sorrow and death.
Wednesday, 16 March 2016
Back again...I think
It has been two and a half years since I did this but I've been thinking about it recently and decided to blog again. We'll see how it goes.
In the relatively short time that I was doing this before, I posted on various things - some of wider political, cultural and religious importance and some that were personal to me. I'll continue to do that and maybe throw in the text of the odd sermon for good measure. I don't expect it to go viral or anything but if you'd like to read the thoughts and musings of a reformed (and hopefully reforming), confused (and often confusing) pastor, husband, dad, film critic and runner, then this is the place to come. If you'd rather not, then it isn't.
First proper post will follow soon (certainly in less than two and a half years)!
In the relatively short time that I was doing this before, I posted on various things - some of wider political, cultural and religious importance and some that were personal to me. I'll continue to do that and maybe throw in the text of the odd sermon for good measure. I don't expect it to go viral or anything but if you'd like to read the thoughts and musings of a reformed (and hopefully reforming), confused (and often confusing) pastor, husband, dad, film critic and runner, then this is the place to come. If you'd rather not, then it isn't.
First proper post will follow soon (certainly in less than two and a half years)!
Thursday, 21 November 2013
Remembering CS Lewis
Remembering CS Lewis
29th November 1898 - 22nd November 1963
Fifty years ago, on 22nd November 1963, three very different men died. John F. Kennedy – the young president of the United States was assassinated in Dallas. On the same day, in California, the writer Aldous Huxley died after a long illness. Meanwhile, in Oxford, CS Lewis collapsed and died at his home, The Kilns. Of course the deaths of both Lewis and Huxley were overshadowed by the terrible events in Dallas, but the legacy of Lewis in particular seems to have grown and grown in the intervening half century. Tomorrow, 22nd November 2013, his name will be given a place among the giants of English literature in Poets' Corner in Westminster Abbey.
CS Lewis’s stories and books have had a profound influence on many hundreds, perhaps even thousands of Christian leaders, pastors and writers. I first came across CS Lewis when I was at primary school and I borrowed a copy of Prince Caspian from the school library. Immediately I was transported from a wartime train station to a strange and wondrous land peopled by dwarves, centaurs, talking animals, evil kings and idealistic young princes. Since then I have read through the Chronicles of Narnia at least three times (to myself and to my boys) and have never grown tired of them.
The Narnia stories have their critics, of course. Famously Lewis's great friend JRR Tolkien was unimpressed by much of the Narnian world. But as a bridge between the simpler fairy tales and the more complex world of, say, Middle Earth, they were invaluable to me. More than that, I saw in Narnia the importance of gospel virtues such as faith, courage, love and sacrifice played out in simple yet beautiful ways.
At grammar school we had to read Out of the Silent Planet, one of Lewis’s three science fiction books. I remember clearly seeing how Lewis skilfully suggested Christian ways of thinking in his story of human beings discovering life on Mars. In my own personal marking of the 50th anniversary of Lewis's death I am endeavouring to read the trilogy again.
When I was at university I read Mere Christianity and The Screwtape Letters – two books that every thinking Christian really should read. The first helped me to see that not only did Christian faith make sense, it helped to make sense of the rest of the world. The second helped me to understand that there is an enemy, who longs to bring Christians down, that he is subtle and vindictive but that he is defeated in Christ. Both of these books, among his other explicitly Christian writings, are works I refer to again and again and again. Lewis has a wonderful ability in his Christian writing to sum up in a sentence or two an idea that it would take others a paragraph or perhaps an entire sermon to communicate.
Some of Lewis’s ideas about Christian faith were not always what many evangelical Christians might regard as orthodox and many of his more philosophical works require serious concentration but the kernel of his writing is so clear and challenging that it remains influential today across many branches of the Christian Church. Indeed, some would say that many of the things Lewis wrote about in the 1940s and 1950s are only really being seen in our society today. Much of what he wrote was certainly prophetic in nature.
