I've heard that 1 Chronicles 12:32 was regularly quoted throughout the Lausanne Congress in Cape Town: "And of Issachar, men who had understanding of the times to know what Israel ought to do, 200 chiefs." (Amplified)
I wonder... what does it mean to "understand the times"?
As a journalist, I've always had an interest in what is happening in the world around me. It comes with the territory - a natural curiosity (or maybe just nosiness?) and a desire to keep up to date. Knowing is not synonymous with understanding, of course, but it is a good start.
But what about church leaders and Christians across Ireland? What about you?
A Time Magazine piece on theologian Karl Barth published on Friday, May 31, 1963 said: "[Barth] recalls that 40 years ago he advised young theologians 'to take your Bible and take your newspaper, and read both. But interpret newspapers from your Bible.'"
I think that is a brilliant description of what it means to understand the times. We need to know the scriptures. We need to know what is happening in our local community, our counties, our nation and around the world. Understanding comes when we allow the scriptures to help us make sense of what we see!
The problem, especially for church leaders, is that many are so caught up with their own parish, their own denomination, their own programmes and issues, that little time is spent on looking over the fence.
Don't get me wrong... there are some tremendous "Issachar-like" leaders out there who have their finger on the pulse. But there are also leaders who are head-in-the-sand ignorant of issues beyond their borders.
It is understandable when you know the workload many are facing but even so, I find it worrying. How about you?
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
Thursday, November 25, 2010
After Cape Town
Yesterday, a few of us gathered in Dublin to hear some initial reflections from the Irish team that attended the Lausanne congress in Cape Town, South Africa. Cape Town 2010 gathered over 4,000 Christian leaders from some 200 countries around the world.
The team of nine people from Ireland represented a wide cross-section of denominations, ages and backgrounds. Their blog is well worth a visit.
Several things stood out for me during yesterday's feedback time. First of all, I was struck by how few people attended the event, although many had been invited. Does this show a lack of interest for the international scene or no desire to consider the big picture? Or is it merely because people are too caught up in the day to day realities of life here in Ireland that there is no time for extra meetings?
The feedback itself showed one short meeting is insufficient to do justice to the vast wealth of information, thought-provoking discussions and moving testimonies that emerged from the congress. Even in a short meeting, there were a number of major challenges for us in Ireland.
There were challenges to unity and partnership, to a deeper understanding of integral mission, to show greater concern for the persecuted church, to respect and value the church in the global south and to rediscover the irresistible mystery and wonder of Jesus.
But there were also serious questions and concerns about issues of inequality, corruption, greed, western-domination and the dangers of prosperity. An interesting follow-up blog by Dr Vinoth Ramachandra from Sri Lanka is well worth a visit to understand some of the issues from a non-Western perspective.
Watch out for more in the next edition of VOX magazine out in January. If you have not yet subscribed, why not take advantage of our special Christmas offer... just 10 Euro for THREE subscriptions!... Don't miss out on the chance to engage with other Christians in Ireland on issues of faith, life and reality for the 21st Century.
The team of nine people from Ireland represented a wide cross-section of denominations, ages and backgrounds. Their blog is well worth a visit.
Several things stood out for me during yesterday's feedback time. First of all, I was struck by how few people attended the event, although many had been invited. Does this show a lack of interest for the international scene or no desire to consider the big picture? Or is it merely because people are too caught up in the day to day realities of life here in Ireland that there is no time for extra meetings?
The feedback itself showed one short meeting is insufficient to do justice to the vast wealth of information, thought-provoking discussions and moving testimonies that emerged from the congress. Even in a short meeting, there were a number of major challenges for us in Ireland.
"If there is any country in the world that needs the church to be challenged about living out the truth of the gospel, it is Ireland," shared Bishop Ken Clarke, one of the Irish delegates.
There were challenges to unity and partnership, to a deeper understanding of integral mission, to show greater concern for the persecuted church, to respect and value the church in the global south and to rediscover the irresistible mystery and wonder of Jesus.
