talking points
Resources
Jesus goes on to pray that we would be in God so that the world may believe: “May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me.” But what does this mean? I have noted that God calls us to be one in the same way that the Father and the Son are one. But here Jesus is going further and suggesting that our unity will only be achieved as we also participate in this divine unity. In fact, the strong suggestion is that it is only as we participate in divine unity that, as a body of believers, we also can be genuinely united. If we reflect on this, it is truly a profound thought and it further demonstrates why Christian unity is a unique phenomenon. Fundamentally, what it is suggesting is that true Christian unity is not just unlikely but actually impossible if we are separated from God. Our unity is only possible as we somehow participate in Him. In other words, doctrinal agreement and mutual love are not by themselves the kind of unity that is being talked about here. Any group can find themselves agreed on some topic, but that is not true Christian unity even if the topic they agree on is a set of Christian doctrines. And any group can find itself in deep mutual admiration, even love. But that is not true Christian unity even if the motivation is the love of Christ. No, real Christian unity comes from our participation in the unity of the Godhead, so that we derive our unity from that participation. Of course, when we are united with God in this way, we will also be in doctrinal agreement and express deep mutual love, but those things will not happen independently of God. Rather,
Disney
TV/DVDs
CCC
Divine unity
What is actually required is simply far more time on our knees we will have them as the outflow of our participation with God. It is because we are united with God that we will believe the same and have love for one another. All of this suggests that if we really want to be united and thereby witness to the world, what is required is not so much more hours in discussion trying to thrash out our theological differences, nor is it an increased human effort to try and love one another a bit more. Rather, I would suggest what is actually required is simply far more time on our knees, pressing into the One who demonstrates the nature of real unity, and finding our joint identity, and therefore unity, in Him. The Practical Resolutions of the Evangelical Alliance can be found at: eauk.org/resolutions
Justin Thacker is the Alliance’s Head of Theology
LOST: Seasons 1-5 (Disney) As preposterous as this series is, there's a reason it has been so hugely successful: it forces viewers to consider that everything happening around them might be part of some master plan. The show spirals into pure fantasy with time-travel, resurrections and unreliable flashbacks and flash-forwards, but its vivid cast of ethnically diverse characters (all very well-played) give us plenty to latch onto with their private and public problems and their continual crises of faith. And as the final series begins its broadcasts soon, the sense of an impending "day or reckoning" gets even stronger. RC
32 • idea jan/feb 2010
DISTRICT 9 (Sony) This year's break-out sci-fi thriller hit is also an astute examination of heroism and justice, as it centres on a government manager (Sharlto Copley) who's forced to revise his casually racist views when he's thrown into the middle of a population of stranded aliens that he's trying to relocate further away from Johannesburg. Yes, the Apartheid parallels are extremely strong, as is the callous inhumanity displayed by the multinational corporation contracted to deal with the alien population. But while the film is entertaining us with big action scenes and groundbreaking effects, it's also making us think. RC
FRIENDS AND HEROES GOES INTERNATIONAL. More than 680 children around the world can now follow the adventures of Macky and Portia in their language with the release of a new international version of the Friends and Heroes DVD. This edition features fully dramatised soundtracks in 10 languages, including Arabic, Mandarin, Hindi and Korean, all translated and voiced by native speakers in their home countries. The DVD follows Macky and Portia through a series of Bible stories and includes extra material and quizzes to help Children interact with the biblical lessons. friendsandheroes.com ONLINE SHOP BENEFITS CHILDREN. A new internet-based Fair Trade shop has been set up by the charities Jubilee Campaign and Ethic Trade to raise money to help trafficked and exploited children. Customers who buy the clothing, jewellery, household items and garden accessories will see 20 per cent of what they spend (pre-VAT) go to projects that help children. jubileecampaign.co.uk STREET PASTORS BOOK LAUNCHED. A new book tells the story of one of the most innovative Christian ministries in Britain. Street Pastors (Survivor/David C Cook), written by founder Rev Les Isaac, examines how the initiative started six years ago with a small group of Christians who started working in the crime-ridden streets of Brixton in South London. Now, Street Pastors has more than 3,000 Christians working in teams around the UK. streetpastors.co.uk For more resources, visit eauk.org
GREY’S ANATOMY: Season 6 (Five) In episode 8, Invest in Love, the attending paediatrician on a risky case says to her colleagues, “In paedes, we have miracles and magic. Anything is possible.” When 10-year-old Wallace dies of sceptic shock, it would be easy to despair that a miracle didn’t happen. But this episode also offers hope as Wallace’s father displays sacrificial love in the midst of pain, giving the hospital a large donation to find a cure for short-gut syndrome. His action beautifully mirrors that of a merciful God who watched His only son die so that others may live. NH Five
to the unity of the Father, Son and Spirit. And that is also why our unity is so pivotal to the task of evangelism. For in being united we are actually demonstrating not just what love is like or what group agreement looks like, but rather what God Himself is like.