Due to other work commitments I have been forced to put Everything Christian on hold at the moment, which is a shame as the feedback and traffic have been really encouraging. I do hope to get things up and running again soon, but I just do not have the time at the moment.

However …

If there is someone who is interested in working with me on this project – writing, persuading others to write, reviewing etc then I would be willing to offer the following:

• I will cover the costs of hosting the site for a further six months
• Will guarantee to contribute on a weekly basis
• Will share the project on a 50/50 basis with the right person.

Is that you? – email me at contact@everythingchristian.co.uk

Thanks

The Faraday Institute have announced a UK tour based on their influential new resources to help Christians answer the New Atheists, Test of Faith.

“The New Atheists – Dawkins et al – are throwing up questions many church leaders don’t feel equipped to answer – particularly questions of science and faith,” said Ruth Bancewicz, Director of the Test of FAITH project. “We are putting on a nationwide tour that will resource, encourage and help pastors, youth workers and leaders of all kinds to answer the questions they face.

“We are aiming this tour at the church leaders of today and tomorrow – including youth leaders and small group leaders, as well as those involved in evangelism and outreach,” she continued. “The question of whether science and faith are incompatible is not going to go away, and the Church needs to be ready to give an answer. This tour will enable that to happen.”

The tour dates are:

• Aberdeen School of Christian Studies (1^st March);
• Holy Trinity, St Andrews (2^nd March);
• LST, Northwood (9th March);
• Trinity College, Bristol (10^th March);
• St Johns Nottingham (11^th March);
• Cliff College Sheffield (21^st April);
• ICC, Glasgow (27^th April)
• LICC, London (19^th May)

Further details are available from the Test of Faith tour website

Further details can be found on www.testoffaith.com

Part One

The study Bible is one of those products that most lay people, and many ministers, will buy perhaps only once or twice in their lives. My first study Bible was a (requested) 21st Birthday gift from my house-mates not long after becoming a Christian – the now out-of-print Wesley Bible with NKJV translation from Nelson. I still have this with all my notes and thoughts; and taking it down to write this article made me realise just how much it informed my theological development (I would still consider myself ‘Wesleyan’).

When Nelson released this range – there was a Charismatic ‘Spirit-Filled Life’ Bible and a Baptist ‘Believers Bible’ as well – the selection was considerably smaller than the bewildering array of offerings now available. I hope, in this article, to offer an overview of a small selection of what is available.

To help with this I will be looking at the position on Genesis 1 – 3 and two New Testament Passages – 1 Tim 2:12, “I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man; she must be silent,” and Romans 8:29 – 30, “For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.”

NIV Study Bible (Hardcover 9780340955574)

I have started this review with the Study Bible that triggered the modern trend. Although the Geneva Bible was probably the first printed Bible with notes and annotations, and the Schofield Reference Bible can probably lay claim to be the first modern study Bible, the NIV Study Bible was the edition that brought the concept into mainstream evangelicalism, especially in the UK (Schofield made more of an impact in the US where it is credited with popularising Dispensationalism).

First published in 1985 by Zondervan, it is published in the United Kingdom by Hodder Faith and remains one of the best-selling editions. It is worth noting that Zondervan have released two revisions to their edition, in 1995 and 2002, but Hodder have not done the same. However, this will hopefully be corrected when the new 2011 NIV edition is released.

There are two big positives to this product – the translation and the denominational neutrality. Despite inroads made the ESV, the NIV is still the most common bible used in evangelical churches in the UK (and the TNIV has just not made the impact that was expected). In terms of content, and despite a general bias towards the conservative and reformed, the breadth of scholars means that most difficult issues are handled with a degree of balance. For instance, for both 1 Tim 2:12 and Romans 8:29 – 30 the notes briefly describe differing positions in a fairly even-handed manner.

There has also been a significant price reduction with this new edition. Previously the hardcover sold for £39.99 – the new edition with the ISBN above is now £29.99 bringing it more into line with comparable products.

Archaeological Study Bible (9780340943694)

Also from the Zondervan stable, and published in the UK by Hodder Faith, is the exquisite Archaeological Study Bible. One of the few full-colour products in this review, the focus is on the historical context around the various books of the bible. The illustrations are fantastic, with articles about many contemporaneous documents that give some helpful background information concerning what was going on at the same time outside of the Biblical narrative.

