How to do ‘church’ at home

Paul Luckraft reviews ‘God and My Mobile’ by Nigel Cameron (CARE, 2018)

Last week we reviewed Nigel Cameron’s book ‘The Robots Are Coming’ published by CARE (Christian Action Research and Education). Professor Cameron is a leading Christian thinker on the new technologies and their impact on society.

This week we look at his second book, which is also highly recommended - not just for those with a particular interest in technology but for all Christians who want to be better informed about our digital age.

Despite its title, this book is about more than the mobile phone. It is an exploration of the whole digital explosion (a better term than ‘revolution’) that the author insists is far from over. In fact, “It has hardly started” (p13). Ours is a world unimaginable 40 years ago and which will continue to be transformed year on year.

Christians are going to need to come to terms with a society not only full of technology but driven by it. We will have to occupy the same world as everyone else, but when it comes to technology we will need to learn to “handle it differently” (p15). This book helps us towards that goal.

More Than a Phone

Of course, the mobile phone is more than just a phone and as such represents the whole digital world. In one chapter, Cameron lists 25 things your mobile can do (which may not be a comprehensive list). Moreover, the device we carry about today is already a million times more powerful than the mainframe computers that put a man on the moon, and we need to understand the challenges that this presents.

The device we carry about today is a million times more powerful than the mainframe computers that put a man on the moon.

The fundamental question is whether this century will see technology take over and start to rule over us, rather than vice versa. Throughout his book the author often refers to, and quotes from, the Centre for Humane Technology, a group “run by world-class disaffected leaders from the earlier days of the big tech companies that wants to put technology in its proper place” (p22).

‘Smart’ Lives

After the introductory three chapters, the book divides into four parts. Part 1 describes ‘The Incredible Journey’ of how we got here and is followed in Part 2 by six major challenges. Part 3 focuses on how we live ‘the mobile life’ and the final part asks what are the next steps. The book ends with three useful appendices for further study, discussion and prayer.

The history outlined in Part 1 is fascinating to read and leads us to the point of wondering what it will be like to live in an increasingly ‘smart’ home, where real-world objects are connected to the internet and (through the internet) to each other. These ‘cyber-physical systems’ will be all around us, and everything will eventually get plugged into everything else. One estimate is that we shall soon have 100 connected devices in every home. The house that spies on you is not far away!

The chapter on Amazon’s flagship technology ‘Alexa’ is particularly informative. Machines that listen to us and can speak back are becoming commonplace. Cameron also examines the whole social media phenomenon, explaining how the big companies exploit data for financial gain. As this is a new book, the examples are very up-to-date.

Christians have to occupy the same world as everyone else, but when it comes to technology we will need to learn to handle it differently.

The six challenges are illuminating. We know that our mobiles are immensely powerful portable friends helping us access global knowledge and communication, but here we learn about how they are also designed to distract us and prey on our vulnerabilities.

The author also discusses issues of privacy and security, exploring how we are at the mercy of the wealth, power and reach of the tech tycoons.

A Dangerous Gift?

Cameron believes that the internet should be seen as a gift from God, something to be welcomed that can enhance our lives in so many ways. Yet he is also clear that it has many dangerous features. One he highlights is that it is a breeding ground for fake news, false ideas and pseudo-science. The internet has become a playground for charlatans, eccentrics and other online crazies.

Towards the end of the book he again stresses how our vulnerability becomes someone else’s opportunity: for profit, exploitation or indoctrination. Our attention is deliberately captivated, potentially to the extent that addiction and spiritual wreckage can follow – not just for ourselves but also potentially for our children.

Overall, this is a well-produced book on glossy paper with colour photos. It has good endnotes and a useful glossary of terms, and is well indexed for easy reference. Recommended.

‘God and My Mobile: Keeping the faith in a digital world’ (168 pages, paperback) is available for £8.00 + P&P from CARE.

Paul Luckraft reviews ‘The Robots Are Coming’ by Nigel Cameron (CARE, 2017).

Professor Nigel Cameron is a leading Christian thinker on new technologies and their impact on society.

In conjunction with CARE (Christian Action Research and Education) he has produced two significant books which are highly recommended - not just for those with a particular interest in technology but for all Christians who desire to know what will be affecting humanity in the near future. This week, we review his first book, on robots.

Smarter Than You

Many will be familiar with scenes of robots in factories, making cars and putting together electronic equipment, often doing routine jobs, but now the whole area of robotics is getting more sophisticated – some might say smarter - and more widespread. You may have such a device in your home. You may talk to one regularly. In fact, you will certainly have talked to one over the phone, even if you weren’t aware of it. And one day everything will be ‘smart’: not just your phone or TV but your car and maybe your whole house.

As the author states in his introduction “Every single day that passes, our ability to make these super-intelligent machines even smarter increases. And they get smaller. And cheaper. Every day” (p.viii). So what are the benefits and dangers of such an increase in technology? What are the practical problems and ethical issues? Indeed, what will being human mean in the 21^st Century? These are just some of the questions considered in this fascinating book, as well as the important question of ‘Is there a Christian view of robots?’

One day everything will be ‘smart’: not just your phone or TV but your car and maybe your whole house.

The most fundamental question to address, however, is what exactly is a robot? What is meant by such a term? Cameron explains that they come in six main kinds, not just those that look like robots. Some just look like machines. Others look like toys or pets. And then there are a multitude of ‘invisible assistants’: algorithms, with a voice and without. And finally there is the ‘Internet of Things’, a new term for the way everything is becoming interconnected via the internet, for instance, smart meters that communicate directly with energy companies.

After asserting that humans are special as created beings in God’s image, Cameron asks where what we are creating is taking us – are we moving further away from God or in line with his will? For the first time we now have the ability to create something smarter than we are. So what will happen to humanity as we hand over more power and control to these new ‘beings’ which will be able to think and learn faster and better than us?

