But here’s the point, and why it’s a very relevant question. What if you’re deaf?

My instinct would be to say the deafness is a disability, there’s a sense in which being deaf is to be incomplete – ie. you can’t hear! Then of course this ability will be restored in the New Creation, in our perfect bodies. Now this happened to come up recently, preaching recently at a local church of which around 10% of the members are deaf. I was given Isaiah 35 as the text, which talks about the deaf being healed… awkward!

After having the debate about when we should expect this healing that is promised to happen, another discussion came about. You see, some in the Christian deaf community, don’t believe that they are ‘physically incomplete’ or ‘disabled’, they believe that this is how God has created them to be. Which I think we would want to concur with, to a point. The issue is that some go on to say… therefore I will be deaf in heaven too… so presumably will speak BSL in heaven?

I’d always have thought it an irrelevant question, but it’s actually massively practical and pastoral if you work with deaf people. You can appreciate the point that some in the Christian deaf community are making, but I think scripture is clear that we will be made complete and healed in the New Creation. We will receive perfected, resurrection bodies, deafness is surely only one symptom of a fallen, broken body. One that nonetheless will be healed and restored.

There’s lots of interesting questions surrounding the New Creation. I think the idea of knowing one another, and communicating with one another, seems very plausible and could probably find implicit warrant for in the Bible. I’m struggling to think of specific verses to justify this view. Thoughts?

I guess for me I first came across Hitchens through programmes like Question Time. His outspoken support for the Iraq war made him stand out on most panels. Whatever you thought about his views at least they were his, he never trotted out any party line, he was a model in free thought and speech. He was a master in this arena, who could debate with the best and always come out on top, a brilliant word-smith and provocateur.

In 2007 he shifted his focus a little perhaps, and took on God. He published his book ‘God is not Great: How religion poisons everything’. A book full of the usual rhetoric, but also a clear underlying hatred for Religion and especially the three Abrahamic faiths. While the tone of the argument was a little off, and some of the ‘scholarship’ questionable, it served to promote lively debates and perhaps challenges people of faith in a different way – it was a popularised version of Anti-Theism.

For me, I’m grateful to Youtube! A chance to watch Hitchens debate theologians and others from all around the world. Most of the time he picked on pretty stupid opponents who were easy targets, but there were some good debates: like with William Lane Craig, Alistair McGrath, John Lennox and Doug Wilson. The debates with Wilson are perhaps the most interesting as unlike the others Wilson and Hitchens engaged in much discussion, correspondance, they wrote a book together and went on tour together. You might even think they became friends despite massive ideological / theological differences.

What seemed to swing the debates in Wilson’s favour to the point of really challenging Hitchen’s understanding was his commitment to unswervingly teaching the truths of the Bible, yet trying to articulate them simply. I’m sure Hitchens died in unbelief, so we should grieve, God does not rejoice in his death (Ezekiel 18:23). Yet we can also thank God for using him to provoke the debate, to get people thinking, and I’m grateful for Doug Wilson in helping him think too!

In Memoriam: Vanity Fair | Richard Dawkins | Doug Wilson | New Statesman | Nick Baines | Peter Hitchens

For me, in memory of Hitchens I shall watch the DVD of his debates with Doug Wilson – Collision.

Large defence budgets? UK troops killed in foreign lands? The inevitable civil wars? These seem a high cost enough, considering it’s not exactly a political system that we’re all entirely thrilled with!

But what if the cost was religious freedom? You don’t have to be religious to believe in religious freedom, in fact in most places where there’s little freedom of religion there’s no room for Atheism either… you’ll have to go Communist for that.

Everyone seems really up for the idea of getting rid of Middle Eastern dictators, well some anyway. The good thing about dictators is they usually provide stable government and a middle of the road approach to religion – in the cases of Gaddafi, Ben Ali and Mubarak. Most of whatever else they do is somewhere on the bad side of things.

The reality of a Middle Eastern Democracy is not a secular liberal state that we’re in many ways blessed to live in. But rather will inevitably veer towards an Islamic state, run by the clerics and their supporters. It will be a balance between moderates and fundamentalists with no place for religious freedom. The deposition of the dictators leaves a void for the likes of the Muslim Brotherhood to step forth – how would you like them as a coalition partner?!

