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THE SCANDAL OF THE CROSS

“IS THERE A GOD?”JOHN LENNOX debates PETER SINGER

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When the rubber

hits the road:

Everyday apologetics

R Z I M E U R O P E ’ S M A G A Z I N E

INSIDE THIS ISSUE...

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WHY is this not more apparent?PAGE 13

Raising up the next generation of apologists PAGE 10

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THIS ISSUE...

Welcome to the ninth

issue of Pulse, the

apologetics magazine

published by our

ministry.

This includes all the latest

information about RZIM Europe

and the Oxford Centre for

Christian Apologetics, as well

as articles on evangelism and

apologetics, details about training

opportunities and much more.

Michael writes… 1

“Is there a God?” John Lennox debates Peter Singer 2-4

The scandal of the cross 5

Meet our Associates 6-7

When the rubber hits the road: Everyday apologetics 8-9

Useful resources 10-11

Raising up the next generation of apologists 12

If Christians are transformed by their faith, why is this not more apparent? 13-15

Our Father: prayer requests 16

Diary dates 17

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Amy Orr-Ewing was invited to

events at both Lambeth Palace

and 10 Downing Street, Alister

McGrath addressed MPs in

London, and John Lennox

had the opportunity to speak

at the Scottish Parliament.

We are seeing a rise in the

number of opportunities to be

a voice in the public square and

the team is increasingly being

called upon to answer criticisms

against Christianity in the media.

We continue to be committed to grow and strengthen our Associates programme in Europe (see page 12) and have been very excited by the ministry of many from this group over the past year. We are delighted to announce that Michelle Tepper, an Associate and former graduate

of the OCCA, has joined RZIM as a full-time evangelist-apologist (see page 6) and another Associate, Tanya Walker, will be joining us early in 2012. We are confi dent that they will help us meet the ever-increasing demand for our ministry.

The Oxford Centre for Christian Apologetics continues to grow and the one year course is now accredited by the University of Oxford, as part of the Certifi cate in Theological and Pastoral Studies programme. The Centre received a record number of applications this year and we are hoping that its sphere of infl uence will expand further still. One diffi culty we face, however, is the lack of scholarship funding. We are attracting exceptional candidates

from across the globe, including applicants from Africa and Eastern Europe, and one of our key aims is to increase bursaries to enable these candidates to join us (see page 12).

We give thanks for the Lord’s abundant provision over this year and we continue to pray for his blessing as we forge ahead.

We are at an exciting time of growth and change within RZIM Europe. As we seek to challenge those who shape the ideas of our culture with the Gospel of Jesus Christ, we have been greatly encouraged by the number of doors God has opened.

michael

RZIM Europe was founded in 1997, as RZIM Zacharias Trust, the European arm of Ravi Zacharias International Ministries (RZIM). Our mandate is to engage people’s hearts and minds for Christ in an increasingly secular Europe. Working alongside the church, the ministry seeks to address the many objections and questions about Christianity, so that lives can be transformed and renewed through the gospel message.

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“IS THERE A GOD?”JOHN LENNOX debates PETER SINGER

JOHN LENNOX came to the attention of many Christians four years ago, when he began debating some of the world’s best-known atheist polemicists, such as Richard Dawkins and Christopher Hitchens. Th is summer, having taken a break from such encounters, he once again took to the stage, in order to face Princeton ethicist, Peter Singer, on the topic of “Is there a God?” Th e eminent professors discussed many areas that lie at the centre of the contemporary “God debate” and during the course of the proceedings four main themes emerged:

ENJOY AS PART OF A WELL BALANCED debate !

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• Whether science supports or undermines the likelihood of a creator

• Whether the Bible’s account can be trusted

• Whether the existence of suff ering suggests there isn’t a loving God

• Whether theism or atheism is more rational

In his opening statement, John Lennox argued that God confi rmed the unity and coherence of the universe and that it was Christianity and the biblical doctrine of creation that provided the very bedrock upon which modern science was founded in the west. He stated that the heavens declared the glory of God, as the results of science show, for example, that the universe required a unique event to come in to existence and the laws of nature had to be incredible fi nely-tuned in order to sustain life. Peter Singer, by contrast, suggested that science in the west rose “in spite of Christianity” and that a creator was no longer needed as an explanation for the universe. He argued that this was because science had displaced what he described as the traditional arguments for God and that Christians were therefore increasingly reliant on blind faith. He suggested that evolution had rendered the explanatory power of a creator (or designer) redundant and that we cannot really know, bar metaphysical speculation, what occurred before the universe came in to being. In response, Lennox pointed out that evolution, whatever it could or couldn’t do, was simply a mechanism and that causation

also requires agency. He stated that life contains a semiotic dimension (DNA) and that language does not arise from natural processes. Singer argued that self-replicating genes probably developed from the primeval soup and that consciousness emerged through evolutionary processes, as can be seen to diff erent degrees in the animal kingdom. Lennox suggested that this showed considerable faith in the primeval soup, whilst he reaffi rmed that Christianity was based on evidence and not the “God of the Gaps” approach portrayed by Singer (where the increasing explanatory power of science means there is less and less to ascribe to a creator).

