Monthly Archive for July, 2006

Misusing the Bible

Published
by
Graeme
on July 31, 2006
in old uksalvationist posts
. 0 Comments

At what point did it become acceptable to use the Bible in advertising non-Christian products?

Yesterday as we left the corps I glanced at the airBaltic (Latvia’s national airline) adverts on the advertising board outside the hall and noticed that at the top of an advert for flights to Paris a Bible verse. I did the automatic thing and opened my Bible and there it was Exodus 20:14Open Link in New Window. Clever I admit, but not really very good in a society that has a high divorce and seperation rate, and where men seem to only be real men if they have a lot of notches on their bedpost.

Checking out the others on the same hoarding showed an advert for Manchester with a very confusing first half of Ecclesiastes 11:1Open Link in New Window. Now I lived in Manchester for over 4 years and have to admit that I do not begin to understand the connection. If someone could enlighten me I’d be grateful.

However, worst of all was the advert for cheap flights to Istanbul in Turkey. airBaltic have used the verse Exodus 1:12Open Link in New Window with thge emphasis on “But the more they were oppressed, the more they multiplied and the more they spread abroad”.

Now what you have to remember is that Turkish immigrants are seen by many in Europe as a major problem. They are deemed to be coming in and taking the jobs of hard-working local people and bringing their large families with them. For a reputable company to use this verse in their advertising is therefore playing on the prejudices of society and whilst it might be seen as clever advertising it is without a doubt racist behaviour. By using a verse from the Bible in such a way is against everything I believe.

Last night I sent an e-mail off to the person who may be able to do something, asking for their reasons for using this campaign and that they remove the posters and rethink their strategy. Will anything happen? I don’t know, but I can’t sit idlely and allow someone to abuse the Word of God in this way.

Worship as a Lifestyle

Published
by
Graeme
on July 28, 2006
in old uksalvationist posts
. 1 Comment

Cartoon by Dave Walker.
Find more cartoons you can freely re-use on your blog at We Blog Cartoons.

—

I saw this cartoon and it made me think about the whole issue of Worship as a Lifestyle. Could it be that some people just aren’t prepared to witness to their faith because of concern over what people might think of them?

The lifestyle of a Christian should reflect Kingdom values! These values are attractive and the Spirit is able to speak into peoples lives through them, thereby opening the door for the sharing of faith!

Mountains and valleys

Published
by
Graeme
on July 27, 2006
in old uksalvationist posts
. 0 Comments

It was my turn to lead morning prayers again today and as I lay in bed last night thinking about it (couldn’t get to sleep for some reason) my thoughts went to Mark 9:2-13Open Link in New Window, The Transfiguration.

I don’t know about anyone else, but for me its been a long time since I’ve had a real Mountain top experience like those you get at events like Roots and other big Christian events. That doesn’t mean to say that I’ve not been touched by the Spirit, or have felt distant from the Lord, I’ve just not had one like those you get at events.

In the story of the Transfiguration, it’s mentioned that Jesus goes up onto the mountain with the disciples so that they can pray. This was a common thing for Jesus of course, but I’m not sure the Gospels mention another occasion of Him taking any of the disciples. Up there an amazing thing happens and afterwards Peter once again opens his mouth without thinking, in fact the Bible says that “he did not know what to say, for they were terrified.” vs 6. His suggestion? That they build a tent to commemorate the experience. I might be reading more into this but it suggests that he felt that by building a tent he could somehow capture that experience he had on the mountainside.

The next story in Mark 9:14-29Open Link in New Window is probably the most telling bit about the whole experience. Jesus comes down off the mountain and meets up with the other disciples only to discover that they have failed to cast out a demon. He goes on to teach all His disciples a valuable lesson. That it is only possible to drive out that sort of spirit through prayer.

I reckon that we get the mountain top experiences once in awhile, but they aren’t the most important thing. The most important thing is that we do what Jesus did and keep in close contact with God. Yes the mountain top injection is great, but most of our work is done with people down in the valley!

Back on the waiting list!

Published
by
Graeme
on July 27, 2006
in old uksalvationist posts
. 0 Comments

Well I finally have some good news about my mum’s health. She is now officially back on the waiting list for her hip replacement operation and is right near the top. That means that she may well have the operation extremely soon and with the right physiotherapy regime will be on her feet and walking well before the end of the year!

Mum has put up with so much pain over the last few years that it’s about time something happened to take away the final hurdle! Thank you God!

PS: This post brings up my century of posts, so it’s nice to have good news to share!

