Double waters 18 Sep 20

The unknown path winds through the sunlit wood,
The breath of Autumn gently starts to play,
As just the first few leaves begin to fall.
And acorns, beechnuts mark the chosen way.

I do not know my destination. Yet
I turn and glimpse the river far below
Enticing me to find its rocky shore
And so I scramble down – and then I know.

I see a couple on the other side
Who walk on paths that I have trodden once.
The water flows too fast, too deep to cross
And so I rest to hear my heart’s response.

For when the winter comes and storms have passed
And all’s stripped bare, with nothing left before,
I shall to the river come again
And You will lead me safe to further shore.

Cornish heritage

I was at Kit Hill yesterday looking at the remains of Cornwall’s mining heritage and thinking of how many of my father’s family came from mining families. I wrote the following about my great-grandfather Raphael, also in memory of his nephew James killed in an accident at West Kitty mine on 13th September 1895:

There were no teenage years back then. You grew
Amid the flickering darkness far away
From sun or sea or sky, your school the seams
Of tin and copper worked for wretched pay

You had your dreams, of course, of life above
A better place than misery far below
And hence awhile the Redruth draper’s shop
But times were hard, the profits small, and so

You sold the lot and moved to Wales, but yet
Your fortunes were not made – least not before
Your shop went bust, your first wife died, but then
You prospered debt-collecting from the poor…

How much you must have thought of those you left
Behind, who laboured still in total shade,
And when you heard your nephew crushed and killed
Did you wonder what if you had stayed?

Lockdown haikus

In the heart’s silence
Wrestling with the word of God
A sermon is born

Speaking to the void
Camera steady? Mike switched on?
Sunday service starts

The summer darkness
Echoes with a crunching sound
Hogs eat noisily!

Jigsaw pieces fall
On the pavement; without you
Life is incomplete

To eat yet still feel
Hungry: to hug with brackets
In an online world

Some reflections on lockdown

The world has changed so much since I last posted on this blog! No-one last Christmas could have foreseen how much our lives would be affected by this current pandemic, and I sense that ministry will never quite be the same again. No doubt there will be those who write a fuller and more complete account of how lockdown has impacted upon the life of the average vicar, but I offer six reflections:

I have learnt to value each day as a gift. In one sense, I knew this already. But as events have unfolded so fast and as nobody really knows what lies ahead, I have learnt in a new way the truth of Jesus’ words: do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own (Matt 6:34). That is why each night I am thankful for what has been given me and each day I give thanks for what lies ahead. This doesn’t mean the tragedy of what is happening impacts on me any less, but I have a new perspective that ultimately all things lie in the hands of the Lord, and I am learning to count all such blessings that I have been privileged to receive.

The need for a daily rhythm of life has been ever more important. I have always had a fairly strict pattern of observing a daily quiet time but maintaining that pattern and indeed building on it has been so essential during lockdown. When potentially you have more time, it can be so easy to neglect the basics, or to get distracted onto all those Internet posts. The rhythm of prayer at the start of the day (OK, in my case just after breakfast) helps to give shape and substance to my ministry, it teaches me the Lord’s priorities in this strange new situation, and hopefully enables me to find my bearings as I face challenges hitherto neither known or suspected.

Online ministry brings with it new challenges. There are the obvious technical ones, but there are more subtle ones as well. Others have noted the phenomenon of “Zoom fatigue”, and I find there are ways communicating by screen can be quite draining. I have noticed my fatigue levels building and this is one reason why I keep to a day off each week where, as far as possible, I stay away from a screen.

A new focus on the basics. If you were to ask me twenty years ago, why I came into ministry, I would say it was to pray, to pastor, and to preach. Very rarely however have I been able to concentrate on these three things. I know there are issues with buildings and finances that can’t be ignored, but for the moment there is a certain freedom in returning to those basics, and concentrating on my role as pastor to the flock. There has also been a certain freedom in not meeting the demands of an ever more centralised church structure, and as I look at a filing cabinet stuffed with the accumulated paperwork of so many committees and synods, I can’t help asking myself, “Were all those meetings really necessary?”

