Andy spoke with BBC sitcom writer James Cary to discuss “The Sacred Art of Joking”, James’ YouTube series on the Bible and humour. James asks for Andy’s favourite funny story in the Bible, which leads to a discussion around Luke 15 and the parables of the Lost Sheep and Prodigal Son. Enjoy!
The Harm Gap
So you finally convince your work colleague Ethan to come to an apologetics talk on Friday night. You’ve been friends for a while, and you’ve had the chance to chat about spiritual matters. He’s at a bit of a loose end, having been through a relationship break-up. Following a coffee after work one evening, you strike up the courage to ask him along. People are often open after difficult times, right? Besides you’d love for Ethan to hear about how Christianity is still plausible in this modern age. After all, he’s familiar with the visiting speaker, who is a well-known apologist, because you’ve shared some Youtube clips with him that were great conversation starters across the cubicle.
So on the night you introduce Ethan to some friends, grab a quick bite beforehand with them all (they clicked well with Ethan, from what you could see), then you head to the talk.
The lecture title is “Can you be happy without God?” It’s sharp, punchy, funny and emotionally on the money. You glance sideways from time to time and Ethan seems to be laughing at all the right spots.
The QandA after is a bit more intense and at one stage the speaker is quizzed about homosexuality, with a questioner pushing hard on why God is even bothered about who we sleep with. The speaker handles it well, giving a big picture answer, using Romans 1 as a launch pad. He gets a round of applause from some in the crowd, which seems a little strange, and one brave, lonesome cat-call. The moment passes, and afterwards you try to pick how Ethan might have felt about the talk, but he says he isn’t up for going out for coffee with the group, and heads home early. Oh well, you can speak on Monday at work.
On Monday at work, however, things seem strained. More than strained. Ethan brushes off your approaches to talk about the event. In fact he seems distracted and somewhat distant. It’s only on Tuesday that things heat up. Turns out he’s asked to shift desks, to the other side of the office. He avoids eye contact, and is too busy to hang out at lunch. You notice the HR representative chatting with him later that afternoon. You go home wondering what has happened.
It’s only on Wednesday, when you are called into the HR department, and your supervisor is sitting there that it clicks. After exchanging pleasantries the supervisor starts the real conversation:
“We just wanted to have a chat with you, to get your side of what might have happened.”
“Happened? About what?”
“Just some concerns we have about how you and Ethan might be able to continue working on the same project as we move forward.”
“Why wouldn’t we? Is there something wrong with our work? Has Ethan got a problem with the way I work?”
“Well not exactly about the way you work. He’s come to us requesting he move teams. He’s a bit upset about that Christian meeting you took him along to on Friday night. I know it’s in your own time, but we’re committed to making the work space a safe place for everyone, whatever their views and opinions. We want to discuss with you whether it was appropriate to ask a work colleague to an event like that.”
“Really. Ethan hasn’t said to me. Besides that’s not a work issue, it was a private event.”
“Well it’s become a work issue now, and we have to resolve it for the sake of good relationships in the office. Perhaps it would be helpful if you began by explaining why you invited Ethan to something that he found a little bit triggering.”
You can see where this conversation is going. And if you think that could never happen, then you’re actually behind the eight ball already. Companies and civil service departments across the Western world are already taking measures to ensure that work colleagues cannot put other work colleagues in so called “harm’s way” when it comes to non-working hours functions. And in our current climate harm includes any event or public that could appear coercive around matters of sexuality, or that speaks of sexual diversity as something less than positive.
Harm is now the language being employed around the sexual ethics of the church. Gospel evangelism is being pitched as coercion. Psychological safety is now paramount for any who are sexual minorities, and the church is under the microscope for its beliefs in these areas. So called “conversion therapies” are now being banned across many jurisdictions, with fines and threats of imprisonment the penalties. It’s a discombobulating world, in which modern day work pitches itself as a place of identity production, a place of social change, and a means to promote lifestyles and values antithetical to the gospel.
To invite someone to a talk or event at which they hear a viewpoint on sexuality that challenges or disturbs their lifestyle will not simply lose you a friend, it could lose you your job! The result is that many Christians are self-censoring when it comes to evangelism. They’re not sure whether what they say – or more likely what a public speaker might say – will cause them to have an “Ethan” moment.
So what can we do in this context, in which harm and coercion is now the language surrounding both the Christian message and Christian method? How do we maintain a commitment to sharing the good news about Jesus when it is not simply seen as bad news, but as dangerous, harmful news? It’s early days in this whole “harm” movement, so without going into too much conjecture as to where it might end, perhaps it’s time to rebuild an evangelistic strategy that takes the gospel, and the times we live in, seriously. The days are long gone that we can saunter up to a colleague’s desk and drop a copy of Two Ways to Live on her desk.
So what might this strategy look like? First up we need to maintain integrity in our workplaces, and to their legal and HR requirements. There’s nothing noble about thumbing our noses at our corporation and inviting a colleague to an event that could possibly breach modern HR regulations around the safety of a colleague. It’s time to take stock of what conversations we can control and what ones we cannot. Outsourcing evangelism to a generic speaking engagement may no longer be appropriate in the workplace.
But secondly, and in light of that, perhaps this is the era of a much more personal evangelism strategy in which the objective is no longer to get someone to attend an event, but to get to know them well enough to know the right questions to ask of them. And not only to know the right questions, but to be truly interested in the answers, not merely using them as launch pads for our opinions. Such questions must be open questions that don’t require black and white “yes or no” answers. In an era when terms such as “coercion”, “hate speech”, “violent speech” are common, we have to practice the art of cultural negotiation, and pick our way through conversations carefully. Self-censoring is not the only option, but by thinking carefully about our strategies, and the words we employ, can be helpful.
Thirdly, we need to be better acquainted with why this cultural moment is occurring. I call this a “Sexular Age” – a time in which sexual expression unhindered by anything other than consent – reigns supreme. Our sexual identity and practice is being promoted as good news! It is another gospel. Hence it’s worth reading some material as to why the language of harm is being used of gospel proclamation. My own book “Being the Bad Guys: How to Live For Jesus in a World That Says You Shouldn’t” deals with the underlying philosophy behind this push, while Carl Trueman’s “The Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self: Cultural Amnesia, Expressive Individualism, and the Road to Sexual Revolution” explores this matter more academically.
Fourthly we need to realise that to be a follower of Jesus means that everyone – straight, gay, bi, or whatever – must sign a blank cheque that Jesus gets to fill in. That means the amount is different for everyone. Don’t look at your workplace, study location or your friendship group as simply a hotbed of sexual licence. For many people money, or experiences, or status and position are far more important than their sexuality, and these things will keep them from Jesus. Ironically many people vehemently opposed to your gospel message about King Jesus may be just as on board with you about the sexual disfunction of our world!
Fifthly don’t assume everyone is a culture warrior. Most people are somewhere in what is called “the exhausted middle”, watching the missiles fly overhead left and right. It’s possible to have good honest conversations about what you believe about Jesus to many people at work, without it sounding coercive at all. If Jesus language is your natural language from the get-go you can hardly be accused of angling for converts, or of being sneaky in your approach. After all, the workplace is supposed to be diverse!
