Tim Abbott

Do whatever is good... show true humility

This evening I gave a presentation to a group of Colchester Borough councillors about the work of Street Pastors in our town. Also there was Debbie speaking about the SOS Bus project she heads up with whom we have a great working partnership. Let me put on record... we love these guys and the work they do. We love it that we can work in partnership with them and that dozens of ordinary people volunteer to give up an evening to help others in the town centre.

There is a genuine appreciation for the work of Street Pastors from the public and also from the councillors we met this evening. But there was one question that bugged me.

One of the councillors asked me to comment on something someone had said to him - that Street Pastors somehow saw themselves as having a monopoly on the role of caring for people on the streets at night. We know this isn't something that's been said by any of our team, and it's certainly not the reaction we get from people we meet on a Friday or Saturday night who are generally really comfortable with the fact that we're Christians.

What bugs me isn't that someone might suspect such exclusivist nonsense of us. It's the worrying realisation that they feel they have grounds for such suspicion in the first place. How has the church behaved all these years if, as soon as it steps out to care unconditionally for others, it is suspected of doing so to claim some moral superiority over other people? (We know some of these other people - they turn out on Friday and Saturday nights too, not in the name of the church, but to care nevertheless and to help people through the work of the SOS bus.)

Of course, we weave for ourselves a mighty complex web if we attempt to answer all the shifting and unspoken assumptions of others. The world has its suspicions; sometimes it is right. By our actions, by loving the world as Christ did, we are perhaps earning again the right to be heard, even if some of our earnings are going to pay off a debt of suspicion. The councillor who raised the question (not a Christian) emphasised his enthusiastic endorsement of what Street Pastors do. We need to keep doing it.

As Paul said to Titus:

"Remind the people to be subject to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready to do whatever is good, to slander no one, to be peaceable and considerate, and to show true humility toward all men."

Crash

Last night I was part of a simple but profound encounter. Eight people, some of them Christian, gathered round a meal to discuss faith, doubt and the possibility, or otherwise, of God. “Crash” is the brainchild of my friend Joe who says,

“It is called ‘Crash’ because so often in life two opposing views come crashing together and we try to salvage answers from among the wreckage.  Crash seeks to be different and looks to enable different views to come together in such a way that enriches us all rather than tearing us apart.”

Wisely, Joe established a few simple rules to ensure the playing field was reasonably level. Everyone is encouraged to get involved in the discussion and conversations. No-one is allowed to dominate the evening and conversations. And because the evening encourages various belief systems and world views to engage with each other there should be no aggression.

After a short introductory talk around the subject of the incarnation and the point of Christ and Christmas to provide fuel for potential discussion, dinner was served and conversation began. Predictably, to start with we chatted about all sorts of things. But quite soon conversation gravitated towards our respective beliefs and doubts in a natural flow of speaking and listening that included everyone and judged no one. Our discussions around the meal permitted a degree of honesty and reality about faith and doubt that I have not experienced in any other context. It was painful to hear how damaging some people in churches have been to some of those present. Is it any wonder that people give up on God when God’s people behave like pharisees? But there was also a confident hope expressed in Christ in a way that was confessional and gentle, respecting the beliefs and feelings of all in keeping with Joe’s vision for the evening.

In some ways, Crash seems pretty obvious. There may well be similar things happening all over the country. It left me wondering. There are lots of people who, faithwise, live in something of a cloud of unknowing. I wonder where they go to discuss their ideas, to hear stories of the Christian life, to chat about life’s big issues without feeling, rightly or wrongly, ‘evangelised’? Where do people go who have been hurt by church to stay connected to some expression of Christian community?

‘Crash’ is simple and, as an unpressured place to talk about eternal matters, very effective.

Big thanks to Joe & Sarah for hosting and to everyone else who took part.

We’ll probably do it again in January.

You've just murdered Beethoven (or history, as it turns out)

We're doing a lesson with Year 9 groups at the moment on the Christian view of abortion which seems to be working very well with students and staff. Anyway, one illustration we're NOT using is the one that goes something like this...

If you knew a woman who was pregnant, who had 8 kids already, three who were deaf, two who were blind, one mentally retarded, and she had syphilis; would you recommend that she have an abortion?
If you answer "Yes" you've just murdered Beethoven.

There are two reasons why I've come to conclude that this is a ridiculous contribution to any discussion about abortion.

The first is that the story doesn't match the historical facts. Maria, Ludwig's mother, had seven children in total of whom only three survived infancy; tragic, but not uncommon for the time. Ludwig was the second born and the oldest of the survivors including his two younger brothers. Although his father is known to have been harsh and prone to drunkenness, there is no record of syphilis or mental illness in the family, though Ludwig later suffered from Hepatitis and probably from Systemic Lupus Erythematosus as well as the onset of deafness from around the age of 30.

The other objection I have is theological. At one level, aborting Ludwig would indeed have denied us the music of Beethoven. But it didn't. God has not given us the option of living in every possible outcome from every possible decision ever made in history. What if Hitler hadn't come to power? What if my parents hadn't divorced? What if that person had left for work 2 minutes later and not been killed because of a careless driver? What if Judas hadn't betrayed Jesus? What if...? Are God's plans so easily derailed by our stupidity, ignorance or rebellion? I somehow doubt it - I believe God is bigger than that, more capable, wiser and all this in ways that we can't fully fathom. Stuff happens and as it does, God walks with us shaping our lives for the best and guiding history towards his intended destination.
Did God have plans for any of Ludwig's brothers or sisters beyond a death in infancy? It's a huge question with profound implications - I don't know. But I suspect that the tragedy of their short lives did not limit God's plans for the rest of the van Beethoven family, for history or for us. God is not just creative, he's re-creative, or redemptive.

