Author Archives: Carl Beech
The Jesus of my own making
- Jesus the socialist (I find Tory Christians tend to be less vocal about their politics on Twitter)
- The feminist (Ditto masculists as above)
- The romantic (going by comments about worship)
- The radical anarchist
- The pentecostal
- The cessationist (i.e. strange fire)
- The new monastic
- The abolitionist
- The contemplative
- The pacifist
- The creationist (more vocal on Twitter)
- The evolutionist (mostly keep their heads down on Twitter)
- The environmentalist
- The petrol head (added that one for my own sake)
In fact, when I talk to some people or read certain blogs, they often define their own walk of faith via a particular cause, often at the exclusion of other ideologies or positions. For example, “I’m a pacifist Christian.”
That’s all well and good but I start to feel a bit miffed when people go on to say something like, “Jesus was a pacifist” or “Jesus was a socialist”, or any of the above actually.
I’m not going to argue the case over any of those issues, that is not the point of this piece.
But I guess I want to ask the question: “Do we talk about Jesus as King enough?” Or do we rather talk about the Jesus of our own cause or particular emphasis ahead of that?
Now don’t read into this anymore than what is here. I’m not saying those causes aren’t valid. I may not agree with them all but that’s irrelevant. One thing I’m sure we can all agree on is that Jesus is King and that one day every knee will bow to him. More than that, I hope we can agree that this is a major thrust of the Christian message and that our lives need to be surrendered to him. The issues and causes we are passionate about come about because the Holy Spirit has burned a cause or calling in our hearts and lives. That’s fantastic and as it should be. Faith without works is dead. And a Christian without a passion for justice or without desire to see the world changed is like naan bread but without the curry.
In the process of choosing which causes we ultimately care about, let’s make sure the primary and overriding message is that of Jesus and the need to surrender our lives to him. I fear that if we don’t, then the danger is that we are just seen as people who care about moral frameworks or beliefs. Good and right though that is, it’s not the point is it? Call me old-school but when I read the Bible I see bad news as well as good news. I wish that wasn’t true, but it is. Let’s make sure that we give people a valid opportunity to hear the gospel as well as hear the causes and passions we care about most.
This blog was first published on Threads.uk
There’s something about sacrifice
On the first night that the memorial was opened, three buglers played the Last Post. Something remarkable then happened. Every night at 8pm a small group of men from the local fire brigade would close the road and sound the Last Post.
Remarkably, they haven’t missed a night since 28 July 1928. In fact, during the Second World War when Belgium was occupied, the Last Post ceremony was conducted instead in Surrey.
However, as soon as Polish forces liberated Ypres during the Second World War, the ceremony resumed, even though there was heavy fighting taking place in other parts of the city.
Think about it. They close the road every night at precisely 8pm and have done so for the last 85 years!
As we stood there at 8pm on a warm summer’s evening, I watched young and old bow their heads in respect as the buglers played. I saw blokes with tattoos and kids with their jeans hanging round their ankles lay wreaths and brush a tear away. Black, white, Asian, they were all there. In fact it was packed with all ages, genders and representatives from the Commonwealth.
I’m told it’s like this every night. I also saw what I presume were elderly relatives of those who died. I watched them as they stood with quiet dignity, carrying the responsibility for remembering a relative they may never have met. Yes, I had a lump in my throat and a tear in my eye.
A general who was present when the gate was opened in 1927 was reported to have said to grieving family members of the lost and missing: “He is NOT missing, he is here…”
It struck me that it was important to have ‘a place’…
A few days later I stood in the American cemetery overlooking Omaha beach in Normandy, one of the locations of the D-Day invasion in the Second World War. Thousands of marble crosses and Jewish stars all lined up almost as far as you could see. One was to an unknown solider. “Known to God” was the inscription. A visitor had left fresh flowers next to the cross. People were still remembering and honouring sacrifice. Something about sacrifice touches the human heart.
The honour and the dignity I experienced really moved me. The horror and brutality of war also bruised me. I’m glad I know Jesus and I’m glad I have a future hope as well as a hope for today.
