Cape Town 2010

4,200 delegates, from almost 200 countries, gathered in Cape Town in October 2010. Notably, 200 from China were missing – refused permission to travel – and their seats were left empty as a reminder throughout the congress. Nine delegates from Ireland represented a wide range of different ages, denominations, traditions and backgrounds. VOX brings you some of their initial reactions. Find out more online at www.lausanne.org or see the Irish blog www.irishincapetown.wordpress.com

Bishop Ken Clarke shares: The congress aired painful subjects and tackled hard questions. The address by fellow Irishman, Chris Wright, was powerfully prophetic. Idolatry is still alive among God’s people. We need to repent and clean up our own backyard. Elevated status, manipulated success and selfish greed have no place in the life of the church.

Richie Sommerville adds: An often-referenced congress Bible verse that evokes passion within me is, “The children of Issachar…were men that had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do (1 Chronicles 12:32)”. The summation of a talk that resonated with me was the following by Mark Greene; “Globally, 98% of Christians are neither envisioned nor equipped for mission in 95% of their waking lives. But, just imagine if they were…”

“The evangelical church has rightly put an emphasis on bringing the gospel of Jesus Christ to every people group, but we have perhaps been a weaker in our attempts to apply biblical principles to every area of society…” - Lindsey Brown

Ken Gibson comments: There was an acknowledgement that “the centre of gravity” of Christianity has shifted southwards. Sitting uneasily alongside this, however, was a Western-led Congress. Perhaps the Church is still catching up on what it has only recently acknowledged.

Grace Deegan responds: Partnership is costly, co-operation is challenging. Unity requires an out-working of God’s call, we must be eager to maintain it (Ephesians 4: 3, 4). In a culture that is disintegrating, we need to be an example of removing barriers. I want to be part of a church in Ireland that is willing to pay the price!

Jennifer Lewis says: One phrase stuck out - “Truth is a person”. Have we lost the irresistible mystery and wonder of Jesus? Are we convinced that that the Gospel has the power to change lives and transform communities?

Tom Slattery explains:I thought of the disunity between the churches in the south of Ireland and those in the north. How is this stopping the gospel progressing on both sides of the border? Why can’t the church be a powerful example to Irish (and British) society in our comradeship for the Kingdom?

The message on humility, integrity and simplicity was very appropriate. Around every Irish corner lies something else beckoning to us to buy, join, watch, listen to, include, go to etc. I think the call to a radical simplicity is needed here and now.

Read the full article in VOX magazine - OUT NOW! in all good bookshops and newsagents!

Join the Conversation: Post your comments, questions and opinions about Cape Town 2010 below.

Stick the needle in the camel’s eye by Reuben Coulter

“It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.” Matthew 19: 24 – 25

A bizarre metaphor. Thinking of that wealthy friend of yours, you might nod your head in agreement with Jesus. But the reality is that if you’re privileged enough to read VOX magazine (see www.globalrichlist.com) then you are probably in the wealthiest 10% of the world’s population. The other 90% of people often struggle to meet their daily necessities.

You may not think it, but you are rich.

The disciples were astonished at Jesus’ radical statement. Yet as Irish Christians it is one that we seem to pay little or no attention to.

Ireland is in the midst of an economic collapse. It is easy to point the finger at those who caused it. The Celtic Tiger is dead and we are all in mourning, fearful of what tomorrow may bring.

On a Sunday afternoon Dundrum Shopping Centre in Dublin is thronged with people. The shopping centre has become a modern-day temple. Of course, now we have a bit less money to spend we wander the shops aimlessly gazing at items we wish we could buy.

But as Christians in Ireland we need to question ourselves. Are we complicit? Were our attitudes and behaviour during the time of prosperity any different from those of our neighbours? What is our response to the recession?

So what is a godly attitude towards money? Should we renounce all earthly goods and join a monastic order? Should we name and claim the earthly treasures which are rightfully ours?

As we enter a new year and a new era of economic uncertainty let us not be fearful or begrudging in our finances. Let us begin to discuss our relationship towards money and confess where we have gone wrong.

Let our churches be known as places of community and hope and let our lives be marked with generosity towards others. Don’t let money possess you but walk hand in hand with your Master. Stick the needle in the camel’s eye!

Reuben Coulter is Chief Executive of Tearfund Ireland, a Christian relief and development organization. You can give to the spiritual and material transformation of poor communities around the world at www.tearfund.ie/donate

Read the full article in VOX magazine - out now in all good bookshops and newsagents!

Join The Conversation: Post your comments and views below this article!

