Sustainable faith...

I hope when reading my blogs that you don’t feel as though I have some grand delusion that I am some kind of great intellect or as they say in the academic world – well read. I can assure you that it isn't my intention, when I write about the issues I have covered over the year, to give the impression that I think that I know any more than the next person. I recognise that I can be completely ignorant to many of the issues that intellectuals, who devote their whole lives in the study of their chosen field, may know more about. I am however, certain of one thing; I know my own mind and I can discern what I believe to be true from that which is false.

For example, I am happy to float the idea that Noah’s flood could have been global (see what I did there), or equally, I can accommodate the idea that Noah’s flood may have been limited by the world view of the ancient patriarchs who were the writers of the early flood stories. There are a few different versions of a flood narrative that exist within the different centres of civilisation, and it has been suggested that Moses may have read these before writing about the story in Genesis, so that he could show how Yahweh is the one true God.

The Patriarchs world view may have only been as far as they had travelled, or as far as the eye could see. I can appreciate that in order to create what we call today ‘fossil-fuels’, the materials needed to create them that are rich in carbon deposits, had to be ‘sealed-in’ the ground to decompose in a controlled way. If not, the decaying matter would just be as compost with the consistency of say Peat; hence perhaps, one possible argument for the validity of a global flood.

In order for us to use the vast coal, gas and oil deposits trapped within the strata of the rocks, even under the sea, there had to be rapid change in the environment or the whole thing would seem incredulous – created even? I revel in the idea that carbon still offers new revelations today. 

Graphene is a relatively new extrapolation of a very old technology – graphite. Purely by accident, scientists in the UK found that graphite at an atomic level was indeed a pure conductor of electricity. Being microscopically thin, this material can be spread over a surface that is transparent and flexible meaning that the technology to create display screens as seen in the Sci-Fi shows with animations that seem to be projected out of nowhere, are possibly only a few years away.

This world that we live in is amazing. How humanity clings to its upper crust, despite the destruction we compose on the surface through our mining, erosion and pollution, beggars belief. How on earth the various eco systems managed to absorb all that we have abused it with, is anyone’s guess. But there is evidence that we have reached a saturation point with recent reports suggesting that the earth’s ambient temperature has risen 2°C since industrialisation. This makes for changes in our weather, in our water supply, and in the ability for our ice caps to regulate the whole ‘she-bang,’ keeping the whole-thing in check.

It may-be that it is appropriate to become carbon-free, using the wealth generated through trade to improve the carbon heavy generation of electrical energy, but this is a rich-list world view that lives mainly in the west within our post-modern industrial landscape. Stopping the production of aluminium in the UK to reduce our carbon footprint doesn't mean that no-one requires aluminium. Yes we may be cleaner and have fewer carbon emissions, which the environmental lobby would like, but the jobs and trade generated by the industry has a far wider impact on our communities than just the cessation of an activity to reduce our dependency for energy or aluminium.

Similarly, as western culture has passed on the baton of industrialisation to the Asian world economies, we feel that carbon pollution is being tackled in a sort of ‘out-of-sight-out-of-mind’ mentality; these countries have just inherited our problems because they still consume a vast amount of the world’s resources so that we in Europe for example, can have a clear environmental conscience. Incredulously, last Christmas season, the BBC news team tracked the arrival of a super cargo ship from China which they dubbed the ‘Santa Express’. Most of the consumer products we purchase at Christmas in the UK are manufactured in China, so the news editor thought it newsworthy to track the ships progress so that we can be reassured that we could purchase what we hoped for.

You can see that change is on the horizon as the cash/oil rich nations are in a race to generate other income streams in order to sustain the lifestyle they have grown accustomed to. Holiday destinations in Dubai for example, where Muslim laws prohibit drinking and prohibit outward expressions of sexuality within non-married couples, were simply unthinkable just a generation ago, but their rising status as the place to be seen in, is aspirational to some. How many beach front properties can you create with artificial Islands and reefs?

Those on the margins of society are going to find it a much harder world to eke out an existence when the few remaining shards of income that can be generated from the land are gone; good land is taken away through land grab; water supplies are bought up so that the distribution can be controlled by corporations rather than the government… let’s stop believing that man has got the world’s best interests at heart because it hasn't  A small minority control huge quantities of the world resources, with the current balance being unsustainable for future prosperity.

In the UK, investment by foreign countries has allowed society to believe it is still relatively safe in the present economic climate, but many of the large infrastructure projects taking place with renewable energy, for example, are owned and financed by international corporations who benefit from the financial trading that flows from these transactions. Many of our essential supply sectors such as gas, water, and transport are owned wholly or in part by other countries that may not necessarily have the interests of UK plc at heart.

I'm not talking conspiratorially or indeed in nationalistic terms; it is more from a personal view where the world we live in today is vastly different to the world I grew up in – and I'm only 42! What I mean is that my sense of belonging to the United Kingdom as a citizen may not have the same meaning in the future as it does even today; internationally the UK is considered as a minor player to the major that is the United States. As part of the United Nations and a member of G8, even the British can see that we try too hard to punch above our own weight. Identity is important to all of us.