Yet when it came to addressing the specifi c claims of Christianity, Lennox admitted that the argument needed to shift from the fi eld of science to that of history. Singer suggested that the evidence for believing was slender, because the gospels were written generations aft er the event and they were therefore open to distortion. Lennox disagreed, pointing out that Luke, for example, was a brilliant historian who went to great lengths to check the accounts with those who had been there and that Paul himself had been an eyewitness. Singer suggested that Paul’s experience could not be counted as such, because many people claim to have seen apparitions. Lennox suggested that this argument did not wash, however, as hallucinations do not tend to be of things people are not expecting to see, nor do they happen on a mass scale, as is recorded when the resurrected Jesus appeared before a large crowd. Singer suggested that Christian belief probably served a

particular psychological function for followers in the Roman Empire, whilst he called into question the seeming confusion as to whether Jesus’ famous sermon was on a mount (as recorded in Matthew) or on a plain (as recorded in Luke). Lennox responded by saying that it is likely that the same sermon was preached on more than one occasion, as is oft en the custom amongst clergy today. Nevertheless, Singer continued to question the biblical account and in his closing statement he argued that Jesus and Paul could not be considered reliable witnesses, because they mistakenly thought that the world was about to end (a belief, he pointed out, that some Christians hold today). He referred to the example of Jesus saying that there were some amongst them who would not taste death before they saw the kingdom of God (Luke 9:27). Lennox pointed out that Singer was mistaken about the verse, as it referred to the transfi guration, when some of the followers did, indeed, get a glimpse of heaven.

Such theological arguments were only of secondary importance to Singer, however, as he claimed that the “great barrier to belief ” in God was the existence of “unnecessary suff ering” in the world, because a creator could have produced a more benign universe. Lennox conceded that there was no simplistic answer to this, as he illustrated by recounting the tragic death of a young member of his own extended family, at the same time that he had narrowly avoided the same fate. He therefore off ered a “window into an answer,” instead, which centred on Jesus coming down to earth and dying on the cross, showing that God did not remain distant from our

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suff ering. Th is, he argued, provided a powerful message of hope, because justice would ultimately be done and, subsequently, there would be a place where there was no suff ering. He pointed out that Christianity bestowed infi nite value on humankind, because people bore the image of their creator. By contrast, he suggested that although atheism could solve the intellectual problem of suff ering - in the sense that it was just the way the world happened to have turned out - it off ered nothing to deal with the pain and, worse still, it also removed the hope. Singer retorted that Christianity off ered no consolation to those who didn’t believe in God (including animals) and he queried why the rewards could not have been given without the suff ering. Furthermore, he said that atheists could still have personal hope and that life was about improving things for future generations. Questions of meaning, such as “Why am I here?” were mistaken, he suggested, because the only valid questions relate to what we are, because they can be given a scientifi c response (we are homo sapiens, mammals, etc). He suggested that religion was wishful thinking and that it was akin to a fairy tale - nice, but ultimately untrue. Lennox responded to this by saying that Freud could give you an equally convincing reason as to why someone might want to believe as to why they might not, but that when it came to determining which was true, he could not help you.

Furthermore, he pointed out that Singer was evoking a moral argument against God and yet atheism did not provide the rational grounds for morality. He argued that the liberal freedoms in the west were a direct result of Judeo-

Christian beliefs and that relying upon reason to derive your ethical code was inconsistent with an atheistic worldview, because this very rationality had to emerge from irrational unguided natural processes. He suggested, therefore, that this called into question the reliability of our own faculties and that morality itself becomes illusory, as was famously stated by Richard Dawkins:

The universe we observe

has precisely the

properties we should

expect if there is at the

bottom, no design, no

purpose, no evil and no

good, nothing but blind

pitiless indiff erence…

DNA neither knows nor

cares. DNA just is, and

we dance to its music.1

Singer disagreed with this quote and said that determining what was ethical was not a scientifi c concern, but it was a philosophical matter that had to be deduced by evaluating the literature on the topic, which stretched back to pre-Christian days. He suggested that religious belief had only been rational in a pre-scientifi c age, when it was understandable that people might have interpreted thunder, for example, as someone in the heavens being angry. Yet, interestingly, Singer argued that in the fi eld of ethics, like in mathematics, you could get objective truths without God, although he defi ned these as certain overarching statements that were derived from philosophical traditions and could be reached by

anyone through reason. Th ese, he said, were superior to some of the moral teachings in the Bible, which he claimed were not supremely wise, knowledgeable or morally good. Th erefore, he concluded that even if he could be persuaded about the irrationality of rationality emerging without God, he would still not view the scriptures as a reason to believe in a divine being. Lennox responded to this by affi rming that Christ was central to his faith and that the radiant transfi guration, which Singer had brought into the discussion, had provided convincing evidence for the disciples that Jesus was who he claimed to be. Furthermore, he pointed out that Christianity was not a primary mode of ethics and that it off ered a great deal more than this, such as the ultimate combination of forgiveness and a certainty of life to come. Finally, he concluded the debate by saying that although Singer spoke about practical ethics, he had no concept of ultimate justice, whereas belief in God not only provided that, but it also made everything else make sense too.