And finally, don’t underestimate the drawing power of a well-lived life in the workplace or university setting, a life in which you don’t seek praise you don’t deserve, a life in which you don’t gossip, in which you don’t blame-shift if you get something wrong, and in which the care of others is a priority, whether you get to evangelise or not! We are called to godly lives in the workplace that adorn Jesus. Be ready to give an answer, as Peter says, and do it with the gentleness and respect that a culture with its antennae open to coercion or harm can hear. Like Daniel in Babylon, your biggest advocate may be the office boss, because she or he can tell the positive cultural difference you make in the workplace. Make it hard for them to sack or demote you!
Now many of these strategies seem pre-evangelistic or merely apologetic in their approach. But perhaps that is the times in which we live, times of rapid discontinuous change in which we have to constantly assess and reassess how we shape our gospel presentations, and times in which we can construct wise and persuasive ways to proclaim the gospel that challenge the harm assumption. That narrative still has some unfolding to do, but in the meantime we can prepare ourselves for its eventualities, first by deeply understanding the claims it is making, second by living blameless lives among our colleagues and friends, and third, by constantly showcasing Jesus as the one who did no harm to anyone. And fourthly, and perhaps most confronting, by wearing the scorn and shame in the way he did, even though he did no harm. It could be that Jesus is calling us to a path of suffering for his name that will, ironically, draw people to him simply because we suffer injustice for the sake of his name. Who knows, we may have to give up our jobs one day for the sake of our witness to Jesus, no matter the precautions we take, but remember he gave up his life for us. He will keep us from harm.
The Refuel Festival 2021
Andy had the opportunity to speak at the Refuel Festival in the great outdoors of the Scottish Highlands. In the video clip he reports on a great weekend and some significant highlights.
Is Christianity Transphobic?
The transgender issue is everywhere and Christians are sometimes accused of being “transphobic” because they believe that “male” and “female” are not mere labels, preferences, or feelings. In this Short Answers film, Dr. Andy Bannister dives into this hugely contested territory and tries to shed some light — discovering along the way that maybe the greatest disconnect is not between our sex and our gender, but between the brokenness in all our lives and who God created us to be.
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Frontlines / Christians at Work : “The Fire-safety Construction Consultant”
In this edition of Frontlines we visit the building industry. Gavin Matthews spoke to John Aitken who runs a company which ensures that construction materials meet fire-safety standards.
Solas: Tell us a little about your job? What are your roles and responsibilities?
JA: Well my job title is “Senior Consultant”, and I’ve been working in structural and passive fire protection for twenty-five years. I’m the managing director of a small business working in the field. That means that alongside the work of structural and passive fire protection, I’m responsible for people management, the direction of the company and all major decisions. Our work involves enabling our clients to be compliant with fire safety standards. Most of them are builders, and we go out onto their construction sites (often huge projects), and make sure that they are building within fire-safety specifications. We enforce those specifications and write reports on what we find.
Solas: So how much of your time do you spend in the office, and how much on site? At least, I suppose in normal times.
JA: I’m usually in the office for about a quarter of the average week, I’d estimate. Unusually, construction has been largely unaffected by Covid, as most of it has been classified as “essential” and so has continued operating. Scottish sites were shut for 12 or so weeks, but the English were only paused for 2-3 weeks, and most of our work is there.
Solas: And do you have sign-off buildings as being fire safety compliant?
JA: Yes, though ‘sign-off’ isn’t a phrase I like. We are often not responsible for the regulation of the whole building. Most of the projects we consult on have £10m + budgets, some ten times that, which can take a couple of years to build. The architects and fire engineers have to sign off the original plans, our role is to work with them on some of the detail in practice. So if corners are being cut, or if the agreed standards are being compromised, we can deal with that.
Solas: So, management, business, travel, practical work, inspections, reports.. of all that variety what do like the most?
JA: It’s actually the variety! I really enjoy my work, and I feel blessed to be able to say that. I love meeting all kinds of people and working with them on projects, and before I had kids I used to love all the travelling too. I’ve seen some amazing places around the world through work. In fact, I was offered some very well-paying jobs in Dubai. My wife and I realised that the lifestyle out there would have made us incredibly wealthy, but it didn’t reflect our values. The ex-pat community we met there seemed to value money and parties – we wouldn’t have fitted in. It didn’t seem like a great place to raise kids either to be honest. What was awkward was that my boss told me that Dubai was going to be the world hub for our industry and that he wanted me there. When I said it wasn’t right for me or my family, this was a pivotal point in my career. The company eventually made my role in Scotland redundant, and when I chose not to move to England, that’s when the best challenge of all came, as I was forced into starting my own business out of survival.
Solas: So, how does your faith in Christ help you to face some of the challenges you encounter in the workplace?
JA: Well running a business in a fluctuating economy, managing the technical workload, keeping the company profitable, paperwork… all of these are challenges and there are staff who are dependent on me to provide work for them. The way I can manage the stresses of running a business is by being grounded in God and having faith in Him. The time I spend in the morning with Him is just so important; that’s where I find his peace, and commit the day ahead, with all its challenges, to Him. I sometimes say to the Lord in the morning, “I can’t do this without you, please give me wisdom and insight.” Yesterday I got called to a meeting with four key clients, who wanted to renegotiate our whole business arrangement. Not knowing what they wanted, I was able to pray before going into that meeting, “God, please help me to be calm, confident and insightful”. And God gives you what you ask for when you need it! When you walk with God, you can have amazing confidence that He will supply everything you need at the right time, but you do need to remember to ask Him! Confessing my sins to God, and receiving His cleansing is critical for me too, I need to be close to Him. When I’ve felt fear or worry creeping in, I’ve stopped and quietly prayed to God to find His peace. Sometimes I’ve prayed and fasted, when business has been especially challenging, and I’ve needed God’s help.
Another challenge has been times when I have been overworked. Running a company can be so overwhelming. There’s the whole question of balance in life to consider too. How much time do I give to God and my family? Work can consume all my time, up to 80 hours a week regularly – and that is a real pressure for me. One thing I am totally committed to though is my prayer-time before work. I read (or listen in the car) to the Bible and pray every morning before work, and I can’t give that up. That’s where God meets and sustains me through the busiest times. I am involved in church leadership, but I honestly wish I had more time to invest in serving God and His people, which running a business currently seems to limit me in doing.
Solas: Do you think you approach work differently because you are a Christian, than you would otherwise?
JA: As I’ve said, I consciously rely on God in business. Then there are ethical temptations too. I know of all kinds of tax-dodges and unethical practices that go on in business, which as I Christian I can’t follow. Then there are standards of ethics around how I relate to my employees, and my faith informs that too. I’m aware that as a Christian I need to have the highest standards of integrity.
Solas: So do the people you work with know you are a Christian? How do they react when they find out?
JA: Certainly all my employees do, as do many of the associates we work with. Not all my clients do, you don’t often get the opportunity to speak to them about anything other than work. But everyone who I work with and have any relationship with definitely knows that I am a Christian.
Solas: Have you ever had opportunities to share anything of your faith with people you’ve met through work? Did they come up randomly or was it something you set out to achieve intentionally?
