Sorted Magazine

Category: Comment & Columnists

  • Faith: Gathering Ground

    Bob Fraser caught up with Carl Beech (President) and Nathan Blackaby (CEO) of Christian Vision for Men (CVM) to chat about CVM resources and their annual men’s festival The Gathering.

    For some time now church has been a place in which many men have felt uncomfortable, and it’s got nothing to do with the seating. CVM President, Carl Beech, explained: “There are very few men attending church who are between the ages of 18 and 35. There are even less working class men showing up. Church activities are pitched largely at the women and children as they are the ones mainly attending.

    “Many churches have no events on offer to enable the men of faith to invite a friend to, confident that it won’t put their friend off. Something needed to change in order for men to engage with the message of the gospel and equip the church in that task.”

    In his 2005 ground-breaking book Why Men Hate Going to Church Canadian author David Murrow was amongst the first to point out that many churches have no strategy to connect with men. In fact many churches have very few men showing up at all. The same is true in the UK. He researched statistics and established that, in many churches, there are between two and three times more women attending than men. He suggested that the men who do show up seem, on the whole, passive, bored or uneasy.

    CVM CEO Nathan Blackaby said: “We looked at the UK statistics and this revealed that those least likely to be attending church are single, working class men. (Source: Office National Statsitcs/Tearfund 2007 BBC Survey) and only 33% of men felt comfortable in church (Source: YouGov 2014/Sorted Magazine) Clearly, a strategy was needed to reverse this trend.”

    Styles of leadership, worship and discipleship are also factors, and for many non-church blokes there are fears of being associated with something that isn’t particularly manly. Church scandals and wrong perceptions abound, all contributing to the notion that if you want to meet up and do something with a few mates, it’s unlikely to be in a church environment. And Carl explained why it’s not just a problem in traditional churches with liturgy and pews. He said: “Even in more contemporary church expressions, some worship songs have lyrics which reflect a romantic view of Jesus, which a lot of men will find hard to align with. There was a time when the hearts of men were stirred by a traditional hymn. Those same men would find some of today’s worship songs difficult to sing with integrity.” Well aware of the challenges with men and church, CVM came up with a strategy for a different way of connecting with men.

    The CVM strategy consists of four levels of activity

    Level One is about creating activities or opportunities to bring men together where there is no great spiritual context. It’s all about enjoying some fun stuff together, building genuine friendship and trust beyond the walls of the church building.

    Level Two is about creating events where there is some kind of spiritual input, like a breakfast or a curry night with a guest speaker, when believing men can invite their friends along. Men will often show up if food is on the agenda, and hearing stories of how life has changed after someone encountered Jesus holds the potential to open up a conversation about life and faith.

    Level Three is about developing the conversation by perhaps offering a series of meetings where men can explore in more depth what it means to follow Christ. Men might discuss the values they aspire to and the changes that may need to take place in their life, their priorities or their thinking.

    Level Four is about helping churches develop an ongoing and sustainable strategy to connect with men and change the environment in church services. Men will bond more readily when they engage in a shared activity, but as many churches have a shortage of men turning up, the starting point for all this connection may need to happen elsewhere.

    Nathan enthused: “CVM has a growing number of men’s groups partnering with them, operating at a local level. Some belong to one church, others a combined effort involving several churches. There are also regional events and we also produce high quality resources for use by individuals or small groups.”

    The group which I run in the North West has made use of some of these resources and they’ve been effective in bringing a focus and getting a conversation going. In particular Carl’s book 52 Men of the Bible provides enough material for a year’s worth of discussions if you meet weekly, or four year’s worth if you meet monthly.

    In addition to hard copy books, a significant amount of CVM’s resources are now downloadable. The Code is another well used resource with 12 game changing statements written by men for men. Each statement looks at what it’s really like to follow Christ wholeheartedly.

    CVM have created an interactive platform: Winning Men is available as a Smartphone app. It includes a four level course, top tips for men’s activities, a church audit tool and loads of helpful ideas. It’s all available free, and the platform thrives on helpful interaction, comments, questions and engagement.

    The Gathering

    In 2014 Carl Beech founded a men’s festival called The Gathering. This has become an annual event which takes place, now somewhat famously, in a field near Swindon. In 2019 the attendance rose to 2400 men.

