Steadfast March 2014

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THE MAGAZINE OF THE UNITED FREE CHURCH OF SCOTLAND

All Editorial Correspondence should be addressed to: The Editor – United Free Church of Scotland, 11 Newton Place, Glasgow G3 7PR Telephone: 0141-332-3435Email: [email protected]

N.B. The views expressed in the features, news reports, letters and book reviews are not necessarily those of the editor. Editorial comment and signed articles do not necessarily contain the offi cial views of the Church, which can be laid down only by the General Assembly.

Advertising and orders for Stedfast should be sent to: Rev John Fulton BSc., BD, The Secretary, United Free Church of Scotland, 11 Newton Place, Glasgow G3 7PR Telephone: 0141-332-3435Published by the United Free Church of Scotland. Scottish Charity SC008167

Copy is required not later than the 15th February, April, June, August, October and December, and should be written or typed on one side only.

Editorial Policy

Tribute

Flying Mission:Christmas

BiblesPages 13/14

Samaratins Purse

Pages 5-6

FEB/MA

R 2014

ALSO IN THIS ISSUE:Sweet Perfumes from Spain

More Than Gold

MAF Easter Scheme

Alastair was born and raised in Glasgow. While he was studying at the BTI (Bible Training Institute) in Glasgow he met his future wife Elizabeth. On completing his studies, for the following fi ve years Alastair worked with people who had various addictions at the Tom Allen Centre in Glasgow. In 1976 Alastair, his wife and family moved to Perth where he worked with the social work team at Perth Prison before graduating as a Social Worker. Thereafter Alastair became Tayside Region’s Criminal Justice Co-ordinator for Young Offenders. On moving to

Broughty Ferry and then to Forfar in the 1980’s, he became Community Service Organiser for the then Tayside Regional Council.

At the Keswick Convention in 1990, Alastair felt called to the full-time ministry and in 1993 completed a two year degree course in theology at New College, Edinburgh.

His fi rst charge was in Ebenezer Congregational Church in Airdrie where he served for seven years.

In 2001 Alastair was called to Dundee Congregational Church where he

served for a further seven years before his retirement. In his later years, he ministered part time in Arbroath United Free Church then in Carnoustie United Free Church.

Alastair loved to tell people about and guide them to Jesus Christ. He and Elizabeth also had a keen interest in mission work in Guinea Bissau where he visited several times.After a long and bravely-borne illness, Alastair died at home in Arbroath on Sunday, 17th November, 2013 and is survived by his wife, Elizabeth, twin sons, Gordon and Stuart, daughter Fiona and eight grandchildren.

Rev. Alastair C. Keddie 1938-2013

2 Sweet Perfumes from Spain

3/4 Reformission Scotland

5/6 Samaratins Purse

7/8 Remembering a “life with purpose” - the Dr Dugald Christie story

9/10 More Than Gold

11/12 WCC Article Responses

13/14 Flying Mission: Christmas Bibles

15 Christmas Celebrations at Darnley/Pop Up

Nativity at Cathcart

16 MAF Easter Scheme

17 Book Review

18 Elders Training Advert

19 Tributes

EditorialAs an Evangelical Church the Gospel is at the heart of our being part of Christ’s Church. You will fi nd this emphasis on mission both at home and abroad refl ected in this edition of Stedfast with articles from Reformission Scotland; More Than Gold; Mission in Spain and China; Samaritan’s Purse; Mission Aviation Fellowship; and the Flying Mission. While it is good to look beyond our own local community it perhaps becomes an excuse, like in the parable of the Good Samaritan, to overlook how God would use us to touch the lives of those around us.

Hopefully you have been encouraged by our recent articles on church planting at Destiny Church in Edinburgh. However it can be frustrating to observe God putting new wine into new wineskins while our own seem to be drying and cracking. In the Reformission Scotland article in this edition we are looking at Grace Church, again in Leith, which is a Presbyterian partnership church plant which can be best described as God mixing the old and new wine and putting the mix into new wine skins.

Christ presented the fi rst Apostles with both a vision and a mission. I trust in reading these articles that same vision and mission will be rekindled in you local church community, that you may be inspired to continue reaching out in Love with others to others in Christ.

Alastair WrightStedfast Secretary

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Contents

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9/10 13/14

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Sweet perfumes from

Our team is relatively young. The team leader and his wife arrived in Catalonia, Spain, in 2009, and the multinational team now consists of 11 adults plus children. There is a lot going on. In our town of 220,000, 14,000 of the population are North Africans that have come here to seek a better life, and in one of the districts with the highest proportions of North African immigrants, we rent out a centre where we offer classes in literacy, Spanish and English. This is a practical blessing to them, and it gives us an opportunity to make new contacts with each term of new students.

Our aim is to make as many new contacts as possible, and then develop relationships to discern who might be more open spiritually. The classes form the backbone of the work, but alongside them there are also cafés for the men and women, craft classes for the ladies, a football club for young children, and a variety of other activities throughout the year. This autumn parenting classes are also going to start. Our team leader is also keen for us to consider ways to reach those immigrants who are more settled and those who are more infl uential within their community. I’ve been teaching literacy classes to groups of ladies, and during each class the ladies hear a Bible story. This was started three terms ago. When I fi rst started, a few ladies were not

happy about listening even to Old Testament stories. It has been a test for me to fear God more than man (or woman), or to be at peace, whatever the response. “Our lives are a Christ-like fragrance rising up to God. But this fragrance is perceived differently by those who are being saved and by those who are perishing. To those who are perishing, we are a dreadful smell of death and doom. But to those who are being saved, we are a life-giving perfume.” (2 Cor2:14-15a, NLT). As we have continued, the ladies that remained invited their friends and neighbours, and now they are open and relaxed as they listen to stories from Genesis to Revelation. It’s quite something to see the reaction of people who for the fi rst time hear the story of Jesus curing a paralytic or confronted with the situation of the adulteress woman. The students take home a photocopy of the story which we hope will be read by other family members.

Another tool that we’ve used to gauge women’s spiritual interest is through henna designs. Henna is a plant whose leaves can be ground up into a powder which is then mixed with tea to form a paste. This can then be carefully syringed onto the skin, and as the paste dries, it stains the skin below. Once the henna paste dries out, you’re left with a semi-permanent tattoo. Some clever missionaries thought of using this art form to their advantage, and there now exist sets of Bible stories which

are each represented by a beautiful henna design. Why not Google it and consider it for a church festival or a CU outreach?

The men in the team don´t need to invent special activities to make new contacts; they can just go to one of the local cafés. The good thing about working with Muslims is that it s quite natural to discuss spiritual things.From all of the above activities, a few new friends have been open to meeting regularly to watch a series of DVDs specially produced for Muslims. I have only had one lady that has continued with this course. It is beginning to dawn on her that she needs to seriously consider who Jesus is. With words that refl ected Nicodemus’ attitude, she said, “If only I was twenty years younger...” Please pray for her, and that we may fi nd many more like her.

