Our imaginary God?

Here's my June magazine article:

What do you imagine when you hear the word 'God'?  Even if you don't believe in God, you will have an idea of who the God is that you don't believe in (and perhaps as Pastor Timothy Keller wrote “Describe the God you’ve rejected. Describe the God you don’t believe in. Maybe I don’t believe in that God either.” !)  This is not an academic question because our image of God (or our non-belief in God) is a major influence on the way we live our lives and the way we view ourselves, others and the world.

Having realised what our image of God is, the next question is where we get that image from.  For example the Greeks and Romans imagined their gods to be just super versions of humans, thus sharing our characteristics of selfishness, pride and ambition.  And different cultures have come up with different representations of the divine leading to different moral teachings. So if God does exist, is there any way of knowing what he is like?

If we try to imagine what God is like by ourselves we will inevitably create a God that is in our own image: venerating the things we like, and denouncing the things we dislike.  As Christians we believe that we can know what God is like but only because God has chosen to reveal himself to us.  He has done this through his Word, the Bible.  The Creation account in Genesis shows us a God who wants to be known by humanity and wants a personal relationship with humanity, even walking with Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3).  The Old Testament is full of accounts of God revealing his character and his will to people, but it is in the New Testament that God's self-revelation finds its apex.

There we find that Jesus is the image of the invisible God in whom all the fulness of God dwells (Colossians  1:15,19) and that he is the exact representation of God (Hebrews 1:3).  Jesus himself said that anyone who sees him has seen the Father (John 14:9).  So if we want to know what God is like, we need to look at Jesus.  The disciples' experience of the divinity of Jesus, distinct from both the divinity of the Father and the divinity of the Holy Spirit, lead them to the doctrine that is known as the Trinity: “God is one divine Being eternally existing in three divine Persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit” (“To Be a Christian: An Anglican Catechism” Qu. 38). This doctrine is particularly recalled on Trinity Sunday, which this year is 4th June.

This complicated doctrine is not one that would be invented, but could only come in response to God revealing himself to us.  And it is no surprise that our finite minds struggle to comprehend an infinite being – as St Augustine said “If you understood him, it would not be God”!  But if we look at Jesus we will get a glimpse of the God who longs for us to know him.

Kings and Coronations

Here's my May magazine article:

Perhaps the key event this month is the Coronation of King Charles III, and whether you're a monarchist or not, it will be an historic event full of pomp and circumstance.  On the website of the Archbishop of Canterbury it says “At [the Coronation's] centre is a Christian service in which His Majesty will be anointed as King. It will be rooted in longstanding tradition and Christian symbolism.” If you want an in-depth look at the traditions and symbolisms in the Coronation service, I would recommend the YouTube channel of my friend Dr Allan Barton ( @allanbarton ).

As we watch the Coronation we may miss the symbolism unless the commentators point it out.  Though even the Teachers' notes on “Coronation: Values and Symbols” produced by the Historic Royal Palaces says very little about the actual symbolism!!  Some of the symbolism will be referred to in the words spoken, but other symbols will just be visual – for example the cross will be a very common symbol seen on the orb, sceptre and crown, and also as King Charles is anointed (which we may not see) a cross will be draw with the oil on his hands, chest and head.

The Coronation could be seen as a projection of the power of the monarchy (though these days that power is itself more symbolic than actual), but the prevalence of the Christian symbolism in the service helps to put that power into context.  When Queen Elizabeth II was anointed the following words were said “And as Solomon was anointed king by Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet, so be thou anointed, blessed and consecrated Queen over the peoples, whom the Lord thy God hath given thee to rule and govern, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.”  The Coronation is not a civic ceremony, but rather a religious service for setting apart a person for a holy office – a divinely appointed position.  The monarch is therefore accountable to God for the way they rule and govern.

And so the symbolism is often reminding the monarch of their duty to God and also of their need for his help.  When the robe is given these words are said “Receive this imperial robe, and the Lord your God endue you with knowledge and wisdom, with majesty and with power from on high: the Lord clothe you with the robe of righteousness and with garments of salvation. Amen.” The Orb set under the cross is a reminder that the whole world is subject to the power and empire of Jesus our Redeemer and the sceptres represent kingly power and justice through Christ, and equity and mercy through the Holy Spirit (symbolised by the dove).  And amidst all the gold and precious stones, King Charles will be given the Bible as his guide and “the most valuable thing that this world affords.”