Future Prospects

Cameron provides some historical background into automation and robotics, and also reminds us of some of the spookier stories that appear in film and fiction, which now seem eerily predictive. But it is the here-and-now, and the immediate future, that grabs our attention.

There is an interesting section on bio-technology and the creation of cyborgs, as well as how cognitive science or neuroscience will transform humanity once we are ‘plugged in’ to all that the new technologies offer.

Cameron discusses prospects for jobs, and the use of robots in the lives of children. ‘Talking’ dolls have been around for decades, but now there are ones that ‘see’ and ‘sense’ the child and can react to a conversation that the child initiates, or even start one based upon the observable mood of the child. If such a doll becomes a special friend, how will this impact the child’s emotional and psychological development? Robots of all kinds are becoming common toys – perhaps you bought one for a Christmas present? Parents need to be aware of what they are giving to their children. Who has produced it and programmed it?

Cameron asks where what we are creating is taking us – are we moving further away from God or in line with his will?

Robo-therapy is new territory but one which is attracting more and more attention. For instance, can robots provide care and companionship for the elderly? Will replacing human carers by robots solve our care crisis?

The author raises many other intriguing aspects of the likely development in robotics. What relationships will develop between robots and humans, and even between robots and robots? How will they be programmed to behave in certain situations? As they become more like us, will we need to provide them with a code of ethics, or a system of ‘robot rights’?!

God is Not Surprised

When considering what God thinks about all this, Cameron stresses that it is important to realise that God is not taken by surprise by what we are doing. We may be surprised by it, but he is not! Cameron points out that God is already “out there in the future” (p 106), always ahead of us. However, whether he is pleased or not is another matter. Whether we are heading towards a self-made catastrophe is left open to debate, but the author is prepared to contemplate another thousand or even another million years of technological progress rather than an imminent end-of-the-world scenario. Discuss!

Overall, the book contains 17 short chapters, easily digestible, and with some questions at the end of each chapter for further thought. There is some repetition as you reach the end, however the book ends in a most intriguing way. The epilogue consists of two imagined future scenarios, set in 2040. The author engages in a bit of fictional speech-writing, suggesting what a future Prime Minister and Archbishop of Canterbury might have to say in two decades’ time!

The book is a glossy production with colour photos and set out in a most accessible way. It is a ‘must read’, for we cannot ignore how our world is already changing. We must become more aware and better informed, and then share with others. The robots are coming – in fact, they’re already here…

‘The Robots Are Coming: Us, Them and God’ (148pp) is available from CARE for £9.99 + P&P. Find out more about CARE at https://www.care.org.uk/. Next week, we review Nigel Cameron’s second book, God and My Mobile.

Shameful treatment of Jewish ‘illegal immigrants’ recalled as migrant crisis takes hold

Among the incidents reported over a Christmas period during which I was largely preoccupied with the death of my dear mother were the illegal immigrant crisis and the potential disaster of a rogue drone that brought Gatwick Airport to a standstill. There is a poignant connection between the two that has an important message for Britain in the new year.

Jews trying to escape the gas chambers were once prevented by the British from entering their own fatherland, a nation that has now come to our rescue by providing the technology used to ground the unmanned flying machine.

Before, during and immediately after World War II, British soldiers were ordered to deal with ‘illegal immigrants’ to Israel, and the grossly insensitive way in which they handled it still reverberates in the hearts of those who experienced it and their descendants.

The greatest injustice of that tardy episode in our history was the fact that Britain had been charged by the League of Nations to prepare the Holy Land for re-settlement by Jews who had been scattered and persecuted among the nations for almost 2,000 years.

It was thus an obvious refuge for Jews desperately trying to flee Nazi-occupied Europe. But in order to appease the region’s Arab population, who used violence and intimidation to discourage Jewish repatriation, we disgracefully limited the quota of immigrants.

Although we had recognised, finally, that you couldn’t negotiate with fanatical dictators like Hitler, we failed to apply the same lesson to our dealings with the Arabs of the Middle East.

Where Are You My Child?

The story of one particular family, as told by Aliza Ramati in Where Are You My Child? (published by Zaccmedia), is especially harrowing and helps to bring the current migrant crisis into perspective.

Theirs was a case of jumping from the frying pan into the fire – escaping from the Fuhrer’s claws only to be crunched by the jaws of the British lion. After fleeing Czechoslovakia in November 1940, they eventually joined 1,800 refugees boarding a rickety old ship designed to carry only 300 people.

The grossly insensitive way in which Britain handled Jewish immigration to Israel still reverberates in the hearts of those who experienced it and their descendants.

Because they didn’t have the necessary papers, the crew were reluctant to press on with any haste for fear of incurring the wrath of the authorities themselves, so the desperate passengers kept bribing them with jewellery and other gifts. But the journey was perilous, with much sickness and death. And when, after some months, they finally caught sight of Haifa, they were surrounded by the British navy who treated them like dogs before re-routing them to detention camps in the faraway Indian Ocean island of Mauritius as well as in Atlit, near Haifa.

The Exodus, the most famous ship carrying Jewish immigrants back to the Land. Photo taken in 1947, after the British boarded the vessel.Some were transferred to a bigger ship, the SS Patria, which was subsequently blown up and sunk with the loss of 250 lives.

The Haganah, an underground Jewish movement fighting the British, planted a bomb on the vessel with the apparent intention of only disabling it in order to prevent the deportation of its passengers, but the plan went horribly wrong.

As a result, the family at the centre of this true story got separated in the chaos following the explosion – husband from wife, and wife from baby, feared drowned. Another described swimming to safety through a sea of blood. But a Viennese man had saved the child, who was reunited with his mother some time later.

