News

Book Review: Why? Looking at God, evil and personal suffering by Sharon Dirckx

by Editor

It is all too easy to reduce suffering to an intellectual question, forgetting that the questioner is very often dealing with a deep personal hurt that is behind what they ask. An inspiring story about a baby with holoprosencephaly is the first of five personal stories that ensure this book is much more than an intellectual response to questions about suffering. A logical and clear approach looks at both questions of individual suffering, particularly around illness, and wider questions such as natural disasters. Dirckx’s scientific background comes across clearly, as does her experience of caring for her husband during illness.
I particularly liked the focus on our personal role (‘Am I responsible for anyone else’s suffering?’ is one chapter heading), and the constant pointers back to Jesus’ work on the cross (‘Can a broken story be fixed?’). Although accessible for non-Christians, I think this book will be of most help to Christians who struggle with their own questions about suffering.
Quotations draw heavily on others associated with the Oxford Centre for Christian Apologetics where Dirckx is based, which may seem a little narrow to some. There is also a chapter looking at whether religion itself causes suffering, which addresses this common question of today. It is for its contemporary relevance and clear thought that I would primarily recommend this book; it may not replace The Problem of Pain on most bookshelves, but complements CS Lewis and others with its insight into questions being asked by many.

You can purchase Why? from our book partner – 10ofThose.com

Laurence Crutchlow,

8290e1d4d29deb24e492e0e4e391010789b4c137is a London GP and Christian Medical Fellowship (CMF) Associate Head of Student Ministries. This review first appeared in the CMF Magazine, “Triple Helix“, and is republished here with their kind permission.

Powerpoint+

by Editor

Powerpoint, billed as Scotland’s largest intercity youth event, has regular gatherings for secondary school age teenagers, in Edinburgh, Glasgow, and Aberdeen throughout the year. These meetings bring hundreds and and hundreds of youth people together for evenings of worship, fun, fellowship. teaching and a good night out together Powerpoint+ was a whole day event, held on Saturday 15th of June at Errol Airfield, halfway between Perth and Dundee, bringing together the Edinburgh, Glasgow and Aberdeen folks.

Andy Bannister from Solas kicked off the afternoon session with a youth-version of his evangelism training session, “How to talk about Jesus without sounding like an idiot”, which focuses on how to engage in friendly, useful conversations about faith with people who aren’t Christians.
The main hall (which may have had previous life as an aircraft hanger or vast cattle shed!), had a stage and worship area, an exhibition area stuffed full of stands, activities and shops; and massive inflatables too. Outside on the grass, were loads of sporting activities, cafe’s and coffee shops.
Andy Bannister noted,  “It was great to work together with SU Scotland, Powerpoint,  and  speak to hundreds and hundreds of eager young people who want to go deeper with God and learn how to share the good news of Jesus with their friends.”

Reasons for God

by Editor

When I was young, I thought faith had to be blind. I thought you couldn’t give reasons for God. I thought belief was something you simply had or you didn’t. It wasn’t until University that I became a Christian, and that was partly because, for the first time in my life, friends of mine were able to show me that their faith was not blind – that they had strong reasons for believing in God.
Now, admittedly Christianity asks us to believe some extraordinary things:
• The entire universe was created by an invisible, immaterial being.
• That being then intricately designed the universe so that human life would be possible.
• Then that being came and lived among us as a human person, he died, three days later he literally, physically rose from the grave, and then for weeks afterwards he appeared to hundreds of people.
Christianity makes some BIG claims. But here’s a phrase I want you to remember:

“CRITICISM without ALTERNATIVE is EMPTY…”

If someone wants to say your faith is stupid, you should ask them what they believe instead. You should ask them if they have a better suggestion – a better alternative – for how to make sense of the world. And then you can put the alternatives side-by-side and see which beliefs make more sense.
So that’s what I’m going to do. I’m going to give you four reasons why I believe in God, and then I’m going to place these reasons side-by-side with the alternative beliefs so that we can judge what is most reasonable.
We can see these reasons for God by looking back, looking up, looking down, and looking in.

1. Looking Back

First, let’s look back, all the way back to the beginning of the universe.
A hundred years ago most scientists assumed that the universe had no beginning – that it had just always existed. But one of the most significant developments in science in the last 100 years is that the majority of scientists have now come to believe that the universe had a beginning. Scientists are now able to detect that the universe is actually expanding in size in all directions. The picture that results from this if we trace back the expansion is a universe that began with an utterly dense point, and then, like a firework, exploded into the universe at the Big Bang.
The Cambridge physicist Stephen Hawking says this:
‘All the evidence seems to indicate, that the universe has not existed forever, but that it had a beginning, about 15 billion years ago. This is probably the most remarkable discovery of modern cosmology. Yet it is now taken for granted…’ [note]www.hawking.org.uk/the-beginning-of-time.htm[/note]
The universe had a beginning.

With more time we could look at many more reasons for God. For instance, what is the more reasonable alternative, that God is the standard of what is good and evil or that there is no such thing as good and evil? My colleague Tanya Walker has written persuasively on this.[note]http://bit.ly/3rPkr3U[/note]

As a Christian, I think that beginning is explained when I open my Bible and read ‘In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth’ (Genesis 1:1).
But if you don’t believe in God, what is your alternative? The alternative is to say that the universe just popped into existence from nothing, for no reason whatsoever! This is a very weird claim. Here’s one depiction of it that I saw recently:

‘ATHEISM: The belief there was once absolutely nothing. And nothing happened to the nothing until the nothing magically exploded (for no reason), creating everything and everywhere. Then a bunch of the exploded everything magically rearranged itself (for no reason whatsoever), into self-replicating bits which then turned into dinosaurs.’ [note] internet meme of unknown origin, seen in places such as https://me.me/i/atheism-the-belief-there-was-once-absolutely-nothing-and-nothing-22384670 [/note]

That’s having a bit of fun. But it’s also making a reasonable point. Things don’t just pop into existence out of nothing and for no reason. If the universe began to exist, there must be an explanation for its existence.  And the best explanation on offer is that God created it.

2. Looking Up

For the second reason for God, let’s look UP. And what we find is that the universe is incredibly finely-tuned for life.
Imagine you take out a deck of cards and start playing poker with your best friend. And in the first twelve rounds, she gets twelve straight royal flushes. (If you’ve never played poker, that would be like winning the lottery twelve times in a row.) What should we think? That’s right, she’s cheating! Why? Because even if she’s a very honest woman, it’s so incredibly unlikely for someone to get twelve straight royal flushes just by chance that someone must be messing with the cards.
Over the last 35 years, the Fine-Tuning Argument has suggested that we should come to a similar conclusion with respect to God. The universe we live in could have taken many different forms, and scientists are in agreement – not just Christian scientists, but scientists in general – that there are dozens of features of the universe that needed to be precisely as they are for life to be possible…not just life on the planet Earth or life as we know it, but ANY form of life ANYWHERE in the universe.
To take just one example, the explosive force of the big bang had to be within 1 part in 10^60th of what it actually was. In other words, the percentage difference that you could have while still accommodating the possibility of life is a 0, followed by a decimal point, followed by 59 0s, followed by a 1. If the Big Bang had been even the slightest bit weaker, gravity would have made the universe collapse back in on itself almost immediately, far too quickly for any form of life to develop. If the Big Bang had been just the slightest bit stronger, particles would have dispersed into thin air. They would have dispersed so quickly and wound up so far from each other that all we could have got would have been cold, simple molecules, nothing like the sort of complex chemistry required for any embodied form of life.
That’s just ONE example, and there are dozens more.
How are we to explain this amazing ‘coincidence’? How are we to explain the royal flushes turning up hand after hand throughout the universe? We should come to the only rational conclusion:
The universe is not the result of randomness. Someone ordered the cards; someone designed the universe.
And this is just what the Bible claims:
‘For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse’ (Romans 1:20).

