As some of you know, I recently spent 3 weeks in the Mulberry Unit in Stracathro. The new treatment I am commencing necessitates daily monitoring (6 times daily at the start) which is best achieved in a hospital setting.
Recently I signed a petition to stop the closure of the unit. Ironically, I did not know at the time that I would end up there. God works in mysterious ways.
The unit itself is fantastic, a modern purpose-built cloister design with two central gardens and tonnes of activities happening throughout the week. On my first night there I discovered two other Christians, who encouraged me. It was great to see friendly faces at the dinner table.
It is a bit of an eye-opener to be on ‘the receiving side’ of treatment rather than being a health care worker. Fitting into the routine of the ward, having dinner at 5pm and asking for pain relief for toothache is one element.
Another aspect includes partnering with the nursing staff in one-to-one sessions to develop a recovery plan. They are also the ones in charge of monitoring side-effects (the GASS scale as everything in medicine has acronyms) and alerting the medics if necessary.
I was amazed at how caring the other patients were, as we all had our own problems to deal with. The art room provided a great outlet for messages of hope and expressions of feeling and I even found a few board game enthusiasts (our favourite game being the aptly named ‘Go Nuts’).
We really appreciated the multidisciplinary team who took us swimming, helped us prepare healthy food and the physiotherapist who brought his ‘therapet’ Dylan, a Labradoodle to the walking football classes.
I also found solace in my guitar, as David did when he played for Saul, as an outlet of feelings or simply to place myself in a good mood and feel a sense of achievement. In the middle of this quiet, peaceful unit, singing praises is often a gentle way for voices to be heard, and hopefully bring light and love to others too.
Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High
will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress,
my God, in whom I trust.”
(Psalm 91 and Isaiah 40, inspiration for the song ‘On Eagles Wings’ by Michael Joncas)
Anne Parfitt-Rogers is a junior doctor in NHS Tayside
I have been meaning to write about human uniqueness: The question of whether humans are different in kind, and not just in degree, from animals. Is it possible to be a little bit human, or is it all or nothing? Amongst the “big questions”, this is one that gets rather little coverage. It’s a question that perhaps explains why we preserve human life at great cost – in suffering or in money – while humanely putting down our ailing pets. Our attitude to the nature of being human affects our responses to issues of assisted suicide, abortion, and care for those suffering from dementia.
How does this relate to the Christian faith? Paul says: “Not all flesh is the same: People have one kind of flesh, animals have another, birds another and fish another” (1Cor 15:39, NIV), suggesting that he sees humans as qualitatively distinct from other life. One approach to the question is exemplified by the Catholic belief that God creates a soul for every human being, probably at the moment of conception. By having a human soul, a person is then unambiguously human throughout their life, regardless of any illness or injury impairing their consciousness. Their value comes from being human, a state regarded by believers as bearing the image of God, not from their past contribution to society, their future potential, or the richness of their experiential life. The view of ensoulment at conception is not without baggage, however, notably the wastage inherent in the half or more of conceptions that do not lead to a live birth.
“Who knows if the human spirit rises upward and if the spirit of the animal goes down into the earth” (Eccl 3:21, NIV)? On the other side is the view that animals can be valued on the same scale as, if not on a par with, mankind. Stressing communicating dolphins, intelligent chimpanzees and grieving elephants, such a perspective views some animals as experiencing human-like emotions and even self-awareness. Seeing animal consciousness as different from ours only in degree, and not in kind, implies a high view of animal rights. However, it is not a viewpoint often expressed in scripture or common amongst Christians, and not just because of the “Will you meet your lunch in heaven” question.