Simon WenhamResearch Coordinator

NB: Th is article is a stylized thematic summary of the debate. If you would like to receive a longer “blow by blow” account, please email simon.wenham@rzim.eu.

A DVD of the debate can be purchased from the organisers of the debate, Fixed Point Foundation www.fi xed-point.org.

1: R. Dawkins, River Out of Eden (New York, 1995), p. 133.

go ahead TRY SOME !

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To the Jewish mind, on the other hand, there was a cry and a longing to be free. In their history, they had been attacked by numerous powers and often humiliated by occupying forces. Whether it was the Assyrians, the Babylonians or the Romans, Jerusalem had been repeatedly plundered and its people left homeless. What would the Hebrew have wanted more than someone who could take up their cause and altogether repel the enemy? How could a Messiah who was crucifi ed possibly be of any help?

To the Greek, the cross was foolishness. To the Jew, it was a stumbling block. What is it about the cross of Christ that so roundly defi es everything that power relishes? Crucifi xion was humiliating. It was so humiliating that the Romans who specialized

in the art of torture assured their own citizenry that a Roman could never be crucifi ed. But not only was it humiliating, it was excruciating. In fact, the very word “excruciating” comes from two Latin words: ex cruciatus, or out of the cross. Crucifi xion was the defi ning word for pain.

Does that not give us pause for thought? Think of it: humiliation and agony. This was the path Jesus chose with which to reach out to you and to me. You see, this thing we call sin, but which we so tragically minimize, breaks the grandeur for which we were created. It brings indignity to our essence and pain to our existence. It separates us from God.

On the way to the cross two thousand years ago, Jesus took the ultimate indignity and the ultimate pain to bring us back to the dignity of a relationship with God and the healing of our souls. Will you remember that this was done for you and receive his gift?

You will then discover that it is sin that is foolishness. Our greatest weakness is not an enemy from without, but one from within. It is our own weak wills that cause us to stumble. But Jesus Christ frees us from the foolishness of sin and the weakness of ourselves.

This is the very reason the apostle Paul went on to say that he preached Jesus Christ as one crucifi ed, which was the power of God and the wisdom of God. Come to the cross and fi nd out about his power and his wisdom.

Ravi Zacharias

Founder, Chairman and CEO of RZIM

There is a striking

verse in the New

Testament, in

which the apostle

Paul refers to

the cross of

Jesus Christ as

foolishness to

the Greek and

a stumbling

block to the Jew.

One can readily

understand why

he would say

that. After all, to

the Greek mind,

sophistication,

philosophy, and

learning were

exalted pursuits.

How could one

crucifi ed possibly

spell knowledge?

(Adapted from “The scandal of the

cross,” A Slice of Infi nity, 12 April 2011)

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I grew up in Florida, in a town called DeLand where my parents planted a church 20 years ago. I remember coming to know Jesus personally late one evening when I was very young, sitting around our family dinner table, while my father explained that Jesus was knocking at the door of my heart and all I had to was open the door and He would come in and be with me forever.

DeLand is your stereotypical small American city where most people spend their entire lives and few journey far from it. It seemed as though I was destined to follow suit. I went to the local high school and got accepted to the small, but prestigious, Stetson University right in my hometown. But everything changed in my fi nal year when I was invited to come to Oxford University as a visiting student at New College. I went to Oxford for an eight-week study program and 8½ years later, through a wonderful sequence of divine connections and opportunities, I am still here and about to join the RZIM team.

During my time as a student in Oxford, I worshipped at St Aldate’s Church. When I fi nished my degree, I did an internship at the church and worked part-time as event and administration

Michelle is the newest addition to the RZIM team. A graduate from the Oxford Centre for Christian Apologetics and a gift ed communicator, Michelle has spent the last few years serving as a full-time Student Pastor at St Aldate’s Church, Oxford with her husband Peter. Michelle has a passion for evangelism, building community and seeing lives transformed by the revelation of the love of Christ. She and Peter live in Oxford with their daughter Sophia.

support for RZIM. When I fi nished the internship, I was invited to be a part of the fi rst OCCA class. That academic year I grew in my appreciation and knowledge of apologetics and received countless invaluable ministry opportunities to strengthen and stretch the passion and gifting God had already given me for preaching and evangelism. It was at this time that I met Peter, who was training for ordination at Wycliff e Hall. Upon completion of our studies, we got married and St Aldate’s church asked us to become their Student Pastors, a role that we have jointly shared for the past six years.

Through the Student Ministry, I have had the privilege of coming alongside some of the brightest minds of this generation, during a season in their lives that will either “make or break” their Christian faith. Every new academic year, thousands of students come to university either questioning the validity of a faith they have been raised with or searching for

answers and a deeper meaning to life, after a collision with reality leaves them hungrier for more than the world and their degree can off er. In an intellectual stronghold like Oxford, I use the training I received at the OCCA on nearly a daily basis. We have spent the last six years bringing the good news and truth of the gospel to students as authentically and creatively as we can. We seek to engage both individually and through regular evangelistic events, such as two annual black-tie balls, university-wide missions and by training up other Christian students to “always be ready to give an reason for the hope that is within them.”

