What is the historical evidence that Jesus Christ lived and died?

Great article in The Guardian  by my friend Simon Gathercole answering this question. Have a read here.

Intimacy Day - Saturday 22nd April

There's been a lot of talk about our need for intimacy at the Emmanuel churches recently. But what exactly is intimacy?!

The quotation below defines it as a feeling of "oneness" which might help some of us grasp what we've been talking about. Another way of explaining it might be to say that it's all about feeling completely "at home with" someone or something.

Why do we need to work hard at getting our hearts and minds around the concept? Theologian Scott McKnight helps us work out why:

Nothing in the Bible makes sense if one does not begin with the garden of Eden as a life of oneness - human beings in union with God and in communion with the self, with one another, and with the world around them. Life is about "oneness" - oneness with God, with ourselves, with others and with the world. When the oneness is lived out, God is glorified and humans delight in that glory.' 

All this talk of intimacy with God, other people and place is all about glorifying God. It's about seeking to return to Eden as much as we can this side of the new heaven and the new earth. It really matters if we want to live life to the full in the here and now and attract unbelievers to the promise of enjoying perfect intimacy for all of eternity.

But what does this present intimacy look like, feel like in daily reality? How can I enjoy oneness with God, with friends, with this world? How can I feel at home with Jesus, with church family, with myself?

On Saturday 22nd April we'll be running what we're calling an Intimacy Day to help us all develop practical ways of not just talking about intimacy a lot but experiencing it too. It's part of this years Growing Disciples course but we'd like to open it up to everyone else in the Emmanuel Bristol family of churches.

It will be running at the Emmanuel Meeting House starting at 9.30am (prompt!) and ending at 4.30pm. You just need to bring a pen, a Bible, your own lunch and something fun to share with others (cake/ biscuits/ fruit/ drink).

And let us know that you are coming here. Hope to see you there!

Sex with God?!

I love this story that my friend Christopher West recounts in one of his many excellent books:

A modern mystic-nun, after giving a presentation in which she shared something of her experience of "nuptial union" with God, was rebuked by an agnostic psychologist: "You're sick!" he insisted. "What you really want is sex. But you're disguising your desire for sex with all this ridiculous talk about union with God." She responded firmly: "Oh no. I beg to differ. What the world really wants is union with God, but it's disguising that desire with all this ridiculous sex." Who do you think was right?' 

Well who do you think was right? I think the psychologist’s response to the nun’s talk of intimacy with God is not far off the response many of us have had to our current series on Song of Songs. The erotic language and imagery of the love poetry that we have been looking at together has been bad enough but comparing intimacy with God to the sexual intimacy of a husband and wife has disgusted some of us. To talk of the church’s eternal union with Christ being better than marital sex in the here and now has been seen as sick to many: are we really saying that we are going to enjoy sex with God? Surely such talk is sacrilegious?

Well God himself is guilty of introducing the comparison – have a read of his spokesman introducing and developing sexual language and imagery to describe his relationship with his people in passages like Ezekiel 16 and Hosea 1-3 (to take just two of many examples). This talk of deep intimacy with God in Christ isn’t just the embarrassing fantasy of your sex-starved single pastor (which I guess has been some people’s worry!) it is God’s chosen language to communicate how passionately he loves his chosen people. Including, of course, you and me.

Indeed as the scriptures continue it becomes clearer and clearer that the main point of marriage and sex on this earth is to trail where human history is heading: to a new heaven and earth where God’s Son Jesus will get married to God’s people the church. We first get a sneak preview of this destiny as early as Isaiah and then it is, of course, developed fully in the closing chapters of Revelation. No follower of the Lord Jesus will be unmarried then – we will all be united to him forever (making sense of why Jesus says there will be no human marriage in heaven in Mark 12:25).

So are we really going to personally experience some form of genital union with God in Christ come the new creation? No! Worrying like this is taking the imagery too far by forgetting the fact that God in Christ will be united to his bride the church – this is a corporate union with him not an individual one. We’re not talking about any of us individually having sex with God.

But what the scriptures do seem to be saying is that no experience of sexual intimacy in the here and now is going to anything in comparison with the eternal intimacy of our union with Jesus then. So we can talk about life with him then being better than sex now.

Which is nice thought isn’t it? A nice thought for those of us enjoying sex now – you are just enjoying a small taster of what is to come. But it’s also a nice thought for those of us who aren’t enjoying any sex now – we have the great wedding banquet and the bliss that will be ours then to look forward to.

Turns out that the modern mystic-nun was on the right tracks (something that won’t always be the case!). We have sex in creation to point us back to our Creator and the prospect of being united forever to him in his new creation. We’re not going to have sex with God but we are going to enjoy a far better intimate relationship with him in Christ forever. That’s not disgusting or sick but the reason to join in the prayer the Bible ends with: “Come, Lord Jesus!” (Revelation 22:20 ).

