Bournagain

How refreshing to find this interview with Bishop N.T Wright in Time Magazine.

The question of heaven is a good example of how we fail to understand the clear and obvious teaching of Scripture because of the blinkers imposed by our “Christian” culture. Men have been burnt at the stake for less than Wright’s assertions about what happens after death. This is a crucial question which cannot help but influence the way we live. The “it’ll all pan out in the end” approach to eschatology and the question of what happens when you die has left many of us ineffective and unproductive in our faith. I think there’s a real need for us to get our theology sorted on this issue.

What is worship?  I have felt uncomfortable for years about this notion that if we have great worship in our churches, people who don’t know the Lord will come in to our meetings and be transformed.  Nowadays, with few exceptions, it is only with great mental effort that I manage to get through a contemporary church worship time with a good attitude.  The question “why are we doing this?” pesters me incessantly.  As a worship leader, this is an extremely uncomfortable position for me to be in, so I am very much enjoying an extended “worship- leading” fast at the moment (6 months and counting).  I long ago gave up the expectation that what normally goes under the heading “praise and worship” would actually attract outsiders to Christ.

I found this article (courtesy of The Edge ) written by a former praise and worship “guru”, entitled Worship as Evangelism.  The context really doesn’t apply to France, as it is speaking more to the American mega-church culture.  Where we live, a mega-church has a hundred people!  And yet the church here is still influenced by the “praise and worship” movement (an example: Hillsong has now launched a church in Paris – a little taste of Australia in the city of light!  Apparently it’s doing really well – some of our Paris colleagues are involved there).

I liked this article because it poses deep questions about this view that church is fundamentally a “worship centre” that draws people (the basic function of a temple), rather than a mobile community which goes out to demonstrate Christ in the world.  The very idea that “evangelism” can effectively take place within a church building seems contradictory to me now.

Take a look if you’re interested – it’s a very well-written article.  Do you think I’m being too cynical?

One of the blogs I like reading is that of Floyd & Sally McLung in South Africa.

There are some interesting reflections there on John 15 and living a fruitful life, which I find very applicable to us at the moment.

I just approved a comment on some thoughts I posted a while ago under the heading Reinterpreting Traditions. It’s an article by our friend Cor the artist touching on the story of the Samaritan woman, and I thought it was too useful to hide away in the comments section of an old post. Hope you get as much out of it as I did…

Like many of you, I’ve heard and read it countless times! I know this story already for more than fifty years! Then one day as by a divine touch, the real meaning of this rich deep story hit home, at least it shook up my life.

This divine touch can leave you potentially confused, excited, reassured or, as in my case, with a glorious revelation experience! I am talking about the story of the Samaritan woman at the well in the Gospel of John 4.

By many preachers, she has always been painted as the lady with a questionable past, who went through five husbands, and the one she was living with was not her husband either, according to a very reliable source: Jesus! Surprisingly, Jesus does not turn away from her in horror and disgust, but He choses to do the opposite…to teach her! She becomes one of the first human beings to be taught the miracle and principle of the Kingdom. Read the rest of this entry »

I’m experimenting with different ways of sharing files with you, and providing a simple way of accessing them. From time time I write stuff that is a bit long to put in a blog post, like a short prose piece entitled Kupe’s Crossing inspired by 3 glorious days at my favourite beach recently. I also want to make our latest family newsletters available, and the May edition is hot off the press. Click here for a place where you can download them easily if the mood takes you. Anything you find in there is copyright though, so I would appreciate hearing from you if you would like to make other than personal use of the material (simon.bourn at free.fr).

Follow this link for a very interesting article giving a New Zealand appraisal of the current situation in France. It’s a bit thin as a reflection of the diversity of French society, and gives the impression that everyone is middle class with a good amount of disposable income. There are several “Frances”, and many French do not fit the journalist’s description. However, I think that on the whole the picture she paints of the coming crisis is prophetic.

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