It is incredibly humbling to see God at work in such a mighty way among the students of Oxford. The number of undergraduates at St Aldate’s church tripled since we started and at times we saw many making commitments of faith on almost a weekly basis.

At the beginning of last year, I began to sense that it was time for

a change. Peter and I have always had a dream of seeing this type of evangelistic explosion happen in continental Europe, particularly Spain. Peter grew up as a child of missionaries in Madrid, and I have studied Spanish for many years. The invitation for me to come on board with RZIM came just around the time we were beginning to pray for direction as to what was next for our family. It seems like the perfect combination for Peter to continue in the incredible work that God is doing among students in Oxford, and for me to join the RZIM team. There are so many exciting advancements for the kingdom of God that are happening among our

European Associates right now, all that is needed are people to come alongside, encourage and resource the work that is already being done. My passion is to join with the team to see many more people, churches and nations transformed by a revelation of the matchless love and saving truth of Jesus Christ. PA

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Th ere are so many exciting advancements for the kingdom of God that are happening among our European Associates right now

For more information about our Associates programme see page 12

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and the training was good. But the OCCA really shaped me and really gave me

some tools that I use every day as a pastor and as a person.

I have thought long and hard about why it was so good and important. Sure,

you can’t really go wrong with the quality of teachers. But it is much more

than this. Apologetics is the great lost gift of the church and I say that for this

reason. Regular people / lost people / happy people have questions - I still have

questions. And unless we deal with them and understand them and take time

to honour them with a hearing and an answer, however imperfect, then we

look like pious men and women of straw.

So let me paint you a picture… I am a curate and I’m in an affl uent parish in

West London. My day is hugely varied and very busy. Today, for instance, I took

a funeral at the local crematorium, I did some training on deliverance ministry,

I answered loads of emails and I started thinking about what we might call

our main Sunday service. At the funeral I was conducting, the funeral directors

were late. I got talking to the funeral directors from the previous funeral and

the man who works at the Crematorium. This man has the job of watching

every funeral and listening in on it and switching on the music at the right

time. We were chatting and it became obvious that the funeral that was

going on had reached the sermon stage, and a thought struck me. “Hey, how

many sermons do you hear a week?” I asked. “Oh, at least 50,” he answered.

So this man hears 200 sermons a month, 2,000 a year and he’s worked at the

Crematorium for 20 years. He’s heard 40,000 sermons! So I asked with some

trepidation “And having listened to all these sermons, are you a Christian?”

His reply was a rather blunt “No”, but it led to a fascinating conversation about

why it was a “No” and very sobering it was too.

A couple of days ago I was at Ealing Hospital having my dodgy elbow scanned

and I discussed what to do next with my Consultant, who was a rather

amazing Muslim man. We got talking about my conversion and this led to a

conversation about what we had in common, in terms of our faith, and what

the diff erences were. We respected each other’s diff erences and, interestingly,

a whole bunch of other hospital staff came into the consulting room and

listened in and asked questions.

Yet another example of a conversation I recently had was with the young

person who cuts my hair. She hasn’t been to church for four years and she has

a problem. Her dad died of cancer and she feels that God seems rather cruel,

because she adored her dad and she misses him.

When the rubber hits the road: Everyday apologetics

I still remember my

fi rst day at the OCCA.

I was so nervous.

I was quite new to

faith in Christ, but

something told me

I had to involve my

mind in this decision,

as well as my heart.

I’d been an atheist for most of my

life and I’d been pretty successful.

But beneath it I was very empty

and the truth was that I knew what

I was holding onto couldn’t really

sustain me or help me to live.

I had this profound meeting with

God and then I came to Oxford

and there I was on the fi rst day at

Wycliff e Hall thinking, “What the

hell have I got myself into…”

Looking back, that year with the

OCCA was the most important

year in my Christian formation.

I am now a curate (a vicar with “L”

plates) in the Church of England

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Applications are now being accepting

for both of the programmes starting

in 2012 (the submission deadline is 29 January).

For further information about the

courses and for details on how to

apply, please visit www.theocca.org.

One year Certifi cate in

Christian Apologetics

This course is accredited by

the University of Oxford and is

designed for those who wish to

dedicate a whole year immersing

themselves in evangelism and

apologetics. The emphasis of

the programme is upon training

in practical evangelism and,

as well as in-depth teaching in

apologetics, students are given

the opportunity to use what they

have learned in real ministry

settings. An integral part of the

course is the close mentoring of

students to equip them according

to their specifi c gifting.

Six week Business

Programme

This course is designed for

those who wish to dedicate

themselves to an intensive

period of apologetics.

It covers teaching in

evangelism, apologetics,

Biblical studies and workplace

evangelism. Students also

attend the annual Oxford

Summer School.

I am now in ministry at a church and have begun a course I’ve put together,

that gives people a chance to come along and to ask their questions and

to discuss them. It is going great guns. But this is where I’m at. We can’t

do evangelism or mission (or anything) without taking people’s questions

seriously. More than that, most people now have no church background, so

we need to start where they are, in their language, and be really humble and

generous with them.

