Tim Farron, Voice of Reason

Very good piece by Tim Farron in the Express, on Parliamentary prayers, Christian faith and liberalism. Here's a clip:

Whilst I don’t believe that my Christian faith is simply a matter of personal preference but rather a belief in something that is true, I also believe it is my duty as an MP, a Christian and a Liberal Democrat to be utterly committed to the freedom of others who hold different positions. To impose my faith on someone else does no good.  Christianity is, I would argue, an unequalled force for good, but when it becomes deployed as a political tool it can be the source of much that is far from good.

However, many Christians that I speak to feel absolutely no sense of privilege in their position. Rather than having the biggest platform and a rubber-stamped loud hailer, many Christians today feel marginalised. In reality the UK establishment acts as though the state religion is Atheism.  The default position when it comes to decision making in government circles, in the media and in our wider culture, is to assume that the absence of faith is the neutral and agreed position. Of course, it is *sort of* OK to have a religious faith and to think something different to the mainstream, but the assumption is that this makes you at best a bit whacky, and at worst downright unpleasant.  

and he concludes

...true diversity is about accepting that others are different to you, not by seeking to enforce a sanitised assimilation. If we are going to exist alongside one another with our hodgepodge of backgrounds and opinions it is not going to be neat. It is going to be messy and uncomfortable, and to need compromise and understanding.

Prayer - A Typology

I have no idea what a 'skinny' is, but we're starting a series on prayer tomorrow and this is fun and insightful at the same time.

Lent Thought

"I remembered reading the account of a spiritual seeker who interrupted a busy life to spend a few days in a monastery. 'I hope your stay is a blessed one' said the monk who showed the visitor to his cell. 'If you need anything, let us know and we'll teach you how to live without it.' "

(Philip Yancey Prayer)

#JustPray

Star Wars Ad Agency: No Force Please We're Squeamish

'Lord Prayer cinema ad ban' runs the BBC headline. As one Twitter correspondent pointed out this morning, it isn't. The ad agency which handles cinema advertising has refused to run the CofE's Lords Prayer video before showings of Star Wars, because it "could cause offence to those of differing political persuasions, as well as to those of differing faiths and indeed of no faith"

So, millions of people go to see a film about an all-pervading supernatural force, and they'll get upset about a shorter film about an all-pervading supernatural force. Run that past me again?

Bear Grylls in the Big Issue on Faith, Fear and God

It was around 16 I found my Christian faith. I wasn’t brought up in the church but I had a natural faith when I was a little kid, I always believed in something. Then when I went to school I thought, if there is a God, surely he doesn’t speak Latin and stand in a pulpit? But when I was 16 my godfather, who was like a second father to me, died. I was really upset and I said a very simple prayer up a tree – if you’re still there, will you please just be beside me. And that was the start of something that grew and grew and it’s become the backbone of my life. I’m more convinced than ever, no matter how crazy it sounds, that there is a God and he is love. It’s a very personal relationship, I still don’t go to church very much. But to this day I start every day on my knees praying by my bed, and that’s my grounding for the day.

I see miracles everywhere I look, in mountains and in the jungleBelieving in God definitely makes me less scared in life in general. People say I’m not scared of anything. Well, I am, I’m scared of lots of things. After my sky-diving accident in the military [a fall doctors feared would paralyse him for life], I still have to parachute quite a lot and I find that hard. But having a faith reduces my fear hugely because I’m not alone, I’m fighting these battles with the creator and that’s amazing. My faith definitely plays a part in my love of the outdoors – I see miracles everywhere I look, in mountains and in the jungle. And I think I have less of a fear of death as well because I see it as going home.

read the rest of the article here. 

What Happens When Anglicans Pray

Excellent stuff from the artist formerly known as MadPriest. Sometimes I find myself getting like this, please stop me if you hear me pray something waffly. I used to be the kind of person who got twitchy during CofE prayers, and wanted to shout out 'but what are you actually praying for!??' Sadly I've got used to it over time. But give me a short, direct prayer any time. Maybe I should try some of them myself.