3. Looking Down

We’ve looked back to the beginning of the universe; we’ve looked up at the design of the universe. Now let’s look down.
And what I want you to see is an empty tomb – a tomb that’s empty because Jesus miraculously rose from the dead.
Before I was a Christian I just assumed that there was no way there could be evidence for such a thing, but when I finally looked into it, I couldn’t believe how strong the evidence was.
Richard Swinburne, one of my colleagues at Oxford University, is widely considered the best British philosopher of religion of the last generation. In his book The Resurrection of the God Incarnate, he concludes that on the historical evidence it is 97% probable that Jesus truly and miraculously rose from the dead. Why can Swinburne claim that, and have it published by Oxford University Press? [note]https://global.oup.com/academic/product/the-resurrection-of-god-incarnate-9780199257461?cc=gb&lang=en& [/note]
For a NUMBER of reasons, but let me focus on just one of them. Here is a passage written by the Apostle Paul in the New Testament:

For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, and then to the Twelve. After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time (most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep). Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, and last of all he appeared to me also…’ (1 Corinthians 15:3-8)

Experts have come to agree that this passage is the first known summary of Christian beliefs. Many scholars date the creed to within a couple of years of Jesus’ crucifixion, meaning that the beliefs contained within the creed must go back even further than this. Thus, almost immediately after Jesus’ execution, there were many people who were utterly convinced that they had spent time with Jesus after his death. And even the threat of torture and murder could not make them change their minds.
Pliny the Younger was a Roman governor in the first century who was persecuting Christians, and he wrote this:
‘I ask them if they are Christians, and if they admit it, I repeat the question a second and a third time, with a warning of the punishment awaiting them. If they persist, I order them to be led away for execution.’[note] Pliny writing to Trajan, http://faculty.georgetown.edu/jod/texts/pliny.html[/note]
Those who walked this earth with Jesus went from mourning that their leader had been defeated and being too scared to even be present at his crucifixion, to accepting their own deaths by torture and execution rather than deny that Jesus is God. What can account for this? How could every one of them be so utterly convinced that this dead man on a cross – Jesus – was worth dying for? The Christian response is that there was a miraculous resurrection of Jesus Christ.
If someone doesn’t want to accept that explanation, what are the alternatives?
Could Jesus’ resurrection have developed as a legend over time?
No one takes this theory seriously anymore. Studies show that it takes about three generations for any significant legendary development to make its way into a text, but the passage from 1 Corinthians 15 shows that almost immediately after Jesus’ death his followers believed that he had risen from the dead and spent time with them.
Could it have been a hallucination?
No. Multiple people don’t see the same hallucination (let alone 500 people), and there were far too many appearances of Jesus in far too many places for this to be at all plausible.
Could it have been a big conspiracy, an elaborate lie?
Not a chance. People lie when they are getting something out of it. People don’t lie when they are being tortured and killed for it. The disciples saw something and it transformed their lives. What did they see? My answer is this: ‘God has provided confirmation for all by raising Jesus from the dead’ (Acts 17:11).
Have you had that moment, where faith becomes not blind but the amazing reality of what really happened?

4. Looking In

We’ve looked back to God’s creation of the universe; we’ve looked up at God’s design of the universe; we’ve looked down at the grave that Jesus rose from. Now let’s look IN.
A friend of mine once said to me, ‘Vince, do you think we can know God?’ And I said, ‘Yeah, sure.’But he wasn’t satisfied. He said, ‘NO, do you think we can really know God?’ What he was asking was, ‘Do you think we can know God personally? As a Father? As a friend? Do you think we can know not just about God, but God himself?’
There are many things in life that cannot be known from a distance. Some knowledge requires direct experience of the thing known. My wife Jo and I recently spent time in Florence, and we had the privilege of seeing Michelangelo’s famous statue of King David. We almost didn’t bother; it was pouring rain outside, there was a long queue, and we had already seen the statue countless time on postcards and documentaries.
But when we directly experienced the David—in person, up close—we were so grateful that we did. Only then did we know what all the fuss was about. We knew something by experiencing that piece of artwork firsthand that simply could not be known from a distance. I think this is also true of knowing God.
Let me tell you a story of someone I met recently who came to know God not just because of the evidence and the arguments, but because she realized that God was personally involved in the details of her life. She realized that God wanted her to give up her distance, and to live life together with him.
I was giving a talk at a University, and a Chinese girl showed up and introduced herself. One of my friends said, ‘You have an interesting name; what does it mean?’ And she said, ‘It means ‘by grace washed white as snow.’’
My friend’s eyes went wide, and he asked if she was a Christian. She said, ‘No, not at all.’ Then my friend said, ‘Do you realize that your name is basically the heart of the Christian message?’ And she had no idea. She had just chosen her English name because she liked the sound of it.
So my friend began to explain to her the Christian message – that Jesus loved her so much that he couldn’t bear to see her punished for the things she’s done wrong, and so on the cross where Jesus died, Jesus took our punishment for us, and as a result all of the bad things we’ve done are washed away; they are washed white as snow.
Then my talk started, and halfway through the talk I quoted a verse from the Bible, and I put it up on a PowerPoint slide. This was the verse:
‘Though your sins are like scarlet, they will be as white as snow’ (Isaiah 1:18).
My friend tapped the girl on the shoulder, who looked astonished, and he said, ‘I told you; that’s your name!’ At the end of the talk, my friend continued to explain to her the love that God has for her and the sacrifice that he made for her. And that night, for the first time, she decided she wanted to know God. She wanted to be in a real relationship with him. And she prayed to become a Christian.
There’s one more detail to the story that I find so amazing. My talk for that night was already written and printed a week in advance, and the PowerPoint was done. But at lunchtime of that same day I had this strong sense that something was missing from the talk, and so I rushed home after lunch and added just one additional page to the talk, and just one additional PowerPoint slide. What did that slide read?
Isaiah 1:18: ‘Though your sins are like scarlet, they will be as white as snow.’
God beautifully crafted all the details of that day so that he could reach into the heart of that one specific girl.
Do you know the God who is not just the cause and designer of the universe, but the God who will do whatever it takes to reach into your life? Do you know the God who knows absolutely everything about you, and loves you more than you could possibly imagine? Do you know the God who wants nothing more right now than to be in relationship with you?
The Christian promise is that you can really know God, in the deepest possible way – not just about God, but God Himself.[note] this article has been adapted from a talk given at the Reboot Conference[/note]

Vince-Vitale-webVince Vitale

Dr Vince Vitale was educated at Princeton University and the University of Oxford, and he taught philosophy of religion and served as a faculty member at both of these universities. During his undergraduate studies in philosophy at Princeton he took an unexpected journey from sceptic to evangelist. He then completed masters and PhD studies at Oxford, receiving a Daniel M. Sachs Graduating Scholarship and a Clarendon Scholarship.

Are Christians Intolerant? | Andy Bannister

by Solas

“Are Christians intolerant?” In the latest SHORT/ANSWERS film, Andy Bannister explains why he thinks ‘tolerance’ is a useless word — and why Christianity has a lot to say about how we can truly relate well to those we profoundly disagree with.

Share SHORT ANSWERS on social media

Please share this video widely with friends or family and for more SHORT ANSWERS videos, visit solas-cpc.org/shortanswers/, subscribe to our YouTube channel or visit us on Twitter Instagram or Facebook.

Support us

SHORT ANSWERS is a viewer-supported video series: if you enjoy them, please help us continue to make them by donating to Solas. Visit our Donate page and choose “Digital Media Fund” under the Campaign/Appeal button.

