thinking mission

the illusion of safety

One of the wonderful conversations in C S Lewis’s ‘The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe’ is when Mr Beaver speaks of Aslan, describing the Lion as ‘the King of the wood, the son of the great emperor-beyond-the-sea and the King of the Beasts.’

Mrs Beaver joins in to say that ‘anyone who can stand before Aslan without his knees knocking is either braver than most or else just silly.’

“Then he isn't safe?” said Lucy. 

“Safe?” said Mr Beaver…. course he isn't safe.  But he’s good.  He’s the King, I tell you.”

The desire for safety is deep-seated. Lucy Pevensie, the character above, was instinctively averse to risk.  Like most of us, if we’re honest.  So the realisation that ‘he isn't safe’ wasn’t immediately reassuring.  Only the seemingly illogical follow up ‘but he’s good’ reminds us that danger, or risk, isn't always synonymous with being bad. 

Which brings me to the other Lucy – van Pelt – and her brother Linus, in the Charles Schultz ‘Peanuts’ cartoon. 

Looking out at the pouring rain, Lucy gives voice to her anxiety:

Lucy: “Boy, look at that rain… what if it floods the whole world?”

Linus: “It will never do that… in the ninth chapter of Genesis, God promised Noah that would never happen again, and the sign of the promise is the rainbow..”

Lucy: “You’ve taken a great load off my mind…”

Linus: “Sound theology has a way of doing that!”

This Lucy wanted safety as well, and Linus’s response gave her all the reassurance she wanted.  ‘Sound theology has a way of doing that!’  A great line, laden with some irony I suspect.

These encounters offer us two responses to anxiety.  One is met with ‘sound theology’, the other with an encouragement to journey on, accepting unknown risks but trusting that God is ultimately good. Both responses have their place.  But knowing there is more than one possible response is the key here, and a sign of spiritual maturity.

You see, I can easily argue that a Linus-like response can be just right.   In my early twenties, the faith that was nurtured in me from childhood was suddenly fanned into flame.  It all came together one evening round the kitchen table with two wonderful older Christians.  Their patient and skilful theological unpacking of Ephesians 1:13-14 and 2:8-9 cemented my faith in God, a faith that I now knew could not be lost by me, because it was never gained by me.  From that day to this, God’s grace has characterised my understanding of the Christian faith.

This is the time and place for sound theology, in particular to be found in laying the foundations of faith, outlining the great truths of the bible, sharing what learned and insightful men and women have discerned over many centuries.  Without this passing on of the faith, we will fail to enrich each successive generation, as we ourselves have been enriched. 

But where the foundations have been laid, there is also a danger that our sound theology, far from nurturing growth, actually stifles it.  And this danger is certainly there in evangelical circles where the adventure of theological exploration can be frowned on and seen as betraying our heritage.  

This is especially true when mission takes us, as it must, to the boundaries between belief and unbelief, and we are confronted by issues that demand fresh theological and ethical reflection.  If at that point, we only produce our previously constructed ‘sound theology’ and even argue that these matters, whatever they are, have been settled once and for all in the past, then we will fail to grow and develop our faith, and condemn others to the same.  That same ‘sound theology’ has a place to play, of course.  Haven’t I just called it foundational?  But yesterday’s word is not always today’s word, and is rarely God's last word.

Linus’s response to Lucy ‘took a load off her mind’.  But is that what theology is about? Her instant gratitude for Linus’ answer had the effect of dulling her enquiring mind and robbing her of the deeper encounter that her quest for understanding might have yielded.  She puts aside the troubling thoughts of the world and settles for ‘sound theology!’

I hope that we'll see the legitimacy of both responses.  When people look to us in moments of anxiety we can be flattered into thinking our only role is to be the dispenser of theological aspirin. 

More often I would rather see leaders like Mr and Mrs Beaver who have the courage to say that actually God may not be as you imagine God to be; God may not be containable by your words and formulations, and he definitely isn't safe!  But I tell you this – he’s good!  Journey on!

David Kerrigan 

BWA Congress 1 - the road to Hawaii

The Baptist World Alliance 2010 Congress begins next week at the Honolulu Convention Centre (right) in Hawaii, a place that one of my younger colleagues described sarcastically as ‘a nice gig!’  To another, who was also oozing lukewarm sympathy, I pointed out that mine indeed was a filthy job but someone has to do it! 