Pre-Election Prayer

"The Bible says Submit to the authorities for they are God’s servants who give their full time to governing.

Our great and loving God, we thank you for (candidates names), and pray your particular blessing on them all. You are the great king of all, and we commit into your hands those who will hold authority and be trusted to lead our country forwards. We pray for ourselves, that you would guide us in our thinking and voting, and help us all to play our part wisely as responsible citizens as together we seek the good of all. Have mercy on us and on our whole nation, for the sake of Jesus Christ who died for us, rose again, and loves us; for he is Lord, and we pray in his name. Amen."

This was the prayer that closed our Hustings on Tuesday night, and I asked for a copy of it. A good thing to pray for a general election. 

Fresh Expressions at Lambeth Palace: putting your dwellings where your doctrine is

Justin Welby is setting up a new monastic community at Lambeth Palace, to spend 'A year in God's time'. Great idea, you have to be aged 20-35 to be part of The Community of St Anselm, and it's part of the Archbishops ongoing vision to put prayer at the heart of the renewal of the CofE.

The community is 'an experiment' - the role of prior is a fixed term 3 year contract - and the aim is to draw in 16 full time and 40 associate members for prayer, study and service.

Welby not only believes that the renewal of the CofE begins with prayer, but is prepared to put his dwellings where his doctrine is. I wonder if any other bishops palaces will follow suit?

I think this probably also makes him the first bishop in the CofE to set up a Fresh Expression of church, though I'll happily be corrected on that one. If you're going to encourage other people to do things, the best way is to lead by example. Bishops should be church planting, if they're going to lead the rest of the church in doing it.

Don't Read This, Read...

this

http://frrme.org/canon-andrews-blog/

and keep praying for Iraq, especially the Christian population there.

Defying 'Gravity'

(spoilers!)

Alone and facing almost certain death, astronaut Dr Ryan Stone reflects aloud  "No one will mourn for me. No one will pray for my soul... I’ve never prayed... Nobody has taught me how..."

Gravity is at the same time both spectacular and peculiar. It's a classic 'alone in space' thriller in the tradition of 2001, Solaris and Moon, a disaster movie with a cast of 2. You simply have to switch off the part of your brain going 'how on earth did they film that?' (the opening 17 minute spacewalk shot, Sandra Bullocks tears floating away weightless) and hold onto your seat. It will surely win a sackful of awards, but there are odd bits too. George Clooney's character - the experienced mentor to Stone's novice -  seems to be there solely to keep Bullocks character alive, and is oddly dispassionate about his own fate. 

And there's prayer. Here is a character who has a PhD, is an astronaut, can read Russian and Chinese, but can't pray because 'nobody has taught me how.' It's sad, strange, and out of character. This doesn't seem like someone who wouldn't attempt something just because nobody had taught her how. Does this line ring true? Is prayer something so peculiar that even the cleverest and most resourceful person needs teaching? Does it come naturally? Or are we now so disconnected as a culture from God that prayer is a foreign language? 

Yet there seems to be some mercy at work: as Stone is losing consciousness she hallucinates/dreams Clooneys character rejoining her and telling her how to get home - recovering consciousness to find he's not there, but that his advice in her 'dream' is spot on. Angel? 

Despite the nods to some kind of supernatural help, the film is a homage to human resourcefulness - Stone survives, and emerges from the sea onto solid ground - as she stands she almost becomes a giant, rising up to fill the entire frame, taking her first faltering steps into an untouched world. But..... as she lies on the beach, squeezing the sand between her fingers, she says 'thank you'. Who to? Maybe she's learnt to pray after all - Meister Eckhart, a medieval monk, is reputed to have said 'if the only prayer you say in life is 'thankyou', that would suffice.'

With shots of a St. Christopher icon in the Russian space station, and a buddha in the Chinese one, Gravity's bets are very well hedged. There's enough bones thrown to the large US Christian audience to keep them happy, and like lots of good stories Gravity raises questions without answering them. Parts of the movie flash REBIRTH in large letters, but doesn't resolve whether rebirth is something we achieve ourselves, or whether, as Jesus said, it's the gift of God.