JA: Yes and both! I was working on a bridge in East Linton, which was being blasted and re-painted and I got to know some of the people there. My job can sometimes involve time in the site-office, waiting for the work to be ready for inspection. One of the guys was a nominal Catholic by background but not really by conviction. He was really interested in my faith and asked me all kinds of questions about it. Another young painter came to me because he was interested in my line of work, but then asked about my life. I was able to tell him about my faith in Christ. He again had been brought up as a Catholic but wasn’t practicing and had no real faith. I was able to go much deeper with him in explaining the gospel. He was intrigued and surprisingly open and respectful.
I have a way in for sharing my testimony too, which has been useful. I don’t drink alcohol and when I’m out with colleagues and clients they sometimes ask why. The reason isn’t legalistic; but it’s because before I was a Christian I drank far too much, far too often. That was something that God delivered me from after I had come to faith. That gives me opportunities to talk about many of the ways in which Jesus has changed my life of which that is only one.
The best conversation I’ve been able to have recently was due to Covid. I met someone who was really frightened of the virus. I wasn’t frightened of it, and I offered to try and help him deal with his paralysing fear. I told him about the way in which my faith sustains me through the pandemic. I was able to explain that I wasn’t panicking because even if I died, I knew where I was going. Interestingly, this chap said that in lockdown his thoughts had been increasingly turning towards God, and he asked me to pray for him. The answer to not having fear in life or in death is to know Christ, and he wanted to know all about this. I have to say, I didn’t force this conversation, I asked his permission, saying, “would you like me to tell you about how my faith sustains me” and he really wanted to know. I’ve spoken to him again since, and I believe he’s attending an online church and has faith now. His fears massively subsided too. I didn’t really set out to have that conversation, but it was one of the best I’ve ever had!
Solas: Have you had any negative responses to your faith?
JA: Not in any depth! A common response is that faith is OK for you, but it’s not for me. People usually want to change the subject if it’s not something they are happy to talk about. No-one has been aggressive at work; my friends are much ruder to me than people are at work! Usually the people I get to know at work are professionals and they want to retain professional relationships. You can tell by the body –language whether they are just being polite or whether they are actually interested or not!
Solas: You clearly love talking about Jesus. What is it that makes you want to share him with others?
JA: I’m a natural evangelist! If I was to give up my job, I would love to become an evangelist. I long to see people converted to Christ. When I stop and think, or when I pray – my heart is broken for this sad world. The fact that something like 98% of the population in the UK are missing out on a blessed relationship with God is so sad. I long to be able to help people see what I’ve got, to help people to have that loving relationship with God. The things the Holy Spirit does for me on a daily basis, the promise of where I will spend eternity, what The Lord Jesus has done for me, are all things that I long for others to have too! In fact my heart aches for colleagues, family and friends who don’t have this. Christ in me creates a burden for others – whoever they are.
Solas: So what advice would you give a young Christian starting out on a life of business in your field who wants to be faithful to Christ there?
JA: Give the first-fruits of your day to The Lord, begin the day with Him. Have daily devotion and commitment to Him. Without that, I wouldn’t get through the day – and I don’t think you will either! Then remain faithful to The Lord in your business and personal life, never stop following him. Also, be yourself as a Christian, don’t try and pretend to be anybody you are not, and don’t worry so much about what others think of you. Don’t deny the Lord, but look out for opportunities to speak for Him. If you share Christ – even with your boss – The Lord will look after you, even if there are consequences. Be confident in the Lord, that whatever happens in life or in business – He’s got your back! Seek first the Kingdom of God – and everything else will be given to you. You spend at least a third of your life in your career, so make sure you take The Lord to work with you! You can’t live as a Christian but leave Jesus at the office door. Instead represent him at work, and pray that he shines through you there. Be wise, be respectful of others, don’t be rude or stupid – but never miss an opportunity.
Solas: Thanks John – that’s challenging!
PEP Talk Podcast With Mark Meynell
One of the biggest reasons for people to reject Christianity is because of their experience of the Church or other Christians behaving badly. How can we deal with abuse of power, hypocrisy and loss of trust? In an age of scandal, misinformation and conspiracy theories how can we point people to the love, truth and safety of Jesus Himself? Andy and Kristi speak with author and pastor Mark Meynell about these incredibly important questions.
With Mark Meynell – PEP Talk
Our Guest
Mark Meynell is Director (Europe and Caribbean) for Langham Preaching (one of the 3 programmes of Langham Partnership). An ordained Anglican minister, he has served in churches in the UK (in Oxford, Sheffield and London) and taught (and for a year was Acting Principal) at a small seminary in Kampala, Uganda. He is married to Rachel and they have 2 grown-up children. He is currently working on a Doctor of Ministry (DMin) at Covenant Theological Seminary in St Louis, MO,
He is the author of Cross-Examined (IVP, 1998, 2010), Good Book Guide to Colossians (GBC, 2008), The Resurrection (10ofThose, 2013), What Makes Us Human? (GBC, 2015) He is passionately concerned to cross the bridge between the Bible’s world and the contemporary world, which led to A Wilderness of Mirrors. (Zondervan, 2015)
About PEP Talk
The Persuasive Evangelism Podcast aims to equip listeners to share their faith more effectively in a sceptical world. Each episode, Andy Bannister (Solas) and Kristi Mair (Oak Hill College) chat to a guest who has a great story, a useful resource, or some other expertise that helps equip you to talk persuasively, winsomely, and engagingly with your friends, colleagues and neighbours about Jesus.
The Apathy Gap (2)
In “The Apathy Gap – Part One”, Andy Bannister looked at the problem of reluctant evangelists. Now in “The Apathy Gap, Part Two”, we turn to the problem of apathetic listeners, people who are just not interested in the gospel at all.
THE APATHY EPIDEMIC
The author and evangelist Michael Ots recalls the peak of the New Atheist movement when doing university missions was like going into a ‘bear-pit’. Lunchtime talks and Q&A’s were often rowdy, with hecklers who both knew the claims of the Christian faith, had rejected them and were hostile towards them. Two decades later, Michael says, “things have changed”. Student missions are not dominated by confrontations with informed antagonists who want to convert you to atheism; but by relativists who think that your faith is “nice for you”, but is of no interest to them.
Michael’s observations do not apply only to the university context but represent wider patterns in our society. With almost 50% of Britons identifying as having “no-religion”, issues of faith are increasingly pushed to the margins, a process fuelled by the media’s constant secular narrative.[i] In this context, faith is not an urgent question of truth, or of eternal destiny – but more like a privatised consumer choice in which one size certainly does not fit all. This means that when Christians present compelling truth claims, they are met with blank disinterested stares by people who are not gripped by a search for truth. Our culture has been captivated by the idea that ultimate truths are inaccessible and unknowable and that claims to the contrary are controlling and harmful. In that framework, the only “good” is to pursue personal authenticity, and “evil” is defined as anything which inhibits this quest. It is hardly surprising then, that we inhabit an unusually uncommitted culture, where large numbers of people regard things such as lifelong marriage as restrictive to their open-ended choices. Andy Bannister writes, “I suspect there’s also reaction against advertising going on too; people don’t wish to be sold to, and this a good defence is to become cynical, to hold things lightly, to avoid committing.”[ii]
Solas’ associate Kristi Mair has kept records of the questions she is asked by non-Christian folk in response to her talks. She has noted a similar shift. Questions used to revolve around truth, and involve things such as evidence for the existence of God. The perceived clash of worldviews between Christianity and Science was a regular question; and something that would have to be addressed if people were to be moved on to consider Jesus. Now however Q&A’s are dominated by questions of utility. “This Christianity of yours: does it suit me, will it work for me, or will it inhibit my freedom?”
