John Stevens

A God Who Empathises With Our Suffering

2025-07-25T12:58:00.003+01:00

I am delighted that Jofra Archer is back in the England cricket team after four years of injury. He is a prodigious talent and will make a huge difference to the England attack.

I loved a story in The Times which told how he had telephoned a young boy who was suffering from a similar injury to encourage him:

‘Three years ago, on a quiet Sunday morning, Aidan Thompson — then aged 11 — was housebound and recuperating from a stress fracture in his back sustained from playing cricket when the phone rang. At the other end was Archer, who was himself recovering from the very same injury and who a few days earlier had been contacted out of the blue by Aidan’s mother, Celine. For more than 30 minutes, Archer chatted to his young fan on a video call while he wandered around his kitchen, wearing his pyjamas and feeding his dogs.’ (The Times, Thursday 17 July).

This call was an inspiration and encouragement and helped Aidan on his path to recovery. Archer was able to empathise because he was suffering in the same way.

The New Testament makes very clear that Jesus is able to empathise with us and our suffering, and the temptation they cause, because he himself as suffered like us. In his human nature he was ‘a man of suffering and acquainted with pain’ (Isaiah 53v2). As the still-incarnate risen Lord he is our Great high Priest, who is able to empathise with our weaknesses (Hebrews 3v15) and ‘able to help those who are being tempted’ because he himself suffered when he was tempted (Hebrews 2v18).

Jesus is the ‘comforter’ who draws near to us in our suffering and temptation, and who is approachable because he knows what we are going through. He has given us his Holy Spirit as ‘another comforter’ who is with us whilst he has returned to heaven, and who is our means of communication and communion with him.

Jofra Archer was able to empathise and comfort, but of course Jesus is able to do more than this. His true humanity enables him to empathise, but his deity as the eternal Son enables him to save. He can and will supply the grace we need to enable us to endure to the end of the race and inherit eternal glory.

People need to know both that Jesus is able to save and willing to save. He has compassion on us and empathises with our suffering and struggles. Thoelogies which assert that God is so distant and above us as to untouched by our suffering, and which do not recognise that in some way Jesus’ suffering in his humanity touches on the Godhead, fall short of the Biblical revelation of God, and the hope and help that he promises to be to his people. He is not unmoved by our plight, because in Christ he has shared it. Take that away and you lose the comfort of Hebrews 2-3.

I wrote something similar for EN last month using a different illustration of the King's cancer, which you can read here.

I am hoping Jofra takes plenty of Indian wickets in the rest of the Test series!

https://www.e-n.org.uk/.../2025-06-king-charles-cancer.../

Salvation As A Work Of God – Donald Bloesch

2025-07-25T12:55:00.002+01:00

I found these quotes from Donald Bloesch helpful statements that our salvation is entirely a work of God, not a work that we accomplish for ourselves. This Augustinian/Lutheran/Reformed view contrasts with both Roman Catholicism and Arminianism, and is the ground for humility, praise and assurance. The glory goes to God alone.

‘Our redemption is wrought wholly by Christ—without our cooperation and aid. But we need to make experiential contact with this redemption ifit is to be effective in our lives. It is not enough to believe in Christ: we also need to be engrafted into his righteousness. Justification is inseparable from regeneration, which might be called the subjective pole of justification. Those whom God forgives he also makes alive in the power of his Spirit. Justification is both a forensic judgment and a dynamic action. It embraces not only the decree of God in Christ but also the work of the Spirit, who communicates this decree to the people of God. Calvin rightly maintained that the saving work of Christ constitutes a twofold blessing: grace for us and grace in us. Yet with Luther he insisted that our inward renewal by the Spirit is not the precondition for justification but its effect and consequence. We are justified not on the ground of our faith or works but on the ground of God's free, unmerited mercy revealed in Jesus Christ. We do not play a positive role in procuring our salvation, but we are made covenant partners by the Spirit of God in manifesting and celebrating this salvation.’ (Jesus Christ: Saviour and Lord pp178-179)

‘In the Catholic view grace builds upon nature; in the Reformed view grace brings us a new nature.’ (Jesus Christ: Saviour and Lord p179)

‘If we wish to remain faithful to both Scripture and the witness of the Reformation, we need to affirm that God alone works salvation for us and in us, though we can receive and respond to this salvation through the power of his Spirit. This is neither monergism (in which God is the sole actor) nor synergism (in which God and the human person are partial causes). We are speaking of a mystery in which God does all but through human effort and decision. Sinful humanity still has a free will, but this free will does not cooperate with grace in achieving salvation. Instead, God's grace liberates our will from its bondage to sin o that we can believe and obey in the power of the Spirit. As sinners we are still free in the things below, but we are not free in the things above. We are not free to dispose ourselves to the good or to come to God. We need to be set free by grace to live a life of holiness, a life pleasing to God. In evangelical Protestantism the natural person is not merely weakened by sin but is dead in sin and therefore must be raised by grace to new life in Christ (cf. Rom 6:13; Eph 2:1-6)’ (Jesus Christ: Saviour and Lord pp184-185)

‘In the Catholic position as developed by Thomas Aquinas we are able to do the good that lies within us but only on the basis of a prior or prevenient grace.20 Once we do the good we can merit a further increase of grace. For Thomas our free will plays an important role in the transition from nature to grace, but it is always a free will healed and renewed by grace. In Reformation theology there is a discontinuity between nature and grace. Grace is not primarily the infusion of supernatural power (as in the Catholic and Orthodox view) nor the stimulation of our natural powers (the liberal view). Instead it is the invasion of the Holy Spirit, which makes us altogether new creatures. Grace is the Spirit of the living Christ dwelling within us and taking possession of our lives. We are given a new will, new motivations, new goals. Our will is not so much assisted by grace as turned around by grace.’ (Jesus Christ: Saviour and Lord p185)

‘We can never say that we are coredeemers with Christ in procuring salvation. Nor are Mary and the great saints of the church coredeemers. Christ alone achieves redemption for lost sinners, but he makes us covenant partners in proclaiming the good news of this redemption. He makes us active and busy—not in acquiring salvation through our industry and merits but in celebrating and demonstrating the salvation that is already completed and perfected. We are not agents in bringing about salvation but signs and witnesses of the salvation that he alone accomplished for our sake (solus Christus). Our decision and our obedience are not preconditions for salvation but the outworking of a salvation already extended to us by the gracious hand of God’ (Jesus Christ: Saviour and Lord p186)

Ezekiel 22 - The Need For A Holistic View Of Sin

2025-07-25T12:52:00.003+01:00

I have noted before that the Bible takes a holistic view of sin, which holds together and of equal importance to God religious sins, individual sins and social sins. This is especially clear in the OT prophets, but also in the teaching of Jesus and the apostles.

Ezekiel 22 is another striking example of this holistic phenomena. One major theme of Ezekiel is the seriousness of the sin of Judah/Jerusalem, which will lead to the wrath of God enacted by the agency of the Babylonians. Their sin is repeatedly termed ‘detestable’ and has desecrated the land/temple and defiled the people. It is pictures in very vivid and graphic images as wanton prostitution and lust.

In Ezekiel 22v6-12, which is then echoed in 22v22-29, the sin of Judah/Jerusalem is spiritual, sexual and social. These different dimensions of sin as evidenced in idolatry, unfaithfulness and injustice.

Conservative Christians have a tendency to focus on the spiritual and sexual sins, downplaying the importance of the social, whereas liberals tend to focus on the social. God’s word will allow no such dichotomy.

The sin denounced in Ezekiel 22 includes oppressing the foreigner and mistreating the fatherless and the widow (v7) – i.e. the marginalised and vulnerable groups in Israel, those who lacked any ‘privilege’ in society. It included making a profit from the poor and extorting unjust gain from neighbours (v12), in particular by taking interest. This amount to a misuse of market power over the needy. It is not just the rulers who behave in this way, but the people more widely, as v29 makes clear. These social sins are a reminder that unregulated market forces, which enable powerful people to impose crushing terms on those who are weaker, can be sinful. There is something wring when the rich are able to get richer by exploit the vulnerability and need of the poor, and their weak bargaining position,

Ezekiel is called to speak prophetically against the sin of Judah/Jerusalem in all these dimensions, and to call people to repentance and turn from their sin to receive grace. We need to be similarly holistic in our gospel preaching. What God has joined together (spiritual, sexual and social dimensions of sin) let us not separate, lest we become like the pharisees who fail to see their own sinfulness because they have far too narrow a view of what God requires.

“‘See how each of the princes of Israel who are in you uses his power to shed blood. In you they have treated father and mother with contempt; in you they have oppressed the foreigner and mistreated the fatherless and the widow. You have despised my holy things and desecrated my Sabbaths. In you are slanderers who are bent on shedding blood; in you are those who eat at the mountain shrines and commit lewd acts. In you are those who dishonor their father’s bed; in you are those who violate women during their period, when they are ceremonially unclean. In you one man commits a detestable offense with his neighbor’s wife, another shamefully defiles his daughter-in-law, and another violates his sister, his own father’s daughter. In you are people who accept bribes to shed blood; you take interest and make a profit from the poor. You extort unjust gain from your neighbors. And you have forgotten me, declares the Sovereign LORD.” (Ezekiel 22:6-12)

Socialism & Institutional Racism – Learning From The Early Church In Acts

2025-07-25T12:49:00.000+01:00

Over the past few months at church, we have been preaching through the early chapters of Acts. One key theme is the development of the early church community. Luke wants to record its practices for us as a model of new life in the Spirit. These chapters touch on two issues of contemporary political relevance for the church, namely economic inequality and institutional racism. It is instructive how the early church confronted these problems.

