Richard's Blog

The power we wield today...

[I've got a family week this week, so no 'live, daily blog', but one or two things posted in advance... Normal service resumes on Monday 20th Feb]

Final quick thought for this week following on from Sunday's sermon on work from Genesis 1-3:

God blessed them and said to them, Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground. [Gen 1:28]

God limits his power to empower those he has created. He gives us rule - the power to change, with the responsibility to do so on his behalf (such risky trust)...

What's in my power to change today?

• A friendship?
• The atmosphere in my office?
• The self-image of my child?
• The focus of my company?

How will the place I work, the people I know and the relationships I affect be different today because I serve the King?

Work Resources

[I've got a family week this week, so no 'live, daily blog', but one or two things posted in advance... Normal service resumes on Monday 20th Feb]

I mentioned the book by Mark Greene of the LICC in yesterday's post.

LICC's site - as is often the case - has a good bunch of interesting articles and resources on the world of work that are worth exploring.

Another resource with Mark Green behind it is entitled Christian Life & Work - a DVD-based course aimed at helping Christians think through this whole area. I've bought a copy for All Souls which would be ideal if a small group of All Souls folks (or you could link up with other Christians you know) to follow through over a few weeks... [the link shows the video-based course summery]

Another site worth visiting is the getting god to work site run by Christian Viewpoint for Men (but they say it's for women too!!)...

Reading Work...

[I've got a family week this week, so no 'live, daily blog', but one or two things posted in advance... Normal service resumes on Monday 20th Feb]

Talking about the world of work on Sunday sent me, once again to my bookshelves - there's shockingly little there, in fact, on the workplace, considering that (a) so many in All Souls spend so much of their times there and (b) my Dad used to be a Careers Adviser..!

Three you might consider following up if this is an area you'd like to read more about:

• Thank God it's Monday by Mark Greene [SU, 2001 3rd ed]
  This is the modern classic on the subject, by the Director of the London Institute for Contemporary Christianity (the LICC whose articles I so regularly link to).
  I've only just started dipping into it, but it looks a down-to-earth, practical easy (but not simplistic) read for those in paid employment.
  Amazon reviewers give him consistent five stars - and that fits with when I've heard him speak. He really is one of the country's leading speakers and thinkers about how we live our Christian faith out "the rest of the week".
  Some great insights, many of which I'd have liked to have used on Sunday, but had no time - including that the Hebrew for "Work" is the same as that for "Service"...

• The Heart of Success by Rob Parsons [Hodder & Stoughton, 2002]
  Subtitled, Making is in business with losing in life, this is a beautifully crafted paperback - part advice book, part novel - written by a Christian, but aimed at a much wider marker (it got a big advertising campaign on the Tube when it was launched). If your looking for something to help you think through issues of work-life balance realistically, this is worth a read and then lending to a colleague.
  It's based around seven (fairly common-sense, but difficult to achieve) "laws", including: "Don't settle for being money rich - time poor" and "Play to your strengths - Find your factor X".
  It's strength is Parson's ability to weave these around memorable stories and illustrations that really hit home.
  I've mentioned one of his other books before - The Money Secret.

• Why do I do this every day? by Fraser Dyer [Lion, 2005]
  A new one on my shelves, subtitled "Finding meaning in your work" that looks worth a read, but which I confess to only having skimmed. The author has worked for Traidcraft and Greenpeace and now as a Writer and "Coach". He unpacks the understanding of vocation and how we find our meaning in what we do. When I've read it, I'll let you know - but if you get there first, let me know!
  Review on Amazon.co.uk says:
  

  I first noticed this book because of the title - how many of us think this every morning as we stagger out of bed or do the same journey into work, day in day out? Unlike some books along a similar theme, this book really gives you the confidence to feel you can either change your working life, or, the way in which you view your work situation. The author doesn't adopt the patronising tone of some of the other books I have browsed, but gives you the tools to make informed choices.

Any other books out there you'd recommend on the subject?

Male and Female

Yet again, no recording - anyone out there fancy taking on the job of (simply!) pressing a button the tape player to record!!!? If that person also wanted or was willing to take on converting and uploading it too (a 10 minute job - free software and training provided!), I'd be immensely grateful... Please let me know...

Sunday's sermon on Gender from Genesis 1-3 seems to have (I'm glad to say) provoked a good deal of good conversation and thinking - it would be good to keep those going. One day I'll return to the subject and we'll get to tackle Paul's teaching on women and men as well as the example Jesus set in his dealings with the sexes.

