Current Comment

... and the Bible

Mon, 18 Jan 2010 12:34:00 +0000

What seems to be most on people’s minds these days when they think of life on this small planet? It seems to be the Global Warming issue and the huge publicity given to the recent conference in Copenhagen. What’s going on? The earth is heating up (it is said). Life on this earth will be limited if we don’t do something about it. Most scientists (probably) say that for the greater part global warming has arisen from a build up of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere through human activity, producing a ‘greenhouse effect.’ Weather patterns will change; ice sheets will melt; water levels will rise considerably, and so on. Some scientists say it is not human action but solar action, solar winds and the like. Yet on the whole temperatures are rising. Documentaries produced have a ‘doomsday scenario’ feel about them. What is the Biblical/Christian position on this? Where do we start?
1. This world is God’s World (Genesis 1). We start with creation. This world is a result of divine creation. No sort of science can disprove this. We recognise in creation a dazzling order and design and complexity. We have difficulty going in to an Art Gallery and looking at paintings and recognising the work of the artists, nor going in to a museum, seeing the array of machinery and recognising the work of inventers and designers and manufacturers. We just need to look at our eyes and even (through a microscope) the smallest natural organism to recognise complexity and design. But who designed the natural world? The Creator. Admittedly this is a matter of faith. In the letter to the Hebrews we read: “By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible” (11:2). There is nothing unreasonable in this. We recognise that this understanding of nature gives meaning/purpose. You cannot have purpose in this world without a Creator. But of course if there is a Creator this puts man on the back foot: What is your responsibility to Him? What are you doing with your life? Again in Hebrews we read: “without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him” (11:6). So, this world, in the Christian perspective based upon the Scriptures, is a creation of God. However,
2. This world has been spoilt by man (Genesis 3). Is the creation the same as when it came from the creator? It isn’t perfect now. Things go wrong. Everything was perfect in the beginning. We are told in Genesis that “God saw everything that he had made, and indeed, it was very good” (1:31). But now there is death. There are floods and volcanoes. There are monsoons and droughts. Nothing lives any great length of time. How did this come about? In Genesis 3 we are told of the Fall of man into sin and how it affected creation. Man, created perfect, disobeyed God and gave place to sin. That is how death and destruction entered. After sin entered the experience of the first people, Adam and Eve, this is what happened: “Cursed is the ground for your sake; in toil you shall eat of it all the days of your life…In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for dust you are, and to dust you shall return” (3:17-19). In other words, the sin of man affected the creation too. As Paul writes that: “we know that the whole creation groans and labours with birth pangs together until now” (8:20-21). When we look at what is happening at present with global warming, whether the reasons be ‘natural’ or mainly a result of ‘human activity’ through excessive ‘carbon emissions,’ we see a creation ‘groaning and labouring’ on account of man’s sin. Even his best stewardship of earth’s resources will be tainted by sin. But what is going to happen to this world? Thirdly, we consider that,
3. This world is going to be destroyed (2 Peter 3:10). How is the world going to end? What does the Bible say? In 2 Peter we read this about “the day of the Lord” (which is to be taken as the day of the second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ), that it will coincide with the end of human history: “The heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth, and the works that are in it will be burned up.” There is coming a day in which a great burn-up will take place. No doubt natural elements will be involved, but above all it will take place in accordance with the purpose and plan of God. The present order of things will come to a dramatic end. Peter speaks literally here of dissolution by fire. All will be laid bare – in nature and also the products of man’s culture. We get attached to possessions and places and cultural things. These will all burn up. Therefore it doesn’t make sense to be too attached to this world or anything that is in it. The protesters, and no doubt some of the delegates to the Climate Change Summit are looking to ‘save the World.’ The truth is, there is no saving of this world. People should not be careless in the use of earth’s resources, and should contribute to reducing carbon emissions. Yet realism is needed about the effects of sin in the world, and of its inevitable demise and there should be a greater concern for the next world than for this one, which, after all, is “passing away.” A proper reaction to the question of climate change, global warming and the future of this world is: What should I be now in view of the coming destruction of this present evil world?
1. This world and all its inhabitants should turn to God (2 Peter 3:11). Peter puts it straight: “Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be dissolved, being on fire, and the elements will melt with fervent heat?” Answer: people who are holy, godly, and looking for the coming again of Christ which will coincide with the last day of this world. People may protest about climate change induced by human factors; they may agitate for changes in carbon emissions to ‘save the world.’ The truth is, what people need to do is turn to God. The concern for ‘climate change’ is well-meant. It is good that people are concerned about the environment.

Whether they will do without comforts and conveniences which are greedy of precious resources; or whether the developing nations will do without development to ‘save the world’ is not at all certain or, one would say, likely. But the most important thing for anyone on this planet is to turn to the Lord. The end of the world is coming! There is only one Saviour in this world, and it isn’t any head of state or any Climate Change Conference, it is Christ, the Coming-again King and the one through whom this world and all its inhabitants will be judged.
John W Keddie

Two opposite visions of the ideal Sunday

Thu, 9 Jul 2009 20:26:23 +0100

As some reader will be aware there is a vigorous debate just now in the Isle of Lewis over proposed Sabbath sailings for the roll-on roll-off ferry service. Initially claiming Equality Legislation as a basis for the service, those in favour have now shifted ground to any number of reasons.