Here's some other interesting reviews

The Catholic Thing

Huffington Post

The Gospel Coalition

Busted Halo

National Catholic Register

The Drum

Practivism

"Pray we must, but prayer must never be an escape from reality. Prayer cannot preserve a man from the insistent cry of human need. It must prepare him for it' and sometimes he will need to rise from his knees too soon and get to work - even when he does not want to." (William Barclay)

"...Give me grace to call on thee at all times by diligent Prayer.Ah Lord, I know my Devotion has dailymany unavoidable and necessary interruptions,and I cannot always be actually praying,all I can do is to beg of thy Love,to keep my heart always in an habitual disposition to Devotion,and in mindfulness of thy divine presence..." (Thomas Ken)

Not sure if these appeal to me because activity comes more naturally to me than prayer, or because they ring true.

Diocesan church growth strategies 3: Archbishop Justin Welby

A few excerpts and quotes from Justin Welbys address on Weds night to the 'diocesan church growth strategies' conference I'm currently at. It was immensely encouraging to find that the new Archbishop had made space in his diary to be with a group of people looking at church growth in the CofE. Here's a few quotes to give a flavour, and a few paraphrases on some of the other key points. Hopefully you'll be encouraged.....:

“it’s incredibly exciting that in (the stated priorities of the church) is spiritual and numerical growth…that would never have happened a few years back, this is something quite new.”

The Archbishops 3 priorities:

 - prayer and renewal of the church's spiritual life

 - reconciliation, within the church and as an agent in the world

 - evangelism

Spiritual Renewal

“A growing church, an evangelistic church, starts with a church that is not focused on anything other than Jesus Christ … it is in the renewal of our spirituality, in seeing Christ and his love for us, that we overflow into the world.”

In his prayer pilgrimage before taking office, the ABC prayed in 6 cathedrals, expectations were that 3-400 might come to each event, the smallest turnout was 2,000, and in total 12,500 people joined in praying. During the week people came to faith "it was about trying to find a way to make it easy for people to encounter Jesus Christ, and focusing on him and not on us and on the church.”

“If (the people of God living in the discipline of regular prayer) doesn’t happen I don’t think a lot else is going to…if there’s going to be effective evangelism, there needs to be a renewal of spirituality.”

“In my own parish over 7 years we grew a lot, and quite a lot of that started with funerals and weddings and baptisms and just being human and just being reasonably friendly.” His message wasn't complex - if a church does the basics well (worship, welcome, pastoral care, being human and loving, being able to explain and share the faith) then it can grow.

Reconciliation

To be an agent of reconciliation, the church has to model it. He commented on the way that Anglicans currently speak to each other, both in correspondence (Lambeth Palace gets 15k+ letters a year) and in the blogosphere. Some of the language we use about each other is 'not just a slight failing', and (my words here) we really do need to get our act together and raise the standards we work to and the standards we expect from one another. The church needs to learn to disagree passionately but lovingly, and with great care for each other. 

Is the church a safe place for the vulnerable? If we don't get safeguarding right, if we don't properly take care of the vulnerable, then that's not good enough "an ethical institution takes safety very seriously". 

Rediscovering the Psalms and their overt highs and lows of lament and praise: “(in the Psalms) there’s not a lot of ‘O God we’re glad things aren’t too bad at the moment and could be worse, all things considered.’ " We need a diet of lament and celebration in worship that isn't driven by circumstance. 

Evangelism

"Evangelism has to be a priority" and the CofE at present has a bit of work to do on this. Is it on the agendas of our meetings, synods, etc.? It must also be seen as normal for everyone  “this is emphatically not a clergy thing, this is a Christian thing.” 

“Dealing with the really hard issues, solidly, is absolutely fundamental.” Churches need to help people with apologetics, dealing with the tough questions, and being able to explain their faith.  

“There is no reason why not, in 15-20 years (that) the church could not be twice the size it is now, and more”  but that will involved hard work. "A church that is growing will find that everyone is working pretty hard"

Overall it was a clear and simple message, powerfully stated - spiritual renewal focusing on Christ not ourselves, reconciliation (and the church has to get its internal house in order on this) and evangelism. Not much rocket science, plenty of hope and confidence, but courage patience and wisdom required. 