In the meantime, I've got some books to recommend and I'm going to try and write up an outline of my sermon later this week so those who missed it have at least go something to go on. Here are some places to pursue what we talked about on Sunday some more:

• Apology to Women- Christian Images of the Female Sex by Ann Brown [IVP : 1991]
  Shamefully out of print (but available second-hand on Amazon.co.uk), I rate this one really highly. It was Brown's book that pointed me to the art we used on Sunday and that sets out the historical context so clearly, but she's also very good on Genesis 1-3 and helpful (if necessarily short) on the Pauline perspective.
• Speaking of Women - by Andrew Perriman (IVP/Apollos : 1998)
  This was a genuine watershed for me in my understanding of the Pauline passages on issues like headship, authority and gender. It's a detailed book - not an easy read, but a very thorough one if the seemingly male-centric Paul is a sticking point for you. For me, it's the best interpretation of some tricky scripture. Available from the IVP website or second-hand from Amazon.
• Created or Constructed? - by Elaine Storkey [Paternoster, 2000]
  A different approach from Elaine Storkey roots the discussion of gender in a sociological and historical understanding of what has brought us this far, with a very useful Biblical approach to pull things together. A short paperback based on lectures she delivered and a good read - and available on Amazon, for once, new!

There are many other good ones out there - any suggestions from those who've read them recently?

Grace and thankfulness

Following my sermon where I spoke about looking at what we have with "gratitude rather than pride" a crucial question came up - thanks to the friend at All Souls who voiced it in their email to me:

...when it comes down to material stuff the fact that I have a roof over my head, a job, food etc, etc, all seems random. To thank God for these things seems somehow to imply that He had something to do with the fact that I am in an OK place and others are not...

Here we hit the hub of a tricky theological and pastoral issue that touches on the problem of suffering, intercessory prayer, injustice and poverty, time and eternity... rather big for a quick "blog"!

Firstly, some Bible marker posts to inform our thinking:

1. All things come from you...
   1 Chronicles 29 tells of King David collecting the immense material resources needed for his son Solomon to construct God's temple in Jerusalem. Listen to his prayer:
   

   11 Yours, O LORD, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the majesty and the splendour, for everything in heaven and earth is yours. Yours, O LORD, is the kingdom; you are exalted as head over all.  12 Wealth and honour come from you; you are the ruler of all things. In your hands are strength and power to exalt and give strength to all.    13 Now, our God, we give you thanks, and praise your glorious name. [1 Chron 29:11-13]

   The Old Testament has a much more developed - and at times seemingly simplistic - sense of material blessings following personal/national righteousness, BUT it's very clear from David's prayer and elsewhere that they see material wealth as gift to be received with gratitude rather than either as accident or prize.
2. Jesus has to deal with the development over the centuries of the view that someone's physical wellbeing results directly from personal or generational sin - i.e. a sense of earning God's blessing. Hence his comments in Luke 13 about the tower that fell and killed 18 people - Jesus makes it crystal clear that's not the way suffering works.
3. The same must be true of material wealth or poverty - the poor and the abandonned are viewed in the Bible not as criminals, but victims to be cared for and supported (e.g. Exodus 22:25-27 and many other places).

So, we're left with an awkward decision:

• On the one hand, material poverty can never be seen Biblically as simply and always a result of either personal or generational sin - and conversely we can never see our personal wealth as a prize for righteousness (how we interpret those OT passages that seem to imply the direct linkage - e.g. in Proverbs - is a matter for another day!)...
• ... on the other hand, the alternative view is that the distribution of wealth, opportunity, health, safety etc. is random and out of God's control. To say that, robs God of the gratitude and praise that David gives - and that we recognise from Genesis is rightly his. It also creates a basically "Deist" universe - that is a God who exists, but is distant and removed from the everyday - not even close to being compatible with the God we know in Jesus.

A way through? Not a complete answer - but a few thoughts to chart a course:

• In the context of eternity, "God is no-one's debtor" and the picture language of the Bible paints a new heaven and earth where the wrongs of this time and place are more than put right and paid for. In eternal terms, there will be no inequalities. But that doesn't give us an excuse to do nothing, because...
• ...those to whom much is given have great responsibility (there's a line in a Spiderman film about that!) - those of us who have been given great wealth in world's terms are given a gift that is to be used.
• ...following on from that it's true to say that most of the world's poverty is created by human sin and greed. God gives generously (and is to be thanked) and enough for all. But if we keep to ourselves we keep what was never meant to be held on to.
• We can learn from Christians who have lived all their lives in conditions we would have nightmares about if we fully comprehended them - friends of mine who've visited churches in such countries testify that these are the most thankful churches they've ever been to. They are full of exuberant praise to the God who blesses them... how much more should we?

