Monthly Archives: July 2023
Book review: In the Midst of Much-Doing: Cultivating a Missional Spirituality
Listening to God, experiencing God, leads to a new way of seeing the world – a new vision that genuinely pays attention as only the contemplative can. Central to this is the need to listen to and learn from the voices of the poor.
Knowledge of Things Unseen
I’m just a low grade mystic / Kneeling beneath an empty sky
Growing Pains: Saul, Stephen and the scattered saints
Most Christian believers acknowledge Pentecost Sunday as the Church’s birthday. Luke’s treatise, the Acts of the Apostles, records the ‘birth’ and early experiences. In a previous issue John Kidson shared part of his ‘discovered’ journal of an apparent younger follower. The ‘discovery’ continues.
Growing Pains: Saul, Stephen and the scattered saints
Most Christian believers acknowledge Pentecost Sunday as the Church’s birthday. Luke’s treatise, the Acts of the Apostles, records the ‘birth’ and early experiences. In a previous issue John Kidson shared part of his ‘discovered’ journal of an apparent younger follower. The ‘discovery’ continues.
Europe Today: Does the Fairytale Still Live?
It is the Number One global tourist destination. Italy, France, Spain and Britain are key destinations. Among other contributions, Europe not only gave the world fairytales but became one itself. Does the fairytale still live? Here are some key takeaways from a recent, multinational trip to Europe.
For the Western world, it is the ‘mother continent.’ For the entire world, it has become the number one tourist destination: Spain, France, and the United Kingdom are all top contenders. For my wife and I, it was a dream come true: a twenty-four-day whistle-stop tour of ten European countries: Spain, France, Switzerland, Italy, Austria (whose signpost regrettably states that they don’t have any kangaroos), Hungary, Slovakia, The Czech Republic, The Netherlands, and Germany. Having recently returned from the ‘trip of a lifetime,’ here are some important takeaways.
Europe: Ever-Popular
Our journey was in June when summer begins and the weather warms (if you don’t like the heat, try Europe in May. July and August are hot). Despite taking a big hit on tourist numbers during the Covid pandemic, foreign visitors are flocking back en masse, perhaps more than ever to make up for lost time. It is almost like an invasion, particularly in places like Venice. Fellow travellers included Britons, Americans, and, yes, Australians (I recognised one man as an ‘Aussie’ just by looking at his face alone. Which leads to the question: What does an ‘Aussie face’ look like?).
India-based Indians are travelling in increasing numbers. This was not the case thirty years ago but when India jettisoned socialism for free market reforms back in the 1990s, it acquired something it never had before – a middle class. Now these Indians have discovered global mass tourism and they are travelling in increasing numbers. Also, we encountered Saudi Arabians throughout the trip. By far, the most charming of them all was Muhammad of Jeddah, age twenty-five, who escorted his conservative mother through Berlin and Prague.
Even though more and more non-westerners are coming to Europe on tour, remember that the Indians, Arabs, and much of the world have been influenced by Westernisation. So they gravitate to the same popular tourist sites as everyone else. Our witty guide in Germany, Pamela, commented that most tourists to Berlin come looking for two things: Nazis and the Berlin Wall. They soon discover there are ‘no Nazis’ and ‘no wall’ (except for a small fragment).
Is Europe Still a Fairytale Place?
Growing up in the United States and close to the Los Angeles International Airport, I dreamed of visiting ‘fairytale Europe.’ What does this mean? A fairytale is an idealised story where the scenery is stunning and good people are very good, but evil people are utterly horrible. No worries – there is a supernatural side that can help save the day from the bad guys. In the fairytale, the courageous hero is often undergirded by magic (for the Christian, it is a submitted believer empowered by the Holy Spirit). The result is that the good guys win and they live ‘happily ever after.’
Europe gave us fairytales in the first place. Many came from the Brothers Grimm of Germany, who wrote famous stories like Cinderella, Hansel and Gretel, Little Red Riding Hood, Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, The Frog Prince, Rapunzel, and Rumpelstiltskin. Also from Germany was the legendary pied-piper who came from Hamlin, which is a real place.