I have to say that I think that apologetics can be far too intellectual and

philosophical. As a day-to-day minister, I need to start with where people are

and listen to them and to ask three questions to every one answer. Apologetics

isn’t for egg-heads - I wish we were more humble sometimes. I wish we asked

more questions and I wish we gave full measure to each side of an argument.

But what I know is this: that street apologetics, answering real questions with

respect, is central to ministry. I learned that at the OCCA.

But as I work it through, out here on the front-line, I’m trying to fi nd ways of

building bridges and connecting with people. It helps, I think, to still be a

seeker and to remember the very legitimate questions I had as an atheist.

Here’s a wish. I wish the church would wake up to the challenge of apologetics

and train people in how to be really great bridge-builders, without viewing

regular people as aliens, because they are non-Christians, but as humans in

God’s image, loved by HIM.

When my father was dying of Motor Neurone Disease he was in a very bad way.

He couldn’t move, swallow or anything and he said to me, “Son. I wouldn’t

wish this on my worst enemy. How could God let this happen?”

You see this is where the rubber hits the road. I didn’t have an answer.

My heart was broken. But I had met God and felt I knew something of His

character and I was in to term two of the OCCA. Without these two things it

would have been “game over” in terms of my Father’s faith… But somehow I

started a conversation with a father, my father, who I have been at war with

for years. Three weeks before he died he became a Christian and he died in

peace and I had peace too.

I have so much to thank the OCCA for…and some of it I can’t put into words…

Steve MorrisOCCA Alumnus

“I have so much to thank the OCCA for…and some of it I can’t put into words…”

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resources• resources• resources• resources• resources• resources• resources• resources• resources• resources• resources•

useful

The Scent of Water: Grace for Every Kind of Brokenby Naomi Zacharias

This moving book weaves together the personal experience of Naomi Zacharias with the stories of the many people she has met as head of Wellspring International, the humanitarian arm of RZIM (see www.

wellspringinternational.org). The narrative is about fi nding beauty and restoration in places where suff ering and brokenness have left their scars.

Is Christianity Arrogant? (CD) by Michael Ramsden

Isn’t it the height of arrogance to claim to know the ultimate truth or that your beliefs are the only correct ones? In this talk, Ramsden evaluates some of the moral and philosophical assumptions that lie behind this suggestion.

Seven Days that Divide the World by John Lennox

The fi rst few verses of Genesis divide not only the religious from the non-religious, but have sowed discord amongst diff erent groups of Christians. In this new book, Lennox provides his interpretation of the creation account and shows that, as a scientist, you can take Genesis seriously.

Why Trust the Bible? (KJV Anniversary Edition) by Amy Orr-Ewing

This is one of the best-selling RZIM titles in the UK and a new enlarged edition has been produced to mark the 400 year anniversary of the King James Bible (the topic of the additional chapter).

Why God Won’t Go Away by Alister McGrath

The new atheists have sought to undermine and eradicate religious belief from society, but in spite of their eff orts – or possible because of them - God still appears to be very much on the agenda. In this book, McGrath assesses the new atheist movement and evaluates some of their core beliefs.

Philosophy, Science and the God Debate (DVD) by John Lennox, Alister McGrath and Keith Ward

What are the main points of contention in the current “God debate”? In this video, divided into thematic sections, the eminent professors John Lennox, Alister McGrath and Keith Ward discuss the state of apologists today.

RZIM Europe stocks a large number of resources that are designed to help the believer to defend his/her faith more effectively or to provide more information for the non-believer who is interested in learning about Christianity.

Some of the latest apologetics products are listed below.

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resources• resources• resources• resources• resources• resources• resources• resources• resources• resources• resources•

Surprised by Meaning: Science, Faith and How We Make Sense of Things by Alister McGrath

How rational is it to be a Christian and how do we derive meaning from life? This book examines diff erent aspects of the Christian worldview and shows that it does make sense of the world we see around us.

Compelled by Joy: A Lifelong Passion for Evangelism by Michael Green

Green, the former Chaplain of the OCCA, shares his passion, refl ections, convictions and suggestions from a lifetime of church and university missions.

RZIM is producing a youth apologetics curriculum entitled “Ask”. This 16 session DVD will feature 4 modules (origin, meaning, morality and destiny) and will be available this autumn.

John Lennox’s eagerly awaited critique of the new atheists, Gunning for God, is being released shortly. Furthermore, he has also written a chapter on consciousness that will be part of a book edited by Roy Varghese entitled, The Missing Link.

Frog and Amy Orr-Ewing have been involved in fi lming for the C.S. Lewis Institute, as part of a programme they are developing on spiritual formation.

Sharon Dirckx has been commissioned to write an apologetics book on suff ering, which will be coming out in 2012.

The DVD of the debate between John

Lennox and Peter Singer will be available shortly (from Fixed Point Foundation and RZIM).