Those who know me will be aware that I have a pathological dislike of conferences, though I sense that asking for understanding on this occasion will be a waste of time.  I’ll try and blog as often as I can over the next week or so, especially when the Congress begins on Wednesday 28th, 10-hour jet lag permitting. (“There he goes again – looking for sympathy – there is none forthcoming!”)

 

This time five years ago, it was our turn to host the Congress here in the UK and my small part in that was to oversee what was called the Home Office team handling visa and immigration queries.  Frankly, everything went smoothly in the beginning.  Our meetings with UK Visas couldn’t have been more helpful but then 6 weeks before the event we started getting calls, often from the pavement outside a British Embassy somewhere in the world.  “They say we need another letter…” was usually the plaintive cry, or in some cases  “we’ve been turned down – can you do something!” In many cases we were able to help and were greeted in Birmingham weeks later with beaming smiles from people we had never met but had been privileged to help.

 

In Birmingham 13000 people attended – a great turnout swelled by more than 4000 Baptists from the UK.  The numbers in Hawaii will be far smaller, maybe nearer 4-5000 I hear, but a good gathering nonetheless.  One of the highlights in Birmingham was the astounding mix of cultures, dress, languages and worship styles.  For those from the UK especially who were encountering this reality for the first time, it was a tonic for the soul to know how varied the worldwide church can be.

 

So, what’s the point of getting several thousand Baptists together from around the world, once every five years?  It’s easy to be critical of large events, not least when you look at the expense, the carbon footprint, and frankly a location that isn’t ideal.  It’s good for North Americans and South-East Asians, less good  for those from Europe, the Middle East, and Latin Americans, (two flights), but frankly fairly useless for Africa.  But the decision is made so there’s no point in crying over what might have been.  Our brothers and sisters in Hawaii will no doubt be the most gracious and hospitable hosts, so my intention is to enjoy what I can and not focus on what might have been. And as in Birmingham I believe there will be times of great celebration, poignancy, and even heartbreak as we hear from the world church all that is happening in their nations.

 

This Congress will mark the end of David Coffey’s 5-year term as BWA President, a role he has carried out with great distinction.  More of that next week.  He will be succeeded by John Upton, Executive Director of the Baptist General Association of Virginia, USA and the Virginia Baptist Mission Board.

 

It will also be Neville Callam’s first Congress since he became BWA General Secretary and, knowing Neville for the humble and private man he is, I am sure he will be feeling some apprehension until the event actually starts. But Neville’s imprint is on the Congress, a very eclectic group of speakers, seminars and worship leaders – a commitment to express the global dimension of the Baptist network.

 

And in spite of my protestations about disliking big events, I do look forward to meeting up with partners from all round the world. I have appointments in the diary with many of them and eagerly await what will be warm conversations and times to encourage one another and pray together.

 

One of those friends is Robert Parham, founder and executive director of ethicsdaily.com, a great website which shows to the world the compassionate and radical face of American Baptists.  Robert has kicked off his Congress Reflections with a piece about the future of Baptists in the 21st Century – you can read that here and I heartily commend the website to you as a regular place to drop in.

 

So, if all goes to plan, my posts for the next 10 days or so may be different in tone, more newsy and who knows even more frequent.  That’s if I can stay awake (I know I know… cut the calls for sympathy…)

 

Aloha!

 

David Kerrigan

one world, one mission

Recent events involving volcanic ash and the suspension of flights in Europe have reminded us how different the world once was. Journeys across Europe taking days not hours.  One nation unreachable from another.  Oceans dividing ‘our world’ from ‘their world’. 

 

But the planes are flying again, and soon that short-lived reminder of how things once were will fade from our memories and we will quickly grow used to the fact that today’s interconnected world is so different from even a generation ago. 

 

The mission of the church has changed too, and for much the same reason. 

 

Britain was, until recent years, effectively mono-cultural, and it was largely Christian.  But it was different ‘out there’.  Travel presented grave dangers, and many brave missionaries paid with their lives.  Those who stayed at home prayed and raised support.  They formed groups of ‘rope-holders’, and they flocked to rallies to hear the stories from returning missionaries.

 

‘Out there’ in some far-off foreign land were people we knew as Hindoos and Mohammedans who did not share our faith or our worldview or our understanding of what it means to be born in the image of God.  The Prodigal Son and the Good Samaritan were unknown narratives.  The cross and resurrection made no impact in people’s lives.

 

That was then and this is now.

