Movement magazine issue 154

always been on the wrong side of human history and human to ask ourselves what this actually means. Is prolonging life
issues. We believed that the world was flat, that it was at artificially through the use of expensive drugs, while people
the centre of the universe when it wasn’t, that white men on the other side of the world are dying in their 30s and 40s
could own black men as slaves, and that women should because of a lack of nutrition fair? Is that equality for every
not be in leadership. I think we need to look at this and ask citizen of the world?
ourselves how we have read the bible so wrongly. Then we
need to take what we’ve learned from history and apply If we want to change the world, where should we start?
that to how we treat the LGBTI community. I’ve had people We start where we live, and with what is in our hands. Use
say me, privately, that they support the full inclusion of the the gifts and talents that you have, and the values you live
LGBTI community in our churches, but this needs to be by, and start there.
said publicly. The Pope, and the Archbishop of Canterbury,
recently apologised for the way churches have treated LGBT Who is your favourite theologian? I love theology!
people, and an apology is a good place to start, but it’s only Probably Helmut Thielicke. He’s a contemporary German
as good as changed behaviour.
theologian, and his work is best summed up in one quote -
‘The task of the church is constantly to forward the gospel to
What do you think the next big issue to face the church a new address, because the recipient keeps on moving’. His
is going to be? I think the next big issue for us to get our whole body of work is about how we present the timeless
heads around is euthanasia. It’s a big issue because of truth about God in fresh ways in new cultural settings. He
the advances in medical science that keep people alive points out that Jesus didn’t just tell Old Testament stories,
longer, and this stacks up a huge number of moral issues he told new ones and he asked new questions, but his
for us. Obviously every human life is sacred, but we need message was the same truth.
To read our full interview with Steve Chalke, visit www.movement.org.uk/blog
RESOURCE
READING
THE BIBLE
In my Father’s house are many rooms. In
the body are many parts. In the vine are
many branches. In the books of the Bible
there are many genres - the poetry of the
Psalms, the narrative of the Gospels, the
exhortation and encouragement in the
letters, the visions of the dreamers. Each
is an important, separate, strand in its
own right, while also playing its part in the
whole. So how did the Bible come to us?
Adapted from a resource written by
Barbara and David Calvert.
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