Last night, here at CBC, we looked at some of the issues around the EU Referendum. We tried to cut through some of the fear and the spin, and we also tried to think about how we come at this issue from a biblical perspective.
Thank you to Amanda who did a great job of presenting both sides of the debate.
Obviously there was a lot of information to take on board - most of which came from the BBC Reality Check. This is well worth a visit and you'll find lots of information about the many many issues involved.
Whilst the Bible says very little on whether or not the UK should leave the EU, it does say a lot about God and what it means to be a follower of Jesus. Often the questions being asked in this debate are the wrong questions. So part of addressing this issue from a biblical perspective requires us to ask the right questions, rather than to try and mine the Bible for answers to the wrong questions.
Is, for example, "How will I be better off?" ever the right question for a Christian to ask when making any decision?
Another helpful resource which takes a look at the main issues in the Referendum debate is "Think, Pray, Vote: EU referendum resources for churches". This 27 page resource outlines the main issues and then asks a series of questions for us to reflect on and consider. These are often not the questions the national media is asking.
A couple of weeks ago I went to a very interesting lunchtime meeting organised by the Jubilee Centre in Cambridge. Again the approach was not to try and persuade Christians which way to vote but to offer comment and reflection on how to evaluate the issues and policy options from a biblical perspective. You will find more resources on their website by clicking here.
If you would like another look at yesterday's presentation you will find it here - the BBC Reality Check is the source for all of the data given.
Monday 16 May 2016
Tuesday 3 May 2016
Dangerous currents
I don't know if you've ever been caught in a current or a tide but I am sure that it can be a very frightening and dangerous experience.
One moment you're lying back on your inflatable enjoying the sun on your face and the sound of lapping waves, and the next moment when you look up you discover that you're no where near where you thought you were and you're moving further and further away from safety. You weren't aware it was happening but you've slowly been drifting away.
Or else you're rowing or swimming towards a point on the shore, and yet it seems as though you're never going to make it no matter how hard you try - you're either making no headway or you're constantly been blown off course and having to keep on adjusting where you're headed.
On Sunday at CBC we resumed our new series in the New Testament book of Hebrews where there is a warning to pay most careful attention to what we have heard (about Jesus) so that we do not drift away - Hebrews 2:1.
The thing with drifting, certainly at the beginning, is that often we're not even aware that it is happening. And by the time that we do realise it can be too late.
Certainly when you're drifting at sea you only know it is happening if you've got some fixed reference point. If you're floating around with a group of friends on your inflatables you will have no idea whether you're drifting or not - because you'll all be drifting together. The only indication will be your position in relation to a fixed position over the course of time.
When we stop paying careful attention to what we have heard about Jesus it may not seem as though anything has changed, but there is a risk that we are slowly drifting away.
One moment you're lying back on your inflatable enjoying the sun on your face and the sound of lapping waves, and the next moment when you look up you discover that you're no where near where you thought you were and you're moving further and further away from safety. You weren't aware it was happening but you've slowly been drifting away.
Or else you're rowing or swimming towards a point on the shore, and yet it seems as though you're never going to make it no matter how hard you try - you're either making no headway or you're constantly been blown off course and having to keep on adjusting where you're headed.
On Sunday at CBC we resumed our new series in the New Testament book of Hebrews where there is a warning to pay most careful attention to what we have heard (about Jesus) so that we do not drift away - Hebrews 2:1.
The thing with drifting, certainly at the beginning, is that often we're not even aware that it is happening. And by the time that we do realise it can be too late.
Certainly when you're drifting at sea you only know it is happening if you've got some fixed reference point. If you're floating around with a group of friends on your inflatables you will have no idea whether you're drifting or not - because you'll all be drifting together. The only indication will be your position in relation to a fixed position over the course of time.
When we stop paying careful attention to what we have heard about Jesus it may not seem as though anything has changed, but there is a risk that we are slowly drifting away.
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