For those of us brought up in a culture which prized truth above all else, and believe that ultimate truths can be revealed by God to us; the idea that truth is uninteresting and irrelevant is incomprehensible. A friend of mine flew back to Scotland from Ireland a few years ago and I asked her what kind of plane she had flown on. When she said she had no idea I was mystified. I have never flown anywhere without looking at what I was flying in. Jokingly I asked, “So was it a jet or a propeller aircraft?” Incomprehensibly to me, she didn’t know that either! What to me was the most interesting thing about the journey wasn’t even on her radar. Assuming that people are like us, is a major obstacle to understanding them and communicating effectively with them…
IS THERE AN ALTERNATIVE?
Many people have been very faithful to their grasp of the gospel, but never managed to show their contemporaries why it matters. Others have so over-contextualised the gospel in search of ‘relevance’ that they have compromised core-elements of it. Given that the gospel is counter-cultural and even offensive, do we really have to choose between being relevant and faithful? Or is there a wiser way?
Steve McAlpine in his recent book, “Being the Bad Guys: how to live for Jesus in a world that says you shouldn’t” makes the following observation. The church hoped that relativism would open up a level-playing-field in which all ideas were given a fair hearing, whereas what has happened is that a new orthodoxy of self-fulfilment is now the imposed morality. Michael Ots concurs when he notes, that most people are not really relativists – they are only so about things they think don’t matter, like religious affiliation, or which sports club you join.
The point is, there are things which people care deeply about today – and the gospel has things to say about them all. In our Solas webinar with Michael Ots, he told us of an incident which occurred after a talk he had given. Michael recalled that he preached his heart out about the resurrection of Jesus and spent some time chatting to the guests at the end. He asked one lady what she thought , to which she replied, “It wasn’t interesting.” Somewhat taken aback, Michael stopped and instead of pushing back asked, “So what are you interested in?” and the answer he got back was, “I’m not interested in religion, I think we just need love, I’m very interested in that.” Gently Michael asked her what she thought love was – and was intrigued to learn that she had very little idea. He was able to talk about the Trinitarian Biblical idea of God as love, and us made in His image, being made to love and be loved. The conversation moved on to why love is so hard to find; and so the topic of the fall and sin was discussed, and then onto Christ’s love for us shown at the cross.
What Michael did in that example was to start with what mattered to the apparently apathetic person, and walk them over a bridge from that to the unchanging gospel. This is what it looks like to be in the world, but not of the world; relevant but distinct, contextual but not compromised.
In order to identify such bridges and connections, Michael identified the following steps:
- Pray for wisdom and sensitivity, and a willingness and a readiness to speak for Jesus.
- Intentionally develop ever-deepening friendships in which you exchange not just words, but ideas and emotions with people.
- Listen deeply to your friends to understand them, and what they value, and what motivates them.
- Look for gospel links between what matters to them, and what matters to God
- Pray for, and take, opportunities to share something (however small) about this.
In his popular talk, “What if I don’t need God?”, Andy Bannister has developed several examples of bridges between what matters to people and the gospel of Jesus. Here are some examples:
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Human Rights and Dignity
Many people today care passionately about human rights. However, while Westerners assume these “inalienable” rights are self-evident, tyrannical governments ignore them as merely Western, not universal notions. Scientific naturalism provides no basis for rights, and makes them arbitrary assertions, while the Christian story of a God who made us uniquely in His image; and who sent His son to die to redeem us; provides a compelling account for the value of humanity which so many people instinctively feel.
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Moral Reality
Virtually everyone believes in right and wrong, and that helping the poor is right, and that murder, rape and genocide are objective moral evil. That is except for naturalistic Atheists for whom the only reality is physical. The Atheist philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche saw this when he wrote, “If you abandon the Christian faith, at the same time you are pulling the right to Christian morality out from under your feet.”[iii] We all deeply know that the Holocaust was objective moral evil. The Christian faith has deep explanatory power for why this is the case – and the answer to the sins we find within our own hearts too.
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Beauty
If someone is apathetic to our faith, but loves art, or photography of natural landscapes – the Christian worldview has much to say about why. Again, if we reduce our view of the world to the merely physical, then beauty is but a preference, it has no meaning outside of us. Andy Bannister wrote, “If, when I say ‘that landscape is beautiful’ it tells you nothing about it, just about my personal psychology – beauty and art have collapsed into narcissism”. On the other hand, if we have been made with an appreciation for beauty, by a God who is beautiful, and wants to correct the ugliness of sin – then beauty is a bridge to the gospel.
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Meaning and Purpose
Some atheists claim that we can create our own meaning in life. Others relaise that even this is a bit optimistic. Lawrence Krauss for example said, “We are a 1% bit of pollution within the universe. We are completely insignificant.”[iv] Yet – humanity continually asks “why?” questions. From moments of ecstatic joy to crushing bereavements, we hunger to know why we are here, what it means and how we should spend our lives. If someone has no interest in a Bible study course, perhaps asking them “What is the purpose of your life” is a better starting point than ‘would you like to come to church?’
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Environmental Concern
One of the fixed-points in the new moral order is that pollution is bad, and that environmental concern is good. Again, if someone is not ready to engage in a direct exploration of the gospel but is environmentally conscious, then it is legitimate for Christians to ask them why? Why does it matter if the earth heats and dies? Surely it is but one a million universes, which will evolve and die? Why not consume as much as I can in my lifetime, why care about molecules that will outlast me? Atheism provides no real solutions here – let alone agnosticism. But the Biblical worldview gives us ample motivation for creation stewardship. The gospel tells us that this earth has a future too…
These are of course just examples. As you build deeper friendships and prayerfully and intentionally go into more significant conversations about what matters to others you will find that all sorts of things deeply matter both to them, and to God. Things such as family, children, loneliness, work, ageing, death, courage, failure, image, media all concern people very profoundly. All of these can equally be bridges into gospel territory.
Finally, as we consciously do all of this here are two concluding thoughts, one ethical and one practical.
The ethical consideration is that we must always pursue genuine friendship and develop a real interest in our friends’ lives, interests, values hopes and fears. We must never listen to them simply to learn how to smuggle relevant gospel truths into our conversation as if evangelism was all about us.
The practical thing, is that as we seek to build bridges between what matters to our friends and the gospel, we should continually bait our conversation with gospel hooks! That is to say that we should be deliberately throw into conversation, observations or questions which might invite our friends to ask more, or inquire more deeply.