A long ramble - a thinking out loud rather than thorough theology (but then, that's blogging for you)... thank you for reading this far! Any comments?

More creation/environment resources...

A real goldmine of useful resources and interesting articles - thanks to one of a TearFund friend for the link! - from the The John Ray Initiative, whose 'strap line' is: connecting Environment, Science and Christianity. Based at the University of Gloucestershire and named after the eponymous 17th Century Christian environmental pioneer, it gives links to a broad range of online resources and news items of interest to Christians committed to a bible-shaped perspective on the created order.

Thanks for the link!

Two more books...

I'm hoping to find time later today to post a comment on the whole question of how we can be grateful for God's blessings when we have so much more than most in this world - does God really bless some people more than others? It's an important question arising out of my sermon where I was calling for us to appreciate God's "common grace" (like food on the table, nice climate etc). We'll see how the day goes..!

In the meantime, two books:

The first is a direct companion to Sunday's comments on the environment. Thanks to Ali for the steer on this one (though neither of us have read it, the author is very good, so a pretty good risk). the second is in answer to a comment/question from Jamie in the wake of our various Dawkins/Science/God discussions, as to whether there are any decent philosophers of religion to be read...

• Jesus and the Earth by James Jones (Bshp of Liverpool)
  Interesting because the focus is on Jesus rather than Genesis, so a good 'companion piece' potentially to what we talked about at the weekend. If you buy it and read it, let me know! The blurb says:
  

  What was Jesus' attitude to the earth? What, if anything, did he say about the environment? Is there a divine 'earth-ethic' to be found in the Gospels? As the ecological threats to the earth multiply and intensify, Christians are turning to the pages of the Old Testament for guidance on environmental ethics. But is wisdom about this critical issue to be found only there?

  James Jones, Bishop of Liverpool, set out to discover if his own concern for creation found any sympathy in the teaching and example of Jesus. This book is the result of his search. Here he argues clearly and passionately that Jesus is the saviour not only of humanity, but also the saviour of the planet and of the whole cosmos, which came into being through him and for him.

  A series of questions is provided at the end of each chapter to stimulate individual reflection and group discussion.

• God: A Guide for the Perplexed by Keith Ward
  Here's a book on my shelves I've dipped in to, but never really had the time or good enough reason to give myself to reading properly... but I really should. Ward is one of the country's top theologians and, to quote the Amazon review:
  

  In seven chapters Ward takes us through the history of mankind's religious thought. He shows how philosophical questions have always been linked with religious questions, and how religion has never been merely a set of rules or doctrines, but a quest for meaning and a search for the blazing darkness that is God. In other words, this book is a feast for the mind and the heart. While the academic ground is covered lightly, the mystical, poetic and mysterious side of religion is also given due weight. If you can only buy one book that explains the heart and mind of mankind's spiritual quest, buy this book.

  Alistair MacGrath, whom we've been citing exstensively re: Dawkins apparently says of it: Highly informed, witty and immensely accessible. One of the most congenial, lively and informative introductions to this field.... so that's a pretty credible review!

I'll try, as I say, to get back to that question of 'common grace' today... if not, it'll be tomorrow (promise!).

A Theology of "Stuff"...

Failed dismally to record my sermon on Sunday (at least the others to whom it has happened know it's no prejudice against their preaching..!). Really sorry...

I'm unlikely to manage to re-preach it and re-record it on this occasion, but thankfully it's a sermon with a fairly clear structure and actually very simple points to make, so I'll try typing something up in the next couple of days to post.

Overall, we were looking at how at times Christians can be guilty of "spiritualising" faith to the exclusion of rooting who we are and who God is in the "stuff" of creation. We end up with no theology of material things - with a consequent knock-on towards how we see our possessions (with pride rather than gratitude), environmental concerns and the "common grace" that God pours out on the people he's made.

More on the details of that to follow, but in the meantime, a bit of "suggested reading/surfing" if you'd like to take the environmental side of things further:

• First up is the Arocha organisation - I can't recommend them highly enough. If you are a Christian interested in pursuing what it means to be committed to environmental issues and care for our planet in all its diversity, head to their website and join up!
• The Evangelical Enironmental Network is an umbrella organisation I've only just come across, but worth a look.