Methinks she doth protest too much

Either way the proliferation of reasons suggests two things:
1. The failure of the first reason (Equality Laws) to carry through the debate
2. The determination of many to force through a Sabbath sailing on whatever grounds they can.

Yet this whole debate made me wonder - what kind of first-day-of-the-week do people want? And what would it look like if we got our wish?

Below are some thoughts.

Clearly there are two visions being put forward for our island community just now. Neither of them is a present reality of course. Much as Christians long to see a full and blessed Sabbath kept across the whole community, that is far from reality. Likewise, just as many wish to see a fully commercialised Lord’s Day, that too is not a reality.

Yet which would you prefer?

The Christian vision is clear. It is for a day of rest for everyone, apart from those whose work is needed and merciful. That means closed shops, with checkout workers having a break. It means no need for the extra subsidies required to service bus routes, sports facilities, and road works. All these people get a weekly break, a day of peace and quiet. Churches open their doors and the community gathers to adore their God and to meet together, with everyone all on a level. Before God we are at our most equal. Social cohesion and community benefits inevitably flow.
It means families all together, guaranteed, for at least this one day per week, as far as that is possible.

On the other hand there are those amongst us who have a different vision. They want a day of business as usual. A day that is in no way different from the other six, a day that has no special enjoyment more than the other six. The week would be without a highlight, without a start or an end. Weeks flows meaninglessly into each other and people droop under the endless monotony of life. Golf is the highlight of the day. Lorries rumble through our streets on the once quiet Sabbath. Warehouse rollers clatter open and labouring staff need to get paid extra to be motivated for the work that they used to do anyway during the rest of the week.

They want a place where ferries run seven days, but is it to let folk onto the island or for them to get off? They want to see their parents, grandparents, friends and some family members lose something that they have loved and cherished for decades. They want to see folk entering the doors for worship, while sadly shaking their heads at the lorries going by. They want to live in a place where it is more difficult for families to get time together, to all be off work at the same time. Professing to be such guardians of family life they seem to bitterly resent actually having to take a Monday off work to come home and visit them.

They want to take away from us the gift of God’s day.

Once again: which vision do you prefer?

Such an Expense!

Mon, 22 Jun 2009 21:11:09 +0100

WHAT A MESS!
The news has been full of it: the scandal over MPs excessive and inappropriate expenses claims. It has plunged the Parliament into disrepute. But we’re not surprised. Our nation has lost its way morally. It has turned its back on Christianity, basically. The Bible no longer has a place in public life. The authority of the Bible has been generally undermined in the mainline Churches. And if a people lose a sense of their answerability to God and become detached from the Bible as the infallible Word of God, it is little wonder that that people drift into a sort of moral quagmire where there are no absolutes, and no real righteousness. Darwinian, evolutionary, naturalistic science dominates our outlook on life these days. What sort of morality or moral sense does that deliver? None at all. We need a return to Biblical Christianity.

Several other things of considerable significance hit the news this past week or so. It is almost incredible to think that the BBC recently appointed a Muslim as its head of religious broadcasting. It has to be said that Muslims are no more in need of salvation than anyone else in this country. But this is simply an indicator of the increasingly weakening state of Christianity in our society. What a mess.

Also, the appointment of Carol Ann Duffy as new Poet Laureate. Ms Duffy is openly homosexual and has stated it as one of her intentions in this position ‘to give the laureateship a 21st century overhaul by using the event of a royal wedding to celebrate civil partnerships.’ She is an atheist and apparently thinks of poetry as a ‘secular prayer.’ What a mess.

Then there’s the matter of the openly gay Church minister whose position is waiting to be confirmed at the Kirk’s General Assembly. This has rightly caused great concern among evangelicals. What hope for any Church that endorses such a thing? The Bible is clear: all sex outside marriage is sin. Homosexual behaviour is condemned in Scripture. The editor of the Kirk’s magazine lent support to such an appointment in the Kirk saying that after all the arguments against homosexual behaviour were based on ‘redundant’ Old Testament passages. Not so. It is perfectly clear from the New Testament too, not least in all the passages that indicate that sex outside marriage, between one man and one woman is sin (Romans 1:26-7; 1 Cor 5:1-8; 2 Cor 12:21; Ephesians 5:3-5). What a mess.