Life in a Foreign Country

The Gospel Coalition have published an edited version of an article I wrote last year entitled Life in a Foreign Country: Navigating Our Culture’s Change on Sexuality. It ties in with a lot of what Glynn was saying at the Better Story event the other week. Have a read here.

A Prayer for Lent

He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose.

These famous words were written by American missionary Jim Elliott in his journal. Discover the story behind them in a BBC news article here.

Why we should fear the LORD?

Our series in Isaiah has kept calling us to fear the LORD and to see this as a good thing. Why? German pastor, theologian and martyr Dietrich Bonhoeffer helps us:

...the first command of the gospel. "Fear God and you will have nothing less to fear." Don't fear other people. Don't fear violence and power, even when it comes to you personally and can rob you of your life. Don't fear the high and mighty in the world. Don't fear yourself. Don't fear your sins. All these fears will die. From all these fears you will be set free. For they are no longer there. But fear God and him alone. For he has the power over all the powers of this world. The whole world is in fear of God. He has the power to give us life or to destroy us. All other powers are a mere game. God alone is real, seriously real. Fear God seriously and "give him the glory." 

Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Christmas Sermons, p.111.

A Better Story - An Evening with Glynn Harrison (22nd February)

The last few decades have witnessed a radical and far reaching transformation of western attitudes to sex, marriage, and gender. 

Caught off-guard, Christians often react defensively, rather than offering a compelling vision of their own.

Emmanuel Westbury church family member Glynn Harrison's most recent book seeks to remind us that we have a better story. It aims to help Christians recover their confidence in the biblical vision for flourishing in the sphere of sex and relationships. How can we revitalize a vision capable of winning the hearts and minds of a new generation? And what will that better story look like?

On Wednesday 22nd February Glynn will be giving us an evening to introduce us to this better story - and answer our questions.

This event will be taking place in the new Emmanuel Meeting House (Lewins Mead BS1 2NN) - doors open and tea and coffee available at 7.45pm for an 8pm start. We will have finished by 9.30pm. Do join us.

NB: Parking is only available at local multi-story car parks or on a few streets nearby. But we have plenty of cycle racks and public transport links are good.

Glynn Harrison was formerly Professor and Head of the Department of Psychiatry, University of Bristol, where he was also a practising Consultant Psychiatrist. 

He now speaks widely on issues at the interface between Christian  faith and psychology, neuroscience and psychiatry.

No, I'm not "fine thanks"

If you ask me at church over coffee how I am doing, I will probably tell you that I am “fine.”

If there is acute suffering, then I will tell you. If I have a toothache, I will tell you. If you had asked when my friend had just died, I would have told you I was not fine, and I would have told you why.

But otherwise… “I’m fine thanks”.

Except, what if I’m not? Nothing is “majorly wrong” but I’m just a bit, well… disappointed? How do I tell you that I am disappointed in my work, my family life, my church; in myself, and maybe even in God? You know the feeling. That creeping sense of dissatisfaction. A joyless weariness that colours each day. There are no words for it, no quick ones anyway. So, yeah, I’m fine...

Read on here.

Grief, the holidays, and a biblical Christmas

Does this describe you?

If we’re honest, I suspect that many of us sitting in church (not to mention those absent from church) struggle with the gap between the idealized Christmas, and the real holiday experiences of sadness, loss, or anxiety.

If so - read on  here.

Seven breathtaking privileges of being a child of God

Feeling weary today? Distant from God? Anxious? Uncertain? In this article Tim Keller warms our hearts with seven breathtaking privileges of being a child of God - as set out by Paul in Romans 8:14-17:

For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, 'Abba, Father.' The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.

 

He Came Down: Best Christmas Video

Archbishop Justin Welby tweeted: "Just watched this and can’t recommend highly enough - a whole new angle on the beauty of Jesus as one of us."

Dethroning Mammon

Is the title of the Archbishop of Canterbury's first book - which the Governor of the Bank of England was recently photographed reading on the tube...

You can read an introductory article by the BBC Religious Affairs correspondent Martin Bashir here.

You can get hold of an e-book version here.

You can order a paper copy here.

Exclusive author interview

Church family member Alice Ievins (ECC) has just had her first book published: Sarah's Footsteps. We've managed to get this exclusive interview: 

How long have you been writing for?

I have always been a writer in my spare time as it helps me unwind and I really enjoy it! I have copies of books I wrote when I was four. My first full scale novel was written when I was 11 and was about a magician's apprentice who was bad at magic. However Sarah's Footsteps is the first novel that I've got published and also the first book I've written for other people rather than myself. 

