Category Archives: Theology

Christianity Explored in Poland

Christianity Explored Update from Rico Tice from Stephen Sizer on Vimeo.

A series of videos recorded at the Orle Gniazdo Conference Centre near Beilsko Bala in Southern Poland during a training conference for church leaders. At the SzukajacBoga conference, Rico Tice launched the Polish edition of Christianity Explored. For more information on the Polish ministry see szukajacboga.jesus.net/

Rico Tice Launches Christianity Explored in Polish from Stephen Sizer on Vimeo.

Rico Tice on One to One Evangelism from Stephen Sizer on Vimeo.

Rico Tice on a Biblical Strategy for Evangelism from Stephen Sizer on Vimeo.

The Identity, Mission and Call of Jesus from Stephen Sizer on Vimeo.

Szukajacboga Christianity Explored from Stephen Sizer on Vimeo.

The first time I visited Poland was in 1977. As a young missionary with Campus Crusade, I went to help evangelise and disciple young people through the Oaza movement (Light and Life) within the Roman Catholic church. But I was arrested within minutes of entering the country. It was dawn and as we were leaving the station at the border crossing with Czechoslovakia, I saw a beautiful steam engine. The rays of sunshine were piercing the clouds of steam. But as I extended my camera out of the open window to capture the picture, I was seen. There was a loud whistle. The train screeched to a halt. It reversed back into the station. On rushed the guards. They entered our compartment, took my passport and camera, removed the film and exposed it. I got off with a warning but it fuelled my passion to take photos of Polish trains (I took some last weekend too). The venue for that project was Beilsko Bala in Southern Poland, the very location for the launch of Christianity Explored in polish. The following year (1978) I returned for the Summer to help with the Oaza camps which by then involved thousands of young people right across Poland.

In 1984 when a curate in St Leonards, Poland came under Russian martial law. Conditions were bleak and so six of us drove three trucks of medical supplies, food and clothing to Poland via West and East Germany for distribution through churches like St Stephen’s Katowice. On that occasion we were kicked out of the country (thankfully on the way home) for not having had our documentation correctly stamped by the authorities. They thought we were working with Solidarity.

Little Town of Bethlehem

Little Town of Bethlehem, the Trailer, EGM Films

Sami, Ahmad, Yonatan come from radically different backgrounds in a land of unending war. Yet, against all odds, including some within their Israeli and Palestinian communities, they are able to find common ground. They walk a path of nonviolence struggle in lockstep with Martin Luther King and Mahatma Gandhi. For them courage is found not in taking up arms, but setting them down once and for all and extending a hand in peace.

From the award-winning team that brought you End of the Spear (2006) and Miss HIV (2007) comes director Jim Hanon’s latest documentary, Little Town of Bethlehem. Unscripted and unrehearsed, discover the humanity lurking behind an ancient cycle of violence.

Featuring: Sami Awad, Ahmad Al’Azzeh, Yonatan Shapira. Music Produced by: Kirk Whalum. Film Design by: Mike Galloway and Mark Arnold. Produced by: Mart Green. Written, Directed and Filmed by: Jim Hanon. Feature running time: Approximately 77 minutes. This film is rated PG-13, Some material may be inappropriate for children under 13, for some violent and disturbing images.

This is a ‘must see’ film.

The Mystery of the Church: Ephesians 3

The Mystery of the Church: Ephesians 3 from Stephen Sizer on Vimeo.

The billboard and TV adverts exhorting us to obtain a Sky HD box in time for the World Cup proclaims: “50 million believers”. Imagine…. I don’t mean England winning the world cup. That will take more than a miracle. No, I mean, imagine Britain with 50 million believers. What would it be like to live in a country where 85% of the population are believers?

50 million believers. Would there be less crime? Fewer burglaries? Less vandalism? Lower stress levels? Less domestic violence? Fewer divorces? Less drug addiction? Lower suicide rates? Fewer abortions? Less child abuse? Lower terror threats? Fewer police? Less social workers? More security? Stronger marriages? Greater harmony? Happier people? A more desirable place to live? Heaven on earth? Possible? Achievable? Could the change of government last week achieve it? I wouldn’t hold your breath. But could the Spirit of God do it working through 5 million believers and around 40,000 churches in the UK?

How many people do you know well? In your circle of family, your friends, your work colleagues, your neighbours? I bet you know at least ten people well enough to have an honest in-depth open conversation about what matters most in your life. At least ten people that should be on your prayer list, your watch list, your Christianity Explored invitational list, your ‘please come with me to this special event’ list.

You see when Christ ascended to heaven, having died to save the world, he entrusted that message to eleven ordinary men.

The fate of the world, humanly speaking, rested in the hands of those eleven 1^st Century men. What did he tell them to do? “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” (Acts 1:8)

Let me ask you. Has the assignment changed in 2000 years? Do we have the same Holy Spirit that they received on the Day of Pentecost? So what has changed? When you think of ‘church’ what comes to mind? On a spectrum of community groups where would you place the church, say between, Wentworth golf club and say a… Taliban training camp in Afghanistan? I can guess which you would feel most comfortable in, but which is closest to the biblical church?

I’m not talking about methods. I am talking about vision, about dedication, about intentionality, about impact, about sacrifice. If you asked a Taliban leader what his vision is, what do you think he would say? They want to bring the whole world into submission to Almighty God, obedient to the Law of God.

And they are waging a war, a literal war against those they deem as decadent, immoral, disobedient and unbelieving. While we totally repudiate their methods, do we not long to live in a world where at the name of Jesus every knee should bow? Voluntarily? Willingly, freely, joyfully, in grateful thanks for all Jesus has accomplished for us in his death in our place?

Then what are we doing to achieve it? If you are not sure, read my paper on the Christian Jihadist which I gave in Toronto last weekend at a gathering of evangelical and Muslim leaders.

The church is the hope of the world. The only hope of the world. It was true on the Day of Pentecost. It is true today. Please turn with me to Ephesians 3 and lets consider three simple, memorable reasons why you should value your Church – if you want a closer walk with Jesus, if you want to fulfil God’s purposes, if you want to change the world.