On a personal level I was challenged too - can I clearly say what my top priorities are in ministry and leadership, and how I intend to go about them? (I think the answer is yes, but having to identify and clarify them is a helpful process)

see here for other reports from the Diocesan Church Growth Strategies conference. More later.

Skit Guys: excellent video clip resource

Thanks to local church leader Matt who pointed me in the direction of Skit Guys, lots of good and thought provoking videos, like the starter for 10 on prayer below (and no, I don't pray about my mum like that).



there's a bit of translating from the American to do for us Brits, but I like their style

New Year Prayers 3 - Prayer of Divine Support

Thou art the blessed God, happy in Thyself,

source of happiness in Thy creatures,

my maker, benefactor, proprietor, upholder.

Thou hast produced and sustained me,

supported and indulged me, saved and kept me;

Thou art in every situation able to meet my needs and miseries.

May I live by Thee, live for Thee,

never be satisfied with my Christian progress but as I resemble Christ;

and may conformity to His principles, temper, and conduct

grow hourly in my life.

Let Thy unexampled love constrain me into holy obedience,

and render my duty my delight.

If others deem my faith folly, my meekness infirmity,

my zeal madness, my hope delusion, my actions hypocrisy,

may I rejoice to suffer for Thy name.

Keep me walking steadfastly towards the country of everlasting delights,

that paradise-land which is my true inheritance.

Support me by the strength of heaven that I may never turn back,

or desire false pleasures that will disappear into nothing. 

As I pursue my heavenly journey by Thy grace

let me be known as a person with no aim but that of a burning desire for Thee,

and the good and salvation of my fellow men and women.

comment: not quite sure where this comes from, I think it's of Puritan stock. The opening line is a cracker, and like every great prayer it begins with God and not with us. The 4th section seems increasingly relevant, not as an excuse to be an idiot, but because, in an increasingly post-Christian UK, fewer and fewer people will understand Christianity, and what makes Christians tick. It's familiar to anyone who reads the comments on any online Guardian religion piece. 

It therefore shouldn't surprise us, though we should be concerned, that a secular court can pronounce that Sunday isn't a special day for Chrisitans. Despite a growing number of non-Sunday gatherings, Sunday is still the main day of worship, fellowship and teaching for the Christian community, and the court seems to have bought the lie that 'you don't have to go to church to be a Christian'. Maybe we are in for a more 1st and 2nd century church, where Christians met before or after the working day on a Sunday for worship. 

But in the meantime the prayer reminds us that the focus is Jesus, becoming more like him, keeping our eyes on him, following his path, because it's his approval that matters most. 

New Year Prayers 2 - Prayer of Thomas Ken

Ken was a hymnwriter, poet, and Bishop of Bath and Wells in the late 1600's/early 1700s. Indulge me in the font, I think it goes with the olde English

Thou O heavenly Guide of our Devotion and our Love,

by teaching us to pray, hast shewed us

that Prayer is our treasury where all Blessings are kept,

our Armoury where all our strength and weapons are stored,

the only great preservative,

and the very vital heat of Divine Love.

Give me grace to call on thee at all times by diligent Prayer.

Ah Lord, I know my Devotion has daily

many unavoidable and necessary interruptions,

and I cannot always be actually praying,

all I can do is to beg of thy Love,

to keep my heart always in an habitual disposition to Devotion,

and in mindfulness of thy divine presence,

O my God, as thy infinite Love

is ever-streaming in Blessings on me;

O let my Soul be ever breathing Love to thee.

comment: I love this, both for the fabulous imagery, and the down to earth realism 'unavoidable and necessary interruptions'. That picture of a flow of love to and from the Father, if I can just be there for 2 seconds a week, would be quite something. And those 4 descriptions of prayer in the first section say more than a lot of entire books. And blogs.

New Year Prayers - 1 The Methodist Covenant Prayer

I am no longer my own but yours.