But there were also serious questions and concerns about issues of inequality, corruption, greed, western-domination and the dangers of prosperity. An interesting follow-up blog by Dr Vinoth Ramachandra from Sri Lanka is well worth a visit to understand some of the issues from a non-Western perspective.
Watch out for more in the next edition of VOX magazine out in January. If you have not yet subscribed, why not take advantage of our special Christmas offer... just 10 Euro for THREE subscriptions!... Don't miss out on the chance to engage with other Christians in Ireland on issues of faith, life and reality for the 21st Century.
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Taking a fresh look
Patrick Mitchell's excellent blog "Faith in Ireland" is well worth a visit. Along with Ken Gibson's Just Blogging it's one of my regular 'stop off points' when I'm on my daily trawl through the internet news and views (searching for interesting snippets for VOX Magazine...).
Patrick's recent series about the visit of Scot McKnight to the Irish Bible Institute's summer school has been a thought-provoking read. (The link is to the first of six blog entries... read them all if you can!).
You've all heard the saying familiarity breeds contempt. While I'm sure Christians in Ireland don't feel contempt for the Gospel, I do sometimes feel it has become 'stale' or even an embarrassment. Reduced to a formula (the 'plan of salvation') that is used by die-hard evangelists, the Gospel ceases to thrill ordinary church goers because they have boxed it and set it aside ("That's what I needed before I became a Christian").
A challenging series which takes a fresh look at the Gospel is most welcome. Patrick's lively re-telling of Scot McKnight's teaching opens new vistas of possibility, challenges our thinking and inspires excitement. It reminds us that the Gospel is wider, deeper, more encompassing than those faltering first steps of belief. It prompts us to a renewed passion and commitment to the Gospel - lived, breathed, taught, explained, demonstrated and completed in the person of Jesus Christ.
After all... when Paul wrote Romans he was writing to believers! Is it time for us to look again?
Patrick's recent series about the visit of Scot McKnight to the Irish Bible Institute's summer school has been a thought-provoking read. (The link is to the first of six blog entries... read them all if you can!).
You've all heard the saying familiarity breeds contempt. While I'm sure Christians in Ireland don't feel contempt for the Gospel, I do sometimes feel it has become 'stale' or even an embarrassment. Reduced to a formula (the 'plan of salvation') that is used by die-hard evangelists, the Gospel ceases to thrill ordinary church goers because they have boxed it and set it aside ("That's what I needed before I became a Christian").
A challenging series which takes a fresh look at the Gospel is most welcome. Patrick's lively re-telling of Scot McKnight's teaching opens new vistas of possibility, challenges our thinking and inspires excitement. It reminds us that the Gospel is wider, deeper, more encompassing than those faltering first steps of belief. It prompts us to a renewed passion and commitment to the Gospel - lived, breathed, taught, explained, demonstrated and completed in the person of Jesus Christ.
After all... when Paul wrote Romans he was writing to believers! Is it time for us to look again?
Thursday, January 7, 2010
Black Ice
"Hindsight is 20/20"
Yesterday I drove my daughter back to Dublin to start the new term at college. The four-hour trek from Donegal took almost five hours yesterday morning. With snow still lying on many major routes, that seemed fair enough. I didn't mind taking things a bit easy.
What I hadn't counted on was fresh snow falls in Dublin followed by an instant freeze.
When I left Dublin at 5pm the five-minute drive to the motorway turned into a nightmarish 30-minutes skating on black ice. The ususal 30-minutes on the M50 strecthed to 1 1/2 hours.
The rest of the journey wasn't quite so bad... just long, dark, exhausting... I arrived home at 11.45 after driving for more than 6 1/2 hours with a brief stop for a coffee and a can of Red Bull (horrible brew but it did help to keep me awake).
I doubt I would have even started out on the journey if I knew what was in store, although I'm glad to be snowed in at home rather than stuck in Dublin.
Life has a habit of serving up the unexpected! The temptation is to abort, give up, abandon ship... Caution can save lives in the face of treacherous driving conditions, of course. But I wonder... how many of us give up what is good because we are faced with 'black ice' at the first junction?