Available but not present. The real heartache I have experienced in the current lockdown has come from not being able to minister to those bereaved, except by message or phone call. My ministry has been based on being physically present and sharing in both the joys and the sorrows of those I am called to serve, and it has been so difficult to be at a distance.

And yet, although I am not able to be present, I have discovered that I am nearly always available. I am not going anywhere in the near future, so I am able to answer that phone call or respond to that message. In some ways, then, I find I am building more relationships with the church community, and not only with the faithful few, but those who are very much on the fringes of the church, and beyond. From all my conversations it is also clear that once we are able to be together, few of us will take the gathering for Sunday worship for granted any more, and we will appreciate just what a privilege it is to come together in the Lord’s name.

Rediscovering the priority of preaching and teaching. There has been a lot of debate about whether it is possible to have some kind of spiritual communion online. I don’t want to get into a big argument, other than to say from my perspective a communion of one seems to me a contradiction in terms, and it is the physical sharing of a meal that makes the sacrament.

But for me, this time has been one where there has been a real opportunity to make the word of God known. I really do not understand the numbers Facebook generates for our Sunday worship, but it is clear we are reaching beyond the usual small number of the flock. I am currently going through the Apostles’ Creed in my online broadcasts Monday to Thursday which have certainly gained some kind of audience, and in some way this time has been a real gift to focus on the ministry of pastoring and teaching which has always undergirded my calling (Eph 4:12).

At some point of course, restrictions will be eased. It will be possible to return to our church buildings. We will need to have annual meetings. We will need to make some probably very tough financial decisions. What all this will mean for all for our small inner-city congregations, I cannot tell. But the one thing I am clear about – the Lord is going to be leading us on, not back to how things were. For, as we are reminded in John 10:3: He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. So even as lockdown slowly lifts (and with the awareness it may be reimposed at any time) we will need to be listening more than ever to His voice, and obedient to whatever it is that He asks of us.

 

 

 

Christmas Day 2019

Although so bleary-eyed and heavy-limbed
The vicar rises with the crack of dawn
And soon he’s out along the silent streets
Past darkened homes with all their curtains drawn.

There’s a fire upon the eastern sky
A sun ablaze above the misty sound,
Yet very few will see the sight – the light
To many shines unwelcome and unfound.

Yet as its rays begin to thaw the ground,
The vicar hears a single blackbird sing,
And soon creation joins in raucous praise –
But to most their sound is only deafening.

“O Lord, that you would melt such frozen hearts!”
And with such earnest prayer the service starts…

Two eighteenth century parsons

Over the summer I have been reading the biography of John Newton by Jonathan Aitken, and rereading John Beresford’s edition of James Woodforde’s diaries:

It is fascinating to compare the lives of the contemporaries who lived in almost parallel worlds.

James Woodforde (1740-1803) was the epitome of the eighteenth century country parson. He came from a clerical family, was educated at Oxford and but for a family dispute would have succeeded to the living formerly held by his father. He spent the latter half of his life in a rural parish near Norfolk, although when his health allowed, spent plenty of time away staying with family in Somerset. There is throughout his writings a sense of gratitude to God for small mercies, but there is no obvious point of conversion or period during which his faith deepens. His focus is on the small details – what he eats each day, the company he keeps, the small sums won and lost playing at cards. He is an ardent supporter of the monarchy and makes sure to use the forms of prayers sent round for use on special occasions. On preaching he is less keen. When the Bishop of Norwich asks him to preach in the cathedral his response (24 Oct 1783) is to reason with him not to be asked to carry out this duty. When on one of his visits to Somerset (July 20 1782) he is asked to preach he declines as he has not brought a sermon with him. Parson Woodforde is a product of his age, benignly overseeing his parish, collecting the tithe each year, and carrying out such duties as are asked of him.

