A Biblical Model of Jihad and Peacemaking

Jesus said, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.” (Matthew 5:9). What did he mean? I want to give a simple, personal reading of the teaching of Jesus the Christ and his Apostles on the Christian jihad and peacemaking. The most important point I will be making is that peacemaking is not primarily something we do, but rather something we are becoming. I have five headings.

1. The Nature of Christian Jihad.
2. The Extent of Christian Jihad.
3. The Strategy of Christian Jihad.
4. The Weapons of Christian Jihad.
5. The Purpose of Christian Jihad.

1. The Nature of Christian Jihad: “Against Spiritual Forces” Continue reading →

The New Testament Documents: Are they Reliable?

About five years ago, I was invited to give a series of lectures at universities in Mashhad, Isfahan, Shiraz and Tehran and dialogue with Islamic scholars in Qom. The Q&A session after each presentation was a lively affair. The most frequently asked question was about the reliability of the Bible. What did I think about Mel Gibson’s film The Passion? What did I think about Dan Brown’s book, The Da Vinci Code?

Over 1 billion people apparently believe the views popularized in The Da Vinci Code. They believe the message of the Bible has been corrupted and distorted, that Jesus is not the Son of God, but simply a Prophet and that he did not die on the cross or rise from the dead. They believe that there were many other accounts of the life of Christ suppressed and destroyed before and after the Council of Nicea in 325 AD. They believe that the Emperor Constantine commissioned the writing of the New Testament we now have which portrays Jesus as a divine figure. Dozens of other “gospels” were censored.

They believe the Gospel of Barnabas is the only known surviving account written by a disciple of Jesus and accepted as authentic before Nicea. It was supposed to have been rediscovered by a monk named Fra Marino, who came across an Italian manuscript in the Pope’s private library in 1590. He smuggled it out of the library, read it and became a Muslim.

Continue reading →

The Prophetic Manifesto of Jesus: a Liberating Gospel

When you think of the future, what do you long for? What is your vision? Your motivation in life? Here’s mine:

“And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” (Revelation 21:3-4)

As my body wears out and as I see more and more pain and suffering in our world, I long for that day. But how will God’s glorious vision of the future be realized? Our gospel reading tells us. Please turn with me to Luke 4. Observe:

The Messiah Preaching: God’s Spirit who leads
The Messiah Predicted: God’s Anointed has arrived
The Messiah Presented: God’s Timing is fulfilled Continue reading →

The Bible on Singleness, Marriage and Homosexuality

The Primates of the Anglican Communion met in Canterbury in January to reflect and pray together concerning the future of the Communion. The majority of those gathered reaffirmed that “The traditional doctrine of the church in view of the teaching of Scripture, upholds marriage as between a man and a woman in faithful, lifelong union.” A small minority of Anglican Primates were however, unable to do so. This in itself has serious implications, for what divides them is the question of ultimate authority in matters of faith and doctrine. Does it lie with church tradition, with experience, reason, secular cultural norms, or with the Scriptures? Our presuppositions inevitably shape our thinking. Here are five assumed in this paper.

Article 6 of the Church of England

“Holy Scripture containeth all things necessary to salvation: so that whatsoever is not read therein, nor may be proved thereby, is not to be required of any man, that it should be believed an article of the Faith, or be thought requisite or necessary to salvation.”

The Scriptures are God-breathed

“All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that all God’s people may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” (2 Timothy 3:16-17). Ann Atkins has observed, “Scripture is not important enlightenment about God, but infallible revelation from Him. So we interpret our lives in the light of scripture, instead of the other way about.” Continue reading →

Jesus the Unwelcome Prophet

Which ethnic community in the UK suffers the most abuse do you think? Nine out of 10 children from this community have suffered racial abuse, and two thirds have also been bullied or physically attacked and are scared to go to school. How do you feel about that? Which community are we talking about? Friday’s Guardian ran a report entitled, “It’s time to end ‘the last acceptable racism’ – against Gypsies and Travellers” How do you feel now you know? Shocked or not surprised?