Book: The Paradox of Happiness by René Breuel

by Editor

41pdWYt-QlLRené Breuel’s little book, “The Paradox of Happiness” is a fascinating introduction to a hugely significant subject: human happiness. In a little over 80 short pages, he brings deeply incisive insights into the problem of unhappiness, and suggests a very distinct route out of it, into a genuine form of happiness. This is a pressing issue too, people everywhere are discussing happiness and wellbeing from politicians, to journalists and academics.  It’s a subject that comes up regularly at Solas too, when we take outreach events in coffee shops, pubs and restaurants. People are interested in happiness, and why it is both so alluring and yet sometimes so elusive.
Humans long to be happy Breuel observes, and he doesn’t suggest for one moment that that is a bad thing. Rather, he would agree with Jefferson et al who commended the ‘pursuit of happiness’. He does though suggest that the contemporary Western world has misunderstood what happiness really is, and mislead us about where it can be found.
Firstly Breuel takes aim at the way in which happiness is conceived today. His critique is two-fold, that we have both individualised it, and severed it from values. He writes, “we have reduced happiness to the individual realm – from the ideal for the collective life for the flourishing of humanity and loving social relationships, into a private self-serving pursuit.” (p13). Then, “we have also severed the ethical root of the notion of happiness. Instead of it being conceived as a result of virtue, happiness is now thought of as something smaller and trivial – as fragmentary moments of pleasure.” The problem then is that no one can live in a state of constant pleasure (however well marketed the means to pleasure are), and even if they could – it would not deliver genuine happiness.
Breuel then suggests that, while many people would instinctively agree with much of that, our usual responses are inadequate. He explores that way that people can become sceptics (cynically rejecting fake happiness), consumers (in flat-out pursuit of pleasure, products and experiences) or fantasists (my true happy-self will be realised when I achieve a desired goal). The problem with each of these is that they are driven by the same logic; they are all self-seeking, self-orientated approaches, which simply re-enforce the problem of misery, albeit in different ways. The problem, Breuel argues is that self-focus is actually the thing that destroys happiness, especially relationships with others, and also with God. “Our satisfactions are restricted by our incurved egos, our happiness is confined by our self-centred posture.” (p25) The classic example is the selfish person who feels threatened, or resentful of others successes, compared the selfless person who is genuinely glad when they see others thriving.
Finally, Breuel presents an alternative, rooted in the teaching of Jesus – especially what he calls Jesus’ most ignored instruction; that to gain life we must lose it, and we lose life if we hold onto it; and that we should in some way ‘carry the cross’ as He did. (Matthew 16:24-6). This is what he calls the “Paradox of Happiness”, this “truth dressed up as absurdity”, that “while happiness remains the goal, it can never be found”, because true happiness is actually the “by-product of a correct orientation to life”. The Bible, he notes, urges us to pursue goodness, not happiness – but it turns out that “goodness is deliciously happy!”.
The book ends with an invitation, not to a better technique for pursuing happiness, (let alone mere pleasure), but to a complete reorientation to life. That means not merely “stepping off the hedonic treadmill“, but actively dethroning the ‘self’, and orientating life towards God and others. Happiness, as an ‘indirect-good’, then seems to arrive by surprise. Breuel commends a form of self-denial, not as a repressed, life-denying form of misery; but as the discipline and cost of putting God and others first, the goodness which is so happy. This paradox, Breuel believes is deeply rooted in the structure of the universe itself, because it in turn was made by a God, who is both giving, generous, and profoundly happy. So, he ends the book focusing on Christ who is our example, is present with us, and in whom we live this kind of life.
This is a great little book, which is both helpful, and very countercultural. Yet it speaks directly to one of the great needs of our day. There seems to be something of an epidemic of misery in our society today, (and while some of this is no doubt due to illness), surely a great deal of it is also due to our deep misunderstanding of the nature of happiness and its location.
My only criticisms of the book relate to the things that Breuel left out, or couldn’t include in such a small book. These include some kind of comment about depressive illness, which can strike people who fully embrace the principles he espouses. Christians are not immune to illness, after all. Also, a little clarification about exactly what it means to live ‘in Christ’ might have been helpful, especially as the crippling misery of a guilty conscience is one of the things he saves us from. Finally, he could have talked about the transforming work of the Holy Spirit, that Christ gives to His people (the comforter, love, joy, peace) etc. but that might actually make a good follow-up book.
These mild negative comments aside, this is a really worthwhile read, it is culturally relevant and astute; and finally Jesus centred. It’s mere 80 pages can be easily absorbed in a couple of hours too.

41pdWYt-QlLThe Paradox of Happiness by Rene Breuel is available from bookshops and online.

A Parent’s Guide to the 5 Sceptics Who Want to Shame Your Kids for Being Christian

by Editor

Having blogged for over six years now, I’ve received hundreds (and hundreds) of comments and emails from sceptics of Christianity. Once in a while, I receive one from a pleasant non-believer who is truly interested in discussing evidence, asking reasonable questions, and engaging in thoughtful discussion.
But that’s the exception.
Those who contact me typically wield the tool of shaming to make their point—something highly ironic given how much sceptics talk about the importance of evidence.
To be clear, none of the non-believers I personally know would use shaming tactics in person. But when people are behind their screens, it brings down the “barrier” of civility, and faith conversations often look very different. You can see it on social media (even with friends who wouldn’t say such things in person), comments on news articles, blog posts—everywhere.
Kids need to understand these emotion-laden shaming attempts they’ll encounter. Like so much else, this is something parents can and should prepare them for. Here are the five most common sceptics who want to shame your kids for being Christian.

1. The Science Thumper

Shame Tactic: Making the child believe they don’t have enough scientific expertise to understand that belief in God is unnecessary and silly.
The Science Thumper applies some notion of science to each and every conversation about Christianity, making it the final word on any given topic, and implying that science and Christianity are at irreconcilable odds.
For example, in response to one of my blog posts about the meaning of life in a theistic worldview, a sceptic commented:

You need to study the mechanisms of replication, mutation, natural selection if you want to understand why life exists and is the way it is. If life and existence are too amazing, astounding and astonishing to exist naturally…then how much more complex is god [sic] for having created it? … Did you invent superman as a panacea answer for everything you don’t understand?

Questions of faith and science are very important, but framing faith and science as a choice—one option for the unsophisticated and one for those in the know—is a cheap and false dichotomy.
Parent Solution: Thoroughly address faith and science topics so kids understand how shallow and unnuanced the Science Thumper’s claims are. See Talking with Your Kids about God for six chapters outlining the conversations parents need to have.

2. The Indoctrination Informer

Shame Tactic: Informing the child that the ONLY reason they believe in Jesus is that they’ve been “indoctrinated” by their parents.
Indoctrination is a word that both Christians and sceptics use wrong. Sceptics often think a kid has been indoctrinated any time they’ve been taught a given religion is true. Christians often think indoctrination means teaching kids Christian doctrine. These misunderstandings lead to conversations that unfortunately sound like this:
Sceptic to Christian parent: “You’re indoctrinating your kids [by raising them in a Christian home]! Let them think for themselves.”
Christian parent to sceptic: “You’re right! I’m teaching my kids Christian doctrine, and I’m proud of it!”
Both sceptics and Christians need to understand that indoctrination means teaching someone to fully accept the ideas, opinions, and beliefs of a particular group and to not consider other ideas, opinions, and beliefs. In other words, indoctrination is a problem with how you teach someone something. It is not inherently related to any particular belief system, though religion is one type of belief system where indoctrination is possible.
Parent Solution: Intentionally introduce your kids to sceptics’ challenges so they never feel the need to question whether you tried to shelter them from other beliefs. For more on the importance of this, see the post “If Your Kids are Someday Shocked by the Claims of Sceptics, You Didn’t Do Your Job.”

3. The Miracle Mocker

Shame Tactic: Making the child feel gullible for believing something that doesn’t happen according to natural laws.
Here’s a recent comment a sceptic left on my blog:

Just because some so-called holy book says something is true doesn’t make it true. Why do you believe outlandish claims about a god [sic] speaking things into existence, or about a man being swallowed by a fish for a few days and surviving, a worldwide flood [and ark] that fit all of the animals in it and eight people, or a story about a virgin getting pregnant? None of that makes sense, you don’t have any proof that it happened, but you still think it’s true. Why do you prefer to believe outlandish claims because they’re religious?

The logic here is what’s “outlandish” (no one believes all miraculous claims simply because they’re religious), but my point is not to critique the details of this particular comment. My point is to show how sceptics present miracles in a way that parades them as “obviously” absurd because (and by definition!), they don’t follow the course of nature.
Parent Solution: Teach kids the basic logic that if God exists, miracles are possible, and if God doesn’t exist, miracles are not possible (for more on this, see chapter 24 in Keeping Your Kids on God’s Side). This brings the question of miracles back to the underlying question of the evidence for God’s existence so kids understand that the person claiming miracles are silly is simply presupposing God doesn’t exist.