One of Alister McGrath’s on-going projects is a new biography of C. S. Lewis, which will be published in 2013 to mark the 50th anniversary of his death. The central focus of the work will be on his role as an apologist, especially in the postmodern context. This will be followed by a more academic work on Lewis, which will address his intellectual development and his signifi cance as a public intellectual.

Ravi Zacharias’ new book Why Jesus? Rediscovering the Truth in an Age of Mass Market Spirituality will be available in January.

And ones to look out for:

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In his article on page 1,

Michael Ramsden refers to the

importance of our Associates

programme. Each month, as

you know, we feature one of

our Associates from the UK or

Europe and, from time to time,

you will read about one of them

being added to our full-time

speaking team. This month

happens to be just such a case -

with Michelle Tepper (see her article

on pages 6-7) joining the team.

What is this programme and

why is it so important to us?

At training events, conferences and speaking engagements, we have developed important relationships with people we have identifi ed as emerging apologists and evangelists. The Associates programme is designed to enable us to invest in this key group of people amongst which, we believe, there is the potential to unlock communities and even nations for the Gospel.

The programme, therefore, provides a formal link to help us further equip, pray for and resource this group, so that they can become even more eff ective in their calling. Some join our ministry over time, while others continue to work in complementary ministries.

In Michelle’s case, she graduated from the OCCA one-year programme and, seeing her

passion for the Lord, together with her clear calling and gifting, we invited her to be an Associate. Now she is joining us as a full-time team member with a vision to “help the thinker believe and believer think”. Further afi eld, another Associate and graduate of the OCCA, Nathan Betts, has just begun working for RZIM Canada, focusing on youth apologetics.

There is no doubt that the training at the OCCA and the Associates programme are becoming the key elements in helping us raise up future generations of evangelist-apologists.

In early 2012, Tanya Walker will also join the RZIM speaking team, having been as Associate for several years. We are confi dent that the additions of Tanya and Michelle will add signifi cant impact to the strength of our team and help us meet the ever-increasing demand for our ministry in the UK and Europe.

These appointments are, as ever, steps of faith for us. We need your support to help us grow our team and for information about how you can do this, please visit www.rzim.eu/supporting-us

Please pray for these gifted young people, as they step out into ever-challenging environments.For further details on supporting our team, please call David Lloyd on 01865 318466.

Raising up the next

generation of apologists

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Thank you so

much to those

of you who

gave in support

of our OCCA

Missions appeal,

in response to

the matching

grant off ered by

a US Foundation.

We have, this

month, reached

the target, so

everything that

you gave has,

in eff ect, been

doubled by this

Foundation.

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Over coff ee at the ubiquitous

Starbucks, my friend shared

the story of his departure from

his Christian faith. He did not

leave his faith over a whim or

because of some intellectual

crisis he couldn’t resolve with

his dearly-held beliefs, he

left because his work, as a

journalist, led him into Christian

circles where he met some of

the most infl uential Christian

leaders and teachers. As he

traversed these circles, he saw

very little evidence of what

he had believed was true,

Christian transformation.

by their faith, WHY is this not more apparent?

transformed

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All of us, at one time or another, have wrestled with a similar confl ict. We may not walk away from belief or religion, as my friend did, but we have been stung by disillusionment when our favourite leader, mentor, or friend turns out to have feet made of clay. Moreover, when we hold a mirror up to our own lives, we often see very spotty refl ections of transformation. If we aren’t already discouraged at the lack of transformation in others, we certainly will be discouraged when we take a good, hard look at our own lives.

Why is transformation so diffi cult? And why do we seemingly see so little of it in our lives, irrespective of our conviction or creed? We still lose our tempers, we get irritated at co-workers, we covet, we lust, and we are faithful idolaters. For Christians, this is especially problematic because transformation is so clearly written into the good news of the gospel: “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come” (2 Corinthians 5:7). Yet, as my friend experienced, an honest comparison of Christians and non-Christians sometimes leads us to wonder about the possibility of real and lasting transformation.

Perhaps the elusive nature of transformation is illustrated in a

conversation Jesus had with his own followers. Jesus asked his disciples: “And why do you look at the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye?” (Luke 6:41). Jesus suggests that a consistent focus on the foibles of others hinders the one who fails to see their own need for transformation. So often, our critical gaze is relentlessly on others. We identify the failures of others before we honestly examine our own hearts; we vociferously pull the speck out of the eye of another, while we maintain a Redwood-sized log of our own. Jesus is clear on this point: “You hypocrite, fi rst take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take out the speck that is in your brother’s eye.” Even in this stern warning, the hope of transformation grows substantially when we remain diligently self-critical, rather than persisting in an “out there” focus.

An Artist’s Craft

Diligence may seem like drudgery and antithetical to hope. After all, consider an artist: one might imagine that creativity is an unbounded force, fl owing freely and continually. An artist’s canvas is never blank, the page never empty, the clay never unformed. The artist never experiences boredom

or tedium with regards to her craft, but instead experiences the eff ortless fl ow of creative energy each and every day. There is little need for discipline, repetition, or structure in the artist’s world—or so we assume.

