At the outset of this series, I do want to make a few points.  Firstly, this whole set of posts represents merely my own point of view. I would not want you to assume that everyone in the local church I attend agrees with, or should agree with, what I am about to say.  Nor would I want you to think that anything I say implies that all Christians should hold to these opinions.  In the UK we have a long history of Christians supporting and being involved in all the major political parties, and I strongly believe that should continue.

Finally, these posts should not be interpreted as a wholesale endorsement of the Conservative party.  I am not a member of the party, nor a lifelong Conservative voter. I have voted LibDem before as a protest vote, and it is very possible I voted Labour when Tony Blair entered Downing Street (believe it or not, I cannot remember!)  Certainly, I was glad when Blair won and supported many of his policies, such as for example giving the Bank of England the responsibility to set interest rates, which was considered a brave and radical step at the time. If I follow through on my plans to write a little more about politics, I will be a critical friend of the Conservatives, not a fawning “right-wing blogger.”

It is very unlike me to make public my intention on how to vote.  Somehow it is almost “unBritish.”  So far in this campaign I have only spoken with two of my friends about how I or they will vote. I do not know how the other leaders at Jubilee will vote. In fact, I don’t think I know for sure how any of my social circle will vote. So it is at least possible that this public endorsement of one party, at least for this election, will cause me to become a pariah!  Actually, that is not the case, as for most British people our political views are held very lightly and it is very easy to be friends with people who support other parties.

It should already be obvious to my US readers from this post that UK Christians are far from united in their political views.  Not for us a reflex vote in favor of the most Conservative, right-wing party. There is a strong history in the UK of Christian support for the Labour movement, and Liberal Democrats.  This is because of a desire for fairness, and a support of the rights of workers not to be exploited or treated almost like slaves.  Much good was done through the early union movement.  We believe as Christians that we should help the poor.  Many would argue that historically that Labour offered the best policies to support the marginalized in our society.

Social justice is, however, the first major reason why I am voting Conservative this time round.  Brown has repeatedly seemed to overlook the needs of the poorest in our society. There was the nonsense of abolishing the lowest rate of tax, leading to a tax rise for the poorest working people. That alone is enough to torpedo Brown’s right to say he is building a fairer society. But Brown has also presided over a system that has increased the perverse incentives on people not to marry, not to work, and to remain on sick leave.

The Conservative policy on social justice in this election has benefited from input given to it by a friend of mine, Philippa Stroud, who is standing as a Conservative candidate in Sutton and Cheam. Philippa is also the Executive Director of the Centre for Social Justice (http://www.centreforsocialjustice.org.uk)  and Director of the Conservative’s Social Justice policy group. New Conservative policies as a direct result focus on finding ways to lift people out of poverty and into productive lifestyles in society wherever possible. Just for one example, there is a renewed commitment to providing residential rehab for drug and alcohol addicts to help them beat their problems. This is such an important issue for our society as the last few years has seen a massive reduction in the availability of these facilities which can quite literally save a life, and can prevent the collapse of a whole family. We have to work towards building society and helping people take responsibility for the wellbeing of others. The Conservatives also seem to be committed to providing better opportunities for church and other community groups to get involved in service provision, and encouraging engagement in the community by individuals.

In addition, ending the post-code lottery and arbitrary national refusal to fund some important new medications is also a vital social justice in my opinion. The Conservatives promise to allow access to cancer medications for all patients when their doctor thinks they will be helped by them. They are also the only party to guarantee the NHS will be saved from the cuts to public expenditure that are inevitably coming whoever we vote in.

Thus social justice is one reason I am voting Conservative on this occasion, and it is perhaps one reason why some Christians would previously have struggled with such a decision. I will speak about more reasons later in the week.

I have had a great time here in St. Joseph, Missouri.  I traveled down with two men who I now call dear friends, Jeff Gates, the pastor at Living Hope Church, St. Joseph and Ben Roed, who with his lovely wife Peggy, are serving in Living Hope and are being well trained by Jeff. It was wonderful to see how clearly Peggy and Ben complement each other. They are relatively newly married, but it was obvious to see how much of a support Peggy is to him, and how her strengths will continue to complement and at times hide his weaknesses! A wife who will make you look better than you are is a gift from God.

Single men, if you think you may have God’s hand on you, make sure you marry such a godly woman who will help you achieve everything God has for you. Quite frankly, such a wife will be more important than anyone else in helping to shape you, all the time doing so in a submissive and honoring way. Beware, however, that as much as a good woman can make you, the wrong kind of woman can completely ruin you for any significant work for God.  The women I have met here, including Jeff’s wife, have all impressed me with their commitment to the cause, their warmth, and their loving support for their husbands. Anyone who claims that the women in our churches are somehow not valued and not given room to serve their Lord has not spoken to some of the incredible women we have in our family of churches, fully caught up in God’s mission and playing very significant roles.

All this, of course, makes me miss my own better half even more.  If ever a woman has had to put up with a busy husband who has needed a lot of help, a lot of “releasing” to do things like go on a two-week trip to the USA, and  a whole bunch of raw edges in him for her to lovingly confront,  it is Mrs. Andrée Warnock.  Thank you darling for being such a good wife to me, far better than I deserve.  I pray that I may be an ever better husband to you, and I long for our reunion!

Another woman I have met here was Gail Robins, who together with her husband Chris, have served me wonderfully by opening their lovely home to me.  Her passion to open a consignment store made me think of Proverbs 31:

An excellent wife who can find?
She is far more precious than jewels.
The heart of her husband trusts in her,
and he will have no lack of gain.
She does him good, and not harm,
all the days of her life . . .

She opens her hand to the poor
and reaches out her hands to the needy.