4. The Self-Sufficient Scoffer

Shame Tactic: Boasting that the sceptic doesn’t “need” God—and implying that anyone who does has an inferior need for an emotional crutch to get through life.
Oftentimes, when ex-Christians recount their deconversion story, they conclude with a glib comment of how they moved on because they no longer “needed” God. The subtly condescending implication, of course, is that those who believe in God do so because they don’t have the emotional resources to make it through life admitting that we live in a universe of pitiless indifference.
This is a strange conclusion that betrays a lack of deeper insight.
If God exists, we need Him. All things were created through and for Him; He is the Source and sustainer of everything by definition. Therefore, if God exists, it’s not a choice to need Him…it’s simply a fact that we do.
If God doesn’t exist, we don’t need Him. We cannot need Him. We cannot need something that doesn’t exist.
In other words, saying that you don’t need God anymore is a nonsensical conclusion. Of course you don’t need God if He doesn’t exist. And if He does exist, you can’t choose to not need Him.
What this kind of statement betrays, therefore, is that the sceptic originally believed in God based on felt needs (desires) rather than on the conviction that He truly exists. When they realised they didn’t need to believe in God to satisfy those felt needs, they simply eliminated Him from the picture and met those needs in other ways.
Parent Solution: Be mindful of helping kids build a faith based on the conviction of God’s existence and the truth of Christianity—not on felt needs for things like being happy, being a good person, or finding meaning in life. In other words, if anyone ever asks your child why they’re a Christian, you should want their response to be, “Because Christianity is true!” For more on escaping the felt need pattern, see the post “Do Your Kids Know Why They Need God?”

5. The Tolerance Enforcer

Shame Tactic: Making the child feel like they are unloving and hateful for taking a biblical stance that doesn’t approve of all choices as morally acceptable.
In a spectacular display of irony, the Tolerance Enforcer shames kids into believing that they must be horrible people for disagreeing with non-believers on the morality of various issues. By labelling kids hateful and unloving rather than thoughtfully discussing the evidence for the truth of the underlying worldviews that produce divergent moral conclusions, they rely on purely emotional attacks. Kids without an intellectual foundation for the Christian worldview are left feeling that they must be wrong about the truth of their faith.
Parent Solution: Help kids understand the irony of a person championing tolerance who won’t tolerate Christian beliefs without labelling disagreement hateful. Then demonstrate how Christians and non-Christians will necessarily disagree on moral issues because we have a different source of authority—the Bible. Here’s an example.
In all of these cases, remember that shame, by definition, is “a painful emotion caused by a strong sense of guilt, embarrassment, unworthiness or disgrace.” In other words, the root of shame is feeling inadequate.
In order for our kids to feel (more than) adequate when they encounter shaming attempts, they need to have the deep conviction that what they believe is really true. Only then will they be able to fully see these shame tactics for what they are—shallow and baseless emotional attacks—and be able to say confidently with the apostle Paul, “I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes” (Romans 1:16).

Natasha Crain

Natasha Crainis a speaker, author, and blogger who is passionate about equipping Christian parents to raise their kids with an understanding of how to make a case for and defend their faith in an increasingly secular world. She is the author of two apologetics books for parents: Keeping Your Kids on God’s Side and Talking with Your Kids about God. Her third book, Talking with Your Kids about Jesus, will be released in March 2020. She has an MBA from UCLA and a certificate in Christian apologetics from Biola University. A former marketing executive and adjunct professor, Natasha lives in Southern California with her husband and three children.
Reprinted with permission from www.natashacrain.com.

Why would a loving God send people to hell? | Andy Bannister

by Solas

“How could a loving God send somebody to hell?” The latest SHORT/ANSWERS film tackles this common question—and in the process uncovers some surprising things about God, judgement, and love.

Share SHORT ANSWERS on social media

Please share this video widely with friends or family and for more SHORT ANSWERS videos, visit solas-cpc.org/shortanswers/, subscribe to our YouTube channel or visit us on Twitter Instagram or Facebook.

Support us

SHORT ANSWERS is a viewer-supported video series: if you enjoy them, please help us continue to make them by donating to Solas. Visit our Donate page and choose “Digital Media Fund” under the Campaign/Appeal button.

Lives Transformed at the "Top of the Town"

by Editor
“The Top of the Town”

stirling-1237542_1920Stirling is a beautiful city to live and work in. “The Haven”, is a community hub run by Stirling Baptist Church, which is surrounded by historical buildings, the castle, and parks. The city’s beauty masks countless tragedies however, not least in the community in which we are based, known as “The top of the town”. The ingrained problems here include terrible rates of drug and alcohol addiction with all their associated problems, and it’s one of the very worst postcodes in the whole of Scotland for child alkoghol-2714488_1920poverty. Statistics show the scale of the problem, but don’t reveal the tragedy of what we see here. I could cross the road from The Haven, and show you a mother sharing her heroin needle with her 16 year old daughter, which is absolutely heartbreaking. From my window, I cannot only see the tourist sights, but also the addicts heading down to the local chemist to queue for their Methadone, and customers coming and going from the drug dealer’s house too.
Yet, it is right here in the middle of the ‘Top of the town’ community that we have seen God at work in the most wonderful ways this year. He’s been working through The Haven to bring people not just to faith in Christ, but has set about a complete transformation of the lives of several families.

“Ellen”

When I started at The Haven, I had no idea how to penetrate the tightly-knit, and suspicious drug-using community. But I sensed God prompting me to me speak to one particular lady who used to pass by my window, so I literally stepped out of the office and said, “Hi” and invited her for coffee. She was taking a cocktail of drugs and methadone, and was barely aware of me even being there.
Ellen recently said to me, “Were you not frightened of me, when we first met?” And I said, “No, I wasn’t frightened because God had told me I should be talking to you”. Actually she was moved to tears purely because I wasn’t afraid of her. Ellen was suspicious of me though, in fact she thought I was nuts! But I could see a glimmer of something there, and I kept working with her. Amazingly, eventually, she started engaging with me and other volunteers. And over months of talking to her, she became more and more comfortable with The Haven, we developed a relationship with her and invited her along to ALPHA, where she became a Christian, and she was baptised in May, Her life has been absolutely transformed. She loves the hymn, “Amazing Grace – I’ve been set free”, as it so perfectly describes her experience.
freedom-2053281_1920Because she has come off heroin, she looks great. Her inner transformation has been matched by a physical rejuvenation too. She looks so different that it has drawn a lot of attention. In fact, people shout to her in the street, “Hey Ellen, what has that drug dealer got you on now, you’re looking fantastic, doll!” And she shouts back, “I’m not on anything, I’ve got Jesus in my heart!”
Seeing Ellen transformed was amazing, but what I didn’t realise was the effect that this would have on several other people in the community.

“Katie”

Katie used to share a flat with Ellen when they were addicts, and had been on heroin for 14 years. She came to The Haven and we got to know her well. She came to us when she was trying to quit heroin, and sitting in my office I could see how her withdrawal had affected her. She was very seriously unwell, ‘rattling’, as her poor body was starved of the drug. I prayed with her, and phoned Teen Challenge’s Benaiah rehab centre who gave me some advice. Someone went and got her just enough heroin to keep her alive while she was waiting for a space in rehab. Wonderfully our prayers were answered, she survived, became a Christian, got into the Teen Challenge centre, and got off heroin. Teen Challenge are about to open an information and drop in centre in the Forth Valley soon, so hopefully there will be more help for people like Katie and Ellen.
Katie now wants everyone to know that she is a Christian. But you should have seen her when she first came here. She was covered in sores, wore a cap because her hair was falling out, and weighed 6-stone. But I could see that in there, there was an intelligent, articulate, inquisitive, beautiful young woman. Now God has transformed her into what she should always have been. Her letters are just amazing and she has real potential to be a future leader!
Katie wrote, “My favourite Bible verse is Ezekiel 36:25-27. It was the first Bible verse I really connected with and felt it was truly for me. It says, “I will sprinkle clean water on you and you will be clean. I will cleanse you from all impurities and from all your idols. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you: I will remove from you, your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.”
Katie’s daughter who is a teenager, has been involved at The Haven for some time now too. She’s been to the Motiv8 camps at Scoughall a couple of times with us too. Scripture Union run these camps for children who are facing difficult circumstances at home. The first year she came, she was disengaged and angry, but this year amazingly she has become a Christian. Now several members of Katie’s wider family, are coming to The Haven and engaging with us and church too.