    The Gathering has live comedy, cool cars, a five-a-side tournament, a bar, live music, walking football, axe throwing, Zorb football, inflatable games etc. Alongside that there is worship, relevant bible teaching, life stories, scalextric, bonfires and loads more.

    The Saturday night meeting usually has a theme for the dress code and in 2019 it was the medieval age. That experience will live long in my memory. In 2023 the theme was animals!

    Photo: The Gathering 2023 Darts Competition with Sorted Magazine’s very own Steve Legg – Steve Legg, Magician and CVM’s John Stockley dressed as a Unicorn!

    For more information about The Gathering 2024 visit The Gathering (thegatheringformen.com)

    All Photos from The Gathering 2023 Courtesy of Bob Fraser

  • Stephen Fry: “not just a green space”

    Stephen Fry (pictured above), Friend of St James’s Church, said: “What is needed in Piccadilly is a proper place to sit and reflect and take yourself out of the bustle. The garden at St James’s Piccadilly is not just a green space, it’s an active part of the community, as the rest of St James’s Church is.”

    A new show garden has been inspired by the green spaces and community spirit at St James’s Church, Piccadilly, in central London. Work has begun at RHS Chelsea Flower Show on St James’s Piccadilly’s Imagine the World to be Different show garden. The garden is sponsored by grant-making charity Project Giving Back and designed by award-winning landscape architect Robert Myers.

    Designer Robert Myers said: “The St James’s Piccadilly garden at RHS Chelsea centres around restoration and climate resilience. Through our commitment to environmental innovation, we aim to inspire others to create a more sustainable and resilient future. Already a place of refuge and consolation for thousands, the newly designed counselling cabin underlines the importance of healing at the heart of St James’s Piccadilly’s mission.”

    Rector, Rev Lucy Winkett said: “The garden and courtyard of St James’s Piccadilly (pictured above) offer a welcome space in the busyness of central London for conversations under trees. Robert’s design emphasises the inherent resilience of nature and its healing powers. For us it’s important that it is a space where each person has their own dignity and where our interdependence with the natural world is emphasised and celebrated.”

    The garden evokes St James’s churchyard garden and highlights the importance of public green spaces in the city for healing and biodiversity. The garden is inspired by St James’s inclusive ethos, the character and form of the existing gardens, bombed in World War Two, but surviving and evolving into a biodiverse, eclectic haven for people and nature. The show garden also features a unique timber structure designed by Ivan Morison to replace the existing hut which houses the counselling service providing 5,000 hours of free counselling a year.

    The church’s community is committed to making the world a better place. The RHS Chelsea garden will support efforts to raise £20m for The Wren Project, a scheme to rejuvenate the historic, Wren-designed church and particularly to restore its garden, in order to accommodate and amplify St James’s extensive social outreach and environmental work. Donations can be made at https://www.sjp.org.uk/chelsea-campaign/

    The Imagine the World to be Different garden will be re-sited in two phases. All the trees and plants will move to St Pancras Church on Euston Road, which is a partner to St James’s. All of the hard landscape elements and timber cabin will be stored and reused as part of The Wren Project at St James’s.

    Main Photo Credit: Jack Taylor via Getty Images. All other images courtesy of St James’s Church, Piccadilly, Central London.

  • Jeremy Clarkson: “what more could anyone want?”

     
    The hit show Clarkson’s Farm will return to our television screens. The show’s Diddly Squat Farm Shop will be back at the Silverstone Festival over the August Bank Holiday weekend from August 23rd – 25th 2024.

    Jeremy Clarkson (pictured above) was at the festival with his partner Lisa Hogan in both 2022 and 2023, he said: “It really is an infeasibly good day out. You have literally acres and acres festooned with incredible cars all with nice sensible dials on their dashboards, a pop-up Diddly Squat Farm Shop selling lots of our stuff all washed down with lashings of my really rather refreshing Hawkstone beer, what more could anyone want!”

    The third Amazon Prime series received rave reviews, and the famous farm shop is gearing up for an even more exciting involvement with Silverstone Festival. The Hawkstone Bar will be back, together with the rustic store selling a range of Diddly Squat Farm produce and merchandise.

    Other Tasting Tent sessions include BBQ secrets, a history of British Cheeses, a trip through the world of chillies, Moldovan winemaking artistry, an artisan market with local produce and celebrated chefs on the Silverstone Kitchen Live stage.
     