1 Poverty

One striking feature of the early church was the way that the members shared their possessions and wealth with one another so that there was no poverty amongst them. This is highlighted in Acts 2v42-47 and 4v32-5v11. Acts 4v34 summarises that, because of their generosity, ‘there were no needy persons amongst them.’ This was the fulfilment of what Israel was meant to have been, but which was never realised in the Old Testament due to human sin, including greed and oppression by the rich.

Acts 2v44 says that the believers ‘had everything in common,’ and this may suggest a form of socialism or even communism was at play. However, Acts 4-5 makes clear that this was not the case. There was no common ownership of assets, but rather generous voluntary giving by individuals. Barnabas willingly sold a field on his own initiative and put the money at the apostles’ disposal. Peter makes clear that Annanias and Saphira owned the filed that they sold, and that both it and its proceeds were theirs to do with as they chose. Their sin was the hypocrisy and lie of having given the whole proceeds to the church when they had kept some back for themselves, rather than that they did not give the whole sum itself.

The early church did not seek to bring about an absolute economic equality between its members, but it did seek to ensure that no member was left to face the ravages of poverty. A form of welfare system for church widows was put in place to ensure that they were fed by a daily distribution of food. This care for economically needy members is seen throughout the New Testament, as for example the widows list in 1 Timothy 5 and the warnings against not feeding those who are able but unwilling to work in 1 and 2 Thessalonians.

It is also notable that the apostles did not seek to distribute money to the poor outside of the church. In Acts 3 they do not give money to the lame beggar at the temple but rather offer him healing and salvation in the name of Jesus. As a new convert he would have come within the membership and care of the church community.

The life of the church is not a direct model for society more generally. However, these glimpses of the life of the church undercut the argument for a socialist model of community ownership with undermines private property yet urges the necessity of generous giving by rich believers to ensure that their brothers and sisters are not in poverty. This was a powerful witness to a watching world, and the gospel was made attractive as a result, leading to significant growth.

2 Institutional Racism

Whilst the early church was not socialistic in its practice it did act to end institutional racism. This is evident from Acts 6. The system established to feed the poor widows was not operating fairly and equally. There was a difference in outcome between the Hebraic and Hellenistic widows. The Hellenistic widows were being overlooked.

The passage does not suggest an overt racism or discrimination against the Hellenistic widows, rather that the system was operating to their disadvantage, and they were being overlooked. In effect the Hebraic widows enjoyed privilege. This is exactly the kind of systemic or institutional racism that is identified by Critical Race Theory, in which inequality of outcome on racial grounds is indicative of systemic inequality on grounds of race. Those who were treated unfairly complained against this mistreatment, and far from dismissing their complaints the church took action to address what was happening.

The primary cause was the inability of the apostles to adequately supervise the system, and so others were selected and appointed to ensure that the inequality was eliminated, and the Hellenistic widows were treated fairly. The institutional injustice was ameliorated, and an equality of outcome was achieved. Supervision of the system was handed over to suitably gifted men, who were chosen by the whole community, Hebraic and Hellenistic Christians alike. The responsibility was given to representatives of the Hellenistic community, including even a Greek convert to Judaism. There is no indication that they failed to properly care for the Hebraic widows, so the result was equality not a new inequality.

As a result of the church’s actions an institutional or systemic injustice was addressed. Once again this was a witness to the watching world, and in consequence the word of God spread (6v7). This initial addressing of institutional racism was the precursor to the forthcoming challenge of welcoming Samaritan and Gentile converts into the church.

These early chapters thus reveal something of the unique character of the early church and its practice. They do not fit neatly into our contemporary political and ideological categories and the culture wars that flow from them. Many argue that Critical Race Theory, with its focus on addressing inequality of outcomes between racial groups, is inherently Marxist of socialist in nature. The early chapters of Acts would suggest that it is not so simple or binary. The early church was not socialist and respected the right to private property. It was voluntarist. It sought to eliminate poverty but not to produce absolute economic equality between its members. At the same time, it acted against clear institutional racism, reforming the system and introducing leadership from the minority community to redress the inequality.

These are principles that ought to be reflected in the church today, because they are the result of the work of the Holy Spirit amongst his people. When we live in this way it will be a powerful witness to a watching world and a confirmation of the power of the gospel to overcome sin.

The Salt Path Or The Way Of Jesus?

2025-07-25T12:46:00.002+01:00

A couple of weeks ago my wife and I went to the cinema to watch the film ‘The Salt Path.’ My wife then read the book by Raynor Winn on which it is based. It is a classic ‘triumph over adversity’ story, about a couple rendered homeless who walk the Southwest Coastal path. The husband, Moth, also has a terminal degenerative disease. We enjoyed the film for the locations, where we had recently been on holiday, but many people found the book spiritual uplifting, even ‘life changing’.

It turns out that the story, presented as a memoir, is not entirely truthful. An investigation by the Observer newspaper has cast doubt on the husband’s alleged illness, and the circumstances that led to their home being repossessed. Far from this being an unjust decision because of an unwise business investment, it appears that it was the result of a £100k loan made to enable the wife to pay back her employer, from whom she had misappropriated £64k, thus avoiding prosecution for theft. Whilst claiming to be homeless they also had a house and caravan in France. These claims have not been entirely denied, and Penguin has delayed publication of her new book.

Many readers have spoken of their disappointment at discovering that this life affirming story was not all that it seemed. The lies and misrepresentations naturally undermined the spiritual benefit and inspiration they had drawn from it. Their hopes and dreams were left shattered.

The story was exposed to be false because of the testimony of those who had known the couple and the real circumstances of what happened. Raynor Winn had written under a pseudonym, but in light of the attention garnered by the film those who knew the truth felt the need to speak out.

Many people question whether the story of Jesus is likewise fictitious, or perhaps misrepresented. Millions of people have found the gospels to be not just spiritually uplifting but the basis for new life and salvation, as they have trusted in Jesus and followed him, often at great cost to themselves.

To our rationalistic and naturalistic ears, the accounts of Jesus’s miracles and resurrection might seem fanciful. Some who have sought to retain their spiritual benefit while rejecting their truthfulness have treated them as myths that convey deeper truths.

However, the earliest Christians claimed that they were the truthful eye-witness testimony to the life, ministry, death and resurrection of Jesus. This seems highly plausible, and at least rational to believe. There are multiple testimonies in the four gospels that agree with one another. The earliest recorded apostolic preaching in Acts, and the indisputably Pauline epistles, confirm the same basic facts of Jesus life. Even hostile secular sources corroborate the main events, and do not dispute that Jesus performed miracles.

Jesus’s ministry was conducted in public over several years, and his death took place in Jerusalem at the time of the Passover, when Jews from all over the Mediterranean world were in the city. His resurrection likewise proclaimed at Pentecost when similar crowds were present. Many of the Jews would have been members of the synagogues in Asia and Europe in which Peter and Paul preached the gospel, forming the nucleus of the numerous churches that were planted within a couple of decades of the events. The gospel was preached, churches were established, letters were written and the Gospels compiled within living memory of the eyewitnesses.

As the church grew, especially amongst the Jewish community, those who were hostile to this new movement would have had every reason to debunk it if the claims being made about Jesus were not truthful. Whilst the resurrection cannot be verified because Jesus did not appear to unbelievers, the stories of his birth, miracles and crucifixion could have been refuted by contrary evidence. The fact that they were not strongly suggests that they are true.

Whilst that does not prove the truth of the Christian faith, it does at least mean that it has a credible basis, and that those who believe have not been deceived by some fraud perpetrated by the apostles. Unlike Raynor Winn they made no money from their story, and became outcasts from their society as a result of telling it, often losing their lives in consequence of their steadfast testimony.

The refutation of ‘The Salt Path’ is a reminder of the danger of basing our hope for spiritual truth on something which is not true. It is an adult equivalent of discovering that Father Christmas does not exist. However, we can have confidence that the stories of Jesus are not a fiction or distortion. They were not refuted by those who saw and heard Jesus in the flesh but did not believe that he was the Messiah nor that he rose from the dead. They could not be because Jesus had undertaken a very public ministry and died a very public death.

It turns out that the ‘The Salt Path’ is not a reliable source of spiritual edification. In contrast there are good reasons to believe in ‘The Way’ of Jesus.

Theological Retrieval & Theological Restatement

2025-07-25T12:44:00.003+01:00

One of the current trends in contemporary conservative evangelism is the desire to retrieve the theology of the past - whether the Church Fathers, Creeds, Medieval Scholastic, Reformed Confessions and Reformed Scholastics. Whilst there are significant benefits to this movement there are also dangers - primarily the assumption that those in the past were right about everything and that their formulations are functionally inerrant.