The main negative for me was a fairly conservative position on issues such as Mosaic authorship and an implied support for Old-Earth creationism at the expense of any evolutionary position. On 1 Tim 2:12 – 14 it is fairly balanced (and suggests that the prohibition was because the NT canon was still being formed, the culture would have rejected women as being authoritative). No comment is made on the Romans passage.

However, on the whole this is a wonderful product, with the added benefit of a CD-Rom with the NIV text and the illustrations on it – perfect for PowerPoint accompaniments to sermons.

ESV Study Bible (Hardback 9780007237142)

No Study Bible created such a level of anticipation and excitement (at least among certain segments of the church) as the launch of the ESV Study Bible. When it was finally released it was an arresting product – by far the largest Study Bible (at more than 2750 pages), with a very attractive design even in hardcover, and an impressive set of articles. It is clearly aimed at a particular market -  conservative evangelicalism – and the commentary reflects this. It allows, but does not insist, on a young earth creationist position, but does insist on the literal historicity of Genesis (although with room for ‘gap theory’ and ‘day-age’ interpretations) and therefore would reject attempts to marry evolutionary theory and Genesis.

There are extensive articles that provide useful guidance on a range of topics, from the theology of both Testaments, doctrine, ethics, interpretation etc. In many ways, these are as valuable as the commentary itself and will provide much opportunity for study. The 200 colour maps placed within the commentary are a highlight, providing visual relief and are much easier to use than the more common black-and-white ones. Romans 8:29 – 30 is explicitly Calvinist, arguing for predestination, irresistible grace and the perseverance of the saints. I Timothy 2:12 takes a clear ‘complementarian’ position, restricting women from teaching, without offering other points of view – although this shouldn’t be a surprise as Wayne Grudem (Council for Biblical Manhood and Womanhood) is listed as the General Editor.

What makes the ESVSB  exceptional value is the free access to the ESV online Study Bible, which has all the text in the volume, as well as ways of saving your own notes, interactive links between notes and an audio version of the ESV text. Although it is aimed at those of with a particular theological persuasion, it is nevertheless a great piece of work that is certainly worth the money.

New Interpreter’s Study Bible (Hardcover 9780687278329)

There probably isn’t a Study Bible that is more unlike the ESV than the NISB. Based on the academic New Interpreters Commentary it has Protestant, Catholic and Jewish scholars contributing, is based on the New Revised Standard Version and includes the Apocrypha. However, for Bible students with a more conservative library it is probably a great idea to have something like this to give some access to the wider theological debates and interpretative techniques that exist in the wider church (and beyond).

On 1 Tim 2:12 the commentary assumes the command is related to the domestic codes and ethics of the time, and doesn’t attempt to provide any further comment. Romans 8:29 – 30 is mildly Calvinist, referring to “God’s sovereign call and purpose.”

The commentary is generally focused on literary, textual and (obviously) interpretative issues, and less on application or devotional subjects. These can provide useful insights, especially when considering Hebrew literary techniques and liturgical conventions.For many people this would be their only copy of the Apocrypha and that, along with the attractive price of £29.99 hardback or £19.99 paperback, would be a good reason to purchase.

Continued next week …

Chris le Marquand

I get the impression that Christians are sometimes wary of using the language of human rights. Whereas on the one hand most of us would look at torture cases such as that of Binyam Mohamed and decry the violation of human rights that went on there, on the other we think of the legal decisions made in the name of ‘human rights’ that have gone against Christians and seemingly made it harder for us to live out our faith. I don’t want to comment on the particular way that the Human Rights Act is being implemented, with all of the intricacies which come with that. Rather, I want to suggest that Christians should be comfortable with both the principle and the language of human rights.*

Justice is the issue at the top of God’s agenda. It is clear from Scripture that his justice is not just about dealing with our sin (although that is undoubtedly paramount), but it is also about fair and right treatment by the nations and rulers of the world. Hence in the book of Amos Israel is judged for its lack of social justice – the poor are oppressed and denied justice in the courts, the goods of the poor are confiscated, and trade is dishonest, with inflated prices and crooked weights and measures. And in Jeremiah 21:12, God says clearly

Execute justice in the morning, and deliver from the hand of the oppressor him who has been robbed, lest my wrath go forth like fire, and burn with none to quench it, because of your evil deeds. (ESV)

It is clear from Scripture (not even having turned to the New Testament yet) that God is hugely concerned for social justice. He hates it when the poor are oppressed and the powerful throw their weight around, when money is considered more important than people, and when oppression takes priority over compassion. Why does God care though? Because we have value, dignity and worth.

