In the evangelical church we have placed so much emphasis on individual salvation that we miss the inconvenient truth that there is also collective sin. The Bible verse that brought this to my attention is Isaiah 6:5 "“Woe to me!” I cried. “I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the LORD Almighty.” " Notice Isaiah confesses his own sin, 'I am a man of unclean lips' and then goes on to confess his part in the collective sin of the society in which he lives 'and I live among a people of unclean lips'.
So what does that mean to us today. Here in the West we, generally, live a very comfortable life without a thought of the cost of our life style to the rest of the world. Today this is being brought home by the events in Libya. In order to get hold of the oil we need our governments have been involved in accepting the rule of Gaddafi despite knowing he is an oppressive dictator. Now his own people are rebelling against him and he is using totally unacceptable force against them. This is happening because we supported him to get oil.
The next time you here about planes and battle field weapons being used against unarmed civilians in Libya don't just think about how terrible it is but pray to God for forgiveness for our collective involvement.
Wednesday, 23 February 2011
Friday, 18 February 2011
Les Ambassadors
Yesterday, before meeting my wife, I had a spare half hour while up by Trafalgar Square so I went into the National Gallery to look at some of my favourite paintings. Among them is this, The Ambassadors by Hans Holbein the Younger:
Most people are fascinated by the elongated skull across the front signifying mortality but I want to draw your attention to this detail from top left:
Peering out from behind the drape is a crucifix. I have heard a modern art expert say this shows that the scientific world represented by the ambassadors with their scientific instruments and books has eclipsed religion but I prefer an earlier interpretation. Very close examination of the painting reveals one broken lute string:
This, to me, signifies the brokenness of the world and so the crucifix is there to remind us that for all their finery and learning the subjects of the painting are themselves subject to God.
Today science has moved on dramatically from the date of this painting but we do well to remember that behind everything is the love of God as shown by His death on the cross.
Most people are fascinated by the elongated skull across the front signifying mortality but I want to draw your attention to this detail from top left:
Peering out from behind the drape is a crucifix. I have heard a modern art expert say this shows that the scientific world represented by the ambassadors with their scientific instruments and books has eclipsed religion but I prefer an earlier interpretation. Very close examination of the painting reveals one broken lute string:
This, to me, signifies the brokenness of the world and so the crucifix is there to remind us that for all their finery and learning the subjects of the painting are themselves subject to God.
Today science has moved on dramatically from the date of this painting but we do well to remember that behind everything is the love of God as shown by His death on the cross.
Monday, 14 February 2011
Animal Sacrifice?
I just spotted this at the top of the BBC News Sports page:
Newbury set to restage Saturday's ill-fated meeting on Friday after the death of two horses
Do they really mean that? Do 2 horses have to die before they can hold they meeting?
Newbury set to restage Saturday's ill-fated meeting on Friday after the death of two horses
Do they really mean that? Do 2 horses have to die before they can hold they meeting?
Sunday, 30 January 2011
The Human Trinity
So there I was thinking about nothing in particular when a light bulb lit up above my head! OK this is real life and not a cartoon so there was no light bulb but it was such a sudden idea that I have no idea why it decided to pop into my head.
What I realised came from Genesis 1, "Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness" - what does it mean to be in God's image? So, to help, here is a picture of God:
It's not an exact likeness but the important fact is clear - God is 3 persons, a trinity. So if we are in God's image that means we must be a trinity as well. That isn't as mad as it seems because we are all body, mind and soul; a trinity.
Far from being just a useless bit of speculation this should be central to the way we live out our lives as Christians and the way we treat other human beings. We must make sure that we treat each part of our being as have the same importance as the others and we must do the same for our fellow human beings. One of the great failings of the evangelical movement has been its near exclusive emphasis on the soul at the exclusion of the body and mind but it only as we hold those 3 parts in balance that we arrive at the true Gospel, that the Kingdom of God is here.
Any comments?
What I realised came from Genesis 1, "Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness" - what does it mean to be in God's image? So, to help, here is a picture of God:
It's not an exact likeness but the important fact is clear - God is 3 persons, a trinity. So if we are in God's image that means we must be a trinity as well. That isn't as mad as it seems because we are all body, mind and soul; a trinity.
Far from being just a useless bit of speculation this should be central to the way we live out our lives as Christians and the way we treat other human beings. We must make sure that we treat each part of our being as have the same importance as the others and we must do the same for our fellow human beings. One of the great failings of the evangelical movement has been its near exclusive emphasis on the soul at the exclusion of the body and mind but it only as we hold those 3 parts in balance that we arrive at the true Gospel, that the Kingdom of God is here.
Any comments?