In researching that subject, I came across a Catholic website[i] offering an answer to “would a human clone have a soul?” The affirmative response seems entirely doctrinally consistent. However, thinking about this it raises a possible reductio ad absurdum argument against human uniqueness. Step zero: amoral genius (AG) engineers human clone. Step one: AG engineers human clone with one chimpanzee gene replacing one human gene. Step N: AG engineers human-chimp hybrid with N chimp genes. Last step: AG engineers chimpanzee. Exactly the same argument could be made about stepwise introduction of computer hardware into a brain along the path from human through cyborg to android. Question: At what step do the hybrids stop being human? The point of the argument is not to ask the question for its own sake or in an open-minded way, but to suggest that no point along this pathway is qualitatively different to its neighbour and therefore that human uniqueness can’t be gained or lost at any of them and must be a fallacy.
Jesus was very adept at understanding arguments, answering the resulting questions, and discerning the motivations behind them. In Luke 20, He gives outstandingly insightful answers to trick questions about authority (vv1-8) and paying taxes (vv 20-26). However, there is something different about the question in verses 27-40. The Sadducees did not believe in a resurrection. Their question about one bride for seven brothers was intended as a reductio ad absurdum of the whole idea. If there were a resurrection, then seven men would be married to one woman, in clear contravention of Jewish custom and law. Hence, the very idea of a resurrection was absurd.
That an apparently strong argument exists against your belief does not necessarily render it false. If human uniqueness needs to be defended, that argument against it could be opposed in many ways. Maybe the clone or cyborg pathways don’t work because such replacements aren’t technically possible, or because the hybrids are not viable. Indeed, God could create or withhold human spirits as only He sees fit. Even ignoring the two previous objections, I myself see no problem with neighbouring entities belonging to different categories. This doesn’t seem to be a difficulty in geography (Gretna and Carlisle) or in mathematics.[ii] So the argument against human uniqueness is perhaps not as strong as it initially appears.
And the Sadducees? Jesus not only saw through their question, but also highlighted why their argument didn’t work. Their assumption that the spouses would still be married at the resurrection was wrong. Maybe it’s a warning about being too certain of our theology, humble enough to accept that we don’t know it all and can’t be right about everything.
While I’ve always felt comfortable with the Greek-style “ghost in the machine” model, I have to accept the worth of the more Hebrew view emphasising bodily resurrection. Nonetheless, I was challenged by meeting Christians who took the latter view to the extreme of not believing in the existence of a human spirit or soul at all. I’m reminded of a highly speculative seminar I once attended entitled “What we can be certain about regarding the End Times” – let’s just say that it’s probably a good idea not to be too narrow-mindedly certain about such things.
I’m sure that most Christians believe in human uniqueness, even though we may not understand exactly what it means, and hopefully don’t see it as an excuse for muzzling their oxen – or whatever that modern day equivalent might be. I’m not advocating taking out our putative superiority on the rest of the biosphere. Nonetheless, I do believe we should specially value people, and specifically not because of past performance or future potential. A baby is worth loving not just because of what she or he might achieve thirty year hence.
[i] http://www.catholic.com/quickquestions/would-a-human-clone-have-a-soul
[ii] In mathematics, I’m thinking about discontinuous functions.
John Mitchell is a Chemistry Lecturer in a small town in the East of Fife.
A few thoughts on the new church values…
Honouring
Genesis 43:28 ‘They replied (to Joseph), “Your servant our father is still alive and well.” And they bowed low to pay him honor’.
In my workplace I aim to honour my colleagues, from senior consultants and nurses to students and volunteers. As a church at the moment we are praying for the politicians of this land as part of the Catching the Wave initiative.
Generous
2 Corinthians 9:13 ‘Men will praise God.. for your generosity in sharing.’
A few months ago I decided to sponsor a child in Africa with the charity Love in Action. At City Church Dundee we are very good at giving, as evidenced by a new projector and drum screen recently purchased for the church.
Courageous
Deuteronomy 31:2-6 ‘Then Moses spoke these words: Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.’
Courage can take many forms. I believe we will be challenged by the Communicating Love and Light & Life course taking place over the summer, as we have done before whilst Treasure Hunting.
Welcoming
Matthew 18:5 ‘Whoever welcome a little child like this in my name welcomes me.’