And yet, even an artist will tell you that creativity is something that must be practiced—exercised, as it were, just like any muscle. In fact, creativity achieves its greatest potential when bounded by discipline, and a tireless commitment to practice, routine, and structure. Rather than being opposed to creativity, discipline provides the conduit through which creative engagement grows and develops freely. Such misguided assumptions about an artist’s process often parallel assumptions about growth and creativity in the spiritual life. Perhaps we expect unbounded growth or instant results. Perhaps we expect the constant fl ow of good feelings surging through us. If we do not experience these things, or if we don’t perpetually experience something novel from the rhythm of worship, prayer, or study, then we believe that something isn’t right. As a result, we often chase after the wind of an emotional experience or a spiritual high, constantly seeking the “next thing” that will move us or make us feel good. Ritual, discipline,

What he experienced was a group of men and women who resembled the world more than they

did Jesus, and whose lives showed little resemblance of his character. The dissonance between

what was espoused in word and what was clearly missing in deed caused him to doubt the

transformative power of the gospel. If Christianity made little diff erence in the lives of these

Christian leaders—to whom so many look for guidance and example—what diff erence could it

make in his life?

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commitment, and structure seem impediments to growth, rather than the soil in which spiritual growth is nourished and fed. We mistakenly believe that spiritual transformation is like osmosis, a process over which we have little control or responsibility. Yet just as artists expect that practice, routine, and repetition are necessary disciplines of the creative life, so too should those who seek to grow in faith. For spiritual practice sharpens insight and enhances spiritual creativity. Routine and discipline are the nutrients necessary for the spiritual life to fl ourish and grow.

A Gift of Grace

The Christian can also nurture the hope of transformation from the stories of the less than stellar characters that cooperate in God’s great work of redemption in the Bible. Transformation in biblical terms entails God’s faithfulness, not human perfection. Noah got drunk; Abraham lied twice about Sarah being his sister, rather than his wife; Gideon became an idolater; Samson failed to honor his vows; David committed adultery; Paul and Barnabas argued over John Mark and went their separate ways; the disciples of Jesus all left him in the Garden of Gethsemane and fl ed. The psalmist alerts us to the fact that God is not ignorant about humanity’s humble condition: “For God knows what we are made of; God is mindful that we are but dust” (Psalm 103:14). Yet in spite of this dusty substance, God is at work in and through fl awed individuals. Through

Noah’s obedience, humanity was preserved. Gideon defeated the Midianites who were terrorizing Israel, and all the families of the earth would be blessed because of Abraham. As these biblical stories illustrate, God can and does use us despite our fi ts and starts in following.

Perhaps there is something further to be gleaned about the nature of transformation from the biblical story of Jacob. Favoured by his mother, he schemed and connived his way into receiving his brother’s birthright and his father’s blessing. He treated his wife Leah with great contempt and ended up taking a great deal of his family’s dysfunction into his own family; he, too, favoured the children of his wife Rachel. But Jacob had a profound encounter with God one night in the lonely ford of Jabbok.1 It was this wrestling match with the living God that proved truly transformational. Jacob received a new name, “Israel,” as well as

a dislocated hip. He named this place of transformation Peniel, which means, “I have seen God face to face, yet my life has been preserved.” His life had been preserved, but he would forever bear the mark of that transformational encounter in a new name and identity—and in his permanent limp.

Could it be that our own journeys of transformation refl ect a similar

experience? For those who follow the God of reconciliation, the hope of the living gospel, God indeed changes our names and gives us new identities in the hope of becoming all that God intends for us. But God undertakes this work in a way that doesn’t erase our humanity. After all, God is mindful that we are but dust. Yet, God takes this dusty substance and shapes it into something beautiful.

Though we often bear the limp of our humanity, transformation remains a gift of grace. Philosopher and theologian Dallas Willard explains that the renovation of the human heart “is at once new and very old, both very promising and full of danger, illuminative of our lacks and failures and bursting with grace, an expression of the eternal quest of God for man and of man’s ineradicable need for God.”2 Indeed, Willard continues, “Christlikeness of the inner being

is not a human attainment. It is fi nally, a gift of grace.”3

The God who created us will not abandon us to ourselves, but promises to walk alongside us. God gives continual grace for transformation - all for the hope of God’s glory.

Margaret Manning

Speaker and Writer for RZIM (North America)

(Adapted from “A Mark of Transformation,” A Slice of Infi nity, 2 August 2011)

1: See Genesis 32:22-32.2: Dallas Willard, Renovation of the Heart: Putting on the Character of Christ (Colorado Springs, 2002), p. 22.3: Ibid., p. 23.

“Though we often bear the limp of our humanity, transformation remains a gift of grace.”

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When Jesus’ disciples asked him about prayer (Matt 6:5-15; Luke 11:1-

4), he asked them to consider their motivation. Why do we pray?