1. Come because Jesus is here (3:1-5)

2. Come because the end is near (3:7-11)

3. Come because his family is dear (3:6, 12-13)

Evangelicals and Israel: A Review

Evangelicals and Israel: The Study of American Christian Zionism: Stephen Spector
Oxford University Press (2009)

After decades of reluctance to address this deeply controversial issue, in recent years there has been a veritable avalanche of books critical of the Christian Zionist movement. Authors include Grace Halsell, Don Wagner, Timothy Weber, Victoria Clark, Dan Cohen-Sherbok, Naim Ateek, Gary Burge, as well as two books of my own. It is perhaps therefore not surprising to find a growing reaction among Jewish Zionists who have begun to come to the defence of their Christian allies.

Stephen Spector’s work is representative of this genre of Jewish apologists, which includes Paul Merkley, David Brog, Shalom Goldman and Gerhard Falk. Their agenda appears to be to justify a strand within Christian Zionism that is neither popular nor representative of evangelicalism as a whole, but which nevertheless plays a strategic role within the Israel Lobby.

The book purports to be the story of American evangelical Christian Zionism. It is a good read, as one should expect for a Professor of English. It would be more accurate, however, to describe it as the story of political Christian Zionism as represented by organisations such as Eagles Wings, Bridges for Peace, Christian Friends of Israel, Christians United for Israel and the International Christian Embassy. These self appointed para-church organisations have publically disavowed both proselytism among Jews as well as apocalypticism, based on a reductionist interpretation of the Bible. They are primarily lobby organisations, advocating on behalf of a Zionism among churches and in Washington among politicians.

While critical of both evangelistic Christian Zionism (such as Jews for Jesus) as well as apocalyptic or dispensational Christian Zionism (such as Hal Lindsey and Tim LaHaye), Spector reserves his strongest criticisms for evangelicals who oppose Zionism on theological grounds.

So, although Spector interviewed over 70 Evangelical and Jewish Zionists in the course of his research, he relies on anecdotes and paraphrases to portray the views of those he deems ‘liberal’ or ‘modernist’ who regard biblical Zionism as an oxymoron. The chapter addressing criticisms of Christian Zionism is therefore one of the weakest and least convincing.

It is simply untrue to say that evangelicals who oppose Zionism “are closer to liberal mainline Protestants than to most conservative born-again Christians,” Academics at the bastions of evangelicalism in the USA, such as Fuller and Wheaton, repudiate Christian Zionism just as much as their counterparts in Europe. John Stott, the ‘father’ of evangelicalism, is not alone in describing ‘Christian Zionism’ as ‘biblical anathema’.

If evangelicalism is defined by the centrality of the gospel, the necessity of a personal faith in Jesus Christ, in the authority of the Scriptures and in the verbal proclamation of the gospel to all nations, it is actually Christian Zionists who, having reinterpreted the gospel and disavow proslytism, are closer in spirit to mainstream liberalism rather than conservative evangelicalism.

It is therefore not surprising that it is in assessment of the biblical and theological presuppositions of Christian Zionism that the book is probably at its weakest. While strong on dialogue with Jewish and Christian Zionists, there is little evidence that Spector understands the theological presuppositions and tenuous biblical basis for the various strands of Christian Zionism. He is reassured that none of those he interviewed tried to convert him and that evangelical Zionists can share the gospel in acts of kindness toward the Jews rather than through proselytism. This is not evidence of the orthodoxy of Christian Zionists, just the opposite.

While Old Testament Bible verses are occasionally quoted without context to demonstrate that Zionism is biblically rooted, it is the evangelical critics of Christian Zionism, according to Spector, who ‘unfairly’ quote ‘the biblical prophets to attack the modern state of Israel’.

The fundamental question Christian Zionists avoid is whether the coming of Jesus Christ was the fulfilment or the postponement of the promises God made to Abraham? Which is central to the New Testament – Jesus or Israel? Ironically, Christian Zionists are portrayed as the new Zealots. Like their 1st Century forebears, they are trying to impose a Jewish kingdom by force, something Jesus repudiated. Spector cites, for example and without comment, Jack Hayford as promising, “if the Israelis need soldiers, he and his Pentecostal congregants will fight side by side with them.” Portraying the modern state of Israel as God’s chosen people on earth, the role of the Church is therefore reduce to providing dubious justification for Israel’s colonization of Palestine.

While ostensibly a book about evangelicals, it soon becomes rather tiresome when, in any debate or disagreement posed, it is always Zionists who are given the last word. So, for example, in a dismissal of Walt and Mearsheimer’s definitive work on the Israel Lobby, Spector defers to Alan Dershowitz suggesting the author’s claims “are variations on old anti-Semitic themes of the kind found in the notorious czarist forgery The Protocols of the Elders of Zion and in Nazi literature.”

Conversely, Spector gives ample space to some of the worst examples of Islamaphobia. There is a deep paranoia regarding the motives of Arabs in general and Palestinians in particular. He refuses to see that Israel could be, in any way responsible, partly or otherwise, for the perpetuation of the Middle East conflict. They are always, in his words, “the victims of injustice, not the perpetrators.”

Disappointingly, for a book with 82 pages of notes and indexes, there is no conclusion or summary chapter. It is as if the publisher has left it out by mistake or needed to reduce the word count. Whatever the reason, the book is weaker for it.

Instead, the last chapter is given to an assessment of the influences on George W Bush’s Middle East policy. Here Spector tries to downplay the impact of the Israel Lobby. Without really explaining why, he would have us believe there is “broad and deep support” for Israel in America because “that position is politically sound and morally just, not because of political pressure or influence” from evangelicals. Ironically, he gives the last sentence in the book to Hal Lindsey.

If first impressions count, the eulogy on the back cover from Abraham Foxman, National Director of the Anti-Defamation League, must surely be the kiss of death to any work claiming to be balanced or objective. One surprised Cambridge academic did ask me rhetorically, who on earth could have possibly vetted the book for Oxford University Press? One wonders. But then it is worth remembering that it was the Oxford University Press who published (and still publishes) the first Christian defence of Zionism, namely the Scofield Reference Bible.