What made you decide to write Sarah's Footsteps?

I have often thought that fiction is a very powerful tool and can greatly influence our thoughts and perspectives in life. However it seems to be greatly lacking in Christian evangelism and encouragement. I have read very few good Christian fiction books and none which have encouraged me to read the Bible more. I wanted to change that. Especially when I know so many people who struggle to read non- fiction. I tried to keep Sarah's Footsteps very short (for me at least!) so that it could be accessible to as many people as possible.

I also come across the same problems again and again with my conversations with students, especially those on the cusp of becoming Christians, which make them hesitate before taking the last step. These often revolve around the lack of a sign or 'spiritual experience' which they expected from God to either prove He was true, or to show they were accepted by Him. Many student new-Christians feel inferior to their brothers and sisters in CU if they have not had special experiences or individual revelations. I desperately wanted to address that and decided to feature the book of Esther to help me.

Personally, in the fourth year of my own university experience I started to have doubts about my own faith for the first time and had a massive 'wobble' in what I believed. There was no lightning bolt moment that fixed that and it has been a gradual regain of faith, but I decided to start writing Sarah's Footsteps to help remind me why Christianity was true and what amazing things I'd seen in my uni days to confirm this.

And finally I have seen so many students come to faith both during my uni days and after. I wanted to both urge Christians at university to seize this unique opportunity to evangelise, but also encourage those far away from the uni bubble that people are still becoming Christians and that God is still moving powerfully in this country. I know so many older people who love so dearly to hear of those who have recently become Christians.

What is Sarah's Footsteps about?

The novel follows a year in the life of 'Izzy' who becomes a fresher at Bristol University. Despite having a close Christian friend in her past, she's very anti and ignorant of Christianity, mostly because she doesn't like being told what to do. At Bristol she starts to see many hypocrisies in our culture and her friends around her which make her question everything about her own identity and the way she wants to live her life. Through her flat mate Anna, a Christian who feels frequently out of her depth, and her Hall CU reps Josh and Fran, Izzy investigates the Christian faith through Bible studies and discussion. Finally she realises that Jesus' cross changes everything and that is something she wants to live by.

Who would you recommend Sarah's Footsteps to?

Anyone over the age of 15. I wouldn't recommend it to children under that age due to some of the mature themes that are discussed. It is predominantly aimed at school sixth formers, and students, but is certainly not limited to those groups. It is aimed to be both encouraging to Christians and accessible to non-Christians.

Is there anything we can do to help?

Yes! Please pray that people will use it as a tool to build up faith in others. Please also pray that it will push non-Christians to become Christians.Finally if you read it and enjoy it, please write me a review on amazon or goodreads. I am always happy to be contacted about any issues in my book that people want to discuss.

You can buy your copy here.

Living with Doubt

We touched on the whole issues of doubt in our series in Luke's Gospel yesterday. If you'd like some more help you might like to listen to this old sermon that focused entirely on the issue here.

5 Reasons You Need Fiction

I love this article over at the Gospel Coalition: 5 Reasons You Need Fiction You really do! I know I do. It ties in a lot with this observation from the English novelist Penelope Lively:

"What we have read makes us what we are - quite as much as what we have experienced and where we have been and who we have known. To read is to experience."

Penelope Lively, Ammonites and Leaping Fish, p.161. 

Praying for the US

There are two very different fronts to the White House. The reality that there are also two very different sides to the supposedly United States of America has been highlighted this morning. Let's be praying for our brothers and sisters across the pond to be united in witnessing to Christ in the midst of division and uncertainty. Jonathan Leeman serves as an elder of a church on Capitol Hill in Washington DC and has written this thought-provoking reflection on the result: The Election is Over: Let's Get Political Let's pray that his fellow American Christians share his refreshing perspective - and that we do too.

This is worth watching again (or for the 1st time)

And this Oprah profile digs deeper:

True to Form

Today (1/11) sees the launch of issue 03 of  the FIEC'S Primer journal - focusing on issues of gender and sexuality.

It includes articles on our contemporary culture, why we've been created male and female, pastoring people who define as transgender, and advice on how to raise children in an ever-changing world.

You can find out more about the contents here and order your copy here.

On My Shelf: Life and Books

It will not surprise anyone that knows me to hear that The Gospel Coalition's regular blog series with this title is something I always love reading.

They regularly interview Christian leaders, authors and academics about what they're reading, what books they'd recommend, and what the Lord is teaching them in life at the moment. I both enjoy the contributions of those I've heard of - and those I haven't. Here are some favourites:

• Karen Swallow Prior
• Kathy Keller
• Russell Moore
• James KA Smith

Happy reading!