Godless life... as a Christian? (Phil 3)

'Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is on earthly things.' Phil 3:19

Here is the absolute antithesis of what we, as Christians, should be. And yet we are so often guilty of thinking in that very same mindset. Paul here writes four phrases about the ungodly. Here is how we can fall into the same traps:

1. Destiny of destruction. We often fear what we do not need to fear- death and destruction. How you view death provides a good reflection of your faith. If our faith is strong, we need not fear death ('Where, O death, is thy sting?'- 1 Cor 15). Jesus is risen, and we have the gift of eternal life.
On the other hand, we must not become complacent about those who have not accepted Jesus. Paul reminds us here that their destiny is one of destruction. It is very tempting at times to mince the Word so that it is more palatable, more acceptable to our views of what a merciful, loving God should be. Instead, we are called to accept the truth of God's Word -after all, it is by this Word that we know we are saved- and endeavour to spread the Gospel and explain it to those who need it most- non-believers.

2. Their god is their stomach. Marlowe's play Dr Faustus contains this profound statement: 'The god thou serv'st is the god of thine own appetite.' I don't think this phrase applies merely to gluttony. It describes the ungodly as those who follow their own desires above God's desires for them. They do what they want to do without considering God's expectations of them. How much worse is this for a believer, who knows what God expects of them, and still deliberately follows his own desires? Sometimes we even try to justify ourselves before God: 'God wouldn't want me to be unhappy.' We need to be on our guard that we don't try and cover up self-indulgence with the label of God's will.

3. Glory in shame. The ungodly revel in doing the forbidden, in rebelling against morality and taking their own independent stand. Surely we as Christians cannot be guilty of this? Unfortunately we probably are. We all commit sin due to our fallen nature, and every time we do it, it always seems more attractive than the reality. But the phrase 'glory in shame' doesn't just mean sinning, it means glorying in sin. Perhaps that is harder for us as Christians to apply to ourselves- we usually have that nagging voice in our head reminding us that what we're doing is wrong, and we usually experience guilt as soon as we err. But some sins actually glory in shame itself, like gossip.
Gossip is not only a sin in itself, but it also involves us revelling in other people's sins. We are then glorifying shame. Perhaps sometimes we don't take a strong stand against things that God's Word proclaims to be wrong, because we don't want to offend people or be controversial. But silence is often construed as agreement. If we don't add a Christian input to a conversation, not only does it look like we agree with any non-Christian sentiments that are being expressed, but we are denying the Holy Spirit within us who calls us to witness whenever we can. A recent survey revealed that many people are disillusioned with the Church, not because it takes a controversial stand on contemporary issues, but because (in their view) it takes no stand at all. Are we, as the voice of the Church and of Christ on earth, fully representing our faith? Or do we leave this to the ministers, or for when we're not around people who are hostile to our views?

4. Mind on earthly things. This is perhaps the easiest one of all to relate to ourselves. We worry about bills, money, our homes, cars, studies, work... So many things preoccupy our minds when we're supposed to be keeping our eyes on Jesus. Paul writes about staying focussed in order to win the race he is running as a Christian. You'll never finish the race if you don't stay focussed. And the more and more focus we have on God, the more and more our perspective widens and we understand how irrelevant our earthly preoccupations are, in comparison to God's plan for us and our eternity with Him.

Are evangelicals 'fundamentalists'? Review of JI Packer

Post 9-11, the word 'fundamentalism' gives people a new sense of fear. To modern morality, any version of religious fundamentalism MUST be a bad thing. When evangelicals claim to believe the words of the Bible as the truth, the word 'fundamentalists' is frequently flung our way. So how should we respond?

J.I. Packer's 'Fundamentalism and the Word of God' is as fresh and relevant now as it was when it was first published in 1958. He argues that fundamentalism is often brushed off as a branch of Christianity, when in fact, it is the only authentic Christianity. Authentic Christianity is a religion of biblical authority. Only truth can be authoritative; only an inerrant Bible can be used, in the way that God means Scripture to be used. Subjection to the authority of Christ involves subjection to the authority of Scripture. ‘Fundamentalism’, in so far as consistent Evangelicalism is meant by this term, is in principle nothing but Christianity itself.

Christianity is built on truth, on the content of a divine revelation. It announces salvation through faith in Jesus Christ, but faith is only possible where the truth is known. The New Testament tells us that God has made provision for the communication of this saving truth. He entrusted to the apostles, and through them to the whole church, a message from Himself which conveys it. This is the Word of God, the Bible.

At the heart of the debate is the role of the Bible. Many people who reject fundamentalism do so because they consider the uncompromising demand for submission to what the Bible says as unreasonable. And this is very serious, at it is a criticism directed at evangelical principles rather than evangelical practice. In effect, these people believe that Evangelicalism is a form of Christianity that cannot honestly be held today. We must, therefore, strive to defend the faith that we believe to be the revealed truth of God.

In the climate of the current Anglican crisis, where the evangelical wing of the Anglican church is being criticised for being 'fundamentalist' and 'separatist', it is worth remembering that the Anglican church is founded on the belief that Scripture is the ultimate authority. The liberal wing of the church is not, historically, supported by the foundation of the church and the 39 Articles.

Unity between true Christians is vitally important to the life of the Church, but what Packer refers to as 'sham unity', the unity between supposed Christians and true Christians, is not worth working for. The wall is cracked because it is not all built on the same foundation. Packer's book provides a timely read in the light of these circumstances.

What is God's design for women? Review of Sharon James' book

In today's society where the world and the Church seem increasingly confused about gender, Sharon James has written a book which is faithful to Scripture, comprehensive in its scope and easy to read.

'God's Design for Women' refreshingly accepts and celebrates the differences between men and women, and offers a return to the Biblical model for women and their place in marriage, the home, the family and also in the workplace. She examines feminist thinking and highlights how much it has affected our twenty-first century mentality- women are brought up in our society to be ambitious and to demand equality, but at the expense of recognising the value of a woman's traditional role as a housewife and mother. Sharon James points out that whilst discrimination against women is wrong, it is just as wrong to view women who choose to be full-time mothers as 'failures'. Adam and Eve were cursed in the areas where they were to find fulfilment- Adam was cursed in his work and Eve was cursed in childbearing. It makes sense that women, who are naturally equipped emotionally and physically for nurturing, invest time and effort in rearing their children and creating a godly home environment.

A concept I found really interesting was that equality and submission go together perfectly within marriage. James points out that within the Trinity, the Son submits to the Father, and yet all parts of the Trinity are equal. It's easy to see the wife as less important because she must submit, yet she is of equal value in the marriage and of course in God's sight.

The book discusses women's ministries and how there is such a need for women to minister to other women and provide emotional support that many men find difficult to give. The book also talks about how to be a godly, modest women in a society that places value solely on physical appearance rather than good character. James writes in a readable style and always comes back to Scripture- I think every woman should read this book and it might also be helpful for men, to reaffirm the differences in gender roles and the section on women's ministries is particularly helpful in a Church context.