Evangelical Christians and Muslims Engage in “Bridges of Faith” Conversation

Evangelical Christian and Muslim scholars and religious leaders met May 13-15 in Toronto for the fourth in a series of “extended conversations” between the two faith traditions. The dialogue, titled “Foundations of Our Faith: Religion in the Public Square,” is part of an ongoing effort to “reach out across the religious boundaries despite the recognized differences in some of our essential religious beliefs,” according to organizers.

The conference was organized around the framework of the “five pillars” of Islam. Muslim scholars presented papers on each of the pillars and other key concepts, paired with a complementary paper by Evangelical Christian scholars. One panel, for instance, focused on “Hajj in Islam” and “Pilgrimage and Religious Geography in Evangelical Christianity.” Another panel addressed “The True Meaning of Jihad in Islam” and “Taking up the Cross in Evangelical Christianity.”

The invitation-only dialogue group, called “Bridges of Faith” (www.bridgesoffaith.org), has been sponsored by the World Islamic Call Society. The group first met in Chicago in 2007, followed by gatherings in Tripoli, Libya, and at Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, California.

Participants in the Evangelical-Muslim dialogue came to Toronto from the Middle East, Europe, and from across North America, and from institutions including the Hartford Seminary MacDonald Center for the Study of Islam and Christian-Muslim Relations, the Islamic Society of North America, and the Arab Team for Muslim-Christian Dialogue, as well as from Fuller Seminary, Wheaton College, the Arab Baptist Theological seminary, North Park University, and other institutions.

Keynote speaker Dr. Richard Mouw, president of Fuller Seminary, affirmed the importance of Muslim-Evangelical Christian dialogue and commended the focus of the conference on the five pillars of Islam as a basis for conversation at this conference.

Mahmoud Ayoub said of the gathering, “As Muslims, we do this in response to the Quran’s call to all humanity to submit to the One true God.” Dr. Ayoub is professor of Islamic Studies and Christian-Muslim Relations at Hartford (Conn.) Seminary.

“As Evangelical Christians, we do this in emulation of Jesus, who through his teaching and life invited all of humanity into a relationship with God that transcends any single religious institution,” said co-convener Dr. Don Wagner, Executive Director of the Center for Middle Eastern Studies at North Park University in Chicago.

Jesus and God’s Gift of Grace: Ephesians 2:1-10

Ephesians 2: Jesus and the Gift of God’s Grace from Stephen Sizer on Vimeo.

Gentle natured Gregory, passed into eternity, aged 69, forgotten and alone in a cell of the women’s jail in Dade County, Miami. Married four times with six children he had once been a celebrity and successful paediatrician. But Gregory succumbed to alcoholism and his license to practice medicine was suspended. Haunted by self doubt and unable to live in the shadow of his father, he had died known as Gloria in a women’s jail, in high heels, a transvestite. When he was just 19, Gregory’s father blamed him for his mother’s death from cancer and did not speak to him for ten years before killing himself in precisely the same way Gregory’s grandfather had done before him.

In 1953, Gregory’s father wrote a short story about a Spanish father who tried to be reconciled to his son who had run away from the family home to Madrid. Now remorseful, the father took out an advert in a national newspaper “Paco meet me at Hotel Montana noon Tuesday, all is forgiven, Papa.” Paco is a common name in Spain, and when the father goes to the square he finds eight hundred young men names Paco waiting for their fathers. Gregory’s obituary even appeared in the Times Newspaper because he was the youngest son of Ernest Hemingway. Father and son, Ernest and Gregory knew all about the destructive power of what Philip Yancy calls “ungrace”.

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China Overture

China Overture II: 7-16^th April 2010

China is the world’s most populous country and also the most rapidly urbanizing nation on earth. That’s why I was eager to participate in the Spring 2010 Bakke Graduate University tour of China. The focus of the BGU China Overture was on urbanization and the challenges of Christian mission in China following the Cultural Revolution. The religious policies of the Peoples Republic of China, along with exposure to registered churches and non-registered churches, seminaries and NGOs were analyzed through face to face contact and firsthand experience.

Hong Kong, Macau, and Shanghai were visited. Hong Kong was a former British colony. Under the British rule, Hong Kong developed into a world class city. Since the change of sovereignty back to China, the churches are reorientating themselves in the light of the new challenges and opportunities. Macau was a colony of Portugal, a Catholic enclave where Robert Morrison first landed and then began the modern missionary era in China. Shanghai is the largest commercial centre in China, adopting with great enthusiasm, the free market economy in a communist country. Shanghai is also the power centre of the Christian Church in China.

Questions we raised during the China Overture include:

1. How do you effectively engage the diverse development of cities within China, and the ministries arising from that development?

2. What are the essential differences between a missiology for the city, and a theology of the city?

3. How do we celebrate the “whole church of Jesus Christ” when congregations and leaders are so incredibly different?

4. What does it mean for urban churches in China to be signs of and agents for a Kingdom agenda?

5. How do churches ministering in the context of poverty work without falling into the “charity trap,” or are they?

6. How do leaders sustain themselves as Christians when the culture is not so favorable?

7. Is the incarnation our model as well as our message? What is the difference?

8. How are churches handling pluralism in worship, leadership or other aspects of community life?

9. Specifically in Macau, how do the Protestants witness in a Catholic society with gambling as the main source of income for the city?

10. How are you preparing yourself for globalization? How are you accommodating to the fact that more than 80% of the world’s Christians are non-white, non-western and non-northern? How is Christianity being re-defined in China?

11. What are the real issues facing pastors in these strategic cities?

Day 1: Wednesday 7^th April
Our first full day in Hong Kong. We are staying on Noah’s Ark. That’s right. Noah’s Ark is an imaginative multi-million dollar creation-based theme park built around the blue print God gave Noah for the Ark in the Book of Genesis. The hotel inside the Ark is run by the YMCA. My bedroom window and patio looks out over the deck of the Ark. The perspective is rather surreal. I wake up to see animals, frozen in the act of departing the open door of the Ark. Above us is not a rainbow but a giant motor way bridge connecting Ma Wan Island with Hong Kong Island. The Ark looks as if it has come to rest under the bridge on the island as the flood receded. Maybe this is the real Mount Ararat. Apparently, in the present economic climate, Noah’s Ark is doing better that Disney over on Lantau Island. The YMCA have a big presence here, with 50-60 different centres, they employ around 1500 staff in Hong Kong. Twenty four churches are accommodated in other YMCA buildings around Hong Kong.

