Just got in from a breakfast meeting with Trafford Council leaders and some of the key Churches in Trafford. We were presenting some of the exciting things happening around the country with Hope 08. Hope 08 is a national initiative encouraging Churches "to do more", "do it together" and "do it in word and deed" over the course of the next year. Susan Leiper at ABC is co-ordinating our response as a local Church.
The exciting thing was to meet with the Council Leaders from all parties and hear how warmly they speak about the contribution Churches make in Trafford. We are by far the largest single voluntary organisation, running schools, helping families, supporting people through life's struggles. We own and maintain hundreds of buildings and on the whole do not rely on outside funding. The aim of the meeting was to consult with Trafford before Hope 08 gets underway to ask them if they felt the Church could serve and partner with Trafford on any specific projects. A number of ideas were raised and they will be taken further over the next few weeks.
Two things struck me at the meeting from a couple of comments made after I gave the preentation. Susan Williams the leader of the council thanked Rev Phil Rawlings (St Brides, Old Trafford) for his introduction to the breakfast where he shared on behalf of the Churches, appreciation and thanks to the Council for all their hard work and service. She was deeply touched that someone simply said thank you. We need to say thank you to people more often, particularly those who often get overlooked and takne for granted. It is one the easiest things to say and yet so often we forget to say it.
The other comment came from Dave McNulty (Chief Exec)who said that the Churches work was very impressive but he challenged us to become more strategic in our activity. Perhaps that is one of the reasons why the Church seems at times to be less than the sum of its part. We do a lot of good things but often alone, without co-operation and without reference to the bigger picture. He was inviting us into the bigger picture to play our part in the vision for Trafford.
Over 200 years ago the Churches got their act together and worked for the abolition of slavery, working with secular organisations and under the leadership of Wilberforce. Its time to get our act together again for the benefit of the people of our borough and the extension of the kingdom of God.
5 comments:
Just a hello from the RC RS ;-)
Just a hello and to say I agree with you. I will have to look at more of this blog.
Hi Roger, I didn't realise you had a blog.. you haven't done one in a while though so please do more when you have time, thanks.
Also in this blog you said
'ask them if they felt the Church could serve and partner with Trafford on any specific projects. A number of ideas were raised and they will be taken further over the next few weeks'
Just wondering what projects you decided on, how we can help etc
Emma
Hope 08 has been linked with the British Government to promote its multifaith/interfaith, new ecumenical and neo pagan ideology and calling it Christian but when you dig deep into it, then you find their has been more going on then meets the eye.
All over the UK Hope 2008 leaders have been consulting and seeking advice from Churches Together [1]
An e-mail I have recieved from "Hope 08"
Dear Miguel
" We have been in regular contact with Churches Together in England and had some contact with the Welsh agency CYTUN."
Hope08 has one of its primary goals the fostering of InterFaith relationships.
Hope and other Faiths
Whatever you�re planning for Hope 2008, you may end up working with, or amongst people of different faiths. Hope 2008 can be a great opportunity to serve them and share your faith in a way that leads to meaningful friendships.
There is advice and suggestions of resources via the Youth Encounter section of the Scripture Union website and also an excellent resource produced by Churches Together in England.
"It gives me great pleasure to take this opportunity to recognise the achievements of HOPE2008 and the diverse range of projects it has delivered for many communities throughout the country. I consider HOPE2008 to be a valued partner of Government and a true example of what can be accomplished when we all work together towards a shared goal. The values and traditions which motivate those of a Christian faith to serve their fellow citizens are clearly evident in the themes of HOPE2008. It is also a credit to the many volunteers who actively support this initiative that HOPE2008 positively embraces the ideal of interfaith engagement in all of its projects. Communities and Local Government supports HOPE2008 in its aim of encouraging people of all faith traditions and none to work together to make our communities stronger, inclusive and more cohesive."
Parmjit Dhanda MP, Cohesion Minister, Department for Communities and Local Government.
Here is some background information about Churches together, the Churches Together are members of the [2] world Council of Churches, they also support the "Christian GLBT movement" AKA (Gay Lesbian Bisexual Transgender) that are members of Churches Together.
"2004 MCC Manchester joins Churches Together in Longsight."
The MCC is a Homosexual GLBT (Gay Lesbian Bisexual Transgender) church group affiliated to the Churches Together are
http://www.fyne.co.uk/index.php?item=581
[3] Holy Trinity and Living Springs MCC are Christian churches and members of Churches Together in Bath.
http://www.mccbath.org.uk/
Churches Together pushing interfaith, [4] they state
�A Positive Attitude to Difference�
Rosalind and Heather say that they got involved because there didn�t seem to be much help available that recognises what it is like to try to live with two faiths and two communities in one family.