Another special day this month is Ascension Day when we remember Jesus returning to be with his Father after his death and Resurrection, and receiving all authority in heaven and on earth as the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.  It is under Jesus' kingship that King Charles rules, and Jesus' kingship is supremely demonstrated in the cross: a life laid down for others.

You can listen to the sermon I preached at our Group Service for the Coronation on Sunday 30th April 2023 here:

Mind the gap (between 6% and 48%)

Here's my article for April:

Much has been said about the 2021 Census, particularly the self-identification or otherwise of people as Christian. The headline was “Christianity now a minority religion in England and Wales”, though the figures actually showed that “Christian” remained the most common response (46.2% or 27.5 million people), followed by “No religion” at 37.2%; Muslim: 6.5%; Hindu: 1.7% ; and Jewish: 0.5%. So, to be more accurate, the headline was that for the first time since records began, fewer than half the population of England and Wales identified as Christian. However, either way, it was hardly an earth-shattering finding – or was it?

One of the problems with the census question was that it was about identity rather than practice, so although 46.2% of people identify as Christian that doesn't mean that they all attend church on Sunday. (Though more people still attend church than attend football matches in the top four tiers [around 956,000 compared to 700,000].) Another survey in 2022, the Talking Jesus Report (talkingjesus.org), looked into what people in the UK think of Jesus and compared it with the research they did in 2015. Much the same as the 2021 Census, it found that 48% of the population choose to describe themselves as Christians - down from 58% in 2015. But it also asked how many of that 48% were practicing Christians (defined as those who attend church monthly and pray and read the Bible weekly) and the figure was 6%, more-or-less the same as the 7% in 2015. So although self-identification had dropped, actual attendance hadn't.

Given that only 6% of the population are practicing Christians, two other statistics stand out from the Talking Jesus Report. Firstly, 20% of people believe that Jesus is “God in human form who lived among people in the 1st Century” (21% in 2015). Secondly, 16% of the population believe in the resurrection of Jesus, word for word, as it is described in the Bible and a further 29% say they also believe in the resurrection, but that some content of the biblical account should not be taken literally. The Report says “That is extraordinary, in an age where faith was supposed to be dying, and where science could have disproved such things as resurrection, still 45% of the population believe Jesus rose from the dead” (p10).

This is good news for Easter! 45% of people believe in what the apostle Paul calls “of first importance” without which the Christian faith is futile (1 Corinthians 15). Though as we can see in the figures, believing something is true does not always affect the way you live your life. But this might also explain why the two most commonly asked questions, according to the report, were “Will everything be ok?” and “What happens when you die?” Peter, who witnessed the crucified and resurrected Jesus, wrote this “In [God's] great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade” (1 Peter 1:3-4). If you, however hesitantly, believe in the resurrection (and even if you don't) why not put it to the test? Come along to church, read the Bible, pray and see if you, like Peter, will find the answers to those questions.

To fast or not to fast...

Here's my magazine article for March:

To fast or not to fast that is the question for Lent!  Lent was traditionally a time to give things up (especially 'luxuries' like fat, eggs, meat and alcohol) but it has become more common in the past few decades to instead take something on (for example charitable works or spiritual exercises).  Whilst these things that are taken on are good things to do, I think that we lose something important if we avoid the practice of giving things up for a period of time.

There is often criticism of Millennials, Zoomers and Gen Alphas that they display feelings of 'entitlement' – they want everything 'put on a plate' for them and like the worst of fussy eaters they demand what they want, when and how they want it, often regardless of how if affects other people.  Whether or not that is more true of those generations, it is definitely true that entitlement is not exclusive to those generations.  Entitlement is a human condition because humans are selfish by nature – it is one of the observations that reminds us of the truth of the Biblical narrative that human beings are 'fallen' beings.  By giving things up at Lent (or at any time!) we are reminding ourselves that the world doesn't revolve around ourselves and our desires – and traditionally this giving up of things was linked with fasting.

Fasting is not unique to Christianity or even to religion, but there is something distinctive about Christian fasting.  We see three types of fasting in the world: health, political and religious fasting.  Some people fast as part of a health regime, which used correctly might be a benefit, but done badly can also lead to eating disorders.  Political fasting is used by people, e.g. Gandhi, to put pressure on authorities to make certain decisions.  Religious fasting can sometimes be similar to political fasting – trying to pressurise God into doing something we want him to do – or it can be a way of earning 'Brownie points' to 'get into heaven'.