The family somehow survived their ordeals to realise their dream of settling in Israel, though it took a circuitous route via Mauritius where, with the help of the Czech consulate in South Africa, the storyteller’s grandfather enlisted as a Czech soldier fighting the Germans and was eventually posted to Israel, where he deserted in order to join the Haganah.

His wife, however, was treated with compassion by one British officer, who paid for it with imprisonment and who wrote: “I joined the British army with the intention of fighting the Nazis…To my sorrow, I was not sent to the battlefield, as I had hoped. Instead, I was sent here to assist in taking care of the Jewish illegal immigrants…I’m a soldier, and I must obey orders, but I am doing everything I can in order not to lose my humanity…”.

Exploring the Jewish roots of our faith adds clarity and insight to the truths of Scripture.

Connecting to Our Roots

The book is the product of a school ‘Roots’ project undertaken by 13-year-old Roni, who successfully traced the tortuous and heroic path of her ancestors with the aid of cassette recordings of her great-grandparents.
Family tree searches have become quite fashionable – and that’s a good thing as knowledge of our roots helps us appreciate the positive influences of past generations.

In the same way, it is vitally important and hugely enriching for Christians to explore the Judaic roots of their faith, adding clarity and insight to the great truths of Scripture which, of course, came to us through the Jewish people and patriarchs.

A better understanding of our roots might well have prevented much of the persecution suffered by Jews at the hands of ‘Christian’ Europe.

Western civilisation itself is based on the framework of biblical teaching perfectly reflected in Jesus, the Jewish Messiah, and if we cut ourselves off from its influence, we will lose the sap that gives us life, light, wisdom and compassion – and will wither and die as a tree does when cut off from its roots (see Rom 11:17f).

The future of our civilisation depends on remaining connected to these roots. Those who oppose Israel need to understand that we cannot do without them. Even the technology that brought down the drone at Gatwick was developed in Israel, whose expertise in dealing with terror is proving beneficial to all.¹

The future of Western civilisation depends on our remaining connected to our Judeo-Christian roots.

As for the Iranian and other migrants risking their lives trying to cross the Channel, there is a need for compassion, mixed with wisdom. Above all, we must not repeat the shameful response of the British to the Jews trying to escape the gas chambers.

Jesus famously said: “Do to others what you would have them do to you” – the so-called ‘golden rule’ – “for this sums up the Law and the Prophets” (Matt 7:12).

References

1 Israeli anti-Drone Technology Helps Reopen London’s Gatwick Airport. United with Israel, 23 December 2018. 

Christians pay the ultimate price as biblical prophecies are played out

The shocking story of Pakistani Christian Asia Bibi, and the persecution of Christians generally in that country, alongside the alarming news of plans to implant microchips in humans, is convincing evidence that we are surely living in the last days.

It was apocalyptic scenarios like this that the risen Jesus graphically conveyed in his Revelation message to the Apostle John, in exile on the Isle of Patmos, as a picture of what life would be like towards the end of the age, shortly before his return.

It would be particularly marked by vicious persecution of his followers, who would nevertheless be rewarded with eternal bliss in his presence by standing firm in refusing to bow to worldly pressure.

Ready to Die?

Asia Bibi was a poorly paid farm labourer who has incurred the wrath of an entire nation for apparently insulting Muhammad – a nation, it seems, that appears unable to protect her from being lynched by angry mobs after the Supreme Court acquitted her of ridiculous charges of blasphemy for which she has endured the best part of the last ten years on death row.

Her alleged crime was committed during an argument with colleagues who accused her of contaminating a vessel used for drawing water from a well – simply because she was an ‘infidel’. Now, finally, she has been freed – or has she?

The Pakistani Government, led by former cricket international Imran Khan, claims no country has so far offered her asylum – we know, shamefully, that this is so far the case with Britain, who fear reprisals from Islamists here – so she is being held in a ‘safe house’.

But she and her family remain in fear of their lives. In fact, at least two of those who have stood up for her, including a former state governor and a Government minister, have already paid with their lives for doing so.

Asia Bibi was a poorly paid farm labourer who has incurred the wrath of an entire nation for apparently insulting Muhammad

Governor of Punjab Salmaan Taseer was gunned down by his own bodyguard – shot 27 times in central Islamabad – who was subsequently hailed a hero with an estimated 100,000 mourners attending his funeral.¹

Shahbaz Bhatti, Pakistan’s minister for minorities and himself a Christian, also protested against Asia’s conviction and sentence. And less than two months after Governor Taseer’s death, his car was riddled with bullets as he drove through Islamabad. He died in hospital.

But he had evidently known what was coming, as was learnt through a video released after his assassination. Speaking to the camera, he said: “I believe in Jesus Christ who has given his own life for us, and I am ready to die for a cause. I’m living for my community…and I will die to defend their rights.”²

Persecution…and Then the End

Christians in Pakistan have suffered dreadfully, with hundreds of lives lost through suicide and other bomb attacks on churches. It is a despicable situation which none of our weasel Western governments have the spine to address.

During his earthly ministry, Jesus warned: “The time is coming when anyone who kills you will think they are offering a service to God. They will do such things because they have not known the Father or me” (John 16:2f).

And in his revelation to John, this was spelled out a little more graphically: “I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God and the testimony they had maintained. They called out in a loud voice, ‘How long, Sovereign Lord, holy and true, until you judge the inhabitants of the earth and avenge our blood?’ Then each of them was given a white robe, and they were told to wait a little longer, until the full number of their fellow servants, their brothers and sisters, were killed just as they had been” (Rev 6:9-11).

Later on, a great multitude appeared from every nation, tribe, people and language – all dressed in white robes and worshipping God who would “wipe away every tear from their eyes” (Rev 7:9-17).