The assumption is often that if people of different faiths get married, it�s because religion doesn�t matter to one or both of them. But they have found, from running this website and working with couples, that this is often far from true. If anything, faith can become more important, even for people who weren�t practicing to begin with � because it�s about who you are.
[5] Promoting interfaith relations across Britain and Ireland
Across Britain and Ireland there is a rich tapestry of faiths. Some people belong to major world religions that are ancient and historic, while others follow smaller, newer faiths.
Many show a passionate commitment to their religion, which plays a major part in their identity and sense of belonging. Others are more sporadic in their observance and may regard their faith as a private, spiritual affair.
These differing spiritual approaches leave Christians with many questions to consider, such as how to relate to people of other faiths without compromising their own beliefs.
Churches Together in Britain and Ireland provides an �ecumenical space' in which these and other issues can be explored and reflected upon.
[6] (Conclusion: Churches Together are bringing Churches across the UK into deeper apostasy, and they harbour the delusion that different faiths serve the same God.)
[7] Faiths, HOPE and Diversity:
Bringing hope amongst people of different faiths.
Hope 2008 is a great opportunity for Christians to make a difference to their communities. For many this means working amongst people of different faiths. What are the issues and questions that we might face as we work in this situation? Should we be about mission or dialogue or both? How do we share our faith whilst acknowledging that they are committed to theirs? And what do we say when people ask why we�re taking part in Hope 2008?
Faiths, Hope and Diversity are training days to help Christians think through the issues that working amongst people of other faiths raises. The days are being led by Gill Marchant and Andrew Smith of Scripture Union who, between them, have over 25 years experience of working with people of other faiths.
Hope 2008 directs people to get help from the the Youth Encounter section of Hope 08's web site they state.
[8] "Action leads to insight more often than insight leads to action" [9] which Steve Chalke who stated about his views on �penal substitution� as expressed in his book �In my view the real problem with penal substitution � a theory rooted in violence and retributive norms of justice � is that it is wholly incompatible, at least as currently taught and understood, with any authentically Christian understanding of the character of God or genuinely Christocentric world views � given for instance Jesus� own non-violent �do not return evil for evil� approach to life� and he went on to say "Hence my comment, in The Lost Message of Jesus, about the tragedy of reducing God to a �cosmic child abuser�. Though the sheer bluntness of my imagery might shock some, in truth, it is only because it is a stark �unmasking� of the violent, pre-Christian thinking behind such a theology."
In saying Steve Chalke states "If you don't know who you are, you don't know who you are dealing with" M G Khan Quotes from the Getting Engaged Conference, Feb 2007
Youth Encounter is a Scripture Union project which exists to help Christian young people in Britain live out their faith amongst Muslims. This is done in two distinct ways:
1. Running Faith and Young People Events that bring together Christian and Muslim young people for dialogue.
2. Providing training and resources to help churches equip Christian young people live out their faith confidently and humbly amongst their Muslim friends.
Youth Encounter also provides training for churches and Christian organisations who are working with Muslim young people.
[10] They also promote this as a so-called "excellent resource" produced by Churches Together in England promoting interfaith.
This states: The last hundred years have seen an unprecedented migration of peoples around the globe, leading to the multicultural, multiethnic and multi-faith societies found in our country and others today. Many Christians have felt called to look beyond their own circle and build up friendly relations with believers of other religions.
Dialogue is first of all about people: meeting, building riendships, conversation, laughter, tears, sharing. Once we meet, we may realise that Muslims, Hindus, Sikhs, Jews, Zoroastrians, Baha�is, Jains or Buddhists are not what we thought. We realise too that no one is the perfect embodiment of faith. (Added comment: In other words there are many ways to God) Dialogue has been defined as �all positive and constructive interreligious relations with individuals and with communities of other faiths that are directed at mutual understanding and enrichment in obedience to truth and respect for freedom�.
While Christians have a special relationship with the Jews, and share the �Abrahamic tradition� with Islam too, much can be learned from and exchanged with the faithful of all religions.
Yet they dissobey God when the Bible says in John 1:9-11, says, "Anyone who goes too far and does not abide in the teaching of Christ, does not have God; the one who abides in the teaching, he has both the Father and the Son. 10 If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not receive him into your house, and do not give him a greeting; 11 for the one who gives him a greeting participates in his evil deeds." (Muslims? Hindus? People of other Faiths ?)