On the 22nd November 2013 there will be many commemorations of JFK’s assassination. There is even a new film coming out about that day in Dallas. There will, once again, be relatively little coverage of the anniversary of Lewis’s death. But I will remember it because this Belfast born, slightly eccentric Oxbridge academic has influenced my life and thought in a way that no politician, however young and idealistic, ever will. On 22nd November 2013 I, along with many others, will want to give thanks to God for the life and work of CS Lewis.
Friday, 7 June 2013
#pciga13 The General Assembly according to my Twitter
I've been reviewing my twitter feed from this week of General Assembly in Derry/Londonderry in order to reflect on the last week. A few things stand out...
First the contribution of the SPUD delegates (SPUD is the name of the PCI Youth Assembly) was once again superb. As with every other year they made reasoned, well thought out and sometimes passionate speeches on a range of issues before the assembly. In one particular instance a heartfelt contribution from two SPUD delegates on the subject of mental health resulted in an immediate invitation to further discussions with the Board of Social Witness.
One SPUD delegate reminded any in the assembly who might be frustrated at the slow progress of Presbyterian decision making that those who want to walk fast, walk alone but those who want to walk far, walk together. To me it seemed that our church, represented at the Assembly wants to walk far and do it together.
Secondly, the theme of the Assembly - 'a place of transformation' really seemed to resonate with many people there. The participants in the celebratory Wednesday night rally demonstrated what it meant in the UK city of culture to be transformers of culture in various areas of life. One of the delegates from the Church of Ireland commented that he left the evening wanting to transform the world. It was a wonderfully inspirational and challenging evening which finished by asking all of us to work out where our place of transformation is.
As for the debates, there were serious debates on doctrinal issues like baptism, denominational issues to do with the administrative, mission and ministry structures within our church and ethical issues like human sexuality. I personally thought the level of debate this year was very good. People were thoughtful in their speeches and gracious in their disagreement (two former moderators standing with their arms around each other's shoulders while they disagreed was a highlight)!
The delegation from the Church of Scotland were received warmly as family and were heard courteously and respectfully as they gave their view of events in that denomination. At the same time they would have heard the concerns of our church about their recent decisions; concerns expressed (I think) in genuine love as well as with a concern for the witness of the gospel in Scotland.
The issue of human sexuality was raised in a number of places but, other than in relation to the Church of Scotland, attracted relatively little debate. One particular committee is tasked with bringing together a variety of reports on this subject from over the last 30plus years into a coherent representation of our church's position today. The same committee is looking at the implications of the debate in wider society for our leadership, including the implications of the recent redefinition of marriage carried through Parliament.
Not everything goes smoothly at Assemblies and the plans to restructure the boards and committees of our denomination have been put on hold rather than being implemented this year. This will cause frustration for some and anxiety for others who are waiting for the outcome of this review to be able to confirm whether they have a role in the newly arranged structures. We need to pray that in holding back on this decision we are doing our best to make sure that our structures help us to 'walk far together'.
This blog has been slightly more detailed than in previous years. That reflects the quality of debate and the seriousness of the issues tackled. But the General Assembly is not all serious all the time. One speaker was confused about how he could have spent so much time in the Millennium Forum and still not found Han Solo. Another expressed 'alarm' that every time he stood up to speak the fire alarms in the building seemed to go off. But if the mood on Wednesday night is anything to go by, I leave this year's assembly behind with an even greater assurance that I belong to a church whose passion is to transform relationships, culture and people by the power of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
I am thankful to my Presbyterian brothers and sisters. I am thankful to the churches and the people of Derry for hosting a truly memorable Assembly (and for providing cracking weather)! But most of all I am thankful to God for allowing me the privilege of serving in some small way in these exciting and challenging days.
Now have a look at this link and ask yourself. Where is MY place of transformation? https://vimeo.com/67804281
First the contribution of the SPUD delegates (SPUD is the name of the PCI Youth Assembly) was once again superb. As with every other year they made reasoned, well thought out and sometimes passionate speeches on a range of issues before the assembly. In one particular instance a heartfelt contribution from two SPUD delegates on the subject of mental health resulted in an immediate invitation to further discussions with the Board of Social Witness.
