Support petition to release persecuted Alex Aan - get to 10,000 votes!

I believe that we ought to support and work for the rights and good of all people, regardless of belief, both Christian and non-Christian, since all without exception are loved by God, and His love is unconditional, I wanted to make this post calling out for support an individual named Alex Aan in Indonesia who, due to his atheist beliefs (which he posted on Facebook and testified to when questioned), has been beaten and imprisoned, and could face 6 years in prison unless pressure is put upon the government to release him.

I wished to support this case in particular, for example, to demonstrate that God's heart is against such injustice, and hence we as Christians ought to be similarly against it, along with all such discrimination, whether it be against Christians such as Asia Bibi (see earlier article), Muslims or atheists, including those whom society deems as criminals. No person ought to be excluded.

More information about this case is presented, for example, on Persecution.org, a Christian organisation: http://www.persecution.org/2012/06/01/struggle-for-religious-freedom-in-indonesia-unites-christians-atheists/

Please spread the word about supporting the case, remembering to emphasize God's unconditional love for Alex and those, Christian and non-Christian, who are supporting his case.

The petition is here - http://www.change.org/petitions/drop-charges-against-alex-aan-for-blaspheming-islam

Thanks to everyone! Best wishes to you all! :-)

A Challenge? - Gungor's "God is not a white man"

Here's a very joyful, and perhaps even challenging, video by the Christian group "Gungor" - the message is for all people, everywhere - He calls us to Him, to love one another, to be willing agents of building His Kingdom of love and compassion. His love is severe - it is not 'fluffy', giving us whatever we want, but giving us what God, as the perfect Creator, knows is best.

 "Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love." (1 John 4:8)
 

Dare to Believe

"Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing."
(1 Thessalonians 5:11)

As Christians we are called to encourage one another. Here is one really positive-sounding upcoming online project (by a 21-year old girl from South East England) that seeks to encourage people, from whatever religious or ethnic or social background, that I just really wanted to share... It is named 'Dare to believe in life' and seeks to encourage people to believe that, regardless of what may be going on around them, things will ultimately be better. Please take a look ... and 'like' the Facebook page... :-)

 "...weeping may stay for the night, but rejoicing comes in the morning."
(Psalm 30:5b)

The blog: http://daretobelievein.blogspot.co.uk/

Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/Dare2BelieveInLife

Twitter account: https://twitter.com/#!/DareToBelieve3

Thanks for everyone - all blessings to you all! :-)

Project Cascade - Saving families in Nepal walking miles just for unsafe water

After I heard about this issue, these people seemed in such plight, it seemed right to post this...

Despite the amazing beauty of the Nepalese countryside, villagers there live far from sources of water, and are forced to spend hours of every day walking to collect water, along dangerously high, steep and treacherous routes, sometimes just a few inches across with very steep and high drops either side, which are easy to slip on during rain and are at risk of lethal landslides. Sometimes, villagers slip and are injured, without medical services to provide assistance:

68 year-old Dambar, who was forced to spend 5 hours of her retirement a day collecting water until the age of 63, when she broke both of her hands after a fall, which have not healed well since then. Her daughter-in-law, Puma, is condemned to the job now ... unless she suffers injury, which could be serious, as well. Some mothers, such as Ukhamaya Sarki, have to carry their children along with them, putting them under extra strain and putting another life at risk.

What's more, after all this, the water is unsafe and, in the Western world, would certainly not be considered fit for drinking. Painful and debilitating illness is common, removing even more of familes' incomes in addition to the time taken for the trek for water. Children are deprived of an education, and the whole community is trapped in desperate poverty.



WaterAid has decided to work with such communities in "Project Cascade" (other organisations are yet to do this, making their work even more urgent and valuable), forming gravity flow mechanisms of pipes and tanks to collect and store safe, cleaner water, and make it available by nearby tap. This dramatically reduces illness (one person is reported as saying, "In fact there is no record of sickness in the whole village since the construction of the taps"), and saves countless families countless hours of time...

Lives of young and old are being unnecessarily ruined, when a solution is so easy and effective. Please spread the word about Project Cascade; donations can be made to Water Aid at http://www.wateraid.org/cascade

Thank you for reading, and for all your help!

(Information, names and stories are from WaterAid material)

Please help save Asia Bibi from the death sentence...

Sign the petition - www.callformercy.com

I wanted to post this again, because it is so important...