Most of the other participants of BGU’s China Overture are studying for a Master’s degree or PhD. They are expected to undertake two overseas trips, such as this one as part of their course. We represent churches and mission agencies drawn from the USA, China, France, Holland, Nigeria, Kenya, Ethiopia, Ghana, South Korea, Myanmar and the Philippines.

After an orientation morning in a local church school (50% of schools in Hong Kong are church schools), we visit the Urban Peacemaker Evangelistic Fellowship working on the Po Tin Estate in Tuen Wan in the New Territories. China is about 5 miles away to the north. This government built estate houses around 30,000 urban poor in 8,000 housing units in high density tower blocks with 30 or more floors.

The UPEF employ six staff who care for around 1,500 of the poorest families. We spend some of the afternoon visiting families and a homeless shelter for men. Everywhere is very clean and orderly. One resident is heard to say “Are you the Christians who have come to talk to us?” We visit one lady living alone in a flat just big enough to put a bed and set of drawers. The kitchenette is large enough for a sink and portable stove. The toilet is, well, small. The flat is crowded as four of us try and squeeze in with her, three on the bed. It is tidy because she has very few possessions and typically eats just one meal a day. She has a handmade cross on the back of her door. She is pleased to show us and share her testimony.

First impressions? Hong Kong is a colourful, bustling, densely populated, polluted, international 24/7 city that never sleeps. I wonder if this is because it is afraid to fall asleep and wake up to find it has lost its cherished independent status within China. Young people I talk to are afraid of China and what life is like there (they mention crime, etc). The reality is many of the youth of Hong Kong will never leave the colony. The official title of the government here gives a clue to its fluid if ambiguous status. It is called “The government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China.” I am glad I don’t have to have that written on my business cards.

Many of the shops are still open at midnight and the trams, buses and MTR run well into the early morning. The air is heavily polluted, which, combined with high humidity and hundreds of open cafes and restaurants, makes for strong, pungent aromas as well as a sticky existence day and night. Air conditioning in some of the shops is heaven.

Day 2: Thursday 8^th April
Hong Kong has 7 million residents. Christians represent only 6% (475,000 registered) but church based agencies provide 60% of social welfare provision, 50% of schools and 20% of hospitals. There are 1,250 churches in the former British colony and 400 Christian para-church organisations, many of which operate in mainland China. After a morning learning about the history of Hong Kong and the Christian presence here, we visit a ‘Missional church’ which has a marketplace ministry among Hong Kong’s business community. Supper is in a revolving rooftop restaurant with stunning night scenes of Hong Kong.

Day 3: Friday 9^th April
Today we visit a group of former teenage drug smugglers and addicts on Lan Tau Island, Hong Kong. The drug problem among Hong Kong’s young has been growing at an alarming rate. Social workers and academics speak of encountering addicts as young as 9 and point out that there were 8,306 reported psychotropic drug users in Hong Kong. The most popular drug among the young is ketamine, an animal tranquilizer produced illegally on the Chinese mainland and in Hong Kong.

The Christian Zheng Sheng Association （基督教正生會有限公司） was founded to help drug addicts in 1985. The Chinese characters “Zheng Sheng” (正生) mean, “repent to live”. And independent surveys show that 90% of the teenagers who spend up to three years in the school do indeed repent and break free of their addiction. In the world of drug rehabilitation this is unheard of. What makes this work unique however is that it is the only project for child addicts in the whole of Asia and costs half the amount of money spent on equivelent projects among adults.

Children as young as 11 who have been charged with possession, smuggling or use of drugs are sent to the school by Hong Kong Social Services or assigned by the Juvenile Court. Zheng Sheng also take children from other Asian countries as far away as Thailand and Indonesia. Christian Zheng Sheng College bases its drug rehabilitation therapy on creating a climate of mutual respect and self-reliance. No pharmaceutical products are used in the treatment.

There are presently 115 pupils cared for by 35 full time staff who share the same facilities as the children just like an extended family. The facilities are very basic because most of the investment is made in the future of the teenagers who learn to excel in sports, technical skills and further education. Most have little problem finding jobs when they graduate. Detoxification is the easy part. Pupils typically stay for three years during which time they learn to become children again. The focus is on the future not the past, and on developing life skills that will make them attractive to future employers. It is the only young person’s drug rehabilitation centre in Asia and takes teenagers from many other countries.

Alman Chan Siu-cheuk, is Principal of Christian Zheng Sheng College. He is one amazing guy. Not without its critics, Christian Zheng Sheng is an amazing testimony to the transforming power of God’s love found in Jesus Christ. For more information see Wikipedia and also this article from the People’s Daily. If I were younger, I would apply to work here.

Day 4: Saturday 10^th April
Today we catch the jetfoil to Macau, the former Portuguese colony, across the Pearl River Estuary. Smaller than Hong Kong, Macau has nevertheless become the Las Vegas of China. The government benefits from a healthy 70% tax on the casinos. The port of Macau aspires to be the Monte Carlo of Asia, complete with a Le Man’s look-a-like race control tower. It comes close. The bridges that seem to span the horizon link Macau to Taipa.

There are also 12 universities here, including a tourism college, funded from gambling profits. Nobody complains. Chinese students are allowed to study here (unlike Hong Kong which is still kept at arms length for fear of corrupting the youth). Macau is becoming a training centre for Chinese leaders. Campus Crusade for Christ has a strong presence here. Lunch is in the University of Macau student union and it brings back vivid (read ‘bad’) memories of my own long forgotten student days. We soon regret it. It is claustrophobic inside and raining outside.

In presentations later that afternoon in the University, we learn a lot about life in China and the contrast between rural and urban life. China is now a mix of socialist constitutionalism and relatively free market capitalism. There are, for example, 50 different airlines in China competing with each other. With a population of over 1 billion, there are only 78 million Communist party members and most are government workers (who have to be members). There are a further 35 million members of the Communist Youth League. There are, however, estimated to be over 100 million religious believers which include Buddhists and Muslims. China is hardly a secular state. In Macau there are 70,000 migrant Chinese workers in the construction industry. It is hard to see where they can be hidden (housed) in such a small place.