I think that these words of Donald Bloesch, written before retrieval became de rigueur, sound a necessary caution and caveat.

'It is imperative that we regain the treasures of the past in all the major Christian traditions, but we are also obliged to restate the ancient faith in the language of the present day and relate that faith to the pivotal issues in modern philosophy and culture. The temptation that beguiles conservatives—Catholic, Orthodox and Protestant—is simply to return to older positions without allowing for deficiencies in these positions and therefore the need for a fresh restatement of truths that have been won in the past but must be rewon in the present.' (Jesus Christ: Saviour & Lord p197)

'A second meaning of Reformed is the willingness always to be reformed in light of the Word of God (ecclesia semper reformanda). Our creeds and theologies remain under the witness of Holy Scripture and therefore may be corrected and amended on the basis of new insight gleaned from the Word of God. New creeds can be written as new heresies arise to challenge the faith once delivered to the saints. Both Calvin and Luther placed the Word of God above the testimonies of sacred tradition.' (Jesus Christ: Saviour & Lord p199)

Why Is 1 Peter So Relevant To The Church Today?

2025-07-25T12:41:00.003+01:00

I have recently been reading 1 Peter in my personal devotions. It is a book I love and that is so relevant to the contemporary church in the UK as we find ourselves in an increasingly hostile post-Christian context. It reminds us that we are strangers and exiles in the world – which is the normal situation for the church ahead of the return of Christ.

The dominant message of the letter is the need to stand firm and bear up under unjust suffering at the hands of those who have authority over us. We can do this because we have a secure eternal inheritance guaranteed by the resurrection. 1 Peter 5v12 encapsulates the purpose and message of the letter:

‘I have written to you briefly, encouraging you and testifying that this is the true grace of God. Stand firm in it.’

The two great sayings about the atoning death of Christ in 1 Peter (2v22 & 3v18) are both applied as examples to Christians. Jesus suffered unjustly and we are to be willing to do the same. 1 Peter 2v22 is applied to slaves in 2v21 (‘To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example’) and 1 Peter 3v18 is applied to Christians more generally in 4v1. We are too reluctant to teach the cross as moral example for us. It is both a unique and objective atonement, but also a model to follow. 1 Peter suggests that there are benefits and blessings that flow from unjust suffering, including the refinement of our faith, a definite break with sinning and opportunities to witness to our hope in Christ (3v15).

1 Peter does not call Christians to a stoic acceptance of unjust suffering, still less to a withdrawal from society for the sake of safety. It calls for active engagement with the pagan persecuting world. A major theme that runs through the letter is the repeated call to ‘do good’ in society as we serve Christ. As 1 Peter 2v11-12 makes clear, we are to fight against our sinful desires and instead live ‘such good lives’ amongst the pagans that they give glory to God for us – most likely on the day of judgement.

‘Doing good’ is a key evangelistic strategy of 1 Peter, and a fulfilment of our mission in the world as the church to be a ‘chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation’ (1 Peter 2v9). Our good deeds commend the gospel, shame those who persecute us, and open opportunities for verbal evangelism. The witness of good deeds is never a replacement for verbal evangelism in 1 Peter but either the prelude to verbal proclamation or the subsequent vindication of a verbal proclamation that has taken place (as in 1 Peter 3v1) as it adorns the word that has been spoken. It is the word of the gospel that gives new birth – as the recipients of the letter knew from experience (1v12).

A key aspect of ‘doing good’ is to submit to the authorities that God has established over us, giving honour, respect and obedience even to those who mistreat us. Their authority is not absolute, and new are required to obey Christ rather than men where there is a direct conflict of loyalty and demand, but our default position is to be to submit and trust God because he is sovereign.

1 Peter urges an eschatological perspective on our present sufferings. The end of all things is near (4v7) and so our suffering will only be for a ‘little while’ (5v10). Suffering and mistreatment is not a sign that something has gone wrong, nor that God has let us down. It is confirmation that we are following in the footsteps of the messiah, who suffered as part of the sovereign plan of God (1v11). We ought therefore to rejoice that we participate in the sufferings of Christ – just as Peter and the apostles rejoiced in Acts 5 when they were flogged by the Sanhedrin, because they were counted worthy of suffering for the name of Christ. We should not suffer for doing wrong, and there is a fundamental difference between just suffering for our own wrongdoing and unjust suffering for the sake of Christ (3v15-16).

1 Peter is a letter that we urgently need to hear. It teaches how to live in the last days, recalibrating our expectations, and prepares us for the greater suffering which is likely coming our way in the West. I’d urge you to study it and teach it regularly to God’s people.

Christ’s Atoning Sacrifice - Donald Bloesch

2025-07-14T14:06:00.002+01:00

Quotes on the atonement and suffering of God in Christ from 'Jesus Christ Saviour and Lord' by Donald Bloesch.

‘The atonement, of course, involves much more than divine forgiveness. It entails liberation, satisfaction, expiation and propitiation. The sacrifice of Christ on the cross effects not only pardon for sin but release from the power of sin. It involves not only the propitiation of God but also the liberation of the sinner. It removes not simply the sense of guilt but the very stain of guilt. The theme of reconciliation is found in the so-called subjective theories of the atonement, but they fail to do justice to expiation, satisfaction and propitiation.’ (p157)

‘The cross reveals not just the suffering of Jesus but also the suffering of God in the person of his son…God vicariously identifies with our pain and misery, but he does so voluntarily. He suffers not by necessity or compulsion but in his sovereign freedom’ (p157)

‘Evangelical theology affirms the vicarious, substitutionary atonement of Jesus Christ. It does not claim that this theory does justice to all aspects of Christ’s atoning work, but it does see substitution as the heart of the atonement. The crucial point is that Jesus suffers in our stead, and he also conquers in our stead. Christ is our representative: he represents God to humanity and humanity to God.’ (p158)

‘Jesus not only revealed and demonstrated God’s costly reconciliation but also paid the penalty that God’s justice demands. We are saved not only from personal sin but also from God’s judgement.’ (p161)

‘We are redeemed not by Christ’s life, not by his teachings, but by his death.’ (p161)

‘Yet the cross in and of itself is not enough. Apart from the resurrection of Christ the cross is a catastrophe…The atonement is a royal victory because of the resurrection. It is in the resurrection that we see the conquest of sin, death and the devil.’ (p162)

‘Because the guilt of sin has been remitted through Christ’s atoning work, the Christian no longer suffers penalties for sin but only disciplines. Our suffering effects a change in our character but it does not make reparation for sin. The debts of our sin have already been fully paid in Jesus Christ. God allows sin to afflict us in order to remind us of how much we owe to Christ and in order to equip us to carry the good news of Christ to his world.’ (p162)

‘The biblical-evangelical view takes into consideration both God’s gracious initiative and the need for human decision and obedience. Salvation involves both the objective work of Christ on the cross and the response of faith in a Christian life, made possible by the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. Salvation is a past accomplishment, a present experience and a future hope.’ (p167)

‘With Barth I aver that God in himself is impervious to pain and suffering, but God nevertheless wills to enter the world of pain and contingency in order to redeem it. He is not subject to the ravages of sin and the turmoil of finitude, but he makes himself subject to these things so that they may be overcome. He shares in our afflictions and ignominy in the person of Jesus Christ, but he transmutes the pain of death and sin into the joy that exists in the midst of pain. This conflicts on the human plane are resolved in the perfect beatitude and composure of his inner being.’ (p171)

‘God does not suffer as humanity suffers…Yet God suffers in humanity, and such suffering reflects the self-abnegation within the inner life of the Trinity, the self-emptying that is the hallmark of trinitarian love.’ (171)

‘The God who incarnated himself in Jesus Christ and thereby entered human history is the God who makes himself passible even while he remains in his own inner life impassible. God’s knowledge is not curtailed when we say he is open to new experiences. God is not an Eternal Now who knows all things simultaneously but a living Lord who experiences the world ever anew. He knows what will happen and how we will respond. But he does not experience the event until it occurs. His knowledge is not ever expanding (as in the process view) but is continuously operative. He realizes in fact what he already knows in principle. He does not give up his power when he becomes human in Jesus Christ, but he chooses to exercise his power in a new way – a way that confounds the wisdom of the philosophers as well as challenges the presumption of those who would be his followers.’ (p174)

Why Is The Media So Negative About Christianity? – Launch of A New Report ‘Christianity In The News And Media’

2025-07-03T15:17:00.012+01:00

Yesterday I was delighted to attend the launch of a new report into the representation of Christianity in the UK media. ‘Christianity in the News and Media’ has been produced by Jersey Road (an organisation providing communication expertise to faith groups) following a year-long analysis of media stories on the church and Christianity. The event was hosted by Archbishop Angaelos of the Coptic Orthodox Church at St Andrew-by-the-Wardrobe near St Paul’s Cathedral and was attended by a mix of church and media representatives.

The findings of the report were not unexpected. They revealed that the preponderance of stories was negative in tone (33%), with about 27% positive and the remainder neutral. The stories were dominated by coverage of the Roman Catholic Church and Church of England. Whilst Pentecostals are the fastest growing group of Christians in the UK they received only 0.7% of the coverage.