“Lee”

Katie used to shoot-up with a guy named Lee. But Lee was one of the first people I met who had become a Christian from the ‘Top of The Town’. His mother had a difficult upbringing and this caused her severe mental trauma. As a result of difficulties at home he made all the mistakes that you’d expect a young, broken, hurting man to make. God drew Lee to Stirling Baptist Church where he attended an Alpha course. However, after being brought low and hospitalised due to continued drug abuse, Rab Donald, the Community Pastor from the church visited him and Lee said “I want to change my life. I don’t want to do this anymore, I think I’m going to die”. And he literally was dying, his body was emaciated, and he looked horrendous. Rab referred him to a Christian rehab centre run by Teen Challenge.  It was there Lee gave his life to Christ in rehab and came back a changed man. He has helped so many people since then, including his Mum, who although deeply damaged as a survivor of some traumatic experiences – also has faith in Jesus. Lee’s story is going to be published soon.

The Haven

The Haven (2)Some people are afraid of the addicts and their challenging behaviour, the sores on their skin, vacant expressions and their dirty clothes. I just see somebody’s daughter, or somebody’s Mum, somebody’s child who is suffering and broken and hurting. Many people just break down when you show them any kind of compassion and love. They’ve forgotten what it is like to be loved because they have been rejected for so long. They say, “Why are you doing this?” “Why are you talking to me?” “Why are you nice to me?” “Why are you talking to my friends?” – they are initially really suspicious, but then they realise that we are giving and we are not expecting anything in return; we’re giving and giving and giving – and it’s Jesus that we are giving them.
On Sunday morning, at the end of church I looked around me and saw this little group of folks from the ‘Top of the Town’ that God has saved, and thought – “Wow- God is amazing!”

Looking Forward

My prayer is now that God would use these people who have become Christians in the community to reach many more people and that there would be a huge ‘bending of the knee’ to our Lord in the Top of the Town. We pray not only for protection for ourselves, but for the transformation of countless lives for Jesus too.

Mylene Herd

works for Stirling Baptist Church, at The Haven.32082586_100124740866132_7241361031954432000_n Follow these links to find out more about supporting their work. If you are in the Stirling area and want to know more about the life-changing message of Jesus, they are a good place to start! Some of the names in this story have been changed for confidentiality.
Stirling Baptist Church.
The Haven

Confident Christianity conference: Cowplain, Hampshire

by Editor
CONFIDENT CHRISTIANITY – ON THE ROAD!

public_110_mob_9The Solas conferences in Dundee have been tremendously popular over the years, in response to demand from churches we’re now delivering them all over the UK.
Cowplain Evangelical Church were our first conference hosts.  Confident Christianity conferences are designed to equip Christians with the skills and confidence needed to share their faith with their friends, family and colleagues. They feature a variety of speakers, talking both about evangelism directly and about how to address the issues that come up in our discussions about faith.

ANDY: TALKING ABOUT JESUS

20190518_094220633_iOSConfident Christianity: Cowplain kicked off with Solas Director Dr. Andy Bannister on,  “How To Talk About Jesus Without Sounding Like An Idiot”, which outlined a sensitive, biblical and winsome way of speaking faithfully about Jesus to sceptical friends. At the heart of what Andy taught people was the power of asking really good questions—the very method that Jesus used in the gospels.
Andy from Cornerstone church in Portsmouth said that this session was the highlight of the day for him. “It’s been the most helpful thing that I’ll take away and try and chat with my friends and colleagues about” he said describing how he felt inspired to use questions to gently discuss faith questions with friends who are apathetic or disengaged. A delegate from Cowplain Church said: “It was a nice shift for me, because, if I’m trying to talk about Christ – I can go about it a different way getting closer to where people are, by asking good questions. So I found it really helpful.”

SEX AND SALVATION

20190518_100729335_iOSDr. Ben Thomas delivered two talks during the day on the hugely important subjects of human sexuality and the Christian faith. He began with a talk entitled “Sex and Salvation: A Story of Personal Transformation.” Ben explains: “I told the story of how I became a Christian which was linked to the fact that I identified as a gay man who was always contemplating, as I explored my sexuality, what if Christianity is actually true? I had started to read the scriptures while at University, and was attracted to who Jesus was, but yet never felt that God would love me or accept me because of my sexuality. And it was the story of really reconciling the two together which lead me away from leading a life as an active gay man and becoming a Christian and living in that way ever since.”
Ben’s second talk looked at the most helpful approaches we can take in sharing the gospel of Christ with friends and family members who identify as LGBTQI+. He emphasised the need to think through the biblical Christian view on sexuality before engaging in conversations, so we avoid being incoherent, or ill prepared. However, Ben emphasised: “We don’t need to be on the defensive because we have the best, the one-and-only gospel and Jesus is adequate for everybody’s needs. But it is about demonstrating that in a persuasive way that doesn’t at all make the LGBT+ person feel like they are being persecuted or a second-class citizen.”
One local Christian, Cindy, was tremendously impressed with Ben’s approach. She said: “My brother is gay, lives abroad, and we haven’t been in touch much over the last few years. But today’s conference has brought me much more understanding of his situation and inspired me to try and restore my relationship with him and share Christ.”

SCIENCE, FAITH and JESUS

20190518_111000952_iOSOur third speaker, David Hutchings, gave a cracking first talk on “God vs Science : A History”. It hugely impressed Tim Boxall from Portsmouth who said: “I was really interested in the origins of the science-versus-religion narrative (the mistaken idea that science and religion are at war), particularly its roots in the nineteenth writers who laid out a lot of the myths which are upheld today. I studied physics at university, and I thought it was really important to highlight that “science versus religion” is really a myth, they really are not incompatible.”
David Hutchings said afterwards: “Some people see the science/God friction as being a big enough stumbling block to prevent them coming to Jesus. So we want to try and explain to people that it is simply not true that you have to pick a side, God or Science. I’m a science teacher, and every single year I have students amazed to hear that I believe in God. They say: “But you’re a science teacher!” So the idea is ingrained very deeply in our society that it’s one or the other, and so Christians need to do something about pushing back on this.”
While David’s first talk emphasised the reasonableness of faith in general, his second talk focused on the unique claims of Jesus Christ in particular. He helped the audience see that all the various religions and beliefs in the world really just boil down to one of four basic worldviews: naturalistic materialism, secular humanism, pantheism and monotheism. David showed how monotheism by far the best-fit for the world we observe, which leads to the question which monotheism is true? David then showed how the evidence for Christianity and most especially for the character and identity of Jesus is overwhelming—and if Jesus’s unique claims are true, that means we’re able not just to know about God, but to know God, as he has revealed himself in space, time and history through Jesus.

JESUS AND THE FAILURES OF THE CHURCH

Dr. Andy Bannister’s last session, “Jesus and the Failures of the Church”, took an honest look at the times in history when Christians, or the Church, have badly betrayed Christ in its actions (such as in the Crusades, or its failure to stand up to the Third Reich). Yet in stark contrast to this chequered history, there have been times when Christians and the Church have been at the forefront of tremendous advances in civil rights, healthcare, human rights and justice. So how do we decide whether Christianity is good or bad? Andy argued that just as you can only judge the quality of a piece of music by comparing a performance to what the composer intended, so with the Church, we need to look to its “best performances”, those times when Christians have truly measured up to the standards of Jesus, especially his command to love even our enemies.
But if that was all that Christianity was, just a moral exhortation to follow the self-sacrifice of Jesus, we’d be stuck, as all human beings go wrong in numerous ways. But thankfully, the message of Jesus is much more profound that that: offering not just a new moral code, but a means to actually deal with our brokenness, selfishness and pride, that is the root of the problem in the first place. The gospel doesn’t deny or paper over human evil, but honestly addresses it—and in the gospel, offers the only solution to the evil that dwells in every human heart.
Caroline from Cowplain Evangelical church said: “Learning about history was a surprise, learning about the history of the church not being that bad was a complete surprise! You’re lead to believe that the church was always the ‘big baddie’ but actually the things that it contributed to the world are much better than I imagined.”