This is a very worthwhile cause and petition, inspired by Christiana Szymanski's "Christian Witness Under Fire" blog at http://cwuf.blogspot.com/ (her associated Christian apologetics blog, "In Defense of the Christian Faith" is at http://defendchristianfaith.blogspot.com/).

The Pakistani woman Asia Bibi was arrested on June 19, 2009, on charges of blasphemy after a discussion at work where she had replied to defend her Christian position to the women who were talking to her. After trial, she was sentenced to death by a judge on November 8, 2010, fined $1,190 (US) and given 7 days to appeal. The appeal was promptly made, and the results from the Lahore High Court are not yet decided; Asia remains in prison whilst her fate is determined. Urgent action is needed to save Asia from the death sentence and from continued imprisonment, as well as protection if she is freed; she would probably then seek asylum in another country.

Please sign the petition above! Also, please spread the word to others! There are other ways to help, including contacting Pakistani officials and Asia Bibi herself (information is at http://cwuf.blogspot.com/2011/07/update-on-asia-bibi.html). 

Please, if you do send anything, be very careful to not be antagonistic or in any way disrespectful, or to discuss politics or Islam or the blasphemy law itself etc., in order to not make things worse; please focus on the point, which is the freedom of Asia Bibi. Also, I would just like to emphasise that some Muslims are also opposed to the blasphemy laws, and they are spoken out against in this article (as an example): http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-01-10/edit-page/28365726_1_islamic-abusive-language-blasphemy

Thanks to everyone!

God's love and our love - 1 Corinthians 13

Maria Skobtsova was a Russian nun, whose residence took in Jews over the second world war to help in their hiding and escape from the Gestapo. This had some success until the house was shut and a number of people, including her, were arrested and sent to concentration camps. At Ravensbruck concentration camp, she spent two and a half years, during which the guards began to refer to her as, 'that wonderful Russian nun' and many saw God's love through her. Then, on Holy Saturday in 1945, as people were lined up for so-called bathing, she took the place in line of a terrified Jewish women, and died in the gas chambers, to save the life of another.

What do we mean by, 'love'? Unfortunately, like usual, the answer isn't particularly simple; when we are called to love all people, love is being used in a different, but not necessarily less powerful, sense to that in a marriage, for example. To clarify this, let's turn to four ancient Greek conceptions of 'love', as seen in C. S. Lewis' 'The Four Loves':

Firstly, so-called 'Storge' refers to the affection felt for someone whom you are familiar with, and the affection felt between family members.

The second concept, 'Phileo', is slightly different – it refers to the affection of true friendship that rises above friendship solely for selfish benefit, where individuals mutually enjoy each others' characters and genuinely care for their well-being.

The third concept, 'Eros', refers to the powerful forces of romantic love and attraction.

However, the forth, and last, concept, 'Agape', refers to unconditional, self-giving, selfless, outward, charitable and unconditional love. It is this love that is chosen rather than simply felt, and which never fails regardless of any change in the one who is being loved, and which is referred to in our passage, 1 Corinthians 13. It is the highest form of love, being God's love to always will the good of others, regardless of their appreciation, a form of love that is seldom glimpsed in human existence but is eternally part of God's nature.

Hence, with such a magnificent conception of love, we are challenged by these 13 verses to consider our attitude to other people, and our attitude to God's love. These verses apply firstly to ourselves, arguing that love is not simply good, but categorically required for true service of God, since, otherwise, we 'gain nothing'. We also see the emphasis on intention and attitude rather than the exterior act, so that each situation is judged individually, and the required agape love mindset is something which can be practised and developed, like a musical instrument.

However, a loving intention is not merely a moral and good motive; in fact, as written in 1 John, 'God is love'. Agape love is the moral paradigm, the height of moral perfection, the centre of the first and second greatest commandments.

We are called to love our friends, our neighbours, our rivals, our competitors, and even our enemies. We are called to follow the 'most excellent way'. We are called to be patient with each other, to work deeds of kindness, to be humble and not prideful, to be content with others having what we don't have, to honour others, to remain calm, to be selfless, to love the truth and goodness, to forgive unconditionally, to protect the weak, to always have hope, and to never give up on others.

Indeed, how far I, for one, have to go to even begin fulfilling the challenge presented in this passage! Yet, wonderfully, we can look back to the paradigm of moral greatness, of perfect agape love, God Himself, and His unconditional love for us, and be glad and secure. We need to keep faith trusting in Him, so that He can transform us from the inside, hope in His promises, and to continue propagating a true attitude of agape love.