Many of the things which our non-Christian friends care most deeply about are not inherently sinful; but are rooted in their creation in God’s image. Sin is never “original” (in that the powers of darkness have no creative power); they are only able to distort and damage what God made and called good. In building bridges from these things to the gospel we do not allow the gospel to be captured by culture; but show that behind our friends’ longing for love, peace, security, family, love, meaning, truth, beauty or conservation lies a deeper, bigger and more wonderful story at the centre of which is Jesus himself.
—
The material for this article was drawn extensively from Andy Bannister’s talk, “What if I don’t need God?” and the Solas webinar with Michael Ots entitled, “Evangelism to the Apathetic” which you can watch here: both used with permission.
[i] https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/may/13/uk-losing-faith-religion-young-reject-parents-beliefs
[ii] From a talk entitled, “What if I don’t need God?” by Andy Bannister.
[iii] Friedrich Neitzche. Twilight of the Idols and The Anti-Christ (Oxford: OUP, 1998) p45.
[iv] Cited in Amanda Lohrey, “The Big Nothing
Discussing the Resurrection of Jesus with Students…
Back at Eastertime I went back to speak at the Christian Union at Stranmillis University College which is the teacher training college here in Belfast. About 30-40 of us gathered on Zoom, as restrictions were still in place then. I have lots of good contacts and friends at Stranmillis CU, as I spoke at their annual mission week this year, alongside my old friend and former colleague Lara Buchanan – (you can hear more about that here). So it was great to reconnect with the great folks at Stranmillis!
I was asked to speak on the topic, “Did Jesus really rise from the dead?” So we kicked the night off with a twenty minute presentation which I did on evidence for the resurrection of Jesus. We also looked at the way in which the resurrection is really the foundation of the Christian faith, the cornerstone on which the whole of Christianity is built. If we don’t have the resurrection of Jesus – then we really don’t have any Christianity at all!
We looked at four great facts about the death and resurrection of Jesus which are securely established. First, that Jesus actually died on the cross. Second, that his tomb was found to be empty. Third, that Jesus’ first disciples really believed that he has been resurrected from death, claiming to have seen him (along with multiple other people at different times and locations). And Fourth, the explosive growth of the early church occurred so that many of Jesus’ former enemies came to believe in him and his resurrection. That includes Saul of Tarsus, and also Jesus’ sceptical younger brother James.
The question I then asked the students to consider was what account best fits this evidence and makes most sense of these established facts. I argued that the naturalist explanations fall short and that the best and most natural explanation of these known facts is that Jesus actually rose from the dead.
There was a good Q&A session after my talk in which students sent in questions on everything from the significance of other resurrection stories, to questions around science and miracles to that of other religions and cults. One question honed in on whether pagan resurrection myths had shaped the gospels. These were all fairly well-known and well-studied areas of questioning, so it was good to be able to proclaim and defend the gospel.
It was great to catch up with the guys at Stranmillis, and share this really positive event with them. They were really positive and encouraging about the event too and I look forward to working with them in the future.
Reaching the Next Generation: Engaging Young People With the Gospel
Clare Williams joins Gavin Matthews to discuss how to engage young people today with the gospel.
Recommended resources:
GET REAL – realquestions.co.uk – Clare’s own ministry where you can find her new youth apologetics course materials
jude3project.org – US-based apologetics ministry with an emphasis in equipping those of African descent.
bethinking.org – Database of questions and answers aimed at youth and students created by UCCF.
Books:
10 Questions Every Teen Should Ask (and Answer) About Christianity by Rebecca McLaughlin
Urban Apologetics: Restoring Black Dignity With the Gospel by Eric Mason
Where is God in All the Suffering? by Amy Orr-Ewing
What About Christian Leaders Who Behave Badly?
With several recent stories in the news of Christian leaders who have failed badly — abusing their position and abusing others — what does this say about the Church? Does bad Christian leadership discredit the message of Jesus? In this Short Answers video, Solas Director Andy Bannister helps us think about what to think when leaders fail — and what the leadership style of Jesus should really look like in practice.
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The Apathy Gap 1.
A pastor friend and I were chatting on one occasion and he sadly remarked about how hard he had been finding it to get members of his church involved in evangelism. “It’s frustrating,” he said, “it’s probably easier to get people to sign up to clean the church loos with a toothbrush than it is to get them involved in evangelism.” I’ve heard similar things before and another pastor once said to me that he reckoned only about 10% of his church were passionate about evangelism. “We’ve got an apathy problem in the modern church”, he said.
The reluctance that we Christians sometimes have to talk about our faith has also been noticed by atheists. Penn Jillette is a world-famous comedian and magician, one half of the double-act Penn and Teller, whose live shows and TV series have been watched by millions. He’s also an outspoken atheist, well-known for his withering and blistering attacks on Christianity. But a few years ago, he surprised his fans by releasing a video blog called ‘A Gift of a Bible’.[1] In the video, Jillette tells the story of a man who came up to him after a show and after complimenting him on his performance, nervously presented him with the gift of a Bible saying: “I wanted you to have this”. Jillette remarked what courage this must have taken, given his reputation as a fiery atheist—but then rather than criticise the man for his religious faith, Jillette continued:
I don’t respect people who don’t proselytize. I don’t respect that at all. If you believe that there is a heaven and hell and that people could be going to hell or not getting eternal life or whatever, and you think that, well, it’s not really worth telling them this because it would make it socially awkward! How much do you have to hate somebody to not proselytize? How much do you have to hate somebody to believe that everlasting life is possible and not tell them that? I mean if I believed beyond a shadow of a doubt that a truck was coming at you and you didn’t believe it, but that truck was bearing down on you, there’s a certain point where I tackle you. And this is more important than that.
Penn Jillette is absolutely right. If we truly believe the message of the gospel, that a person’s eternal destiny depends on them hearing and responding to the incredible news about Jesus, how can we even conceive of keeping this to ourselves? What precisely is going on here? What explains the apathy gap that holds so many of us back from evangelism?
FOUR CAUSES OF EVANGELISTIC APATHY
I think there are a number of reasons why when it comes to evangelism, our fear of looking foolish (or of social awkwardness as Jillette put it) often trumps our desire to share the gospel with our friends, colleagues, and neighbours. In fact I can think of four reasons that can sap our evangelistic fervour and turn us into missional couch potatoes.
First, some of us have lost our sense of urgency. When we’re faced with a real emergency, we don’t tend to worry about looking stupid. Imagine the scenario: it’s 11pm and you’re lying on the sofa, watching Strictly Come Morris Dancing, whilst wearing the lovely fluffy orange pyjamas your grandma bought you for Christmas along with your favourite slippers (made in the shape of rabbits). In short, you look like a twit, but it’s your own home, so who cares. But then you happen to glance out of the window and notice that your neighbour’s roof is on fire. You reach for your phone to call them but the line is out of order. So, do you: (a) think, “Ah well, let them burn”; (b) wait for somebody else to run across the street and warn them; or (c) charge out of your front door—orange pyjamas, rabbit slippers and all—to ring on their front door and alert them to the danger?
In that situation, I imagine, our compassion and desire not to see our neighbours toasted to a crisp trumps our worry about our bedtime attire looking silly. The situation was urgent and life threatening, so we didn’t worry about maintaining our reputation for sensible fashion choices.