Globalisation and corporate ambition is changing the face of the established world order and that frightens some. As China hopefully emerges from the shackles of an authoritarian regime, it can only increase its influence on western culture simply based on size. It has become a bread basket for the worlds demand for cheaply manufactured products and high resale value to exert maximum profit, but as she modernises and becomes a society of consumers itself, the weight of influence will change again. Would another third world nation that has a readily available workforce, which can be exploited, take China’s place – Africa for example?

Yes the world is changing, and we need to be aware of how to adapt to the new. This occurs at many levels, not least in ethics, philosophy and religion. Some long held assumptions about values and our relationships with each other are going to be challenged. The incredible story of the high profile Chinese politician and business man Bo Xilai whose wife poisoned a British company executive because he had uncovered some inappropriate financial transactions, was high profile simply because it brought out into the open, something thought unprecedented a generation earlier.

However it does bring into question how a communist state based on egalitarian principles at its heart, can justify having a ruling elite that seems to be riddled with corruption and containing what has been described as having ‘illicit enrichment’. This seems more like a plot you would see in a Hollywood movie rather than China, and is a testament to the observation that: “Power tends to corrupt; absolute power tends to corrupt absolutely. Great men are always bad men.” (Lord Acton letter to the Bishop Mandell Creighton 1887)

In order for me to understand my faith in an ever changing world, I have to develop an understanding of what it is I believe and be able to express that belief in my lifestyle choices and the conversations that I have with others. Some are happy to read the Bible and accept the narrative in a sort-of story-telling or folk context, where a summation of the content is all that is needed for the Bible to make sense. However, there are many outside of the faith, who would question this approach as having blind faith – not being able to see the reality of the text beyond some incomprehensible sentimentality to a superstitious belief or as a source of comfort.

This type of criticism is quite stinging I feel, as on the surface it has an appearance that Christians blindly believe what they read without reasoning the implications of what has gone on in the text. Surely if I read the Bible as the atheist does, I too would be able to see its inconsistencies and contradictions? So I am challenged to go further beyond a simple read-through the text and a short devotional, to a study of the subjects opened up through my reading of the passages. It is important that we have a good tool kit to interpret the text correctly so that I am not going down any blind-alleys in my understanding.

Our understanding of the Bible is challenged at many levels: What about genocide in the Bible? What about suffering – how can an all knowing God let that happen? What about your God who practices infanticide with his only son… what father would do that? Why is God…vengeful, angry? The questions can be overwhelming to faith if we are not grounded in the scriptures to help make sense of them, but also on a philosophical level, it is important to always keep in mind the context of the person asking those questions.

Questions are often asked deliberately as a veil for covering up the wider issue of who we are in God. When we understand who we are, we can begin to understand the God of the Bible. When we reject what the Bible says about us, we also reject God because we are not prepared to face up to person looking back at us. In the mirror in our bathroom, we can always spot the imperfections of our face, our grey hair and the wrinkles around the eyes; our crooked noses or the displacement of our ears… I rarely use a mirror because I know that I cannot change the way I look and I am getting older; but mainly because my appearance is not the focus of who I am.

So OK, I do check my hair for ‘bed-hair’ in the morning and whether I need to wash it again, and for my shave, oh and from time to time, I check my complexion. So see, I am no different to anyone else in reality. It’s just the reason behind doing those things for me is different. I don’t want to have a huge green-headed spot on the end on my nose as much as the next person… but my appearance isn't my vanity. If I wanted to be vain about anything in my life, it would be in how others perceive my heart, my conduct and my generosity. I jealously guard my integrity to ensure that I honour God by the way I live and I am disappointed when people challenge my conduct because I know that God wants me to live by expressing the fruit of the spirit:

But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things! (Galatians 5:22-23)

My heart aches inside when someone points out my failings in these matters. Not because of how it makes me feel, and boy does it hurt; but because of him! I know that God does not condemn me for my poor behaviour, but I cannot shake the guilt of dishonouring Jesus by the wrong things I say and do. Inside I am still Roger, with all of my faults, insecurities and indiscretions. I fail every day. Thank God for his grace that lifts me up and sets me back on my feet again – More of you Lord and less of me.

To help me get over myself, I read as widely as time allows and I listen to and watch, as many podcasts that time allows. I have lined up about 8 books that I am desperate to read for this new season but it isn’t always easy to do this. I would like to thank contributors to apologetics such as William Craig Lane @Reasonable Faith, whose integrity and heart in presenting the Gospel clearly for all to digest, has greatly influenced my writing; Ravi Zacharias @RZIM; Amy Orr Ewing @OCCA; The Case for Christ @Lee Strobel; J. Warner Wallace @coldcasechristianity; Justin Brierley @unbelieveable; Soul Survivor @Mike Pilavachi; and the Vineyard @John Wimber to name a few I follow on Facebook and Twitter.

My personal ambition is to better myself through the development of my understanding of the Bible through reading it and teaching it. This isn't because I think that I can do these things because I am intelligent, but rather I need to do this type of thinking because I must. The Holy Spirit compels me to be able to give a reason for the hope that dwells in my heart out of humility for what I have been saved from. I would not want to be regarded as being any more than a regular guy who loves the Lord; I certainly hope that I never come across as being aloof, or as having a pumped up ego, or even that I have ever implied in any kind of way, that there is an important ministry going on here. I do not have all the answers, but what I do know, I am compelled to share.