    Further information and tickets are available here.

    Main Photo Credit: Courtesy of Silverstone Festival lifestyle Media and Silverstone Festival Motorsports Media

  • Comment: How much does it cost to lie online?

    How much does it cost to create and spread fake news or false narratives online? 

    According to new research from digital identity security specialists, ID Crypt Global, the answer depends on what scale of disruption you want to create. You’ll need to pay £400,000 to create a campaign of truly devastating falsehoods, but an awful lot of damage can still be done for absolutely no cost at all.

    Fake news and false narratives are commonplace online. They can be created by an individual sitting at home with their smartphone, by AI bots, or even large-scale ‘farms’ in countries like Russia, India, and China, where hundreds of people are employed to fabricate and falsify the things we see online. 

    ID Crypt Global has estimated the cost of creating and spreading various types of fake news and false narratives in 2024 by analysing previous 2017 data* published on the subject and adjusting the numbers for inflation. 

    The cost of creating fake news

    To enlist the help of a click farm, in which one server has the control capacity of 30 smartphones and can ‘click’ to artificially inflate the presence and therefore influence of certain posts, costs an estimated £4,922.

    To manipulate an online petition, such as those regularly created via change.org, with 100,000 fake votes or signatures will cost an estimated £1,064. 

    To generate one million fake YouTube views costs around £998, and to add 1,000 fake comments to a social media post each month is estimated to cost £250. 

    While these nefarious activities require you to have a pretty healthy budget for creating fake news, there are other influential methods that cost very little money, and one that costs nothing at all. 

    For example, to pay for a bot to produce 500 retweets costs just £2. 100 artificial YouTube likes costs £1.55; and to buy 100 fake YouTube followers is estimated to cost as little as 66p. 

    But perhaps most frightening of all is that anyone and everyone can create their very own convincing fake news story for absolutely free via a website called Break Your Own News. And once this fake news story has been shared to social media, there is no telling how far it will spread and how much influence it will have, despite having absolutely no relationship to truth. 

    What about the biggest, most disruptive fake news campaigns? 

    All the things described above are effective ways of creating false narratives, but they’re doing so on a relatively small scale which could fairly be described as ‘amateur’. 

    There is another side to fake news; a much darker side in which seasoned and skilled professionals can be hired to create disinformation that intentionally has an enormous impact on the real world without anyone even realising it’s happening. As such, the costs of these services are substantial. 

    For example, there are companies in the world that will work to manipulate a decisive course of action by influencing decision-making at critical junctures such as a referendum or general election. Such projects take around 12-months to execute, and their approach is multi-faceted. 

    To hire such a company, you’re going to have to spend something in the region of £400,000, which means these sorts of campaigns are reserved for large companies or even government states who wish to influence the public’s opinion and choices in nefarious ways. 

    There are other companies who will help organise or instigate large-scale street protests for an estimated cost of almost £200,000; and others who will execute a campaign to discredit an influential and honest journalist for a cost of around £50,000. 

    CEO and Founder of ID Crypt Global, Lauren Wilson-Smith, commented:

    “Welcome to the modern world. We live in what has often been described as the Post-Truth era, a description that is as terrifying as it is accurate. For all the good that the internet and social media has done for the world, it has also opened up endless avenues and opportunities for those with bad intentions to spread fake news, generate false narratives, and force their own agendas on an unsuspecting public.  

    The simple fact is that we as a society have not worked quickly enough to understand the ways in which our innovations can be manipulated and used for evil, and therefore haven’t created ways to protect ourselves from harm. 

    With new technologies like AI growing increasingly sophisticated and capable by the day, the risk is only increasing. It’s the responsibility of every company involved in the creation of news media to do their part, ensuring that their files are protected from being abused for disinformation purposes, rather than laying such responsibility at the door of social media platforms.”

    Data tables and sources

    Main Photo Credit: Nicolas McComber via Getty Images

  • Comment: Heatwave in India

    The Chief Executive of The Leprosy Mission has voiced his concern over the severe effects of climate change in Asia. The World Meteorological Organization has warned that Asia is bearing the brunt of climate change. The warning from the United Nations weather agency coincides with a severe heatwave in India. Temperatures are soaring to as high as 45 degrees across great swathes of the country.

