It was just a week ago today that I was at the Alpha Day for Church of Scotland ministers. Here is my final post on themes from that day.
Further to an earlier post on evangelism and Alpha - here. I turned the page and found another very helpful note of the final point, evangelism as community.
The new community into which evangelism welcomes us, and others, welcomes us into a set of new relationships:
with God > > > > Adoration
with others > > > Belonging
with creation > > Compassion
with self > > > > Discipleship
with words > > > Evangelism
One of the great and highly visible signs of human sin is our broken relationships. Only through reconciliation with God and the renewal of our lives in the likeness of Christ can we enter into the joy of new relationships.
Graham Tomlin finished off the day by speaking of his present work at HTB in the St Paul's Theological Centre and the St Mellitus College in London. St Paul's was started as a theological centre within HTB offering biblical and theological resources to members of the congregation and others. Having proved successful the centre united with St Mellitus and is offering ordination training within the Church of England which is focused upon keeping those being trained within the local church.
Graham, having spent 16 years teaching theology in Oxford recognised the disjunction between training in a secular university and service in local church.
To prepare candidates for ordination the vision is that they be prepared within the church and by the church for service through the church to the world. What a wonderful vision for ministry preparation and formation.
The one question I have is why do we not have something similar in the Church of Scotland? Why do we continue sending candidates for ministry to be trained by non Christians in godless universities? This is a time for radical change - well here's one I think is long over due.
Showing posts with label Graham Tomlin. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Graham Tomlin. Show all posts
Thursday, 29 April 2010
Tuesday, 27 April 2010
Evangelism is sharing our faith
In his second address at the Alpha Day on 22/4, Graham Tomlin spoke about the theology of Alpha.
Graham joined the Alpha team just 4 years ago, which is perhaps 10 or 12 years after the first Alpha courses were held. It was interesting to see that his theological analysis of Alpha as a means of evangelism was systematic, historical and biblical.
Evangelism is, I think, sharing our faith with the aim that the person we are sharing our faith with will come to know Jesus for themselves as Lord and Saviour.
Lesslie Newbigin wrote, 'The test of our real belief is our readiness to share it with all peoples.'
How many of us prefer to study, to read, to write, to reflect, to think about our faith? Do we really believe if we never engage in evangelism?
How many of us choose only to share our faith with people 'like us'? Where do we draw boundaries? I won't share my faith with her, I don't want to end up sitting next to her in church. I won't share my faith with him, I've already decided he will never believe? If we don't share our faith with all peoples do we really believe it?
1. Evangelism as hospitality.
2. Evangelism as cenounter.
This is about more than an intellectual encounter, the idea is that our encounter with God should be emotional, heart felt, physical (worship, sacraments).
3. Evangelism as catechesis.
ok forgive the big word but Graham used it first!
As those not Christians are taught they become Christians. But what is taught? Doctrine, behaviour (how to live as a Christian), spiritual practices (worship, prayer, bible reading, meditation).
4. Evangelism as community.
No one is evangelised and then sent out on their own to follow Jesus. We are all evangelised into the new community of the church.
Lot's to think about here. How does our evangelism compare?
Graham joined the Alpha team just 4 years ago, which is perhaps 10 or 12 years after the first Alpha courses were held. It was interesting to see that his theological analysis of Alpha as a means of evangelism was systematic, historical and biblical.
Evangelism is, I think, sharing our faith with the aim that the person we are sharing our faith with will come to know Jesus for themselves as Lord and Saviour.
Lesslie Newbigin wrote, 'The test of our real belief is our readiness to share it with all peoples.'
How many of us prefer to study, to read, to write, to reflect, to think about our faith? Do we really believe if we never engage in evangelism?
How many of us choose only to share our faith with people 'like us'? Where do we draw boundaries? I won't share my faith with her, I don't want to end up sitting next to her in church. I won't share my faith with him, I've already decided he will never believe? If we don't share our faith with all peoples do we really believe it?
1. Evangelism as hospitality.A key theme in Alpha is welcome and relationships, this is also true of the gospel. Graham reflected this theme found in the Incarnation and the Trinity. He shared this icon of Abraham at Mamre with us:
2. Evangelism as cenounter.
This is about more than an intellectual encounter, the idea is that our encounter with God should be emotional, heart felt, physical (worship, sacraments).
3. Evangelism as catechesis.
ok forgive the big word but Graham used it first!
As those not Christians are taught they become Christians. But what is taught? Doctrine, behaviour (how to live as a Christian), spiritual practices (worship, prayer, bible reading, meditation).
4. Evangelism as community.
No one is evangelised and then sent out on their own to follow Jesus. We are all evangelised into the new community of the church.
Lot's to think about here. How does our evangelism compare?
Make the gospel attractive
Here is some more from Graham Tomlin's first address at the Alpha day last week.
A response to the crisis facing the church - see earlier post here - has been:
1960's/70's - a liberal response - let's change the gospel. Robinson and Hick and others.
1980's/90's - let's change our technique - music and power point.
Niether of these help address the crisis.
Many today would echo the words of the late John Diamond, 'I'm happy not believing'.