Having been bullied at secondary school myself I have a low tolerance of bullying when I witness it – and intervening gets me into trouble sometimes. And having helped raise three lovely daughters, I have a low tolerance of discrimination against women as well. Our common imago dei – that is – that we are created in the image and likeness of God means that it is sub-Christian to mistreat, abuse, or denigrate any person, irrespective of their race, colour, age, religion, gender or sexual orientation. Let me repeat that.

That is why I am glad the final Communique of the Anglican Primates meeting in Canterbury last week, spoke compassionately about another group who suffer abuse.

“The Primates recognise that the Christian church and within it the Anglican Communion have often acted in a way towards people on the basis of their sexual orientation that has caused deep hurt. Where this has happened they express their profound sorrow and affirm again that God’s love for every human being is the same, regardless of their sexuality, and that the church should never by its actions give any other impression.”

Continue reading →

Do we worship the same God?

Wheaton College is probably the best known Evangelical college in the USA. And last month, Larycia Hawkins who taught political science at Wheaton, became their best known professor. She had pledged to wear a hijab during Advent in support of her Muslim neighbours. But she was suspended after she wrote on Facebook, “I stand in religious solidarity with Muslims because they, like me, a Christian, are people of the book. And as Pope Francis stated last week, we worship the same God.” “This statement is unbelievable,” tweeted Baptist blogger Denny Burk, professor of biblical studies at Boyce College in Louisville. “Really jaw-dropping.” Many others criticized Larycia. “A holy kiss to you who disavow the idea that Muslims & Christians worship the same God: I love you. Peace & respect,” Hawkins tweeted in response to her critics. She linked to her Facebook response, where she stated:

“Whether or not you find this position, one held for centuries by countless Christians (church fathers, saints, and regular Christian folk like me), to be valid, I trust that we can peacefully disagree on theological points and affirm others like the Triune God , the virgin birth and the Resurrection. Let there be unity in our diversity of views about all of the above.”

Wheaton have instituted dismissal proceedings against Larycia. Other Wheaton faculty have defended her.

Do we Worship the Same God? from Stephen Sizer on Vimeo.

Continue reading →

The Sum of all Fears

The American Colony in East Jerusalem is probably my favourite hotel in the world even though I have yet to spend a night there. Built in the mid-19^th Century, it has thick walls, cool stone floors and discrete, hospitable staff, who ensure it remains an oasis of calm and tranquility.

It began life as an orphanage. Horatio Spafford was a successful businessman in Chicago in the late 1860s, heavily invested in real estate along the shores of Lake Michigan. The disastrous Chicago fire of 1871 wiped out his assets. He helped rebuild the city and assisted many left homeless. In 1873 he arranged to take his family to Europe. Friends of D.L. Moody and Ira Sankey, they planned to attend their evangelistic meetings in England, then take a vacation. At the last minute, urgent business kept him home, so he sent his wife and four daughters ahead on the S.S. Ville du Havre, planning to soon follow. The night of November 22, 1873, the Ville du Havre, was struck by an iron sailing vessel, the Lochearn. The ship sank in 12 minutes. Of 273 people on board, only 47 survived. Mrs. Spafford was rescued, clinging to a piece of the wreckage. Their four daughters did not survive.

When she reached Cardiff, she cabled home, “Saved alone, what shall I do?” Grief-stricken, Horatio immediately started to Europe to join his wife. En route, the captain pointed out the place where he believed the Ville du Havre had gone down. Returning to his cabin, Horatio wrote in his diary, “It is well; the will of God be done.”