Do we pray because we ought to or because we want to? Are

we building an image or a relationship? And why, in the battle

between LCD / TV screens and prayer, does the latter fare so

badly? Can we aff ord to be complacent about these questions,

when they may indicate, or otherwise, a genuine heartfelt trust

in Christ? As an organisation, we love getting out there and doing it. But Jesus grounds all of this for us, in prayer. In response to their questions about how to pray, Jesus gave those fi rst disciples a prayer that we know as “The Lord’s Prayer”. And when Jesus prays those fi rst two words “Our Father” (pater hemon in greek) he draws us into the intimacy that he has with the father. Jesus opens up the heavenly (and earthly) front door, allowing the disciple a level of access to God. If such an access were claimed on the basis of human endeavour then it would sound like the height of arrogance. But Jesus’ off er isn’t realised by human capability, it’s given by divine generosity. It is not us going to God, but God coming to us. Jesus actually takes them into that close relationship that he has with his father. And so as you quietly pray (and live) with Jesus, he opens to you an experience of the love and glory of the Trinity. For the disciple of Christ, God pours out his grace, before they’ve even got to confession. So prayer is, to those who understand this new status, an immediate experience of God’s undeserved, incredible, beautiful grace.

Tom Price,OCCA Tutor

Prayer Requests:

• Pray for our new media initiative, as we are soon to welcome new staff members to increase our apologetic engagement with the national media. Pray for courage, boldness, clarity, sensitivity and opportunities to speak and write.

• Pray for our new itinerant, Michelle Tepper, as she takes up evangelistic speaking engagements.

• Pray that the wider travelling team of itinerants and associates will continue to be fruitful.

• Pray for the many events that our team will be speaking at (see the “Dates for your diary” on the right-hand page) and for those attending (that they might be touched by the gospel message).

• Pray for the support team as they work with the speakers and writers and as they face the day-to-day pressures in the offi ce. In particular, pray for Laura Rodgers (OCCA Admissions and Alumni Offi cer) and Kirsten Lillie (OCCA Curriculum Coordinator) as they both settle in to their new roles.

• Pray for the OCCA, as the new academic year starts. Pray that the new students will settle in quickly and that, as they study, they will not only learn more about apologetics and evangelism, but they will also develop a much deeper relationship with God. Also pray for the tutors, as they teach the many aspects of the course and as they mentor the students in their small groups.

1 OCTOBER Chelmsford Anglican Bible Conference (John Lennox)2 OCTOBER St Paul’s, London (Amy Orr-Ewing)5 OCTOBER Evangelistic Event for Mothers, Bath (Michelle Tepper)6 OCTOBER Reading University Christian Union (Tom Price)9 OCTOBER Fresher’s Services at St Aldate’s, Oxford (Michael and Michelle)12 OCTOBER Selwyn Lectures, Lichfi eld (John Lennox)15 OCTOBER St Aldate’s Youth Group, Oxford (Tom Price)18 OCTOBER Romsey Methodist Church (Michelle Tepper)18-20 OCTOBER Washington City Mission, USA (Michael Ramsden) 22 OCTOBER Bethinking.org Conference, London (John Lennox)23 OCTOBER Chelmsford Baptist Church (Tom Price)28-30 OCTOBER Counties Event, Bournemouth (John Lennox)

4 NOVEMBER OICCU Lunchtime Talk, Oxford (Tom Price)6 NOVEMBER Kingston, Canada (Michelle Tepper)12 NOVEMBER HTB School of Theology, London (Tom Price)14 NOVEMBER St George’s Church, Leeds (Vince Vitale)17 NOVEMBER Student Night at St Aldate’s, Oxford (Ravi Zacharias)18 NOVEMBER OICCU Talk, Oxford (Vince Vitale)25-27 NOVEMBER Lawyer’s Christian Fellowship, Northampton (John Lennox)27 NOVEMBER Ignite, Cardiff (Amy Orr-Ewing)27 NOVEMBER Wycombe Abbey School (Vince Vitale)

1 DECEMBER Leeds University Mission (Amy Orr-Ewing)27-30 DECEMBER Rise Up Conference, Charlotte (John Lennox)30 DEC-1 JAN: Southern Evangelical Seminary, Charlotte (John Lennox)

20-22 JANUARY City Life Conference, USA (Michael Ramsden)28 JANUARY RZIM Europe Training Day, Oxford (Team)29 JANUARY City Church, Cambridge (Michael Ramsden)

3 FEBRUARY Destiny Church, Edinburgh (John Lennox)4 FEBRUARY Destiny Church, Glasgow (John Lennox)5 FEBRUARY Heriot-Watt Lecture, Edinburgh (John Lennox)6-10 FEBRUARY Leeds University Mission (Team)10-12 FEBRUARY CMF National Student Conference, Swanwick (John Lennox)12 FEBRUARY City Life Church, Southampton (Michael Ramsden)19-25 FEBRUARY Veritas Tour, NE USA (John Lennox)25 FEBRUARY University Mission, Bath (Michael Ramsden)

For further information about any of the above events, please contact our Oxford offi ce.All of the events listed are correct at time of print, but some may be subject to change.

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RZIM Europe

76 Banbury Road

Oxford

OX2 6JT

T: +44 (0)1865 302900

F: +44 (0)1865 318451

www.rzim.eu

RZIM Europe (RZIM Zacharias Trust) is a Charitable Company Limited by Guarantee

and Registered in England and Wales.Company No. 3449676. Charity No. 1067314

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