The intrinsic value of human beings comes from having been made in the image of God (Genesis 1:26). The Fall did not erase that intrinsic value and worth – men and women have a special, privileged place in God’s creation. Indeed human dignity was affirmed by Christ becoming incarnate as a human being and dying on a cross for our sake. Rogers and D’Souza approach human rights as follows:

“Ultimately, for each Christian, it means simply respecting and promoting the human dignity of our fellow men and women. It means obeying the greatest commands to love the Lord our God with all our heart and to love our neighbour as ourselves.” (On the Side of Angels, p. 25)

The value of human beings outlined in Scripture and which God’s justice is to some degree motivated by is seemingly mirrored in Article 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights – “All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.”

The basis of human rights is found right there in the Bible – humans have value, God hates injustice and we are called to love one another. Let’s not be afraid of affirming what’s good about human rights theory for fear of affirming some of the individualistic and seemingly atheistic judgements that are made in the name of ‘human rights’. Yes it’s true that innate dignity and worth are not the same as rights. Indeed Jesus lay down his rights completely – even though he was God incarnate, he came not to be served but to serve (Mark 10:45). It is also true to say that rights can become very individualistic and self-serving. These are all significant concerns, and it is to these objections and problems with human rights as practiced today to which I will turn next time.

*Much of the information in this post is from a seminar given by Dr David McIlroy, visiting lecturer in law at SOAS and a practicing barrister. His book is called A Biblical View of Law and Justice, and his website is www.theologyoflaw.co.uk

Following a tumultuous year for Christian publishing and retailing, and responding to the success of the first day of prayer at the end of 2009, a second day of prayer has been announced. The date set is the 26th March, with hopes that Churches will also join in on the following Sunday, the 28th. Retailer Joy McIlroy, who spearheaded the the first day is also behind this new initiative. In a letter sent out to members of the Facebook group Christian Authors, Booksellers and Publishers Joy writes:

Hopefully word is beginning to spread through the far reaches of our industry that we are planning another day of prayer, similar to the one we did last September (can you believe it was that long ago?!).

I think it would be an understatement to say that things have somewhat changed since that time, and it has been interesting to see how our prayers have been answered.

Therefore, it seemed an opportune moment to set aside time once again to gather around the country in prayer. An opportunity to respond to the developments pre- and post-Christmas, and also to look ahead to the events organised by Christian Resources Together and cover them in prayer.

We are hoping to do it slightly differently this time, mainly because of the positive response we received from church leaders and those who support their local shops. So here are the all important dates….

FRIDAY 26th MARCH – for those within the trade
SUNDAY 28th MARCH – for churches to join us

What to do next?

Consider if you could open up a space for those in your locality to meet. Last time there were those who weren’t able to meet with others and prayed on their own, in the knowledge that they were spiritually joining with others. But those of us who were able to meet together it was a really special time so I want to encourage you to seek ways to do this.

Begin to talk to your local ministers, and supporters about joining you on the Friday or taking some time in their Sunday morning services to remember us.

The retail industry blog run by Phil Groome, Christian Bookshop Blog, is acting as a focal for this event with regular updates.

See also: Christian Bookshop Blog and Christian Marketplace

After another week of debates, motion, amendments,votes and all the obscure etiquette that is the modern governing body of the Church of England, it is now all over, and many observers will be asking what, if anything, was accomplished?

There was no groundbreaking new resolution passed – no ordination of women, no Methodist/Anglican covenant, no Fresh Expressions. It seemed to be a synod of ‘wait and see’; a decision to not make any decisions.