What need there is for concerted prayer to God, that there might be reformation and revival in the Churches. This is our only hope: that the Lord would come in transforming power to our society again, re-establishing the values and virtues of Biblical and Christian morality in our lives, and in our land again.
Rev John W Keddie

Olympic Games? Rev JW Keddie

Mon, 18 Aug 2008 11:12:09 +0100

THE GREATEST SHOW ON EARTH?
So, the Olympic Games are on us again. All eyes turn to Beijing and a festival of sport for the better part of three weeks. It’s not everyone’s cup of tea of course. It seems you either love it, or hate it, or are indifferent to it. Whichever way it is, though, it’s hard to avoid.
Feelings are always mixed with such sporting events. Nowadays the question arises if it is all ‘genuine.’ There is obviously great concern over performance-enhancing drugs, and big question marks have been raised in some areas, such as weight-lifting where drug tests have caught out many competitors. There are all sorts of stories of ‘blood doping,’ and even gene treatment. It seems that people will go to extreme lengths to get an advantage in sports competition. In some sports, though, the sheer bulk of competitors – male or female – seems un-natural. Physical exercise and play aspects are legitimate in themselves. As Paul writes to Timothy: “bodily exercise profits a little.” By contrast, however, “godliness is profitable for all things.” Why is that? Well, because godliness has “promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come” (1 Timothy 4:8). The great Scottish Olympic champion of 1924 and later missionary to China, Eric Liddell, was once asked by a reporter whether he missed the limelight and fame of the sporting life. Liddell answered astutely: “Oh, well, it’s natural for a chap to think over all that sometimes, but I’m glad I am in the work I’m engaged in now. A fellow’s life counts for more at this than the other. Not a corruptible crown, but an incorruptible, you know.” This is in line with the teaching of Paul: “everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown” (1 Corinthians 9:25). That puts even the highest prizes in sport, or any other area of life, strictly in perspective.
But whether or not we may have the slightest interest in the Olympics, there is a race to run. In the letter to the Hebrews the apostle speaks of the cloud of witnesses of the Old Testament who exemplified active faith in their day. And there is a race the believer is to run in our day: let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith” (12:1-2). We are reminded that “without faith it is impossible to please Him” (11:6). Besides this, sport pales into insignificance.
Rev John W Keddie

Tony Blair ‘Converts’ to Catholicism

Fri, 4 Jan 2008 11:36:26 +0000

WHERE ARE WE GOING, RELIGIOUSLY?

So our former Prime Minister has ‘converted’ to the Roman Catholic Church. Whilst a boost to that communion it has perhaps come as no great surprise. What may be a great surprise is the changed status of the Roman Catholic Church itself in our society. It was a shock to read the other day (24th December) in one of the quality national dailies an article entitled ‘A confident faith invigorated by a willingness to fight God’s corner.’ What was it about? A resurgent protestant evangelical movement in the mainline churches? No, it was about the fact that there are now officially more Catholics in England and Wales than there are practising Anglican Protestants! Our point in drawing attention to this is not to knock the Catholic system. It is clear that evangelical protestants will have to address the errors of the Roman Catholic system, as measured against the Biblical teaching. However, the fact is that the commentator we have quoted is at least right about this: that the Catholic position, unsound as it is in our view, has had far more robustness and moral integrity than much of Protestantism in recent years. Protestantism has been dying largely because the mainline Churches have failed the nation. The acceptance of critical views of the Bible in the late 19th Century and the growth of liberal theology have ravaged the Church. Evangelical religion became marginalised in the big broad Churches and inevitably they became bodies which showed little robustness or resistance to the onset of the secular society. The vanquishing of the Biblical call to repent sin and believe in Christ as the divine Son and only Saviour; the displacement of the insistence on the necessity of the new birth by the Holy Spirit; and the undermining of Biblical authority in the mainline protestant Churches have been responsible for this demise. They have been so lacking in confidence in the plain authority of Scripture that it has more or less paralysed them as far as making any strong moral pronouncements on many of the major moral issues and ‘political correctness’ of the day. They have largely lacked a ‘prophetic’ voice in the nation and have reaped the consequences in terms of diminished power and influence. The Catholics have gained in at least seeming to have a strong position on abortions, and sexual morality, notwithstanding some scandals involving some of their clerics. In our view these are the roots of the weakness of mainline Presbyterian and Anglican churches, which seem to be awfully compromised with worldliness.

What is the answer? For the smaller conservative Churches the call is to be steadfast and immovable, morally and spiritually, with strong reliance on the authority of the word of God and law of God in personal and Church life. The call is for ceaseless prayer, and for discernment about error and emphasis on the necessity of repentance and faith, and the new birth, for anyone to be a Christian. The call is to maintain and preach high standards of Biblical morality and spirituality and get a vision for its spread. The call is to stand in the evil day, whatever the cost may be. People will see the sense of conservative evangelicalism, which is simply the right view and only sustainable view of Biblical religion and healthy Church life. And pray for the revival of true religion, and for reformation in the mainline Churches. They have in some respects the ‘ear of the people.’ Only what is heard is often not impressive. Maybe there will be a ‘melt down’ of such Churches before recovery begins. All such matters should be a concern for our prayers and influence, in dependence upon the great Head of the Church, the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. Because we want to see a vibrant Church throughout the United Kingdom. May the Lord hasten such a day, not least as we go into a New Year.

JWK