The reason for this preponderance of negative stories and undue focus on two denominations is that many stories sadly covered church abuse, alongside the political engagement of Bishops. However, this negative narrative and narrow denominational coverage presents a distorted view of the diverse and growing Christianity in the UK. There was very little mention of the persecution of Christians around the world, which featured in just 5.4% of the stories.

Three themes dominated the way that the media covers Christianity. First that Christianity is personal, with stories of the faith of individuals, especially celebrities and sportspeople. Second that Christianity is political, with coverage of church leaders’ social and political comments. There was a rise in negative coverage around the re-election of Donald Trump as US president. Thirdly that Christianity is traditional, with the focus on the historic denominations not the newer churches.

Whilst it is right that the media holds the church to account over abuse and decline in traditional denominations, there is a more positive narrative of church growth, diversity and serviced of communities.

A panel discussion with representatives of Open Doors, Youth Alpha and Pastor Nims from Freedom’s Ark Community Church shared some of these more positive sorties, and also the reality of persecution in North Korea. The new Youth Alpha course, for example, has been run 3000 times in UK in last six months with 70,000 teenagers participating. Courses are up 60% around the world with 2m annual participants. Jesus House RCG held a recent gathering at Wembley Arena with 10,000 attenders, a large number of whom were under 35. There was widespread agreement that the spiritual climate has changed amongst young people, who are seeking and searching for something real and satisfying, as has bene shown by the Quiet Revival report from the Bible Society. They were dubbed the ‘open generation’ – but this does not mean they will automatically come back to church. The dissatisfaction they feel means that they are open to everything. There were encouraging reports of young people coming into church because they have encountered the gospel/Bible on Tik Tok, or as a result of dreams.

A key question is how Christians can engage with the media so that the more positive narrative is reported. There were some very helpful comments made about the media and how it works, which I think we need to understand as Christians.

It was pointed out that the media is primarily a business interested in making money, and the harsh reality is that bad news sells, and good news does not.

Gareth Russell, CEO of Jersey Road, highlighted the need to have clear objectives in our engagement with the media. Those who engage in vitriolic culture warring can always get an audience, but this can be negative. We need to engage with the important conversations of the day, and make use of people who are balanced, widely read and expert in their field.

It can be important to get the right people behind what we are doing in our media engagement, for example the way that Bear Grylls has bene able to open media coverage on of the planned National Week of Prayer.

It was pointed out that we are in a spiritual battle in the realm of the media (Ephesians 2v2) and that there is a tension within broadcasting. We need to have confidence that the Word of God (Parable of the Sower) is more powerful, and we shouldn’t be surprised if the (Christian) revolution isn’t televised!

On the persecution of Christians worldwide we were reminded and challenged that ‘Silence on the face of evil is itself evil. Not to speak is to speak. Not to act is to act’

It was especially helpful to be reminded that the traditional media is not the only channel, nor the most important for Christians, because it has been circumvented by social media, especially among younger generations. We can tell our stories and positive narrative on other platforms, and these are far more effective at engaging local communities than legacy media.

Archbishop Angealos closed the gathering with some reflections from his experience in media engagement. His comments contained much wisdom that applies not just to media engagement but to all our ministry, which is essentially an act of communication.

I found these insights from him especially helpful:

‘Don’t just speak to speak but speak to be heard. Not just to let off steam but we need to resonate’

‘The world has become transactional and we instrumentalise others. We instrumentalise politicians and media. We just want to use them as conduit for our message. We weed relationships with media. If we are going to be effective as faith communities, we need to invest in relationships’

‘There is a narrative that faith doesn’t matter and church irrelevant. It’s nonsense - but myths snowball. 80% world’s population have a faith. The Church is vibrant. There is a danger of the British trait of embarrassment and self-blame.’

‘Don’t just have relationships because they convenient but because they are important. Because people are important’

‘To listen comes first. We are not good at that. We want to shout out our agendas. We need to be advocates for others (eg others persecuted). We gain legitimacy by speaking for others. If we speak for others, in time of difficulty there will be others to speak for us.’

The event prompted a couple of personal reflections:

First, I think that most of the positive news about Christianity is low-key and long-term. In that sense it is not newsworthy in the world’s eyes. Even the positive stories that make it into the media tend to be ‘spectacular’ in some way – a celebrity conversion or major community service project that has made a big difference (a food bank, knife crime initiative etc). The fact that people are still persevering in faith, growing in Christ, enduring suffering and struggles, raising their kids, doing their jobs and seeing the occasional low-key non-dramatic conversion is the vast majority of how God is at work. Over time this makes significant impact as lives are changed, and numbers increase. However, it is essentially incremental. It is not impressive in the eyes of the world, but it is the way that God chooses to work. We should not despise it but celebrate it.

Second, I think that churches can fall into the same essentially negative narrative about Christianity and the church as the secular media. When I reflect on the intercessory prayers in church, and many of the sermon applications, they are essentially a litany of all the big things that are wrong in the world, or issues that we feel angry and exercised about. It is right that we pray about such things and bring the word of God to bear on the issues of the day, but this needs to be balanced with thankfulness and joy at all the ways we see God at work. These are often not very dramatic so they do not gain our immediate attention. In our church prayer meetings, we ought surely to start by asking what we can give thanks for, and how we have seen God at work amongst us in recent days. When we lead services, we ought to be pointing God’s people to ways that he has bene at work in the last week which encourage us. What do we have to celebrate? One of the striking thinks about Paul’s prayers in the New Testament is that they generally start with praise and thanks. The things we take for granted are, in reality, wonderful miracles of God’s grace at work.

As those who love the gospel we ought to be ‘good news people’ but all too often we fall into the ‘bad news’ outlook of the prevailing culture. We need to battle against this. We need to put our own house in order, not just lament the failings of the secular media.

You can read the report here.

Gospel Stories - Andrew Wilson

2025-07-03T15:10:00.011+01:00

I have just finished reading ‘Gospel Stories’ by Andrew Wilson, and absolutely loved it. It was published by 10Publishing earlier this year, and is a revision of his book GodStories.

In 57 short chapters it tells the story of the gospel through all the stories of the Bible. It is broken down into the 5 Acts of:

1 Creation and Fall
2 Israel and History
3 Poets and Prophets
4 Jesus and Rescue
5 Restoration and Hope

It shows how the Bible tells as single united story of redemption and brings gospel light from the numerous characters, subplots and twists of the unfolding narrative from Genesis to Revelation. It achieves his aim to bring fresh perspective on the whole and enlarge our vision of what God has done and how he is.

Andrew is a brilliant writer. He is a gifted wordsmith with wonderful turns of phrase that capture profound depth in few well chosen sentences. He writes poetically in a way that grips the imagination, and uses numerous apposite illustrations and personal stories. It was impossible not to be moved by the big story he told.

Whilst it is easy to read it reflects great theological depth. As so often the best teachers make the most complex truths seem simple and obvious. Whilst it does not wear its methodology on its sleeve it provides a thoroughly worked biblical theology, which is rich in mining the significance of biblical typology. The framework is essentially new covenantal, and he is strong on the freedom from sin that Christ brings and the empowerment of the Holy Spirit. There is an encouraging emphasis on our hope for the future and the beauty of what God promises. It is creation affirming not world denying. He regularly quotes CS Lewis and I think his writing is a comparable, though in a more contemporary idiom.

I try to end each day with a time of prayer, and I read the book a chapter a night before praying. It warmed my heart and strengthened my faith. I think it also challenged me to try to be a better preacher, especially conveying the meaning of biblical narrative and capturing the wonder of God’s plan of salvation. Like many who are not naturally poetic in temperament I can all to easily flatten the message out into more linear propositions. I hope I have caught something from the example that Andrew sets.

I could not recommend it highly enough. I think everyone should read it. You will be enriched and blessed.

You can buy the book from 10ofthose for £9.99. If you order multiple copies you can get them for a little as £5 each, I think they would be great to read together as a church family or a small group. Home groups could, for example, read a chapter a week and come together to discuss it and then pray in what they heard from God.

Andrew ends the book with these words. They encapsulate why you ought to read it:

‘So the whole Bible is about God. It is full of stories in which he is the main character, the climax, the resolution and indeed the author. The writers of Scripture were incapable of writing narratives, poems, prophecies or visions that weren't about God. In fact, so much is he the purpose, the hero and the punchline of all stories, that to talk about anything else would be to miss the point completely, like focusing on the frame of the Mona Lisa or the grass in front of the Taj Mahal. "For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen" (Rom. 11:36). Welcome to the gospel of God.’

Evangelical Ministry Assembly 2025: ‘Encouraged’ – I Certainly Was!

2025-07-03T14:53:00.010+01:00

Last week I was delighted to attend the Evangelical Ministry Assembly at the Emmanuel Christian Centre in London. It was the first EMA under the new leadership of Robin Sydserff at the Proclamation Trust. The main speakers were Jonathan Griffith from Ottowa and Jonathan Leeman from 9Marks. The themes were suffering and weakness in gospel ministry, the nature and use of authority (especially by pastors/elders) and the power of Jesus. The title was ‘Encouraged’ and I certainly found it a very encouraging three days. These were my reflections on each day.

