The ‘Seize the Day’ podcast for August is now online.
In it we’re talking to Tony Whittaker, editor of the Internet Evangelism Day web site, about using the World Wide Web for outreach.
And John Ayrton and I are talking about some of the practical issues that we need to face when connecting with people’s spirituality today.
The media are hyping up the threat of swine flu for all they are worth. But is it a genuine pandemic, or just an artificial panic? Should we be afraid?
According to the latest reports, one in three people in Britain can expect to get swine flu at some point. That’s about twenty million of us. The reality, of course, is that for most of us, it will be fairly mild – a few days when we feel terrible…. and life goes on. But recent reports claim that one in every two hundred people who is hospitalised with swine flu will die from it, and it could last for four or five years. We recall that more people died in the flu epidemic in 1918 than in the whole of World War 1.
However serious the threat is, or isn’t, the perception is that we are all at risk from it. People are afraid of dying suddenly and without warning. In this sense, it is genuinely terrifying.
Is there a Christian way to respond to swine flu?
For most people in our culture, because we aren’t really convinced that there’s an afterlife, death is the worst thing that can happen. Followers of Christ need to be clear that death isn’t the worst that can happen. The worst that can happen is not to be ready for the judgment that comes after death.
We need to be clear about what God does and doesn’t promise us: he doesn’t promise to protect us from illness and death. He does promise, to those who trust him, to protect us through illness and death, and through the judgment that follows.
Whether it’s through swine flu, a road accident, a heart attack, or cancer, each one of us has an appointment we shall one day keep. The secret is to be ready for it in advance.
There’s less than three months to go until our ‘Beyond Online Sermons’ podcasting training day.
This will be on Friday 2nd October, 11 am to 5 pm, at the Evangelical Alliance headquarters, 186 Kennington Park Road, London SE11 4BT.
There are only a limited number of places, and bookings are beginning to come in, so if you want to be sure of a place, book soon!
Go here for more details of the day and an online booking form.
‘Looking for Eric’ is a footie fairytale about the importance of brotherhood and community. Read our full review.
The Slipstream podcast for July is now online. In it we’re talking to Mike Pilavachi, founder of Soul Survivor, Hope 08 and Soul in the City.
