Bishop Harold reflects on Iain Provan’s first teaching
Bishop Harold says that last night’s teaching is something we really need to hear, understand and act upon.
Personally, I found last night to be one of the most challenging evenings I have had at the annual Bible Week. It was challenging not only because we were sitting at the feet of a very intelligent and profound speaker, but also because it really made me aware that I so often do not read the Bible for all that is in it.
I remember once reading a book about how different kinds of churches are inclined to emphasise one person of the Trinity above the others. A realisation dawned on me that my emphasis is often on Jesus or on the Holy Spirit, but rarely on the first person, ‘God the Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth’. Our creeds focus in very much on the second person of the Trinity, because so many of the heresies the church faced were to do with his nature and his work. And our Christian year rightly follows from Advent to Pentecost, the story of Jesus as we live into that story. All of that is good and right, but we find ourselves surprised by which we either do not know, or need to be reminded of about the Creator.
So, I was greatly blessed to be reminded that what we as Christians think is obvious is not obvious at all. It is revealed in the True Story of the Word of God. I reflected on the reality that for many people, it is not obvious (nor is it believed):
- That there is only one true God.
- That the world is not eternal, but has a beginning and an end.
- That God is personal, indeed the very definition of what it is to be personal, and not an impersonal force.
- That God has not just left the world to its devices but still is involved in creation.
- That this planet is ordered in a unique way.
- That the creation is still good, and our task us to care for it.
The next month has been declared to be Creation Time, leading up to harvest. Thus is supported by the Archbishop of Canterbury. Not a bad time for us to be thinking of these things.
I also ruminated on the idea that our generation is more likely to fall into non–Christian teaching about God the Creator than we might imagine. The ideas will probably be romantic and attractive – perhaps a kind of polytheism or pantheism, or impersonalising of God, or deism or even Buddhism. And people are sub–consciously embracing these ideas without Christians really noticing, or having any apologetic about what the Bible teaches.
What I’m really saying is that last night’s teaching is stuff we really need to hear, understand and act on. Thanks to Iain!