I came across this quote from John Chrysostom(347-407) which I thought I would share.  This is a voice of the past but sadly resonates with much of the contemporary Anglican church.

You have often been present at the burning of large houses. You have noticed how the smoke keeps rising to the sky. If no one comes near to put a stop to the mischief, but every one keeps looking to himself, the flame spreads freely on, and devours everything. It may happen that the whole city will stand around; they will stand around merely as spectators of the evil, not to aid nor assist. And there you may see them one and all standing round, and doing nothing, with various individuals stretching out their hands, and pointing out to some one who may have just arrived, either a flaming brand that moment flying through a window, or beams hurled down, or a whole exterior wall forced to fall outward, and tumbling violently to the ground.
And there may be some around who are more daring and venture-some, who will have the boldness even to come close to the very buildings themselves while they are burning, not in order to lift a finger to help them or to put a stop to the mischief, but that they may the more fully enjoy the sight, being able from the nearer place to observe closely all that which often escapes those standing at a distance. If the house should happen to be large and magnificent, it appears to them a pitiable spectacle, and deserving of many tears. And truly there is a pitiable spectacle for us to behold—capitals of columns crumbling to dust, and many columns themselves shattering to pieces, some consumed by the fire, others thrown down often by the very hands that erected them, that they may not add fuel to the flame. Statues which stood with so much gracefulness with ceilings resting on them now stand exposed, with the roof torn off, standing hideously disfigured in the open air. And why should one go on to describe the wealth stored up in the house—the gold interlaid fabrics, the vessels of silver? What has now become of the storehouse of fabrics and perfumes, and the caskets of the costly jewels stored in a room the owners seldom visited? It has all become one blazing fire. Now coming in and out of the house are persons coming from their baths, cleaning persons, servants and many others. The whole house is one muddle of fire and water, mud and dust, and half-burnt beams!
Now why have I drawn out so full a picture as this? Not simply because I wish to picture the conflagration of a house, for that is no essential concern of mine. Rather I wish to set before your eyes, as vividly as I can, the calamities of the Church. For like a conflagration indeed, as if from a thunderbolt hurled from on high, a fire is blazing in the roof of the Church. Yet no one seems roused up by it yet. Meanwhile our Father’s house is burning, and we have remained asleep.…
Upon awakenening we stand gazing in amazement at the flames, but no longer able to quench the evil, or if we do quench it for a while, after a short time a spark is rekindled from a heap of ashes and begins consuming everything just as before. So it is now occurring with the Church, just what happens during a conflagration. It has already devoured the supports of the very pillars of the Church. Even the most faithful who had been supporting the roof, and who formerly held the whole building together it has enveloped in the flame. So the fire moved easily to the rest of the outer walls. Just as in the case of buildings, when the fire penetrates the timbers, it is better armed for its attack upon the stones, and when it has brought down the pillars and leveled them with the ground, little more is needed to consume everything else in flames. For when the props and supports of the upper parts fall down, the rest will speedily follow.
This is just where we are today in the life of the church: the fire has penetrated into every part.… We are no longer able to counsel those who are under our guidance, because we ourselves also are possessed with the same fever as they. We who are appointed by God to heal others, need the physician ourselves. What further hope of recovery is there left, when even the very physicians themselves need the healing hand of others?

(John Chrysostom, Homilies on Ephesians, Hom. X, NPNF 1, XIII, pp. 100–101)

A recent conference at Notre Dame explored the character of God in the OT. The line up of speakers was first class and the whole conference is available to watch on video. I will be starting off with Nicholas Wolsterstorff’s look at Joshua given that this was the topic of this weeks postgraduate seminar at Trinity College.

Click here for video

 

I downloaded the following applications for my Mac yesterday.

Tweetie: for people who use twitter

Drop Box: Store and share files online.

In previous posts I have called attention to some of the more extreme/laughable parts of Christianity. I came across this recent video exposing the more extreme side of UK Islamic scene.

Last night I watched the Panorama report about racism in the UK.  It focused on the Southmead and St Anne’s estated in Bristol.  Here is the blurb.

In a shocking insight into race hate and anti-social behaviour in our neighbourhoods, Tamanna Rahman was pelted with glass and stones and threatened with a brick during an attempted mugging by an eleven year-old boy. Her “husband,” Amil Khan, was punched in the head. Yet the head of the Government’s equality watchdog has said that having a neighbour of a different ethnic background isn’t an issue any more.

Panorama investigates the truth about racism and anti-social behaviour in Britain today.

Here is the link. I know from my experience in the Beeston/Holbeck area of Leeds that racism, particularly towards the Islamic community is rife in some areas.

The Evangelical Universalist by Gregory Macdonald (Robin Parry): After listening to a discussion of the book I decided to see for myself.