Friday, 28 January 2011
Mirrors
As an apprentice house husband I spent this afternoon cleaning the house and made an odd discovery; the only mirror that had remained clean was in what used to be my daughter's bedroom before she got married. That set me thinking, do mirrors only get dirty when we look in them?
At first that seemed to be a silly question but then I thought it a bit more, is it the way we look at the world that makes it seem evil - do we look for the bad in people and not the good? When God created he looked at it and saw that it was good; not perfect but good. Is that the way we should look at creation? Is that the way we should look at each other?
P.S. In case you wondered about my being "an apprentice house husband" - I have mastered cleaning and cooking but not washing and ironing.
At first that seemed to be a silly question but then I thought it a bit more, is it the way we look at the world that makes it seem evil - do we look for the bad in people and not the good? When God created he looked at it and saw that it was good; not perfect but good. Is that the way we should look at creation? Is that the way we should look at each other?
P.S. In case you wondered about my being "an apprentice house husband" - I have mastered cleaning and cooking but not washing and ironing.
Wednesday, 26 January 2011
Dull Grey January
It's about time I did a general update about how I am which, to put it bluntly, is a bit of a curate's egg!
Having got through the New Year's chest infection my body has stubbornly decided to not let me be well. It has also decided that I won't be ill! The result is I spend all the time being very tired and at the first sign of exertion the glands in my neck swell up; a sure sign of problems ever since I had glandular fever when I was 20. If it wasn't for the glands I would have blamed the fluoxetine for the tiredness but as it is I have to just keep going. This has made it harder for me to adjust to life in retirement as it is almost impossible for me to plan ahead at the moment. The only progress on this front has been that Friday has become 'Clean The House Day' - my one bit of routine.
Given the above I should, by all rights, be down in the dumps but I'm not. On both the spiritual and mental planes I am quietly content. This for me (Mr Pessimistic Worry Guts) is a completely new experience; being calm and contented isn't my style. That this should happen at a time when I am financially squeezed (too put it mildly) is even more remarkable. Now I know this may, to a certain extent, be down to the fluoxetine but it actually feels a lot deeper. I think God has (finally) got me to a place where I trust Him to look after me instead of trying to be bloody minded and independent. I know life can't continue like this for ever but, somehow, I know I'm in the right place at the moment just resting on God.
So for now life is being taken at a gentle pace, feeling rough and very good at the same time.
Having got through the New Year's chest infection my body has stubbornly decided to not let me be well. It has also decided that I won't be ill! The result is I spend all the time being very tired and at the first sign of exertion the glands in my neck swell up; a sure sign of problems ever since I had glandular fever when I was 20. If it wasn't for the glands I would have blamed the fluoxetine for the tiredness but as it is I have to just keep going. This has made it harder for me to adjust to life in retirement as it is almost impossible for me to plan ahead at the moment. The only progress on this front has been that Friday has become 'Clean The House Day' - my one bit of routine.
Given the above I should, by all rights, be down in the dumps but I'm not. On both the spiritual and mental planes I am quietly content. This for me (Mr Pessimistic Worry Guts) is a completely new experience; being calm and contented isn't my style. That this should happen at a time when I am financially squeezed (too put it mildly) is even more remarkable. Now I know this may, to a certain extent, be down to the fluoxetine but it actually feels a lot deeper. I think God has (finally) got me to a place where I trust Him to look after me instead of trying to be bloody minded and independent. I know life can't continue like this for ever but, somehow, I know I'm in the right place at the moment just resting on God.
So for now life is being taken at a gentle pace, feeling rough and very good at the same time.
Friday, 21 January 2011
Christians and Public Morality
It has taken me a while to get my thoughts clear about the Christian couple who have lost a case about their refusal to let a gay couple have a double room. (details here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-bristol-12214368) A few years ago I would have thought they were right so I do have a certain amount of sympathy for them.
But, and it is a big 'but' why did they think they had the right to impose their Christian morality on non-Christians? I suspect the answer goes back to the days of Christendom when it was assumed that the whole population was Christian and so public morality meant Christian morality. However we now live in a post-Christendom society and we have no right to impose our views even if we are right.
We are called to be light to the world not to burn others with our morality. It is important that we treat those who we meet with love and respect and not moralising or we can never show them the joy of living in The Kingdom of God.
But, and it is a big 'but' why did they think they had the right to impose their Christian morality on non-Christians? I suspect the answer goes back to the days of Christendom when it was assumed that the whole population was Christian and so public morality meant Christian morality. However we now live in a post-Christendom society and we have no right to impose our views even if we are right.
We are called to be light to the world not to burn others with our morality. It is important that we treat those who we meet with love and respect and not moralising or we can never show them the joy of living in The Kingdom of God.
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