Instead, you must worship Christ as Lord of your life. And if someone asks about your Christian hope, always be ready to explain it. (1 Peter 3:15)

If you have never before considered reading anything beyond the scriptures, then I suggest beginning with CS Lewis’ seminal book: ‘Mere Christianity’. This is a classic apologetic for presenting a case for faith. Get yourself a daily commentary such as Rick Warren’s Daily Hope that can be e-mailed out every day or sign up to an app on your phone such as the You Version, where you can sign-up to daily readings.

More importantly, join a worshipping community. Yes I know, people can be judgemental, they can be annoying and they can sap all the energy out of you. But you know, deep down in your heart, we are meant to be together in community. Each of us has a part to play in growing that fellowship. We are meant to be grafted into the vine of Christ as many parts to the same body.

There are different kinds of spiritual gifts, but the same Spirit is the source of them all. There are different kinds of service, but we serve the same Lord. God works in different ways, but it is the same God who does the work in all of us.

A spiritual gift is given to each of us so we can help each other. To one person the Spirit gives the ability to give wise advice; to another the same Spirit gives a message of special knowledge. The same Spirit gives great faith to another, and to someone else the one Spirit gives the gift of healing. He gives one person the power to perform miracles, and another the ability to prophesy. He gives someone else the ability to discern whether a message is from the Spirit of God or from another spirit. Still another person is given the ability to speak in unknown languages, while another is given the ability to interpret what is being said. It is the one and only Spirit who distributes all these gifts. He alone decides which gift each person should have.

One Body with Many Parts

The human body has many parts, but the many parts make up one whole body. So it is with the body of Christ. Some of us are Jews, some are Gentiles, some are slaves, and some are free. But we have all been baptised into one body by one Spirit, and we all share the same Spirit. Yes, the body has many different parts, not just one part. If the foot says, “I am not a part of the body because I am not a hand,” that does not make it any less a part of the body. And if the ear says, “I am not part of the body because I am not an eye,” would that make it any less a part of the body? If the whole body were an eye, how would you hear? Or if your whole body were an ear, how would you smell anything? But our bodies have many parts, and God has put each part just where he wants it to be. How strange a body would be if it had only one part! Yes, there are many parts, but only one body. The eye can never say to the hand, “I don’t need you.” The head can’t say to the feet, “I don’t need you.”

In fact, some parts of the body that seem weakest and least important are actually the most necessary. And the parts we regard as less honourable are those we clothe with the greatest care. So we carefully protect those parts that should not be seen, while the more honourable parts do not require this special care. So God has put the body together such that extra honour and care are given to those parts that have less dignity. This makes for harmony among the members, so that all the members care for each other. If one part suffers, all the parts suffer with it, and if one part is honoured, all the parts are glad.

All of you together are Christ’s body, and each of you is a part of it. Here are some of the parts God has appointed for the church: first are apostles, second are prophets, third are teachers, then those who do miracles, those who have the gift of healing, those who can help others, those who have the gift of leadership, and those who speak in unknown languages.

Are we all apostles? Are we all prophets? Are we all teachers? Do we all have the power to do miracles? Do we all have the gift of healing? Do we all have the ability to speak in unknown languages? Do we all have the ability to interpret unknown languages? Of course not! So you should earnestly desire the most helpful gifts. But now let me show you a way of life that is best of all.

(1 Corinthians 12)

What is Paul talking about when he says: ‘But now let me show you a way of life that is best of all?’ I'm sure you may have spotted it straight away in 1 Corinthians 13.  As this text was originally a letter, this passage should be read as one that flows directly into the next and was never originally subdivided into chapters. The passage 1 Corinthians 13 is normally used to strengthen sentimental love into an enduring love through the vows we make in our marriage ceremonies:

 Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out.  Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance. (1 Corinthians 13: 4-7)

This is the hope that I live for. I have purpose in community with others; to serve God above all else in revealing the Kingdom to come. I do this both in love and through being filled with the fruit of the Holy Spirit. My heart quickens and I get a shiver up my spine which then makes the hairs on the back of my head rise as I type these words of grace. God is definitely and completely for us, not against us. This is why I turn to my final consideration this week: A call to worship.

I cannot contain how high, how deep and how wide the love of God is to those who genuinely seek him. Some seek God by trying to test him like Gideon did with the fleece he put out before God. If you truly seek God, you don’t need to test it, you will know it. The Holy Spirit dwells within us, connecting our spirit with the Spirit of our living God who is the same today as he was yesterday and as he will be forever. Open your hearts and minds to our heavenly father love, as he alone is worthy and able, to meet our deepest needs.

The world is changing rapidly but the source of life does not change. He has reached out, throughout time, to reveal his love and provision for us. Whether it is in the geology of the rocks or the coding of DNA, God is constant through the trials and the changes of life. For every generation there have been men and women of God who can testify to his great love and I urge you now to join in with the chorus.