By contrast John Newton (1725-1803) had anything but a conventional route to ordination. He was a wild profligate young man who endured much hardship, and even once converted he still took command of a slave ship until eventually made redundant. He was self-educated and his calling to ministry came over many years while working as the Surveyor of Tides in Liverpool. Even then it remained unclear for quite some time in which denomination he would be ordained, and only the intervention of a wealthy patron finally secured ordination after much opposition from the establishment. He did not necessarily seek after fame, but his account of his dramatic conversion and the spiritual wisdom that he imparted in his writings and his hymns brought him a wide audience and led to a preaching ministry across the country. He also began to understand the incompatibility of his slave trading past with his faith, and so became an agent for social change and religious renewal. All the way through there is a sense of the unwarranted and overwhelming nature of God’s grace. His final words are reported to be: “My memory is nearly gone, but I remember two things: That I am a great sinner and that Christ is a great Saviour” (p.347)

It is hard not to be struck by the immense contrast between these two lives. Parson Woodforde described in minute detail the status quo and in so doing unintentionally created a wonderful landscape of 18th century life. It is easy to criticise his apparently superficial faith, but he was certainly no worse, and probably a lot better, than many of his contemporaries. He clearly was devoted to the people he served.

John Newton by contrast came from the margins of society to bring reform and renewal and was mightily used as God’s agent in a time when so much of the church had declined into nominalism. His life was preserved just long enough to see his protege William Wilberforce get a bill passed in parliament for the abolition of slavery  (a subject that seems to appear nowhere at all in Parson Woodforde’s diaries) and he prepared the way for much of the evangelical revival of the nineteenth century.

What’s in a name?

In a postmodern age a word means exactly what you want it to mean. They become slippery,  inexact communication tools where what you mean by the word is something very different to what your hearer understands by the term. And in an age of instant reaction and short attention spans we so often end up with outrage and offence, simply because two people fail to take the time to understand the other.

This is why I want to draw attention to the judgement of the Supreme Court in the Felix Ngole case. The issue at stake was what constituted “homophobia” and whether anyone should be allowed to express an opinion contrary to the norms of society today. The key paragraph in the judgement is here:

The University wrongly confused the expression of religious views with the notion of discrimination. The mere expression of views on theological grounds (e.g. that
homosexuality is a sin) does not necessarily connote that the person expressing such views will discriminate on such grounds. In the present case, there was positive evidence to suggest that the Appellant had never discriminated on such grounds in the past and was not likely to do so in the future (because, as he explained, the Bible prohibited him from discriminating against anybody)

That, it seems, to me is a vitally important point of clarity. This judgement, may of course, be superseded by future cases. But surely it would be massively helpful to current discussion in the church if the words of this judgement were borne in mind. Just because someone like myself upholds a traditional view of marriage does not make me a homophobe. I will seek to understand an alternative point of view, even if I do not agree with it, and I would hope that those hold that point of view will seek to understand me. Simply throwing around words, on the other hand, is certainly not the answer, and does no credit to the good news of Jesus Christ.

The prodigal prophet

I have long been fascinated with the prophet Jonah, and seen many resonances between his call to Nineveh and ministry today in the inner-city. Jonah 3:3 describes Nineveh as, literally, an important city to God although most translations use the phrase “a very great city”. And to me this verse has always been a reminder that my ministry is not to pray for God to become Lord over the area in which I minister, but for the people I meet to recognise that God is already Lord over them.

But who exactly is the Lord that I should serve Him? And what exactly should be my calling to the city? This excellent work by Tim Keller answers those questions in a thoughtful and practical exposition that has certainly deepened my appreciation of the work. He sees the book as a revelation of God’s grace first and foremost to Jonah himself, and for God’s strange work in Jonah’s life as the means of Jonah learning to understand that grace more deeply for himself. He also examines how the sailors in chapter 1 have a greater understanding of God than Jonah himself, and probes how exactly the people of Nineveh responded to Jonah’s message in chapter 3. As Jonah sees the people of Nineveh turn away from their evil ways, so his own idols are exposed and challenged, leading to the final confrontation between God and Jonah in chapter 4 which Tim Keller sees as the climax of the book.