The birthplace of fairytales became one itself. Here was my notion of ‘fairytale Europe:’ a castle on every hill, a cathedral on every street corner, and an art museum in every suburb, where the building itself is also a work of art. The sound of classical music could be heard in the streets. The European population is highly cultured and intelligent, speaking at least four languages fluently. They live happy, free and prosperous lives. To be European is to be a semi-aristocrat, having leisurely cake and coffee for morning tea and a box of chocolates on the bedside table.
Is that what Europe is really like?
‘No’ … and ‘Yes.’ Life in the real world is tough and many in Europe are not happy, let alone happy ever after. Part of the issue is the extent and frequency of massive change, like a tsunami, hurricane, and earthquake in quick succession. At the start of the Great War of 1914, Europe was ruled by empires: Russian, Austro-Hungarian, German Reich, Ottoman, and British. Four of these empires were wiped off the map at the conclusion of the war. The Great Depression followed by the Second World War pushed the continent to the edge. It was rudely divided by the Iron Curtain during the Cold War and the standoff between the American and Soviet superpowers almost brought the world to nuclear Armageddon. The Europe of yesteryear – Mary Poppins’ Europe – is long gone. Challenges abound including a dangerous Ukraine war with a nuclear-armed Russia, uncertain energy supplies, riots in France, inflation, green politics, immigration, and more.
And yet — despite all this — the rich cultural, artistic, linguistic and architectural legacy remains, not to mention the stunning scenery. Switzerland was an outstanding example in this category with sky-high mountains of the Swiss Alps cascading to the beautiful lakes below. On the steep upper slopes cling little villages. How do they drive their cars there? What happens to them when the winter snow comes?
What do we do with these historical, cultural, geographic and spiritual ‘souvenirs’ if the ‘fairytale is over?’
Europe’s Christian Heritage
In the first decade of this century, the European Union wrote a draft constitution. The pope at that time urged them to make mention of Christianity as part of European identity. They refused. The drafters, many of whom were secular humanists, balked at acknowledging Christianity as part of Europe’s heritage. Even the Museum of European History in Brussels in 2018 failed to mention the role of Christianity in European history. However, they did have a display of the Phoenician goddess ‘Europa,’ where the continent supposedly got its name. She is known for riding upon a white bull; compare this with what we read in Revelation 17:3.
However, even casual observation shows that the finger and footprints of Christianity are everywhere on the Continent. Whether it’s Westminster Abbey in London, St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome, the magnificent Cathedral of Cologne, St. Stephens of Vienna, and many more, these buildings highlight the Church’s prominent role in Europe. There is the sacred music, artwork, place names, and centrality of the church in the life of the villages and cities. With such evidence in abundance, in every country we visited, no one on tour could have credibly or reasonably objected to calling Europe a ‘Christian continent.’
Yes, there has been a decline in church attendance over the years (2% in the continent, 5% in Britain). Ideologies, world wars, and materialistic modern living have all taken their toll. Yet there are signs of new life in the continent with young people coming to church and special events, a rise in the number of baptisms and church planting, all these are evidence that God is not finished with the ‘mother continent.’
By all means, visit Europe if you can and enjoy all that it has to offer. But remember it is not just a place of castles and culture: it gave us missionaries, theologians, reformers, Bible translations, and revivals. By God’s grace, Europe’s best days are yet ahead.
The post Europe Today: Does the Fairytale Still Live? appeared first on Teach All Nations inc..
Jesus’ Jerusalem: History of Jerusalem Part 04
It was among the most critical days in the life of this ancient city. The long prophesied Messiah, Son of David, had come to the City of the Great King. Though it rapturously welcomed Him on the Palm Sunday triumphal entry, the city crucified the King of glory a few days later. What can we learn about Jesus and Jerusalem? They have a soon-coming future appointment.
He was born a Judean but raised a Galilean. The first thirty years of His life were spent in an obscure village with less than three hundred inhabitants. Because of Him, His hometown has grown to 78,000 today. Regarding His famous ministry, it was also Galilean-based by the shore of what is now the most famous body of water in the world, the Sea of Galilee.