EMA DAY 1

Great first day of EMA 2026. The theme is 'Encouraged' and I certainly was.

Jonathan Griffith reminded us from 2 Cor 1v1-11 that affliction is a normal and inevitable experience of ministry, but that God comforts us as a loving Father so we can comfort others.

Jonathan Leeman set out a systematic theology of authority, focusing on the goodness of authority in creation from Psalm 8 & 2 Sam 23. As pastors we have been given authority and need to have courage to use it. Good use of authority is a life-giving blessing. We are servant LEADERS, which means we need to lead - taking initiative, making decisions, giving commands. We need to listen, delegate, empower others and learn to receive corrective criticism. We need to fear God and exercise our authority under his authority, but not fear men in a way that inhibits us using our God-given authority.

Graham Beynon preached from Mark 4v35-5v43 and showed us the power of Jesus over chaos, evil, sickness and death. This contrasts with our own impotency. We need to fear and trust Jesus, looking to his future restoration of all things.

We also heard from leaders involved in training gospel workers in Slovakia, Kenya and Pakistan, and their great need and pressure of persecution. God is at work growing his church & as UK church we need to support global mission.

It was also encouraging to catch up with old friends and pastors from around the country. As we have been saying for some time they were sharing stories of growth and more people becoming Christians. It is a moment of increased opportunity and harvest in the UK at the moment - and if that doesn't encourage us nothing will!

We need to open our eyes to see Jesus more clearly and what he is doing.

EMA DAY 2

Jonathan Griffith reminded us from 2 Cor 2v5-17 that it is through suffering and weakness as we serve churches in brokenness that we are the aroma/scent of Christ. It is in ministry marked by pain that we are able to lavish sinners with grace, forgiving even those who have hurt us. Even though we are under pressure and our ministry is disrupted God is able to do wonderful things through his servants. Christ leads us as his trophies in his victory celebration and as his servants we herald his triumph. We are humble prisoners of the conquering king and herald/demonstrate the glory of his victory.

Jonathan Leeman warned us against the egregious sin of exercising bad authority because of the Fall. Bad authority glows from making ourselves God's equal, and is always self-righteous and self-justifying. It undermines, destroys, dehumanises and kills. When we paly at being God we don't listen to others, seek to maintain control, trust our own instincts, defend ourselves and demand others honour us, and become thin skinned. He warned against the real danger of 'spiritual abuse' which is where we use the Scriptures or the name of God to justify harming others. It is treachery to God and faith-destroying. The damage to people's souls is even worse than physical harm. Bad authority will be seen in diminishing others around us, playing favourites, categorising people as loyal or disloyal to us, blaming those underneath us, punishing others for example by wrong use of church discipline, using extreme communication, seldom encouraging others or giving them the benefit of the doubt, being preoccupied with behaviour and not the heart, hording glory rather than sharing it. Abuse by pastors often starts years back by lack or personal devotional time with Lord. All pastors make mistakes and we need to take the lead in confessing and forgiving. We need to submit to authority (or congregation, presbytery, bishops) over us. We need to ask the question 'What can I do to protect the people under me from me?'

Matt Fuller preached from Mark 6v30-44, the Feeding of the 5000, and reminded us that Jesus is a compassion shepherd who teaches his people, feeding and satisfying them. As pastors we are both shepherds and sheep. We need to be compassionate, we means we need to teach our people Jesus's words. It is by teaching Jesus' words that we guide, feed and protect them. We need to remember we are also sheep and prone to wander off. We need to follow the shepherd and be fed by the shepherd. The miracle of feeding echoes Ps 23 and mana in the wilderness, and anticipates the Lord's Supper and the great Heavenly Banquet to come, when we will be satisfied. So love the sheep in your care by feeding them the word.

There was also a good panel discussion about training the next generation of gospel workers. We need to be intentional and value character and ability to relate to others, not just competency/gifting. There is no one model of training, but a growing variety, with residential college and church-based training in 'Pastor-In-Training' roles. There was wonderful encouragement hearing from John Funnell from Nodfa about the 'Valley School of Theology' in South Wales, which is training men for ministry who come from very different, deprived and difficult backgrounds, supported by the Sycar Trust. I was especially struck by the comment of one panellist that a barrier to raising up gospel workers for the future is 'the discouragement of aspirational evangelical parents' - who want their children to be doctors, lawyers, professionals etc. Perhaps this a reason why a high percentage of those going into ministry seem to be the children of pastors. We need to guard against this danger and encourage our suitably gifted children to consider ministry, even though this is involve sacrifice and lower status.

It was a challenging and encouraging day.

EMA DAY 3

I very much enjoyed and appreciated Day 3 of the EMA last Thursday, but have not had a moment to post about it before now.

Jonathan Griffiths continued his series in 2 Corinthians, preaching from 2 Cor 4v7-18. He highlighted the paradox of strength in weakness in gospel ministry. We have the great treasure of the gospel in our weak bodies which are ‘jars of clay’ - ie weak/cheap/ordinary/worthless/disposable. God chooses to work in this way because our weakness showcases the unsurpassable power of God. It makes clear that his resurrection power is at work. This contrasts with the world that values external appearances of strength - for example impressive ‘influencers’ who are attractive, rich, charismatic and living in exotic and attractive places. There is something especially powerful about weak people speaking words of faith and gospel truth in the midst of real suffering and pain - circumstances in which it is humanly hard to believe. We need to look not to external appearances, but with eyes of faith at the renewal of our inner selves, which will endure into eternity. Jesus is our example and our suffering is shaping us to be more like him. ‘The hard school of suffering is the best school in Christlikeness.’

Jonathan Leeman finished his series on authority looking at ‘authority of redemption.’ This is how God puts right a world ruined by sin, overcoming the effects of bad authority. This ‘authority of redemption’ reaches down into the world of sin, rescuing the weak and having compassion on the condemned. I found his point that this authority absorbs the costs and pays the penalty for the mistakes and sins of others especially helpful. Being the boss should be the hardest role in an organisation, minimising the costs for others and absorbing costs upwards not pushing them downwards. This is the way of Jesus. Redemptive leaders spend their strength serving others not protecting themselves. This is the pattern set perfectly by Jesus and ought to be especially modelled by pastors and husbands. We are to be ‘sin absorbers’ and this will require patience, presence and the strength that comes from confidence in God. ‘Good authority places itself in the place of greatest vulnerability.’ It can only operate by invitation, ie appealing to others’ own agency. We love people by teaching them the gospel and calling them to obey everything Jesus commanded (not just some of what he commanded).

Jonathan set out the broader dichotomy between ‘authority of command’ and ‘authority of counsel’ that undergirds his book on the subject. Whilst this is generally helpful, and rightly emphasises that pastors and husbands cannot personally exercise coercive power over those under their authority, I am not full convinced by the distinction. It seems to me to fail to integrate the fact that church discipline and divorce are both biblical consequences for rebellion against authority(and leaving a church is a member’s right in the face of misuse of pastoral authority and a wife can divorce a husband who abusively exercises his authority), although they can only operate in the context of the judgement of the community as a whole (either exercising the consequence or accepting it as legitimate). The state/government and parents also need to exercise authority primarily by counsel (teaching, modelling, persuasion) and using command with coercion/consequence is a last resort, which is also subject to the wider judgement of the community as a whole. So I would say that the principles of counsel, command and consequence for rebellion apply to all authorities God has established - though working out slightly differently in each context. This is essentially a minor point of how to parse the differences between the respective authorities God has conferred on governments, parents, church leaders and husbands and I agree with Jonathan’s major applications to each.

Robin Sydserff closed the event preaching from Mark 9v1-19 on the transfiguration. He urged us to look to Jesus, listen to Jesus and pray to Jesus. The context is that Jesus must go to the cross and we must take up the cross. Ministers need to understand the cross as the heart of the gospel. Jesus must die and be raised. If there is no cross and resurrection there is no gospel. He helpfully reminded us to encourage honesty about church life - ‘In the church everyone thinks everyone else is fine. The truth is that almost no one is fine.’ The mark of a healthy church is that if people are asked whether they are fine they are able to say ‘no’. Robin also helped us gain a better perspective on God’s blessing: ‘In the hardest of times the blessings are people not things.’ He shared movingly about the hardships he and his church had faced over their principled decision to leave the Church of Scotland over gospel compromise on same-sex relationships. They left their buildings with nothing but a lectern and had to start again. He did not downplay how hard this had been. The way God has blessed Chalmers Church in Edinburgh ought to be an encouragement and example to those facing similar doctrinal downgrade in their denominations.

Overall it was an excellent EMA. I valued being able to attend in person, not just for the main sessions but for the many personal conversations over the three days. People were so kind and appreciative of what FIEC and the team are doing. If you weren’t able to be there I would encourage you to listen when they are available online. They will do your heart and ministry good.

I have already booked for next year. There is an early-bird discount price of £125 until the end of July. Hope to see you there!

