I guess that for many of us events this weekend have marked a distinction between our personal faith and the culture of those around us. I refer to the enactment of the law regarding marriage between those of the same gender. Of course, it is possible that some who receive this blog by email or who read it will not have a problem with the change in definition of marriage. But for others it will seem yet another step down a road to a society from which they feel increasingly alienated.
In the UK for many years in the past the general moral standards of society were those influenced by scripture and religious conviction. Now we recognise that essentially ours is a secular society that tolerates (sometimes with difficulty) those whose personal faith is the source of their moral values. While many Christians in the UK (and possibly people of other faiths) find that difficult, this is what many Christians in other parts of the world are doing all the time. Living out our faith within a cultural context that has values that contrast with ours is a challenge we should always be ready to accept. Part of that challenge is to demonstrate a responsible attitude to the civil authorities and a loving attitude towards others whose lifestyle and values we might not find personally attractive. I believe that it is possible to do so with integrity.
What we need to guard against is simply going with the flow. These days this is what seems to be the position of the UK government that makes laws on common standards rather than other moral values. So unless you believe that humankind naturally seeks to live righteously we are blindly following a pathway that could lead to steady degeneracy. Living by the "everyone does it" standard is not a moral justification.
However, I return to the challenge of living by values informed by our faith within a secular context that has alternative - if not contrary - values. On my first period of ministry in East Africa which kick-started our ongoing ministry in Kenya I was taken by surprise to find myself living among and working with people who practised polygamy. But I soon discovered that this was not driven by sexual appetite but was a positive response to a social and economic need. Widows were provided with security socially and financially by being taken as second or subsequent wives. The Christians with which we were working were part of this culture but chose to superimpose their understanding of Christian morality upon it. So where a man became a Christian, having several wives, he was expected only to have a sexual relationship with his first wife. Where a young man who was single became a Christian he was expected to only take one wife. Beyond these regulations they were happy to accommodate the normal standards of the society in which they were living.
The Bible is not a great help when it comes to addressing the issue of marriage and sexual relations. There is no non-contradicted categorical statement though there are grounds for a case for a monogamous married state intended to be permanent. However, by Moses time (if not sooner) divorce and remarriage was common enough for the law of Moses to accommodate and regulate this. Divorce and remarriage is therefore presented as something that God could accommodate but that was not ideal.
There are copious examples in scripture of polygamy, the use of concubines, and of surrogate motherhood. I find the words of 2Samuel 12:8 rather strange in this respect. By contrast we have the situation during the restoration from the Exile in which certain wives had to be "put away" (See Ezra chapter 10). Then there is the encounter of Jesus with a woman who had had five husbands and was currently living with a man to whom she was not married (John 4) where there is no explicit condemnation.
It has been argued that the churches are rather obsessed with the issue of homosexuality to the neglect of other important matters. I concede that there are grounds for such criticism. However, in a society that is happy to endorse same sex relationships and go so far as to grant them absolute identical status in law and society as that of heterosexual monogamous marriage, Christians have no alternative than to determine how we relate to the wider cultural context in which we are called to live.
There is insufficient space here to rehearse all the arguments for and against approval of loving, same sex, monogamous and permanent relationships being acceptable. I think I have heard, read and considered these. I hope that if you haven't done so you will do so and guard against the dangers of either blind bigotry or going with the flow. My own personal position at the present is one that cannot endorse homosexual relationships as being God's ideal and consequently I still see marriage as being an exclusive and permanent relationship between one man and one woman. But I have friends and colleagues who have been divorced and remarried and a few in same sex relationships. I do not feel that I have to be censorious or unloving or disrespectful towards those who have chosen a different way of life or towards those whose personal faith and conscience leads them to a different position to my own.
The real problem for Christians is when those who hold contrary views and values seek to impose them upon other people. Such was the situation that my good friends in Cornwall found themselves caught up in when they declined to provide a bedroom in their guest house to an unmarried couple (which was a policy clearly published on their website and not aimed particularly at homosexual relationships). The outcome was that they became targeted by those who campaign for acceptance of standards that many Christians still feel unhappy about. Dragged before the Courts and the world media my friends maintained a gentle, loving and reasonable attitude.