Speaking of the last days, Jesus had earlier said:

Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me. At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved.

And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come. (Matthew 24:9-14)

Alarm Bells Over Implants

Meanwhile alarm bells have been ringing over the prospect of British companies implanting staff with microchips to improve security, according to a report in The Guardian.

UK firm BioTeq, which offers the implants to businesses and individuals, has already fitted 150 in the UK. The tiny chips, implanted in the flesh between the thumb and forefinger, are similar to those for pets. They apparently enable people to open their front door, access their office or start their car with a wave of their hand. Another company, Biohax of Sweden, also provides human chip implants the size of a grain of rice.

Christians in Pakistan have suffered dreadfully, with hundreds of lives lost through suicide and other bomb attacks on churches.

In earlier articles I explained that we would appear to be approaching the days when the biblical warning, also in Revelation, against taking the Mark of the Beast is about to be fulfilled. The prophecy reads: “It [the Beast] also forced all people, great and small, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hands or on their foreheads, so that they could not buy or sell unless they had the mark…” (Rev 13:16f).

One of our readers, Patricia Jelbert, has already witnessed moves towards using this kind of technology in South Africa, where she warned politicians, churches and schools about it. She writes: “We need to teach our children and grandchildren to say ‘no’. The cost will be high, eventually with no access to anything money buys, but the need not to succumb is vital.”³

In another alarming step towards this apocalyptic scenario, the BBC were recently reported to be encouraging ‘straight’ staff to wear badges indicating their support for LGBTQ+ colleagues, which is likely to ensure that those whose conscience will not allow them to back a gay lifestyle will be discriminated against.

I rest my case. We are living in the last days. Christians, look up, for your redemption is near (Luke 21:28).

References

1 Pendlebury, R. Row over a cup of water that led to murder, riots and global outrage with a Christian mother sentenced to death over blasphemy charges in Pakistan. The Daily Mail, 14 November 2018. 

2 Ibid.

3 Private email communication, 14 November 2018.

A selection of books to see you through August.

In case you are going to be relaxing poolside this August or just enjoying some extra spare time, here are a few recommended books to keep you company. Please see the base of each review for purchasing details.

‘Praying Like the Jew, Jesus: Recovering the Ancient Roots of New Testament Prayer’ by Timothy P Jones (Lederer Books, 2005)

In this delightful book, author, professor and pastor Timothy Jones opens our eyes to the Jewish background of the prayers of Jesus. Jones, author of many textbooks, professor of biblical languages and senior pastor of a Baptist church in Oklahoma, is well-qualified to explain the customs and traditions behind our Lord’s prayers and uncover the beauty and power of his prayer life.

This is a book that will inspire you to pray but also help you understand the true nature of prayer and of God himself.

With the help of historical vignettes and careful research, we are transported back to the historical Jewish world of Jesus, so that we gain wonderful insights into that world by studying his prayers (or, in the case of the first two chapters, the prayers of others around him ahead of his birth and during his early life).

Each of the ten chapters follows a similar structural pattern so you know what to expect and so the book could easily be taken a chapter at a time. Each begins with an imaginative re-telling of an event from Jesus’ life, weaving the original context of his prayers into the biblical stories in order to help you not only study the prayers but also experience their fuller meaning.

At the end of each chapter there is a meditation for readers to apply the lessons to their own lives, considering how God hears and relates to us. The endnotes are excellent and there is a usual glossary for the reader unfamiliar with the Jewish terms Jones uses.

If prayer is like breathing, then this book is “designed to help readers ‘breathe deeply’ as they enter into prayer” (Foreword, p.vi). Do read this book – it will inspire, bless and challenge you.

Maureen Trowbridge and Paul Luckraft

‘Praying Like the Jew, Jesus’ (122pp) is available very cheaply on Amazon. Kindle version is £5.86.

‘The Left’s Jewish Problem: Jeremy Corbyn, Israel and Anti-Semitism’ by Dave Rich (Biteback Publishing, 2016, revised 2018)

If you are looking for a highly topical book that will help you understand a central crisis in modern British politics, we highly recommend Dave Rich’s exploration of left-wing Jew-hatred. Associate Research Fellow at the Pears Institute for the Study of Anti-Semitism, Birkbeck College (University of London), Rich works for the Community Security Trust, briefing MPs, civil servants and police officers about anti-Semitism. Though he is not a believer, his insights into this phenomenon are well worth reading.

Beginning with a brief history of how the Labour Party transformed from the party of the working class to a mainly middle-class party championing identity politics, Rich demonstrates how Labour totally reversed its position on Israel in the space of a decade or two, from steadfast support to outright loathing.

Subsequent chapters trace this transformation through to the present day, including more recent alliances between the left-wing and Islam (much as Melanie Phillips does in her book ‘The World Turned Upside-Down’). Rich also exposes how the ideological left has adopted a radically wrong view of the Holocaust.

His research, originally a PhD project begun in 2011, is here brought further up-to-date and made suitable for a general readership. A 2018 update is promised in September covering the many high-profile developments that have taken place since the book was first published.

If the presence of virulent anti-Semitism within a so-called ‘anti-racist’ Party has taken you by surprise, or if you are aware that Corbyn is simply a symptom of a much longer-standing problem but are unsure why, this book is for you.

Paul Luckraft and Frances Rabbitts

The 2016 version of ‘The Left’s Jewish Problem’ (352pp) is available from the publisher for £12.99 (paperback) or from Amazon Kindle for £8.54. Read an interview with the author here.

The 2018 version is available for pre-order for £12.99 (paperback) or £10 (Kindle) – to be released in early September.

‘Left to Their Own Devices: Confident Parenting in a World of Screens’ by Katharine Hill (Muddy Pearl, 2017). With Foreword by Rob Parsons OBE.