There's not a huge amount written on this from a Christian perspective that's come my way - if you know of other stuff, do comment on the bottom here - but there are a couple worth noting:

• The Care of Creation ed. Roger Berry (forward by John Stott and including an essay by the founder of Arocha).
  This is a collection of papers - but not massively academic in tone - based around the Evangelical Declaration on the Care of Creation published in 1994 by the Evangelical Evironmental Network. Some very good contributions and worth a read if you'd like something thorough and chewable... but not an easy bedtime read.
• How to Rescue the World Without Worshipping Nature by Tony Campolo
  A one-of-a-kind book at the time - but now out of print (second hand copies on Amazon!) - written as Campolo only knows how (provocative and thoughtful) and my memory of reading it a long time ago was that it was an inspiring read.

Any other suggestions folks?

A final word on Dawkins?

I hope you're not getting fed-up with our regular forays into the issues evolution, genetics, science and religion - and in particular references to atheist-evangeliser Richard Dawkins! I promise the end is in sight (I think!?), but there are a couple more links worth passing on, especially with Dawkin's TV programs still in the mind of some. Dawkin's head-on attempt to debunk religion really is the most high-profile and plausible-sounding (on first glance!!) one for a long time, so it's worth engaging with.

Most helpful - although it's a considerable read - is a complete transcript (and the audio files and powerpoint slides too if you want the complete set!) of Professor Alistair McGrath's lecture Has Science Eliminated God? in November 2004 in Cambridge. In it, he tackles Dawkin's arguments against religious faith - and very effectively he does so.

The lecture was under the auspices of Cambridge Christians in Science group and their website is an absolute goldmine for anyone interested in the whole science/faith debate, with lecture resources for free from a range of eminent scientists who are Christians tackling issues from creation to miracles. Well worth a surf.

At issue in this debate is an oft-invoked, but mostly (in the secular arena) word, faith. Here's how McGrath unpacks the argument:

What is really worrying is that Dawkins genuinely seems to believe that faith actually is `blind trust', despite the fact that no major Christian writer adopts such a definition. This is a core belief for Dawkins, which determines more or less every aspect of his attitude to religion and religious people...

Faith, Dawkins tells us, "means blind trust, in the absence of evidence, even in the teeth of evidence." This may be what Dawkins thinks; it is not what Christians think. Let me provide a definition of faith offered by W. H. Griffith-Thomas (1861-1924), a noted Anglican theologian...: 

[Faith] affects the whole of man's nature. It commences with the conviction of the mind based on adequate evidence; it continues in the confidence of the heart or emotions based on conviction, and it is crowned in the consent of the will, by means of which the conviction and confidence are expressed in conduct.

...I see no point in wearying readers with other quotations from Christian writers down the ages in support of this point. In any case, it is Dawkins' responsibility to demonstrate that his skewed and nonsensical definition of `faith' is characteristic of Christianity through evidence-based argument.

Having set up his straw man, Dawkins knocks it down. It is not an unduly difficult or demanding intellectual feat. Faith is infantile, we are told - just fine for cramming into the minds of impressionable young children, but outrageously immoral and intellectually risible in the case of adults. ... Faith in God, Dawkins argues, is just like believing in Santa Claus and the Tooth Fairy. When you grow up, you grow out of it.

This is a schoolboy argument that has accidentally found its way into a grown-up discussion. It is as amateurish as it is unconvincing. There is no serious empirical evidence that people regard God, Santa Clause and the Tooth Fairy as being in the same category. I stopped believing in Santa Claus and the Tooth Fairy when I was about six years old. After being an atheist for some years, I discovered God when I was eighteen, and have never regarded this as some kind of infantile regression. As I noticed while researching The Twilight of Atheism, a large number of people come to believe in God in later life - when they are `grown up'. I have yet to meet anyone who came to believe in Santa Claus or the Tooth Fairy late in life.

It's worth reading the whole lecture - easy to read as well as good to listen to and not just a treat for 'biology geeks', but for anyone who wants reassurance that our Christian faith is on sure foundations.

Where do you want to go today?

A great post over at Pilgrim's Progress that links in with my sermon yesterday on there being no such thing as "ordinary time or ordinary place" in God's creation...

A day soaked with God-possibilities
Could lead anywhere:
Some bright new shore, some unbeaten track,
Some hidden way that ventures off the trodden way and into thicket.
Or it could lead back here
To this all too familiar place, these tasks and faces
These frustrations, joys, mundanity.

I want to go wherever his footsteps lead
And when he stops, to stop and bless the ground
And say, "this is my Beth-el".

That name "Beth-el" is from Jacob's experience of God in an unexpected place at an unexpected time in Genesis 28:10-17. You can read the whole post here.