This brings us onto the second challenge of this passage: as well as applying it to our imperfect selves, we can see all the descriptions of agape love applying to the Epitome of love Himself, God. What we are challenged to be in this passage, God already is: His love never fails, enduring forever (as the Psalmist declares), and He perseveres with us. God is love, and God is light, and in Him there is no darkness at all. God has full agape love, having moral perfection, and hence does nothing not in line with maximal love.

However, it must be emphasised, that, unlike other forms of love such as eros and storge, this agape love is anything but, 'fluffy'. God's agape is an active, powerful, passionate love, which will not tolerate injustice. It is love that despises evil whilst always desiring the good of the offender. It is love which has righteous wrath at hatred, misery and suffering, and which is prepared to discipline an offender for their own good. It is love that will not sit back and do nothing; it is a love that will experience terrifying crucifixion for the sake of a lost sheep. God's love can be severe, but it is infinite, and always ultimately for the good of the individual experiencing it.

We can, hence, trust always in God's love to work the good, even if it's through seemingly harsh means; we can rejoice and never despair, for we see that the agape that God is always perseveres with us and will never fail, or abandon us, and will protect us from falling. We can cast ourselves unto God, not for an easy ride, but for a difficult journey to an infinitely rich destination.

It is in response to God's intense care for us that we are moved to worship, and that we are moved to love others, and love Him, through our kindnesses to one another. We are challenged to consider our lives, and how they measure up to the standard of agape love which our Father in heaven upholds.

Unity and Harmony with all people, not just tolerance

(A sermon given in Newham, East London)

First of all, I would like to thank everyone for allowing us to participate in this amazing church in this amazing community. Newham has shattered many of my preconceptions; far from my idea of it being hostile and unwelcoming, we have been welcomed by wonderfully warm and friendly people. The diversity has been really positive; I far prefer this diversity to where I came from, Herefordshire, where committed Christianity was probably in the minority and other religions and cultures were almost non-existent. On this joyful day of  Palm Sunday, celebrating the entrance of Jesus into His Kingdom and celebrating the coming of His Kingdom right now and today, to be fulfilled in the future

On a dry, dusty road coming up to the Mount of Olives, in the heat of the sun, Mary and the other friends of Jesus stood with Him, resting under a large, old tree. She could barely believe Jesus this time. He had told two of his friends to go into the village ahead of them, where, apparently, they would 'find a colt, a donkey, tied up that has never been ridden', which they were supposed to just untie and bring back to them! What Jesus was up to this time was beyond her...

He had kept talking to them a few days ago about how He somehow 'had' to be killed in Jerusalem, but, again, she had had no idea what He was going on about. Neither did the disciples; they'd been talking about it amongst themselves and had come to the conclusion that Jesus must have only been talking about a danger of Him being killed.

Mary, however, was sceptical about the disciples' ideas. Jesus indeed had appeared deadly serious when predicting His rejection and death, and, whenever He discussed it, His eyes had seemed to glisten with tears. Maybe He indeed would be killed, although Mary couldn't bear to think about this possibility; she just wished that Jesus, who must have been the most amazing person that she had ever met, would turn round and stay in the safer villages. Why was He going to Jerusalem if He knew that it would result in His death?

Mary knew that Jesus was the Messiah, the Christ, the promised King, with all His wisdom and His wonderful miracles.  However, for a King, He behaved very strangely. He wasn't demanding, He didn't dress in expensive clothes, He welcomed the poor more than the rich, He cared little about having money or possessions, and He was far from indifferent to the wrongdoings and sufferings of others, but, far from being aggressive and angry, He would calmly demolish the arguments of self-righteous people by His words. Mary rather appreciated this new style of Kingship.

Just as she had been contemplating to herself, the two disciples came back, clearly exhausted, leading a small, dusty but happy, donkey. Jesus and the other disciples quickly gathered round, leaving Mary struggling to see from the outside. What was Jesus going to do now?

Incredibly, the exhausted disciples said that they had found the animal just in the right place, and, although some people had asked them why they were taking it, no-one stopped them. Even more incredibly, Jesus   walked over and sat on the animal, which was not exhausted in any way, and seemed suddenly delighted. It immediately began walking at a fast pace along the road, almost knocking a few of Jesus' friends over on the way. Jesus let out a deep, joyful chuckle.

Mary was startled, and speechless. A King wasn't meant to come in on such a humble animal! Jesus had really made his point this time... He really wasn't going to be what everyone thought that he was going to be. His very presence brought peace and joy and harmony amongst His followers, and it seemed as though even animals realised His importance.