The challenge to the church is well framed by Blaise Pascal, 'Make it attractive, make good men wish it were true and then show that it is.' How do we make the gospel attractive? Can we do this without treating those who don't believe disrespectfully? Is the only way to evangelise to first create dissatisfaction with a present way of life?
The charge of hypocricy against Christians bites because often our words about the gospel promise much, but what is promised is not delivered in changed lives. We need to learn how to live different lives that commend the gospel and provoke the question, 'What does this mean?' Acts 2.
A response to the crisis facing the church - see earlier post here - has been:
1960's/70's - a liberal response - let's change the gospel. Robinson and Hick and others.
1980's/90's - let's change our technique - music and power point.
Niether of these help address the crisis.
Many today would echo the words of the late John Diamond, 'I'm happy not believing'.
The challenge to the church is well framed by Blaise Pascal, 'Make it attractive, make good men wish it were true and then show that it is.' How do we make the gospel attractive? Can we do this without treating those who don't believe disrespectfully? Is the only way to evangelise to first create dissatisfaction with a present way of life?
The charge of hypocricy against Christians bites because often our words about the gospel promise much, but what is promised is not delivered in changed lives. We need to learn how to live different lives that commend the gospel and provoke the question, 'What does this mean?' Acts 2.
Monday, 26 April 2010
A Church in Crisis
This post isn't about the present state of the Church of Scotland, although we clearly are a church in crisis!
Following up on comments by Graham Tomlin from last week's Alpha day, the church in crisis is the church in Northern and Western Europe and North America. That is not to say the church elsewhere is not in crisis, it's just that their's is a different crisis.
Graham identified two problems:
1) There is a cultural aversion to evangelism.
A fragmenting society prizes tolerance above all else and despises conversions and converts. The pluralistic nature of our contemporary society creates a built in bias against anyone trying to convert or change anyone else to their point of view.
2) There is a cultural aversion to Christianity.
Many in our communities believe that they know what Christianity is all about, that it has been tried and has been found wanting. They may be willing to try out other lifestyle or worldview choices but are hard wired against Christianity.
I think (1) is correct, we encounter this all around. This cannot be allowed to keep us from the work of evangelism. In a world of drowning people who don't want to be saved we are called by the King who loves the world to keep on throwing out life jackets and showing others how to put them on.
(2) is also correct, and wrong at the same time. What people think of as Christianity isn't. Even those with some memory of a childhood knowledge of Christianity have got it wrong. And many more don't even have a childhood memory of the gospel any more. The challenge then is to display Christianity in new ways, angular ways, subversive ways that will get under the radar and impact lives for the gospel.
Following up on comments by Graham Tomlin from last week's Alpha day, the church in crisis is the church in Northern and Western Europe and North America. That is not to say the church elsewhere is not in crisis, it's just that their's is a different crisis.
Graham identified two problems:
1) There is a cultural aversion to evangelism.
A fragmenting society prizes tolerance above all else and despises conversions and converts. The pluralistic nature of our contemporary society creates a built in bias against anyone trying to convert or change anyone else to their point of view.
2) There is a cultural aversion to Christianity.
Many in our communities believe that they know what Christianity is all about, that it has been tried and has been found wanting. They may be willing to try out other lifestyle or worldview choices but are hard wired against Christianity.
I think (1) is correct, we encounter this all around. This cannot be allowed to keep us from the work of evangelism. In a world of drowning people who don't want to be saved we are called by the King who loves the world to keep on throwing out life jackets and showing others how to put them on.
(2) is also correct, and wrong at the same time. What people think of as Christianity isn't. Even those with some memory of a childhood knowledge of Christianity have got it wrong. And many more don't even have a childhood memory of the gospel any more. The challenge then is to display Christianity in new ways, angular ways, subversive ways that will get under the radar and impact lives for the gospel.
Saturday, 24 April 2010
Thanks for a great Alpha Day
The Alpha for Church of Scotland ministers day yesterday was really great. It was good to meet up with some old CWW friends, some UNO friends and hopefully some new friends.
Graham Tomlin, Principal of St Paul’s Theological Centre and Dean of St Mellitus College in London was the key note speaker, and he was excellent. One of the best conference speakers I've heard in a long while. During the day he spoke on 1) developing a provocative church; 2) the theology of alpha, and 3) the work of St Paul's centre/St Mellitus college and the training of lay people and ordinands that has developed in these institutions. Watch out for other posts on these themes.
After too many weeks with too many meetings about managing the church and managing decline it is good to be at a meeting where the focus was upon meeting and communicating the gospel with non-Christians, if only we all did more of this.
Graham Tomlin, Principal of St Paul’s Theological Centre and Dean of St Mellitus College in London was the key note speaker, and he was excellent. One of the best conference speakers I've heard in a long while. During the day he spoke on 1) developing a provocative church; 2) the theology of alpha, and 3) the work of St Paul's centre/St Mellitus college and the training of lay people and ordinands that has developed in these institutions. Watch out for other posts on these themes.
After too many weeks with too many meetings about managing the church and managing decline it is good to be at a meeting where the focus was upon meeting and communicating the gospel with non-Christians, if only we all did more of this.
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