What I loved about Forum
posted by Little Mo | Permalink |
There were lots of things. Other people seemed to enjoy the mud. That wasn't my favourite bit quite honestly. I loved the world mission emphasis, the enthusiasm for the Gospel, the uncomplaining love for each other, the Relay advert, seeing the Clarks/Wilson/Scullion/Petherbridge IFES clan.
But the thing I loved most was this. In a day when I have heard famous Christians (evangelicals apparently) scoff at the idea that people will meet Jesus in his word as students give it out and study it, when the mood of evangelicalism in Britain has (as we have seen this summer) been so obsessed with the so-called miraculous at the expense of simply testifying about Jesus, when the world and his mother seems to either think there must be some magic technique for winning people to Christ, or that we are due a wave of blessing to make it happen, I loved seeing a world renowned evangelical stand up and say well done to all the students who will be risking much to open the Scriptures with non Christians this year. "It will be better and harder than you ever thought!"
Thank you JP for travelling round the world to affirm that to all the small struggling CUs of 3 and 4, all the CUs who are scoffed at by uber-trendy servant evangelists and sophisticated chaplains, all the CUs where a couple of people and a Gospel of Mark is all that they have. Sometimes, its just good to know that someone you have heard of is with you.
But the thing I loved most was this. In a day when I have heard famous Christians (evangelicals apparently) scoff at the idea that people will meet Jesus in his word as students give it out and study it, when the mood of evangelicalism in Britain has (as we have seen this summer) been so obsessed with the so-called miraculous at the expense of simply testifying about Jesus, when the world and his mother seems to either think there must be some magic technique for winning people to Christ, or that we are due a wave of blessing to make it happen, I loved seeing a world renowned evangelical stand up and say well done to all the students who will be risking much to open the Scriptures with non Christians this year. "It will be better and harder than you ever thought!"
Thank you JP for travelling round the world to affirm that to all the small struggling CUs of 3 and 4, all the CUs who are scoffed at by uber-trendy servant evangelists and sophisticated chaplains, all the CUs where a couple of people and a Gospel of Mark is all that they have. Sometimes, its just good to know that someone you have heard of is with you.
posted by Little Mo at 10:37 AM
4 Comments:
ooo...shivers...
You say "evangelicalism in Britain has been so obsessed with the so-called miraculous at the expense of simply testifying about Jesus"
I agree there can sometimes be an overemphasis on the gifts not the giver, but your statement seems to make testifying about Jesus mutually exclusive to the miraculous, as if it's one or the other. The scriptures don't seem to make this distinction - Mark 16:20 says that signs confirmed the word that was preached. Signs are a means to an end, they should not be worshipped or sought as an end in themselves - but they point to Christ. In their right place, signs and wonders do the testifying about Jesus to confirm the word that was preached, and it's time that evangelicals took back the miraculous from the nutjobs!
Ian,
As you'll see, my comment was about obsession with the miraculous at the expense of testifying about Jesus. That is always damaging. If the miraculous leads to that - then, in my humble opinion, we should bin it.
If it is not at the expense of testifying about Jesus bring it on. I just haven't seen that very often (if at all)
Great readiing this
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