One of the early sermons authorised for use in the Church of England was on the topic of true Christian fasting and it gave the following three aims which make fasting beneficial to us and acceptable to God.  Firstly, to discipline and control our desires, especially those desires that are contrary to the way God wants us to live, not really in order to make ourselves more holy, but so that by refraining from things that give us worldly pleasure we can find contentment in the greater pleasure of a relationship with God.  Secondly, that we may be more earnest and fervent in prayer, both by giving us time to pray and also by transforming a physical hunger into a hunger for God's kingdom to come.  Finally, as a way of showing our repentance and sorrow for our sins so that when we say sorry for our sins it's not just a trite statement.

To give things up, even good things, for a period of time can help us to rely less on ourselves and more on God.  It can also to help us to see how we make 'gods' out of the good things God gives us, so that by putting them aside we can re-discover the God who satisfies our deepest hunger and longings.

Cars and Signs

Here's my article for the February magazines:

As an adult, presents tend to fall into the categories of practical, edible or amusing.  This Christmas I received a book that was given in the spirit of the latter category: “Driving School” by Mark Philpott.  The book's subtitle is “Learning about life, God and the Bible through the world of motoring”, and in it Philpott looks at the world of cars and driving to see what we they might teach us about God and life.  As I read through it, I saw that some of the links Philpott makes are almost as tenuous as the links I make in these articles!!

You might ask whether drawing lessons about God from 'everyday life' is a legitimate exercise, or just trying to 'shoehorn' a religious message into a religiously neutral topic – can rallying really tell us anything about the Christian life? (see page 52 for the answer!!).  Unsurprisingly, I do think it is a legitimate thing to do for three reasons.  Firstly, Psalm 19:1 tells us that “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands” - in other words the Creation bears the fingerprints of the Creator.  When we look at the universe with awe and wonder it's because it reminds us of the awesome and wonderful God who created it, so we can learn about God from his creation.  As the Apostle Paul says in Romans 1:20 “Men cannot say they do not know about God. From the beginning of the world, men could see what God is like through the things He has made” (New Life Version). Secondly, as we humans are made in God's image (Genesis 1:26-27) the things we create and do can also tell us about God.  Amongst other things our love of sports, music and science, as well as our desire for justice and our capacity for love are all reflections of the image of God within us and can teach us about him.

But above all, I think it's legitimate because there are so many examples of it in the Bible:

In Proverbs 6:6 ants are used as an example of working hard; Psalm 32:9 tells us not to be like a horse that needs to be controlled by bit and bridle.  In Isaiah 64:8 God is described as a potter, and most famously in Psalm 23 he is described as a shepherd.  Jesus also uses the image of a shepherd to describe himself (John 10), as well as using farmers (Luke 8:1-15), builders (Matthew 7:24-27), bridesmaids (Matthew 25:1-13) and fishermen (Matthew 4:19) to illustrate his teachings.

In the section on Road Signs, Philpott talks about the signs in the Old Testament that point to Jesus as the Messiah and the divine Son of God, and how many people in his own day ignored those signs.  We don't just have the Old Testament signs, and the signs all around us, but we have the record of Jesus' words and actions, which were written, as John says, “that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name” (John 20:31).  Ignoring these signs is as disastrous as ignoring road signs.

But if cars aren't your thing, there is also 'Flight School' available, with 'Farm School', 'Battle School' and others to come! 

Do we know it's Christmas?

Here's my December article:

By the time you read this article you may already be sick of hearing Christmas songs wherever you go. Just as 'The Chicken Song' parodied summer songs, Peter Kay, as 'Geraldine McQueen', lovingly parodied Christmas songs in 'Once Upon a Christmas Song' singing “It's getting in your head / And if you're not singing it all night, / You'd be telling a lie, / You'll be singing this over and over, and over again.”

Everyone has their own favourite Christmas song (and usually at least one that they hate!) but the chances are that at some point you'll hear at least one version of “Do they know it's Christmas?” It was Christmas Number 1 in 1984 by Band Aid and spawned three cover versions which also went to Number 1. The original was written to raise money for Ethiopia in the wake of the famine there, and is the best selling Christmas song of all time, selling 3.82 million units. This is despite it being generally recognised as having little artistic merit as a song, including by its writers - although as Midge Ure wrote in his autobiography “It was all about generating money... The song didn't matter: the song was secondary, almost irrelevant.”