In the early evening we visit a casino – we are told – in order to observe and make notes on how business is conducted, who the clientele are and who works in the industry. The casino is one of several Disney castle-like structures that fight with each other for height, luminosity, gravity-defying design and general gaudiness. The Venetian, the one we are dropped off at, is actually a giant multi-story shopping mall with various casinos thrown in. A map is essential. GPS and a golf-buggy would be nice. Apparently extra oxygen is pumped in to minimise tiredness to shoppers and gamblers. The whole place is bathed in artificial light to simulate daylight so that gamblers will lose any sense of the time. Even the ceilings are painted blue to look like the sky. I withstand the temptation to have a flutter but energised by the extra oxygen and fooled by the light, lose all track of time and nearly miss the bus home. I get some amazingly surreal photos of mock Venetian canals and very real gondoliers. This is the ultimate in virtual reality.

Day 5: Sunday 11^th April
Although we are billeted in the five star Royale Hotel, breakfast is not included but an expensive extra, so we walk down the road to a cafe and have a simple egg on toast. The tea comes strong, sweet and milky. We attend a church service entirely in Cantonese so I use the hour for a very quiet time. The afternoon includes a walking tour of Macau, the famous ruins of St Paul’s Cathedral, the city museum and Morrison (Anglican) Church and graveyard. It is very moving to sit for a while in the churchyard and see how many young European colonisers, seafarers and traders died from shipwrecks, disease, drowning or in battle.

While Ray Bakke is giving us a presentation about the Church here, a lady wanders in. Someone begins a conversation about Christianity. She replies “I don’t want to rush into being a Christian. It’s like rushing into a marriage.” Very thoughtful. Churches here are small. This may be the Catholic influence. A hundred members would be considered large. Half the Protestants attend a church founded by Campus Crusade for Christ. Apparently they are rather self contained and don’t engage with the Macau Seminary. At least that is one side of the story. Sadly, only two of the seventy local churches are addressing the issue of gambling and prostitution.

Day 6: Monday 12^th April
We take the ferry from Macau to Shenzhen back across the Pearl River Estuary and then travel to the airport for our flight to Shanghai. Shenzhen has grown from a small village into a booming trading city because of its strategic location near Hong Kong and Macau. The airport is impressive. Security is light. I spy the new MG 6 saloon on display and get permission to take some close up photos. Whether Rove (the name Rover is owned by BMW) decides to export the car in the UK has yet to be seen. The old Rover 75 (and my ex-MG ZTT estate) are now for internal Chinese consumption only.

We are flying Shenzhen Airways. One of the 50 now competing for internal business in China. I am surprised to see eight very large tempting empty leather first class seats at the front of this socialist aircraft. We land safely in Shanghai at the ‘domestic’ airport. It makes Heathrow’s Terminal 5 look positively provincial. It has only been opened a month in readiness for the International Shanghai Expo. China is anticipating 70 million visitors to Shanghai between May and October.

Day 7: Tuesday 13^th April
In presentations on China we learn that despite the State embracing Communism, China is a multi-faith society with large followings of Buddhism, Daoism, Christianity and Islam.

In 1996 there were 100 million religious believers. In 1998 there were estimated to be 10 million Protestants, 4 million Roman Catholics and 18 million Muslims. Ancestor, hero or patron worship if common. Outside people’s doorways its common to see small shrines with incense sticks burning. The gods are very much alive in China. In a 2005 survey, 300 million people claimed to be religious. According to the 1998 White Book, there were 10 million Protestant Christians, an official figure considered by many too low. The more recent 2007 World Christian Database claims there are 99.9 million Christians in China, a figure many consider too high. A more accurate survey of 2005, based on a sample of 4,500 participants estimates 40 million Christians. In 2008, the Three Self Patriotic Movement which regulates the official church in China had 20 million members. Numbers within the unregistered ‘underground’ house church movement are impossible to estimate.

We visit Shanghai International Church. There are separate services for expats and Chinese Christians. They are not allowed to mix. Expats must show their passports to attend the English speaking service. It is a beautiful building but stands as testament to the segregation of the Body of Christ within the registered church in China.

Day 8: Wednesday 14^th April
We visit the headquarters of the Chinese Christian Council (CCC) / Three Self Patriotic Movement (TSPM) in Shanghai, for an informal meeting with the leaders of the movement. It is ‘informal’ to avoid months of negotiation to set up an appointment with the government.

We learn about some of the challenges they face:

A lack of trained pastors
A lack of church buildings
The need for a theology that challenges the inherent syncretism
Overcome its marginalisation. 47% of members are over 50; 56% are female; 11% are illiterate.
Heresy and superstition among rural Christians.

These ‘challenges’ reflect the perspective of the TSPM Church and not necessarily the unregistered House Church movement.

In a recent survey of university students, 20% said they were religious. Of these:

73%      Animist
6%      Buddhist
6%      Catholic
3.9% Muslim

20% said they would be interested
10% said they were not interested in religion.

The survey suggests an increasingly more tolerant approach to religion in China than at any time since 1948. In Shanghai, we are told there are 20,000 Christians out of a population of 17 million. 70% of the students training in the Seminary are women.

There are several criteria for registering a church with the Three Self Patriotic Movement.

They must have:

a full time pastor
a constitution
regular income
a building
a management council
be non-denominational
be independent and not interfere with their neighbours
agree to the three self principles

This introduction is taken, for convenience, from Wikipedia:

The three principles of self-governance, self-support (i.e., financial independence from foreigners) and self-propagation (i.e., indigenous missionary work) were first articulated by Henry Venn, General Secretary of the Church Missionary Society from 1841–73, and Rufus Anderson, foreign secretary of the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions ^[1]^[2]. The principles were drafted formally during an 1892 conference in Shanghai of Christian missions reflecting an almost unilateral agreement that the future of the Chinese church depended on the indigenization of the leadership, and the finding of sufficiently Chinese modes of worship^[3]. Dixon Edward Hoste, head of the China Inland Mission was known for putting the same principles into practice in the effort of assisting the Chinese to establish their own indigenous churches during the early 20th Century.