All the way through Tim Keller relates this book of the Bible to pastoral experience today, and he includes a final chapter outlining the practical application, as he exhorts us to consider the relationship between grace, mission and justice. There is so much wisdom from this experienced minister who is passionate about reaching the city with the gospel, and he has certainly made me consider my calling in a new light. So much of this book is quotable, but it is these words on pages 92-93 that will stick me for a long time:

We seldom see ministries that are equally committed to preaching the Word fearlessly and to justice and care for the poor, yet these are theologically inseparable.

In my own small way that has been my commitment over the past seventeen years, and it is good to have a book that affirms the essential link between ministry of word and service in the world. That is why I would unhesitatingly recommend this book to anyone who wants to grow as minister, or indeed to anyone who wants to take their discipleship further. Well worth the read!

From theory to practice

Last time I published a review of Glorify God in your Body which sets out a clear, well-reasoned and Biblical approach to human sexuality and to marriage. It is one thing, however, to know the theory. It is another to apply the teaching in a context where the institution of marriage is fast disappearing and there is a history of complex, broken relationships. This sermon is an attempt to bridge the gap, and it attracted some positive and interesting criticism afterwards. My readings were Genesis 2:18-25 and Matthew 19:1-6, the context a Sunday morning Holy Communion of mixed ages, and with some adaptation, a smaller Thursday congregation of mostly elderly people:

There was once a crusty old vicar who was asked to talk to a group of teenage boys about sex. So he stood up and said to them, “Boys, I have three points beginning with D. It is dirty. It is dangerous. So don’t.” And then he sat down.

Seriously, though, how do we talk about sex and marriage? From a pastoral point of view, this is probably the hardest subject to talk about, and I guess there are good reasons why we don’t often tackle this issue on a Sunday morning. Some of us have been involved in very difficult and painful relationships. Some of us are living with a secret shame we would rather not admit to. Some of us have experienced heartache and pain from the very earliest age. The Bible recognises that when it comes to sex we are dealing with a peculiarly personal issue that affects us at the very deepest level.

And it has to be said that all of us fall short of God’s expectations. Speaking personally, I have been married for almost exactly 25 years, but I am still convicted by what Jesus says about purity of the heart. Most, if not all of us, struggle with our inmost thoughts and desires, and we need to remember that when it comes to what the Bible calls sin, God does not grade us, as if some of our shortcomings are more acceptable to Him than others.

So if we all fall short of the Bible’s teaching, how then should we respond?

One increasingly popular answer would be to say that what the Bible teaches is the product of a bygone age. Society has moved on. We have the wisdom of modern science, we have the insights of psychology, and we have a far better understanding of what it means to be human. Seeking to apply the Bible’s standards to today’s world is at best misguided: at worst it is potentially damaging to those who know they can never live up to its teaching.

And to a certain extent I have some sympathy with this position. Too often the Bible has been used as a big stick to threaten those who do not live up to the church’s teaching. People have experienced hurt and misunderstanding, at times even condemnation and judgement, and they have heard very little mention of the infinite mercy of God our maker and redeemer.

But I have to say the fault there lies with us as a church, and not with the Bible itself. Indeed if we simply ignore or change what the Bible says about marriage, for example, then we are on very dangerous ground. After all, if we decide not to obey God’s word here, what is to stop us from ignoring what He says elsewhere? In the end all that’s left is a pic’n’mix approach to the Bible where we only choose the bits we like.

No, right at the outset we have to accept that God gives us His teaching for our good. Yes, we may struggle with the issue of obedience, yes, we may know we fall short, but that is no reason for changing it in any way or deciding it doesn’t apply to us. Imagine what would happen, for example, if we applied the same attitude to the Highway Code. Is there anyone here who has never, ever broken a single rule in the Highway Code, never gone over the speed limit, or parked on a double yellow line? Should we then ditch what it says about speed limits or parking restrictions? Of course not! The Highway Code is meant for our safety and our good. How much more is the teaching of our good creator God who loves us and knows what it best for our lives!