“Every warrior’s boot used in battle and every garment rolled in blood will be destined for burning, will be fuel for the fire. For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called: Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:5-7).
This blog was first published here…
This is Sparta
It’s around 480BC and 300 Spartan warriors face an invasion force of 300,000 Persians.
Against the odds they determine to hold them off at a narrow pass called ‘The Hot Gates’ to enable the Greek city-states to muster their various armies and form a united front. It’s a suicide mission and they know it. They fight hard and to the last man. Historians tell how the last men standing were so ferocious they fought using their hands, feet and teeth.
Basically, the Greek city-states gained much needed time to muster their armies and eventually, after a brutal war, the Persian army was driven back and Greece was saved.
There’s no doubt that there were some epic moments among the tragedy of the slaughter.
In a famous exchange captured in the 2006 film 300, the historian Herodotus said this of one of the reputedly bravest warriors called Dienekes.
“He was told by a native of Trachis that the Persian archers were so numerous that their arrows would block out the sun. Dienekes, however, undaunted by this prospect, remarked with a laugh: ‘Good. Then we will fight in the shade.’”
Of course, for all you history geeks out there, the historical version differs a bit from the film but it’s true they held the line, true they all died and true that they enabled the Greek armies to overcome and win the fight.
As a film, 300 rocked the world. It’s still the 24th highest-grossing film for an opening weekend, having taken more than £456 million and has a cult following to this day.
Interestingly the film is said to be popular with men and women, particularly because it has a strong female and male lead. There’s no denying it though that many men love the film and the story. I’m one of them.
Yes there’s glorified and over-stylised violence and I’m sure it says something about our culture that violent films do so well at the box office, but I confess that the film just gripped me. Why? Because it’s a band of brothers fighting against the odds who have each other’s backs. There’s unswerving loyalty to each other and to a cause. There’s pride in who they are and the nation they represent. They refuse to quit and stay upbeat even in the face of certain death. They are well-trained, drilled and motivated. I can’t explain why, but all this, and the sense of heroic struggle, deeply appeals to me.
Perhaps it’s because I’m a throwback dinosaur of a man (I can picture the nodding heads) or perhaps it’s because something deep within me wants to fight for a noble cause and get into a scrap. I think it’s probably something to do with my testosterone levels. Society wants me to be tame and so does the Church – or at least that’s what it tends to communicate.
My role model however isn’t King Leonidas, the Spartan warrior, or a gentile parish vicar; it’s Jesus, and in the words of C S Lewis: “Aslan is not a tame lion.”
This blog was first published here…
Real men don’t drink fruit tea
I like fast cars and motorbikes – especially loud ones. I enjoy hot curry. I listen to indie bands and prog rock. I don’t get the skinny jeans thing and prefer to wear my trousers around my waist and not hanging off my rear. I own an air rifle. I like toys and gadgets and one of my favourite films isRocky II (arguably the best of the lot of ‘em).
I also like top 10 lists, facts and stats about any sort of vehicle, building or structure and like to see things explode – especially caravans. I lift weights, go fishing, enjoy a sporting challenge that hurts (I’m running the Snowdonia marathon in a few months’ time) and don’t like clothes shopping or musicals. I mean, why sing when you can have a conversation? I love hanging out with the blokes and enjoy real ale and good wine. I am a cliché of a man.
Or so you would think.
I’m also married and have two daughters. This means I watch chick flicks. I’m not stereotyping women, it’s a fact that they like them, so I watch them with them because I like their company. I have to say that another one of my favourite films is Sleepless in Seattle (every man needs a guilty pleasure). Gets me every time. It also means I get to cast opinions on clothes, make-up, self image, romance dilemmas and demonstrate tenderness and gentleness towards my daughters. I hug my kids, and tell all the girls in my life every day that I love them. In fact, I love nothing more than a night in with my family. I also dabble in playing both classical piano and guitar, read history books, enjoy star-gazing and have published some poems. Go figure. Unbelievably, I also love to cook for my family and tidy up afterwards. I’m also an animal lover with a big soft spot for dogs. (I have something of a small zoo). I also have a thing about nature in general and a little-known fact is that I like trees and was once a member of the Woodland Trust.
