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It’s wonderful isn’t it, 2008 offers us all a clean slate and a chance to really focus the mind on making the changes in our lives we’ve been to afraid to make in 2007. But how should the Christian view it?

Well I think that New Years is a bit like the Gospel. Gasp, what could I mean? People, in general, view it as a chance to start afresh, the Gospel tells us that we have fresh lives in Christ. People view it as a chance to persue their dreams with renewed vigor, the Gospel tells us to turn around and run toward Jesus.

CJ Mahany’s “Cross Centred Life” (a great quick read) remined me that the gospel is for every day, not just for Sundays, not just for Easter or Christmas or New Years, every single day.

My thoughts, for what they’re worth, are that every day for the Christian should be a very merry little ‘new year.’ Every day should start with the knowledge that we have a ‘clean slate’ a renewal in our minds that God’s Grace and Christ’s Sacrifice are sufficent to cover yesterdays transgressions. Every day should start with a new resolve to love God with all our heart and to love our neighbours in the same way we love ourselves. Jesus IS for Christmas, Jesus IS for New Year, but much better than that is that Jesus IS for everyday, we’d be fools to leave Him be!

“The University had no responsibility for the discrimination against Christians, and that the CU was wrong to require that those leading the CU should be Christians…” 

What’s the difference between a devout muslim or one of Dawkins’ meatheads being the president of a university Christian Union, and a university’s ‘Welsh Society being open to Scottish members; the wine society open to teetotal members, the choral society open to non-singing members, and the cheerleading society being open to male members…’?

None apparently.

Or at least that’s the decision of Martin Shaw, the QC leading the informal adjudication process involving Exeter Christian Union and Exeter University’s Student guild. He goes on to say that ‘the Guild were ‘laudable’ in their aims, the University had no responsibility for the discrimination against Christians, and that the CU was wrong to require that those leading the CU should be Christians. That position, he said, could be held by anyone of any faith or none, provided they agree to the objectives of the CU.’ 

Three weeks ago I sat in the middle of five hundred men at the EMA conference at St. Helen’s. Though the conference’s title was ‘Defining the times: what is an evangelical?’ there was a subtext to nearly every message during the week - ‘prepare your young men - persecution will come’. As one of only a couple of dozen men under 25 there I shuffled my bum. When we heard that ‘young men are scared to suffer they’ve never seen you have to do it’, mine, along with the other young men’s bum, almost did something else. 

Whoever it was that said it (either Tim Keller or Dick Lucas - I’ve searched my notes, and can’t find the quote…) hit the nail on the head. What does it look like? When will it come? I am scared to suffer - I don’t don’t have a clue what it’s going to be like.  

The news coming out of Exeter gives me an idea.

Exeter, we stand with you, and pray for you. You walk a path we’ll inevitably follow you down. Stand strong - you will bask in all that Christ has won for you soon.

It seems to me that every where you turn at the moment there is talk about the ‘theology of the city.’ Everyone is speaking about it*, Don Carson, Tim Kellar, Steve Chalke, Queen Elizebeth, hey if Mark Driscoll says the word city one more time he’s going to find out what sort of manly man he’s bred. Everyone is just now figuring out the whys and hows of reaching and using cities for Christ.

Great isn’t it. Only thing is, I live in a little ‘hick’ town. My experience in my whole life has been pretty anti-city. I grew up on a hill, choose a university to stay rural and have come back, settled and plan to live in the wilds when I get married in 3 months. What the heck can I learn about mission when all everyone is talking about is the city? I’m scared of the city, it’s too bright!

As I showered this morning, thinking about this city obsessed Christian age, I wondered, ‘Do I have to move to the city to be a good christian?’ Is there any point in rural folk reaching other rural folk or should we all go beef up city churches and send a monthly food package to our closely bred cousins in the valley?’

The answer I guess has got to be no, emphatically no. But here’s thing, I’m not quite sure why. As I’m bombarded with city talk I think my mind is slowly being eroded. I could give you a hundred and one reasons why we need to reach the cities, but I can only think of one reason to reach the rural. May I at this point reference our very own JTizzles sermon from this Sunday gone, a first in a 3part series on ‘The art of Contextualisation’ (part two by our very own Sammy Davies). Point two was this, “Go to where people are.”

See, this is my conclusion. As long as people live in the rurals, we have to reach the rurals. As long as people live in the city, we have to reach the city. The only difference is volume. If we have a passion to see lost people come to know Christ (price check on that passion, I’m sure that’s to wishy washy for prognosis, please replace with something more suitable such as ‘to see Christ glorified as filthy sinners bath in the redeeming blood of the cross’) then we have to reach people, WHERE EVER THEY ARE. That’s the key to contextualisation. We reach them where they are at, be that location, language or level of understanding.

Theology of the Rural - Simple, Christ came to save the lost. Lost people live in the country. Let’s be part of what HE’S doing.

*not all of these people are necessarily talking about the theology of the city.

Thought I might wade in with a quick blog about the penal substitution thingy. Here’s mine…