    Chief Executive Peter Waddup said the World Meteorological Organization’s findings sadly come as no surprise. He said: “Over the past few years we have witnessed our colleagues in Asia struggle with severe heatwaves, floods and storms. In fact we now need to budget for extreme climate emergencies which happen every year. Last year we provided emergency food and medical supplies to communities in Myanmar. This was in the aftermath of Cyclone Mocha which made landfall in Western Myanmar on May 14th. With wind speeds of up to 250km per hour, it was one of the strongest cyclones to ever hit the country, destroying homes and livelihoods.

    “Now my colleagues in India are battling daily life in hospitals and clinics without air conditioning. Their concern is to make the patients as comfortable as possible.” Peter said that in India, where the majority of people live hand to mouth, there is little option but to carry on. “For the majority in India, not working equates to not eating,” he said.

    “My colleague at Salur Hospital in Andhra Pradesh sent over a photo of women labourers working on the site yesterday in 45 degree heat. They are immaculately dressed in colourful saris and were stoically carrying on. I simply cannot imagine doing such physical work in insufferable temperatures. People continue to queue in the blistering heat outside our Outpatients’ departments in India. These are often the only places where they can see a doctor free of charge and places where they are loved , accepted and cared for. So although terribly uncomfortable, a wait in the burning sun is simply a means to an end.

    “I keep recalling the feeling of dread I had running up to July 19th 2022. This is when meteorologists had warned that, for the first time in the UK, temperatures would exceed 40 degrees. We all planned our lives so there was minimal movement for two days simply to make life bearable. I really cannot imagine how they can carry on for weeks in India in such severe heat. The summer monsoon will bring some relief but it is still weeks away.”

    The news that Asia’s struggle with climate change is greater than the rest of the world’s came a day after Earth Day on Monday [22 April]. Peter said: “I love looking at the photos that NASA release every year on Earth Day in celebration of our incredible planet. Taken from satellites, aircraft and deep-space missions, they leave me in awe and wonder. How to protect our beautiful planet is a monumental challenge. The World Meteorological Organization is calling for national weather services across Asia to improve disaster planning. There are also renewed calls for governments to implement net zero emissions by 2040 to help quell rising temperatures.

    “In our own lives we are encouraged to reduce our carbon footprints by flying and driving less and switching to renewable energy. I just hope and pray this will be enough to protect the people suffering the very most from climate change.”

    Main Photo Credit: Umesh Negi via Getty Images

  • Film: Unsung Hero debuts in UK and Ireland

    With advance sales of 2.3 million tickets in the USA, Unsung Hero will debut in cinemas across the UK and Ireland on June 14th 2024. Produced by Kingdom Story Company. Co-Director Joel Smallbone said: “We are thrilled to bring Unsung Hero to audiences in the UK and Ireland. This project is a testament to the power of storytelling and the impact it can have on people’s lives. We hope that audiences will be inspired by the characters’ journeys.”

    Set against the backdrop of Nashville in the early 1990s, Unsung Hero follows the journey of David Smallbone (pictured above) as he moves his family from Australia to the United States, searching for a brighter future. With their six children and nothing more than suitcases, and their love of music, David (For King & Country’s Joel Smallbone) and his pregnant wife Helen (Daisy Betts) set out to rebuild their lives. David and Helen begin to realise the musical prowess in their children, who would go on to become two of the most successful acts in inspirational music history: five-time Grammy Award®-winning artists For King & Country and Rebecca St. James.

    The cast includes Joel Smallbone and Daisy Betts, alongside Jonathan Jackson, Candace Cameron Bure, Kirrilee Berge and Lucas Black. Some US Film Critics say that Unsung Hero delivers captivating performances which will resonate with audiences and invite viewers to reflect on the true meaning of hope and sacrifice. On this side of the pond we’ve got Sorted Magazine’s resident film buff, Andy Godfrey, on the case, so please do stand by for the benefit of his expert insights.

    Unsung Hero is released in cinemas across the UK and Ireland on the June 14th 2024. Watch the trailer here.

    Main Photo Credit: Courtesy of Lionsgate (Fair Usage).

  • Opinion: Do I dare to disagree with Monty Don?