So why, when it comes to evangelism, does our worry about looking awkward (or even foolish) overcome our desire to tell our friends about Jesus and about the rescue he offers from an eternity separated from God? Could it just be that we’ve forgotten how urgent the gospel message is—and maybe we need to recapture a sense of that urgency?
Second, I wonder if some of us have privatised the gospel. We live in an age that encourages us to see treat our faith as a private thing—consumerism and secularism, those toxic twins, have combined and caused many of us to retreat behind the walls of our churches and houses. And if your faith in Jesus is nothing more than a private thing—little better than a hobby (your neighbour goes to Flower Arranging and Chainsawing Classes on a Sunday, you go to church)—then that’s going to totally sap our evangelistic energy. Why the desperate need to persuade others to believe the same as you do, if Jesus is just another option on the smorgasbord of possibilities. In some ways, the coronavirus pandemic has made this temptation even worse—when churches moved online, suddenly we could choose when and where to listen to the sermon: sitting on the couch, whilst going for a run, in the bath, whilst re-arranging tulips with a power-tool. But an individualised, personalised, privatised faith is very hard to get excited about.
Third, some of us have allowed the gospel to become watered down to such a point that it is little more than ‘good advice’. Back in 2005, two sociologists, Christian Smith and Melina Denton, undertook a study of thousands of American Christian teenagers. They discovered that what these young people believed wasn’t historic Christianity, but a somewhat different set of beliefs:
- A belief in a distant, remote God who created and runs the world
- This God wants people to be good, nice, and kind to each other (and that this is taught by most the world’s religions)
- The main goal of life is to be happy, secure, and fulfilled
- God doesn’t need to be involved in your life except when you need him to fix a problem
- All good people go to heaven when they die
Smith and Denton coined the term ‘Moral Therapeutic Deism’ to describe this set of beliefs and in the 15 years since they wrote their book,[2] it has spread far more widely than simply among North American teens. In many parts of the modern church, Christianity has at times been turned into something more approaching a self-help plan, God has become our celestial therapist, and Christianity one more means of achieving happiness.
As long as we believe, deep down, that Christianity is merely good advice, or suggestions, or a self-help plan, or even a moral code, we are going to miss its power and we will struggle with the motivation to really want to share Jesus with our friends. But of course Christianity is far more than those things. The first Christians, when they chose the word to describe their message, didn’t pick a word like ‘advice’ or ‘method’, or even ‘religion’, but they chose the word gospel, which means good news. As the well-known theologian N. T. Wright points out, this makes all the difference:
[M]any people today assume that Christianity is … a religion, a moral system, a philosophy. In other words, they assume that Christianity is about advice.
But it wasn’t and it isn’t.
Christianity is, simply, good news. It is the news that something has happened as a result of which the world is a different place … One can debate the merits of a religion, moral system, or philosophy, but a news event is discussed in a different way. Either the event happened or it didn’t; if it did happen, either it means what people say it means or it doesn’t.[3]
The more we get it into our heads, hearts, and souls that Christianity is good news—tremendous news, life-changing news, world-shaking, world shattering news, the more that will impact our motivation to share this with others.
Fourth, the cheap price we have paid for the gospel can sometimes lead to apathy. Sometimes we can forget how relatively easy it is to be a Christian in the west. Yes, maybe we might face people making fun of us, or social ostracism, or occasional snarky comments. But in many parts of the world, following Jesus can be tremendously costly, even life threatening. And the more your faith has cost you, the more that can translate into evangelistic zeal. I have many friends who are former Muslims and for many, the decision to follow Christ cost them their homes and families. Some had to leave the countries they were living in and flee because of the threats that their conversion to Christianity resulted in. But what I admire about so many of these friends is not just their courage, but their evangelistic zeal. My late friend Nabeel Qureshi, whose testimony was published as Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus[4] was one of the most passionate evangelists I ever knew. Following Christ cost him (for a time) his family and many friends—but he fell so head over heels in love with Jesus that he could not stop talking about him.
In Matthew 13:44-45, Jesus tells the story of a merchant who, on seeing the most beautiful pearl he had ever set eyes on, sold everything he had in order to get hold of such a treasure. Is this our experience of Jesus and the gospel—have we given everything, or are we willing to give everything, in order to grasp hold of it? For the more it has cost us, the more we will want to run and tell our friends and neighbours: “Look what I’ve found! Come and see!”
BRIDGING THE APATHY GAP
So if we suffer from apathy when it comes to evangelism, how can we get some evangelistic fuel in our tanks, some fire in our bellies, some jalapeño in our dinners? Well, the first thing to realise is that we can’t overcome spiritual apathy through either guilt or will power. Whether it’s upping our evangelistic energies or improving our health, we rarely manage it simply by gritting our teeth. As Dr. Rangan Chatterjee says in his best-selling book on improving your physical health: “Most people who decide to change their lives using only willpower to get them through are pretty much doomed to fail.”[5] The same goes for trying to use willpower to improve your spiritual health. So what can we do? Here are seven really practical suggestions for you.
- Pray! If you find yourself apathetic when it comes to evangelism, a great place to begin is by praying for the Lord to change you. Ask for a change of heart, for the gift of evangelistic zeal, and for a love and concern for the lost that overcomes your hesitancy. Don’t try to motivate yourself into feeling this—ask for the Lord to transform you.
- Reflect. It can be really helpful to read and reflect on the many scriptures that remind us of how dire a person’s situation is without Christ (e.g. Romans 3:20-23, or Mark 9:43-47) as well as passages that talk about God’s goodness and his love for the lost (e.g. John 3:16, or Romans 5:8). The more you read, reflect, and meditate on scripture, the more it will change you.
- Repent. If you feel guilty about your evangelistic apathy, that’s good news—that’s the sign of a responsive heart. So be honest and repent, taking the time to pray and say sorry to the Lord for your past attitudes. And be encouraged: scripture (and Church History) are full of examples of people who God used to reach others for Christ, even though their attitudes at first were totally wrong. (One of my heroes is John Newton: it took ten years after his conversion for Newton to realise that slavery was wrong, and that he needed to devote his life to preaching the gospel).[6]
- Get inspired by others. I love reading the stories and testimonies of those who are more evangelistically passionate than me—I can learn so much from them. Right now my kids are reading the Christian Heroes Then and Now series by Janet and Geoff Benge—so many of the people whose stories are told in that in that series that inspire me to share the gospel as they did. And then look to contemporary examples, people just like you and me. Check out the Workplace Evangelism series on the Solas website, with dozens of stories of ordinary men and women sharing their faith at work. Or listen to some of our PEP Talk podcasts around the same themes—our interviews with Anne Witton, Cameron McCartney, and David Barrie are good places to start.
- Get involved. Think about some small steps toward more frequent evangelism that you could try and that might work with your circle of friends, or your personality style. One easy first step is the How Was Your Weekend Challenge. It’s really simple: next time, on a Monday, when a friend or colleague asks “How was your weekend?” rather than make up some nondescript answer (“I went to chu—*cough*—and then I shampooed the hamster”) try saying: “My weekend was amazing! I went to church yesterday and the pastor gave this fantastic message—I learnt so many new things!” Be positive, be enthusiastic, for these things are infectious—and see what happens next. (And if nobody asks you how your weekend was, lead by asking somebody about theirs, chances are they will then reciprocate).