The point being, we are all deeper and more complex than might appear on the surface.
Don’t make the mistake of pigeon-holing someone because they like certain things or talk a certain way. It’s discrimination. This often happens to me. As an example, I was once introduced as:
“This is Carl Beech, don’t let his accent and appearance fool you, he’s actually quite bright underneath it all.”
On another occasion, someone said:
“You don’t look and sound like someone with two degrees.”
If it wasn’t funny, words like that can really wind a guy from Essex up. The thing is that by the same token, telling me what I should or shouldn’t be in order to be a man is equally as offensive. And nor should I, as the leader of an international men’s ministry define what a so called ‘real man’ should look and sound like.
It mildly amuses me that for the most part it’s women who are commentating on what real masculinity is. I could cite many articles written by women on this issue. Now think about it. If I as a man was to publish an article on ‘femininity’, I would probably be rounded up and kicked out of Dodge before you could say ‘internal combustion engine’. Leave us be. We’ll work it out.
Back to the heading; personally, I think fruit tea is a bit weird. It’s a bit like drinking hot blackcurrant juice but paying a lot more for it. Why bother? But if that’s ya poison, fill ya boots. In my opinion, the same goes for the way some men choose to express their masculinity. The bottom line is this: be your own man. Things go wrong when men feel they have to order a beer at a bar, just because everyone else is. If you want an orange juice then have one. Babycham is a different story. The same goes for sport. I don’t massively follow football. Surprised you now, haven’t I? I get interested because millions of men are interested and it’s a great way to reach out. I feel no pressure to conform though. You like playing the harp and tapestry as a man? Fine by me. You like loud engines and real ale? Fine by me. You like skinny jeans? Bit weird, but fine by me! And so it should be for all of us.
What I will do is challenge negative aspects of masculinity. Violence against women, propagating sex trafficking by visiting brothels, buying porn etc. I won’t knock testosterone though. And nor should you. That there are men willing to use their testosterone to keep us safe and lay down their lives is always ignored when men are criticised for their aggression. It can be harnessed for good and not ill. The world needs strong and fearless men on a number of different levels. Radical love through to radical ‘life on the line’ action.
Anyway, as far as I am concerned, there are millions of men in the UK who like the ‘man stuff’ who don’t know Jesus. Christian Vision for Men and I meet them on their turf and in a way that they understand. The Church needs to grasp this idea as well and ban streamers and God snog songs. Maybe I’m a cliché in your eyes, but for the sake of the millions of men dying without Jesus, I’m happy to be one. Just don’t buy me a fruit tea if we ever meet.
This blog was first published here…
Has evangelism been forgotten?
I’ve noticed a trend among Christians that’s starting to make me feel grumpy.
It may just be the people or organisations that I ‘follow’, but as I look through my Twitter feed I notice that the vast majority of comments are on issues such as justice, food banks, trafficking, gender issues, politics etc.
All of this is of course very good indeed. Before you get grumpy with me, yes I do think that Christians should be engaged with the world, and yes I do think we should be leading the charge in many of these areas. It’s fantastic that Christian leaders (mostly, if not exclusively women, in fact) comment on the papers on BBC News and Sky TV. It’s great that the Evangelical Alliance has staff who are engaged with parliament and it’s fantastic there are big ministries engaged with family life, politics, trafficking and poverty.
There is however a noticeable and surprising absence in all the comment. The stories of radical transformation through the proclamation of the gospel. Sure, there are some, but in no way to the same frequency as the other stuff. I’ve started to wonder why this is.
After all, any speed-read through the gospels and you soon notice that most of the content is about finding and saving the lost. Yeah ok, it’s old-school terminology, but that’s what Jesus calls people who don’t know him, so thats good enough for me. So I ask the question: “If the majority of the content of the gospels is about salvation, why isn’t that reflected in our activity and comment?”
Have we lost confidence in the fact that the simple proclamation of the gospel has the power to radically transform lives? I don’t think it’s a lack of confidence in the gospel that is at the heart of the problem. The problem is that we have drowned out the message of the cross through lots of activity that was inspired by the cross in the first place.