    No Mow May is a popular gardening trend which advocates leaving lawns uncut throughout the month of May. The idea is to provide sources of food for pollinators and insects and this in turn helps creatures further up the food chain such as birds and small mammals. Leaving lawns uncut, for any length of time, to benefit the natural world is a lovely idea … in theory.

    In reality the soggy long grass resulting from No Mow May can often lead to Jammed Mower June followed by Junked Mower July and subsequently Absent Mower August. Bear in mind that as benefits to garden wildlife increase, the bank balance can potentially decrease. Domestic mowers are made for cutting shortish grass, meaning the motor can strain, and even burn out, under the extra power needed to cut long, thick, grass. Are lawn mower manufacturers the real winners in this equation? (If you don’t mind the endless gnawing ache of stooping, a decent strimmer is better at handling long wet grass.)

    “Leave grass long to attract small mammals” the sagely Monty Don advises. Hedgehogs and voles can bring their quaint story book personalities to the garden, making you feel as if you’re living in a magical woodland and a fairy might appear perched on a red spotted toadstool at any moment. In the reality of an urban setting, even a very posh one, the phrase “small mammals” is more likely to mean rats. What used to be called “vermin”. As well as their reputation for spreading deadly diseases (remember the Bubonic Plague?) vermin, particularly mice, can attract the neighbourhood cats, as many as four per night, each of them depositing a stinky poo parcel lurking within said long grass. Have you ever witnessed the fall out when barefooted children innocently run through long grass? It’s horrendous! I’m sorry Monty, you’re lovely and very wise about lots of things, but my grass will be mown and manicured in May and beyond.

    Main Photo Credit: Wellington Silva via Pexels

  • Review: Notes on Feminism – Being a Woman in a Church Led by Men

    Confession: I’m picky. And for good or ill I only review books which are of personal interest to me. Those which have actually caught my eye and caused me to ask myself: “What’s that all about?”. One of my motives for reading Journalist, Lauren Windle’s latest book, Notes on Feminism – Being a Woman in a Church Led by Men from SPCK Publishing, was to gain a better understanding of this old fashioned word “feminism”. How has it evolved? How is it currently understood? And that burning question, which I’m often asked, and have asked myself, but have thus far hesitated to answer: “Am I a feminist?” Would Windle’s book help me to figure this out?

    Notes on Feminism is, in some respects, a fresh evaluation of the current state of play. A sort of stock-take of where we’re up to now, particularly in relation to church matters. It’s a smooth read, moves along at a pleasant pace, is clearly written and thoroughly researched. Windle explores differing view points regarding feminism within the church. Much of the book is a balanced piece of journalism, offering different points of view, at other times it is much more informal, like a conversation you might have on social media. I found myself nodding, laughing and occasionally rolling my eyes in agreement/disagreement/solidarity/outrage. Notes on Feminism is seasoned with shocking facts, mind-opening quotes and searing honesty. At times I really did gasp.

    Windle includes a succinct run down on the history of feminism. This served as a very helpful reminder. Just like author Lauren, I’m a female journalist, who’s five foot three inches tall, with a fondness for tea and Eccles cake. But the similarities end there. She’s middle class and I’m working class. She’s a southerner and I’m a northerner. She’s young and I’m not quite so young. I can well remember the days before feminism had achieved all that it currently has. This makes me exceptionally grateful for just how far women’s rights have come. Possibly I’m too grateful, too resigned, too accepting, and maybe just a little bit tired. Windle clearly has plenty of fight left in her! In the flow of her considerable enthusiasm, at times her journalistic impartiality veers off into opinion, beliefs and personal preferences. For example it would seem that she doesn’t want men to dictate what women can and can’t say, only to bleat about the detail of what men can and can’t say.

    To the author’s credit she makes the case both for and against feminism. She has gathered and included the voices of women with completely opposing views on feminism. For example a fascinating chapter by Delphine Chui has been included. Journalist, Chui, shares with considerable honesty and openness exactly why she isn’t a feminist. There are notes from writer and model Katie Piper on true beauty, Olympian Abigail Irozuruon women’s bodies, comedian Cassandra Maria on why people think women aren’t funny and author Tiffany Bluhm on why people don’t believe women.