Catherine was on home leave from late August and returned to Spain in early January - during that time she visited quite a number of UF congregations. If you would like to support Catherine in her work - through prayer, giving etc - please contact the UFM offi ce in Glasgow - 11 Newton Place, Glasgow G3 7PR (they have a room in basement of Church Offi ce). Tel : 0141 353 0666 Email [email protected]

SpainCatherine, a member of our Cathcart congregation, works with migrant women in Spain. In this article, she speaks about some of the work she has been involved with over the last few years.

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for non-believers to come into. They are going to feel awkward coming into someone’s house where everyone else seems to know what’s going on and holds different convictions than they do. Even having a meal together, as we initially did, is not going to be comfortable for many non-Christian friends. In light of this, Brad House, in his book Community, talks about various other ‘spaces’ where Christians might gather that are more neutral than a Bible study. Here are some examples of how we have put these ideas into practice:

The Hospitality Space Hospitality is a biblical virtue, and something we try to practice regularly in our community groups. For example, we regularly challenge each other to share at least one of the 21 meals we eat a week with someone from our community group and perhaps one of our neighbours. This is a great way to build relationships with people both inside and outside the church, and to introduce them to one another.

Our block of 18 fl ats has been a great place to practice hospitality towards our neighbours. I am a naturally introverted person who fi nds these things diffi cult, but soon after moving in my wife helped drag me to all the doors to invite our neighbours to a housewarming party. We had been told that these blocks of fl ats were closed communities, that nobody talked to their neighbours, and that we wouldn’t get past the front door. And when we fi rst went to the doors there was initial suspicion with questions like: “What are you doing at my front door?” and “How did you get past the security system?” However, once we explained that we were neighbours, people warmed up and were happy to chat. While only fi ve people came along initially, after a few years of doing this regularly we’ve come to know over half the block. While many are still working through what they think about Christianity, it has been encouraging to see many of these friends, over a span of just 2 years, go from knowing zero Christians to 20 or more, as they interact with folks from the church around meals, televised football matches, and parties.

Now, while many people will, at a push, come to an acquaintance’s house, they are far less likely to go to a stranger’s house. So the next area we will look at which is even more

neutral than hospitality in the home is what we call a “participation space”.

The Participation SpaceThis is a neutral space that is outside of our homes and will vary depending on context. For us, this usually means restaurants and cafés, of which there are many in Leith, and that are very much part of the culture here. For example, as a community group we might meet every Wednesday for Bible study, but also meet every second Friday in a pizza restaurant and invite our mutual contacts to what is a much more natural space for them. Of course not everyone in the community group is going to make it on every occasion. But if 3 or 4 make it, then they can get to know the others’ friends over time. As another example, if someone wants to start an activity group in the church, such as badminton or running, we suggest that they join an already existing local club and form relationships there rather than forming a new group solely within the church. These local groups and activities, such as the live music scene in the area, are great places for members of the church to plug into in order to develop relationships with the wider community.

All of this is dependent on context. What this looks like in your situation will be based on the makeup of your church and the makeup of your community. Whatever your context though, the purpose of this is to encourage people in your church to engage in places of participation where contact with friends outside the church is both natural and intentional.

The Service SpaceMoving further out, the fi nal sphere of infl uence is what we call a “service space” where we seek opportunities to serve in the community. This could mean that once a month, we go out to clean up a local park, or serve at a local event. These events provide opportunities to come into contact with different people who we wouldn’t meet through our normal weekly activities. For example, Leith has an annual arts festival and gala day. Over the past 3 years we’ve gone from providing free bottled water to helping with administration and supporting events. As well as introducing us to lots of new contacts, serving at these events has also increased our reach and insight into the pulse of the wider community.

The Importance of CultureAs you can see, a large part of church planting is about forming a culture. You might go down the “fi eld of dreams route” (i.e. “if you build it they will come”), and start services as quickly as possible. But instead, we decided to take time to build our community from the ground up–discipling people to more effectively disciple others, and modelling the behaviours that we wanted our community to emulate. It is all about working to develop a culture where both authentic fellowship and compassionate outreach are the norm, not the exception.

Where are we now?We haven’t done everything perfectly, and have made plenty of mistakes along the way. But we are blessed to be in a situation where the church is growing, and members are sacrifi cing better homes, schools, and jobs in order to live locally as part of the church community. It is truly God’s Spirit working in people’s hearts and transforming their lives. Because ultimately, church planting is not about dramatic, fl ashy, innovative techniques. It is simply about the Gospel being lived out authentically in the context in which we fi nd ourselves. As Paul said in 1 Thess 2:8, it is about sharing not only the Gospel, but also our lives, with those around us–trusting God’s Word to continue to draw people to Himself.

Our Calling – Your Calling – God’s Calling?Planting a church is not always easy. At each step of the journey there are new challenges, successes, and failures. But these are always inevitable aspects of all Gospel work, and for each diffi culty there is also the knowledge that we are being given the privilege of sharing in a work that brings glory to God and sees lives changed for eternity.

We are humbled and blessed to have been used thus far to shine Christ’s light in the community of Leith, and we pray that God will continue to grow us as a church to more fully live out our calling as disciples of Christ. We are but one small group of people, but are passionately committed to seeing more churches planted across Scotland, and are praying for others to join us on God’s mission. It is exciting to think of what God’s future holds as we seek to make His love in Christ known again across our land.

In Scotland today, less than 6% attend church regularly; in Leith that fi gure is 2%. Despite this, we know that Jesus has the power to change even the hardest skeptic’s heart. That is why we planted Grace Church Leith-to make Jesus’ transformative love known to the other 98% in our area. We desire to be a Gospel community that loves, serves and engages with the city we live in. This means getting to know people, sharing our lives, and opening up our homes to those in need. As a natural part of these friendships, we pray that the good news of Jesus will be not only heard, but also seen and experienced as good by those around us.

Our prayer is for a Spiritual revival for Leith and across Scotland. Effective prayer means getting to know people, sharing our lives, opening up our homes to serve those in need. Its natural to want to share our faith - after all an aspect of true friendship is to share the good news of the Gospel. So our vision is to build a Gospel community that will love serve and engage with the community around them.

Our BackgroundMy wife and I moved into Leith in December 2009 and things moved slowly at the beginning. It was

September 2010 before we were joined by two newly married couples, but over the next 12 months we began to grow. Most of this growth was through people moving to the area for work, hearing about what we were doing, wanting to get involved, and bringing their friends along. It was all very relaxed and open to anyone-there was no singing to avoid embarrassing anyone, for example. People would come about 4pm on Sunday, and our time consisted of reading a psalm, a brief talk, chatting around a meal, and generally just developing the community fellowship. During this period we also met up mid-week to intentionally discuss what “being” and “doing” church in Leith would look like, with the church in Acts as a guideline.