How Can We Encourage God’s People When They Feel Defeated? - Lessons From Burma 1944

2025-07-03T10:22:00.007+01:00

I have enjoyed reading James Hollands book ‘Burma 1944.’ It tells the story of the Battle of the Admin Box in February 1944, when the 7th Division was surrounded by a Japanese attack but held out and defeated them for the first time in South East Asia. It was a Rourke’s Drift equivalent, and as significant a turning point for the British in the war against Japan as El Alamein was against the Germans in North Africa.

Prior to this point the British has suffered a series of humiliating defeats at the hands of the Japanese, including the loss of Hong Kong and Singapore. The British soldiers had come to view the Japanese as vastly superior in jungle warfare, with little hope that they would be able to defeat them. They felt resigned to defeat, and saw themselves as the ‘Forgotten Army’ that was ill-equipped and supplied compared to those fighting in Europe, with some justification.

However the victory was largely a result of the efforts of General Bill Slim, who had been appointed to command 14th Army in October 1943. He recognised that low morale was the greatest challenge they faced. It was the problem that caused him most personal anxiety.

He realised that good morale was a state of mind, and concluded that it was based on three clear foundation: spiritual, intellectual and material. He wrote down his thoughts on each.

The spiritual element was the need to see their task as a noble cause, smashing and destroying what was evil. Each and every member of 14th Army needed to understand the necessity of this, and to recognise the importance of the part he had to play to achieve the goal.

The intellectual element meant that it was essential that each man believed that this noble task could be achieved. He had to believe that he was well trained, that the Japanese soldier was is no way his superior, and that his commanders would not lightly fling his life away, whatever dangers and hardships he had to suffer.

The material element meant that the men had to feel that they we being as well equipped as possible and that the logistical support was as good as it feasibly could be.

Slim knew he had to convey this message personally, and that it had to be reinforced by all of his commanders. They needed to be of a mind and speak as one. Slim visited combatant unit on the front to convey this message, speaking up to 3-4 times a day, often from the bonnet of a jeep. He spoke to collections of officers, small groups of men and to individual soldiers he met casually as they travelled around.

His message was always the same, whether spoken in English, Urdu or Gurkhali, though the emphasis was adjusted for the cultural context. He made no promises, but told the men what they were doing, why they were doing it, explained the difficulties they faced and as far as possible put them in the picture as to future plans. He wanted them to understand that their mission was achievable and he, his commanders, and all in South East Asia Command were working to a common goal (details taken from pp 56-57)

The result of these efforts and the clarity of his message was that morale did improve, and when the time came the surrounded division did not surrender or flee, but stood their ground and overcame. They proved that the Japanese could be beaten in the jungle, and from that moment the myth of their invincibility was broken and they were progressively driven back. What was most remarkable is that many of the men trapped in the box were not frontline infantry, but clerks, muleteers and other support troops, yet they took to the trenches and defended doggedly.

I think there are strong parallels with the way that we need to encourage God’s people for their mission in the world. One of our greatest problem is morale, especially in the West where we seem to have been defeated again and again by the unstoppable forces of secularism and progressive liberalism. We can fall into a myth of their invincibility. What Slim called ‘morale’ we might characterise as the need for ‘faith’.

A huge proportion of church leadership in practice is seeking to encourage our people so that they will fight the spiritual battle, enduring hardship in the confident hope of victory. This is the heart of evangelism. The three elements that Slim identified for morale are just as pertinent for us. We need our people to have confidence in the nobility of the cause, to believe that it can be achieved, and that everything is being done to equip them for it and to support them in it. We are not calling them to make a futile gesture of sacrifice but to suffer for the cause, knowing that their lives will not lightly be given away.

If faith is to be foster in this way we need, as pastors, to keep speaking the same message again and again. We need to speak it to whole congregations, speak it to small groups and gatherings, and speak it to individual Christians when we have opportunity. We ought to ask ourselves after every encounter ‘Did I encourage them that the mission is necessary, noble, achievable, worth it and that their personal contribution was essential?’ Pastors who simply berate God’s people and demand more from them, without understanding why their people lack faith/morale and addressing these root causes, will never achieve the victory they are trying to accomplish.

I think this is exactly the way we see Paul and the apostles encouraging the churches in the NT letters. So much of what they write is intend to ‘comfort’ God’s people, in the sense of spurring them on in service and suffering, with the confident hope of victory over an evil enemy. They communicate again and again that the mission is noble, possible and that they have been provided with everything they need to win. Their commander is committed to them and will not sacrifice them needlessly, but victory will require enduring hardship, danger and suffering - even the risk of death. They speak with one voice, honest about the costs but sharing the plans for the future and vision for a new creation.

Supremely this is the way that Jesus, our commanding General, encourages us as his troops through his word and by his spirit. Church leaders are not so much in the place of Slim but of his subordinate commanders, who needed to be on message and follow his example. We will never be able to encourage our people if we are not encouraged ourselves. If we lack faith we will be unable to inspire faith in others. We need to ensure that we are ourselves encouraged so that we can encourage others. If we are discouraged we need to make sure we prioritise finding encouragement from others, and to guard ourselves against causing discouragement by being ‘off-message.’ There is a vital difference between faithful realism and pessimism/resignation to failure.

The British won a remarkable victory in the Battle of the Admin Box, against the background of a run of crushing and demoralising defeats. How Slim was able to turn the army around and convince them to stand and fight, turning the course of the war, surely teaches us something about the need to encourage God’s people for their mission, because it parallels and illustrates what we see being done in the New Testament. We need to make sure we do it in our churches.

Are We Rejoicing to Live in the Last Days?

2025-06-23T15:46:00.003+01:00

This morning I was walking into work listening to my praise playlist. It currently has 489 songs from all eras - reflecting both the great hymns of the past and the songs that have been popular through my Christian life. Many have dropped out of church use, but they are still meaningful to me and warm my heart.

One song that came up on shuffle this morning was Robin Mark's 'These are the Days of Elijah' from 1997. I remember that my conservative evangelical constituency was pretty sniffy about it - the usual response was ''oh no they're not!" or something similar.

On reflection I think it is far better theologically that I might have thought at the time. We are living in the last days, which is the climax of salvation history and the culmination of the ages. The types and pictures of the Old Testament are now being fulfilled in Jesus - currently spiritually but anticipating a full physical fulfilment when the new creation comes.

Jesus is the true Ezekiel, David and Moses. Through his ongoing ministry from heaven, via his body the church indwelt by his Spirit, the word is being declared, the spiritually dead are being raised, the temple is being rebuilt, righteousness is being restored as people come into the kingdom and under the rule of the Messiah. Salvation is going out from Zion as the psalms and prophets anticipated. The mission of the church is to proclaim God's word and call people to prepare for the coming of the Lord.

We need to rejoice that we do live in the time of fulfilment and under the inaugurated new covenant. I need to sing more that expresses joyful hope and confidence. Contemporary Christian worship has recently been dominated more by what I would call 'slightly mournful Celtic.' I wonder if that says more about us and how we feel about our experience of decline and marginalisation in the West.

We need to sing more battle hymns of confident assurance, hopeful of victory and celebrating how the church/gospel/kingdom is in fact advancing. That is why I like some of the more upbeat and triumphalist songs of the 80s and 90s.

I can't help but feel we have lost something of that vibrancy and optimism, which suggests we are more inflected by the wider cultural malaise than we might think.

Days of Elijah

These are the days of Elijah,
Declaring the word of the Lord
And these are the days of Your servant Moses,
Righteousness being restored
And though these are days of great trial
Of famine and darkness and sword,
Still, we are the voice in the desert crying
'Prepare ye the way of the Lord!'

Behold He comes riding on the clouds,
Shining like the sun at the trumpet call;
Lift your voice, it's the year of jubilee,
And out of Zion's hill salvation comes.

These are the days of Ezekiel,
The dry bones becoming as flesh;
And these are the days of Your servant David,
Rebuilding a temple of praise.
These are the days of the harvest,
The fields are as white in Your world,
And we are the labourers in Your vineyard,
Declaring the word of the Lord!

There's no God like Jehovah. There’s no God like Jehovah!

Commended Books - The Intimacy Deficit (Ed Shaw)

2025-06-23T15:40:00.005+01:00

IVP have just published Ed Shaw's new book 'The Intimacy Deficit.' This is an excellent book which addresses the widespread crisis of connection in our culture. Ed shows how we were created for meaningful, life-giving relationships and explores why this disconnect exists, with the result that the intimacy we long for feels just out of reach. He challenges the cultural narrative that intimacy is found only in sex or romance, offering instead a richer, Christ-centred vision of connection. Only gospel-shaped intimacy can meet our deepest relational needs.

I was able to read the manuscript before publication and was delighted to provide this commendation:

'In this pastorally warm and spiritually enriching book, Ed Shaw reminds us that our great longing as human beings is for intimacy. This is not about sex, but our need to be connected with God, ourselves, others and the creation. Rooted in compelling biblical teaching, and written with the wisdom acquired from decades of ministry, he helps us understand what it means to enjoy intimacy, the barriers that undermine intimacy and steps that we can take to foster greater intimacy. It is concise and accessible, poetic and moving, and will encourage readers to seek greater fullness in all their relationships as they experience the blessings of their new life in Christ.' (John Stevens, National Director, FIEC)

IVP summarise the book well:

'Whether you're single or married, isolated or emotionally exhausted, The Intimacy Deficit offers hope for those longing for meaningful connection - and a renewed vision of the church as a place of true belonging.'