Put me to what you will,

rank me with whom you will;

put me to doing, put me to suffering;

let me be employed for you or laid aside for you,

exalted for you or brought low for you.

Let me be full, let me be empty,

let me have all things, let me have nothing.

I freely and wholeheartedly yield all things

 to your pleasure and disposal.

And now, glorious and blessed God,

Father, Son and Holy Spirit,

you are mine and I am yours.

So be it.

And the covenant made on earth,

let it be ratified in heaven.

Amen.

comment: this prayer should come with a health warning. If you pray it and mean it, then be prepared for God to take you seriously. If you pray it and don't mean it, why? Better not to pray it at all, even if it's things you'd like to be able to pray sincerely.

In that respect it's a bit like a lot of hymnody - Christians will easily lie if you set the words to a tune: 'All to Jesus I surrender' (really?) etc. We've begun used to saying and singing words as aspiration rather than declaration, hoping that by saying them often enough we'll eventually mean them. The opposite happens - we become so used to our lips writing cheques that our lifestyles don't cash that the words themselves become worthless. 

So, careful with this one. And (see the post before this one) only pray it if you're praying it with a community, this is virtually impossible to follow through on if you're going solo. 

Quit Stirring

Tomorrow is 'stir up Sunday', due to the following set prayer:

"Stir up, O Lord, the wills of your faithful people
that they, plenteously bringing forth the fruit of good works,
may by you be plenteously rewarded."

but in one of those God-incidences, it's the other set prayer for tomorrow that I'll be praying with gusto:

"Eternal Father
whose Son Jesus Christ ascended to the throne of heaven
that he might rule over all things as Lord and King
keep the Church in the unity of the Spirit
and in the bond of peace...."

plenteously. That's almost a Miranda word.

'How God changes your brain for the better'. Neuroscience and the Spiritual Disciplines

I once heard J John happily claim that Christians were brainwashed - because if you knew what was inside most people's heads, it certainly needed cleaning up. Browsing the Baptist Times (as you do), I stumbled across this fascinating piece, an interview with a neuroscientist researching the effects of spiritual practices and faith upon the brain.

here's a snippet

Can you talk about some of the evidence for how God changes your brain for the better?

Most of the current scientific literature shows that people who are more religious - often measured by church attendance or self-report - have lower levels of stress and anxiety, lower levels of depression, and better overall health.

Our more specific research has pointed to specific changes in the brain that are associated with being religious/spiritual, or doing certain practices. For example, we showed that doing the Rosary reduces anxiety in people.

And a meditation practice, called Kirtan Kriya, increases the function of your frontal lobes, which in turn helps to improve memory and reduce anxiety. Of course, there are examples in which religion and spirituality can be bad for people, but that is also my hope to help identify the potential problems so that they can be avoided and turned into something more positive.'

I'd be intrigued to know more about whether it's practices, beliefs, or a combination, which makes the most difference. The examples above are all in religious practice: prayer, churchgoing etc., rather than in the sets of beliefs which people hold.

Being in the more word-based, left-brain Protestant stream of things, we're less into practice and more into creedal truth. But an increasing number of writers (Dallas Willard, Richard Foster, John Ortberg) have pointed out the dramatic gap between knowledge and character which exists in many Western Christians, and called for a revival in spiritual practice - the spiritual disciplines of prayer, fasting, confession, solitude etc. - as the means of grace for God to change us more into Christlikeness. It now looks as if this is backed up by science, as well as theology.

'Please God, don't let me down'

“When I was standing there on top of the world, you become so humble, you do not think about breaking records anymore, you do not think about gaining scientific data. The only thing you want is you want to come back alive.”

"I wish the world could see what I see. And sometimes you have to go really high to understand how small you are.”

'what went through your head today before you jumped?' "I thought 'please God, don't let me down', but if you're standing on His sons arm you know, there's nothing that can go wrong at that moment, that's what I was thinking." (the questioner had mentioned a picture of Baumgartner standing on the hand of the Christ statue in Brazil)

full press conference here. I wonder if there's anyone who wouldn't say a prayer jumping out of a balloon at 128,000 feet?