In this clever, refreshing book, lawyer, writer and present Director of Care for the Family UK Katharine Hill explores the impact of a decade of the digital world on the younger generation.

Member of the Board of the International Commission for Couples and Family Matters, Hill is married with grown-up children and is also a well-known public speaker and columnist for a local newspaper.

In 15 chapters and a poignant epilogue, she “skilfully and sensitively tackles a thorny subject with razor sharp insight and unremitting authenticity” (Dr Samantha Callum, family policy expert), aiming her writing particularly at those involved in parenting, teaching and youth work. Practical advice is given on issues like screen time, social media and consumer culture, as well as more serious issues like cyber-bullying, grooming and pornography, making this an invaluable handbook for parents who not only want to ‘cope’ with today’s digital challenges but face them confidently. Over 20 cartoons provide a gestalt complement. For those wishing to explore these ‘thorny issues’ further, a helpful index is provided.

I recommend this important, timely book without reservation, as being of exceptional value.

M. Paul Rogoff

‘Left to Their Own Devices’ (143pp, paperback) is available from the publisher for £9.99. Also available from Care for the Family and Amazon. Watch an interview with the author here.

‘The Bible’s Seven Pillars of Wisdom’ by David Hamshire (Faithbuilders Christian Books, 2018)

This short booklet (40 pages in length) follows on from two others by the same author, whose themes are all linked to the number seven: ‘Seven Days of Creation’ and ‘Seven Feasts of the Lord’. Whilst these previous two studies are on central and accepted themes, the exploration of how the number seven relates to wisdom (using Proverbs 9:1-6) breaks new ground.

The number seven binds much of Scripture together so, on the one hand, it is likely to have significance in ways yet to be found. However, on the other hand, the concept can be forced too far and become speculative. For this reason, I approached this particular study with caution. I did, nevertheless, find it well-written and thought-provoking.

I am not yet unconvinced that it leans more towards the speculative than the authoritative, but I can nevertheless recommend it as a good stimulus for study, especially in small interactive groups.

Clifford Denton

‘The Bible’s Seven Pillars of Wisdom’ is available from Christian Publications International for £9 inc. P&P, where you can also find more information and an extract from the Foreword.

‘More Drops: Mystery, Mercy, Messiology’ by George Verwer (CWR, 2015)

George Verwer met the Lord in 1955 in Madison Square Gardens, New York listening to Billy Graham, and started a life dedicated to evangelism. At the Moody Bible Institute, he learned that every student has to be an evangelist - for him, first in Mexico, where he married, and then in over 90 nations.

In 1962, Verwer formed Operation Mobilisation (OM), one of the most impactful mission agencies of the last half-century, known for its unrelenting preaching of the Gospel and its social action in Gospel-resistant countries like India, Nepal and the UK. From the 1970s, he obtained a series of ships named Logos to bring the Gospel to millions in coastal regions of the world.

2015 celebrated 60 years of this continuing passion. ‘More Drops’ (one of nine books by Verwer) is written in an auto-biographical style and is alive with refreshing honesty and pace, always giving God the glory through many successes and failures. Verwer’s reflection that most of what we touch includes messy situations (hence his term ‘Messiology’) - including theology, church life, leadership and people (!) – is followed up with the insight that God does wonderful things through the mess.

This is a book alive with the boldness and passion of its author, who lived to share Christ with as many people as he could. Helpfully, More Drops also recommends personal reading of nearly 50 other books, all classic works of Christian living, though Verwer always advocated getting into the word of God first and foremost, and allowing the Lord to transform your life from there.

Greg Stevenson

‘More Drops’ (136pp) is available from Amazon for £6.99 (paperback) or £6.64 (Kindle). Also available is the ‘George for Real’ DVD, a fast-moving, highly personal, encouraging and challenging story of a man on fire for the Lord and his Gospel. Highly recommended.

Drought-stricken nation refused water aid - MP

As Jews celebrate the time in ancient Persia when they were rescued from annihilation, anti-Semitism rears its head at UK universities and the South African Parliament.

The effects of the longstanding drought that has struck South Africa’s Western Province could have been alleviated if they had accepted an Israeli offer of help, the Cape Town Parliament heard.¹

South Africa’s Water Crisis

In responding to a state of the nation address from new President Cyril Ramaphosa following the resignation of Jacob Zuma amidst allegations of corruption, opposition MP Kenneth Meshoe revealed that the Jewish state had offered their world-renowned expertise in the prevention of water shortages.

The ACDP (African Christian Democratic Party) member said it had been refused on the grounds of a narrow political agenda linked with the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions campaign that seeks to isolate Israel along lines comparable to that suffered by South Africa during the apartheid era.

BDS supporters accuse Israel of being an apartheid state because of their alleged mistreatment of Palestinians – this in a region where in fact they stand out as the lone democracy with Arabs and Jews sharing equal rights along with positions of influence in the nation.

The effects of South Africa’s long-standing drought could have been alleviated if they had accepted Israel’s offer of help.

Mr Meshoe said it was surely irresponsible for the Government (both national and provincial) to turn down aid from people with a proven track record – “people who live in a desert and yet have no water shortages” – and described it as “the politics of hatred that will not help our country,” urging the new President to root out corruption, starting with his Cabinet, and pursue truth, righteousness and justice for all.

Israel has also suffered a drought of late, but their innovative drip irrigation scheme has already been successfully tried in other dry areas of the world including Africa.

Israeli Apartheid?

