The Secular Dictate – or A Better Way?

 There are migrants on the move through countries in Europe, and some through Russia, who end up in the cold north, and within our Norwegian borders.

It is more than 1000 years since Christianity was introduced to the people in this drawn-out land. Still we see churches in every village.  It does not mean that each and every individual calls himself or herself a Christian. But it does mean that the basic ideas of Christianity have made an impact on how we think, what we value, how we relate, how we decide upon the powers of government, to mention some important factors. General ethics is based on the unsurpassed value of each individual. The double commandment: ‘Love God, love your neighbour’ is fundamental for all other commandments, like ‘you shall honour your mother and father; you shall not steal, you shall not bear false witness; you shall not murder; you shall not covet (neither your neighbour’s wife and employees or any of his belongings), to mention some. The notion that the political leader is a servant of the common good is one reflection of the ideals found in the Bible about being a king and a public servant.

            The good society rests on common respect for each other in accordance with these values. Democracy in itself, the idea of shared power, will not necessarily prevail, if there is no basic trust between people, where to lie is not condemned, where the value of a life is questioned, where there is no equality because some define themselves as born better than others.

Political theories, ideologies, be it capitalism or liberalism or socialism, must be curtailed by the Biblical ethics and values in order to have a chance to function for the benefit of the people.

We face Islamic ideologies of various strands these days, some radical, some moderate. The vast majority of the migrants are from Muslim countries, and they bring with them the Islamic mind-set to a varying degree. There is no tradition of democracy in the Muslim world; the leaders have in many cases been corrupted by greed and power. There is a good reason many have left and are still leaving. In the wake of the effort to bring democratic change into the Muslim world, the forces of democracy lost. The ‘Arab spring’ turned to winter.

The migrants come from many different countries, different cultural backgrounds – different food traditions, different social setting, and much of this is enjoyable to meet and experience. But they did not come here to be in cultural exchange. They fled. They gave up on their own life in the land of their fathers.

And we shall receive them – as we are. We shall share our Christian faith, our ideals and our heritage. It has been a very good source of ideology for our society. We have much to share: and the best is the truth about Jesus Christ. We have basic values, and these are valid for all – whether you call yourself a Christian or not. These values are good and valid for the migrants who may settle here, too. We should never assume that they should remain in the hold of their former societies. They have broken out of that mould. They have an opportunity to rethink their life; and our government should not take it away from them.

Lervåg Bedehus

We have a well-meaning government, the leaders of the UDI branch, but in their naiveté, they demand the reception centres to be ‘neutral’, and if there are any Christian symbols, they must be removed. I say it is naive, for there is no such thing as neutral values. 

In addition, by removing the signs and symbols of our faith, we rob the newcomers from the opportunity to learn about it. Does the government also edict gags on workers, so that they are prohibited from telling anyone of the migrants about our great faith and culture? If so, our government is digging their and our grave; for if the Muslim migrants do not meet the Christian ideas in words and deeds in our land, they will naturally bring in their old ones to fill the void. They have no other choice. They know no other way.

So, what is it going to be? Where the UDI directives fail, we must contribute, and show them a better way.

Let me share a quote from the prophet Isaiah, ch. 58, where the Lord God says:

6“Is not this the fast that I choose:

    to loose the bonds of wickedness,

    to undo the straps of the yoke,

to let the oppressed go free,

    and to break every yoke?

7 

Is it not to share your bread with the hungry

    and bring the homeless poor into your house;

when you see the naked, to cover him,

    and not to hide yourself from your own flesh?”

8 

Then shall your light break forth like the dawn,

    and your healing shall spring up speedily;

your righteousness shall go before you;

    the glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard.”…

Do Not Worry. Do Not Fear.

Do not worry?

But I do.

I have a loved one in transit, travelling far and wide, touching down in the Arab world, travelling over Turkish airspace. I ache, but can do nothing. I trust; I pray. I count hours. At least he has not had any complicated encounters on this trip: No aids-stricken individuals who might threaten him, no lawless driver to run into him. I am grateful. He has reported about many good encounters with people of different backgrounds. He has enjoyed himself fully.

            It is only the journey home, now, I await with some trepidation. There are conflicts, political issues, and he is just and ordinary American in transit.

            Someone asked me today why travelling with an American passport was more risky than travelling with a Norwegian one. I heard myself say something about being a target of terror…and started to think: Why is there any reason at all? There should be no explanation; there should be no reason.

Do not worry.

But I do.

Until I know that the last plane on the trip is safely landed in Oslo, I will not be at ease.

So, I pray in my heart, and cling to the Lord. He knows I am uptight about it; and this is my peace: that I, tense and high-strung, with fear and impatience, come to God.

Naturally, we live in a world where we at any time may face death, but this we live quite happily with. It is when the threat is made visible to me that I sense the fear.