Today we return to our teaching series based on Mark’s Gospel. With the help of Mark Galli, we are discovering “Jesus, Mean and Wild”. John Ortberg says, “Mark writes of a Jesus that is unleashed, untamed, undomesticated, and unpredictable. I want to know this Jesus, though he scares me a little.” Please open your Bibles and turn with me to Mark 4:35-41. I’ve entitled this, “The sum of all fears”. First the context: Continue reading →

Speeding Christ’s Return

According to a survey conducted last year, and reported in the Daily Telegraph, “Britain is one of the least religious countries in the world, with two thirds of the population describing themselves as atheist or “not religious”, a new survey has disclosed. Only 30 per cent of Britons interviewed by pollsters as part of a world-wide project said they would describe themselves as religious, regardless of whether they attended a place of worship. It compared with 53 per cent who said they were “not religious” and 13 per cent who said they were a “convinced atheist”. The remainder were “don’t knows”.[i]

It is ironic because Christians in the first century were branded as atheists by the Roman authorities because they did not believe in the gods. So Christians often lost their jobs, had their property confiscated, were imprisoned and martyred as well. They held on to the belief that the Lord Jesus would return soon, but as the decades wore on, some began to doubt.

The Apostle Peter wrote his second epistle in part to answer those doubts and encourage believers to remain faithful in the face of persecution. He does so by affirming three things about God:

God’s Word is True
God’s Work is Consistent
God’s Will is Merciful

Continue reading →

Where Can I Find True Love?

First Corinthians chapter 13 is probably the most widely known description of love in the English language. Yet, ironically, the word ‘love’ is also probably the most devalued word in any language. That is why this definition is so important, for here we see authentic true love described. Although popular at weddings, it is our Maker’s instructions for all relationships whether we are single or married, whether we are 14 or 94. I believe God has something to say to each one of us today.

The Motive in True Love is Giving

“And now I will show you the most excellent way. If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.” (1 Corinthians 12:31-13:3)

Do you see how important love is? The gifts mentioned – of prophecy, knowledge, faith, giving, are valuable or worthless depending on one thing: Motivation – to serve or be served? To give or receive? Our motivation in loving is to give. Continue reading →

The Dark Side of Christmas

Congratulations. You have made it to the other side of Christmas. All of the anticipation, the parties, the shopping, the preparations, the cooking and the hassle are over. We’ve opened the presents, we’ve eaten the turkey and bade farewell to the relatives. What are we left with? I’ve called this the “Dark side of Christmas” because it’s the part of the Christmas story we don’t usually cover, at least not when the children are present. It’s a story of dictators, state terrorism, ethnic cleansing, homelessness, refugees.

Where did we go wrong? Francis of Assisi in the 13^th Century was the first to create the iconic image of Christmas: the live Nativity Scene. St Francis loved animals, and for an outdoor midnight Mass in the mountain town of Greccio, Italy, he enhanced the Christmas scene, described in the Gospel of Luke by adding an ox and a donkey. Do you have a Nativity set at home? Besides having some extra-biblical animals added by St Francis, you very likely have some people mentioned in the Bible who are missing. An entrepreneurial Italian firm advertises some additional figures to complete your Nativity set.

The Dark Side of Christmas from Stephen Sizer on Vimeo.

They are of course the Roman soldiers with drawn swords. Imagine how different the school Christmas Nativity would be if after Mary and Joseph had left the stage with baby Jesus, on came Roman soldiers who attacked the shepherds and the inn keeper? Unlikely to catch on is it? If our Christmas nativity scene is incomplete, it also tends to be sanitized as well. Our Christmas cards and even the lyrics of our carols perpetuate an idyllic scene. The stable is warm and cozy. The hay is clean. The animals are domesticated. There are no loud noises or strong smells. But our nativity scene is not just incomplete and sanitized it has been swept of scandal also. The primary reason Jesus was born in a stable was not because the inns were full. Offering hospitality, even to strangers, is the norm in the Middle East. Remember Joseph’s relatives and extended family lived in Bethlehem. Why didn’t his own family take them in? Its obvious isn’t it? Jesus was most likely born in a stable because Joseph and his pregnant girlfriend were shunned. They were an embarrassment.

Continue reading →