Meanwhile UK universities are taking part in another so-called ‘Israel Apartheid Week’, part of a hostile worldwide campaign to delegitimise and demonise the Jewish state that in fact contravenes the International Definition of Anti-Semitism the British Government adopted last year, which states that “claiming that the existence of the State of Israel is a racist endeavour” is anti-Semitic.²

Christians United for Israel last year successfully campaigned to prevent some universities hosting these weeks after sharing their concerns with academic authorities – pointing out, for example, that Israel’s 1.6 million Arabs have the same rights as their 6.8 million Jewish fellow citizens.

The truth is that Israel is the only democracy in the Middle East, and apartheid is being practised by its neighbours, where there is no freedom of speech or religion, and where women do not enjoy equal rights.

South Africans like Kenneth Meshoe lived through apartheid, which bears no resemblance to Israel’s policies.

The truth is that Israel is the only democracy in the Middle East, and apartheid is being practised by its neighbours!

Don’t Shut Up!

Jewish people everywhere will this week be celebrating their annual feast of Purim, marking their deliverance from genocide in ancient Persia when Queen Esther used her position of influence to save her people.

Those who call for boycotts and protests against Israel today are in danger of being linked with unsavoury groups like Hamas, Hezbollah and their sponsors, Iran, who seek the annihilation of the Jewish race. Hitler tried it too.

At a London university, Jewish students were jeered and sworn at as a motion was passed supporting BDS while photographs were taken of those who opposed the motion!³ Since apartheid was basically racist, is this not a case of the pot calling the kettle black? And all this on UK campuses that were once the bastion of free thought.

Those who stand with Israel, and for truth, would do well to match the courage of America’s UN Ambassador Nikki Haley, who responded to the advice of a top Palestinian negotiator that she should “shut up” by saying: “I will not shut up! Rather, I will respectfully speak some hard truths.”⁴

The great evangelist Billy Graham, who died last week, succinctly put it this way: “The Jews are God’s chosen people. We cannot place ourselves in opposition to Israel without detriment to ourselves.”⁵

References

1 Friday 16 February 2018, quoting from video of parliamentary debate.

2 Christians United for Israel, 26 January 2018.

3 CUFI, 16 February 2018.

4 World Israel News, 20 February 2018.

5 CUFI, 23 February 2018.

Israel warned that horses and chariots cannot be trusted

With all the threats Israel is now facing, it is perfectly understandable that they should be sharpening their swords as they prepare for the worst the enemy can throw at them.

A strong defence force is certainly necessary. But an even more serious danger is that they should rely on the power of their weapons, or indeed on their own strength of will and character, along with their growing expertise in military innovations.

It is dangerous because it demonstrates that they are relying on what the Bible refers to as “horses and chariots” rather than on the Lord who called them, as his chosen people, to be a light to the Gentiles.

For it is only when we trust the Lord with all our hearts and do not lean on our own understanding that God will give us the guidance we need in order to tread the path for which he has destined us (see Proverbs 3:5f).

Hope for a Turning

As one who loves Israel, I am not blind to the fact that many of its citizens lead a sinful lifestyle. This is no reason to withdraw support for the beleaguered nation, but they do need to repent of their waywardness and godlessness.

As they have done so many times in their long history, they have absorbed the ways of the world around them – and so we witness political correctness here as elsewhere, most starkly seen in a defiance of sexual morality.

But they are the people of the Book, who gave the world the Bible, the Ten Commandments and Jesus himself. God is saying: do not wait until you are overrun by enemies before you turn back to the Lord, who called you out of slavery in Egypt with a mighty hand. He urges you to trust him now!

It is only when we trust the Lord with all our hearts and do not lean on our own understanding that God will give us the guidance we need.

That said, thousands of Jews gathered to pray for rain at Jerusalem’s Western Wall on 28 December in response to the call of Agriculture Minister Uri Ariel – and God has clearly answered with an abundant outpouring, coming with such force that it has caused flooding in places.

I very much hope that we are seeing the beginnings of a turning to God in Israel, and the fact that a Government minister has initiated a call to prayer is quite amazing, and hugely encouraging.¹

Self-Reliance the Worst of Sins

I can’t recall why, but my wife and I were discussing Israel’s sin, and whether God’s judgment was inevitable, before turning to our daily reading which is our habit every morning. We use the ‘Every Day with Jesus’ notes of the late Selwyn Hughes which focus on a theme over a two-month period drawn together by a variety of different Scripture passages. So we opened the little book and found that the text for the day was Hosea 14:1-3: “Return, Israel, to the Lord your God. Your sins have been your downfall” (v1). It goes on: “Assyria cannot save us; we will not mount warhorses…” (v3) (for Assyria, perhaps we should read America!).

The Lord was clearly in on our discussion and had a ready answer! Bear in mind that the Prophet was concluding his book which pictures Israel as an adulterous wife who repeatedly runs after other men, breaking the first commandment that we should have no other gods in our lives.

Self-reliance is thus the worst of sins because we put ourselves in God’s place and we are saying we can live without him; that he is redundant. This is gross idolatry, and we must repent of it.

DAVID COUNTRY: Yad HaShmona, in the Judean hills, not far from the Valley of Elah where David defeated Goliath.Notice, however, that in spite of their serial adultery, God has not forsaken Israel; he has not divorced the one he loves. He loves her with an everlasting love (Jer 31:3). He has entered into a covenant relationship which cannot be broken. But we should not abuse his great faithfulness.

In the Name of the Lord Almighty

The recent archaeological find near Tel Aviv, suggesting human activity in the area half-a-million years ago, did not exactly excite me. Far more edifying was the August 2015 find in Gath, a city once occupied by Philistines who plotted against the Israelites, their sworn enemies, and the home of the infamous Goliath!

The huge gates uncovered by archaeologists² were thought to be indestructible. But in an extraordinary battle in the Valley of Elah, a young man who trusted in the Lord brought down their giant leader with a single stone, proving indeed that the weakness of God is stronger than man’s strength (1 Cor 1:25).

