When is a minority not a minority?

I read today about a man sacked from his post because he spoke up for his beliefs, and refused to give advice on a situation that ran counter to his faith. (Whilst saying he would be happy to refer the couple to other colleagues who did not have the same objections). The heart of this case, and many others is the apparent trend towards some minorities having rights that are considered more important than the rights of other minorities.

Equality...for some?

For some time it has been clear that the rights of the 2 million evangelical Christians in the UK to speak up for what they believe or to live their lives in accordance with their beliefs, take a back seat compared with the rights of other minorities. Surely this can't be right? Surely the law should afford them equal rights with other minority groups, or it is failing to operate equally?

Free speech...for some?

Now I don't want to get involved in a tit-for-tat comparison of which minority is hardest done to under the law. I do recognise that some people in minority groups do need support from the law to prevent them being treated badly by others. I think that it is wrong to be discriminate against a person solely because of his or her; race, colour, religion, gender, sexual orientation etc. But that does not mean that I have to agree with their views, we are both entitled to an opinion, and as long as those opinions are expressed without hatred or malice I think we should be allowed to express them.

When is a Christian not a Christian?

Part of the problem in the UK is the large majority of people who classify themselves as Christian, without actually practising Christianity in a recognisable way . (I mean if I said I was a tennis player, but I had rarely if ever held a tennis racket, or hit a tennis ball, could I honestly be considered a tennis player?) The result of this distorted classification is that the UK is considered a Christian country, and in today's politically correct world that means that the only way to be seen to be fair is to operate with an effective bias against the "majority" Christian population. The impact of this is to place increasing restrictions on the actual minority of practising Christians who try to live our their faith in day to day life. This is beginning to reach the levels where it feels like simply being a Christian is an offence.

The popular view of Christians as portrayed today is either; the right wing fundamentalists of the southern states of the USA; the woolly thinking liberal vicar; or the drab unfashionable God botherer. The Church is seen as irrelevant. and anachronistic, or hot beds of corruption. Few people would dare to stick up for the Church and talk about the massive benefits that the Church, and Christians have brought to society. (Schools, hospitals, social reform, the arts, protection of children, improvement of working conditions etc etc) If you did speak up, you'd quickly be inundated with accusations of bias, and pretty certainly attacked for being foolish for ignoring the facts of evolution etc, regardless of what you might actually believe in some instances.

Automatically wrong?

Others will lambaste you for hating gays (regardless of how you might actually treat them), or tell you that Christianity is; a figment of Dan Brown's imagination; the legacy of an alien visitation; the fictional amalgamation of various pagan Roman festivals. Rarely, if ever, will some one actually ask you what you believe, because the default setting is simply that you are wrong to be a Christian.

Has anyone ever wondered why that is?

Armistice and Warfare

Another good article in the Friday Night Theology series from EA.

So how are you doing with the biblical injunction to love your enemies? (eg Have you prayed for them recently? If not now is a good time...)

Too often the Church (you and me folks!) has fallen short in this area.
Paul had plenty of enemies..and a different take on how to deal with them: Romans 12:20 "If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head"

So how are you doing with heaping hot coals this week?

Who have you fed, your enemy or your own spirit of bitterness?

Lets not forget we are at war...and called to fight, using the weapons of The Kingdom, which are not the weapons of this world.

Stirring up hatred or simply a distraction?

Today was one of those days when I received a little flurry of texts asking me to pray, and to pass the prayer request on to others that I know will pray. These ranged from someone who was ill and facing a busy day ahead, asking for grace to get through the day ahead, through to an urgent request I had a request for prayer for a grandchild who had been admitted to hospital, and another praying for an aged parent recovering from a serious operation.

These on top of the things I had already committed to pray about; a grandson serving in Helmand province, a family whose home life was regularly disrupted by the anti-social behaviour of their neighbours...etc..etc.

Now don't get me wrong I love praying. I think it's God's greatest gift (Second only to worshipping Him on my drums!). I think it's a fantastic privilege being able to chat to Father about things, and I love the way He answers I could fill page after page with the answers to prayers that I have seen. (One day I will compile a list, the only problem being the length of that list!) But much as I love to pray, I only have the standard issue of 24, 60 minute hours in each day, in which to pray, so I have to prioritise things. So you'll perhaps understand and appreciate my frustration today. It began with a text from a friend with an urgent prayer request, that he in turn was forwarding from a friend. The request was asking for prayer as 22 Christian missionary families were due to be executed by Islamists in Afghanistan today.

My first response was to pray and pass the message on, but something about the message didn't ring true. (I know enough about the Church in Afghanistan to query the message quoting 22 missionary families, added to which none of the other sites that flag up areas of persecution was carrying the story) A quick check on Google confirmed my fears, the text message was a hoax.

I was hopping mad, I had wasted my time and unwittingly almost added fuel to the fire of hatred between Christians and Moslems. Now there is much to pray about with regard to the situation in Afghanistan, and the Churches relationship with Islam in Afghanistan, (People we are told to love and win for Christ, by our grace and the loving way we present them with the truth), without clowns stirring up hatred, and being used to do the Enemy's work in distracting the Church from praying for peace, healing and salvation for those around us.

I'm not mad at those who passed the message on - they were simply responding to an apparent emergency - but boy am I mad at the buffoon who thought the idea up. So I'll be praying for you whoever you are - plainly you need it - but only after I have prayed for peace in Afghanistan, and between Christians, and Moslems wherever they are. - Anyone care to join me?

Praying for difficult areas part 1

Praying for Bury.

1) Ask God to guide you in your praying

Romans 8:26-28 26 In the same way, the Holy Spirit helps us when we are weak. We don't know what we should pray for. But the Spirit himself prays for us. He prays with groans too deep for words. 27 God, who looks into our hearts, knows the mind of the Spirit. And the Spirit prays for God's people just as God wants him to pray.28 We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him. He appointed them to be saved in keeping with his purpose

2) Ask for wisdom.

James 1:5-7 5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. 6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. 7 For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord…

3) Walk or drive through the area, to understand what the area is like.

Joshua 2:1-24 Now Joshua the son of Nun sent out two men from Acacia Grove[a] to spy secretly, saying, “Go, view the land, especially Jericho………”

4) Repent for the area.

Nehemiah 1;6 6 please let Your ear be attentive and Your eyes open, that You may hear the prayer of Your servant which I pray before You now, day and night, for the children of Israel Your servants, and confess the sins of the children of Israel which we have sinned against You. Both my father’s house and I have sinned. (See also Daniel 9:4-19)

5) Ask Father to bind the enemy and his activities in the area

Matthew 12:29 Or how can one enter a strong man’s house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man? And then he will plunder his house.
Colosians 2:15 Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it.

6) Follow God’s strategy, don’t run ahead doing your own thing

See Joshua 7:1-13

7) Ask God to show you whether to fast as well as praying

Ezra 8:23, Matthew 6:16, Matthew 17:21,

8) Thank God for His protection on His people

Psalm 37:39 The salvation of the righteous comes from the LORD; he is their stronghold in time of trouble.

9) Pray that the light of Justice, peace and Salvation shines brightly in the area

Acts 13:47 For this is what the Lord has commanded us: " 'I have made you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth.' "

Persist until the job is done!