Global Trends

Global Trends

What will the world look like over the next 10 years? Research from US foundation First Fruit and from the UK group Future First suggest a number of global trends to watch out for. Interestingly there is overlap between the two independent reports so VOX magazine brings an overview summary of some key themes. (Download the full US report from www.firstfruit.org)

See the magazine for the full text but here we list the main topics:

Population changes

Growth in Islam and Christianity

Prominence of the Global South Church

Instability among young people

Increase in Women and Children At-Risk

Renewed Vision for Societal Relevance by Evangelicals

Rise of Radicalism and Religious Persecution

Technology moves power to the “Edges”

Trend toward Religious Nominalism

Non-Readers on the Rise

What do you feel these changes will mean for Ireland in the 21st Century? How should the church respond? What changes do we need to make in the light of these trends? Post your comments below and join The Conversation.

Conversation Starter part two

Irish Bible Institute Lecturer Patrick Mitchell talked to author, theologian and Christian blogger Scot McKnight during his recent visit to Ireland. The interview is published in the latest edition of VOX magazine. Here we look at the second of Scot McKnight's more controversial discussions.

Q: In The Blue Parakeet you talk extensively about women in ministry. Why is this issue important to you?

I’ve had female students who were really fantastic thinkers, sharp communicators and godly Christians gifted by God to teach but could find no place to teach.

In the past I’ve had some colleagues that were really strong against women teachers and I respected them and I thought as a young professor ‘That’s not a battle I want to fight right now.’ I developed the idea that women don’t need men defending them, it’s patronising. So I stayed out of the conversation.

But over time I became convinced that women needed male voices speaking on their behalf. I’m convinced that the Bible has so much evidence of women in actual ministry that conflicts with the restriction of women in ministry in our churches.

I like to ask a very simple question: ‘Do you allow in your churches women to do what women did in the pages of the Bible?’ If you do, you’re being biblical and if you don’t you’re being unbiblical.

In the Bible women can teach (like Priscilla), they can be apostles (like Junia), they can prophesy, they can publicly pray – all these things occurred in the pages of the New Testament, not to mention prophets like Huldah, a prophet-singer like Miriam and a queen of the land like Deborah. In the pages of the Bible we have plenty of evidence of women in leadership.

Join the Conversation... Scot McKnight raises the controversial topic of women in ministry. Share your views below this post.

Conversation Starter part one

Irish Bible Institute Lecturer Patrick Mitchell talked to author, theologian and Christian blogger Scot McKnight during his recent visit to Ireland. The interview is published in the latest edition of VOX magazine. This first part of the interview explores the Gospel.

Q: Scot, you are here in Ireland talking about ‘The Earliest Christian Gospel’. Can you summarise your argument in a nutshell?

I think Tom Wright got this right; we equate the word ‘gospel’ with our understanding of the ‘plan of salvation’ which means ‘how I personally can respond to the offer of salvation in Christ’. I think most evangelicals think that is the gospel.

As a result of studying the New Testament, I became convinced that there are dimensions of what Paul thinks is the gospel and of what the early apostles in the book of Acts preach as the gospel that simply are not a part of how we preach the gospel.

For instance, they were very much focused on resurrection. They didn’t focus on us being sinners and our need to accept Jesus’ death. Instead they proclaimed that Israel’s story (the hope of the Bible story) is now fulfilled in Jesus as Messiah and Lord through his life, through his death, through his resurrection, through his exaltation, through the sending of the Spirit.

This is the good news that God has now wrapped up history. If we want to participate in this good news and get salvation we must repent and believe and be baptised. That was their understanding of the gospel.

I think our traditional evangelical gospel touches on some of those dimensions but there are many aspects that we have simply ignored in Western evangelicalism. In many ways I think we have thinned the gospel down to a superficial level and I want to create a conversation about what the apostles actually said the gospel was.

Join the Conversation... Post your comments below. Do you agree that we have 'thinned down' the gospel?

The Tangible Kingdom

... newest American fad or inspirational model?

Irish church leaders and mission workers from Greater Europe Mission came together in Dublin for a two-day seminar with American authors Hugh Halter and Matt Smay in April. Exploring principles from “The Tangible Kingdom” and their newest title “AND – the gathered and scattered church”, they challenged people to create incarnational communities.

Despite an unexpectedly extended visit to Ireland thanks to a certain Volcano in Iceland, Hugh and Matt appeared unfazed as they took time out to share their thoughts with VOX readers:

We are trying to express that the culture has changed so that the past focus of church does not fit the new context.

We are not saying let’s not do church. We believe that the church is still God’s primary means of reaching culture. Most existing churches want to be missional but they simply don’t know how. The church [as a whole] is not connecting with the culture and we are not representing Jesus well.

If people think the church is working, they do not want to look at new ways of doing it. We need honest critique of the church. The goal is not de-constructing church but re-constructing church. For us, that is loving the church.

Our story is how our church formed by not ‘doing’ traditional church. We lived as a missional community and people were coming to faith, so eventually we had to form a church.

We believe the Kingdom of God becomes tangible to those around us when we integrate three essentials:

• Inclusive community – living among and building deep and lasting relationships with those around us (whether or not they know God).
• Communion with God – helping people connect with God through worship, prayer and scripture.
• Mission – blessing our community, the maginalised and those in need.