There are bigger questions here too, about the limits or otherwise of God's plans and the age old debate about how much is down to him and how much is down to us.

But please don't give me any nonsense about Maria van Beethoven aborting any of her children - that's just shredding good history for the sake of a shoddy illustration.

There's stuff about Beethoven here and here (as well as lots of other places!)
Also, check out truthorfiction.com for this and other possibly unreliable stories.

Imagine - no religion

Connecticut Valley Atheists, fed up with so many Christian displays at Christmas, have responded with their own thought for Christmas. Their three sided billboard in the town park of Vernon has a picture of the Twin Towers with the message, "Imagine, no religion".

See the full story here.

Tricky, this one. 'People of faith', both Christian and Muslim, are sensing persecution. But I'm inclined towards the view that this is simply freedom of speech and tells us about the views of Connecticut Valley Atheists. It's foolish to try to pretend that any of our traditions, Christian, Muslim or atheist are innocent of wrongdoing and atrocity. I'm getting a little tired of the ongoing gainsaying about whether Christianity or atheism is responsible for the worst wrongs against humanity, as if winning this argument will somehow prove that our way is right. Really all that's happening is that we're trying to show we're the least bad!

Supposedly in the name of Christ people have done terrible things. They were wrong, even if sincerely wrong - no excuses. Perhaps we need to say sorry sooner, more often, a bit more readily, and more clearly. Real people of faith do. Those with political agendas in religious wrappers don't.

Over at Christians confess you'll find that it's quite possible for Christians to say sorry.

The Golden Compass

Jeffrey Overstreet posts a helpful overview “The Golden Compass” - Questions I’ve been asked, answers I’ve given covering the main issues surrounding the impending release of the film this Christmas. Among other things he asks...

Should Christians be afraid of The Golden Compass?
Should anybody?
Do Pullman’s stories pose a threat to children?
What does Pullman say about his own beliefs?
Christians always point back to Lewis and Tolkien as exemplary storytellers. Why hasn’t anyone come along to step into their shoes?
Okay, so we shouldn’t start boycotts and complain. But what should Christians do?

Will Christians be able to engage constructively with the real issues raised by Pullman's epic, or will it all turn into another shouting match, a bit like what happened over 'Harry Potter'. I'm not optimistic.

For further thoughtful discussion, Tom Gilson has a series of posts over at Thinking Christian.

And for an insight into Philip Pullman, the person, try this interview in Third Way magazine from Feb 2002.

Links for today

In between a day in the office, moving the GSUS Live trailer (a day late, thanks to technical problems) and going out to a Youth Leaders gathering we're organising, here are a couple of links that caught my eye today.

Thinking Christian is Debunking the resurrection fable, in which people attempt to discredit Christianity by suggesting it's all a story made up years after the actual events too place. This is a popular suggestion from young people in school. TC's response, succinctly put and biblically supported shows that certainty in the resurrection can be reliably dated to within a handful of years from the event itself.

And in an entirely different vein... the church that featured in Four Weddings and a Funeral has started charging an entry fee. Regular parishoners can buy an annual pass! Read more here.

Links for today

Some links that inspired me today:

This from Matt Stone, whose perception and perspective I often appreciate

St. Francis of Assisi once said,
“Preach the Gospel always, and when necessary, use words"

I thought, why stop there?
“Worship always, and when necessary, use music”
“Disciple always, and when necessary, do it sitting down”
“Serve always, and when necessary, do it in services”

And this helpful response from Thinking Christian to Richard Dawkin's assertion that religion leads logically to violence, whereas atheism doesn't.

Manifesto for theological research

Fernando Gros sets out a kind of manifesto for theological research which warmed my heart somewhat, bringing a breath of humanity to a subject that can be in danger of becoming dry and divisive.

He suggests four areas where theological research needs to take care: Respect of Persons, Social Benefits of Religious and Theological commitments, Effective Dissemination of Knowledge, and Interrogating the difference between doctrine and practice.

It occurs to me that these four areas are in harmony with the way Jesus engaged with people to help them understand their relationship with God. Have a read of Fernando's post and contribute a comment.

Seeking

I've been away a bit, in the geographical sense, and also in the 'feeling a bit detached from things' sort of way too.

I've been reflecting on the reality of God and the place of seeking. Some might say that we only experience God because of an inner desire so to do - that the seeking produces in us the apparent reality of God. But this flies in the face of too much personal experience. I have friends who were not looking for God, but who were touched by him in a way that completely overturned their former atheism. And I know lots of Christians who long for a greater reality of God, but don't seem to get it. Aspiration seems to have little to do with revelation. But, more importantly, aspiration does not create for us a reality that hitherto had been non-existent.

A few days ago, thinking about all this, I wrote the following...

Our seeking God does not make him real, it reaches through like a hand reaching through a curtain to grasp that which is already real, though hidden. How do I know God is really there? I don't, until I reach out to grasp. And when I do, I discover that it's his voice (whether through hope or through despair) that's been urging me to dare to seek, to reach, to grasp hold of that which already has a hold of me.

And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. Heb 11:6.

Ten things Christians and Atheists can and must agree on

Joel (researcher of all that's cool on the internet) drew my attention to an article by David Wong (pseudonym) over at Pointless Waste of Time, The God Fuse - Ten things Christians and Atheists can and must agree on.
Into the current, sometimes heated, debate, Wong, a Christian, speaks much balance and common sense with his usual blend of shrewd insight and comic genius.

Advisory: Whilst I can commend this article, PWOT is not a Christian site and if you choose to look around be prepared to encounter some other contributions or posts which may not be to your taste.