But to some the song does matter. It has been accused of a patronising view of Western 'civilisations' coming to the rescue of poor Africans. It also is wildly inaccurate, claiming “there won't be snow in Africa this Christmas time” (not even on Mount Kilimanjaro or the Atlas mountains?), and that it's a place “where nothing ever grows”(!) and “no rain or rivers flow.” Of course, as the cause of the song was a famine, this might be forgiveable hyperbole, but as the song has been reissued and this line kept it perpetuates a misleading picture of Africa, which in fact has two of the top ten wettest places in the world and two of the top ten longest rivers in the world (including the longest!).

Bob Geldof responded to such analysis of the inaccuracies in the lyrics by saying that its just a pop song not a doctoral thesis. However, the most problematic aspect of the song is the view it has of what Christmas actually means.

It suggest that the reason that Africans might not know it's Christmas is because they won't have parties, snow, presents and food and drink – and this says a lot about what we think Christmas is all about. As African Christians appear in the New Testament, and more Christians live in Africa than any other continent it is unlikely that they don't know it's Christmas! More than that, each year the charity Open Doors published a 'World Watch List' (an annual ranking of the 50 countries where Christians face the most extreme persecution) and five of the top ten worst countries are in Africa. So not only do Africans know what Christmas is, they are prepared to suffer for their belief in the Jesus whose birth is celebrated at Christmas.

A Somalian woman who was tortured for her faith said “Previously I didn’t have happiness, but now I have joy… I know that until I came to know Jesus, I knew nothing at all.” If this time of year is just about presents and parties, perhaps it's us who don't know it's Christmas.

Is death really nothing at all?

Here is my November article:

Henry Scott Holland (1847-1918) [Source: www.commons.wikimedia.org/]

November is traditionally a month where we recall those who have died, possibly because of All Saints day at the beginning of the month, but more probably because the days are getting darker, the weather is getting worse, the plants around us are dying back. We have a fascination with death, as is demonstrated by the 'going viral' of my friend, Dr Allan Barton's niche YouTube videos on various burial customs, particularly royal ones.

This year we have thought about death quite a lot; there are still the consequences of the pandemic and of course we have had the death of Queen Elizabeth II. The sermon preached by the Archbishop of Canterbury at Her Late Majesty's funeral has been lauded by many people, and it reminded me of another sermon preached after a monarch's death that is very famous, even if its origin isn't.

At St Paul's Cathedral in May 1910 before the Lying in State of King Edward VII, Canon Henry Scott-Holland delivered a sermon titled “Death, the King of Terrors.” This sermon contained words that have become one of the most frequently used poems at funerals, usually called “Death is nothing at all” which expresses a belief in the continuity of the relationship between the deceased and the mourner. However, this was not the message Scott-Holland was trying to get across in his sermon.

Instead he was contrasting two views of death: “First there is the familiar and instinctive recoil from it as embodying the supreme and irrevocable disaster…Nothing leads up to it, nothing prepares for it. It simply traverses every line on which life runs, cutting across every hope on which life feeds…It makes all we do here meaningless and empty…” This is the view of “the terror of the unknown, the terror of loss, the terror of finality.” The second view is that expressed by “Death is nothing at all”, that talks of “the trick played us by seeming death. It is not death; nobody is dead...Everything that we cared for and loved exists...Nothing that we see in this dead material now laid out under our eyes represents or involves or includes the thing that was or is alive.”

The first view of death is what an honest atheist should have: if we are mere accidents of atomic collisions and chance events then death is final and ultimately makes life meaningless. The second view is that of those who feel that there is more to life than the materialist atheist view, but in the absence of a reasoned religious belief wishfully hopes that what we value continues beyond death.

Scott-Holland contrasts these two approaches to death: “the mood of violent recoil” and “the mood of quiet continuity” and then says “Our task is to deny neither judgement, but to combine both. The contrasted experiences are equally real, equally valid.” We need to avoid the trap of either despair or denial in the face of the the fact of death, as well as acknowledge the truth behind both experiences.

This is only possible through Jesus' death and resurrection, which guarantees both the defeat of the finality of death and the possibility of the continuity of eternal life. But in order for this to happen we must undergo death ourselves; not physical death but putting to death the sins which make us spiritually dead, by repenting and allowing the Holy Spirit to breathe new life into us. As Jesus promises: “Those who believe in me will live, even though they die; and those who live and believe in me will never die.” (John 11:25-26).