 

Britain, like most countries, is no longer mono-cultural, mono-lingual or mono-anything. It’s a vibrant blend of east and west, north and south.  It’s a rich mix of languages, ethnicities, colours, customs and cultures!  It’s a home to those once far-away communities of Muslims and Hindus, but also Sikhs and Buddhists, Jains and Jews, and a host more besides.  Many are immigrants.  Many are not – they’re British born and bred! 

 

And along the way, Christian Britain has become non-Christian Britain.  Most of our neighbours and friends, whether immigrants or not, do not share our faith or our worldview or our understanding of what it means to be born in the image of God.  The Prodigal Son and the Good Samaritan are unknown narratives.  The cross and resurrection make no impact in people’s lives.

 

So, no longer, can we speak of different worlds.  There is still a missionary task, but it doesn’t start at the English Channel.  It starts on the doorstep of our homes and our churches. 

 

And that missionary task, wherever it is needed, bears the hallmark of learning to speak a different language, (literally and metaphorically), coming to terms with other faiths, different generations, understanding someone else’s worldview so we can explain the gospel in meaningful ways. 

 

That is the missionary task in Manchester and Malaysia, Cardiff and Colombia, Glasgow and Guinea. 

 

In this new world of missionary encounters with our own communities, we need to ask afresh what the nature of Church needs to be. We still operate largely on a ‘come and join us’ model but what models are needed to reach those who have answered ‘no thanks!’  What kind of Baptist ministry do we need for the generations to come?   What kind of theology is needed? Where can we tap into the missiological skills and insights needed? 

 

On Friday this week the Baptist Assembly gathers in Plymouth with the theme “One World - One Mission.”  The seeds of this theme are to be found in the analysis outlined above.  The outworking of this for both the Union and for BMS is what the weekend is about. 

 

We have no idea where this will lead. But we are simultaneously excited and daunted by the adventure that God is setting before us.

 

David Kerrigan

a week in the life of BMS (3)

Here’s a glimpse into the things that have been keeping me out of mischief this week.

 

Monday

Early rise for a 9am start at IMC, our training centre in Birmingham, working through our mission strategy document in the comfort of the lounge – “armchair theologising” is always the best.  Back to Didcot for an all-afternoon meeting with Peter Dunn, our Director for Mission, reflecting on all kinds of things.  Peter was just back from speaking at our Asia mission retreat in Thailand.  He arrived back just as the ash cloud descended and closed the skies.  Margaret Gibbs and Gordon McBain, two of our regional secretaries, remained a couple of days longer to visit the Thai-Burma border where we have a growing work – and are still in Bangkok a week later!  So too a BMS team from Fleet Baptist Church.  And in different countries, with people going and returning, we have been dealing with huge disruption this week.

 

Tuesday

The last assembly planning meeting before Plymouth next week, and no last minute shocks.  Two of our speakers are still stuck overseas but we trust they will be back in good time.  Numbers are a little down from last year but we are strongly hopeful that day visitors from the region will swell the crowds.

 

Wednesday

In the morning Mark Craig and I met with our area coordinator team to look at plans to reform how we relate to associations in the coming years.  These were really helpful meetings with some very creative ideas coming forward.

 

In the evening, there was no football of note to watch even though it was Champions League semi-final night - no British clubs to cheer on! And while I’m no Europhobe, I can’t bring myself to cheer on teams from Germany, Spain, France and Italy.  (By the way, checkout our BMS World Cup resource 'Onside' if you’re planning an event in your church for the World Cup.  I am delighted that our guys managed to get John Motson to present this for us – a real coup, and remember – this could be our year! 

 

OK, enough footie – back to mission stuff!

 

Thursday

Hard to label much of today other than a pre-Assembly hive of activity.  Some of the time I needed to finalise the text of our proposed constitutional changes (kept that short or I’d lose the will to live), agreed a version of two earlier blog entries for publication next week on www.EthicsDaily.com in the US, and finalised some teaching material for Spurgeons College on Monday.  I love the opportunity to teach in our baptist colleges.  Like those who come to our training centre in Birmingham for mission in other countries, our colleges too are full of women and men passionate about mission.  My focus with them is looking at mission principles gleaned from other parts of the world and seeing how appropriate they are for mission in this country.