We held our fi rst public service in September 2011, and over the past two years we have seen signifi cant growth in our public gatherings. This growth is entirely the work of the Holy Spirit. He has been connecting people to our community, changing hearts, and bringing the lost to faith-and not just on Sundays. As a community of Christian disciples, we hope to speak of and live out the good news of the Gospel in every sphere of our lives.

Community Groups and Spaces of EngagementWe are living in a society where most people have dismissed Christianity as irrelevant. Many describe themselves as ‘spiritual’ or ‘searching’, but have dismissed organised religion, and particularly evangelical Christianity. These people often have no desire to ever step foot in a formal church service. So how do we as a church get alongside these people to share the Gospel with them?

The key is that the church is not just a Sunday meeting or a building. The church is the people of God living out their identity as such: 24/7; every day of the week. It is because of this that Christ-centred ‘community groups’ are the dynamic core of our church ministry. The reason we use this title is that we want people to view them (like the church) as not just a mid-week meeting, but rather as the community of people that make up that group, including the whole variety of activities and interactions they have during the week.The thing is, most committed Christians are comfortable in traditional small groups that meet mid-week in someone’s house to discuss God’s Word and pray together. But this is a diffi cult space

Reformission ScotlandChrist at the heart of community

Reformission Scotland was born in 2007 out of two convictions: that modern Scotland is a mission fi eld; and that churches should embody the new life Christ brings through community. The fi rst Reformission Scotland church plant in Leith was started in 2009 under the leadership of Rev Athole Rennie, supported by his wife Rosalynd, with Grace Church Leith launching in September 2011. This is their story based on his recent workshop at Dunblane.

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“Good Samaritans”Many of you will have heard of, and possibly participated in, Operation Christmas Child (OCC) which aims to bring the hope of Christmas to all of God’s children across the world through the giving of gift fi lled shoe boxes. OCC, which started in the UK in 1990, is part of the Samaritan’s Purse organisation which is an international relief & development agency that seeks to meet the critical needs of victims of war, poverty, famine, disease, & natural disaster while sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ. This article is about this lesser known aspect of the work of Samaritans Purse & begins by asking an important question:

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Give us help from trouble, for the help of man is useless... Psalm 60:11

The hope of the cross & being his

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Who was the Good Samaritan in Jesus’ parable?“You should be like the Good Samaritan.” If you grew up in church or Sunday School, you probably heard this a thousand times. In fact, even outside the church, the parable of the Good Samaritan is used to exhort neighbourly love and concern for the downtrodden. However Jesus was asked, “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” The lawyer was, after all, seeking to “justify” himself. The context puts Jesus’ fi nal exhortation to “go and do likewise” in perspective. You must love perfectly.“ Go and do likewise” is, [however], not a word of invitation to be nice. It’s a word of condemnation in answer to the laywer’s question, “What must I do to inherit eternal life?”Far from telling the story to help us become like The Good Samaritan, Jesus tells this story to show us how far from being like The Good Samaritan we actually are! Jesus brings the hammer of the Law (“Be perfect…”) down on our self-justifying work. Jesus intends the parable itself to leave us beaten and bloodied, lying in a ditch, like the man in the story. We are the breathless bruised. We are the needy, unable to do anything to help ourselves. We are the broken people,

beaten up by life, robbed of hope.But then Jesus comes. Unlike the Priest and Levite, He doesn’t avoid us. He crosses the street - from heaven to earth - comes into our mess, gets his hands dirty. At great cost to himself on the cross, he heals our wounds, covers our nakedness, and loves us with a no-strings-attached love. He brings us to the Father and promises that his “help” is not simply a one time gift - rather, it’s a gift that will forever cover “the charges” we incur. Excerpt from “Who is the Good Samaritan” by

Tullian Tchividian (Gospel Coalition).

Jesus, who is the only Good Samaritan. tells us to “take up our cross” and “go and do likewise”. The help we would give to others has to be rooted in Christ if it is to be fruitful. We can do nothing of ourselves and in running the course God sets before us we have to persevere in acknowledging this. So while we are called to the joy of doing good works in His name - works that are to be set before men - , we have the assurance that “self” is not going to overtake us and rob us of His once and forever gift. Reading the following description of the work of Samaritan’s Purse it is all too easy to see man at work. We pray that as we are called to participate (directly or indirectly through giving) in such charitable projects we will not be overtaken or waylaid by any robbing spirit of personal or collective self righteousness; and that “self” is nailed to the cross where Christ tells us to leave it.

Samaritan’s Purse International works in over 100 countries on fi ve continents around the world. The work broadly divides into three areas:

Disaster Relief: Through the global Samaritan’s Purse family, we often respond to emergencies around the world, helping communities across the world to survive, and recover from man-made or natural disasters. We match resources to needs, personnel to situations, and capabilities to opportunities. As well as sending aid to troubled places, theDisaster Assistance Response (DART) Teams of trained staff and volunteers are on standby to respond to emergencies when they happen.In situations like the Haiti earthquake, Japan earthquake and tsunami, Philippines Typhoon, South Sudan and Syria refugee crises, we have managed the delivery of relief supplies, medicines, food and materials.

International Development - Raising Families: At Samaritan’s Purse, we believe that raising healthy, loving families is one of the most effective ways to fi ght poverty and create strong, stable communities. But in many developing countries today, millions of families are in crisis and really struggling each day to survive.

• 1.3 billion people live in extreme poverty on less than 80p a day• 870 million people go hungry every day• Farmers cannot afford seed to plant

the crops that could feed their families. Others have no land, safe water or the practical skills to lay the foundations to build a secure future for their families• In 2009, over 31 million children of primary school age in Sub-Saharan Africa were denied the chance of an education• In 2011, 6.9 million children aged under fi ve died from these preventable diseases – that’s almost 13 children dying needlessly every minute.

The Samaritan’s Purse Raising Families programme takes families living hand to mouth and often in a place of despair, to having hope and a future, becoming self-suffi cient within three years.

Samaritan’s Purse staff envision, empower and equip local churches across Sub-Saharan Africa and Central Asia to work with their community in affecting change. Together, they identify both the needs in the community and the resources they have at their disposal to improve the livelihoods of the most vulnerable children and families around the world: from safe water to productive vegetable gardens, from better healthcare to regular schooling, from business opportunities to loving families. We set the process in motion, train and equip the church, and then support them to drive their vision forward and impact the community.

Improving Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WaSH) Over 780 million people around the

world still use unsafe drinking water, while 2.5 billion people have no access to improved sanitation facilities. Preventable waterborne disease kills over 4,000 children every day … that’s three children every minute. Lack of sanitation, dirty water and poor hygiene have signifi cant repercussions beyond health: In Sub-Saharan Africa, women and children, girls usually, often have to walk hours to collect water for their families each day. Sometimes these routes are dangerous, exposing women to the dangers of rape, harassment and abuse. The time taken to collect water takes children out of school, missing out on valuable education and preparation for life.