Monday, May 11, 2009
Standing against gang violence
An estimated 5,000 people marched through the streets of Limerick yesterday (Sunday 10 May) to take a stand against gang violence. The family of murder victim Ray Collins was among those sending a strong message to the gangs.
As well as demonstrating their opposition to violence, the marchers were also calling for the government and An Garda Siochana to do more to combat the gang culture.
Sadly, though, many more stayed away - too afraid of reprisals to join the demonstration.
It is all too easy to give in to fear and despair, to hope that others will fight for what is right and to make excuses for not getting involved.
A drug dealer in Dublin recently boasted that he was 'untouchable' and that he would take on the garda or even the army in order to keep his 'territory'. Is this true? Will we sit back and allow people to lay claim to this country? Or will we stand together to fight evil and violence?
These are serious issues. I believe it is important that Christians in Ireland do not put our head in the sand and ignore the problem. Neither should we simply shake our heads and condemn those who do wrong.
The Christian message of redemption gives hope for change... for wrong to be put right and for good to triumph over evil.
There are battles to be fought at every level: spiritual, social, physical. How will we respond?
As well as demonstrating their opposition to violence, the marchers were also calling for the government and An Garda Siochana to do more to combat the gang culture.
Sadly, though, many more stayed away - too afraid of reprisals to join the demonstration.
It is all too easy to give in to fear and despair, to hope that others will fight for what is right and to make excuses for not getting involved.
A drug dealer in Dublin recently boasted that he was 'untouchable' and that he would take on the garda or even the army in order to keep his 'territory'. Is this true? Will we sit back and allow people to lay claim to this country? Or will we stand together to fight evil and violence?
These are serious issues. I believe it is important that Christians in Ireland do not put our head in the sand and ignore the problem. Neither should we simply shake our heads and condemn those who do wrong.
The Christian message of redemption gives hope for change... for wrong to be put right and for good to triumph over evil.
There are battles to be fought at every level: spiritual, social, physical. How will we respond?
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Join the conversation...
This month we have launched "The Conversation" - a new blog which allows you to have your say and share your opinion about articles in VOX magazine.
Go to: http://voxconversation.blogspot.com/ to join in.
Go to: http://voxconversation.blogspot.com/ to join in.
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Pancakes and syrup
I was 18 years old and sitting with a group of friends in the home of a Belgian pastor. There were stacks of Dutch-style pancakes (much like crepes but thicker) and tubs of apple and pear "stroop" (syrup) on the wide dining table. We dug in with all the enthusiasm of hungry teens but just as avidly drank in the pastor's wisdom.
Describing the many challenges of leading a church, the man shared one particularly painful season in his life when he had been falsely accused by certain people in his church.
What struck me most was this man's gracious response to his 'enemies'. Rather than hitting back or going on the defensive, he made the choice to wait patiently, silently, for vindication. He showed grace and love in the face of stinging criticism.
When someone hurts or angers us, offends or opposes us, our instincts scream for blood. An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth - the desire for revenge and counter-offensive are as common today as they were 2000 years ago. Sadly, they are also common within the Christian community too.
For some reason, we seem to find it easier to criticise and accuse, than to encourage and bless, to hit back rather than to turn the other cheek.
It makes me wonder... how can people who talk about God's grace, be ungracious? Can I learn to meet criticism with kindness? How will I repay those who offend me - with revenge or with the currency of love?
Describing the many challenges of leading a church, the man shared one particularly painful season in his life when he had been falsely accused by certain people in his church.
What struck me most was this man's gracious response to his 'enemies'. Rather than hitting back or going on the defensive, he made the choice to wait patiently, silently, for vindication. He showed grace and love in the face of stinging criticism.
When someone hurts or angers us, offends or opposes us, our instincts scream for blood. An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth - the desire for revenge and counter-offensive are as common today as they were 2000 years ago. Sadly, they are also common within the Christian community too.
For some reason, we seem to find it easier to criticise and accuse, than to encourage and bless, to hit back rather than to turn the other cheek.
It makes me wonder... how can people who talk about God's grace, be ungracious? Can I learn to meet criticism with kindness? How will I repay those who offend me - with revenge or with the currency of love?
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