So far the law of the UK enables Christians (and those of other faiths) to hold and express (with reasonable restraints) convictions that are contrary to those held by the wider society. In our churches we can decline to provide services of marriage and other services on the grounds that it would be contrary to our beliefs. What God does not allow is for us to act in a way that fails to express his character of mercy, compassion and love in positive and non-patronising ways. Asking, "What would Jesus do" is not a bad habit.
Called to be salt and light (Matthew 5) inevitably means being called to be counter-cultural at times. Paul, in his letter to the Philippians has something to say about this (see chapter 2 verses 12 to 18). While speaking about the lives of the Christians in that city as being as distinctive as stars in the night sky he also hints at a terrible price that this may require. Someone once said that Jelly Fish go with the flow but a fish can stand against the tide because it has a backbone.
Be good, try to be holy, and work at being loving and caring to those who are different to yourselves. In so doing we will spread a little light without blinding anyone, and a little salt without making people want to spit it out!
From the diary
It was a privilege and joy recently to share in the CTE party thrown in honour of the Rev John Bradley, Methodist Minister and former staff member at Churches Together in England. Redundancy coincided with a period of ill health for John who was already coping with Multiple Sclerosis. John is also a trustee of Sunrise Ministries (Rural Mission Solutions) and a long term friend and prayer partner for our ministry. John has come through major surgery. Friends from around the country came to pay tribute to a man who has not only done a good work but also been an inspiration. He is seen here receiving presentations from the Rev Dr David Cornick, General Secretary of CTE.
There have recently been encouragements in my work at HMP Gartree, the largest prison in the UK for men serving life sentences. Numbers in the choir have grown. They are very appreciative and responsive not only to my conducting but also to various short talks about the background to Christian songs (e.g. O Sacred Head Once Wounded). Please pray for "J" who is struggling with problems in his life. Pray also as I take the morning service there this Sunday 30th March.
We held our fourth event at Yelvertoft recently as "Get Messy for Mothering Sunday". We saw an increase in numbers and had two mums who stayed through and joined in marvellously. We now have a young family as part of our church so please pray as we make appropriate adjustments to include them fully. Pray for more young families and for our work with the families coming to Messy Church. Our Lent Bible Discussion meetings each Thursday are going well. This Sunday our meeting will be led by Angela Berry.
Toward the end of this week I will be travelling from the East Midlands to north Devon at the request of the members of Brayford Methodist Church (picture from the circuit website). This is a scattered community that has undergone change as people have moved in. Members are seeking to explore their future in the light of change and an ageing congregation. Please pray for a safe journey both ways, for sensitivity and wisdom on my part. The church is located in an area in which I shared in many missions in the past.
Research has always been an important part of my rural ministry. I have sought to understand how village life works socially and politically, how churches can be made more effective in their life and witness, what helps churches to grow or helps new churches become established. The current programme exploring how evangelism is understood and practised in rural England is an ongoing project requiring significant time.
All our activities needs your prayers please - and we need to return thanks to God for blessings. None of the rural mission work - which is the core ministry of Sunrise Ministries and Rural Mission Solutions would be possible without financial support. Thanks are due for the small but faithful band who share in making the blessing of others a possibility.
Every blessing,
Barry
In the UK for many years in the past the general moral standards of society were those influenced by scripture and religious conviction. Now we recognise that essentially ours is a secular society that tolerates (sometimes with difficulty) those whose personal faith is the source of their moral values. While many Christians in the UK (and possibly people of other faiths) find that difficult, this is what many Christians in other parts of the world are doing all the time. Living out our faith within a cultural context that has values that contrast with ours is a challenge we should always be ready to accept. Part of that challenge is to demonstrate a responsible attitude to the civil authorities and a loving attitude towards others whose lifestyle and values we might not find personally attractive. I believe that it is possible to do so with integrity.
What we need to guard against is simply going with the flow. These days this is what seems to be the position of the UK government that makes laws on common standards rather than other moral values. So unless you believe that humankind naturally seeks to live righteously we are blindly following a pathway that could lead to steady degeneracy. Living by the "everyone does it" standard is not a moral justification.