Jesus could have become king and changed the whole Jewish nation but instead he chose 12 men and changed history.

Our intent isn’t to try and figure everything out for you, because we don’t have all the answers. We don’t care if your context is mega-church, house church or whatever-church. We don’t think it matters.

In the Irish context you might want to ask questions like:
• Why are we not good news?
• What would be good news to the Irish?
• How can we set Jesus apart from religion? How do you help people to make the kingdom tangible in a religious context?

The VOX verdict?
Hugh Halter and Matt Smay come across with refreshing humility despite their excitement and passion about the model they are ‘living out’ in Colorado. They are deeply rooted in American culture and some of what they say needs to be filtered through that reality; you may laugh at the idea that four years is considered ‘long term’ ministry.

However, there is still much of relevance, inspiration and challenge for us in Ireland. Check out “The Tangible Kingdom” and it’s sequel for yourself and let us know what you think!

To join The Conversation... add your comments and questions below.

Searching for a response by Ken Gibson

The script is already written. The day will come. The King will say to those on His left, 'Depart from me, for I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink” (Matthew 25). “I didn’t know” will not be an acceptable answer.

The nakedness, hunger, loneliness and imprisonment Jesus spoke of are representative of human suffering, but not an exhaustive list. Much of Jesus’ teachings revolve around liberty for the oppressed and justice for the weak. When Jesus launched His ministry, He explicitly demonstrated these concerns:

“The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners” (Luke 4: 18-19)

Justice and liberty seem like sore points with God. Over and over in the Old Testament we read about God’s demands to defend the weak and set captives free. In the New Testament, it was one of Jesus’ primary focuses. Why? Because all humankind is made in God’s image and wherever mankind suffers, Christ suffers.

As always, Christ chooses His words carefully. The King won’t say, “You knew I was hungry and gave me nothing.” No, it’s lack of action, not lack of knowledge that is condemned. On that day, Christ’s people, the Church, will not be able to claim ignorance.

Before we protest and scream, “That’s not fair, I wasn’t aware” we’ll find the warning was given centuries before Christ. God, speaking to His people through Isaiah the prophet commanded them to “learn to do right, seek justice, encourage the oppressed”(Isaiah 1:17).

In this command alone, never mind the full volume of scripture, we see that God places the onus on us to learn - to educate ourselves - in promoting justice. God is even more explicit through the prophet Hosea when He says, "My people are destroyed from lack of knowledge” (Hosea 4:6).

Our generation has access to a volume of information that is historically unparalleled. We’re never more than a click away from a vast world of statistics, figures and facts. There’s no excuse for not knowing anything! The real issue is our desire, or lack of desire, to know.

Experiment now. Open any search engine. Type in “Human Trafficking”. I’ve just done it. In 0.6 seconds it located 3.57 million entries. That’s certainly more than entry-level knowledge. Narrow it down by adding “Ireland” in your search bar. Still overwhelmed? Add “Christian response”. I hate to say it, but now there remains no excuse.

We’re not overtly bad people, we just turn a blind eye to human suffering, assuming someone else is taking care of the “problem.” It’s the government’s job anyway, right?

As Christians, we already have the template. While we were still slaves: slaves to sin, corruption, and our own carnal nature, Jesus heard our cry, giving Himself as a sacrifice to free us. He paid the ultimate price. He set the example.

We might say we didn’t learn, but we can’t say we didn’t know. We might say we were fascinated by the virtual world and the ease with which we kept abreast of our friends’ every fleeting moments and social contacts.

But it’s just as easy to invest that time learning to do right. We were created to love each other. If we just start somewhere, we can someday say, we learned about injustice and we learned to do right. Yes, that’s uncomfortable. We’ll have to gaze at human suffering but these are lives we can change. Jesus calls us out of our complacency. He demands that we serve.

Last month I encountered Anik from Africa. She had been a prostitute. Before you condemn her, consider this. Her passport had been taken and her children were being held captive. Every sexual encounter was an exercise in hope: a hope that her captors would release her children unharmed. They had no such notion. Freedom was denied her, until Christ’s people intervened.

Jesus launched His ministry quoting Isaiah the prophet. “…proclaim freedom for the captives.” In our modern day world, His servants, fighting for justice, made this a reality for Anik and her children. That’s what His people are supposed to do.
The script is already written. The actors are being chosen. Which part for you? Which part for me? Which part for the Church in Ireland? Ultimately, there are only two supporting characters: Those on the left who depart from the King for doing nothing and those on the right, who enter His courts for serving the oppressed.

Today you choose which character you will be.

Ken Gibson is CEO of The Leprosy Mission Ireland, serves on the boards of Christian organisations dedicated to fighting injustice and acts as development consultant to organisations across Europe. Watch out for his book on Overseas Aid being published this autumn!

Join The Conversation: Would you prefer to be ignorant of what is going on in the world? What can you do to avoid the apathy trap? Is cutting down on things like social networking the answer? How should we invest in doing right? Post your comments and questions below.