REACTIONS

20190518_144234987_iOSReactions to the Confident Christianity conference have been wonderfully positive.  Phill Brown, pastor of the host church, said: “I think people have found today so helpful because it was real, it was informative but also inspired people who are shy in talking about their faith to think ‘I can do this!’. The format was helpful too: short, 25 minute talks on a variety of subjects, evangelism, apologetics, testimony, was a really good way to approach it. People have been really positive and encouraged to be more confident.”
Andy from Portsmouth said “The conference was helpful for people with all different levels of understanding of Christianity, from the advanced to those who have never really heard of Jesus. My wife and I have signed up as supporters of Solas, because we think it I super-important that people hear about Jesus and Solas come across as having very loving and non-confrontational ways of speaking about him”.
Caroline said, “I found the whole day very helpful and very inspiring, it’s made me want to go away and really think about how I speak to people, not hold back so much but to be open with people, and to take the opportunities that I’m given. Christians need the support to be able to speak up, and that’s what Solas does. You give us that support!”

CONFIDENT CHRISTIANITY IN A TOWN NEAR YOU…

Forthcoming Confident Christianity conferences are booked for:
Salisbury: October 12th
Perth: October 26th
Dundee: March 21st 2020
Others are being planned after that and details will be published here as they are finalised.
If a Confident Christianity conference might help the churches in your town or city, please contact to Tim (office@solas-cpc-org) who would love to chat to you about how your church might host a conference.

IMG_8116 - Copy
Dave Hutchings, Andy Bannister, Ben Thomas

 

Book: A.S.K. (Real World Questions, Real Word Answers) by David Robertson

by Editor 1 Comment

A.S.K. (Ask, Seek, Knock) is the latest book from the prolific pen of Solas founder David Robertson, his last publication before he left Scotland for Australia in the summer of 2019. The book’s subtitle “Real World Questions / Real Word Answers” explains more about its’ content. Every chapter of the book contains a real question about life and faith, from a teenager; followed by an answer, rooted in the Bible.
The fifty-two questions which shape the book cover an incredible range of topics. The first set of questions are around core Christian concepts such as who God is, The Bible, The Trinity and Jesus. Questions that young people asked around these areas included “I don’t get The Trinity – do we worship three gods?” and “Why do Christians believe that Jesus is the only Saviour?”
Then there are questions which focus on problems which young people are having in working out what their faith means. These include perennial questions such as whether animals go to heaven, and the question of suicide and salvation. Big world issues come next, one young person asking, “How would Jesus respond to North Korea?” Then there are ethical questions , like “Help! – my girlfriend is pregnant!” as well as questions about living as a Christian and not falling back into sin.
The questions that drive this book are clearly heartfelt ones, from young people wrestling with faith, doubt, ethics and some very difficult personal situations. The first thing to note and commend about A.S.K. is that these young people have been given the chance to ask these questions, and to engage with serious answers. I know someone who left the church as a child because they were told their questions were not welcome and that they should basically ‘shut up and just believe’. Thankfully those days are long gone, and the existence of this book perhaps nicely emphasises that point.
Each answer given to these questions begins with a quote from the Bible. I gave a copy of it to a seventeen year-old who said:

“The best thing about this was that it started each answer with a Bible verse, so you know where the guy is getting his ideas from. I never know where in the Bible to look for answers to these questions, and I liked the way that this book helps you with that.”

All of the answers which Robertson provides for the young people are short, punchy, biblical and engaging. As anyone who has read David’s work before will know, his answers are not ambiguous, or vague, but communicated precisely and clearly. Also, when he doesn’t know an answer (Such as “When will the world end?”) he’s not afraid to say so, but admit that some things just aren’t known. He’s also not afraid to frankly tell young people that sometimes the church has misled them and been unhelpful, such as with ‘prosperity gospel’ teachers.
Each answer is provided with a “Consider” section, which adds a useful devotional element to the book. So, for instance while the question of “God and Suffering” is examined (p63-5), the young people are then asked to consider, “How would you help someone who is suffering? What did Jesus do to save us from suffering? Do you trust God to bring good, even out of what appears evil to us?” Thought-provoking stuff. Further reading is then offered for each chapter, which would be very helpful for anyone who wanted to read more extensively on any of the given topics. The problem here is that many of the books suggested are probably pitched at too high an academic level for the majority of readers of this particular volume. That however is hardly the author’s fault, as I am not aware of many youth-resources on many of these subjects.
Each chapter then concludes with a prayer, inviting the young person to respond personally to the issues discussed in the chapter. Many of these are based on verses in the Psalms. Others are written specifically for today.
One seventeen year old in Scotland said:

“I like the feel of the book, it doesn’t feel cheap, and I like the cover too, I think that will help people my age to pick it up.”

The fourteen year old I gave it to was equally positive. She wrote,

“It’s very accessible for people of my age, it’s practical with a lot of helpful and useful information. It’s got a good selection of questions, including some I have asked or thought of before, but never had an answer to before. The layout is really clear, which helps too. I also liked the way it answers questions a non-Christian might ask you, giving you a clear and confident idea about what to say.”

I read the book in a couple of days and appreciated its direct, yet thought-through answers, although its 52-chapter format is obviously suited to reading a chapter a week for a year. This is a really useful book, nicely written and well presented. It deserves to be widely read.

You can purchase A.S.K. from our book partner – 10ofThose.com

Do Christians need to be 100% certain? | Jonny Somerville

by Solas

Do Christians need to be 100% certain in their faith? What should we do with doubts and questions? Can you have doubts and still be a Christian? Do Christians think they have all the answers? Jonny Somerville looks at doubt, certainty, faith and God, in our latest Short Answers.

Share SHORT ANSWERS on social media

Please share this video widely with friends or family and for more SHORT ANSWERS videos, visit solas-cpc.org/shortanswers/, subscribe to our YouTube channel or visit us on Twitter Instagram or Facebook.

Support us

SHORT ANSWERS is a viewer-supported video series: if you enjoy them, please help us continue to make them by donating to Solas. Visit our Donate page and choose “Digital Media Fund” under the Campaign/Appeal button.

Doing God’s Mission, Jesus’ Way

by Editor
by Alan Leese

1470169_10100673729687713_894700458_nLong before Jesus sent the Holy Spirit and propelled the early church out into the world on mission, he modelled what God’s mission should look like in practice. In over a quarter of a century of Christian mission, in various cultures, I have observed that the closer to Jesus’ model we stick, the more authentic, fruitful and honouring to God we are. When the church, and mission agencies drift away from Jesus’ model, things start to go wrong.
In chapter 9 of his gospel, Matthew gives us a summary of Jesus’ missionary model.
Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and illness. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, ‘The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.’ (vv35-38) NIV.
These few verses contain enough for a whole book, but in this short article, I’d like to draw your attention to three essential things: Jesus’ Mindset for Mission, his Mandate for Mission and his Motive for mission.

Jesus’ Mindset for Mission

“All” and “every” are complete, exhaustive terms. Yet Matthew insists that Jesus went to “all” the towns and villages, and healed “every” disease (v35). There was nothing half-hearted, timid, or semi-committed in the way that Jesus approached mission. He didn’t limit his service to the places that were pleasant to be in, while avoiding the harder villages, or places where he might not be so welcomed. Jesus went to every place where people were loved by God. And that means everywhere.
Why did Jesus work so comprehensively? The answer seems to be that he was convinced that God’s work didn’t lack potential, but lacked workers. In fact, it was the acute labour shortage in mission that he specifically instructed the disciples to pray about:
The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field. (v37-8)
Logotype-web-floatingThat verse features frequently in the prayer update that I write for our mission, Novi Most International. Here’s the reason: about 7 years ago Novi Most had 12 workers in Mostar, now there are only 2 of us. There aren’t any fewer spiritual or practical needs – but there are fewer workers.
We need to recapture the “all” and the “every” of Jesus’ missionary mindset.

Jesus’ Mandate for Mission

What did Jesus do when he went to all these places? What was he there for? The text describes him as both teaching and healing (v35). That is to say, that he went to meet both the people’s spiritual and physical needs. They needed both to encounter Jesus in his proclamation of the word of God, and in his practical demonstration of the love of God.
The same is true for us.
In my years on the mission field, I have observed many people who have struggled to keep this Jesus-like balance. Some seek only to proclaim God’s word, to explain the ‘four spiritual laws’ and recite the “sinner’s prayer”. At the other extreme are those who limit their action to relief, medical or educational work – and serve the people in practical ways. Sometimes, ironically the latter do so under the banner of ‘holistic-mission’, but without the proclamation of the gospel; without helping people to get into a good relationship with God, mission is not ‘holistic’ at all!
Proclaiming and explaining the gospel is absolutely central to Christian mission. A person’s relationship with God is the pivotal part of their life. However, though essential, proclamation alone is not enough. Jesus went on to demonstrate the love of God, and so must we. Our job is not to correct Jesus, but to imitate him!