I was also impressed by the many Christians I met here both socially and during the meeting that was organized for me to speak on the resurrection.  Nobody anywhere has yet disagreed with my claim that we have all been neglecting the resurrection.  Yet we saw in the resurrection yesterday a wonderful tool to bring unity. As one of the  leaders of the three campus organizations that cancelled their own meetings to attend the meeting co-sponsored by Living Hope and Frederick Boulevard Church, St. Joseph’s said, “How could we refuse to listen to a talk on the resurrection of Jesus?”

Speaking of Frederick Boulevard, meeting their pastor Micah Fries was an absolute delight. One of many things that has impressed me about Jeff Gates this week is his eagerness to reach out and partner with other churches and Christian groups. Micah certainly seems to have needed no encouragement to make such a connection. He is sharp, bright, self-deprecating, willing to speak of what he sees as his own denomination’s strengths and weaknesses, and eager to learn from others. Being placed on a list of ten influential young Baptist pastors has not turned his head. I saw in this man a servant of the Lord, and it was enjoyable to spend some time connecting with him. I feel that God has given us this opportunity to meet for a purpose. I hope we can serve the Lord together in some capacity, even if it’s just engaging with each other’s online material.

It has been a great time, and as I prepare to leave for Kansas (known to me mainly in my youth for the Wizard of Oz!), I have many great memories from my time in St. Joseph. I am very keen on God’s work being done in big cities. Though this place is not a big city, however, God is also very interested in towns like this. Even its residents would admit that there is not much that marks out this place as very different from many other American cities. They were the home of the Pony Express, and a place where trade happened in early times with local native Americans, but there are few other major claims to fame. God is very committed to a place like this. He takes the weak things to shame the strong, and the things that are not to shame those who think they are something special.

I met many people who God has made to be very special indeed. This place will always have room in my heart. This is not least because it is the very first town outside my own country where God has taken me to proclaim his word. Seeing a mix of students and older adults getting excited about the significance of the resurrection we have all so failed to celebrate  was obviously the highlight of my trip so far. Please pray with me that those who heard me last night will continue to study the wondrous implications of Christ’s resurrection, and that we all may be better equipped by our Lord to share the full gospel with those we meet.

Yesterday I spoke about our responsibility to help people who have been affected by the disaster in Haiti. Today I am able to share with you an interview I recorded with the USA head of World Vision, a major Christian aid agency with a strong presence of 800 people on the ground in Haiti even before the earthquake.

DOWNLOAD THE MP3 HERE

Richard Stearns spoke with me today. Based in Seattle, WA, he is the president of World Vision U.S. and the author of a challenging book on the need for churches to get more involved in social justice.

We discussed the joined-up relief efforts that are happening now in Haiti. He explained what the long-term rebuilding efforts will likely entail. He also talked about the generosity of people who have been giving, but stressed the need for a long-term commitment. Towards the end of the interview we spoke about potential church adoptions that might be helpful in the future.

After the interview, I looked up the website for his book,  The Hole In Our Gospel, and found  this description of how God had convicted him through an encounter with the poor of Africa:

My sadness that day was replaced by repentance. Despite what the Bible had told me so clearly, I had turned a blind eye to the poor. Now my heart was filled with anger, first at myself, and then toward the world. Why wasn’t Richard’s story being told? The media overflowed with celebrity dramas, stock market updates, and Bill Clinton’s impending impeachment hearings. But where were the headlines and magazine covers about Africa? Twelve million orphans, and no one noticed? But what sickened me most was this question: where was the Church? Indeed, where were the followers of Jesus Christ in the midst of perhaps the greatest humanitarian crisis of our time? Surely the Church should have been caring for these “orphans and widows in their distress” (James 1:27). Shouldn’t the pulpits across America have flamed with exhortations to rush to the front lines of compassion? Shouldn’t they be flaming today? Shouldn’t churches be reaching out to care for children in such desperate need? How could the great tragedy of these orphans get drowned out by choruses of praise music in hundreds of thousands of churches across our country? Sitting in a hut in Rakai, I remember thinking, How have we missed it so tragically, when even rock stars and Hollywood actors seem to understand?

While the nearest thing to a hospital the Haitians have right now is outdoorsand hundreds of thousands have been displaced, how can we not reach out and help in some way? One Christian couple is blogging about their experience.

High resolution versions of photos from Haiti (all copyright World Vision; used with permission and cleared for use in church services, etc.)

• collapsed church
• Woman in pink shirt
• Outside Medical Care

Terry Virgo has been blogging a series entitled Remember the Poor. He begins by talking about the extraordinary sense of togetherness that was experienced by the early church. I suppose I would characterize it as a sense of “brothers in arms.” There was a missional purpose that was accompanied by a relational togetherness. Sadly, we often miss one or the other of these aspects in our churches, or even both of them. The family of the church is meant to be a family fighting alongside each other in the trenches, not sipping tea together in front of a roaring fire in a cozy house. Here is an extract from Terry’s post:

The birth of the church was associated with an extraordinary splurge of generosity and freedom from possessiveness; being together seemed more important. Their needs became common. If you need it and I’ve got it, I guess you should have it. Amazing!

This has not got much to do with giving 10% to a weekly offering to uphold the minister and his needs and pay for the building not to fall down. This was radical common life. They were in fellowship, which did not mean they shared a cup of coffee after the meeting for a few minutes.

Koinonia is a fascinating Greek word. Among other things, it means partnership. It’s not strictly a religious word, but the church flooded it with fresh life and colour. Before they ever met Jesus, Peter, Andrew, James, and John were in koinonia. They were partners in a fishing firm. They owned it together. If one was in problems with breaking nets, the others would rush to help. This was not a religious response, it was a partnership reality.

That partnership or common ownership lifestyle gripped the early believers.”

Read more . . .