One SPUD delegate reminded any in the assembly who might be frustrated at the slow progress of Presbyterian decision making that those who want to walk fast, walk alone but those who want to walk far, walk together. To me it seemed that our church, represented at the Assembly wants to walk far and do it together.
Secondly, the theme of the Assembly - 'a place of transformation' really seemed to resonate with many people there. The participants in the celebratory Wednesday night rally demonstrated what it meant in the UK city of culture to be transformers of culture in various areas of life. One of the delegates from the Church of Ireland commented that he left the evening wanting to transform the world. It was a wonderfully inspirational and challenging evening which finished by asking all of us to work out where our place of transformation is.
As for the debates, there were serious debates on doctrinal issues like baptism, denominational issues to do with the administrative, mission and ministry structures within our church and ethical issues like human sexuality. I personally thought the level of debate this year was very good. People were thoughtful in their speeches and gracious in their disagreement (two former moderators standing with their arms around each other's shoulders while they disagreed was a highlight)!
The delegation from the Church of Scotland were received warmly as family and were heard courteously and respectfully as they gave their view of events in that denomination. At the same time they would have heard the concerns of our church about their recent decisions; concerns expressed (I think) in genuine love as well as with a concern for the witness of the gospel in Scotland.
The issue of human sexuality was raised in a number of places but, other than in relation to the Church of Scotland, attracted relatively little debate. One particular committee is tasked with bringing together a variety of reports on this subject from over the last 30plus years into a coherent representation of our church's position today. The same committee is looking at the implications of the debate in wider society for our leadership, including the implications of the recent redefinition of marriage carried through Parliament.
Not everything goes smoothly at Assemblies and the plans to restructure the boards and committees of our denomination have been put on hold rather than being implemented this year. This will cause frustration for some and anxiety for others who are waiting for the outcome of this review to be able to confirm whether they have a role in the newly arranged structures. We need to pray that in holding back on this decision we are doing our best to make sure that our structures help us to 'walk far together'.
This blog has been slightly more detailed than in previous years. That reflects the quality of debate and the seriousness of the issues tackled. But the General Assembly is not all serious all the time. One speaker was confused about how he could have spent so much time in the Millennium Forum and still not found Han Solo. Another expressed 'alarm' that every time he stood up to speak the fire alarms in the building seemed to go off. But if the mood on Wednesday night is anything to go by, I leave this year's assembly behind with an even greater assurance that I belong to a church whose passion is to transform relationships, culture and people by the power of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
I am thankful to my Presbyterian brothers and sisters. I am thankful to the churches and the people of Derry for hosting a truly memorable Assembly (and for providing cracking weather)! But most of all I am thankful to God for allowing me the privilege of serving in some small way in these exciting and challenging days.
Now have a look at this link and ask yourself. Where is MY place of transformation? https://vimeo.com/67804281
Saturday, 1 June 2013
The wrath of the Twitterverse
A couple of weeks ago I preached on the passage in John's gospel where Jesus tells the disciples that if the world hates them they are to keep in mind that it hated him first. Over the last couple of days I have discovered that there is nowhere in the democratic world where that hatred is more vociferously expressed than on Twitter
As I was scrolling through my Twitter feed I spotted what I thought was a relatively innocuous tweet from a Christian organisation commenting on the need for the gospel to be more fully understood in public life. I had no doubt that atheist tweeters would argue against this view point but when I looked at their responses I was shocked by what I read.
The anger expressed at this single tweet was first of all disproportionate, then downright abusive. Given that you've got 140 characters to play with in a tweet it seems to me to be wasteful using at least a third of them to rant at your opponent in terms that, if used on the street, might see you fall foul of public order legislation. Obviously I won't repeat the language used here other than to say that I have now discovered at least two combinations of the f-word with other words of which I was previously unaware. The Christian tweeter in question was also accused of being both a liar and a sociopath.
You may be reading this and wondering at my naïveté and maybe I am naive but I can't see how the atheist cause is advanced by the kind of abusive ranting I came across this week. You may be saying 'That's what you get for going on Twitter. You need to come out from among them and be separate.' But I disagree. I think we need to be aware of just how base and vicious the antipathy towards Christianity is out there. Even if these people courageously hide behind assumed names (which most of them do) what they are saying is clearly deeply felt if not strongly argued.