I’ll health means breadwinners are unable to work and so families are driven further down the vicious cycle of poverty to compound lack of education and livelihood opportunities. Without clean safe water and improved sanitation, sustainable development is impossible.

Globally, Samaritan’s Purse has given over 1 million people access to clean water and sanitation. Working with churches and local communities, we help them make small but signifi cant lifestyle and technological changes so that safe water, improved sanitation and home hygiene makes a real difference – we have installed wells, water fi lters, latrines and hand-pumps, held child hygiene fairs, and provided public health education.

Samaritan’s PurseWhen Typhoon Haiyan slammed into the Philippines on Friday 8 November 2013, Samaritan’s Purse was quick to respond, sending a 58-member, multinational, Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART) of technical experts to the affected area.

The category 5 typhoon, one of the most powerful ever recorded, triggered landslides, uprooted trees, and destroyed entire communities, leaving widespread devastation in its wake. Over 5,700 people died, and more than 4.13 million were displaced.

The United Nations asked Samaritan’s Purse to take the lead on sanitation in Tacloban, one of the worst affected areas and according to the World Food Programme, Samaritan’s Purse was the fi rst Disaster Relief organisation to distribute food to people after the typhoon.

Poverty and disasters may seem fairly indiscriminate in their nature, but their impact is targeted. The people affected by most natural disasters, by armed confl ict or by chronic poverty are women and children. These are the people who are left behind to pick up the pieces; those who bear the burden of responsibility for survival, those downtrodden and oppressed by many societies. Samaritan’s Purse focuses its work on women, children and the families they represent, precisely because they are the ones who suffer the most and the ones who are so often neglected in the face of tragedy.

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Remembering a life with purpose

By Patricia JohnstonAdvisor, SCCG and Convener, UF Overseas Committee.

all the setbacks the college (now China Medical University CMU) opened with fifty students in March 1912. To this day Shengjing Hospital is still affiliated to CMU.

Dr Christie formed close friendships with Chinese colleagues and officials. A fluent Mandarin speaker, he deeply respected Chinese culture and was meticulous in adhering to Chinese courtesies and ceremonies. He devised a form of dress neither outlandishly Western nor falsely pretending to be Chinese.

Over the years he developed a theory of medical missions, which he presented to the Centenary Missionary Conference in Shanghai in 1907. Dr Christie believed that healing had its basis in the work of Christ and was thus integral, not ancillary, to mission.

Although Shengjing Hospital is no longer a Christian institution its leaders have always remained very proud of its origins. There is a permanent exhibition in the Administration Building that tells the hospital’s story from the beginning. To this has been added a life size sculpture of Dr Christie that now stands outside the building. This was unveiled at the 130th Anniversary Celebrations in

advance of an academic conference that discussed his legacy.

Although the Anniversary Celebrations were the main purpose of the visit the SCCG delegates also visited other partners and I’d like to share three highlights:

1. Over the past 4 years the SCCG has been offering training in Spiritual Care to Palliative Care Ward and Diocesan staff. As part of that programme 2 Diocesan staff and a nurse and a doctor from Shengjing Hospital came to Scotland in November 2012 for further training. In October 2013 we were thrilled to see how central Spiritual Care has become to the work of the Ward. 2. In Nanjing we attended the English Language Service at St Paul’s Church. Besides this Service 6 other Services are conducted each weekend, including 2 on Saturdays. After the English Language Service I was invited over to the newly refurbished main Church building – our Service was held in the “overflow” Hall where all the other Services are transmitted to those who can’t be fitted into the Church. This was about 12.45 and there were many people in the church – some praying in groups, some reading Scripture, some just

enjoying fellowship with one another. I couldn’t make up my mind whether these people were “left over” from the 9.00am Service or an hour+ early for the 2.00pm one.

3. In Shanghai we spoke to one Elder whose Church has an attending Congregation of 10,000 people. They have 3 Services each weekend, one on Saturday morning and 2 on Sunday. A very clear message has had to be sent out telling people that the same sermon will be preached at each of the Services – people were coming to all 3 looking to be taught in 3 different sermons!

In October 2012 the President of Shengjing Hospital, Shenyang invited members of the Scottish Churches’ China Group (SCCG) to attend the 130th Anniversary Celebration of the founding of the hospital, in 1883, by Dr Dugald Christie. Although many more important guests would be present the SCCG representatives would be in a unique situation, being the one organisation that had, until the death in May 2013 of Dr Jean Doyle, a direct link with the early days of the hospital.

Dugald Christie was born in 1855 at Kingshouse, Glencoe, the youngest child of a sheep farmer. In 1870 Dugald left his impoverished family and joined elder siblings in Glasgow, where he served an apprenticeship and entered a drapery business. Attendance at the Moody and Sankey Glasgow mission in 1874 led to a profound religious change in him. He became active in open-air and slum missions but what he really wanted was to be a medical missionary. With support from Edinburgh Medical Missionary Society (EMMS) he entered the Edinburgh Medical School in 1877 and qualified Licentiate of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh/ Licentiate of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh in 1881.

In 1882 Dugald Christie was accepted as a medical missionary by the United Presbyterian Church. He began work, in May 1883, in the Manchurian capital, Mukden (Shenyang), with the experienced John Ross.

Looking at the modern day city of Shenyang and the current Shengjing Hospital, with over 3,000 beds and Out Patient Clinics and A&E that often see 20,000 patients per day, we sometimes forget just how difficult life

was for missionaries. Besides ongoing concerns about fundraising to keep the hospital, and then college, going Dr Christie had to deal with:

• hostilitytowardsforeigners.This gradually abated, partly because of their assistance in a cholera epidemic and successful operations on government officials and soldiers. • makingtheservicesofhishospital available following the disastrous floods of 1888 and the famine and fever that followed.• theSino-JapaneseWaroverKorea in 1894–5, forcing temporary closure of the hospital. • theBoxerUprising• beingputincharge,bytheChinese Government, of plague control/ prevention following an outbreak of pneumonic plague in 1910–11. This epidemic killed his new assistant, Arthur Jackson who had only been in the country for 6 weeks at the time of his death.

Almost from the beginning Dr Christie emphasised training for Chinese associates. From the 1890s he argued that the missions should provide a medical school in Manchuria. The foreign mission committee of the United Free Church declined financial responsibility for the college. Despite

International Mission: Helping children in developing countries to experience God’s love and to discover the joy and hope ...which is only to be found through a relationship with Jesus. Operation Christmas Child is based on a simple but appealing concept – decorate an empty shoebox and fill it with carefully chosen items to send as a tangible demonstration of God’s love to a needy child overseas. Many churches that give out Operation Christmas Child gift shoeboxes will later invite the same children to take part in The Greatest Journey, a 12-lesson course that introduces unchurched children to the Gospel, helps them to develop a personal faith, and enables them to pray for and share the Good News of Jesus with their family and friends.

