Hungarian goulash etc

I just got back from a few days in Hungary, where the European Baptist Federation was having its annual council in Budapest. I work part-time in the EBF office, so I was there to help with admin, photocopying, organisation airport pick-ups etc etc. Obviously not very exciting work responsibilities, but I met many interesting people and also met up with a friend who lives in Budapest, who was a student at IBTS last year. We had a great time together, walking all over Budapest and seeing the beautiful things that the city boasts of. We had gorgeous Hungarian wine, and interesting food too… Hungarian food is better than Czech food, but still consists of alot of meat and potatoes or dumplings. Hungarian goulash is very tasty though… I recommend it! Anyway, I had a great time and I’m pretty knackered, so glad to be home with my lovely Phil.

Photos of Budapest etc to follow shortly!

Shane Claiborne

I am reading all sorts of different things for my dissertation, but some of the most powerful words and ideas have come from Shane Claiborne. His recent book “The Irresistable Revolution” should be in the IBTS library soon… and I can’t wait! In the meantime, I’m reading shorter articles and random bits and pieces. I wanted to share some of these. Claiborne writes from an American context, but I do not think that this hinders what he is trying to say for Western Christians in general.

“I believe that the great tragedy of the church is not that rich Christians do not care about the poor, but that they do not know the poor. Yet if we are called to live the new community for which Christ was crucified, we cannot remain strangers to one another. Jesus demands that we live in a very different way.”

“Over the years I have come to see how charity fits into – and legitimizes – our system of wealth and poverty. Charity assures that the rich will feel good while the poor will remain with us. It is important that the poor remain with us, because our capitalist system hinges on it. Without someone on the bottom, there is no American dream and no hope for upward mobility.”

“Charity also functions to keep the wealthy sane. Tithes, tax-exempt donations, and short-term mission trips, while they accomplish some good, also function as outlets that allow wealthy Christians to pay off their consciences while avoiding a revolution of lifestyle. People do their time in a social program or distribute food and clothes through organisations which take away their excess. That way, they never actually have to face the poor and give their clothes, their food, their beds.”

“If charity did not provide these carefully sanctioned outlets, Christians might be forced to live the reckless Gospel of Jesus by abandoning the stuff of earth. Instead, thanks to charity, we can live out a comfortable, privatized discipleship. But when we get to heaven and are separated into sheep and goats (Matt 25) I don’t believe Jesus is going to say ‘When I was hungry, you gave a check to the United Way and they fed me’ or ‘When I was naked, you donated to the Salvation Army and they clothed me.’ Jesus is not seeking distant acts of charity. He is seeking concrete actions: ‘You fed me,….you visited me,… you welcomed me in,…you clothed me…’ “

These are hugely challenging, and I think, prophetic words for us as Christians, and for the church. What do you think?

What is the good life?

I have been thinking about this question recently… what does it mean to have a good life? Does it mean that you are happily married, two point four children, a dog and a nice house with a garden? Add to that satisfying careers and a holiday in the summer to somewhere warm by the sea? Does that make a good life? I guess it does in a way. You could also add charity work (if you’re not religiously inclined) or commited church membership if you are that way inclined.  Does that make for the good life? I’m struggling with this question because I just can’t believe that that is enough, or all, that there is. But if that isn’t all that there is… then where and how do we find out what more there is?

How can I make choices about my life and what direction it should take? Do I need to make sure that I live in a place that is safe, has good hospitals, good schools, nice houses? Do I make choices based on what is perceived as ‘good’ by general cultural consensus? Or does that fact that I am a Christian seeking to be a disciple of Jesus mean that my priorities should be orientated towards or by other things? For some time now, Christians have taken great relief in patting each other on the back and reminding each other that suffering does not need to be part of our Christian lives… and also you know, Jesus didn’t really mean anything that he said about blessed are the poor.

I guess there isn’t any prescribed way of living our lives as disciples, but I think that Christians in the West are just too comfortable to be salt and light in this world. If we accept ‘middle-class’ cultural values as part of our Christian lives, then how can we powerfully witness to this culture?

What can help us to resist this culture and live counter-culturally, which is surely what Jesus called us to do? What can help us to live authentically as disciples, open to the possibility that perhaps we are called to a more risky life than we would choose?

Edinburgh dreamin’

Since we moved to Prague a year ago, we generally thought that we would not be able to go back to Edinburgh to live. This is due to the fact that as a woman wanting to work as a pastor in a baptist church, my opportunities would be seriously limited..! (to say the least!) In addition to this, Phil was thinking of doing a PGCE, which he would be paid to complete in England, but not in Scotland. Although this was a difficult thing to think about, over the year it has become something that we have accepted and also begun to look forward to possibly living in/near London. The fact that the sun shines (slightly) more in London than Edinburgh and also that my parents would be much nearer by, has also helped to make this seem like a good option.

However, over this past year there have been numerous times when we’ve found ourselves longing for beautiful Edinburgh, our friends and flat there! This evening was one of those times… we sat down to eat with a lovely couple that have been living in Edinburgh this past year, working as interns at Bristo Baptist Church. We talked about Edinburgh, what we were going to do next year, what they were thinking of doing next year, etc etc. It was a good conversation to have, brought back fond memories… and now I feel a little homesick for Edinburgh! *sigh* I really don’t want to want to live in Edinburgh again… there are enough places that I want to live in as it is… nevermind wanting to add more places (where I’ve already lived!) to the list..! (argh)

Anyway… I guess this year we can continue to think about the options. Its tough though… in the meantime I’ll just have to keep busy with writing a dissertation..!

Happy weekend all…