Jesus’ Motive for Mission

We’ve seen where Jesus served, and what he did when he got there. Perhaps the most important question though is what drove him. What motivated him to teach, preach, heal, and travel?
Matthew provides us with a short, brilliant explanation:
When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. (v36)
In Mostar in Bosnia and Herzegovina, 25 years after the civil-war, we are still in a post-war situation. While the UK was considered to be in postwar recovery from 1945 to 1955 (or thereabouts), Mostar is still wounded. The society is divided on racial and religious grounds, the infrastructure has been damaged, the economy is faltering and people are leaving in significant numbers. The evangelical churches here are few and not huge.
dbvmk-18What does Jesus think when he looks at this country? I believe that he hasn’t changed, and that he still brims over with compassion for my friends and neighbours here. In Jesus’ mission, people are not statistics for us to count as ‘ministry success stories’. People do not exist for us in order to have successful ministry projects. No. God has deep compassion for people, and calls us to do the same. That’s why we have to be willing to serve and bless people, even if they have no intention of responding to our message or helping us in any way. Presumably, if Jesus healed ‘every’ disease, amongst that number will be people who didn’t follow him, but simply received his compassion.
Mission work goes horribly wrong, looks ugly and is inauthentic, if we try and do Jesus work, but lack his motivation. Jesus had genuine compassion and so must we.

Finally

These three aspects of the way in which Jesus worked don’t only relate to cross-cultural mission. They are of course, relevant if you are serving a people group with different customs, culture, language and religion. However, they are equally true for the mission that every Christian is on, every day.
Jesus’ missionary mindset means that if you find yourself working in retail, medicine, local government, business, education – or whatever, you are in the frontline of mission. As a Christian you carry the Holy Spirit, the presence of God and the word of God with you wherever you go.
Likewise Jesus’ missionary mandate is yours too, seeking to share his love with everyone, and take every opportunity to speak or serve.
Jesus’ missionary motivation must be ours too, having real compassion for the people around us. God wants us to be Christlike, the world sees straight through phonies.
The thing about God’s mission is that it doesn’t lack potential. It’s the workers who are few. God calls us all to be workers who will go everywhere, serve in word and deed, motivated by genuine compassion.

Alan Leese
1470169_10100673729687713_894700458_nserves with Novi Most International in Mostar, in Bosnia & Herzegovina. He was formerly a youth worker for churches in England and Scotland.

The Pursuit of Happiness? Big questions in Blairgowrie.

by Editor
steven-bennett-1237256-unsplash
Baltis & Bibles

Nestled in the rural Perthshire market town of Blairgowrie, BEChurch recently invited Solas to come and help them with an outreach event at one of their popular men’s curry nights at a hotel in the town centre. After a traditional ‘curry and a pint’, Andy Bannister spoke to the audience of men on the ever-pressing issue, ‘The Problem of Happiness’. Everybody yearns for happiness, peace and security, yet huge numbers of people find these goals frustratingly elusive.
Andy’s talk explored four levels of happiness. The first level is animal happiness. This is basically the brief, transitory pleasure we experience when basic human needs are met, and derives from things such as food or sex. (But human beings are the only animals that abuse food and sex).
The second level of happiness is excelling at a skill. This kind of happiness can come from success in the workplace, or at university, or at playing a sport (but it relies on a sense of constantly outperforming other people and thus leads to constant anxiety, as you’re always at risk of being out-performed).
The third level of happiness comes through living for others. This typically involves the sacrifices of parenthood, or of charitable work. (But eventually those you’re helping will no longer need you—and further more, as the famous atheist philosopher, Friedrich Nietzsche remarked, trying to be happy by helping others is just selfishness in disguise, as you’re not helping others, you’re helping yourself).
And so we hit the problem of happiness: each “level” ultimately disappoints us and so people move up a level, to try to find true happiness, only to find that level fails too. This is why so many people end up sad, anxious, disappointed, with a sense that, in the words of the famous song by U2, “I still haven’t found what I’m looking for”.
Andy concluded that the inadequacies of the first three levels of happiness should drive us to explore Happiness Level 4—which requires discovering something that is genuinely bigger than we are. Andy shared part of his testimony, of how as a young man he had failed to find true happiness and security, despite doing well at work, academically and elsewhere. It was only when he discovered what it meant to find his true identity and security in Jesus, Andy explained, that he finally found true happiness. And this was precisely what Jesus was talking about when he said: “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. “ (John 10:10).
logoBEChurch pastor, Derek Johnston said, “Thursday went well. We were pleased that those who said they would come did so, especially those who have yet to fully commit themselves to Christ. I think one of the plus points of the evening is seeing that when folks are confident of the quality of presentation they are going to hear they are far more likely to invite their friends.”
Many Christians had brought non-Christian friends to the event and so the talk was followed by a lively Q&A, as people dug into more deeply what Andy had shared.
If we can help your church run an outreach event in your town, we’d love to hear from you. Contact us here.

Conversations that Count

by Editor

Vince-Vitale-webI want to offer some reflections on something that God zoomed in on in my own life a number of years ago. If you take these pieces of advice seriously, I honestly believe it could radically change the depth and enjoyment of your conversations about God and the fruitfulness that comes from them. That is what I have found personally and that is my prayer for you.
There are a couple of reasons why I want to focus in on conversation. Firstly, all of us will probably be more influential in our conversation than in any other type of communication. Secondly, we tend to spend almost no time on this, as we don’t see it as important. People often focus on improving professional skills or learning more about the Bible, but who can say that they are now a significantly better conversationalist than they were a few years ago?

Caring about Conversation

There’s a scene in Pride and Prejudice when Mr Darcy says, ‘I have not that talent which some possess of conversing easily with strangers’, to which Elizabeth responds, ‘I do not play [the piano] so well as I should wish to, but I have always supposed that to be my fault, because I would not take the trouble of practicing.’
Similarly, if we’re not good conversationalists, we tend to see it as just how we are and not as a weakness or something we ought to change. Yet you can find some advice for conversation – normally in secular writing – and it often revolves around being prepared. One recommendation, for example, is to read about different popular topics so that you can engage with the interests of people around you.
That might seem fake, prescriptive, or disingenuous to you, but why should it, when many of us spend a great deal of time finding out about professional sportspeople or celebrities? After all, we generally view research and study as good things, because we care about the end result. We praise people when they carefully plan for someone’s birthday or going on a date, as it shows that they value the other person. So why should it be any different with normal conversation? Why should we restrict serious personal investment just to special occasions?
If I know I’m going to see someone tonight, why shouldn’t I take some time to pray about them and to ask God for a good question to ask them or for a good answer to something they might ask me? I don’t see anything artificial or disingenuous about that; it means that I care enough about the person not to say just the first thing that happens to jump into my head. We would never just wing something that was important, like a work presentation, so why do we almost always just ‘wing’ conversation?

Crafting our Conversation

I’d like to share with you a few pieces of advice for investing more intentionally in conversation. I have eight short points that I think can be really practical and powerful, if put into practice.

1. BE MULTILINGUAL

Be able to speak competently about the different things that matter most to the people you care about and feel called to. Almost two decades ago, I became a Christian, and initially it was difficult for my family. I found myself struggling to know how to share my newfound faith with my father. What came next surprised me! I sensed God prompting me to learn the language of a New York Yankees fan. So I started watching the games regularly, and within weeks I was an even bigger fan than my dad! All of a sudden we had something to connect about pretty much every day of the year, and I’d say this was one of the single biggest factors in my dad becoming more comfortable having spiritual conversations with me and ultimately putting his trust in Christ.
What would it look like for us to learn to speak the language of the specific people God is calling us to? Is there someone you feel called to relationship with and to share God with whom you are struggling to connect with? What are they interested in? What do they enjoy? What do they care about?