    At times the author appears to be working out her own issues in real time on the page. She explores how she herself feels about certain issues such as weddings and marriage. In this respect the first word in the book’s title “notes” is an accurate reflection of its content. Lauren Windle is a curious, chatty and likeable author with a friendly contemporary writing style. Her “likeability” makes for a pleasant, undemanding reading pace. The occasional “meatier” section is open minded, rather than authoritarian. She takes the reader by the hand and essentially asks them: “Have you ever thought about this?” She nails her colours to the mast on several issues. That said her approach is refreshing in that she is clear that these views aren’t fixed forever. That she is open to discussion. She is accepting and respectful of others views and willing to change her mind in the light of new information.

    Overall Notes on Feminism is rigorously analytical and strives towards fairness and accuracy. Yes, sometimes there is an angry undertone, and the author openly admits she is angry about some things. For me, this book was at times a challenging read, but also educational. It has helped me to answer some of my own questions about where I stand on feminism and it’s definitely worth persevering to the end. I particularly enjoyed this statement from author Lauren Windle: “And finally, don’t blindly make my opinions, or the opinions of anyone referenced in this book, your opinions. Take each of these topics and pray about them, read Scripture and a range of commentaries, and consult your church leaders. This isn’t a reference book for your new position on contentious topics; it’s the start of the conversation.”

    Notes on Feminism – Being a Woman in a Church Led by Men is available from SPCK Publishing

    Main Photo Credit: Siora Photography via Unsplash

  • Faith: Living in a world that’s lost its reason

    I was talking to a friend about the challenges that we Christians face today when he said: “We are swimming against the current; the world has lost its reason.” The phrase struck me and I’ve been pondering it.

    The first phrase, swimming against the current, is a truth that we Christian’s face opposition from our culture that opposes our faith, convictions and values. In Britain the ‘cultural current’ has been flowing strongly against the Christian faith for over a century. There is much in the Bible about how God’s people must resist the force imposed by the world about them. We are to be different: we must always go against the flow, stand firm and ‘march to the beat of a different drum’.

    On considering the second thought, the world has lost its reason, I realised that there are now new complexities in swimming against the current. While we might once have imagined that we were engaged in swimming up some slow, steady flowing river, a more realistic image today is that we are in some windswept tidal estuary in which the waters swirl chaotically. Today, the forces pressing upon us are strong in one direction, tomorrow they are going in another direction. The world has changed, and with it the currents we face.

    Here I think we need to understand the culture that we face in the West today. What we call Western ‘culture’ did not arise in a vacuum but was formed by the Christian faith over 2,000 years. At its heart was a belief in Jesus and his revelation in the Bible. With this came a morality, a worldview, in which such things as truth, charity, justice, humility and marriage were valued, as was the worth of every individual, however poor or frail. Christianity gave the West values, principles and standards. Life had a rule book.

    Around 250 years ago philosophers began undermining the fundamentals of the faith, and soon culture; art, music, literature and, increasingly, beliefs in general, followed them. The values of Christianity are strong and enduring but, as the tree of faith was left to wither, so, inevitably, its fruit failed. Most of those who sought the eradication of Christianity believed that, with its influence removed, the world now liberated from God would enjoy a new freedom. Of course, it proved otherwise. The loss of Christianity at the core of our culture has left a confused, troubled vacuum in which all sorts of ideas and movements, some secular and some spiritual, compete aggressively for influence.

    In fact the Western world has indeed ‘lost its reason’ in two senses. It has lost its rationale, its reason for existence; it is now ignorant not only of what’s right and wrong but even of what it stands for. Yet it has also ‘lost its reason’ because it has become an intellectual chaos in which nothing is certain except uncertainty. The mood today is one of confusion and confrontation; whether in politics, social thinking or philosophy there is now no quiet middle ground of consensus but only noisy extremes and bitter disagreement. Are we in favour of consumption or conservation, integration or individualism, liberalisation or legislation, wealth or welfare? The result is that Christians today no longer face a single oncoming hostile army but are instead caught up in a cultural civil war with crossfire coming from every direction. We face not just a current but many currents, ever changing and coming from many different directions.

    So how are we Christians to respond to this world in which we find ourselves buffeted by a range of unpredictable and powerful currents? Let me offer you four thoughts.