I am trying (with room for improvement!) to meet and welcome visitors that come to church each week. CCD’s welcome was one of the things that struck me when I first came, and we extend this to our ministries including The Bridge and Little Stars.
Compassionate
Psalm 103:8 ‘The Lord is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love.’
As a doctor I hope I have compassion on those who are sick and their relatives, drawing on God’s strength and Spirit. In church the Prayer Team do a fantastic job at caring for all kinds of requests and we can all join in via the Prayer emails.
Real
2 Cor 6:4-6 ‘As servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: through glory and dishonour, bad report and good report; genuine, yet regarded as impostors’
When I told my parents about the values, this was the one they found most interesting. We are what the Father says about us, not what the world says, as this is our temporary home. Being genuine stops us judging others and avoids a ‘holier than thou’ attitude, which is more likely to lead people to Christ. From my experience, I think City Church is already pretty good at this.
So in summary, lots to keep us busy over the coming months!
Anne Parfitt-Rogers is a member of City Church Dundee and occasionally tinkles on the ivories as a pianist. She also plays the oboe, sings in a local choir and works for NHS Tayside.
I was listening to a programme on the radio about oil and how precious it is as a commodity, focussing on the current low prices and how this is affecting the USA and Arab countries.
In the Bible, oil is of great importance. A few weeks ago at housegroup, we were discussing the extravagance of Mary when she poured oil over Jesus’ feet. This display of love and adoration is something we can all emulate as we bring our lives to God.
The principle of anointing with oil goes back to Genesis, when Jacob set up a stone pillar at Luz, which he renamed Bethel, the house of God. Anointing it with oil in Genesis 28 and again in 35, he dedicated the place to ‘El Shaddai’ (God Almighty).
Moving to Exodus, oil is used multiple times – to make bread, as an offering and to anoint Aaron and his sons so that they are consecrated to do God’s work. In Leviticus, oil is poured over the finest flour as a grain offering, and mixed with incense in a food offering burnt as pleasing to the Lord.
In total, there are 202 references to oil in the Bible, from Elisha’s miracle increase in the woman’s oil (to save her sons from being sold for her debt) in 1 Kings 4:1 to Joash, keeper of the stores of oil in 1 Chronicles 27:28.
Of the 14 times mentioned in the New Testament, we think of Jesus’ encouragement to cover our faces with oil when we fast, so that they will shine (Matthew 6:17 and Psalm 104:15). In James 5:14, we are exhorted to pray for the sick, anointing them with oil.
Finally, it reminds me of a song we used to sing at school, “Give me oil in my lamp, keep me burning; Give me oil in my lamp, I pray… Sing Hosanna to the King of Kings.”
May God give us fuel to replenish our resources and carry on with his good work during this busy Christmas season.
I have been doing a wee bit of travelling in the past few weeks. Firstly to the Christian Medical Fellowship Scotland Conference in Aviemore and then to the Scottish Fellowship of Christian Writers in Stirling. Wherever we are, God speaks.
The CMF Scotland group is a mixture of doctors, relatives and other professionals who gather together once a year to encourage each other and discuss a Biblical response to health-related topics. (There are also other conferences, such as the CMF junior doctors’ meeting this weekend down in Leicestershire).
This year our topic was Hebrews 12 – Heroes of Faith – from Abel who offered a Spirit-filled sacrifice rather than doing things in his own strength, to Abraham whose faith was tested by the Lord and Isaac’s life with the dangers of compromise. We were encouraged – as a version of Amazing Grace tells us – to ‘go on’ in Christ’s strength.
At the seminars we talked about Godliness in the Home, based on Titus 2, Christians in Politics from the Christian Institute, including the new Named Person Scheme in Scotland and the influence of anti-slavery politician William Wilberforce, How to Be a Missionary and Busyness in our daily lives.