Unfortunately, Rowan Williams isn’t always the best at saying the right things at the right time. However, he’s right on the BBC website. Religious freedom, and specifically the treatment of Christians is perhaps not the only, but certainly a key ‘litmus test’ for the success of the Arab Spring.

I fear that while many in the West will celebrate what’s been happening this year in the Middle East, as a victory for Democracy, free speech and human rights. The reality is that for many Christians and other minority faith positions there will be less Democracy, and less rights. The power goes to the majority and the minority suffer – welcome to Democracy!

For more information about what’s happening to Christians in the Middle East and beyond visit the Barnabas Fund.

• Historical – in Isaiah’s day
• Christological – in Jesus’ day
• Eschatological – on the final day

Plus, the tension we live in now. Experienceing some fulfilment now through Christ but how ultimately these verses aren’t fulfiled till the New Heavens and the New Earth. Anyway, a lady in the congregation who was big into healing asked me:

…if we believe are sins are forgiven now, why should we not think we are healed now (with a view to Isaiah 53:5)?

Which seems a fair question. Why do we believe one is fulfilled now, but not the other? Or maybe you do? I’m not a cessationist, well maybe a little, but whatever you believe about healing today, it seems fairly clear that the promise of healing, of all being completely healed (as in Isaiah 35) just isn’t fulfilled until the New Creation.

Now as this lady pointed out, it would be wrong to base our views of healing purely on experience. People not being healed can’t prove that it shouldn’t happen now. She’s right, we need to base our views on the Scriptures.

While it’s evident that God can and does heal today, I can’t see that this is promised for all today this side of the New Creation. But are my sins forgive today? Well, yes clearly those who trust in Jesus have their sins forgiven -today! Am I free from sin today? Well no I’m not, I experience that, and the Bible explains that reality – eg. the conflict in Galatians 5.

My sins are forgiven today! But I won’t experience complete freedom from sin until the New Creation.

My body is healed today! But I won’t experience complete freedom from illness until the New Creation… until I actually receive my new body!

In this way the promise of forgiveness and healing is very real for today. But in both cases can only be ultimately completed in the New Creation.

It’s a shame really. They’re model believers – Luke 1:6 tells us that they’re ‘upright in God’s sight’ and ‘observe all God’s laws blamelessly’. On top of that they’ve been waiting and praying patiently, praying for a child and for the child who will come to save (Luke 1:13), in the end their prayers are answered, and both come, one after the other.

In Luke 1 we see three characters who are silent. First we see God. Silent for 400 years, no words, no prophets, no miracles, and no messiah! Second Zechariah, who despite word from an angel, declaring his prayers to be answered, is silenced for his unbelief. Thirdly Elizabeth, who secludes herself for 5 months waiting to see if the news has come true. But when she does speak, her words are gold.

Luke 1:25 - “The Lord has done this for me,” she said. “In these days he has shown his favor and taken away my disgrace among the people.”

We know that this baby John is a forerunner for Jesus, he comes as the Elijah figure (Malachi 4:5-6) who proceeds the coming of the Lord. But Elizabeth’s words too are prophetic of what is to come…

• A Miraculous Birth
• God showing his Grace
• God ridding us of our Disgrace

A time to focus on Jesus’ coming, and his coming again. I wanted to try a post a few Adventy and Christmasy bits over the next two weeks. Here’s the first…

It’s one of the consistent messages of the Christmas angels… “fear not”… in his Advent hymn ‘Come thou long expected Jesus’, Charles Wesley calls us to sing… “From our fears and sin release us”…

Fear is not an uncommon feeling, especially when confronted by an angel! But the Bible seems to take a rather dim view of fear… more a case of a lack of trust in God. Consider the fear of the Disciples in John 14. Uncertain about the future, scared of what will happen to them, fearful of life ‘without Jesus’. Yet Jesus speaks words of comfort to them. You don’t need to fear and here’s three reasons why from John 14:1-6:

1. Jesus will return – not just returning, but coming back to take us to be with him! There seem two be two certainties about Jesus’ return… that it will happen, and you don’t know when… so get ready! If you want… Jesus is like a boomerang (thrown properly)!
2. Jesus has prepared a place for you – I love the picture of the Father’s house, with loads of rooms… and there’s a personal invite to you, and a place prepared waiting for you. Jesus, in his death and resurrection has reserved a place for you there!
3. Jesus is the Way – if you’re following Jesus then you’re on the right road to be with God forever. We can trust, that even though following Jesus can be tough, he’s the Way, the only way to be with God forever.