- Get accountable. Don’t try and start doing more evangelism on your own, but find a Christian friend or two and form a small group to pray for and hold each other accountable. (You can tell your friends: “Please pray that I’d have the courage to talk to Dave at work about Jesus”. And then they can ask you next week how it went and hold you accountable). In my twenties I was incredibly nervous about sharing my faith and speaking publicly about Jesus—but then I got connected with a group of Christians who went up to Hyde Park in London each Sunday afternoon and did street evangelism. It was scary and it was nerve-wracking but I wasn’t alone. I had friends with me and afterwards we’d debrief and pray together. So find others who can help you support you: Jesus sent the disciples out in twos (Luke 9 and 10), don’t try and be an evangelistic loner.
And in all of this remember, however much you worry if your evangelistic apathy can be overcome, remember that God has already done the far greater work of transformation: he’s brought you from darkness to light, from outside the kingdom to inside, he has already made you a new creation and put a new spirit within you. What an amazing transformation he has already done! And now he asks you to share the news of that transformation with others. Yes, it may take time to see your heart for evangelism to change and you may worry if that’s possible: but remember, what is impossible for us, is possible for God![7]
[1] The video is available on YouTube here: https://youtu.be/6md638smQd8
[2] Christian Smith and Melina Lundquist Denton, Soul Searching: The Religious and Spiritual Lives of American Teenagers (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2005).
[3] N. T. Wright, Simply Good News: Why the Gospel is News and What Makes it Good (London: SPCK, 2015) pp. 16-17.
[4] Nabeel Qureshi, Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus: A Devout Muslim Encounters Christianity, 3rd Edition. (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2018).
[5] Rangan Chatterjee, Feel Better in 5: Your Daily Plan to Kick-Start Great Health (London: Penguin, 2019) p.10.
[6] John Newton’s story is told in chapter 1 of Andy Bannister, Heroes: Five Leaders From Whose Lives We Can Learn (Rampsgill Press, 2015).
[7] Luke 18:27.
Training and Evangelism in Frankfurt
Before Covid hit, the plan had been that I was going to go over to Frankfurt for a three-day ministry trip. That obviously didn’t happen, so I joined them online instead. Aaron Bashore is a pastor out there, who we’ve known for sometime. He’s originally from the USA, but has lived and served for many years in Germany.
We worked together with Aaron and his team on a few events. The first of these was a church-based training event. I’ve discovered that German churches seem to like to hold events far earlier in the morning than churches here in the UK! So, it was an earlier start to the day than I am used to. Nevertheless we did a session on how to share your faith and work or university with them. The challenges of evangelism there are remarkably similar to those in the UK, and other places I have worked such as Canada – and some of the same approaches are helpful across these contexts.
The topic for their Saturday night open forum was, “Can We Trust the Bible?”, and this was an outreach event. Aaron, said, “We are really enthusiastic about getting people into the Word, so this was a good way to help us start those kinds of conversations with people.” I’m also aware that there is a Muslim community in Frankfurt, and Muslims are often brought up to believe that the Bible has been corrupted. So, this is an important subject to address.
In my talk, I looked at why I trust the Bible, including some material on the manuscripts, eyewitness testimony in the gospels, and some evidence from archaeology too. Then we looked at the way in which the Bible so honestly diagnoses the human condition. While some religious texts seem to say that if you ‘just work hard enough you can become a decent person and be OK’ – the Bible is much more realistic. It uniquely explains what we are really like and why we can’t save ourselves and in fact need a saviour. The Bible insists that we need Jesus to die for us, and God to be gracious to us; and that fits the human condition better because it addresses us as we actually are. We did a Q&A too – and the questions were clearly from non-Christian folks searching for answers. For more on the reliability of the Bible, read here.
I’m constantly impressed by my German friends’ linguistic skills! Although they asked for my slides and handouts in advance so they could translate them into German, they were happy to have me speak in English, and the entire Q&A was conducted in English too! It was encouraging to hear that folks had responded well to both sessions – and I’m really hoping to be able to join them in person soon!
It’s been interesting to hear some responses to the evening through Aaron. He’ll be following up with one man who said that despite all he heard he still finds Atheism ‘more comforting’. More encouraging was the response from a lady who said she was now prepared to seriously read the Bible. So we pray that the Holy Spirit will open its truth to her.
I am hoping to be able to visit Aaron and the church in Frankfurt in the Autumn, but we will see what the regulations permit!
PEP Talk Podcast With Georgie Coster
Medical professions can often be useful for overseas mission work, but today’s guest tells us all about the mission field here in today’s NHS. In her work with the Christian Medical Fellowship, we hear about how young doctors and nurses are learning to share their faith – and seeing God at work!
With Georgie Coster – PEP Talk
Our Guest
Georgie Coster is an intensive care nurse in the English Midlands and Associate Head of Nurses and Midwives at the Christian Medical Fellowship.
About PEP Talk
The Persuasive Evangelism Podcast aims to equip listeners to share their faith more effectively in a sceptical world. Each episode, Andy Bannister (Solas) and Kristi Mair (Oak Hill College) chat to a guest who has a great story, a useful resource, or some other expertise that helps equip you to talk persuasively, winsomely, and engagingly with your friends, colleagues and neighbours about Jesus.
Lee McDade, The Army & The Good News..
Lee McDade spends his days as a Christian missionary to Britain’s armed forces, which is perhaps a surprising vocation for someone who once said he wanted nothing to do with Christianity or the Army! His official title is “Army Scripture Reader”, an archaic phrase which he tells me goes back to the Napoleonic Wars, when the readers literally read the Bible to the illiterate soldiers in the lines. These days he’s much more likely to be found giving a copy of the New Testament to a soldier than reading it to one; but the role of offering spiritual support to the Armed Forces, with the Army Chaplains, has remained the same, as has the gospel message he shares. And, just like those original Scripture Readers he carries a Bible with him wherever he goes, and often opens it and shares its message. He works for SASRA , the “Soldiers’ and Airmen’s Scripture Readers Association”, who trace their work back to 1818, but have been organised under that name since 1938.
When I spoke to Lee, he was in uniform, in his office on Wattisham Camp in Suffolk from where the Army Air Corp fly Apache Helicopters. There, he shares army life with over 2000 people that he’s called to serve. Despite his cheery disposition, Lee is an imposing figure, who sized me up as ‘non-military’ within our first few seconds of meeting (correctly!). All SASRA scripture readers are former military personnel Lee explained, something really important for getting alongside soldiers as a trusted colleague who understands the unique pressures of active service as well as Army culture. As I spoke to Lee, it struck me that he was a brilliant example of what incarnational mission is supposed to be. After all, when Paul wrote to the Thessalonians about how much he cared for them he said, “Because we loved you so much, we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well.” (1 Thess2:8) The more I listened to Lee, the more I saw a contemporary example of what that looks like. His commitment to the gospel of Jesus was as transparent as his obvious concern for the soldiers he serves – and his enthusiasm for mission infectious. “It’s an amazing privilege for me to serve amongst some of the best men and women I’ve ever worked with.” Lee says.