In a nutshell – have we stopped actually telling people about Jesus?
Also, have we stopped believing that the radical transformation of society and the end of injustice will come through people meeting Jesus Christ?
It may be that you haven’t personally done this, but let me tell you that when I talk to Christians about evangelism, I soon discover that most Christians have never led anyone to Christ and most don’t have any non-Christian friends. Even people I know who get asked to speak on evangelism have privately told me that they don’t have friends who aren’t Christians. I find this troubling.
Here’s another truth: when budgets get tight the first thing denominations and mission agencies do is axe the evangelism/mission department. I suspect it’s because it doesn’t attract the money in the same way that other departments do. It’s time to think again.
The thing is that I’m discovering more and more that people are searching for God and that divine opportunities are all around us, all the time.
A few months ago I was speaking at a curry night in a small village with 22 men in attendance. One bloke stood out. Skinhead, tattoos, piercings, aggressive stare all the way through my talk. To cut a long story short we had a chat at the bar afterwards. It turned out he was a ‘general’ in the extreme far-right movement. He asked me if Jesus could forgive anything. I said yes, then he left.
It turns out that he didn’t sleep all night. The next morning, he went to a local church and found the pastor in his study. Moments later he was on his knees giving his life to Jesus Christ. I met him last week. He had renounced his old life, started afresh and gave me some tips on witnessing to people. I saw him in the corner (it was another curry night) praying with three other men, arms around each other. A transformed life, leading to a transformed society.
God is a God of justice and yes we need action to fix a broken world. But let’s not stop telling people about the one who can fix it and them.
This blog was first published here…
International Men's Day
In case you missed it, today is International Men’s Day.
It’s not an officially sanctioned United Nations day but it’s now recognised in over 60 nations around the world, so let’s get behind it!
This year the focus is as follows :-
‘Keeping Men and Boys Safe’
The five challenges for 2013:
1. Tackling male suicide
2. Keeping men and boys safe to allow them to become tomorrow’s role models
3. End tolerance of violence towards men and boys
4. Boost men’s life expectancy by keeping men and boys safe from avoidable illness
5. Keeping men and boys safe by promoting fathers and male role models
Statistically, men are much, much more likely to commit suicide. Men and boys globally are also much more likely to be killed as a result of violence. Did you know that 7 out of 10 murders victims in the UK are men? The majority of the 300,000 child soldiers around the world are boys, (yes it’s true that girls are also used as child soliders and that is, of course, also horrific), but violence is a way of life for hundreds of thousands of young boys. Tragically, every hour there are around 150 acts of violence against men and boys. In fact, according to the office of national statistics, last year a staggering 800,000 men were victims of domestic violence (as opposed to 1.2 million women). Of course, men are not very likely to speak out about this … nor are the 1 in 6 boys who are sexually abused … yes, 1 in 6.
CVM exists to go to the heart causes of these issues. We believe that true transformation comes from an encounter with Jesus Christ. You can see a great testimony here: http://www.yesheis.com/en/v/rob-sanassis-story
In the mean time, please consider how you might be able to help contribute to the change that we desperately need to see.
Ps. CVM salutes everyone, men and women, who are always cheering men on – not just on International Mens Day!
My travels
I had a fantastic week of travels two weeks ago and met a number of fantastic leaders and men.
First stop was in Whitehaven (Cumbria) where I spoke on reaching working class men with the gospel. I met a very dedicated group of people who had decided to move the church out of the town centre and onto a needy estate nearby. Not many churches doing that! In the evening I spoke to leaders and church members from around the area about the gospel and culture…and how we connect the two.
Then it was all about Scotland. Firstly I met Rob Waller of Mind and Soul in Livingstone. Rob is a consultant psychiatrist and committed follower of Jesus. Emotional and mental health in men is something I’m really interested in, particularly in the alarming number of suicide victims who are men. I was so struck by what Rob had to say that I’ve asked him to speak at our CVM training day in Feb and I hope also at The Gathering next year.