Now I’m not sure that’s a wrong approach. The New Testament often uses pictures from the Old Testament to point to Jesus… and Jesus is indeed in ALL the Scriptures (Luke 24:27). Take Deuteronomy for example… Jesus is…

• A better Moses
• Like Joshua… leading the people into the land
• The True Passover and Jubilee
• Faithful in the wilderness
• The fulfilment of the Law

These things are undoubtedly true and are all captured by the gospel writers. But I wonder if Deuteronomy is less trying to give little hints at Christ… like Wallys dotted throughout… and more trying to present a framework for Christ.

Deuteronomy is full of Covenantal language… blessings and curses… while life and blessings are offered to the people (30), the truth is that God’s people won’t keep the law, they can’t keep the law, and they don’t want to keep it either (31)!

So it’s not just little pictures of Jesus… but a whole stage set… a dilemma posed… who will step forward? Who can obey this law? How can we ever hope to receive God’s blessing? Jesus is not just in the details, the fulfilment of types portrayed… he is the answer to the question, the completion of the promise, and the hope of God’s people.

I love looking for Jesus in the details, but I must remember that he’s the big picture too!

I’ve been trying to keep up with the events at the Leveson Inquiry over recent weeks. There is of course the glamorous side of it, seeing the likes of Hugh Grant, Sienna Miller and Steve Coogan in the witness box. There’s also the personal side, those who were once tabloid front page news, and now have to get back to normal life; the Dowlers, the McCanns, Chris Jefferies.

But the power of the media is scary. How they can portray someone; take some hearsay, pick up on their appearance, or speculate on their past to caricature them however they choose. To cast them as a murderer.

The problem is we’re as guilty as the editors. A young girl is murdered, we want answers, we want a suspect and quickly. We’re prepared to believe the spin of the tabloid editors, just so we can feel like justice is done and the world is put to rights. Shame on us when we jump on that bandwagon, dropping any kind of objective approach to justice and shooting that sacred cow of ‘innocent till proven guilty’.

The stupid thing is that God gives us a much better view of justice. Like some of the laws in Deuteronomy that give justice for all; justice for the foreigner, rich and poor, even justice for the guilty. Why do we trade in God-given, historically enshrined views of justice for the quick fix, EasyJustice of the tabloids. I think we’ve lost the plot somewhere here.

But a friend posed me this question… Would you buy the DVD? I stuttered for a response, which on reflection and albeit after just one episode I had to answer no.

Surely this is just Extras, but rather than following Andy Millman, we follow Warwick Davis, another struggling actor, trying to act that slightly awkward dead-pan documentary style which of course we were introduced to back in The Office, and arguably before that too.
What was most memorable from the first episode? Well it has to be the improvised comedy with Liam Neeson. That’s another reason that it’s just Extras rehashed, it relies on the cameo roles of bigger actors doing things out of character to make us laugh. Having said that, the Neeson scene is genius.

You can catch up with Life’s Too Short on iPlayer. But I probably won’t buy the DVD. It’s worth saying that this was my reaction when I first saw The Office, more discerning now? Perhaps.

Painfully close to the bone, it’s clearly well researched and written, worthy of a second series. Tom Hollander is great as the Rev, but perhaps a little overlooked by the writers is Miles Jupp who is a firm favourite of mine whenever he’s been on Mock the Week, Live at the Apollo kind of shows. He plays Nigel, the Lay Reader.

If you enjoy good comedy, and you’re involved in Christian ministry this is an absolute must!

My advice. If you haven’t seen it yet. Catch up on iPlayer.