Yet our King, Saviour, and Lord – Jesus of Nazareth – had an appointment in Jerusalem. Indeed, He had several but the most important one occurred at the end of His natural life. While His visits to Jerusalem were occasional, they were also notable.
These visits started when Jesus was eight days old; the time of His circumcision and then presentation to the Lord at the temple in Jerusalem. A simple sacrifice was offered of a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons. While the sacrificial side of the visit was routine, some extraordinary things happened. A man named Simeon was told that he would not die before seeing the Lord’s Christ with his own eyes. He prophesied that the infant would cause the fall and rising again of many in Israel (see Luke 2:21-35).
After Simeon, came an old prophetess Anna, daughter of Phanuel, from the obscure tribe of Asher. She pointed to this same infant as the means of redemption in Jerusalem – which was accomplished nearly thirty-three years later.
Jesus’ next recorded visit was when He was twelve years old. His family took Him to Jerusalem for the feast of Passover. When they returned to Nazareth, unbeknown to them, He stayed behind with the theological doctors, listening to them and asking questions. He astonished everyone with his words. Then the curtain descends between Jesus and Jerusalem and we hear nothing more for eighteen years. At the age of thirty, at the Jordan River, the Triune God – The Heavenly Father, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit made their visible public earthly debut at the site of John the Baptist’s ministry.
Remember that much of Jesus’ public ministry was done along the western, northwestern, and northern shore of the Sea of Galilee; from Magdala on the mid-western shore to Bethsaida on the Northeast corner of the lake. The eastern shore was Gentile country; hence, the herding of swine and the deliverance of the Gadarene demoniac. The southern half of the western shore was the area of Tiberias. Built by ‘that fox’[1] Herod Antipas on an abandoned cemetery, good Jews refused to live in Tiberias. There is no record of Jesus visiting the city, despite its proximity to His ministry headquarters.
When Jesus did miracles in Galilee, they were universally celebrated and acclaimed. Duplicate the miracles in Jerusalem and the Lord received, at best, a mixed response. There were those who reacted just like the people of Galilee, yet others became resentful, hardened and hateful. His popularity in Jerusalem was not helped by the cleansing of the temple at the early part of His ministry (John 2:13-22), with another round after His Palm Sunday entry into the sacred precincts just days before His crucifixion.
Another example of the mixed response to miracles occurred in the sheep market at the pool of Bethesda (John 5) where a man with an infirmity of thirty-eight years. Jesus came to him and commanded that he rise, take up his bed, and walk. Immediately, he was healed and was able to comply. Only one problem: it was the sabbath day. The Jewish elite was highly offended, not impressed, by this powerful miracle. They viewed it as a violation of the Sabbath. The healed man went out of his way to tell them that his healer was Jesus; from that point, they persecuted the Lord until the time of His death. A similarly mixed response happened when Jesus healed the blind man at the Pool of Siloam; the whole of John 9 is devoted to this miracle and the controversy surrounding it.
This mixed response, love-hate, double-minded attitude by Jerusalem towards Jesus was fully manifested in the last week of His life. During the Palm Sunday entry into the city, the crowd rapturously welcomed him. They called Him the ‘Son of David,’ which was tantamount to recognising Him as the Messiah – the Anointed One – and coming king. This was a threat to the current ruling Jewish religious establishment and the Roman occupying authorities. Jesus took time from the adulation to view the city of Jerusalem and weep, knowing its celebration of Him was brief, its soon-coming rejection of Him deadly, and its own destruction by Rome was a few years away.
A second cleansing of the temple and strife-riddled arguments with the scribes and Pharisees, the communal temperature was raised to boiling point. His enemies would not rest until He was destroyed. Within a few short days, Jesus would be betrayed, arrested, tried, convicted, mocked, humiliated, then crucified and buried in a new but borrowed tomb. Three days later He rose from the dead. The city of His crucifixion and ratification of the New Covenant in His blood also became the dissemination centre of the glorious gospel of salvation to the ends of the earth. As it says in Luke 24:47: And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. So from the city where it all began, in the fullness of time, He will return.
TO BE CONTINUED
[1] Luke 13:32
The post Jesus’ Jerusalem: History of Jerusalem Part 04 appeared first on Teach All Nations inc..