 

But the meeting I enjoyed most today was with Chris Duffett, recently elected to BUGB Vice-President and head of The Light House.  Chris is an evangelist and he was in house to meet with Jonathan Edwards, General Secretary of the Baptist Union and ourselves with a view to beginning discussions on how best to use his time in this role.  I hadn’t met Chris before, but as Peter Dunn and myself met with him, I immediately warmed to a man who has proved ‘on the streets’ his dedication to take this gospel to this generation.  Ideas easily bubbled up on how Chris might serve with us using his passion and gifts for evangelism.  I think we’re in for an exciting time with Chris.

 

Friday

Day off today and so – before I head for the hills, let me post this and hope you have a good weekend. 

 

David Kerrigan

fear of compromise

I ended my previous post on this blog  by suggesting that a second fear that some Christians have concerning interfaith dialogue is that such engagement results in compromising the faith, dodging the hard issues, or settling for a lowest common denominator between Christianity and other faiths.

No doubt there are times when this has been, or is, true.  But the renewed emphasis on engaging with other faiths that is evident these days, especially from within the evangelical world, has brought with it a dynamic which may not have been so noticeable in past years. 

The need of the hour is for a courageous engagement of people from different faiths.  This does not mean combative, but it does mean frank and honest. 

A good example of this was the publication recently of “A Common Word - Muslims and Christians on Loving God and Neighbour.”   For those unaware of the original document on which this book is based, you can read it here at the 'Common Word' website . And amongst the hundreds of responses received, that which came from the Baptist World Alliance which can be viewed here was exemplary in its courtesy, its appreciation and yet also its honesty concerning the many major differences between Christianity and Islam.

The book “A Common Word – Muslims and Christians on loving God and Neighbour” is edited by HRH Prince Ghazi of Jordan, Miroslav Volf from Yale Divinity School and Melissa Yarrington, also from Yale and is one of the first systematic theological explorations of the issues that A Common Word” has evoked. 

The approach the book takes is in keeping with the robust nature of contemporary engagement.  Take this extract from Prince Ghazi –

“A Common Word does not signal that Muslims are prepared to deviate from, or concede one iota of, any of their convictions in order to reach out to Christians – and we expect the reverse is also true… neither does (it) mean Muslims are going to facilitate foreign “evangelism opportunities” in the Islamic world in the name of “freedom of religion.” (p11)

No room for slushy sentiment there. Nor when Volf himself reflects on the dialogue that A Common Word has made possible, and especially doctrines such as the Trinity and Christ’s atoning death:

“Significant agreement on love of God and neighbour does not erase these undeniable, deep and consequential differences.”  He goes on to mention ‘practical problems causing tensions’ between communities, and cites specifically “persecution and lack of full religious freedom, problems concerning evangelism… and many others”. (p21)

So this engagement is one which entertains few illusions. Mistakes may be made along the way, but the need of the hour is for God’s people to engage in brave theology. 

A brave theology -

–  will recognise in this moment in history the need for Christianity and Islam especially to find a way of co-existing peaceably (blessed are the peacemakers) while staying true to our religious convictions 

– will look to build interfaith relationships because only in the context of relationships can hard things be said to those to whom you have been willing to listen deeply, and hard things be heard from those who likewise have listened deeply to you. 

– will recognise that the biblical injunction to love our neighbour means, in this situation, the risk of sitting down and talking, not with people of no faith (which characterises most expressions of outreach), but with people of strong faith, a people for whom, if we are honest, we sometimes entertain both fear and suspicion in our hearts.

One of the most challenging chapters in the book is from Martin Accad, a good friend of BMS through our partnership with Lebanese Baptists and the Arab Baptist Theological Seminary  where he is based. 

In exploring what Jesus meant by 'love your neighbour' Martin helpfully reminds us (pp157-160) that in the Old Testament this primarily meant “Love the strangers living among you” (Leviticus 19:34) and the familiar command of course was “Love your neighbour as yourself”, in effect a call to be hospitable. (Lev 19:18)

When Jesus was asked “who is my neighbour” he radically extended the definition of neighbour to include those who were the archenemies of the Jews, namely the Samaritans (Luke 10:30ff) hence it was logical, but controversial, for Jesus also to add the injunction “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.” (Matthew 5:44) Martin is not implying that Muslims are the enemy, but he is helping us to see how radical 'love your neighbour' must be.

