- Christmas Celebration
At the Homestead Christmas Music concert we were reminded of the gift of recognising God as he comes to us. The music and singing is a beautiful act of worship and a mirror that reflects the glory of the Lord.
“…There is nothing that compares to being in the presence of the one you love. And if we can feel that way about people, made in the image of God, how much more are we created to feel that that spark of recognition in the moment that the Creator himself slips into our world and we glimpse the face of God.” Recognizing God, Dan Lancaster.
- N.T Wright
Asbury Theological Seminary welcomed NT Wright, the world renowned biblical scholar, to their campus as part of their 100 year celebrations. He preached at Chapel services and delivered number of seminars and lectures and they are all available to watch/listen
United Kingdom Census 2021
“The Census data revealed that for the first time in England and Wales, less than half of the population (46.2%) describe themselves as “Christian”, a 13.1% decrease from 2011. Despite this decrease, “Christian” remained the most common response to the religion question. “No religion” was the second most common response, increasing by 12% from 25.2% in 2011 to 37.2%.”
The Evangelical Alliance produced some helpful responses that challenge the church to speak up for Christianity.
“In order for us to be able to construct such a public theology we will need to appreciate that as Christians we are in the minority in a secularised, post-secular, postmodern, pluralistic society and therefore our Christian imaginations and engagement have to stem from a place of humility, recognising that we do not have all the answers. This is the starting point of a journey that can allow us to look at Jesus’ missional engagement from the margins. Jesus operated from the periphery of society but with such a dynamism that attracted the attention of the masses and of those in power. “
READ MORE: Implications for public theology and the mission of the church, Rev Dr Israel Olofinjana
“There are two urgent tasks that are prompted from these Census findings, neither of which are new. First, there is the permanent task to make Jesus known, we want people to follow Jesus, we want more people to describe themselves as Christians because their identity has been transformed by Christ.
Second, we need to continue to advocate for the positive influence of Christianity in public life. It is unsurprising that in response to the Census results humanist and secularist campaigners launched fresh crusades to banish faith from public life – whether that’s in parliament or schools, or wherever they find it.”
READ MORE: Christianity can flourish in the margins of society, Danny Webster