So this morning my aim is to look at what the Bible says about sexuality and marriage. Then I want to look at the reality on the ground. And finally I want to consider how we as a church might bridge the gap between ideal and reality. My purpose in all this is not to condemn, but ultimately to point to the grace and mercy found in Jesus Christ.

Here, then, is the ideal. The first man, Adam, is in the garden of Eden. Everything is newly created and beautiful. Adam is busy looking after the plants and the animals. He is living in a state of wonder and joy in harmony with the Lord God. All seems to be so perfect and so idyllic. But then we read verse 18: The Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.”

This is the first time in the account of creation that something is described as not good. What is the problem? If you were here two weeks ago, you will know that according to Genesis 1:26 man was made in the image of God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. That’s another way of saying that God the Trinity created us to enjoy relationships, to exist in community with others, to give and receive love on a free and equal basis.

Now some of us may well say it would be wonderful to be like Adam, alone in the garden of Eden. Not all of us are people persons, and a bit of peace and quiet may be just what we need at the moment. That may be true, but sooner or later, all of us need contact with a fellow human being. As all the statistics show, loneliness is bad for our health, and from the Bible’s perspective it makes us less than the person God created us to be.

So what is God’s solution to Adam’s isolation? I will make a helper suitable for him. Or, to translate this sentence more accurately, I will make a helper like him but different from him. Now if at this point you are scratching your head and wondering what means, it’s helpful to go back again to Genesis 1:27:

So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.

This is such an important verse to understand because really it sets the foundations for all the Bible says about sexuality and marriage. And it tells us two important truths. First of all, women are as much made in God’s image as men. There is no place among believers for discrimination or for treating women with any less dignity or respect. In terms of standing before God women are completely equal with men and that equality needs to be reflected in our dealings one with another.

But secondly, this verse also teaches us that because men and women are made in God’s image there are definite and clear differences between them. Let me take this point a little further. At the heart of God are three persons, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. In their relationship with one another, each have a different role and function. You can see that in the creation story, for example. God the Father plans the grand design. God the Son makes it reality. God the Holy Spirit gives it breath and life. Three persons but one being, each with their own distinct part to play.

In a similar kind of way, as those made in the image of God, men and women were created to have separate and clear roles and functions. Quite what these roles and functions might be is a massive subject and I can’t go over everything in one sermon. But going back to Genesis 2:18 we can see what a helper like Adam but different from him refers to. God here is talking about a woman, like him in equality and and dignity, different from him in role and function.

Now here I better say something while I can before it becomes illegal to do so. No doubt a relationship between two people of the same sex can be faithful, loving and committed. Certainly these people are made in God’s image and they deserve our welcome and respect as much as anyone else. But such a relationship ultimately falls short of what God intended, a union of two people who are of equal worth and dignity, but distinct and different in gender. And if you find what I am saying difficult, remember this is what the church has taught for 2000 years, and this is what Jesus affirms in our gospel reading. But, please, if this is an issue for you, do have a private word with me afterwards.

So here is the man and the woman. They come together as part of God’s wonderful, beautiful plan for creation. They delight and take pleasure in each other. So what happens next? Do they live together for a while to see if they are compatible? Do they, to use a horrible modern phrase, try before they buy?

No – first of all, they get married. Listen again to verses 22-24: Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man. The man said, “This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called ‘woman’, for she was taken out of man.” For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh.

The man is united to his wife and then they become one flesh. Now at this point I feel like the crusty old vicar in my joke at the beginning. But there is a good reason why Genesis 2:24 brings marriage into the story of God’s creation. Marriage isn’t just about two starstruck lovers deciding to tie the knot or throw a massive celebration. It’s about the creation of a new family unit. Adam isn’t going to go home anymore to get his washing done, or Eve to enjoy her mother’s cooking. From now on they are going to rely on each other, totally and completely, for everything they need. Their marriage is to be an exclusive, permanent and faithful commitment, and it is out of this public declaration of love and trust one to another that sexual union follows.