I very much hope that we are seeing the beginnings of a turning to God in Israel.

Goliath defied the armies of Israel, but David responded: “Who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God?” (1 Sam 17:26). And he taunted the giant: “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied” (1 Sam 17:45).

Like other nations, Israel needs to seek forgiveness from God for succumbing to the ways of the world as well as for their outright disobedience to his commandments. We need to move from independence – the great sin of the age – to reliance upon God.

Isn’t it time we heard Israel’s leaders say, with great clarity and in defiance of political correctness, that we do not trust in sword or spear or javelin, nor even on our allies, but in the name of the Lord Almighty?

References

1 David Soakell of Christian Friends of Israel in his Watching Over Zion newsletter, 11 January 2018.

2 Archaeologists unearth the gate to Goliath’s hometown. Times of Israel, 5 August 2015.

Whilst violent chaos is let loose, most continue to live in unreality.

The recent fatal knife attack in London's Russell Square was, for me, not only a reminder of what Israel has been facing on an almost daily basis over much of the past year, but also a flashback to the 7/7 bombings that struck the city's transport system.

On that July day in 2005, Islamic fanatics murdered over 50 commuters and injured hundreds more, including my younger brother David. The first I knew of last week's attack was the all-too-familiar image on my internet news feed of Russell Square where, 11 years ago, a blown-up double-decker bus came to represent the awful carnage of London's nightmare.

Despite sitting only three feet from the man behind the plot as the Edgware Road tube blast was detonated, David miraculously survived (minus a leg) thanks to prayers, paramedics and doctors. But I am still left wondering what it will take for people in general to wake up and realise that all hell is being let loose, and that they need to do something about it, or they will become part of the problem.

All hell is being let loose – if people don't wake up, they will become part of the problem.

Living in Unreality

The disturbing result of a new survey only confirmed my fears – that 59% of Brits admit to being 'hooked' on the internet.¹ They are almost constantly attached to their phone, tablet or computer; one adult explained that, for him, it amounted to a fear of 'missing out'.²

The good news is that, as a result of the far-reaching impacts technology is having on our lives, many are now committing to 'digital detoxing'. But most continue to live in such an unreal world that it seems even terror is not enough to rouse them from their soulless slumber.

This unreality has even infiltrated the world's apparent powerbase – Washington's White House – where President Obama told a summit on global development that "we are living in the most peaceful" era in human history and that "the world has never been less violent"³ – rhetoric no doubt designed to contrast with that of the Republican Presidential nominee's camp.

Most people live in such an unreal world that even terror is not enough to rouse them from their soulless slumber.

His Secretary of State John Kerry, meanwhile, has said that air conditioners and refrigerators are as much of a threat to life as terror groups like ISIS.⁴

But in radical Islam we are facing the most serious threat to civilisation since the murky shadow of Nazism lengthened over Europe. As I write, Israel is preparing for a worst-case scenario as a peace deal looks possible in the Syrian civil war along its northern border. It's a widely understood reality in the region that, when the jihadists have ironed out their differences and stop fighting each other, they will turn their fire on their common enemy – Israel.

Our Fate Intertwined with Israel's

And Christians must continue to pray for Israel's protection. Not only are they in dire need of Divine covering, but it's a biblical command to pray for the peace of Jerusalem (Ps 122:6). It's also in our interests to do so because, as former Spanish Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar points out, "if it [Israel] goes down, we all go down."⁵

He argues that the Jewish state is at the cutting edge in the battle between militant Islam and the West and, in a Times article, concludes, "Israel is a fundamental part of the West which is what it is thanks to its Judeo-Christian roots. If the Jewish element of those roots is upturned and Israel lost, then we are lost too. Whether we like it or not our fate is inextricably intertwined."⁶

When the jihadists in the Middle East stop fighting each other, they will turn on their common enemy – Israel.

Jihad On Our Doorstep

We can no longer ignore Middle Eastern terrorism because we are now forced to contend with it on our own doorstep. And for UK residents there's another reason: Palestinians are threatening to take Britain to court for helping the Jews to re-settle their ancient land! Yes, a lawsuit is being prepared against the British Government for issuing the so-called Balfour Declaration of 1917 through which it committed itself to this goal.⁷

And though Britain subsequently reneged on some of its promises, there is no doubt that she played a major role in Jewish restoration. This is something for which we should all be proud, of course, but our brave new politically-correct world is more likely to see it as shameful colonial practice.

It's worth noting, however, that those committing jihad against Israel are not holding back on bringing the same terror to our streets too. And if Palestinian Authority terror is politically correct, what's so different about the terror we have witnessed in London, New York, Paris, Brussels, Madrid, Munich and Nice? Jihadists everywhere are using the same tactics, and the same excuses (the god of Islam).

It's time to come off the fence and take sides – and all the more so in light of the shock news of a leading Christian charity being accused of siphoning off millions of dollars in support of terror group Hamas. The big question is: are you on the Lord's side?

References

1 Wakefield, J. Net overload 'sparks digital detox for millions of Britons'. BBC News, 4 August 2016.

2 Ibid.

3 Chasmar, J. Obama: We're living in 'most peaceful' era in human history. Washington Times, 26 April 2016.

4 Kerry was in Vienna on 22 July 2016 to amend the 1987 Montreal Protocol that would phase out hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) from basic household and commercial appliances like air conditioners, refrigerators and inhalers.

5 Aznar, JM. Support Israel: if it goes down, we all go down. The Times, 17 June 2010. Quoted in Gardner, C, Peace in Jerusalem. Olivepresspublisher.com.

6 Ibid.

7 Posselt, I. Palestinians Threaten to Sue UK over Century-Old Balfour Declaration. Bridges for Peace, 26 July 2016.

UK hi-tech company ARM Holdings has been sold to Japanese firm SoftBank - but should we care?

