Plague and Providence

I had two dreams last week. In one, I was with my son in France, trying to find our way by train with a map. In the other, I was interviewing a comedian on why he got into comedy, but he wasn’t interested in exploring his origins. In both, my subconscious was searching for answers to ‘Where?’ and ‘Why?’ No wonder, given the days we’re living in.

Crying over Corona

I have seen some Christian preachers online, who are calling this Covid-19 epidemic a sign of God’s judgment on the world. Another group, among which I suspect I sometimes fall, don’t go that far. They just say it’s a sowing and reaping of what we have produced in our way of life.

The problem is that, whether true or not, there is a gleeful delight in many of these commentators; an apparent pleasure in the disaster, a satisfaction that sinners are getting their comeuppance. But the proper stance of the prophet is to weep.

Prophecy and the Virus

What is the calling of a prophet in times like these? Old Testament scholar, Walter Brueggemann suggests the prophetic ministry has two facets: criticising and energising. When the regime is most stable and prosperous, the prophet’s vocation was to point out the rot within the system, the injustice and oppression, which went on, often in the name of the religion. However, when times were hard, and the nation was in exile, it was prophet’s task to articulate hope, and the sense of the future, to indicate God’s new beginning, his new creation, for the nation.

Corona Theology

With government policy encouraging social distancing and self-isolation in face of the Corona Crisis, we need to consider the possible consequences of this enforced separation. Feeling cooped-up has a severe effect on mental health. Experiences of solitary confinement in prisons, and cabin fever on ships, are well-known, and the psychological effects established.

Coronavirus & Its Social Effects

As I cycle through semi-deserted streets of London, I’m reflecting on the state of our planet. I feel a little like Frodo in ‘Lord of the Rings’ – a very small person, moving amidst giant forces at work in the world. For this is not a small problem, affecting one country, but an entire way of life.

We have built our civilisation on sand, instead of the rock. I don’t believe it is situation of God’s direct judgment, as some Christians are claiming. But we are reaping, as a species, what we have sown, in a kind of Christian version of karma.

Coronavirus

Last Thursday, the American team who were supposed to lead our evening meeting, had to return home. Their Mission Board recommended this action, as a sensible response to the Coronovirus pandemic, so that they wouldn’t become stranded in the UK, if the travel restrictions were extended.

We were sad, because we were looking forward to their ministry among us. But, as it was then too late to cancel our meeting, we went ahead. I am glad we did. Although, humanly speaking, we did not have a lot of time to prepare, we were able to worship God, led by Rebecca and Allan, where we experienced a powerful anointing of his Holy Spirit. People really entered into the felt presence of the Lord, with many visibly moved.

Exclusive-Inclusive Church

What does it mean to be an ‘inclusive church’? Are there really any ‘inclusive churches’ at all? In practice, the term is deployed to refer to those so-called ‘progressive’ churches, which want to ‘include’ LGBT+ people in their fellowships, in conditions of full acceptance and affirmation of their sexual orientation and practice. So, are such churches actually ‘inclusive’, for real?

The Imminence of God

Transcendence and immanence are two words often juxtaposed, to express paradoxical qualities of Divinity: his otherness, distance, and holiness - versus his closeness, love and indwelling. These doctrinal stances are reflected in different styles of spirituality and corporate worship – the majesty and awe of liturgy or grand hymnody, contrasted with the intimacy and fervour of charismatic gifts or revivalist ecstasy.

Another word, happily rhyming with Immanence, is ‘Imminence’: the Imminence of God. Fundamentalist doctrine often emphasises the ‘imminent’ second coming of Christ – however long it is in the waiting (2 Pe. 3.3-9), it is always ‘imminent’, just around the corner. And indeed, we must always be ready (the ‘Left Behind’ books notwithstanding). As the Rabbis said, every moment is equidistant from the Messiah: he could come any time. Many evangelistic sermons have played on the same plea, to be ready when he comes, like the ‘thief in the night’ (Matt. 24.43).