And again this institution of marriage reflects something of what it means to be made male and female in God’s image. At the heart of God, as I have already explained, is a relationship between God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. This relationship is permanent, loving and exclusive. Nothing or no-one gets in the way of it. And marriage is designed to reflect that relationship, in the way a man loves his woman, and a woman loves her man.

So this modern idea that marriage is something with a limited lifespan, or that relationships can be temporary and disposable, goes completely against God’s original intention for us. Yes, I realise that life nowadays is fast changing. We may change our cars, our homes, our work, our lifestyles many times over. But if God has brought a man and a woman together in the way that Adam and Eve were brought together, then in an ideal world that relationship is meant to last. As Jesus says in Matthew 19:6:what God has joined together, let man (or indeed woman) not separate.

God intended marriage to be a reflection of the love which exists at the heart of the Trinity and which He has made known to us through the death and resurrection of His Son Jesus Christ. However at this point I need to add a very important point. Not everyone is necessarily called to be married. Jesus makes clear in our gospel reading that some are called by God to singleness, and it is vital that we as a church do not see single people as those who simply haven’t got married yet or, worse still, promote a ministry of pairing them off, whether they like it or not. Jesus wasn’t married, nor was the apostle Paul, and we need to respect those who in Jesus’ words have renounced marriage because of the kingdom of heaven. Despite the message put out by every TV programme or film, not everyone needs to have sex to be a fulfilled human being.

However, whether we are married or single, I think it fair to say all of us struggle between the ideal promoted here in the Bible and the messy, complicated reality here on the ground. Some of us have been so broken and hurt by our relationships we find it hard to trust and to love. Some of us have tried for years to overcome temptations and find again and again that we are living with failure. Some of us struggle with the issue of same-sex attraction or have family or friends in same-sex relationships. All the statistics suggest there is at least one person here who is addicted to pornography or is using social media in a way that does not glorify God.

So how do we apply the teaching of Genesis 2 to ourselves? I am always reminded of the story of Jesus’ encounter with the woman caught in adultery in John 7:53-8:11. Here are the teachers of the law and the Pharisees ready to stone this poor woman (although the man in question is nowhere to be found) and they demand to know what Jesus is going to do. Jesus however tells them that if anyone is without sin, they should throw the first stone. He waits and he waits, and one by one everyone leaves, guilty and embarrassed. Then finally Jesus turns to the women and says these beautiful words: Neither do I condemn you… go now and leave your life of sin.

As I hope has become clear throughout, the purpose of this sermon is not to throw stones. So many people know that when it comes to issues of sexuality and marriage, they have failed, they have made a mess of things, they have hurt others. They need to hear the message of Jesus: Neither do I condemn you. So what does that it mean in practice? It means being ready to welcome all who come in through our doors, no matter how different they might be from ourselves. It means building relationships of trust and making church a safe space where people feel able to be open about themselves, and have permission to be vulnerable. It means understanding their past experiences, and listening to their story. But it also means offering the possibility of change, of showing that through repentance and faith and trust in Jesus Christ healing and forgiveness is possible.

So somehow we also need to make sure people hear Jesus’ challenge to go now and leave your life of sin. How do we do this? Well, we need to faithfully and preach the teach the word of God. But not like the Pharisees who approached Jesus in our gospel reading, who had turned Scripture into a weapon to trap and condemn those who failed to live up to their standards. But with the grace and wisdom of Jesus Christ, trusting as we explain what the Bible says, the Holy Spirit will work in the hearts of those who hear. For ultimately it is not up to us to change anyone’s lives. That is God’s work, and He alone has the power to restore men and women and reconcile them to Himself.

And of course alongside our teaching people need to see the visible difference that following Jesus Christ makes. They need to hear the stories of the broken and the grieving finding hope and friendship in this wonderful community called the church. They need to hear the stories of the addicted being set free in the power of the Holy Spirit. They need to hear the stories of marriages rescued, and relationships restored, by the grace and mercy of God. They need to hear stories of single people finding fulfilment and joy in their work for the Lord.

