Church Society

Time 2020-10-10 23:14:23

Web Name: Church Society

WebSite: http://churchsociety.org

ID:77570

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Welcome to Church Society online. We are a fellowship contending to reform and renew the Church of England in biblical faith. On this website, you will find details of our conferences, publications and other resources, as well as our regularly updated blog and weekly podcast.Racism: why we might miss the opportunityPosted by Niv Lobo, 8 Oct 2020In this article from the autumn 2020 edition of Crossway, Niv Lobo explores three reasons why churches might fail to take this opportunity to examine the issue of racism. Over the next few weeks, we will be posting several of the articles from this issue and others, looking at the problems of racism among Christians and in the structures of the Church of England.An honest, fruitful conversation about racism is fraught with difficulties. Offence seems all too easily given (and taken), and the stakes vertiginously high: nobody wants to be labelled a racist. Those of us from an ethnic minority background can also fear that beginning the conversation will be seen as self-serving. But recent events—the murder of George Floyd in the USA and the ensuing protests affirming that Black Lives Matter—have made an imperative of addressing racism, and we in the church are not exempt from that. This is an opportunity for a long overdue conversation.Past experience leads me to fear, however, that we might miss this opportunity. On the very rare occasions I’ve addressed racism from a Christian perspective, I’ve had some white brothers and sisters dismiss me as ‘obsessed’ with the issue. As long as we dismiss the experiences of non-white Christians with racism as essentially insignificant, or a fashionable distraction, we forfeit opportunities to grow in godliness. Clearly there are unparalleled resources in the Gospel to address this issue: this opportunity should translate into fruitful reflection on Scripture and renewed application of it in our churches. But not if we resist thinking through this issue. Why might we end up missing this opportunity? I want to suggest three reasons: a colour-blind approach to theology, a preoccupation with refuting secular anti-racism which blinds us to the potential validity of their protest, and—underlying both of them—a subtle failure to distinguish Scripture’s authority from that of its interpreters.Read moreYou don’t often hear it talked about these days, but godliness is not only an essential expression of biblical faithfulness, but also an urgent foundation to effective witness. The Christian life has always been a struggle against “the world, the flesh and the devil”, but the pressures of secularism in society, the absolutizing of self and the pseudo-spiritualities of Satan have never been greater. This year’s Fellowship of Word and Spirit conference will explore that theme of godliness, reflecting on how it has been understood by Christians in the past, as well as specific areas of application for today. We will have plenty of time to consider the implications for our expression of faith in the church and how we should address issues arising in our community. The distinctive of this conference, is that we actually “confer”! That is, we foster a forum for debate, sharing ideas and encouraging one another in ministry. Each session is rooted in good teaching, but has substantial time for interaction, application and deepening our appreciation of it. We are committed to reformed theology and its application to the whole of life, but are ready to encourage and help each other wrestle with its challenges. We are a genuine fellowship, with plenty of time given for spiritual encouragement and prayer, for cultivating friendships old and new, and for resting from the usual frantic pace of ministry. We hope it will be a time of genuine spiritual and physical refreshment for both clergy and lay people.Read moreOver the summer, many churches used our audio and video sermon series in a variety of ways: in online services in physical gatherings, in midweek meetings, as occasional cover for gaps in the preaching rota, and on telephone recordings for those without internet access. We are pleased to say that we will be offering a number of sermons for the autumn and winter as listed below.You are very welcome to use these sermons as you choose. Some are already available to download, and the rest will be added later this week. You can still download the summer sermons at the same link, if they would be useful to you.The sermons follow the lectionary readings for the indicated weeks:October 25th: Psalm 119:9-16Nov 1st: Matthew 5:1-12Dec 27th: Luke 2:15-21Jan 3rd: John 1:1-18There is also a talk suitable for use in a carol service on Luke 2:8-15.Read more

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Welcome to Church Society online. We exist to strengthen local churches in biblical faith and to help shape the Church of England now and for the future. Take a look at our blog, publications and other resources here.

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