2. BE A GOAL-SETTER

When I fly home to see my family, I set goals to have at least one specific conversation with each of my family members, and I try to let my wife or a friend know what those goals are so that they can help hold me accountable to them. While I can’t necessarily direct what the outcome of those conversations will be, I can take responsibility for whether or not they take place.
We don’t always like setting goals because it opens us up to the possibility of failing, but one of the greatest gifts of being a Christian is that Jesus’ sacrifice should free us to be willing and unafraid for things not to go as we’d hoped, because our identity and value is rooted in God’s grace alone and not in our achievements.

3. BE QUESTION READY

Good questions are so powerful, as Jesus himself showed many times, but most people are pretty terrible at asking them. Some of our most common questions, like “How are you doing?”, aren’t even real questions at all, because they’ve come to mean nothing more than “hello”.
The reason we so often find it so difficult to get from shooting the breeze to Jesus is because too often we are merely shooting the breeze. We wouldn’t find it so difficult to introduce Jesus into conversation if we were in the habit of regularly entering into meaningful conversations. I have a list of questions that I find help to open up and deepen conversations without being threatening. Jesus then finds his way into those meaningful conversations quite naturally. Here are a few questions that I like:
What was the best part of your week? What was the worst part of your week?
What’s been on your mind most recently?
When was the happiest time in your life? Why?
What are you good at?
What are your dreams for the future?
What were you like as a child? Are you different now? In what ways?
What is your best childhood memory?
Whom in your family are you most alike? Whom are you most different from? In what ways?
How would your best friends describe you?
Who has had the most significant influence in your life? Why?
If there was one law you could make, what would it be?
What would you change about yourself if you could change one thing?
What is the most frustrating thing about religion to you?
Did you grow up in a religious home? [This is sometimes less threatening than “Are you a Christian?”]
Have you had experiences in your life that have made you think there might be a God? [I love this one! The stories people will share in response are amazing!]

4. BE RESPONSE READY

While we can open up conversations by enquiring about others, questions asked to us are an absolute gift because they are an opportunity to share something about who God is and what he has done. Yet our responses can often be as bad as our questions, when we say something like “Okay”, “Can’t complain” or “Fine”.
What questions are you asked most often and how could you respond in ways that allow you to talk about meaningful things generally and Jesus Christ in particular? Here’s an example of one way of responding:
Person A: “How was your weekend?”
Person B: “Not bad, thanks.”
But if you’ve encountered the living God in church on Sunday, saying “Not bad, thanks” isn’t even an honest answer! There’s nothing weird about giving an honest, meaningful answer, which might be something like this:
Person A: “How was your weekend?”
Person B: “Really good actually. On Saturday, we went to the movies, and then, on Sunday, we went to church, which is always a highlight for us. Do you ever go to church?”
Person A: “No, I’m not religious.”
Person B: “No, I never used to either, but a friend invited me along a few years ago and I’ve found it incredibly meaningful and a wonderful community to be a part of. It would be great to have you come along sometime.”

5. BE TESTIMONY READY:

Some of the deepest and most meaningful conversations happen when we personally relate to what others are saying. Sharing the faith is very often about finding Christ at the intersection between our own stories and those of others, but one reason why we often find evangelism so hard is that we don’t actually know our own stories very well. In churches, people are sometimes encouraged to share their testimony, but the truth is that each of us has innumerable testimonies of how God has worked in our lives.
I try to identify different themes within which I can understand my testimony, and then I pray and reflect about how that theme has played out in my life and how God has been at work through it. Here are some relevant themes:
Forgiveness, family, suffering, intellect, relationships, guilt, death, fear, dreams, purpose, loneliness, freedom, pride, worry and anxiety, shame, frustrations with the church, decisions about the future, image, identity…
The more themes we can articulate our testimony through the better, as it helps us to appreciate and understand the ways God has been at work in our lives, as well as helping us be more natural in connecting with the stories of others.

6. BE PRAYER READY

The Bible tells us that our prayers are “powerful and effective.” How gracious is our God to set things up so that even when we’re not with someone in person, we can actively bless them by praying for them? Prayer is action at a distance; it’s a superpower! How do you remind yourself to pray for others consistently and in a disciplined way? There are many ways to do this, but, whichever way you choose, every Christian should be able to answer that question.

7. BE GOOD STEWARDS OF CONVERSATIONS.

If we’ve had a good conversation with someone, they may have been vulnerable with us and trusted us with personal information. So we have to be trustworthy and care enough to retain that information, reflect on it, and pray about it. As long as you are very careful about issues of confidentiality, it can be helpful to write down the information somewhere safe, so you can remember to pray about it and to ask about it the next time you see the same person.
Being good stewards of conversation also requires looking for opportunities to extend the conversation. Just say something like, “I really enjoyed that; maybe we can talk more sometime? Do you have an email address I can reach you at?” or “Are you on Facebook?” People are usually very willing to give Facebook or email addresses. You can then set up a time to continue the conversation, which also gives the other person time to give the topic more thought.

8. BE INVITATIONAL

If you are throwing a party, it doesn’t matter how much you tell people about how great it is going to be and how excited you are. In general, they are not going to show up unless you have actually invited them. It is the same when we talk about God. We may have told a loved one how great God is, shared our testimony, and even answered their objections, but have we actually invited them to come to Christ? I always remember when a student called Natasha was asked why she didn’t become a Christian sooner, and she replied, “I think I just needed an invitation.”
Why do we so often not make invitations? I think sometimes we are fooled into thinking God is far from certain people and they would not be ready for such a decision. We’ve also been deceived into thinking that it is up to us to persuade people to make the most important decision of their life and that God is not involved. The reality is so different, as the Bible doesn’t just say that “[God] is not far from any one of us” (Acts 17:27), but that even to those who are not Christians yet “…what is known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made.” (Romans 1:19-20) [emphases added]
That is an incredibly strong statement saying people don’t just know something about God, but deep down they know his divine nature. That is not to minimise legitimate questions and objections and doubts, but it is to say that God has already been revealing himself – through creation, through our conscience, through dreams, and in a million other ways.
Do you believe that about your friends and family? Do you believe that about the people you meet every day? Do you believe they already have a seed of the knowledge of God deep down? I think this is one of the most important questions for us to honestly ask ourselves. If you don’t believe this, then you won’t have the confidence to invite people to Jesus, but if you believe what the Bible says is true, then you start to think that in every single conversation, God could bring new life – and that’s when things start to get really exciting!
A former student of mine got invited to church by a friend who overslept. When he showed up, he heard the singing and slipped in at the back of the church, heard a sermon from John 15, was pierced to the heart, and walked forward to give his life to Christ. Can you imagine? By the time you call to apologise for oversleeping, your friend tells you he has already become a Christian! God will bless and use your invitations, if you are willing to trust him with them.

Confident Conversation

Do we have confidence in the power of the gospel? A while back I met a young man at church. He said he was not a Christian, and he asked a tough question about hell. I answered it as best as I was able, and I could see in his eyes that he thought my response made sense and that a shift was taking place. I hesitated, and he said “Thanks” and walked away. I thought to myself, “Man, I should have made an invitation”. So I ran after the guy, caught up with him, and I didn’t even get to finish my question, as he said “I really want to recommit my life to Jesus!” Those words were literally on the tip of his tongue! He just needed an invitation!
Trust God with those promptings – I call them Holy Spirit U-turns – and be invitational. Over time, as you build up evidence of God’s faithfulness in blessing your invitations, the feelings of nerves and discomfort will become excitement and expectation as you see God transform life after life after life.
Start with the assumption that God is near and he is known, because that’s what the Bible says, and be ready and excited to invite people to Jesus. Has God put someone on your heart? Will you trust Him? He wants to use you. Yes, you! Not because you have all the answers, but because he loves you and he delights in involving his children in his work. Will you accept that gift?
What would make this article a success? Wouldn’t it be a powerful result if everyone who reads this headed back home with an invitation to follow Christ for some person in their life? If we do that, you know what will happen? People will become Christians! You will be surprised at how many people will say “Yes” to your invitation. If we do that, we will have more brothers and sisters for all eternity. That’s what I am praying for.
Vince Vitale

Vince-Vitale-web
Dr Vince Vitale (PhD, Oxford)

has taught Philosophy of Religion at Princeton and Oxford Universities.