Challenging Times

The ‘Seize the Day’ podcast for June is now online.

This programme includes the third and final part of our conversation with Bryan Knell, Church Relations director for Global Connections. In it, he’s talking about how mission agencies need to change.

John Ayrton and I are also talking about the whole ‘spiritual but not religious’ thing, and reviewing a book called ‘The Spiritual Revolution: why religion is giving way to spirituality,’ by Paul Heelas and Linda Woodhead.

Go here to listen.

The new Star Trek moves at warp speed, packing in more action than ever, with a new fresh faced cast (Chris Pine as Kirk, Zachary Quinto as Spock) and state-of-the-art special effects. And – most importantly – for the first time in decades Star Trek is cool again.

Read our full review.

If you didn’t see it last time round, do try to catch ‘The Narnia Code’ at 7.30 this evening on BBC4. It is a genuinely wonderful programme.

In an earlier post I asked whether the main purpose of the Gospels is to tell us how we should live as followers of Jesus, or whether their main purpose is to tell us who Jesus is and why he died. I still believe that this is their main purpose, but I’ve just read this note in the NLT Study Bible:

One of the core purposes of Mark’s Gospel is to help his readers understand and accept the call to take up their cross and follow Jesus. This call is addressed not only to those who would be Jesus’ apostles, but to all who desired to follow him. For some, the call to discipleship is very hard but God provides grace. Others find it easy to respond to Jesus’ call.

For everyone, following Jesus requires a total commitment to turn from selfish ways. Taking up one’s cross is a metaphor for giving up one’s life to follow Jesus even to death, as illustrated by Jesus’ crucifixion. For example, Peter, Andrew, James and John left their homes and their source of income to follow Jesus. For a rich man, turning from his selfish ways required selling all he had and giving the proceeds to the poor. Following Jesus also means being identified with him without being ashamed, and being faithful to Jesus and his teachings. It requires removing anything that would interfere with following Jesus, regardless of how painful doing so might be. It requires entrusting one’s life entirely to Jesus and repenting of sin. It even requires putting loyalty to Jesus above loyalty to one’s own father and mother. Jesus explicitly commanded his disciples to proclaim his message, as recorded elsewhere. Jesus and the apostles, through their teaching and example, call Jesus’ followers to proclaim the Good News wherever they may be.

Alongside Jesus’ demands for discipleship are the rewards of following Jesus. Those who follow Jesus are promised entrance into the Kingdom of God. They receive his forgiveness for their sins, and they become members of the family of God. They are saved from judgment, and obtain eternal life. (NLT Study Bible page 1667, references not included.)

Ouch. I may need to repent of what I said earlier.

The BBC’s bias against all things Christian is becoming more and more apparent:

• Secular humanist Andrew Copson was recently appointed to the BBC’s new Standing Conference on Religion and Belief, an ‘independent’ committee which replaces the former Central Religious Advisory Committee.
• Sikh Tommy Nagra was appointed last year as producer of the flagship series ‘Songs of Praise.’
• Muslim Aaqil Ahmed has now been appointed as head of religious broadcasting at the BBC.

Can we imagine a Christian being appointed to head up religious broadcasting in a country with a Muslim background – say Turkey, let alone Iran?
The BBC’s bias against Christianity is becoming clearer and clearer. It’s time for this to stop.

Britain is one of the least religious nations in Europe, according to a survey by the European Union conducted by Manchester University Institute for Social Change. Prof David Voas said the UK is ‘on the road to non-religion’, with Christianity gradually being erased from public life and the older generation failing to pass it on.

The UK has one of the highest rates of ‘fuzzy faith’, that is, an abstract belief in God and ill-defined loyalty to Christian traditions and only 12 per cent of UK adults feel they ‘belong’ to a church, compared with 52 per cent in France.

The study was conducted as part of the EU-funded European Social Survey.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/religion/5030049/Britons-are-believers-of-fuzzy-faith-says-survey.html

HT Christian Research’s e-letter

‘Men want ‘macho’ hymns, fewer flowers and less dancing in church,’ according to a new survey reported in the Daily Mail.

Not sure that I needed a survey, or the Daily Mail, to tell me this – but I am sure that every church leader in Britain needs to read it.

The May Slipstream podcast is now online, featuring an interview with Alan Hirsch, the author of ‘The Forgotten Ways: reactivating the missional church.‘ Alan is also the co-author (with Mike Frost) of ‘The Shaping of Things to Come: innovation and mission for the 21st-century church,’ and ‘ReJesus: a wild Messiah for a missional church‘ (reviewed on this programme).

Go here to listen.