None of this is easy.  In most Muslim-majority countries there are far less freedoms than Muslims enjoy elsewhere in the world, not least in Judaeo-Christian cultures like the UK.  I see the growth of Islam in the west and I worry deeply for our Christian heritage which is being eroded.  I hear hostile comments from hostile Muslims and dont easily hear the voices of those more moderate.  I recognise ‘fear and suspicion’ as emotions that sometimes describe how I feel and I am not blind to seeing that it is but a short step further to seeing Muslims as my enemy. 

That is not the road I wish to travel. There is an alternative.

David Kerrigan

 

fear of the unknown

Why, when our core business is making Jesus known, are some otherwise committed Christians so unsure about talking to people of other faiths?

 

Last week I was invited to share in a meeting of the Christian-Muslim Forum, in this case a meeting of 30-35 Muslim and Christian scholars gathered together to explore the nature of dialogue itself. 

 

The meeting was at Lambeth Palace and, as one would expect, the Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams spoke well.  Dialogue, he said, in a typically Rowanesque way, is not polemic (an argument to prove me right and you wrong), nor debate (a rehearsal of arguments for and against certain positions) but a God-given means of discovery (about God, about self and about one’s conversation partner). 

 

Professor Tim Winter from Cambridge University responded, but did so under his Islamic persona Sheik Abdal Hakim Murad, for he is a Muslim convert.  He reminded us how the media delights in focusing solely on what he called the trouble spots of faith – the Christian Church’s obsession about issues of sexuality; Muslims and the blight of terrorism; Judaism and the incalcitrance of Israel over the Palestinian people.  In these contexts, he said, “a hurting world lashes out in its meaninglessness against those who still find meaning.”

 

The other main speakers were Maulana Yunus Mohammed of Bolton Council of Mosques and Dr John Azumah of London School of Theology. John reflected on how dialogue was being embraced by Evangelical Christians in a new way.  

 

What made this gathering ‘real’ was the desire to be forthright and honest.  No-one is under the illusion that the universal truth claims of Christianity and Islam are reconcilable.  They are not.  The Archbishop caught the mood when he argued against the views of those who, he said, seem to presuppose that real differences between faiths don’t exist and all such differences can be reconciled. “They can’t” he said and added later that because our religions both make exclusive truth claims “it is not easy to find a space that we can inhabit together.” 

 

So, why bother with dialogue at all?  Why enter into dialogue with people whose faith position is strong, whose likelihood of converting is limited, and whose view of your own faith is that it is inadequate?

 

Yes indeed, these are questions many Muslims ask each other! 

 

And so do Christians.

 

But since when did we only seek to share our faith with those we consider potential converts?  As a BMS missionary, I lived in a country of 125 million Muslims – do you think that was fruitful territory?  What about our people working today in West Africa, the Middle East, Central Asia, North Africa?  France and Belgium?  Moss Side and Blackbird Leys?  The God revealed in Scripture calls us to engage with all who need to hear of the love of God in Jesus Christ.

 

So let’s be honest.  In my experience people who are most often critical about interfaith dialogue are critical on two grounds.  The first is fear and the second is… fear.  But the two are different.

 

The first fear is a fear of the unfamiliar.  It’s a fear of people whose life is so different, whose language and culture is alien, whose worldview is so utterly ‘other’ that people don’t know where to start. People who are most loudly critical often (not always) don’t know a solitary man or woman from another faith.  They have never shared a meal in a Hindu home, they do not have a Buddhist or Sikh they would count as a friend, or even a passing acquaintance.  This is the fear of the unknown, and it is quite understandable.  It just needs to be recognised, owned and dealt with. And in the coming year I’m hoping we at BMS can help provide resources to help in this area.  

 

But there is a second kind of fear too – and it’s the fear of selling out, of compromising our faith and settling for the so-called lowest common denominator.  And I’ll look at that issue in a separate blog in the next day or so. 

 

David Kerrigan

the limits of dissent

[A personal view - not an official account - of one aspect of Baptist Union Council this week.]

 

I returned from BU Council on Wednesday, feeling that this had been three days well spent.  Recent Councils have been excellent in grappling with substantial issues in ways that restore your confidence in the principle of the gathered community discerning the mind of Christ under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.  I commented on this in relation to last November’s Council here.

 

These last three days have had a major focus on “Women in Leadership among the churches of the Baptist Union of Great Britain”.  This wasn’t a debate about whether women can exercise ministerial leadership.  That was established back in the 1920s and affirmed many times since.  Nonetheless we were ably led by both women and men into an understanding of some of the attitudes women encounter when they explore a leadership calling, not least to pastoral ministry itself.  And we engaged with a wise, theological understanding of Paul’s overarching ‘grand vision’ as exemplified by Galatians 3:28 as well as his need to attend to immediate realities occasioned, for instance, by hitherto uneducated women speaking up in worshipping communities. 