Fast-forwarding to this weekend, I got a lift down with the lovely Wendy Jones to the SCFW Conference. Our speaker was a social care and mental health manager from the NHS, who shared his insights into poetry, hermeneutics (studying the Bible) and caring for the weak in our society.
We heard the prize-winning entries to the last competition, Prayer, and the introduction to the next challenge, Travel, based on Robert Louis Stevenson’s quote, “It is better to travel hopeful than to arrive.” An open-mike session allowed us to share our work, and after lunch we dived into two workshops, Prose or Poetry.
Based on Psalm 133, “How wonderful, how beautiful, when brothers and sisters get along!”, an enjoyable day was had by all and we came back inspired to write an eclectic range of works – from blog posts to children’s novels to missionary tales to study guides.
It was one, stupid lesson at school. Social Education (or Soc Ed as we all call it), the lesson which teaches young people how to relate to other human beings. A well meaning idea perhaps, but in practice the work is often taken out of a badly written textbook, or is in the form of a class discussion, in which the class do nothing but throw pencils at each other. It is usually completely useless and a total waste of time – a “skive” period. However, this particular lesson was even worse than usual… we had a cover teacher.
The most part of the period was spent sitting around while the teacher fiddled with the computer and occasionally read to us from the lesson plan.
“Talk to the class about internet safety and digital tattoos,” she read. She didn’t continue and seemed to be rereading the last statement, her face a picture of confusion. Eventually, she asked the few members of my class who were listening, “What’s a Digital Tattoo? Is it some new technology I’ve not heard of before? Does it scan the tattoo onto your arm?”
I’d never heard the phrase before but I could work out what it meant.
“I think it’s trying to compare a tattoo to everything people post online and on social media. You know, they’re both permanent?”
The teacher seemed fairly pleased with this and continued trying to log onto the computer, but I was no longer paying her any attention. Digital Tattoo. Something about the phrase seemed to ring true with me, although I’d never had any experience of having to be particularly careful online. I was always very sensible, never talking to strangers or posting pictures I wouldn’t show friends in real life. There was no way I could ever have any issues on social media. Or so I thought.
The next evening, I logged onto Facebook to check what had been going on in the three hours since I’d last checked. I had a couple of new notifications, so I absently clicked on the icon to see if there was anything interesting, whilst also opening the latest chapter of my book, hoping to get a bit of writing done. I scanned through all the usual trash – people inviting me to play games mostly. There was nothing interesting except… I did a double take. Some girls from school had commented on one of my Christian posts! I was immediately sick with worry. Oh no. People from my school weren’t Christians. They’d be taking the mick. And sure enough they were, tagging all their friends so they could laugh too. It was a very harmless post, which simply said: “God is my SHIELD.” I was doing a little challenge which involved posting a statement like this every day for a week. Loads of my friends from church were doing it. But now the school hierarchy had found it. The popular people who decided how everyone else treated you. They had found it, and they were all laughing at it together. The big question was, what to do?
A massive part of me wanted to completely ignore them. An even bigger part wanted to just laugh it off to avoid any conflict. But a little voice in my head told me not to do that. So I didn’t. I can’t pretend it was easy standing up for myself and my faith. And I can’t pretend that there were no repercussions – even now, two weeks later I get sniggered at in the corridors at school – but I can say that more good things happened than bad. Persecution is never easy, however mild it is, but we are never alone in it and there is never a bad reason to stick up for Jesus. For some reason, that first evening when the popular girls from school were making a joke of me, I remembered our anti-lesson from the previous day about Digital Tattoos. And I imagined that I was painting myself a digital tattoo with every word, because everything we put online, everything we do in our lives full stop has influence and it is a bit like a tattoo. I don’t know whether that picture was from God, but I do know it helped me. I knew that what I said was crucial, that it would be tattooed on my life. So I really wanted to make it a beautiful one.