So what should Christians do? As in all other areas of life the wisdom of the Scripture needs to be applied to the twitterverse and every other social media arena. Words from 1 Peter 2 spring to mind; 'Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they may accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.'
There are times when the kinds of lies and abuse with which we have to put up will tempt us to lash out in similar terms or use language that is less than loving or employ denigrating sarcasm. We need to resist such temptation and resolve firmly and clearly to share the gospel both in what we say and in how we say it.
Jesus himself told us to be as wise as serpents and as innocent as doves. Let's be wise and not naive about the evils of social media but let's resolve to be innocent in the way we use it to glorify God and share the good news at every opportunity.
Jesus also told us not to cast our pearls before swine. Let's be wise enough about a social media thread not to get sucked into an online argument that only wastes time that could be more fruitfully spent glorifying God in some other aspect of our lives.
Social media has revolutionised our lives. It has exposed us to some of the realities of the world which we had previously been able to ignore and hope they wouldn't affect us. This is the world into which Jesus sends us. We are to be in this world but not of this world. If it hates him it will hate us. But take heart. He has overcome the world.
As I was scrolling through my Twitter feed I spotted what I thought was a relatively innocuous tweet from a Christian organisation commenting on the need for the gospel to be more fully understood in public life. I had no doubt that atheist tweeters would argue against this view point but when I looked at their responses I was shocked by what I read.
The anger expressed at this single tweet was first of all disproportionate, then downright abusive. Given that you've got 140 characters to play with in a tweet it seems to me to be wasteful using at least a third of them to rant at your opponent in terms that, if used on the street, might see you fall foul of public order legislation. Obviously I won't repeat the language used here other than to say that I have now discovered at least two combinations of the f-word with other words of which I was previously unaware. The Christian tweeter in question was also accused of being both a liar and a sociopath.
You may be reading this and wondering at my naïveté and maybe I am naive but I can't see how the atheist cause is advanced by the kind of abusive ranting I came across this week. You may be saying 'That's what you get for going on Twitter. You need to come out from among them and be separate.' But I disagree. I think we need to be aware of just how base and vicious the antipathy towards Christianity is out there. Even if these people courageously hide behind assumed names (which most of them do) what they are saying is clearly deeply felt if not strongly argued.
So what should Christians do? As in all other areas of life the wisdom of the Scripture needs to be applied to the twitterverse and every other social media arena. Words from 1 Peter 2 spring to mind; 'Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they may accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.'
There are times when the kinds of lies and abuse with which we have to put up will tempt us to lash out in similar terms or use language that is less than loving or employ denigrating sarcasm. We need to resist such temptation and resolve firmly and clearly to share the gospel both in what we say and in how we say it.
Jesus himself told us to be as wise as serpents and as innocent as doves. Let's be wise and not naive about the evils of social media but let's resolve to be innocent in the way we use it to glorify God and share the good news at every opportunity.
Jesus also told us not to cast our pearls before swine. Let's be wise enough about a social media thread not to get sucked into an online argument that only wastes time that could be more fruitfully spent glorifying God in some other aspect of our lives.
Social media has revolutionised our lives. It has exposed us to some of the realities of the world which we had previously been able to ignore and hope they wouldn't affect us. This is the world into which Jesus sends us. We are to be in this world but not of this world. If it hates him it will hate us. But take heart. He has overcome the world.
Monday, 11 March 2013
The Idol of Nationalism
'The idol of nationalism...has led industrialists to support militaristic programmes that may have seemed patriotic at the time, but in hindsight ruined their reputation for all time.'
This quotation from Tim Keller's new book 'Every Good Endeavour' made me pause. It is obviously a point that is being made about American industry. However, the more I looked at it the more I thought it could very easily apply to the Church, not just in America but a lot closer to home. Let me re-work the sentence to show you what I mean; 'The idol of nationalism has led church leaders to support political causes that may have seemed patriotic at the time, but in hindsight ruined their reputation (and hindered the cause of the gospel) for some considerable time.'