Yes, the recent terror acts have made me less interested in travelling places, visiting Europe. I have some tentative plans to go to Rome to explore and later to Lisbon for a conference in the spring, but I am not sure I will carry it out. In one sense some of my freedom is challenged.

            I say: I will not be ruled by fear. I say: No one defines me but God. And yet, I seek to hide. May the Lord God embolden me; may He win my heart, and help me go about my life without hesitation.

It is natural to fear violence. I have been so blessed with kind and warm and caring people around me, and they help me stay on the narrow path. They encourage me to do what is good. ‘Love your enemies’, says Jesus. I have not understood what an enemy is, really. I have never met one. I have no desire to meet one, either. But should the situation arise, may the Lord take hold of me and work in my heart. I am not sure I would be meek and humble – should, for instance anything happen to those I love…

Lord, have mercy. Guide me and guard me. For Yours is the Kingdom, the Power and the Glory for ever end ever. Amen

on the road to...

A Daily Reminder

When you wake up in the morning,

find a quiet place.

With three fingers connecting, forming a symbol of the Trinity, and the two remaining fingers indicating the two natures of Christ, resting in the palm of your hand, draw the sign of the cross over your body: from your head to your pelvis, from one shoulder, to another, over your heart as you say:

In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, have mercy on me.

The Lord’s Prayer

Our Father who art in Heaven,

Hallowed be thy name;

Thy kingdom come

Thy will be done

On earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread;

And forgive us our trespasses

As we forgive those who trespass against us;

And lead us not into temptation,

But deliver us from evil.

For thine is the kingdom,

The power, and the glory,

For ever and ever.

Amen.

The Apostle’s Creed

I BELIEVE in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth.



I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord. He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit
and born of the Virgin Mary.

He suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried.

He descended to the dead.
On the third day he rose again.
He ascended into heaven,
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again to judge the living and the dead.



I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting. 



Amen.

---------------------

This is a teaching we have from Martin Luther. We need reminders, hands-on actions which help us in our daily life. To make the motions of the cross over my body, I am again dedicating my mind, my emotions, my strength and my heart to God, through Christ Jesus. And I need it, daily. 

The Norwegian Church – Shall I Cut the Ties?

The Norwegian Church has a history as a state church where Christianity was the religion of the land.  People became members through baptism. My parents once carried me to baptism, partly due to a maternal grandmother who insisted on following tradition. My parents were agnostics, not close to the church, not decisively against it, but they were both members. My mother had reasoned that she should not hinder the ceremony; it might be beneficial to her child. If there was some truth in it…it was something good. So, I was baptized during a vacation period, when visiting Grandma. I was 3 months old. And so I became a member of the Norwegian Church.

            Needles to say, I was not in the church much, only when social conventions demanded it of us. In my childhood there was a closer bond between school and church than today, and my dad was a schoolmaster, so there were times we appeared in church.

            It was not until I was in my teenage years that I came in contact with Christian teachings, and after some years, was convinced of the truth of the gospel. Although the church considers me a ‘Christian’ from the time I was 3 months old, I recon it from the time I came to believe.

            Today we have a vast majority of baptized unbelievers as members in the Norwegian Church. They are never challenged on their beliefs – well, they do not show up in church to hear about it, they are not particularly interested in the subject, it seems.

Anyway, what we have today is a democratically chosen leadership, which, through pressure groups of different liberal theology strands with a pro-gay agenda, has seized the organization and will from now on dictate what the Norwegian Church shall be. The liberal theology has some key elements: it denies biblical teaching by reason of historical context, it rejects Pauline teachings on morality (especially concerning gays), it bases the truth value on human experience rather than the revelation of God; it denies the call to obedience to Christ, and it hollows out the teaching of sin-redemption, to mention a few hallmarks.

My question is: with such an ideology in the leadership, will I remain a member?

I had a chat with one of our local priests about it. He faces naturally the same issues, and he wants to be faithful to the Word of God and to foundation the church is built on. He will fight from the inside until they kick him out. I know the local congregation, and I know our two young priests. They are solid, and they are relevant. I am involved with a few things in our local congregation – like Sunday school, choir, and on occasion reading texts, like a sacristan’s function.  I love our gatherings, the liturgy, the moments of sacred time in fellowship.

But what if the liberal profile will define the church organization, and if I still am a member, would it not be like a silent acclamation? Is it not better to have a clear conscience, follow the Lord and separate from the heresy?

On the other hand, I see this church as a mission field in the way that we have an open door of communication to many who otherwise would be totally cut off from any connection with Christianity. On a local level, I may contribute to share the hope we have in Jesus.

Then again, I could back out and find my rich and fulfilling fellowship elsewhere.

On the other hand, I need not cut the tie in order to celebrate with other Christians.

There are options. For instance, I could cut the tie formally, but continue to contribute as I do now.

Perhaps I also come to the conclusion that, even though I am on board a hijacked ship, I may be doing my share to stand up for the truth in the Word of God, until they throw me over board…

Alter i Fjågesund Kyrkje