Because ultimately we need to remember that although we may find what the Bible teaches difficult, God gave it to us for our good. And doesn’t a hurt and confused world need to see people who are able to live differently, who have positive and healthy relationships one with another, and who can point to the mercy and grace of Jesus Christ? So today let me encourage you to do some serious business with God about this whole issue, if not for your sake, then for your children or grandchildren, and let’s be a community which really is the light of the world, able to attract others to the goodness and grace of God, our maker and our redeemer. For His name’s sake. Amen.

 

Glorify God in your Body

Over the past fifty years or so there has been a marked shift across society in attitudes towards sexuality and marriage. Most couples cohabit now before marriage; marriage between two people of the same sex is now widely accepted and gender is seen as a human construct, constructed by the self. This change in attitudes is being supported by the highest levels of government, and the new relationship material being made compulsory for schools from 2020 will ensure the next generation will be expected to adopt this new permissive view, whatever the long-term consequences may be.

How should the church respond to this shift? Broadly there are those who have to a lesser or greater extent accommodated to the change of societal values, and who are pushing for established denominations to accept the change. Then there are those who hold to the traditional view of Scripture and the witness of 2000 years of church history, and see the church standing firm against these changes, whatever the cost may be. I subscribe to the latter view.

The situation in the Church of England is coming to a head. In various parts of the Anglican Communion the blessing of same-sex relationships has been accepted, for example in the United States and in Scotland, and the Church of England remains in communion with these Anglican churches, rather than those who have sought to remain faithful to the traditional understanding of sexuality. This is one reason behind the emergence of GAFCON, the worldwide fellowship of confessing Anglicans which is providing an alternative communion of Anglican churches across the world, united by their commitment to the Jerusalem declaration.

In time for the Lambeth conference for 2020, the Church of England hopes to complete its Living in Love and Faith (LLF) project. As the official website states: The Living in Love and Faith project is propelled by the Church’s desire to learn how relationships, marriage and sexuality fit within the bigger picture of a humanity that is liberated by Jesus Christ and infused by the Spirit to reflect the image of God in which we are created. There is a fear among traditionalists, however, that the outcome of the project will be to officially sanction a change in the church’s position of human identity, marriage and sexuality. This fear has been reinforced by the publication of a service which takes the affirmation of baptism faith and reinterprets it as an opportunity to some who has transitioned to a new gender to affirm their new identity.

In response to the ongoing LLF process, the theologian Martin Davie was commissioned by the Church of England Evangelical Council (CEEC) to write a book setting out a Biblical understanding of the issues involved. It is a clear, readable work that looks at each topic with clarity and with perception. It sets the whole doctrine of marriage against the context of the coming new creation. It tackles issues such as singleness, premarital sex, gender fluidity, divorce in a readable way. There are three questions at the end of each chapter which are designed to help the reader sum up the points raised by each issue, and a conclusion which by using a question and answer format serve as a very helpful summary of the work.

I would thoroughly recommend this book for anyone who wishes to be faithful to the Bible as the revealed word of God and wants to engage seriously with the deep and very personal issues involved. I have a few minor quibbles:

First of all, it is all very well affirming the importance of marriage but a major pastoral challenge I often face is making marriage accessible and affordable to those who have very little, especially in an area where by and large this institution has disappeared and there are few role models to follow.

I accept the arguments that divorce should be permitted when there has been adultery or desertion by an unbeliever. I also believe divorce should be granted where there is a real history of physical, sexual or emotional abuse, as such abuse runs contrary to complimentary view of marriage envisioned in Genesis 2.

Also the final chapter on birth control and infertility is all too brief and touches on ethical issues that can only be explored in full well beyond the remit of this particular book.

But having said all this, nothing should detract from the very clear and very practical guidance this book gives. Not everyone will agree with every position, but the presentation of every issue and the depth of research behind every argument shows this is a work that needs to be taken seriously, and it is a valuable contribution for a time such as this.