James 4:4, says, "You (spiritual) adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore, whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God."
II Corinthians 6:14-17, says, "Do not be bound together with unbelievers; for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness? 15 Or what harmony has Christ with Belial, or what has a believer in common with an unbeliever?... 17 "Therefore, Come out from their midst and be seperate," says the Lord."
Ephesians 5:6-11, says, "Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. 7 Therefore do not be partakers with them... 11 Do not participate in their unfruitful deeds of darkness, but instead even expose them." (Yet they praise Muslims, Hindu`s people of other faiths)
Belief and Being in School
[11] Youth Encounter stated Believing and
Being in School which the people behind
Hope '08 are clearly in support of, promoting
Interfaith can only eventually lead to multi-faith.
[12] They advertise the Christian Muslim
Forum is holding this conference for Christian
and Muslim teachers and teaching assistants.
The event is designed to bring together educators of faith working in mainstream schools. 'Believing and Being in School' provides an opportunity for Christians and Muslims to consider together ways in which they can maintain the integrity of their faith in a secular environment and use it as a resource for their pupils� education and well being. We are able to offer this event at a subsidised price due to funding from the Faith Communities Capacity Building Fund.
"The days will give people a chance to think through some of the issues, reflect on what the Bible has to say, ask questions and get practical help."
The answer is clear, "Who is the liar but the one who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist, the one who denies the Father and the Son. Whoever denies the Son does not have the Father; the one who confesses the Son has the Father also." 1 John 2:22-23
"By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God; and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God; and this is the spirit of the antichrist, of which you have heard that it is coming, and now it is already in the world." 1 John 4:2-3
"For many deceivers have gone out into the world, those who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh. This is the deceiver and the antichrist." 2 John 1:7
So who is an Anti-Christ ??
The one who denies that Jesus is the Christ
1 Jn 2:22
Whoever denies the Son 1 Jn 2:22
Whoever will not confess the son 1 Jn 2:23
The liar 1 Jn 2:22
Every spirit that does not confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh 1 Jn 4:2
Every spirit that does not confess Jesus 1 Jn 4:3
Those who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh 2 Jn 1:7
Yet they advertise the Faiths, HOPE and Diversity flyer.
[13] So what is the future for Hope '08 well the
site was the idea of Gareth Squire, Director of the Christian Enquiry Agency, who says, �We want hopeinfo.co.uk to be a central place of inspiration and information about the faith that drives Christians to serve their communities - but equally importantly, we want it to be a place where people of all faiths and none can express their hopes and dreams and engage in a conversation about the true nature of hope.�
David Coleman of Church Army who is a partner in the project adds; �Everyone hopes for something and this project is designed to start where people are and encourage as many people as possible to share their hopes.�
Hope '08 is not about leading people to Christ but rather it is about bring people to Christianity, teaching that Christianity is one of many ways to God, leading people to believe that all religions are acceptable to God.
Yet the Bible also says (Ephesians 5:7,11) '7 Be not ye therefore partakers with them... 11 And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them.'
(2Corinthians 6:14) 'Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath Light with darkness?'
Do we have any common ground with the enemies of the cross in any area of our lives and within the body of Christ ? The Bible says we have NO common ground with the enemies of God. We are call to holiness. We must stand by the things of God and this means no compromise, no � matter � what!
Hope '08 its leaders and those who are involved walk in defeat. They are willing to compromise with, and partake in, the sins of the heathen such as idolatry, disobedience, disloyalty. Because of this Hope '08 is guilty of spiritual prostitution.
Refs
[1] http://www.hope08.com/Publisher/Search.aspx?sear chString=Churches%20together
[2] http://www.wcc-coe.org/wcc/behindthenews/
[3]http://www.goodhopemcc.org/ghmcc/content/view/196/119/
[4] http://www.cte.org.uk/Publisher/Article.aspx?id=85807
[5] http://www.churches-together.net/Group/Group.aspx?id=59464
[6] http://www.youthencounter.org.uk/
[7] http://www.hope08.com/Group/Group.aspx?id=58519
[8] http://www.youthencounter.org.uk/
[9] http://www.takeheed.net/SEPTEMBER2005.htm
[10] http://www.hope08.com/Publisher/File.aspx?ID=22259
[11] http://www.youthencounter.org.uk/news/default.htm#postcard
[12] http://www.christianmuslimforum.org/belief_and_belonging/
[13] http://www.grapevine.derby.anglican.org/gv_getpdf.php?416
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