Is there any greater privilege than to be part of a worldwide movement that shares and expresses God’s love for humanity, and sees people being restored daily to a relationship with Him? Samaritan’s Purse helps to empower and equip churches overseas to realise this vital mission.

Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress… James 1:27 (NIV)

Footnote from Editor:I was recently called to join Team Samaritan’s Purse and am running the London Marathon on their behalf. If you would like to support the Team you can do so at:

http://ukvirginmoneygiving.com/team/Samarathoners

The Hope of the Cross and Being His “Good Samaritans”.Cont... the Dr. Dugald Christie story

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For the Glasgow Commonwealth Games ‘More Than Gold 2014’ has been established and backed by eight different denominations, including the United Free Church of Scotland. The aim of More Than Gold 2014 is to enable Christians and churches to work together to serve their communities, the city of Glasgow and the larger Commonwealth Games family. It seeks to mobilise the Christian community to provide generous hospitality, social care, outreach and active prayer, demonstrating the relevance of the church today and leaving a legacy of Christian love beyond the 2014 Games.

Homestay ProgrammeThe Homestay Programme is central to More Than Gold 2014. We are looking to recruit as many people as possible from the United Free Church to ensure this is a huge success. It involves hosting and serving a specifi c group of people during the Games. Over the past twenty years at major worldwide sporting events, Christians have hosted thousands of athlete’s family members through this programme. At the London 2012 Olympic Games, over 280 athlete family members experienced this Christian hospitality.

Welcoming strangers is a mark of Christian service and a key activity in the context of More Than Gold. That is why More Than Gold wants church members to open their houses to the

Helping your church make the most of the 2014 Commonwealth Games

Christian churches have been involved in major sporting events for more than 40 years now; however, More Than Gold fi rst saw the light of day in the lead up to the Olympic Games in Atlanta, USA, in 1996.

Since then the More Than Gold brand has been used for Commonwealth, Pan-American, All-Africa, Indian Ocean, Olympic and Paralympic Games. Glasgow 2014 has picked up the baton from London 2012 and is well on the way to ensuring that the Church here makes the most of this incredible opportunity.

relatives of those taking part in the Games.

In addition, the Scottish Government has asked More Than Gold to coordinate a similar homestay programme for the offi cial volunteers (Clyde-siders) who will be the heart and soul of delivering the Games. More Than Gold has been granted the use of the offi cial Legacy 2014 logo to help deliver this programme which is offi cially called the Volunteer Homestay Programme.

Why is hospitality needed?During past Games the cost of hotel accommodation has soared. As a result many visiting volunteers and the ‘support family’ for many athletes – their family members, team offi cials, personal coach, friends critical to their support – could not afford to stay in the host city or be present to support their family member. At the same time, many of these visitors from overseas would struggle to make the most of the experience without the practical help and care of a hospitable host.

More Than Gold

Where are hosts needed?The majority of hosts will be needed in Glasgow but we also need hosts in and around the other venues, including Edinburgh, Dundee and Motherwell.

What are the responsibilities of a host?The role of a host in the Athlete Family Homestay and the Volunteer Homestay Programmes is to:

• Pick your guests up by car at the Homestay reception centre (close by the airport or train station).• Provide complimentary accommodation and breakfast (e.g. cereal/toast and a hot beverage) for one or more guests for ten days.• Assist your guests to the nearest public transportation point each day.• Act as caring and helpful hosts to their guests.

When are Hosts needed?Hosts are needed for the Athlete Family Homestay Programme from 20th July – 5th August 2014. Hosts will be expected to provide a guest with accommodation and hospitality for ten consecutive days during this time period.

How can churches and their members apply to be hosts? It is hoped that United Free churches will make this a project for their members and work together to

deliver a programme of Christian hospitality of the highest quality, however, recruitment of hosts is on an individual basis. To apply, or for more information about the Athlete Family Homestay Programme, please visit www.volunteerhomestay.org.uk You can also contact us by emailing offi [email protected] for more information.Glasgow’s full motto is Let Glasgow fl ourish through the preaching of Your Word and the praising of Your Name. Why not sign up and make this a reality for our Commonwealth guests in 2014.

Other OpportunitiesMore than Gold 2014 is the catalyst bringing many people, churches and ministries together to ensure that together we make the most of the 2014 Games. As well as hospitality other opportunities include:

• mobilising the Christian community via the church network to volunteer and serve.• offering pastoral or chaplaincy support, including helping where possible with action in support of the social issues which will be accentuated by the Games.• hosting the party by providing quality entertainment via big screen family events in churches and their halls, Christian performing arts entertainment and other festival type events for all.• encouraging Christian communities to use the games to develop sports opportunities for children and young people through clubs, activities, schools and camps.

• supporting and equipping people to see and utilise opportunities for mission.• calling the Church to pray for the success of the event and for all those involved including athletes, organisers, support agencies such as the police, fi re and ambulance personnel, plus the wider public and the Commonwealth Games family. Catalysts cause important change to take place and More Than Gold 2014 ultimately aims to build a legacy of Christian love beyond 2014 in the City of Glasgow and throughout the commonwealth nations.

“Comm’on this is our opportunity to serve - let’s be the fi rst to volunteer and help” More Than Gold take social justice work very seriously and are liaising with organisations dealing with homelessness, prostitution and human traffi cking. Many churches in the immediate vicinity of venues plan to host Games staff, volunteers and visitors. Street Pastors are trainning volunteers as Games Pastors to assist visitors. Please volunteer!

“There are seventeen sports in the commonwealth games and as many ways to do mission. Comm’on, together we can reach the nations.” Many organisations including The Scottish Bible Society, The Salvation Army, Youth for Christ, Firestarters, CLAN, Scripture Union and Christians in Sport are partnering with More Than Gold to produce resources, training and opportunities to help people engage in mission during the Games. What could you or your church do?

“This summer our streets will be full. The nations will have come to our nation and a third of the world will be watching us. Comm’on - Let’s give them a great welcome!” More Than Gold want to see as many ecumenical celebrations as possible bringing people of all denominations together to celebrate and pray for the city and the Games. Whatever you have a heart for or want to do, we hope to have a resource, training event or opportunity for you to engage with this historic event. Please take time to visit our website and make these games, your games! Stay connected via our e-news, facebook and twitter throughout the Games and beyond and celebrate with us all God does in our nation!