'STORM OVER JAPAN RAID ON WORLD CLASS UK TECH GIANT', ran the p1 headline in the Daily Mail.¹ The story described how, for £24bn, top UK microchip technology company ARM was to be sold to the Japanese firm SoftBank.

Hard Won, Easily Squandered

Whilst one Member of Parliament likened the deal to a football club flogging off its best players, the new Chancellor of the Exchequer, Philip Hammond, claimed that the deal would turn "a great British company into a global phenomenon" (in fact, it already was a 'global phenomenon').

He was clearly anxious to cash in on what was promoted as the great advantages to the UK economy of new world-class deals resulting from the decision to pull out of the European Union. Shares inevitably soared sharply upwards as investors interested in making money licked their lips.

But this deal wasn't about selling abroad a quantity of finished products (e.g. ten million chips). It was about the one-time disposal of what is called 'intellectual property rights' held by ARM - the hard-won skills and know-how across a wide range of technical disciplines required to bring such products to market. The long-term worth of such know-how can amount to hundreds of millions of pounds over decades.

During the last few days a technically naïve political class - goaded on by the press - has, too late, begun to sense the importance of such a decision and, at the time of writing, efforts are being made to claw back the deal.

This deal wasn't about selling a quantity of finished products – it was the one-time disposal of hard-won skills and know-how.

Common Folly

Tragically, such deals are now commonplace in Great Britain. They go largely unreported, making news only in the financial press. They are commonplace because the nation is unaware of the value of the work done by skilled scientists and engineers collaborating closely, as in this case with Cambridge University, with bodies having universally acclaimed academic skills.

Industry in the UK is generally privately owned and thus able to act in its own interest. In the USA, in France and Germany, state oversight bodies are set up to ensure that technology essential for a nation's future wellbeing is protected, and to scrutinise such deals to permit or disallow them. But not in the UK.

Historic Precedent: Rolls-Royce Jet Engines

Careless disposal of such knowledge for short term financial or political gain began with the sale of a few Rolls-Royce jet engines, the brain child of Frank Whittle (later Sir Frank), to the Soviet Union just after the war. In 1946, Soviet jet-engine designers asked Russia's leader Josef Stalin to acquire proprietary technical information on Britain's jet engines needed to leapfrog the technically steep, expensive and lengthy learning curve associated with the huge, new technology challenges and so position itself into technical equality or superiority with the West.

The Russian Government approached Sir Stafford Cripps, President of the Board of Trade and a Cabinet Minister in the post-war Labour Government, who prior to that had been Ambassador to the Soviet Union. Soviet engineers visited England to negotiate for the rights to build the engine originally designed by Whittle and his small Power Jets company, which had built the first Allied jet engines under the most severe financial constraints. Whittle's engine technology had subsequently been taken over by Rolls-Royce for development and mass-production to power the very first Allied jet fighters, the UK's straight-winged Meteors and Vampires.

Careless deals disposing of knowledge for short term financial or political gain are now commonplace in Britain.

Agreement was reached, and a handful of engines were supplied. Russian engineers rapidly reverse-engineered the design to produce their own version. The pay-off occurred in the early 1950s, when American heavy bombers tasked with destroying North Korea's industrial infrastructure were attacked by a new Russian swept-wing, transonic fighter (the MiG-15) powered by the new engines. The West had nothing to touch it. The Americans lost aircrews and were very upset.

More Recently: Astra-Zeneca vs Pfizer

A host of innovative, high-tech technology, the UK's life-blood, has subsequently been sold off over the years to the benefit of company directors and investors.

One deal was remarkable because its directors refused to give way to would-be hostile take-overs. In 2014, pharmaceutical company Astra-Zeneca was approached by US firm Pfizer to accept an offer. Top-level UK Government officials, including Prime Minister David Cameron, cheered Pfizer from the side-lines. Their argument was that in a global marketplace it doesn't matter who owns what. The battle became prime-time 'must see' TV coverage of the Government's Select Committee in which the US company was described as an asset-stripper.

Astra's directors—among them Swedish chairman Leif Johansson and French chief executive Pascal Soriot, who could between them have made around £60m from the deal - steadfastly resisted four successive offers by Pfizer's Scottish-born chairman and chief executive Ian Read. Finally, after some five or six weeks in the glare of knowledgeable and intensive press and BBC commentary, Pfizer admitted defeat and said that it would not again attempt to take over Astra. The American offer, finally standing at an eye-watering £70bn, collapsed.

A Fool and His Money

The Bible has much to say in warning about such deals. Abraham grew immensely wealthy because he was a man of faith and recognised the source of his wealth. Deuteronomy 8:17-18 says that the true dispenser of wealth is God himself (1 Chronicles 29:12 says much the same thing).

Solomon (2 Chron 1:12) was promised wealth, riches and honour such as no other man before him had enjoyed and no other later one would have – because he had first chosen to seek the way of wisdom. The benefits of wisdom are extolled in the Book of Proverbs, which promises prosperity for all who seek her (Prov 3:2).

Precious assets are given by God for the good of the nation, not to satisfy the greed of a few individuals.

God's people are not to give away what he has given to them. Proverbs 5:15-16 gives us the picture of a man drinking water from his own well and not allowing his springs of water to overflow casually onto public squares. These water supplies, precious in a semi-tropical environment, were intended to bless the local community, not to be scattered around and lost.

Selling off the precious assets that God has given to Britain may satisfy the greed of individuals in the short-term, but its long-term effects are to reduce the wealth of the nation and to reduce national ability to help its citizens and bless others in less developed parts of the world. This is surely sinful in the eyes of God.

References

1 18 July 2016.