He was amazing: He accepted everyone who came to Him humbly: He never maltreated or shouted at a woman, although He would often argue with arrogant men such as the Pharisees. He was always accepting of women. Gender was no cause for division or excuse for harsh or inferior treatment in His Kingdom. Just because someone is male or female does not mean that they should be treated differently, for there is no male nor female distinction in value in God's Kingdom.

He accepted those who disagreed with each other on the condition that they would be humble enough to work with one another as brothers and sisters. We can and should accept differences in doctrine and opinion; what is more important is that we love and work with one another.

Jesus welcomed and had special compassion for the disabled, and some of His greatest words were said to the poor and those who struggled under oppression from others. Clothing or smartness or cleanliness or disability or amount of money that a person owned were no reason for harsh treatment, and God has special concern for the poor. Indeed it is the poor who are amongst the most blessed by God, for Jesus turns the world's way of doing things upside down.

Jesus also particularly accepted those on the fringes of society, those who were hated because of crimes that they had committed (such as the tax collectors whom He ate with) or because of disease (such as the lepers that He healed). Forgiveness of those who have wronged a community or a person is a massively important part of the Kingdom of God.

Jesus opened His Kingdom to all races and languages and nations, wanting them to love one another as He had loved them and intending that they be living in complete harmony with one another. Nothing at all, not race nor ethnicity nor nationality nor where you live nor age nor doctrine nor politics nor gender nor amount of money owned should be allowed to divide us from one another, or cause one person to be treated worse than another. The unity that there should be within the Church, regardless of denomination, is a key theme of the New Testament and in Jesus' teaching

As Jesus was carried by the donkey along the road, excitement began to grow. All the disciples were united in praising God, young and old, male and female, of all financial backgrounds. They allowed nothing to separate them from one another. They were like brother and sister, passing each other large palm leaves from the nearby trees. Mary joined in, passing a few more to some of the children who were there. Like a sea of joy they waved their palm leaves and cried out, 'Hosanna'. Even though the religious authorities began to grow jealous, the disciples allowed nothing to spoil their unity and harmony and joy in worshipping Jesus as the Christ, the Messiah, the Son of God, God Himself in human form. Mary was the most joyful that she had ever been in her life!

What an amazing model this is for us today!
How wonderful it would be if we could be this united together and in harmony with one another, and with other churches here in Newham and across the UK and the world!

Save Asia Bibi from a Death Sentence!

Sign the petition - www.callformercy.com

This is a very worthwhile cause and petition, inspired by Christiana Szymanski's "Christian Witness Under Fire" blog at http://cwuf.blogspot.com/ (her associated Christian apologetics blog, "In Defense of the Christian Faith" is at http://defendchristianfaith.blogspot.com/).

The Pakistani woman Asia Bibi was arrested on June 19, 2009, on charges of blasphemy after a discussion at work where she had replied to defend her Christian position to the women who were talking to her. After trial, she was sentenced to death by a judge on November 8, 2010, fined $1,190 (US) and given 7 days to appeal. The appeal was promptly made, and the results from the Lahore High Court are not yet decided; Asia remains in prison whilst her fate is determined. Urgent action is needed to save Asia from the death sentence and from continued imprisonment, as well as protection if she is freed; she would probably then seek asylum in another country.

Please sign the petition above! Also, please spread the word to others! There are other ways to help, including contacting Pakistani officials and Asia Bibi herself (information is at http://cwuf.blogspot.com/2011/07/update-on-asia-bibi.html). 

Please, if you do send anything, be very careful to not be antagonistic or in any way disrespectful, or to discuss politics or Islam or the blasphemy law itself etc., in order to not make things worse; please focus on the point, which is the freedom of Asia Bibi. Also, I would just like to emphasise that some Muslims are also opposed to the blasphemy laws, and they are spoken out against in this article (as an example): http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-01-10/edit-page/28365726_1_islamic-abusive-language-blasphemy

Thanks to everyone!

Introduction to the Christian Resolution

This is the Christian Resolution blog. We seek to, in line with the work of Jesus Christ, take real action instead of just talking about it, working for justice where, at present, injustice and corruption reign, working for peace where conflict and division are prevalent, and working for freedom where there are chains and slavery, all while demonstrating the love and compassion of Christ. We need to "walk the walk" and not just "talk the talk". The resolution to action starts now.