Further information at:http://morethangold2014.org.uk/By post: More Than Gold 2014, 39 South Portland Street, Glasgow G5 9JLPhone: 0141 438 2319

1211

Two Responses to WCC ReportFollowing the publication of Nathan Owen’s WCC 2013 Conference Report the following letter’s have been received at the Stedfast Offi ce and are published here in full:

Letter seeking clarifi cation from Rev Ian Boa (Assistant General Secretary of ACTS)

I write in response to the article that was published in the Dec/Jan 2013/14 “Stedfast” written by Nathan Owens entitled “Report on 10th Assembly of WCC, Busan”.Whilst I welcome Nathan’s opening remarks in recognising the “honour” of being able to meet fellow brothers and sisters in Christ, I quickly felt compelled to seek clarifi cation of some of his claims contained in the remainder of the article.

Any Assembly of the World Council of Churches provides the participants an opportunity to worship, act, debate and refl ect upon many different theological points of view. Each view is earnestly held, believed to be God-given and most importantly, respected. You may not agree with the person you are speaking with but the experience of listening and trying to comprehend another’s standpoint allows the Holy Spirit to intervene and bring us to a deeper and fuller understanding of God. It may even result in a change of our own theology. Who can truly and categorically stand up and say: “I am right; you are wrong”?

Nathan’s experience at the Assembly was clearly a very challenging one for him. Having attended the Uniting Council of the World Communion of Reformed Churches, on behalf of the U.F. Church, I can sympathise with him. For me, that was a time of great blessing but also of frustration. I therefore took a great interest in Busan. Fortunately, there were live video feeds relayed on the WCC web page of the different plenaries. It was possible to experience something of the event, if only remotely. It also

allowed me to replay some of the presentations that Nathan refers to within his article:

1) The Authority of Scripture: Nathan’s quote comes from Ecumenical Conversation EC-03 Transformed by renewal: biblical sources and ecumenical perspectives. The focus was wider than indicated by Nathan’s editing. Renewal is something close to all of our hearts. The statement is trying to indicate that our differing views of scripture can get in the way of renewal. The WCC, and other ecumenical initiatives, is trying to create a space that prevents those different views becoming immovable barriers to renewal.The sermon at the close of the Assembly, referred to by Nathan, was preached by Father Michael Lapsley, Society of the Sacred Mission (an Anglican religious order), Director of the Institute for Healing Memories, Cape Town, South Africa. Within the sermon he outlined his personal journey. One that would include a letter bomb from the Apartheid state causing the loss of two hands, an eye and damaged ear drums. “God had not stepped in and said it is a bomb, don’t open it. I opened it. To me the great promise of scripture had been kept - ‘Lo I am with you always to the end of the age’. I felt that Mary who watched her son being crucifi ed understood what it was that I was going through.” He goes on to ask the question “Some would say that it all comes down to the interpretation of God’s word. For me the question is: Do we believe that Revelation ended with the closing of the Canon of Scripture or does the Holy Spirit of God continue to lead us into all truth?” Given Lapsley’s experiences in South Africa, and from his perspective, the Holy Spirit appears

to be at work in the world for the good of the world. I fi nd it diffi cult to recognise such a view as a “heresy” given that the Holy Spirit is active in every age leading us towards a greater understanding of God.

2) The Eschatological Hope of the Gospel: With regards to the eschatological stance of the WCC, may I direct you towards the Faith and Order Paper No. 151: Church and World, The Unity of the Church and the Renewal of Human Community (p.67) “5. This perspective of hope is expressed particularly strongly in the last book of the Bible, the book of Revelation. Its eschatological promise is related to every human person in his or her personal pain: “He will wipe away every tear from your eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning nor crying nor pain any more...” (Rev. 21:4). Yet not only individual persons but also human communities are seen in the light of hope. The vision of the “holy city”, the “new Jerusalem”, and, ultimately, of a “new heaven and a new earth” illuminates and instructs our responsibility and hope. This is no utopian vision. We are not the architects of the new Jerusalem; it is not a city made by human beings. It is the city of God. It is God’s voice that utters the promise: “Behold, I make all things new” (Rev. 21:5). Once this promise sets us free we can begin our pilgrim way, setting out in the direction of the kingdom without utopian illusions, yet with joyful hope. God has the fi nal word. The future belongs to God. The fi nal judgment is God’s.” The WCC does not make any assumptions. It only points to the Sovereignty of God. Similarly, I do not assume that I am a “sheep or a goat”. I live in the hope that, by God’s grace, the faith He has given

me will be suffi cient when I stand before Him. I don’t do so out of fear of condemnation but in awe of the grace and mercy He shows me. I pray continually that my response, my journey of faith, will be suffi cient.

3) The Uniqueness of Jesus Christ amongst World Religions: The fi rst speaker referred to by Nathan was Prof. Dr. M. Din Syamsuddin, M.A. He is the President of Muhammadiyah (a long standing Islamic organization in Indonesia) and also President of the Religions for Peace Asia. He was invited as a guest to attend the Unity plenary and spoke in response to that invitation. He stated: “Christianity and Islam together with Judaism, are from the same root, the Abrahamic Faith. Therefore, despite their differences, especially in theology, with each having it’s own way to conceptualizing the Almighty God, there are many similarities between Islamic teachings and the teachings of Christianity... It is much better for us to fi nd our common work in order to face our common enemies... such as poverty, illiteracy, injustice, discrimination, violence and terrorisms and many other forms of the opposite of peace.” It is clear that Prof Syamsuddin was not describing a “united religion” that denies Christ, but was calling for us to emphasise our similarities, whilst acknowledging and respecting our different theologies, for the sake of peace.

In conclusion, the WCC web site states “The WCC brings together churches, denominations and church fellowships in more than 110 countries and territories throughout the world, representing over 500 million Christians and including most of the world’s Orthodox churches, scores of Anglican, Baptist, Lutheran, Methodist and Reformed churches, as well as many United and Independent

churches. At the end of 2012, there were 345 member churches.” I regard that as a remarkable achievement and thank God for the participation of the United Free Church of Scotland within such an endeavour. There must always be a place for dialogue between Christians. That place is special since it allows different views to be honoured and heard; a place where the Holy Spirit can guide and prompt; a place where we support and strengthen our commonalities and learn from our differences. We have a particular perspective that should be heard, but if we want people to hear us, we must be willing to listen and engage with others so that through the action of the Holy Spirit we would be led into a deeper understanding of God. We therefore should always be looking to expand our ecumenical engagement as we follow the Gospel imperative of Jesus “that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you.” John 17: 21.

Letter of support of Nathan report. from Alice C Cartledge.I confess to a feeling of unease when it was revealed at the Assembly in June 2013 that Nathan Owens, our newest minister, had been chosen to represent us at the WCC assembly in Seoul. I wondered how a young, inexperienced man would cope with the high powered churchmanship of world wide ecumenism.