You can buy the book for just £10.13 from 10ofthose

The Death of Two Significant Nonagenarian Scholars - Alasdair MacIntyre & Walter Brueggemann

2025-06-23T15:36:00.004+01:00

The past couple of weeks have seen the deaths of two heavyweight scholars who have exercised considerable influence amongst evangelicals, even though they were not evangelicals themselves. They were both in their nineties and were prolific authors.

Alasdair MacIntyre was a Scottish born philosopher who died at the age of 96. His main contribution was to expose the moral fragmentation of modernity because of its failure to provide an clear framework for determining what it right in his seminal work After Virtue (1981). In many ways he identifies and describes the roots of our current cultural crisis. He identified what we might call the ‘meaning crisis’ that is a result of the absence of any objective basis for morality and what makes life valuable. The Enlightenment had failed and instead ushers in a ‘new dark ages’.

Whilst he might have identified the problem, it is less clear that he was able to provide a solution. He was initially a Presbyterian, then an Anglican, an atheist in the 1960s, and finally a Roman Catholic. For a period, he was a member of the Communist party and argued that Marxism was the historical successor to Christianity, promising to build heaven on earth.

As is often the case the intellectual elite tend to be decades ahead of popular culture, but the perils he recognised have now come to wider fruition. What he anticipated prophetically has now come to pass. Perhaps, however, we are on the cusp of significant change as people increasingly look for more objective value, morality and meaning. Contemporary academic elites are increasingly recognising that our culture is founded irreducibly on Christianity, and the growing numbers of people converting to more traditional/ancient forms of Christianity, such as Roman Catholicism and Eastern Orthodoxy, suggests that this is where they are looking for answers.

As evangelicals, MacIntyre helps us to understand the context in which we are preaching the gospel, and challenges us to avoid emotivism but emphasise the objective basis for the meaning of life and moral judgements in God’s revelation. This is a more secure foundation than a mere return to tradition and mysticism.

Walter Brueggemann was a noted Old Testament Scholar who died at the beginning of June at the age of 92. I am personally far more familiar with his work than that of MacIntyre and have read him widely.

Whilst he described himself as ‘post-critical’ he was in many respects a liberal, but one who took the text of Scripture seriously. What I appreciated was the way he sought to show what Scripture actually said and meant, even if he regarded it as a human witness to God rather than as God’s inerrant and infallible word as I would.

However, I have often found that post-critical liberal scholars are helpful in understanding what the text is saying and doing, whereas conservative evangelicals tend to try to flatten it out, ignoring or explaining away things that appear to be its plain meaning but which do not fit with their systematic convictions or political perspective.

I have personally benefited from his numerous Old Testament commentaries. He has opened my eyes to the power dynamics present in the text, especially the way in which God will overthrow the oppressive rule of ‘The Empire,’ which is often expressed in socioeconomic and military ways, and stands with the marginal and oppressed. This was the situation of God’s people in most of the Old Testament period and is the context for Christians in the post-Christian secular West. This is especially so in the prophets, but also in the revolutionary and counter-cultural justice enshrined in the Law, and in the hope that is inculcated in the Psalms of the coming triumph of God’s kingdom, whilst lamenting the anguish of the present.

I enjoyed reading his magnus opus Old Testament Theology, which rightly recognises the complexity of the revelation of Yahweh. There is much debate about the doctrine of God amongst evangelicals at the moment, and one concern I have is the degree to which this is shaped by categories of Greek philosophy rather than Biblical Revelation. I don’t think anyone reading the Old Testament open-mindedly, without seeking to fit it to a much later dogmatic or confessional position, would conclude that the God of the Bible was essentially the same as the God of the Greek Philosophers. Yahweh is intensely personal and impassioned. He is supremely sovereign and unchanging in his character and covenant commitment but is constantly changing in his relationships with his world and his creatures in time. He is not detached and distant but deeply moved and affected by the creation he made and rules.

The Old Testament teaches all the fundamental categories of God’s omnipotence, omniscience, eternity, immutability, impassibility etc, but does not understand these concepts in the same way as later Greek philosophy. We would do well to start our doctrine of God with the revelation of God in the Old Testament and remember that as he is more fully revealed as the Trinitarian God in the New Testament revelation, he is the same God. I was reminded of this yesterday preaching Acts 5v12-42 when Peter declares to the Sanhedrin that it is ‘the God of our Fathers’ who raised Jesus from the dead.Our metaphysics need to be the metaphysics of biblical revelation, not the metaphysics of Plato and Aristotle.

Neither MacIntyre nor Brueggemann would be considered orthodox by conservative evangelicals, but that does not mean that I have not learned from them and their insights, which are often profound. We need to exercise discernment in reading anyone, but I am grateful for stimulating cultural analysis and biblical exegesis and need to be challenged by those who are not from my stable who simply say what I expect/want to hear. When that happens, which I think is the danger with some forms of confessionalism, we simply end up our own echo chamber and can inadvertently fail to wrestle with the true complexity of Scripture.

John Woods has written a good appreciation of Brueggemann and his work in this month’s Evangelicals Now.

Jeremiah 31v31-34 - The Promise of A New Covenant

2025-06-17T17:00:00.001+01:00

This morning, I was reading Jeremiah 30-32 in my personal devotions. This is the very heart of Jeremiah's message and the grounds of hope for God's people as they face the prospect of a long exile in Babylon because of their sin and unfaithfulness to the LORD.

Judgement will come, Jerusalem will be captured, the Temple will be destroyed and the Davidic line dethroned - but it will not be the end of the story. God promises to restore his people from their captivity and return them to their land. He will liberate them from their oppressors. This is salvation, deliverance and redemption.

However, he will not just return them to their former situation. In 31v31-34, he promises that he will make a new covenant with them. The old covenant (i.e. the Mosaic covenant) failed because they could not keep it. Their hearts were stubborn.

God makes clear that this new covenant is something qualitatively different. Positively, he says it is 'new' (31v31). Negatively, he emphasises that it is not like' the former covenant. There is some continuity in what is promised, but complete discontinuity in the ability of this covenant to produce faithful people.

There are three key differences highlighted that differentiate this new covenant:

1 Changed hearts - the law is now put in people's minds and written in their hearts. It is internalised. They are given new hearts that will obey (31v33).

2 Universal knowledge - all of the people will know God, from least to greatest. Not just prophets, priests or kings. The new covenant is democratising and equalising (33v34)

3 Complete forgiveness - God will forgive and forget their past wickedness. Sin will have been fully and finally removed (33v34).

In Jeremiah 32, God commands Jeremiah to look forward to the fulfilment of this promise by the sign of purchasing a plot of land. God will keep his word because nothing is too hard for him. The restoration may take a long time, but he will regather his people and make the new covenant with them.

32v38-39 elucidate the implications of this new covenant. When the LORD keeps his promise, they will have singleness of heart and action and will not turn away from him again.

The glorious good news is that this new covenant has now come in Christ - inaugurated by his death, resurrection, ascension and sending of the Spirit on his people. This is the central message of Hebrews 8. It is the foundation of Paul's teaching on the Christian life. We are regenerate and indwelt by the Spirit. We know God and have been forgiven our sins. We know God. We have been given new hearts that have a desire to serve and obey him. True believers will not turn away from him into apostasy and the worship of false gods in his place.

What Jeremiah looked forward to in hope is enjoyed by all Christians. We are members of Israel by faith and are returning from exile to the true promised land of the new creation.

We live under the new covenant. We should rejoice and resist any temptation to go back to the old.

Nationalism and Ethnocentrism are Incompatible with the Gospel of Grace

2025-06-17T16:55:00.003+01:00

These comments of Donald Bloesch about the implications of the virgin birth, written 30 years ago, are both prescient and relevant to our contemporary context:

‘Again, the virgin birth testifies that the measure of fruitfulness in the kingdom of God is not natural but spiritual generation. In a climate of mounting nationalism and ethnocentrism we need to be reminded that the kingdom of God is founded not on sex, blood or race but on grace. This affirmation is given graphic expression in the Fourth Gospel: "To all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God; who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God" (Jn I : 12-13). We enter the kingdom from above. We are not born into the kingdom but adopted into the kingdom (cf. Ps 2:7). The virgin birth is indeed a type of the new birth. Christ was the son of Mary by faith as well as by blood. But first of all he was her son by divine grace.’ (Jesus Christ: Saviour and Lord p98)

We are certainly experiencing a ‘climate of mounting nationalism and ethnocentrism’ that is affecting the church and the vision/priorities of some evangelicals.

We need to remember that the Kingdom of God, in which we find our primary identity as citizens, is a spiritual entity, not an earthly political unit, and that it transcends human boundaries of race and geography. The church is inherently transnational and multi-ethnic.