The report on Women Bishops was postponed, as it seems no final arrangement can be found; Fresh Expressions and other initiatives from Mission Shaped Church were given a pat on the back and told to carry on; the BBC were let off the hook in the emasculated ammendments to the debate about religion in the media; amendments also sanitised the potentially explosive debate about the ACNA – they were ‘recognised’ and ‘affirmed’ but anything else was put off until 2011. The only real decisions were to grant equal pensions rights to surviving partners in civil partnerships as married couples and various other financial issues.

It is, perhaps, ironic that the most moving and inspirational part of the who week was the address by the chair of the Methodist Conference, Revd David Gamble. Facing church decline that means the Methodist Church could cease to exist within 40 years, he spoke to synod with a blend of passion and humilty that gave him a prophetic force. He said that the Methodist approach the Covenant with the Church of England in the spirituality of the Covenant prayer, and that, “when we say to God ‘let me have all things let me have nothing’, we say it by extension to our partners in the Church of England as well. We are prepared to go out of existence not because we are declining or failing in mission, but for the sake of mission. In other words we are prepared to be changed and even to cease having a separate existence as a Church if that will serve the needs of the Kingdom.” Read the full text of teh speech here.

However, the biggest development of this Synod was the way technology involved people from all over the world. As well as a live audio stream Twitter, through #synod, became the means of a global community responding to and engaging with the debates as they happened. Participants included Synod members on the floor, the official Synod Twitter account, members of the press in the gallery (including me) and Anglicans from around the world who were listening in. The decisions may have been taken on the floor, but the issues raised have taken on a life of their own as the Anglican Communion moves beyond the formal structures to engage people in parishes and dioceses far beyond the confines of Church House.

A summary of the last week on Everything Christian:

Chris le Marquand from the Christian Socialist Movement on the Politics of Integrity

A round-up of Lent & Easter Resources

Review of Cathy Burton’s new CD, Source of Every Hour

And reports from the General Synod of the C of E during the week Wednesday am, Wednesday pm (plus update here), and Thursday here. Watch out for later today for a review of the whole week.

Lent is almost upon us – get those pancake pans ready for next Tuesday. In case you haven’t settled on something to read or study for the 40 days, below is a pick of just some of the plentiful Lent resources available, as well as some great suggestions for Holy Week & Easter.

The most obvious first stop for many Anglicans is the Archbishop of Canterbury’s Official Lent book, published by Continuum. This year it is Our Sound is Our Wound by Lucy Winkett, a meditation on hearing the voice of God in our contemporary surroundings. A sample of the book can be read here. Also by Continuum is Strangely Warmed by Andrew Rumsey, a collection of 40 short devotions reflecting on faith in an accessible and, often, humorous way.

Accessibility is the key to two offerings from CWR, the publisher of Every Day With Jesus. Firstly, we have a short, full-colour Lent Bible study, Encounters with Jesus, from former Evangelical Alliance General Director, Joel Edwards, blending a study of the the New Testament portrayal of Jesus with a study of Psalm 51. Jeff Lucas is well known both as an author and as a speaker, especially at Spring Harvest. CWR have, for a few years now, published a daily devotional from Jeff, Lucas on Life Every Day. Now they are offering DVD resources from him that make ideal small group Bible studies over the Lent period. One such recommended resource is The Impossible Dream, six sessions that will help us look at our lifestyles through the lens of the book of Micah.

The Irish Jesuit publisher Ave Maria Press have produced an interesting small Lent devotional, Sacred Space, that has some introductory thoughts and prayers for each week of Lent, along with Bible readings and a devotion for each days. The Bible Reading Fellowship produce an annual Lent book and this year have a title from Worship songwriter and Anglican priest Maggi Dawn, Giving It Up, which reflects on the discipline of fasting and its role in reminding us of our dependence on God.

Next, two interesting new titles for Easter from Hodder & Stoughton. The Longest Week by well-known author Nick Page reconstructs the events of Holy Week leading up to the Crucifixion and Resurrection. Another well-known author, J John, has written the second Easter book from Hodder. The Return along with Chris Walley. The book combines fiction, Bible-study and some real-life stories to take a fresh look at the parable of the prodigal son. More details are available here.