    We must live in reality. We need to think realistically about the world and our faith. With regard to the world, we cannot be naïve. The changes that we see are so deep and wide that outside some remarkable intervention by God in revival (oh, I pray it may be so!), they are not going to be easily and quickly reversed. Instead we must discern which of the many currents affecting us are the most dangerous. After all, it may be that our most serious threat comes not from that current giving the noisy, visible waves but instead from some quieter flow moving at depth. Yet it is not all gloom. As God’s people found in the past, our opposition is divided and battling against itself. We must too balance any awareness of threats with a confident faith in the One in whom we trust; the Lord Jesus Christ. This world, and indeed time itself, is in our heavenly Father’s hands. We can have faith that the Great Shepherd will not desert his sheep, especially when, in the darkness, the wolves are howling.

    We must pursue strategy. In these volatile times there’s a lot of fear about, and not just among Christians. Allies today can easily be opponents tomorrow. From a Christian point of view, there’s a lot to be said for that popular phrase, ‘Don’t panic.’ Fear is not only bad but it also fuels unwise decisions. We must respond to the world we face in a way that is both spiritual and strategic. If we must fight, let it be the right battle at the right time. There are some issues where we have no option but to stand our ground: it is the ‘right hill to die on’. Yet there are other issues that we might decide are negotiable or even unimportant.

    We must hold on to integrity. Perhaps the real threat of our times is not that Christians become overcome by the world but that, during combat, they become like the world. That sobering comment of our Lord: “What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul?” (Matthew 16:26 NIV) applies not just to individuals, but to the church. To win a battle over the world in a worldly, underhand way, is to be defeated.

    Finally, we need to use the opportunity. Here, I speak as an evangelist. Christians under pressure can retreat into sanctified circles that gaze inwards, and close the doors against the outside world. We cannot do this! As Christians, and as churches, we either witness or we decline. But let me encourage you; one feature of our present troubled world is that it is full of discontented people. Across the political and social spectrum, there are many who, often amid tears, have found their dreams for a better world broken. A growing number are, like the prodigal son in the ‘far country’, wondering whether it might not be time to return to the home and the Father that they rejected.

    As believers in Christ we now find ourselves struggling against shifting currents, varying winds and changing tides. Yet above all, we must remember that our Lord is the master of the stormiest of waters and we can trust him, in his time, to bring us safe to port. We remember too his words in John 16:33 (NIV): “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” Amen!

    Main Photo Credit: Ivan Vranic via Unsplash

  • Community: Teachers and family inspire good deeds

    Research commissioned by Tesco, as part of its Stronger Starts Golden Grants initiative suggests that Brits will carry out 265 good deeds a year. Popular acts of kindness include holding doors, checking in with someone or boosting their confidence, and donating items to food banks. Earlier this year customers in one hundred Tesco stores nationwide were given the opportunity to do their own good deed by awarding a local school or children’s group a £5,000 Stronger Starts Golden Grant.

    According to the Tesco research among the most common acts of kindness are holding the door open for someone (67%), checking in with someone to ensure they’re well (54%), trying to boost someone’s confidence (35%), picking up litter (23%) and donating items to a food bank (12%). The study indicates that inspirational people have played a significant role in motivating acts of kindness. 7% of respondents said they had been inspired by a teacher and 27% had been influenced by a family member. It would appear that both families and wider communities play a significant part in fostering a culture of kindness.

    Psychologist and broadcaster, Emma Kenny said: “Science tells us doing good deeds can have psychological benefits, strengthen social bonds, and there is even evidence to suggest it can improve physical health, potentially lowering blood pressure. So it’s great to see so many claiming to regularly be dishing out acts of kindness, not only is it likely to be helping someone else, it’s also likely to be helping them.”

    The research also showed that people hoping to fall on the receiving end of a good deed should not expect to get lucky during the morning commute or school run, with just 3% of the country saying they’re prone to doing good deeds before 9am. The research revealed that more than a third of the nation (37%) say they tend to do good deeds at a particular time of day, with 12.48pm the average time they’re likely to happen. This particular finding informed Tesco’s decision to arrange their Stronger Starts Golden Grants celebrations (which took place in 100 Tesco stores nationwide in March) from 12-1pm when customers were more likely to participate in an act of kindness. Tesco Stronger Starts is committed to supporting more than 5,000 schools and children’s groups with £5 million in funding every year. This funding aims to provide nutritious food and resources to keep children physically active throughout the school day.

    Main Photo Credit: Max Fischer via Pexels