I went to bed that night still unsure whether I’d done the right thing. Had I been too preachy? Too much of a pushover? Not open enough? Given too much information? Could I have said something better? I honestly had no clue. But when I logged onto Facebook that morning, I realised that I had done something right. Enough that three schoolmates who I barely knew had been brave enough to tell me they too were Christians. One girl, who was just as popular as any of the ones who had been laughing at me the night before, was brave enough to post for all her friends to see that God had done amazing things in her life.
So it wasn’t easy. It was tough and painful. But Jesus can only do good things and the hurt I felt can not be compared to the joy of helping empower other people like me to come out as Christians and having the privilege to show others complete forgiveness. Never be afraid to share your beliefs and never be afraid of the power of social media – God is infinitely greater and with him you can paint yourself an amazing Digital Tattoo.
Wow! I actually learnt something from Soc Ed! Now that’s a miracle for you.
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4:6
Fear or Faith? Anger and anxiety, or trust and peace of mind? Do you go about in cycles of worry? What are you afraid of? Can you name it?
The letter to the Philippians contains the beautiful line above. It’s a call not to exist in that state of anxiety. Instead, Paul says in everything turn these matter into prayers, petitions, and bring them all to God.
It’s here that something happens. In this magical place, an incomprehensible peace arrives in you. It doesn’t even make sense – when you’re slavishly worrying away, and nothing seems to do the trick, how can you possibly feel completely at peace, all of a sudden, or slowly and overwhelmingly? Well, this is St Paul’s promise, and he finds it in Jesus.
Jesus’s promise is even greater. It’s not just peace we get, but ownership. If you trust God – even a little bit – it’s yours. He’s yours.
I can testify to this. All my hopeless woes evaporate before God. The Mighty Creator rules, OK? Nothing passes him by, and as God our Father, it’s his pleasure to give us good things. Peace is one of them. Even the longings of our hearts find their answers in his infinite mind and ability, longings that need tweaked and longings that he put there. He has good gifts in store, so please ask for them. The best of all – wait for it – is…
…himself.
So why not pray for more of his Holy Spirit?
He will give you peace.
Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.
Mark 11:24
If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.
John 15:7
WE’VE challenged the ‘youth’ of City Church Dundee to read a bible verse each morning, giving them a shot of prayer fuel. Actually, a better picture here might be a tree.
In this chapter of John, Jesus begins and goes on, “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener…you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.”
This is an amazingly helpful picture of what it means to exist as a follower of Christ. We are branches, one with the tree/vine of Jesus. On the outside, it’s easy to see we’re one with Him. On the inside, there is a life flowing through our veins.
For those that are doing biology exams, this is a good time to remember xylem and phloem! The water-and-nutrient-carrying channels that travel through the tree to its branches are hidden under the surface, but without them, the branches will die.
Soak in the bible, and let the Holy Spirit’s secret flow continue in your very soul. Stay in the tree – “abide,” (like the Dundonian, where d’you ‘bide?) means live, stay, remain, don’t go away.
As a branch, abiding in the tree Jesus, “ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.”
Friday 7th March is World Prayer Day, this year focusing on Egypt and “Streams in the Desert”. Egypt is a country steeped in Biblical history, from Abram’s journey with Sarai into new lands to Joseph’s interpretation of dreams and Moses’ leadership out of the country (Genesis). It was named after one of Noah’s grandsons by the same name (Genesis 10). Later in the Old Testament, Solomon makes an alliance with the Egyptians, purchasing horses to add to his army. However God warns that depending on Egypt, a worldly power, rather than on Him will lead to ruin (2 Kings 18).
The country has a rich religious and cultural heritage, from the pyramids of the Pharaohs to Christian temples and Muslim shrines, although the political situation has not been peaceful in recent years. The video below encourages us to pray for Egypt and other countries around the world, and look forward to the future when all those who are thirsty will unite, “In that day there will be an altar to the Lord in the heart of Egypt, and a monument to the Lord at its border” (Isaiah 19:19).
Anne Parfitt-Rogers
citysword 