Easter is one of festivals that children connect to easily (’chocolate rabbits and Jesus risen’ as C S Lewis put it!), and is an ideal time to study the Bible as a family. The Good Book Company have produced a combined edition of two of their popular reading notes ( XTB and Table Talk) for a three week family study of Easter, Easter Unscrambled.

A final recent release that has been generating a lot of discussion and reviews is from uber-blogger Adrian Warnock. Raised With Christ is a robust defense of the resurrection and lays out the implications as to how we should live our lives beyond Easter (and watch for a full review soon).

In the second of his contributions, Everything Christian welcomes political contributor Chris Le Marquand.

The integrity of the upright guides them,
but the crookedness of the treacherous destroys them. – Proverbs 11:3 (ESV)

It’s amazing that even thousands of years after it was written the Bible still has some pretty spot on remarks for today’s politicians and public figures. All this talk of expenses which has reared its head again naturally makes us decry the lack of integrity shown by some of our politicians, and recent moral failings on the part of certain sportsmen have provoked a similar response. This lack of integrity has been much derided over the past few months, rightfully so, but what on earth is integrity anyway? The popular conception of someone with integrity would probably be someone who’s got ‘good morals’, someone who’ll give you your change if you send them out for coffee, someone who can be trusted to be in the same room as your girlfriend without making a pass at them. There’s something in that, but as far as the Bible’s concerned there’s a lot more to be said. And as Christians in the political sphere it’s important we get this one right – we don’t have a monopoly on integrity, but it’s impossible to be ambassadors for Jesus, particularly somewhere as difficult as the political world, if our lives aren’t full of it.

We get the word ‘integrity’ from the same place we get the word ‘integer’. To be someone of integrity is to be a whole person – to be the same person when you’re praying on your own to when you’re bantering with your mates; as when you’re chatting to your parents to when you’re speaking to your boss. Obviously I don’t speak to my parents in the same way I speak to my boss, but just as (hopefully) I don’t lie to my parents, I don’t want to be lying to my boss either. Someone with integrity doesn’t have to put on a facade to try and convince people they’re someone they’re not, and doesn’t find themselves in situations where their actions don’t match the levity of their position in the eyes of others. They can be trusted. Integrity in our leaders, whether MPs or captain of the England football team, is, I would suggest, the quality we desire most – when expectations and reality don’t meet we get disillusionment on the scale we’re seeing at the moment. Indeed a ComRes survey for Susa published last week found that 72% of people think personal integrity is more important than party allegiance in their MP. This is such an important topic.

However, there’s a danger here in the quest for integrity. Having ‘integrity’ for integrity’s sake so it can be proclaimed as a mark of how decent a person you are is no integrity at all. The reality is that we are never going to even begin to live lives of ‘wholeness’ without God’s help. In Micah 6:8 we read
What does the Lord require of you
but to do justice, and to love kindness,
and to walk humbly with your God? – Micah 6:8 (ESV)

Justice, mercy and faithfulness as expressed here are the cornerstones of our faith. If we strive for these in our relationship with God and with others, focussing our attention on Jesus, then my hunch is that integrity will follow. To strive for integrity to boost one’s own reputation would seem to suggest that someone isn’t willing to get to the bottom of the disconnect between their private world and their public persona. And in that disconnect lies the problem.

There’s a danger that Christian politicians could be tempted to present themselves as ‘the candidate of integrity’, even using their faith to do so. This will not do. For Christians at least, integrity is the result of a life given over fully to God. It is to be observed, and not proclaimed.

This morning opened with an address from the President of the Methodist Conference about the Anglican/Methodist covenant. Expecting one of those dull periods of interminable ecumenicalism, with lots of good intention and not a lot of real practicality and, as I was able to stay focussed it seemed to be going that way. However Pete Phillips, Secretary of the Methodist Church’s Faith and Order Committee, posed the provocative question, Did the Methodist President just signal the end of Methodism?.You can read the full address here.

Graham Cray presented a report on Fresh Expressions – you can listen to it here.

This was followed by a lengthy debate on the use of church buildings for community work, and the motion called on access to English Heritage, Heritage Lottery Fund and other grant funds to help with the repair and maintenance of Church buildings. Unsurprisingly, Synod passed this with no opposition. Listen to the debate.