This is why nationalist governments ultimately hate the church and persecute it, or co-opt it for their purposes. They cannot stand the fact that we have a higher loyalty, a different fatherland and broader brotherhood.

When any nation tries to identify itself with the kingdom, it inevitably distorts the gospel and compromises the mission and identity of the church.

Church Tradition Needs to Be Subservient To Scripture

2025-06-17T16:40:00.002+01:00

Many debates and divisions amongst evangelicals at the moment are ultimately about the nature of authority. There is an understandable desire to retrieve past theology that has been neglected. However, there is a great danger if this is received uncritically rather than subjected to the test of Scripture. The tradition found in the Fathers, Reformers, or Puritans is neither consistent nor united, nor necessarily faithful to Scripture. They often reflect the cultural context of the time, making assumptions that are not true to the framework of Scripture or using metaphysical and philosophical categories drawn from the culture rather than Scripture. Tradition may therefore support false teaching or argue for true teaching on false grounds.

These words of Donald Bloesch are a salutary warning:

‘Yet we must never forget that church tradition can be deceptive, that again and again it is tempted to transgress the limitations imposed by Scripture, that it needs itself to be continually purified and reformed in the light of a fresh appropriation of the truth of faith through the power and illumination of the Holy Spirit. Church tradition can be a salutary guide to faith but only when it functions under the ruling authority of Holy Scripture.’ (Jesus Christ: Saviour & Lord p120)

The Reformers clearly held to this principle in their doctrine of sola Scriptura, and the Confessions give formal supremacy to Scripture. However, in functional practice tradition (which is simply the agreed statement of doctrine by an interpretative community at a particular moment in history) is treated as infallible and incontestable, regardless of subsequent knowledge and better exegesis which might call prior formulations into question, or enable their improvement.

We need to avoid both a historical snobbery that assumes the past got it wrong, but also a historical naïveté that assumes that older is better. Ancient does not necessarily mean accurate. The crucial question is always 'What does Scripture say?'

The Dangers of Redefining the Doctrine Of Sin

2025-06-06T12:24:00.003+01:00

Writing almost 30 years ago, Donald Bloesch identified the ways in which modern liberal theology was redefining sin and therefore reshaping the Christian understanding of salvation. We need a biblical view of the plight of humanity in order to understand God’s remedy. These liberal views have steadily seeped their way into evangelical thinking, and therefore into our evangelism and preaching. We ned to recognise and resit them, and recover a proper biblical understanding.

I found these quotes in ‘Jesus Christ: Saviour and Lord’ helpful in crystalising the issues.

‘Whereas traditional theology upheld Jesus death as an atoning sacrifice or payment for sin, the new mood is to treat Jesus as a vicarious sufferer who identifies with the human condition’ (p17)

‘Equally controversial is the doctrine of sin, which is being drastically revised in current theology. While classical theology conceived of sin as rebellion against God and transgression of God’s law, the new theologies view sin in terms of failure and brokenness. Sin is refusing to measure up to one’s highest potential or shirking responsibility rather than deliberately breaking God’s commandments. The remedy for sin, it is said, lies in a new understanding of ourselves rather than faith in a divine Saviour’ (p17)

‘Theological differences also come to light in the discussion of models of salvation. Whereas the Reformation understood salvation as basically justification and sanctification and mystical theology as purgation and deification, liberationist and feminist theologies uphold the models of empowerment and freedom. In the newer theologies justification is equated with liberation from the bonds of deception, sanctification with resoluteness against the powers of oppression.’ (p18)

[In Jurgen Moltmann’s theology of hope] ‘Jesus is a victorious representative of humankind…No longer an expiation for sin that satisfies the demands of the law, the cross of Christ is now seen as enabling us to make contact with the power of liberating love.’ (p20)

‘Liberationist theology celebrates Jesus as a pioneer in a social revolution that looks forward to a kingdom of justice here on earth. Jesus does not turn us away from the world but motivates us to change social structures in a spirit of love.’ (p20)

‘In an era when education and social reform are so readily upheld as antidotes to fractured human relationships, evangelical Christianity teaches that the expansion of human knowledge and human welfare in and of themselves simply create new opportunities for greed, corruption and the lust for power. Behind social conflict lies personal depravity that infects all people, severely undermining their search for happiness and security…Therefore humanity needs redemption, not simply education or enlightenment.’ (p26)

‘In the modern view the tragic flaw is sickness, instability, resistance to change, stubbornness or intransigence in the face of new challenges. It is no longer self-assertiveness but the failure to rise to new occasions. It is cowardice and weakness rather than heroic defiance, which is now a virtue rather than a flaw. Sin is the inertia of nature rather than the aggrandizement of the self over nature. It is a lack of harmony with the universe rather than a rift within ourselves. Evil is now a stepping stone to good rather than a deficiency in being. Salvation is a breakthrough into freedom rather than deliverance from the prison of the body. The focus is no longer on the fatefulness of human existence (the classical view) or the depravity of the human heart (the biblical view) but on the infinite possibilities of the human spirit.’ (p29)

Finding Jesus – Encouraging New Research from the Evangelical Alliance on How Adults Come to Faith

2025-06-06T12:21:00.001+01:00

In the past few months, several research projects have shown that there is an increased interest in Christianity in the UK. The Bible Society report ‘The Quiet Revival’ has highlighted increases in churchgoing, especially amongst younger people, young men in particular. An Evangelical Alliance survey of churches has reported that evangelical churches have grown by 13% since COVID and have reported twice as many conversions.

The EA has now published the findings of a major research project on how adults are coming to faith in Christ. ‘Finding Jesus: Identifying pathways to faith inadulthood’ surveyed 280 adults and interviewed 20 in depth about their experience. The report is well worth reading because it will help us to know what is most effective in our evangelism and outreach.

We can make evangelism more difficult than it really is. The report encourages us to have confidence in individual Christians sharing their faith with friends, and the corporate witness of the church community. It encourages us that God is at work drawing people to himself. The report ought to give us renewed confidence that the gospel is the power of God for salvation, and that the good news of Jesus meets the real needs of people in our broken society for hope, truth, meaning and love.

Some highlights of the report for me are:

Increasing numbers of those aged over 30 are exploring faith – including middle age and over (p8)

72%had some historic connection with Christianity, but their experience was negative, e.g. being bored in church. 20% had no religious background or contacts at all (p10-11)

The most common factors that kick started curiosity about faith were: 1 internal, personal or existential problems; 2 actions or words of Christians they knew; 3 some sort of supernatural experience (p12)

For 29% of people the fact that a Christian spoke to them about their faith was significant, and for another 29% it was seeing the impact of Christian faith on someone they knew (p13)

28% were promoted to start exploring faith by a spiritual experience that they could not explain (p14)

For older people the journey to faith tended to take several years. For 76% on a low income and 74% with no faith background conversion took less than a year (p15)

59% cited attending a church service and being welcomed was a significant part of their journey (p17)

38% cited the hospitality, generosity and service of Christians (p18)

47% found the Bible significant in theier4 journey, with 20% finding it one of the two most important things (p20)

42% found attending a course significant, especially having a safe space to share questions and grapple with issues (p22)

43% said aspects of Christian belief were a challenge and 38% found it challenging to believe they could really be forgiven (p27)

For many the challenge wasn’t so much believing what the Bible says is true but the implications of its being true. They had to weigh the cost of following Jesus and the potential risk to relationships (p28)

Many people decided to follow Jesus privately and alone. Significant factors included an experience of God (40%), reading the Bible (27%) and answered prayer (18%) (p32-33)

Many made some kind of commitment before they had fully understood exactly what they were committing to (p36)

People were drawn to faith by the desire to be loved (48%) and as longing for hope and meaning (46%). Those 65+ and under 25 were also drawn by the truth, beauty and profundity of the gospel (46% and 49%) (p38)

Many reported negative responses to their newfound faith and ruptures in relationships, often because of lifestyle changes. They need considerable support from Christian friends and faith communities especially through the bumpy days of early discipleship (p42)

The recommendations from the report are not rocket-science, but important none the less for churches:

1 Be encouraged, God is at work

2 Remember the gospel is relevant to everyone

3 Don’t make assumptions

4 Create space for questions

5 Make it clear that the gospel is both true and good

6 Encourage ‘ordinary’ Christians they can make a difference

7 Give people time

8 Help people learn how to read the Bible

9 Equip new Christians for mission

10 Support new Christians in the messy transition phase

I am grateful to EA for undertaking this research, and we ought to be encouraged by the findings. What they show is that people are becoming Christians in exactly the way that the New Testament would lead us to expect. It is primarily the power of personal witness, to people at their point of need, rooted in God’s word, with experience of the love of the church community, addressing honest questions, being clear about the cost of conversion and trusting in the work of the Holy Spirit to reveal Jesus and draw people to him. The report could be a summary of 1 Peter, or of the encounters of Jesus with people in the gospels.

We need to regain confidence in the basics of Christian life, love and witness. Most conversions are not through big glitzy campaigns, nor highly intellectual apologetics – though both may have a place. It is ordinary altogether more ordinary – and therefore achievable for every church. The evidence from other research suggests that it is bearing fruit and that churches are growing.