In 1951, a Cantonese Christian named Y. T. Wu (吴耀宗, 1893–1979) initiated the Three-Self Patriotic Movement, which promoted a strategy of ‘self-governance, self-support, and self-propagation’ in order to remove foreign influences from the Chinese churches and to assure the communist government that the churches would be patriotic to the newly-established People’s Republic of China. The ‘Three-Self’ is a characteristically Chinese way of abbreviating ‘self-governance, self-support, self-propagation’ (自治、自养、自传). The movement began formally in 1954 and allowed the government to infiltrate, subvert, and control much of organized Christianity^[4].

From 1966 to 1976 during the Cultural Revolution, the expression of religious life in China was effectively banned, including even the TSPM. The growth of the Chinese house church movement during this period was a result of all Chinese Christian worship being driven underground for fear of persecution. To counter this growing trend of “unregistered meetings”, in 1979 the government officially restored the TSPM after thirteen years of non-existence^[5], and in 1980 the CCC was formed.

In 1993 there were 7 million members of the TSPM with 11 million affiliated, as opposed to an estimated 18 million and 47 million “unregistered” Protestant Christians respectively.

The TSPM / China Christian Council see themselves as the scaffolding to help local churches come together. Their vision of the church is the one Jesus prayed for – “that they may be one”, except here it is under State control. While this is concerning, I share their desire to avoid the return of free market denominationalism to China.

Agencies such as World Vision, the YMCA and the Salvation Army minister openly in China .

The bookstore attached to the TSPM is full of good Christian literature including copies of the Jesus film, Bibles and books by authors such as John Stott, Rick Warren and Bill Hybels.

Their website is www.ccctspmbook.org

Behind the bookshop and TSPM building is Holy Trinity Church, the former Anglican Church in Shanghai. It is being handed back in the next few months and uis presently being renovated. I manage to slip inside and take some photos of this wonderful old building – before being politely asked to leave by the builders.

After lunch we visit Moore Memorial Church, a former Weslyan building. It was built in the concession area of Shanghai for the European traders. It presently has 10,000 members, 80% of which are women and only 20% are baptised. Sunday attendance is around 4,000.

We are reminded that Shanghai, Macau and Hong Kong are special economic zones and that 600 million Chinese still live on under $2 per day.

In the evening we go for a walking tour of the city centre and river. The light show is simply amazing, If this was America, I would describe it as ostentatious.

Day 9: Thursday 15^th April
Today we visit East Shanghai Church. It was the first church to be built after the Cultural Revolution. On the balcony as we arrive, ladies are performing traditional dance with music and red flags. Inside, the church orchestra is practising using traditional Chinese instruments. Soon Moses and Ching join in an impromptu performance.

The church apparently has 13,000 members. Although there are no longer any denominations in China, three ‘denominations’ use the building simultaneously at 9.00am on Saturday mornings. The Three Self Patriotic Movement (TSPM) meets in the main part of the building while the Adventists and the True Jesus Church, meet in side rooms. The TSPM has three services of 1500 each, meeting once on Saturday and twice on Sunday, while the other two denominations have about 300 in each. The church also is responsible for two ‘Meeting Points’ of 600 members meeting in other parts of Shanghai. The expression ‘Meeting Points’ is also used by the unregistered church to describe their gatherings. East Shanghai has one pastor and five staff. There are 400 in the youth programme. How can they pastor these numbers of people? Through a network of volunteers. I wish I had time to discover how they do it.

East Shanghai Church must be unique in accommodating denominations in a country where denominations do not exist. In 1968, all churches were forced to come together to worship, so that is what they do here, except in different rooms. Very creative. “We try to respect their traditions” the leader says. While in other cities there have been tensions between Adventists and the TSPM, here in Shanghai there appears to be harmony. Perhaps this is also because the building originally belonged to the Adventists and so the TSPM is keen to accommodate them separately. It is perhaps evidence of the TSPM principle of ‘mutual respect’ and Confucius wisdom.

We have some free time to explore the heart of Shanghai’s old town district and discover a healthy trade in counterfeit watches, bags and designer clothes.

Day 10: Friday 16^th April
Our last day. It is always hard to say ‘good-bye’ to the friends we have made, especially the YMCA staff in Shanghai who have made us feel so welcome. In one last evaluation session we share what we will take home from this life changing tour. I lead the morning worship and summarise the lessons of the story of the ‘good’ Samaritan. As we return to our home countries, the temptation is to retreat back into familiar ways of looking at the world. Jesus teaches us to be a neighbour to everyone we meet, irrespective of who they are or what they look like.

It has been a long journey, physically, emotionally and spiritually, first to Hong Kong, then Macau and then to Shanghai. We have begun to empathise with the Church in China, as it has adapted to and risen to the challenges posed first by Communism and then by China’s transforming relationship to the rest of the world.

Unprecedented and dramatic changes are taking place in China. Population growth, rising standards of living, technological advancement and a greater openness to the rest of the world, pose incredible opportunities and challenges for the Church. By this I do not mean simply in how to reach a billion Chinese people with the gospel, but how we partner with the Chinese Church in reaching the world for Jesus Christ. I am convinced that in the next decade or two, Chinese Christians and Chinese mission agencies will take the lead in helping fulfil the Great Commission. If the 18^th and 19^th Century were largely the era of European mission and the 20^th Century of American mission, I am confident the 21^st Century will be the era of Chinese global mission.

Little did I realise my Chinese adventures were only just beginning. News of the Icelandic ash cloud spreading across Europe is beginning to filter through the Chinese media. I relax knowing I am flying back to Hong Kong and have the weekend with my daughter there.

Day 12: Monday 19^th April
Its Monday and I should be flying home to the UK tonight, but is am not going anywhere for several weeks. I discover I am grounded in Hong Kong for at least a week as BA, along with all the other airlines, have cancelled their flights to Europe due to the volcanic ash cloud. There’s a sermon illustration here somewhere.

