Canon Andrew White on ITV
Our good friend Andrew White is being featured on an ITV programme on Sunday night at 11.05, presented by Rageh Omar, called "The Vicar of Baghdad". The blurb on the ITV website says the following:
Rageh Omaar presents a portrait of Canon Andrew White, minister at St George's Church which stands a mile outside Baghdad's highly protected Green Zone and is the only Anglican church in Iraq. Rageh joins White, who is also the president of the Foundation for Relief and Reconciliation in the Middle East, as he meets security adviser Mowaffak Al Rubaie and delivers a sermon to senior US officers at the American Embassy.
We're going camping in Buxton this weekend, meeting up with our friends Jason and Tina Kapp who used to be in Bracknell but now lead the Newfrontiers church in Stockport, so will hopefully find time to watch it some time next week.
Several people have also commented to me on the Channel 4 Dispatches programme "In God's Name" which was on this week and 'featured' various UK based so called Christian Fundamentalists. I didn't see it but from what people have said it was all very negative, presenting Christians as people who are just against lots of things. I'd make three appeals in all this.
First of all that we don't get blown about by all that we see on TV, either getting up when something positive, which I'm sure the Andrew White programme is going to be, is on, or getting down when something negative like the Dispatches programme comes along. Our confidence for the future is in God and his power, not in how the media choose to portray Christianity.
Secondly let's remember Jesus words, that "God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him" and seek to build a community known for what it is for rather than what it is against.
Thirdly when negative stuff comes along you don't have to watch it, read it or listen to it. As Paul says - "whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.". Let's fill our minds and meditate on good stuff - as Pete Moon so powerfully reminded us on Sunday night.
Sorry, that's been a bit longer than I intended so hope you made it to the end. If you have any comments on this then add them to the blog for others to see.
Simon.
ps I am still going to write something on the Lakeland Revival - hopefully later this week.
Rageh Omaar presents a portrait of Canon Andrew White, minister at St George's Church which stands a mile outside Baghdad's highly protected Green Zone and is the only Anglican church in Iraq. Rageh joins White, who is also the president of the Foundation for Relief and Reconciliation in the Middle East, as he meets security adviser Mowaffak Al Rubaie and delivers a sermon to senior US officers at the American Embassy.
We're going camping in Buxton this weekend, meeting up with our friends Jason and Tina Kapp who used to be in Bracknell but now lead the Newfrontiers church in Stockport, so will hopefully find time to watch it some time next week.
Several people have also commented to me on the Channel 4 Dispatches programme "In God's Name" which was on this week and 'featured' various UK based so called Christian Fundamentalists. I didn't see it but from what people have said it was all very negative, presenting Christians as people who are just against lots of things. I'd make three appeals in all this.
First of all that we don't get blown about by all that we see on TV, either getting up when something positive, which I'm sure the Andrew White programme is going to be, is on, or getting down when something negative like the Dispatches programme comes along. Our confidence for the future is in God and his power, not in how the media choose to portray Christianity.
Secondly let's remember Jesus words, that "God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him" and seek to build a community known for what it is for rather than what it is against.
Thirdly when negative stuff comes along you don't have to watch it, read it or listen to it. As Paul says - "whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.". Let's fill our minds and meditate on good stuff - as Pete Moon so powerfully reminded us on Sunday night.
Sorry, that's been a bit longer than I intended so hope you made it to the end. If you have any comments on this then add them to the blog for others to see.
Simon.
ps I am still going to write something on the Lakeland Revival - hopefully later this week.