This could be said to be true of the church in many places and times. It obviously applies to elements of the church in Germany in the 1930s where a desire to be rid of 'godless Bolshevism' and restore national pride led the church to passively stand by and, at times, actively co-operate as the Nazi regime rounded up Jews, homosexuals, gypsies and others and had them systematically murdered. It applies to elements of the Dutch Reformed Church in South Africa who supported apartheid and came up with a phoney theology to justify it.
But here's the thing. It applies to the churches in Ireland (North and South, Protestant and Catholic) just as much. As a Presbyterian I can only speak to my own church. Others can make the application to theirs. In 1912 many Presbyterians, led by their official church leaders, signed their names to the Ulster Covenant. The issues around the signing of the covenant were complex. Many Protestants genuinely felt that their religious freedoms would be under threat from Home Rule but what it produced (or encouraged) was an identification between Protestantism and political Unionism that exists to this day. This identification has not helped the cause of the gospel in Ireland and, as Presbyterians, we are always to be more committed to the gospel than to any political or ideological cause.
The implications continue to this day. We cannot be more committed to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland than to the kingdom of God. We cannot be more exercised about the flying of a flag than about the advance of the gospel. We cannot give the impression that our British identity means more to us than our identity in Christ. We cannot be or do these things because to be or do these things is, put simply, idolatry.
We are called by the gospel to put away our idols. Unfortunately our hearts are idol factories and so we will be constantly tempted to find new things to worship that are not God. With the the help of the Holy Spirit we must name and resist the idolatries of materialism, success, popularity, career, relationships and, yes, nationalism. It must be able to be said of us that we are people for whom to live is Christ and to die is gain. I would love that to be able to be said of me and of the Presbyterian church that I love. By God's grace I hope that it might be so.
This quotation from Tim Keller's new book 'Every Good Endeavour' made me pause. It is obviously a point that is being made about American industry. However, the more I looked at it the more I thought it could very easily apply to the Church, not just in America but a lot closer to home. Let me re-work the sentence to show you what I mean; 'The idol of nationalism has led church leaders to support political causes that may have seemed patriotic at the time, but in hindsight ruined their reputation (and hindered the cause of the gospel) for some considerable time.'
This could be said to be true of the church in many places and times. It obviously applies to elements of the church in Germany in the 1930s where a desire to be rid of 'godless Bolshevism' and restore national pride led the church to passively stand by and, at times, actively co-operate as the Nazi regime rounded up Jews, homosexuals, gypsies and others and had them systematically murdered. It applies to elements of the Dutch Reformed Church in South Africa who supported apartheid and came up with a phoney theology to justify it.
But here's the thing. It applies to the churches in Ireland (North and South, Protestant and Catholic) just as much. As a Presbyterian I can only speak to my own church. Others can make the application to theirs. In 1912 many Presbyterians, led by their official church leaders, signed their names to the Ulster Covenant. The issues around the signing of the covenant were complex. Many Protestants genuinely felt that their religious freedoms would be under threat from Home Rule but what it produced (or encouraged) was an identification between Protestantism and political Unionism that exists to this day. This identification has not helped the cause of the gospel in Ireland and, as Presbyterians, we are always to be more committed to the gospel than to any political or ideological cause.
The implications continue to this day. We cannot be more committed to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland than to the kingdom of God. We cannot be more exercised about the flying of a flag than about the advance of the gospel. We cannot give the impression that our British identity means more to us than our identity in Christ. We cannot be or do these things because to be or do these things is, put simply, idolatry.
We are called by the gospel to put away our idols. Unfortunately our hearts are idol factories and so we will be constantly tempted to find new things to worship that are not God. With the the help of the Holy Spirit we must name and resist the idolatries of materialism, success, popularity, career, relationships and, yes, nationalism. It must be able to be said of us that we are people for whom to live is Christ and to die is gain. I would love that to be able to be said of me and of the Presbyterian church that I love. By God's grace I hope that it might be so.
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