The BA staff in Hong Kong are coping amazingly well given the hundreds of other stranded passengers. The earliest BA can get me a seat to London from Hong Kong is now on the 10th May or in 21 days time. I work out I could get home by train via Beijing and Moscow in just 8 days or take a berth on a container ship and be home in 22 days. I suspect these are all booked by now though.  According to the BBC, after 4 days, the plume of ash from Iceland has paralysed 313 airports, caused the cancellation of 63,000 flights and affected 6.799.999 other travellers.

Instead, I plan to fly East to Seattle via Tokyo on Sunday to be there in time for the launch of our film With God on our Side next Tuesday. One small consolation is I get to circumnavigate the world in 33 days, and to see Tokyo as well as the Pacific on my way home via seven cities in the USA. Ironically, I should eventually get home on 7th May, three days ahead of the earliest direct flight I can get from Hong Kong and just four days ahead of the container ships also leaving today.

The Lost Shepherd

The Lost Shepherd from Stephen Sizer on Vimeo.

I feel a little bit like Gavin Hewitt or Gavin Esler bringing you a news report on loication from Hong Kong. Sounds exotic, except I’m a pastor feeling just a little guilty because I’ve lost my flock on the other side of the world. All because of some volcanic ash from Iceland? Sounds a rather lame excuse.

So what am I really doing here? I came to China two weeks ago to learn what God is doing in and through the Church in China. To find out how you do mission in a hostile environment. Not just in a sceptical marketplace, but under persecution. In competition with ancient and deeply rooted superstitions.

The 19th Century was the era of British mission. The 20th Century was the era of American mission. And if the Lord does not return, the 21st Century will be the era of Chinese mission. In the next decade or two, we are going to see the Chinese church send our millions of mission partners to reach the world for Christ. Do you realise there are more Christians in China than members of the Communist party?

Let me illustrate. Wednesday I spent the afternoon with Ching. He was one of our translators in China. He’s a young man gifted in languages and music. He has a passion to share Jesus Christ with Jews and Muslims. Does it sound strange that Chinese Christians have a burden to share the gospel in the Middle East? Think about it, if God can place that burden on the heart of Brits or Americans, why not the Chinese?

No, the 21st Century is going to become the era of global Chinese and Indian mission, just as we are seeing Nigeria become the powerhouse of Christian mission in and beyond Africa. It will not be long before European and American mission agencies become a minority in the global Church. When instead of being sending countries, we become receiving countries. Humbling isn’t it?

The question is not will they partner with us and with Western mission agencies, but rather will we partner with them? That is why I came to China. I made plenty of notes. I thought of a few ideas to try out on you when I got home. I made some good contacts for the future.

But then at the end of ten days in China, God gave me a test. There was no mention of an appraisal in the schedule. But that is typical with God. Full of surprises. My test was simple. He took away my flight home. He might as well have taken away my passport but the ticket was enough to make his point.

He took away my Tuesday morning with the staff team on the Mercedes Benz World skid pan that I had been looking forward to sooo much. He took away my week to recoup, be with the family, wash my clothes, prepare for today’s services and be rested and ready for my mission trip to the USA from tomorrow. He took it all away and left me here in a hot and humid and sticky Hong Kong for another week. Because he had some unfinished business for me.

Despite my best efforts to find another way home, the earliest date I could get a flight to the UK is 10th May – in three weeks time. God has a real sense of humour. He took me out of my comfort zone – my carefully organised schedule. He said, “loosen up Stephen, chill out, stick around, and see what I am doing here in Hong Kong a bit longer. Lets see if you can apply the theory. Follow me and I will make you…”

God is like that isn’t he? He is always testing us, stretching us, pruning us, refining us, because he has an ultimate purpose. What is his purpose? God has put us on this earth for at least five reasons,

1. You were planned for God’s pleasure – to know him and love him.

2. You were formed for God’s family – to find a home and family.

3. You were created to become like Christ – to be holy and blameless.

4. You were shaped for serving God – with a unique mix of talents, skills and passion. He has given us spiritual gifts to build up the Church. That is your assignment and mine.

5. You were made for a mission – to introduce other people to God’s 5 purposes.

As a pastor, when you are separated from your flock, from your family, from your community, your friends, your books, your diary, and dare I say it, from your computer, what are you left with? Your personal relationship with Jesus, the biblical values that shape your life, and your calling as a disciple of Jesus Christ.

You don’t stop fulfilling your assignment just because you’re not where you thought you would be today. You continue to glorify God where ever he sends you.

In the West church affiliation is often based on worship preferences, on music taste or preaching style. We’ve turned Church into another form of consumerism. Biblical discipleship, by contrast, is purposeful, intentional. It focuses on our becoming disciples, making disciples, who are themselves, making disciples. We were, as Dawson Trotman, the founder of the Navigators put it, “Born to Reproduce”.

The Church in China – through 60 years of adversity – has grown faster than the Church in the West. The blessing of democratic government and material prosperity have not necessarily made us fruitful.

Let me illustrate. Despite living in an authoritarian State that institutionalises atheism, that tries to regulate the activities of the Church, Christians still engage openly in evangelism. Their strategy is very simple but effective. In Beijing University, when a student opens the door, the believer says, “I am a Christian. Would you like to know why? It will only take 10 minutes.” Polite but direct isn’t it? Hardly rocket science. You don’t need to go on a course on evangelism. You just need to know who you believe in, what you believe and why. Guess what? On average, seven out of ten students invite the Christian into their room, and three out of ten pray to receive Christ. Does this excite you as much as it does me?

For the last 13 years our mission strategy at Christ Church has been very simple. “To know Jesus and make Jesus known”. We achieve that in three ways – evangelism, discipleship and mission. Our priorities can be summed up in three words – win, build and send – This is the core of my ministry and I expect it to be yours too.

Everything we do as a Church should accomplish one or more of these three, and preferably all three, at the same time. For me, the most important event last year was the launch of our 2020 Vision and Five Year Plan. It sets our agenda. It summarises our priorities. The Church Council have owned it. Now its your turn.