However, I return to the challenge of living by values informed by our faith within a secular context that has alternative - if not contrary - values. On my first period of ministry in East Africa which kick-started our ongoing ministry in Kenya I was taken by surprise to find myself living among and working with people who practised polygamy. But I soon discovered that this was not driven by sexual appetite but was a positive response to a social and economic need. Widows were provided with security socially and financially by being taken as second or subsequent wives. The Christians with which we were working were part of this culture but chose to superimpose their understanding of Christian morality upon it. So where a man became a Christian, having several wives, he was expected only to have a sexual relationship with his first wife. Where a young man who was single became a Christian he was expected to only take one wife. Beyond these regulations they were happy to accommodate the normal standards of the society in which they were living.
The Bible is not a great help when it comes to addressing the issue of marriage and sexual relations. There is no non-contradicted categorical statement though there are grounds for a case for a monogamous married state intended to be permanent. However, by Moses time (if not sooner) divorce and remarriage was common enough for the law of Moses to accommodate and regulate this. Divorce and remarriage is therefore presented as something that God could accommodate but that was not ideal.
There are copious examples in scripture of polygamy, the use of concubines, and of surrogate motherhood. I find the words of 2Samuel 12:8 rather strange in this respect. By contrast we have the situation during the restoration from the Exile in which certain wives had to be "put away" (See Ezra chapter 10). Then there is the encounter of Jesus with a woman who had had five husbands and was currently living with a man to whom she was not married (John 4) where there is no explicit condemnation.
It has been argued that the churches are rather obsessed with the issue of homosexuality to the neglect of other important matters. I concede that there are grounds for such criticism. However, in a society that is happy to endorse same sex relationships and go so far as to grant them absolute identical status in law and society as that of heterosexual monogamous marriage, Christians have no alternative than to determine how we relate to the wider cultural context in which we are called to live.
There is insufficient space here to rehearse all the arguments for and against approval of loving, same sex, monogamous and permanent relationships being acceptable. I think I have heard, read and considered these. I hope that if you haven't done so you will do so and guard against the dangers of either blind bigotry or going with the flow. My own personal position at the present is one that cannot endorse homosexual relationships as being God's ideal and consequently I still see marriage as being an exclusive and permanent relationship between one man and one woman. But I have friends and colleagues who have been divorced and remarried and a few in same sex relationships. I do not feel that I have to be censorious or unloving or disrespectful towards those who have chosen a different way of life or towards those whose personal faith and conscience leads them to a different position to my own.
The real problem for Christians is when those who hold contrary views and values seek to impose them upon other people. Such was the situation that my good friends in Cornwall found themselves caught up in when they declined to provide a bedroom in their guest house to an unmarried couple (which was a policy clearly published on their website and not aimed particularly at homosexual relationships). The outcome was that they became targeted by those who campaign for acceptance of standards that many Christians still feel unhappy about. Dragged before the Courts and the world media my friends maintained a gentle, loving and reasonable attitude.
So far the law of the UK enables Christians (and those of other faiths) to hold and express (with reasonable restraints) convictions that are contrary to those held by the wider society. In our churches we can decline to provide services of marriage and other services on the grounds that it would be contrary to our beliefs. What God does not allow is for us to act in a way that fails to express his character of mercy, compassion and love in positive and non-patronising ways. Asking, "What would Jesus do" is not a bad habit.
Called to be salt and light (Matthew 5) inevitably means being called to be counter-cultural at times. Paul, in his letter to the Philippians has something to say about this (see chapter 2 verses 12 to 18). While speaking about the lives of the Christians in that city as being as distinctive as stars in the night sky he also hints at a terrible price that this may require. Someone once said that Jelly Fish go with the flow but a fish can stand against the tide because it has a backbone.
Be good, try to be holy, and work at being loving and caring to those who are different to yourselves. In so doing we will spread a little light without blinding anyone, and a little salt without making people want to spit it out!
From the diary
All our activities needs your prayers please - and we need to return thanks to God for blessings. None of the rural mission work - which is the core ministry of Sunrise Ministries and Rural Mission Solutions would be possible without financial support. Thanks are due for the small but faithful band who share in making the blessing of others a possibility.
Every blessing,
Barry