 

As you would expect, there were a range of views expressed, though with the vast majority supportive of the Union’s long-held support for women in leadership in all roles. 

 

But it wasn’t theological pressure that brought this issue to Council but the continuing discrimination experienced by women exploring or undertaking leadership roles, especially as ministers.  And so, fittingly, it was the pain of women’s experiences brought into the open by their story-telling that shaped the character of Council’s listening.  Their stories at times made me ashamed to be a man knowing that men in our churches could be so offensive, so hurtful and at times so misogynistic.

 

And so Council, it seemed to me, was clearly of a mind to say enough is enough.  Things must change.  And that is a challenge to all of us, not least those of us in denominational leadership. 

 

But then comes the question of how we handle those who dissent, some out of biblical conviction, others out of ignorance, some out of prejudice. 

 

Whilst Baptists would never wish to stifle dissent, nor act punitively towards those who do so, there was a courageous recognition that whilst there is a place for conscientious dissent, this must never, ever occasion the kind of hurts that were recounted this week. Further, prejudice masquerading as dissent could no longer be tolerated. 

 

And how is prejudice to be distinguished from principled dissent?  Blind prejudice is when someone says to a woman in ministerial training that she shouldn’t expect a salary because her husband has a good job.  Blind prejudice is when women have to tolerate comments about their shape, their weight or parts of their body. Blind prejudice is when a woman is told that ‘I hope you’ll never preach while menstruating’.   And there were many other stories besides. 

 

There was a tacit understanding that as a Baptist people we have made our position clear.  Our forebears believed they had discerned the mind of Christ on this matter many years ago (at a time when women’s justice was hardly a popular cause).  That conviction has been reaffirmed over the years and now again in March 2010. There should be no barriers to women exercising leadership in our churches. 

 

It follows therefore that even those who dissent on grounds of biblical conviction have to understand that they do so over and against the conviction of the gathered community.  Of course, there are examples in history where the majority have been wrong, and this mantra will be trotted out.   But this is significantly deeper than ‘a mere majority vote.’  This is men and women from our Baptist family, over many generations, set apart for a purpose, devoting themselves to listening, praying and discerning, and together we have again and again arrived at the same position. 

 

Enough really is enough therefore. 

 

Those who dissent on biblical grounds must understand that this is not the position of the family of which they are a part. 

 

And anyone exhibiting the kind of ‘blind prejudice’ illustrated above is behaving in a way that, let it be understood, is completely unacceptable among us.

 

No woman within our Baptist family, called and gifted for leadership, should have that calling stifled. 

 

David Kerrigan

a week in the life of bms (2)

Sunday 28 February

Last Sunday I was preaching at Newbury Baptist Church.  What a great place and a great bunch of people!  Jon Stannard was away so I was invited to preach at both the 9.30 and 11am services.  Very different services but both fit the aim of enabling people to encounter God in a style that is helpful for them.  Rashelle Beya, their minister-in-training held the fort and impressed me hugely.  It was a delight working with you Rashelle – the church is fortunate to have you!

 

Monday 1 March

Rejoicing in the valleys no doubt on St David’s Day but this was also our annual day of prayer.  This year, in conjunction with the call to prayer issued by the BUGB President Kingsley Appiagyei, we encouraged people to find time to pray some time over the previous weekend and/or on this day.  Under the banner of ‘a wave of prayer’ we had people praying right around the world and across the UK. A new development this year was the wave of prayer blogsite which was well used by people around the UK and much wider afield telling us they were joining us in prayer. 

 

Tuesday 2 March 

What an enjoyable day – back to my alma mater Spurgeons College both to preach in the crowded weekly chapel service and then an hour with all the ministerial students unpacking our new Vision Document called simply "For God..."  I have now had 3-4 opportunities  with different groups to explain the thinking behind the Vision document and I am very excited about its potential.  Have a look at it above if you’ve not seen it, and download the auto-powerpoint with music by a group we have a link with called aradhna.  And thank you for the invitation Nigel - that meant a lot. 