I am humbled and delighted now to be able to see God’s hand in that choice! Nathan’s report in Stedfast (January 2014) is outstanding. Inexperienced in some fi elds he may be but he is clearly a man of the Word; his understanding of Biblical precept and teaching is clear, uncompromised and uncompromising. I have seldom read such a clearly expressed and soundly based critique of the contradictions within the WCC’s membership, teaching and posturing. How glad I am that Nathan scratched beneath the surface and uncovered for us people in the pew just how muddled and iniquitous the WCC is. How well he has identifi ed the double speak of statements whose integrity is belied by the Council’s actions. How well he has identifi ed the rejection of Jesus as the only Way to God. How well he has spotted that the WCC is not a powerhouse for Christians worldwide but a cosy conglomerate of many shades of opinion - and some of those are disparate! It appears that the WCC is not guilty of a simply laissez faire attitude to belief and morals but rather of a denial (albeit often implied if not stated) of the Biblical principles underpinning the Christian faith and life. Ecumenism, originally designed to live out the oneness of Christians for which Jesus prayed, appears to have become an embracing of any and every religion, philosophy, and social theory. I am left wondering like Nathan, how we can continue to be part of this organisation which is better at sidelining the gospel than preaching it.Thank you for making Nathan’s report available to the rest of us.

13 14

50 Good News English Bibles will shortly be given to the ‘Sedibeng Sa Lorato’ project (translates “Well of Love”) in Gabane, which provides bible teaching, life skills education and counselling to over 70 children (many of whom are orphaned or vulnerable). Also 12 children’s bibles have been reserved for the Rerotlhe Day Care Centre and its neighbouring primary school in the remote cattle post community of Seherela; these will be used in lessons with the children (many of which are orphaned or vulnerable).

Flying Mission’s presence at the clinics and the bibles given were positively received by patients and staff a t the clinics. One patient said, “What you have given us is even more important than the food we eat ... We shall eat of it day and night” in response to receiving a Bible. Another said, “The Bible is a very precious gift ... we are

going to use it. We don’t have a Bible in the house.” The ARV clinic bible distributions were organised by Flying Mission Care Ministries and took place between Monday the 16th and Wednesday the 18th December 2013. Each clinic commenced with a worship song at around 7:20am. This was followed by a prayer, a scripture reading and a short devotional message presented and translated by members of the Flying Mission team. After a brief introduction by the team to our purpose for coming, they distributed Setswana and English language bibles to the patients. What a privilege to be allowed into the clinics to give the gift of God’s word!

Flying Mission has for many years distributed Bibles at the Princess Marina Hospital at Christmas but this year, as the hospital had received a large donation of Bibles from another source during November, it was

decided we should distribute Bibles elsewhere. This is what led us to distributing at the ARV clinics this year. This prospect became even more exciting to us with the realisation that there would be greater opportunities to follow up and build relationship with patients receiving Bibles as they regularly attend the same clinic. We have been especially encouraged by the positive response from the Ministry of Health to our coming as well as staff at the clinics; there is a clear desire from them for this to be more than a one off activity and would like to see it grow. The only criticism expressed across the 6 clinics was; “We need more Bibles” and this was often followed by the question “When can you come again?”

This brought to mind a devotional reading that had been used during the Flying Mission prayer time a couple of days earlier. The devotion

Christmas BiblesThe congregation of Balintore UF church enjoyed a time of rich blessing throughout their Communion Season from Thursday, November 14th to Sunday,17th. Mr Ralf Kellett-Smith (Thursday), Mr Jim McAlpine (Friday) and Rev John Fulton (Saturday and Sunday) conducted the services giving the congregation much to think about. In addition to being helped to see communion in the context of God’s eternal covenant and of Jesus the living Bread, we were challenged about regularly confessing our sin to God, committing ourselves wholeheartedly to Him and trusting in Him completely. On Friday the Session Clerk, Mr Robert Allan, welcomed Jackie and Lorna Vass into membership on profession of faith. Jackie and Lorna are well known in the church and the villages and there was great joy as they took this public step of faith. We are grateful to God for giving us such a rich time of teaching and fellowship to inspire and encourage us in our Christian walk and witness.

Communion Blessings at Balintore

Four new elders were Ordained in Ardeer U.F. Church on Sunday 15th December. In the absence of our Minister, due to illness, the service was conducted by Rev. Gordon Cowan and the interim Moderator, Rev. Colin Brown, who carried out the Ordination. The new elders are Mr. John Totten, Mrs Janie Beattie, Mrs Nancy Cowan and Mrs June Rankine. We pray God’s blessing upon them as they carry out their duties.

New Elders at Ardeer

Flying Mission:

Flying Mission would like to thank the United Free Church of Scotland for its support of the Bible distribution project enabling us to purchase over 300 bibles (a mixture of Setswana, English and children’s Bibles). So far 250 bibles have been distributed to patients across 6 ARV clinics in Gaborone (these clinics provide specialist treatment and medication to patients with HIV/AIDS).

was based on John 4:35, “I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest”, and challenged us that the crops may no longer be ripe in the field but ‘rotting’ because no one has come to harvest them. The response from patients, their desire to have a bible, for people to explain how to read it, and for regular devotions at the clinics shows the harvest is ripe and we need to take action to ensure this is harvested and not left ‘rotting in the field’.

Flying Mission Care Ministries is considering possibilities for following up with patients they have already engaged with and ways to expand the programme and to link it with with other ministries so that they can reach more people, not just with the gift of scripture but also with support and help as they engage with it, perhaps explore Christianity for the first time or are seeking to grow in their faith,

knowledge and understanding.

Please pray for the patients who received Bibles that they would read them, come into relationship with God and/or grow in that relationship. Please pray for the Flying Mission Care Ministries team as they seek to discern how best to follow up with patients, develop relationships with them and the clinics, and how best to take the programme forward.

We want to again express our thanks to the UFCS for supporting this project which is enabling many to be blessed through the gift of God’s Word.

1615

In December the folks at Darnley were busy in and around the local area. We started by holding lunchtime advent services every Friday prior to Christmas. As we have two Nursing homes nearby and we visited both where we held two separate carol services in each for the residents and staff. On Saturday 15th we had our annual

Carol Singing event outside Roukenglen Garden Centre. We picked a wild and windy day but 21 of the congregation and children sang their hearts out to the generosity of customers and we raised £ 150.00 for our chosen charity “Mary’s Meals”. The Children participated in the Family service on Sunday 22nd and they gave us a modern sketch about the story of the Wise Men when they came to visit Jesus with their gifts, they then sang us a song about the journey. We also had musical items and readings throughout the service by the children.

On a blustery Christmas Eve we were able to annoy the local community

with our carol singing around parts of Darnley, every year money is thrown at us in plastic bags and tubs from the nearby fl ats and we never know if it’s in appreciation or to get rid of us. The money we raised at the Carol singing and the Watch night service was £210.00 and sent to the Philippines Disaster Emergency Appeal. During December we also managed to fi t in a Christmas Gift Coffee morning, a Sunday school party and a Candlelight Carol service.

