Billy Graham reflections

Billy Graham

I hadn't spotted this before but it really is well worth reading
I heard Billy preach a few times ,the last time in 1984. I suppose along with John Stott,he influenced evangelicals more than any other person in the 20th century

Stephen Hawking and Heaven

I see Stephen Hawking is in the news again today  here
I am not sure Hawking is saying anything he hasn't said before.These days it is not very fashionable for scientists to believe in God, though many continue to do so.
Having failed to pass almost any science exam I ever took .I am really not qualified to debate the science, though  John  Lennox  Professor of Mathematics  at Oxford and Fellow in Mathematics and Philosophy of Science certainly is.

Lennox writes"

According to Hawking, the laws of physics, not the will of God, provide the real explanation as to how life on Earth came into being. The Big Bang, he argues, was the inevitable consequence of these laws ‘because there is a law such as gravity, the universe can and will create itself from nothing.’

Unfortunately, while Hawking’s argument is being hailed as controversial and ground-breaking, it is hardly new.

For years, other scientists have made similar claims, maintaining that the awesome, sophisticated creativity of the world around us can be interpreted solely by reference to physical laws such as gravity.

It is a simplistic approach, yet in our secular age it is one that seems to have resonance with a sceptical public.

But, as both a scientist and a Christian, I would say that Hawking’s claim is misguided. He asks us to choose between God and the laws of physics, as if they were necessarily in mutual conflict.

But contrary to what Hawking claims, physical laws can never provide a complete explanation of the universe. Laws themselves do not create anything, they are merely a description of what happens under certain conditions.

What Hawking appears to have done is to confuse law with agency. His call on us to choose between God and physics is a bit like someone demanding that we choose between aeronautical engineer Sir Frank Whittle and the laws of physics to explain the jet engine.

That is a confusion of category. The laws of physics can explain how the jet engine works, but someone had to build the thing, put in the fuel and start it up. The jet could not have been created without the laws of physics on their own  -  but the task of development and creation needed the genius of Whittle as its agent.

Similarly, the laws of physics could never have actually built the universe. Some agency must have been involved.

To use a simple analogy, Isaac Newton’s laws of motion in themselves never sent a snooker ball racing across the green baize. That can only be done by people using a snooker cue and the actions of their own arms.

Hawking’s argument appears to me even more illogical when he says the existence of gravity means the creation of the universe was inevitable. But how did gravity exist in the first place? Who put it there? And what was the creative force behind its birth?"

Others including the Chief Rabbi  have also taken issue with Professor Hawking  here Chief Rabbi

As  a pastor though I have spent many hours with those who are dying and have often been struck by the hope of  many Christians in the face of death

I remember many years ago being with an old lady in her nineties who was dying. She  had been converted as a young girl during the 1904 Welsh Revival.Judging from the sense she had of the presence of Jesus which was reflected in her face, and by her repeating again and again the words "Jesus".I certainly believed then and believe now she was entering His presence.

I cannot prove that  but  I accept it as faith. I put my trust in Jesus who said I am the Resurrection and The Life"

I know not why God’s wondrous grace
To me He hath made known,
Nor why, unworthy, Christ in love
Redeemed me for His own.

But I know Whom I have believèd,
And am persuaded that He is able
To keep that which I’ve committed
Unto Him against that day.

Building church for the future !

The work on our town centre building continues.
Demolition is alsmost complete and rebuilding will begin shortly.
The planners  insisted we keep the front facade so this is not being demolished .

We do hope however to build an atrium on the front to increase the buildings "wow factor".

It was I think Churchill who said "We shape our buildings and then they shape us"

We are determined not to be club but to be a welcoming community, and therefore we are  committed to building something that is attractive, flexible and accessible so that this building can be used to serve and bless our community and it can be a place where the love of Jesus can be seen and shared..

All being well the new building will be opened fairly early in 2012

On Sunday the church spent 4 hours together thinking,praying and talking about exactly what ministries would take place in the building. It was a pretty inspiring time and what gave me immense pleasure was how so many people of different ages grasped the vision of what it means to be missional church.
In my view this is a much better way to do church meetings and the feedback we got seemed to confirm this view
Other churches are much further along this path,The Hub and we also showed this video from Finchampstead Baptist Church which is well worth looking at( forgive the slightly heavy denominational slant -it is still an exciting story!)


So these are very busy but very exciting days for us all -Lots of meetings about different aspects of the project ,but all the time trying to keep ourselves focussed on the goal .We are not here to build a building but to build God's Kingdom

Lots of people in the town wonder what is going on at the site and ask loads of questions. Hopefully they are beginning to believe that a new building will emerge from the rubble after demolition and hopefully to it wont be very long beore the signs go on the hoardings " Building church for the future- Building church for the community -building church for you!

David Wilkerson Osama Bin laden- the contrast

2 different deaths
Was going to write something on these lines but somebody has already done it better than I could

Osama bin Laden is dead

I woke up early this morning to hear the news breaking that Osama bin Laden is dead ,killed in an American operation. Many people will rejoice that a man held responsible for 9/11 and the agony and suffering caused by the destruction of so many lives is no more
I understand this point but still find it hard to rejoice in anyones death and I certainly pray that Osama's death will not unleash another cycle of violence and retaliation,death and destruction.
Mike Frost on his Facebook page has this comment
Remember Prov 24:17: "Do not gloat when your enemy falls; when he stumbles, do not let your heart rejoice". The violent destruction of evil must be greeted with silence and solemnity not crude celebration.


I think I will leave it at that and pray for peace in our world




Update this is the Vatican's reaction which for me at least seems sensible and sane



Osama Bin Laden – as everyone knows – has had the gravest responsibility for spreading hatred and division among people, causing the deaths of countless people, and exploiting religion for this purpose.
Faced with the death of a man, a Christian does not rejoice in anything, but reflects on the serious responsibility of everyone before God and man, and hopes and pledges that every event is not an opportunity for a further growth of hatred, but of peace.

Royal Wedding round up

As the long bank holiday weekend draws to a close, I thought I would link to a very  few  of the numerous blog posts I have seen on THE wedding!
One of the posts I enjoyed most was this one Read  on Eternal Echoes.
The video of the cartwheeling verger has gone viral.What joy and exuberance!However,it appears not everyone is pleased and Cranmer reports he is in trouble here
For a positive view from The USA see here Cecelia's blog
Not everyone was charmed though certainly not Ekklesia Read

Finchampstead -an inspiring story

In the next week or so we are meeting together as a church to continue to discern God's vision for us as our new building gets a bit closer to completion(.-the roof is now off and the walls are are coming down!)
We are determined to bless and serve (together with other Christians) the community in which God has placed us.
As we were thinking all this through we were struck by this video produced by The Baptist Union's Crossing Places initiative It is an exciting  and inspiring story!
A reminder that God is Faithful!