Finally it was all about Scotland. Firstly A pit stop in Falkirk and a quick tour of the Royal Yacht in Edinburgh (seeing how the other half lived). Picking up CVM Scotland Director Stephen, we went up to Inverness to speak at a men’s day there, organised by the “Alive” team. I have to say it was a fantastic day and gives me great hope for our work across Scotland. The urgent need now is to raise funds so that we can deploy a team to carry the work forward.
All in all a great week of travel. There’s a huge amount going on out there in the world of men’s ministry. My hope is to give you some snap shots from time to time so that you get a feel for the movement as it grows.
The problem with Dave – Part 1
I’ve been thinking a great deal over the years about the way we communicate the “good news” about Jesus to men. We wonder why we see so few men becoming followers of Jesus but fail to effectively and analytically look at the message we are communicating, the way we are communicating it and who we are communicating it too.
So, here are a few blog posts over a few weeks about telling ordinary men about Jesus.
I strongly believe that the church is failing to operate behind enemy lines. As far as I can see, the UK church is rarely in the front line trenches of proclamation and hardly ever behind enemy lines. Check this very simple diagram out:-
Dave (mark 1) is not a Christian. He doesn’t give a stuff about what you believe unless he’s had a couple of beers. He is after-all, like most men, an expert on everything already. Sure he likes to row with you in the pub but for the most part he doesn’t really care about church stuff and its not at the top of his list of hot topics to discuss with his mates. Working class Dave wrote the church off years ago.
So who is Dave? Well, Dave drinks beer, loves football (West Ham of course) and thinks that Jeremy Clarkson (if you don’t know who he is, you need to get out more) should be Prime Minister. He has a skilled manual labour job, only goes to church when someone gets married, drops dead or chucks water on their kids head before having a few beers and a roast dinner. He doesn’t care about atheism, creationism or any other ism. He’s a bloke.
Then there’s Dave (mark 2). Dave is a full on fired up follower of Jesus. He prays, tithes, has a quiet time and feels guilty when he doesn’t. He goes to the mid-week prayer meeting and a home group. He smiles at the little kids in the church and helps out sometimes at crèche. He happily sits through long sermons and sings emotional songs to a man. He has embraced churchianity and christianity. He is Dave redeemed, tamed and cleaned up. (More on the “taming of the Dave” in future weeks).
There is however a massive problem. Most church evangelism starts where the church is on the diagram. Way too far along the scale of belief. To go on an Alpha course, you need to be prepared to sit and have a meal with a stranger, over a structured 10 week course, attend a Holy Spirit weekend and share your feelings. Alpha is amazing as is Christianity Explored. But to attend you have to be prepared to want the conversation and be fairly committed to seeing it through. You’ve also got to be able to work through some real church sub-culture stuff and get the jargon. (More on this issue in future editions as well). He’s also got to filter a message that tells him that he’s needy and needs a saviour.
Basically, it’s not going to happen is it? Or if it does its rare. Sure, someone will write to me and tell me how Dave came through but its not happening in massive numbers is it.
The church needs to learn how to operate in the realm and world of Dave (mark 1) and that friends, is behind enemy lines. At CVM we view it as a massive victory if we move a bloke along the scale of belief. Get a debate going with Dave that’s not beer fueled and you’ve won a skirmish behind the lines. He accepts an offer of prayer and you’ve neutralised a defensive shield. Get him to your church blokes clay pigeon shoot and bonfire and you’ve taken an enemy position out.
Firstly of course you’ve got to get behind enemy lines and to do that you’ve actually got to make some mates who aren’t followers of Jesus. I kid you not when I tell you that I know evangelists who haven’t got any mates who aren’t followers of Jesus. So lets get out there.
Future blogs will cover:- jargon, what is good news to a man, church for men and more.
As a final note, you’ll realise that this blog is about actually telling people about Jesus. The UK church is swamped just now with loads of political and social justice activity. I’m deeply involved in some of this activity. Its all good stuff but I appeal to you that we mustn’t lose proclamation. As far as I’m concerned, the biggest injustice of all is that people die without knowing Jesus.
This blog was first published on carlbeech.com