 

Wednesday 3 March

The main event of my day was to chair a meeting of those who had handled our response to the tragic death of our colleague Fay in Afghanistan in January.  We had agreed that in early March we would go over how the news broke, what our responses had been, what worked well, and what we might do differently if there was a similar crisis. I am just full of praise for my colleagues Peter, Gordon and Ruth, and others, for the way they coped with a very complex situation.  It is to their credit that they submit their ‘work’ to the scrutiny of someone outside of the crisis management group so we could learn together for the future. 

 

8pm England 3-1 Egypt. Oh could this be the year!

 

Thursday 4 March

Away from the office again today, at our International Mission Centre in Birmingham. The day started really early so I was almost in Birmingham by the time ‘Thought for the Day’   came on the radio.  It was given by Rev Canon Dr Giles Fraser from St Paul’s Cathedral.  This was one of the best TFTDs I can remember and if you want an insight into my theological leanings you’ll find it here:

Thought for the day 4 March

Four hours teaching that morning, on the subject “Understanding Catholicism” – a module I have taught for about 8 years now.  From my own Catholic background I try to help people understand the Catholicism they may know from the UK (or not) and how it will differ from that which they may encounter in different parts of the world.  I love teaching this module and am constantly reinvigorated by some excellent interaction with our mission trainees.  This year I added a new element to the morning on 400 years of Baptist missions.  I love animated maps and for me, history comes alive with maps.  Is there a word for people who love maps?  I must check some time.

 

Friday 5 March

Phew – loads of stuff.  The day began at 3am for three of us who spoke together on hearing bad news from Nepal via our emergency line.  One of our mission workers, Tlana Hnamler from Mizoram in NE India, and part of our Nepal team for the last 12 years, has had a serious stroke.  Lots of contact with the family and the wider team during the day and this evening we continue to pray for him in hospital in Kathmandu.

 

Another significant meeting today was what we dare to hope will be the last meeting to sign off for release a new DVD filmed in Thailand a few months ago.  It features the work of Emily Chalke, one of our Thailand team who works as part of Nightlight Ministries  amongst sex workers in Bangkok. It’s a harrowing subject and we have had countless meetings trying to get the DVD right.  Our dilemma was this: how do you tell the story of trafficked and abused women without feeling we are being voyeuristic as we film these women and their environment? We think we’ve got it nearly right.  Its been tested this week by two outside groups of people (mixed ages, gender etc) and we will give the green light next week.  It’ll be released soon under the title “This Dark World” so keep an eye out for that on the BMS website and in future publicity.

 

Next week?  Who knows – but our prayers are for our brother Tlana this weekend, his wife Madini and their children Emmanuel, Joshua and Ruth.

 

David Kerrigan

ethics in mission

There isn’t usually a lot of press coverage to missionary stories, but the

Haiti child adoption case is coverage of the kind we can do without! And it will return to screen and internet as and when further court appearances happen. 

 

What began seemingly as an act of compassion soon fell foul of laws designed to protect vulnerable children.  This is a reminder in itself that mission workers are not above the law.  Best practice exists in order to protect vulnerable children and adults from those who would prey upon them.  Whether the American group were just naïve, as I suspect, there comes a point when naiveté becomes culpable. 

 

But matters took a turn for the worse over the weekend when it emerged that one of the leaders of the group, Laura Silsby, is a woman with a chequered past. It appears she has a long history of owing money, has been the subject of as many as eight civil lawsuits and 14 unpaid wage claims. Further, she was due to face a jury trial later this month over £26,000 she allegedly owed to a former employee.  All of a sudden it makes a defence case look trickier than might have been imagined.  And the question must be asked, where’s the oversight? Where are the checks and balances?  Where are the interviews, the references, the personal testimonies that might authenticate the appropriateness of someone leading a mission team?

 

I don’t recount this to state that BMS is immune from the possibility of making mistakes.  But I could quote you chapter and verse that shows how we follow best practice in attempting to eradicate the chances of something like this happening.  And I hope it never does.

 

Over the years many of us within BMS have been in situations following earthquake, famine, flood or cyclone.  Its not uncommon to see parents who were pitifully poor to begin with, and are now in the deepest distress.  And in their utter and complete helplessness they press their children on us and ask us to take them and give them the chance of a better life.  Just a few years ago I remember one of our young action team members in Calcutta distressed that this had happened to her following a cyclone in Orissa.  She had looked into the eyes of a young Mum whose despair was such that she was even willing to hand over her child.  The mother’s action wasn’t evidence of a lack of love – this was sacrificial love of the very highest order! 