By the grace of God, we are dedicated to accomplishing great things for God. 2020 may seem a long way ahead. In all probability I will not be here in ten years time. You may not be either. So, if we are to fulfil our vision and realise our goals we are going to have to focus on our core priorities – winning, building and sending others – to reproduce ourselves. This will involve cooperating with the Holy Spirit and with one another, learning, innovating, experimenting, failing, reflecting, adapting, reappraising, refocusing, motivating, equipping, training, delegating, empowering, releasing, recruiting, and so reproduce ourselves. Our vision as a Church is really very simple. Our vision is to grow stronger through worship; warmer through fellowship; deeper through discipleship; broader through ministry and larger through evangelism. To God be the glory.

One thing is sure. If you are expecting our church to stay the same in 2010, you are going to be as frustrated as I was on Monday when I realised I was not coming home. Then I realised God had more work for me here.

That is why I am still in China. To know Jesus and make Jesus known. That’s why I will be flying to the USA tomorrow – to know Jesus and make Jesus known. And God willing, that is why I hope I will be returning home on Friday 7th May, to know Jesus and make Jesus known. So now you know what my earnest prayer for you is, today and everyday, whether with you in body or in spirit. I pray that you will share wholeheartedly in our 2020 Vision. I pledge myself unreservedly to fulfil my part in realising our 2020 Vision, with all the strength God gives me, for as long as he gives me on this earth.

Will you join me in re-dedicating yourself as a member of Christ’s Church in Virginia Water? Will you rededicate yourself to the mission of Christ Church? To the 2020 vision?

I was going to preach on Ephesians 1 this morning. I’m sure Francis did a better job than I could, so instead, let me use the passage as a prayer for you. Make it your prayer for those sitting around you and on the podium in front of you.

“For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all his people. I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his people, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, 21 far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that can be invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come.” (Eph 1:15-22)

To him be the glory, forever and ever and ever, Amen.

Hong Kong Panorama from Stephen Sizer on Vimeo.

World Vision – Willow Creek Association Holy Land Tour

World Vision and the Willow Creek Association are hosting a unique and exclusive study tour of the Holy Land for Church leaders from September 28 – October 8, 2010. Click here for the brochure.

Led by Dr. Gilbert Bilezikian, one of the founding fathers of Willow Creek Community Church, and Professor emeritus of Biblical Studies, Wheaton College, this will be his last study-program to the land of the Bible, a truly “one-of-a-kind” experience.

Four Objectives in Collaboration with World Vision and the WCA

1. To renew appreciation for the ministry of Jesus the servant in a power-obsessed world as the model for our personal commitment to God’s purposes.

2. Experience the land and its culture so as to:

broaden our knowledge and understanding of Scripture
confirm the historical foundations of our faith
renew Spiritual commitments
To develop an understanding of current events in and around the Land and of their global impact.

3. Facilitate interaction with local religious leaders for their own encouragement, and for team-members to gain perspective about the challenges pertaining to ministry and peace concerns in the Middle-East

4. To open opportunities for Western churches to partner with Middle Eastern communities, churches and children.

Dr Bilezikian writes, “The unique character of this study tour is that it is designed for pastors and Christian leaders, especially as a training tool for those who may aspire to conduct their own groups in the future. Whether you eventually intend to lead a group of your own to the “Holy Land” or not, we can promise that this experience will enrich your ministry immensely.”

Four Reasons For Participating

Steve Haas, Vice President of World Vision, gives four reasons why this will be a strategic opportunity to engage with the Christian community in Israel/Palestine:

First, as you probably know, for more than three decades, Dr. Bilezikian has led multiple trips to the Middle East, under the auspices of Wheaton College and Willow Creek Community Church always with the purpose of studying Scripture where Jesus lived and ministered.. “Dr. B” as he is affectionately known, has served as counselor to thousands of church leaders, most prominently those who founded and led Willow Creek Community Church. As a result of these trips, countless leaders have experienced recommitment to the dominant motif and calling of their lives.

Secondly, Jesus was born and raised a Palestinian Jew. Like in no other study program, participants will immerse themselves in the cultural context of which Jesus was a part. Vital elements of the environment in which He lived continue to survive among the native people of Palestine—some of whom are the descendants of the original occupants of the land since Canaanite times. In this way, we will grow in our understanding of Jesus the Servant in His own cultural context, and be challenged to redefine our roles as church leaders while moving in current social settings not much different from those in which Jesus lived.

Third, during this trip you will visit sites where New Testament events took place under the tutelage of a prominent biblical scholar. We believe the theme and purpose of this journey—Jesus the Servant in a Power-Obsessed World— offers a message that you will want to share to your congregation and others. Therefore the program is also designed to equip participants to lead their own groups in the future if they so desire.

Finally, serving as a co-host for this journey are your friends and partners in ministry, World Vision. For over 35 years, World Vision has served the poor in bringing “life in all of its fullness” to the people of the Middle East. As one of the largest Christian organizations serving the poor, WV continues to have significant interest in the establishment of peace in the region. World Vision continues to work to encourage and maintain the stability of the indigenous Church that exists there.”

You can access the brochure that provides all the travel details including itinerary, costs, and the “fine print.” Please note that the cost includes registration, entrance fees, most meals, lodging, gratuities, and land travel while in the Middle East. Travellers will be responsible for their own inbound and outbound air travel to Tel Aviv, as well as transportation by taxi between the airport and Jerusalem. We ask that you plan your arrival at the hotel in Jerusalem in time for the welcome dinner on Tuesday, September 28. Departure from Jerusalem will be on Friday, October 8. For any wanting to extend their trip to include a visit to Jordan, this is also offered.

Currently, Dr. Bilezikian is holding open 40 places on a first-come, first-served basis. In order to obtain additional information or to secure reservations, you can connect directly with Jim Schiltz, field administrator of the program, via email at Jim630@sbcglobal.net.

You can access the brochure here and the original as a zip file here

The Cross and the Empty Tomb: The Death and Resurrection of Jesus

Mark 15: The Meaning of the Cross from Stephen Sizer on Vimeo.

The Significance of the Resurrection: Mark 16 from Stephen Sizer on Vimeo.

These two presentations based on week 5 & 6 of the Christianity Explored Course and Mark 15 & 16, were delivered at meetings of the Community Bible Study International (CBSI) groups in Virginia Water and Ascot.

You can also listen to the audio presentations here Mark 15 and Mark 16 and read the presentation here.

Check out the Christianity Explored Course here.