Thermostatic Church

Published
by
Graeme
on July 24, 2006
in old uksalvationist posts
. 2 Comments

Martin Luther King jr once wrote:

“There was a time when the church was very powerful in the time when the early Christians rejoiced at being deemed worthy to suffer for what they believed. In those days the church was not merely a thermometer that recorded the ideas and principles of popular opinion; it was a thermostat that transformed the mores of society. Whenever the early Christians entered a town, the people in power became disturbed and immediately sought to convict the Christians for being “disturbers of the peace” and “outside agitators”‘ But the Christians pressed on, in the conviction that they were “a colony of heaven,” called to obey God rather than man. Small in number, they were big in commitment. They were too God intoxicated to be “astronomically intimidated.” By their effort and example they brought an end to such ancient evils as infanticide. and gladiatorial contests.

“Things are different now. So often the contemporary church is a weak, ineffectual voice with an uncertain sound. So often it is an archdefender of the status quo. Par from being disturbed by the presence of the church, the power structure of the average community is consoled by the church’s silent and often even vocal sanction of things as they are.”

Letter from a Birmingham Prison - 19 April 1963

In my understanding of The Salvation Army, this is what we were in the early days. Certainly when we marched into a new place in those days we were seen as a threat by those in authority. Now we hear of countries requesting our presence because of our good works and few who would try to throw us out because of the way we threaten their often oppressive authoritarianism.

We pray so often “on Earth as it is in Heaven” yet so often the Church’s response is to try to take the world’s values and impose them on the Kingdom of God here on Earth. I want to be part of a church that brings in a “Colony of Heaven” in the community that He has placed me. The only way I can do that is to galvanise people to rediscover the thermostatic role of the Church and start raising that spiritual temperature.

Let’s throw out the status quo and start disturbing the peace!

What would I do without her?

Published
by
Graeme
on July 21, 2006
in old uksalvationist posts
. 2 Comments

In just over 2 weeks Zoe & I will have been married for 7 years and its amazing how fast its gone. I cannot imagine being without her!

Yesterday and today I’ve been living her life in some ways. Zoe is off in Liepaja (about 3 hours drive away) having taken 11 children to the seaside for an overnight stay. That means I’ve been left at home with Sian, something that is normally Zoe’s domain. To say it has been a challenge is an understatement. My beautiful, wonderful and somewhat strong willed daughter seems to have decided that because I’m not her Mummy then she doesn’t have to do what I say and greets half my suggetions with “I want my Mummy!”

How Zoe copes just amazes me! She balances being Sian’s main carer with running a Children’s Day Centre. I’ve not been able to do anything else these 2 days!

What would I do without her? She is far more than I can ever express; my wife, best friend, soulmate, sounding board and so much more! To often I take her for granted, but the truth is that I love her more and more each day and enjoy her company more than anyone elses.

Pride and Prejudice

Published
by
Graeme
on July 20, 2006
in old uksalvationist posts
. 1 Comment

Over the last few weeks I’ve been watching the Church here in Latvia take an increasingly hardline stance against homosexuality and am devastated by the attitude being shown towards the gay community. Now before I go any further I want to express that my view of this issue is pretty much the standard Salvationist viewpoint as put across by the UK Territory’s official statement.

Latvian society is one of the most homophobic in the EU and the politics tends to reflect that, especially in an election year. Unfortunately, in general, the standpoint of the church seems to reflect that of society as a whole.

The main reason this is such a big issue in Latvia at the moment is that there is a plan to hold a Gay Pride march through the streets of Riga. The churches have joined together with other organisations to openly fight against this. In many ways I have no problem whatsoever about the Church opposing the march. Unfortunately the message that is coming out of these protests has been one of hate and bigotry, surely something that goes against everything the Christian faith stands for. The message is one of extreme anti-homosexual prejudice and insists on suggesting that this is as important to Latvia as the 1991 barricades that finally saw the end of the Soviet era.

The Bible calls Christians to love God and to love our neighbours as ourselves (Mark 12:30-31Open Link in New Window). Instead the very people who should be most willing to show love towards the gay community are amongst the most vocally opposed, and there is nothing that I can find that expresses the fact that God loves every person irrespective of their sexual orientation.

The situation reminds me to some extent of Martin Niemoller’s famous poem:

First they came for the Communists,
and I didn’t speak up,
because I wasn’t a Communist.
Then they came for the Jews,
and I didn’t speak up,
because I wasn’t a Jew.
Then they came for the Catholics,
and I didn’t speak up,
because I was a Protestant.
Then they came for me,
and by that time there was no one
left to speak up for me.

I’m not for one moment suggesting that there is the danger of a Nazi type regime running the country, but if the rights for free speech of the minority gay community aren’t upheld in a democracy then what other minorities can go the same way. Where do we as Christians draw the line?

The simple fact is that we do not have to sell out our moral values in order to send a message of love. Jesus showed by His response to the woman caught in adultury that it is possible to take the side of sinners and show compassion towards them, without compromising ourselves.