Lee has been with SASRA for 13 years. “I wasn’t a Christian when I was in the Army,” he recalls, “In fact, I hated Christianity as a soldier. My last tour of duty was in Bosnia, after which I left, angry and disillusioned. I began searching for answers, and as a result I became a Christian in 1999.” When I asked Lee about how he’d been called into SASRA his answer was intriguing. “I felt called to full-time ministry as soon as I was converted, I just wanted to share Jesus with as many people as possible”, he said. His calling into this work followed a decade later, when life with soldiers beckoned once again for Lee and his family.
Gütersloh, Catterick and Wattisham, are the bases Lee has served, and he says the archaic title “scripture reader” is really helpful. “A what?” is a common reaction when he is introduced, which gives him an opportunity to share his testimony and the hope he has in Christ. “My ministry consists of four P’s”, says Lee. “Prayer, presence, patrol and proclamation – and I do all four of those every day.”
When I asked Lee what a typical day in his ministry looks like he said. “When go into camp, I never know what is going to happen. So I make myself present – available to the soldiers, we are an arm of military welfare. Then I pray and I work with the chaplains. Then I go on patrol, I literally walk round the camp and chat to soldiers and civilian personnel. Where people are interested in the hope I have in Christ, I share that. Then I run Bible studies for anyone who wants to come.”
Every scripture reader works in different ways, but Lee says his favourite thing is just to walk around the camp, and strike up conversations. Opportunities are endless – and all that is in addition to garrison church services, Bible studies, prayer meetings and counselling services. Scripture Readers are often the first person a soldier with deep pastoral needs will confide in, and the welfare and chaplaincy teams value that, and the readers often refer people on for further assistance. “My business is to point people to Christ, and for that I use the Bible, my testimony and their questions as my main tools” Lee says – “I don’t do many formal evangelistic courses, I just open the Bible and share Jesus with them.”
“People are constantly interested in where I get my hope from – and I tell them it’s from my faith in Jesus – that’s what I’m here for” – says Lee. He clearly loves the people he serves, and he loves the gospel but regards the admin of the job as a necessary evil! “I often head for the smoking shelters and other social areas” Lee says, “I know there will be soldiers hanging about there, ready to chat, they are always a good places to be.”
Access to Army camps for Scripture readers like Lee is based on a memorandum of understanding between the MOD, SASRA and the Chaplaincy department, and they operate under the chaplaincy structures. “The fact that we are all ex-servicemen and women is really helpful for that relationship” Lee explained. “There’s a bit of red-tape to go through, but we are officially accepted and the Military (Army and RAF) really appreciate our welfare work with the soldiers. We don’t take our access to bases for granted, we work hard to get and maintain it because our ministry here is unique.”
Lee recalls that his time serving with the school of infantry was especially significant. Most of the soldiers there were young men, between 17 and 30 years of age who asked him all the questions of life. “Is there a God?”, “Why do you believe?”, “Why is there evil in the world?”, are just some of the questions he has been asked. Recruits there were being trained for the reality of war, and that generated all manner of profound questions which Chaplains and Scripture Readers are there to help with. “Your average young person maybe hasn’t thought much about death, but then they go to classes on morality in combat, dealing with mortality and so forth, and it makes them really think.” Lee notes. “When I first joined SASRA we were losing people every week in Afghanistan and we were working alongside young people preparing to go there and serve; and asking all those deep questions. Soldiers will ask anything – it’s a good job we’re all ex-military because nothing shocks us!” Lee said with a wry chuckle.
The ministry of the Scripture Readers can be hard work, punctuated with times of great blessing as well as what Lee calls “desert times”. Yet he says, it is unusual when he doesn’t have at least one gospel conversation in a day’s work. He says he’s learned to persevere through dry periods, trust God and “roll with the punches”. Technology has changed Lee’s ministry too, soldiers who get posted to other parts of the country or the world no longer disappear from his radar; but keep in contact with him through Facebook, WhatsApp and email. Lee says, “The Army is a small world, and veterans like to keep in touch with each other – to talk to people who have gone through similar experiences as them, so I am in touch with a lot of people all over the place.”
“When I share Jesus, some people avoid me, some mock, some agree, some ask questions and some say they want to know more about him and some trust in Him. It’s not a daily occurrence to lead someone to Christ, but it is without doubt the best possible thing to be part of. I’m a great believer in sowing as much gospel seed as possible. I heard the gospel again and again when I was a soldier and rejected it everytime, and only became a Christian years later when that seed bore fruit in my life. So even when people reject it, I don’t lose hope, but keep offering Jesus to them” says Lee.
I found speaking to Lee McDade both encouraging and inspiring, he’s clearly a man with a clear calling, in the right place, doing the right thing. I loved the way he is so committed both Jesus and the people he serves which is really a model for us all to follow in whatever field we find ourselves. As we drew our conversation to a close, because he was needed out on the base, he asked if Christians reading this could pray for him in his ministry. I couldn’t refuse a great request like that!
As you read this, the chances are that Lee McDade is standing in a soldiers smoking shelter, or in the post office queue, telling a young helicopter technician about the love of Christ. “Please pray for good opportunities for me to speak about Jesus”, he says – “and for wisdom and perseverance when things are tough. Ministry is a spiritual battle, a fierce spiritual battle, which can be hard so please do pray. We’re a charity, so you can pray for our finances too!”
Finally, speaking to Lee McDade made me think of Paul’s words in Colossians 1:3-6.
3 We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, 4 because we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love you have for all God’s people— 5 the faith and love that spring from the hope stored up for you in heaven and about which you have already heard in the true message of the gospel 6 that has come to you. In the same way, the gospel is bearing fruit and growing throughout the whole world—just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and truly understood God’s grace.
Nottingham-Trent CU Mission Week
A few weeks ago I had the privilege of speaking at Nottingham Trent University CU Mission week where I did three events for them. Two of the events were “Open forums” and the subjects they wanted me to look at were around Jesus and the Gospels. Firstly we tackled, “Man, myth or God?”. and examined the way in which if you actually take the time to examine the things Jesus said and did, it is impossible to slot him into the “good man” category. You really do have to either accept that he was who he said he was –God on the flesh – or reject him entirely. Secondly we looked at the reliability of the gospels in which I focused on the evidence that the gospels contains eye-witness testimony of the events of Jesus’ life.
As ever, at Solas events we followed the talk with Q&A – and it was great to see that some sceptics had joined the meeting, a collection of atheists and a Muslim too. We extended the Q&A on the other session I did for them – and did a meeting which was set aside exclusively for engaging with people’s questions. And we got all manner of questions about all kinds of subjects!
One of the most encouraging things has been to hear that a couple of the students who attended the mission have gone onto do some follow-up meetings with the CU. So I was invited back to their small-group to have some more intensive discussions, responding for example to the concerns of a young Muslim who is interested in Christianity. An atheist student is coming to those sessions, with entirely different set of ideas, assumptions and questions too. It was really great to be able to chat to them about the resurrection of Jesus – and why that makes sense and is important. It really was such a joy and privilege to be able to work with the Nottingham Trent CU and their friends.