We thank our Lord that he gave us the opportunity to worship his name and bring the birth of his son to the local area in so many ways and places.

by Elizabeth McNaughton

So much of what we do in our churches is behind closed doors and at Cathcart we felt it would be good to take the church into the community at Christmas. There were two events when this happened.

The fi rst was singing carols in the local supermarket but not with the intention of raising money! Instead, sweets were offered to folk as they came in and out of the store along with a little card inviting them to services in local churches. Some people tried to ignore the singers because they

thought they were looking for money but their attitude soon changed when they were offered a sweet!

Then there was ‘Pop Up Nativity’ in the local park when the Christmas story was presented as people moved around the park and several carols were sung. The park is surrounded by houses and people were watching from their windows, perhaps thinking these Christians were crazy to walk around the park on a cold afternoon or perhaps made to think again about the Christmas story!

.

Pop Up Nativity at Cathcart

For nearly 70 years MAF has been using light aircraft to reach people living in some of the world’s most isolated communities.

The Key word in Mission Aviation Fellowship is the word Fellowship; We fellowship with a whole host of partners, in fact almost 1500 mission agencies depend on MAF being there, the likes of World Vision, Compassion, Tearfund & OXFAM, household names that depend on MAF; in some of the harshest environments known to man.

MAF in Scotland are currently running a project called ‘Fuel for Life’, what is fuel for life though? From the Western perspective it can be so much more different than of those in the developing world. In our case it is often the need for more ‘stuff’, newer car, bigger TV that second holiday…

however for those in need fuel for life is a different kettle of fi sh altogether. It can be anything from seeing the doctor, the dentist, clean water, shelter and this list goes on and on. One of the greatest fuels for life is love, just knowing that people care enough about you to make sure that you do have enough to eat is fuel for life.

However as a Christian organisation we want to make sure that isolated communities have exposure to the greatest ‘Fuel for Life’, exposure to the Gospel. We take this message of hope and of love as part of every cargo MAF fl ies and this is what our ‘Fuel for Life’ campaign is all about, fuelling lives and fuelling futures requires MAF to put physical fuel in our tanks and with an annual fuel bill exceeding $6,000,000.

We believe that the Lord will provide for us but we are also acutely aware that we have to do our bit and inform the Christian community of our ministry and ask them to stand with us both prayerfully and practically.

Easter Scheme

at Darnley

Christmas Celebrations

MAF – Fuelling Life’s, Fuelling Futures…This year’s Easter Scheme, is to support the work of MAF (Mission Aviation Fellowship). We invited Andrew Martin, MAF in the Community Manager, Scotland to introduce their Fule for Life project.

2014

If you want to know more or request a speaker for one of your church gatherings please email: [email protected] or call 0141 332 5222

17 18

Review by Ian Shering

Helping people to think biblically and theologicallybelief in an age of scepticism By Timothy Keller Hodder and Stoughton : isbn 978 0 340 97933 4: £8.99

The Reason for God

At fi rst sight the title of the book sounds strange but as you read the title starts to have a real meaning.There are three sections in the book. 1. The introduction. This gives the rationale behind the book 2. Part 1, The leap of doubt 3. Part 2, The reason for faith

The introduction states the author’s journey from an inherited faith to a personal vital one. From a camp which was passionate about social justice but was morally relativistic to one which though morally upright didn’t seem to care about the oppression going on all over the world. Both seemed wrong.

Through a long struggle he found the answers to many of his problems and he went into the ministry, founding a church in the unlikely place of, as he terms it, “of sceptics, critics and cynics.”He maintains that society is becoming both more and less religious at the same time. Keller maintains that perhaps all people should attempt to examine their beliefs. We should look at doubt in a new way. Acknowledge and wrestle with it. Doubt is regarded like the body’s antibodies against disease, only by examining our doubts can we build up spiritual antibodies against the sceptics. Christians should learn to look for reasons behind their faith but also sceptics must learn to look for a type of faith hidden within their own reasoning.

Part 1

As his church was in a culture of scepticism, Keller examines the questions he is most commonly asked by people he comes across. These are often given as the reason the questioner cannot accept the Christian faith. They are given, more or less, in the order of their frequency. Question one is one we have all heard. “There can’t be just one true religion.” He starts by asking, “What can we do about it? Do we Outlaw religion?” He quotes Alister McGrath as saying that the greatest paradox in human history is that the greatest intolerance and violence was practised by those who believed that religion caused

intolerance and violence.” The fi rst part ends with “How Christianity can save the world.”Other common chestnuts are examined but it is done in such a way that the argument are logical and well reasoned, such that they can be used to discuss with any sceptic. He does not quote scripture at them there is no point, they don’t accept the authority of scripture.

The other questions covered are; •HowcouldagoodGodallowsuffering,•Christianityisastraitjacket,•TheChurchisresponsibleforsomuchinjustice,•HowcanaLovingGodsendpeopletohell?•SciencehasdisprovedChristianity,•Youcan’ttaketheBibleliterally.

Part 2

This part takes faith from the opposite angle. He starts with the chapter, The Clues of God. Arguments for and against the existence of God. Again it is well presented, well argued and in terms which could be very usefully used in any discussion.

Other chapters are:- •TheKnowledgeofGod,•TheProblemofSin,ReligionandtheGospel,•The(True)storyoftheCross,•TheRealityoftheResurrection,•TheDanceofGod:(Thisisapoeticlookatthe relationship of love within the Trinity, essential for a God known as the God of Love) •TheEpilogue,Wheredowegofromhere?examination of where you are going as a Christian.

This is book is a great resource for the common hot potatoes thrown at Christians, frequently by people who have not thought them out themselves. People often just quote them because they have heard them and think they are “conversation stoppers” This book shows how to use them as conversation starters! If you have any interest in presenting the gospel to sceptics, this is the book!

RUTHERFORD HOUSE

INTRODUCING:

ELDERS TRAININGRutherford House is launching a new training course aimed at equipping and resourcing church elders. � e course, which will be held over a few days in the coming 18 months, seeks to help elders to think biblically and theologically to enable them to exercise their ministry e� ectively.

Elders and church leaders are welcome from all denominations.Please come to one of the following introductory information evenings (no booking necessary) to � nd out more.

For more information contact: [email protected]“...equipped for every good work” 2 Timothy 3:17

Edinburgh - Palmerston Place Church - Friday 7th February 2014Aberdeen - Gilcomston Church, Union St. - Friday 21st February 2014Glasgow - St. George’s Tron - Friday 7th March 2014Stornoway - Martin’s Memorial Church - Friday 28th March 2014Inverness - East Church, Victoria Drive - Friday 4th April 2014(All evenings start at 7.30pm to 9.00pm)

WHEN & WHERE?