Fight wrong

On 29th September 1938, Adolf Hitler, Neville Chamberlain, Edouard Daladier and Benito Mussolini signed the Munich Agreement which transferred to Germany the Sudetenland, a fortified frontier region that contained a large German-speaking population. I know, not breaking news but bear with me.

When Eduard Benes, Czechoslovakia's head of state, who had not been invited to Munich, protested at this decision, Chamberlain told him that Britain would be unwilling to go to war over the issue of the Sudetenland.

The Munich Agreement was popular with most people in Britain because it appeared to have prevented a war with Germany. However, some politicians, including Winston Churchill and Anthony Eden, attacked the agreement. These critics pointed out that no only had the British government behaved dishonorably, but it had lost the support of Czech Army, one of the best in Europe.

One staunch critic of appeasement was the journalist Vernon Bartlett. He was approached by Richard Acland to stand as an anti-Chamberlain candidate at a by-election in Bridgwater. Bartlett agreed and in November, 1938, surprisingly won the previously safe Tory seat. Henry (Chips) Channon , a junior member of the government wrote in his diary: "This is the worst blow the Government has had since 1935".

In March, 1939, the German Army seized the rest of Czechoslovakia. In taking this action Adolf Hitler had broken the Munich Agreement. The British prime minister, Neville Chamberlain, now realized that Hitler could not be trusted and his appeasement policy now came to an end.  Sometimes it is simply right to fight because the activities of a certain state can clearly be characterised, as in the breaking of the Munich Agreement, as wrong.

To fight against wrong is always right, but how do you know what is wrong?  I started to address this issue in the latest episode of The Good News Radio Show .  It is, however, a complex issue - we are to be at war with evil but where is the dividing line between evil and something that's just undesirable?  More on this in later articles.

Podcast really returns for real.

Someone came up to me in the street and asked me, "do people really come up to you in the street and ask you things?" and I said "no, no they don't it's just a literary device to introduce a point."  "Oh," he fictitiously responded, "that's a shame because that means that I don't actually exist."  "Yes," I said, "I know that but there's no need to go on about it, just ask me about the podcast."

Someone came up to me in the street and asked me:"what happened to the podcast, OK we get a daily radio show which we can listen to on demand but what about the podcast?  When's the next update of "Good News Over Coffee"?"  Well, non-existent questioner, it's soon.  Recent episodes have been on a specific topic and recorded in the fictitious studio (actually my study).  The last two were on the important subject of Baptism, including conversion, Baptism in water and Baptism in the Spirit.

The time is coming and is already here, when a new podcast episode is near.  The podcast will now have new episodes on a weekly basis featuring a shortened and focussed version of the sermons on Sunday and sometimes a song or sketch.  It's what you wanted, fictitious questioner, and you're (really) gonna get it.  Over the next few months there's some vital teaching coming up!

Great at being humble...

A few years ago I went with a group of people on a sponsored walk to raise money for the charity Tearfund.  It was a 100 mile walk along Offa's Dyke, the ancient line of the Welsh border.  The walk took 5 days and as we camped each night we would sit around the campfire - well actually a gas cooker - and talk and play games.  One of the people was a genius at maths who loved maths games and puzzles of all kinds.  He was so good at them he couldn't be caught out.  Then one day round the stove I set him a puzzle he couldn't solve.  I put a pile of sticks on the ground and said "what number does that represent".  After a few goes at this everyone else except my mathematical friend could answer easily.  I was using the old trick of extending my fingers and placing them on the ground at the same time as I put the sticks down  in a pile.  Two fingers meant the number two, the sticks were irrelevant.  He didn't get it until I threw down the sticks and placed two hands on the ground with all fingers and thumbs extended while everyone shouted "ten!" in unison.  He loved it, he rolled over backwards in glee.  He was tickled pink at being fooled. At this moment the irritating boy genius became a much liked member of the group.  Just like Peter when he is humbled by denying Jesus (as discussed in the Good News Show on Tuesday) humility, paradoxically, can be a great asset.

Washing

I don't have a picture of it, but try to picture this in your minds: the visiting speaker (Andie Frost of N:Flame) washed the feet of Stephen Young (priest from a local Anglican church) on the chancel steps.  Andie in jeans and and untucked shirt, Stephen in "smart black" with dog collar.  Andie had asked for a volunteer from the 200 people in church that day and Stephen happened to be the one to volunteer.  It was a striking image.  Two very different Christians, at least in appearance, united in the need for humility and following Christ's ways.


[Jesus] came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?”  Jesus replied, “You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand.” “No,” said Peter, “you shall never wash my feet.” Jesus answered, “Unless I wash you, you have no part with me.” “Then, Lord,” Simon Peter replied, “not just my feet but my hands and my head as well!”  Jesus answered, “Those who have had a bath need only to wash their feet; their whole body is clean. And you are clean..." (John 13:6-10)

Coincidentally this is the passage I will be talking about in my daily radio program, "The Good News Show", on Monday.  Peter needed only his feet washed because he had a bath, and spiritually he only needed to be ready to go and spread the good news because he had already been made holy and clean by trusting in Jesus!