Sennheiser Sports Headphones About 10 weeks ago I stopped being a regular pipe smoker. I have taken up running. It was sow and painful at first (I could only do 3km) but now I regularly putting in a 10km run. I love it and I have discovered some great runs around bristol. I prefer running through woods rather than on the road. I listen to lectures/podcasts on my run but have already managed to trash to sets of headphones through increased wear and tear and exposure to rain. I hope these new headphones which are more rugged and waterproof will do the trick.

The Deliverance of God: Am Apocalyptic Rereading of Justification in Paul by Douglas Campbell. I am studying Mark but also want to keep up to date with some of the key texts in Pauline scholarship. This looks like one them.

Paul and the Hermeneutics of Faith by Francis Watson. A look at intertextuality in Paul and Second Temple Judaism.

Who gets to narrate our world? by Robert Webber Short worldview type book.

What were your last five amazon purchases? or book purchases?

Today I had the pleasure of sharing a few insights on mission and worldview to the members of the ‘College Green’ pastoral group at Trinity College.. This group has pioneered and developed a chaplaincy which seeks to serve and bear witness to the young people who gather outside of Bristol Cathedral. Further information can be found here. The session today was intended to provide a theoretical/theological/philosophical basis for using worldviews in evangelism. On a practical level we will be using a modified version of the UCCF worldview questionnaire to engage in discussion.

If any church or group would like me to come and lead an interactive workshop on  ‘Worldview and Mission’ then I would be more than happy to assist. There would be no charge for any group in the Bristol area and for anyone else, within reason,  I would only ask that traveling expenses be covered. If interested then just leave a comment on this post. I can get references for those who want to know that I am kosher and can communicate effectively. I have previously discussed this material at West Yorkshire School of Christian Studies, local churches and a ‘Exploring Vocations’ retreat.

The following is primarily aimed as a resource bank for the pastoral group.

My presentation can be found using the following link.

Worldview College Green

View more presentations from jonswales.

I mentioned 2 books in my presentation.

Walsh and Middleton, Transforming Vision which introduces the reader to a Christian worldview. This book, if i remember rightly, takes a look at the worldview questions.

Where are you? Who are you? What is the problem? What is the solution? Where are we going? It will be worth checking out my  mate, Mark Roques’ website who has a great page on the worldview questions and sketches out a number of answers from different worldviews.  Also check out his podcasts.

I also recommended N.T Wright’s ‘New Testament and the People of God’ which provided the story, symbols, q+a, praxis part of my presentation. This book is great and will greatly assist you in hermeneutics and study of the New Testament. It is meaty and is not directly related to mission or evangelism. If this is your first year of theological training it may be best to leave on hold for a while. I think that it would be great to try and sit down and sketch out the worldviews of some of the young people you have met. What is their praxis? symbol? story? answers to worldview questions.

If you are interested in the Christian metanarrative and a holistic understanding of mission then check out some of the audio lectures by Micheal Goheen.

In Chpater 6 Belcher analyses both traditionalists (if in UK read conservative evangelical)  and emergents. Traditionalists, emergents claim,  are in danger of reducing the gospel to individual salvation. Emergents, traditionalists claim,  are in danger of reducing the gospel to cosmic and social dimensions. Belcher encourages both sides to embrace Deep Gospel

‘The way forward is to realize that each accuses the other of reducing the gospel. The traditional church argues the emerging church has reduced the gospel to social action and the emerging church contends that the traditional church has reduced the message of salvation to individual salvation. But according to Darrel Guder’s book ‘The Continuing conversion of the CHurch’, all reductions are wrong… Guder points out that ‘our greatest priority, particularly in our theologies of salvation, should be to join the benefits of salvation with the responsibilities and call to the saved to enter into God’s mission in the world. Recognizing this truth  is the first step in moving beyond the impasse’

Here is the blurb,

The following is background by John Piper on this event and the issues being discussed. Listen to the audio or watch the video for the conversation itself. On September 27, 2009, Desiring God and Bethlehem College & Seminary hosted “An Evening on Eschatology” at the Downtown Campus of Bethlehem Baptist Church in Minneapolis. It was attended by about 800 people who sat in the darkened sanctuary while six cameras were trained on the brightly lit roundtable where the four participants sat in a circle. For two hours I moderated, more or less, a discussion among Jim Hamilton (professor of New Testament at Southern Seminary in Louisville), Sam Storms (pastor of Bridgeway Church in Oklahoma City), and Doug Wilson (pastor of Christ Church, Moscow, Idaho).

Here is the link

I am listening to as I write this post.  It took me a few miuntes to get into it but I think the conversation is well hosted by John Piper.  I would probably align myself with a position similar to that of Doug Wilson especially in his discussion of the events of AD. 70. I do have some reluctance in going with a systematic view of eschatology but my understanding of Mark 13 points in this direction.

 

Almighty God, you planted in the heart of your servant William Tyndale a consuming passion to bring the Scriptures to people in their native tongue, and endowed him with the gift of powerful and graceful expression and with strength to persevere against all obstacles: Reveal to us your saving Word, as we read and study the Scriptures, and hear them calling us to repentance and life; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.