 

But I believe we must resist any thought that whisking these children away for life in an orphanage or adoption in another country is the right moral choice. The right thing to do is change the circumstances of the family.  Easier said than done, I know, but nonetheless right. 

 

Behind such moments are issues of power, and power in mission is one of the most important issues to grapple with. 

 

As much as I long for men, women and children to come to faith in Jesus Christ, I can see that sometimes I may have to keep silent.  If my immediate task is handing out bottles of water to people dying of thirst, I have immense power over these people.  And I abuse that power if my offer of water is directly or indirectly linked to a call to conversion.  The ends do not justify the means, even if the ends are people expressing faith in Christ but the means have been manipulative.

 

Sure, some of the Haitian children may have been orphans, but two-thirds of the 33 children had living parents!  Haitian mothers may have asked these people to take their children to a safe place, even to give them a better life, but is it right to allow the post-traumatic powerlessness of those mothers and fathers to become the trigger for taking their children away?  Do we think Haitians love their children less than we do?  Do you think this would be their first choice once the survivors have begun to recover from their trauma? 

 

Reports of thousands of well-meaning parents in Europe and the US offering to adopt these children are understandable and laudable.  But many, the Independent reports, are willing to pay fees as high as US$30,000 to do so, and doesn't that change the picture!

 

With local churches increasingly undertaking mission visits and mission projects themselves, a not unwelcome feature of Baptist church life, a course in mission ethics should be mandatory.

 

David Kerrigan

eternal security

The last week or so has been a bit of a roller coaster.  Last week Janet and I were on holiday and went to Nepal to see our daughter and son-in-law, and 8-month old grandson. We’re smitten!  Samuel is simply wonderful and we so enjoyed getting to know him at this great stage of life. 

 

And although I have visited Nepal over 20 times with BMS over the last 25 years, this was the first time we had done it as a holiday, off-duty so to speak!  So it was great to do some touristy things, and one of them was to visit the ancient city of Bhaktapur for the first time, a photographer's paradise!

 

As we left UK the Haiti earthquake had just happened and the scale of the disaster wasn’t yet apparent. Whilst BMS doesn't have in-depth involvement in Haiti, through the Baptist World Alliance especially, but also the UK Charity “Haiti Hospital Appeal” we will be doing all we can to help.  Its at times like this that the family network that is the BWA comes into it’s own and can help bring so much international concern from the Baptist family to a focus.  But what a disaster – it will take years to recover.

 

Tragically, it’s the death of a single person that will mark our memory of our visit to Nepal.  A late-night call from BMS informed me of Fay Martin's death. Fay was just 24 years old and a wonderful young woman.  I first met her in Uganda a few years ago when she was on a BMS Action Team, a great team all round, and Fay made her mark within it.

 

Just a couple of years ago Fay came to serve with us again, and we could see a real niche for her skills in our Afghanistan team.  That’s where she was serving when she died, and she’ll be hugely missed. 

 

These tragic events present us with a challenge.  I’ve often preached on the theme of security in Christ and what that really means.  One thing is for sure – it doesn't mean that bad things wont happen to good people.  One of my favourite Bible passages is Deuteronomy 32, and verse 10 gives us a picture of God as one who searches for his people and protects them -  

 

   “In a desert land he found him,
   in a barren and howling waste.
   He shielded him and cared for him;
   he guarded him as the apple of his eye”

 

Great verse, people say, but where was that protection for the Haitian people, or for Fay.  “How can you speak of his protection in the face of this?”

 

For me, I have two simultaneous responses: the first is to stand silent and confess I have no real answer.  These things bring us to that place of unknowing where we must either abandon ourselves into the God whose mysteries are fathomless yet who we believe we can trust, or we turn back, we walk away from the abyss of the unknown, we stop asking the tough questions, and we live our lives in the illusion of safety of all that is known and finite.  I can’t settle for that. 

 

So my second response, which doesn't negate the first but stands alongside it, is to encourage people to think again about what we believe when we speak of heaven. Not a ‘pie in the sky when you die’ theology, but a profound acceptance that if the resurrection of Jesus is God’s reversal of the cross, then in God’s economy every one of life’s crucifixions will also be reversed in and through Christ’s resurrection. 

 

Was / Is Fay protected?  Yes and a thousand times yes.  For all eternity.  And in heaven the savage scales of life’s injustices will finally be tipped the other way and all things will find their fullness in Christ.

 

David Kerrigan