Introducing the

centre for public christianity

(Eurpe)

Out Of thesilent church

‘Christians are not called to be immigrants, simply preservinga few customs and phrases from the old country. Instead weare to be….missionaries, actively translating the language of faith into the language of the culture around us.’

Nancy Pearcey

stpeters-dundee.org.uk

WEoE t ne f the mst radical and excitingideas t have cme ut f Sctland and the Scttishchurch fr many years – the prpsed new

centre for public christianity

, based inRbert urray cheyne’s church, St Peter’s, Dundee.

Pv

– Scotland apparently has one of thepoorest health records in urope. But it is not justthat we are physically sick – there is a great spirituallethargy aficting the Scottish (and British as well asother uropean) nation; a famine of hearing the Wordof the Lord. When we were known as he People of the Book we exported engineers, doctors, missionaries,politicians and tradesmen all oer the world. his smallnation on the north-western fringes of urope has hada disproportionately large effect on the rest of theworld. Now, howeer, we are a sick nation, our oncefamed education system is in decline, our industriesfailing and aboe all, although there is still much to bethankful for, there is a brokenness about a great deal of our society. A brokenness which we beliee can only behealed when there is a return to the alues, tolerance,freedom and beauty of the Word of God. he greatatheist/secularist experiment to create a nation withoutChristianity has been a disaster, and we are now reapingthe consequences. But our secularist friends hae notgien up. Becoming eer more militant, fundamentalistand intolerant, they seek to exclude Christianity from anyreal part in public life. Meanwhile the people stare. hisis where the Centre for Public Christianity comes in.

PPS

– ur purpose is not to set up as apolitical party or to create some kind of artan aliban!ur purpose is simply to bring knowledge where there isignorance, light where there is darkness, freedom wherethere is captiity, tolerance where there is intolerance. Weaim to teach, communicate and exemplify the wonderfulnews of the Bible that God was in Christ, reconcilingthe world to Himself. We aim to encourage Christianswho hae far too often been cowed into accepting theineitability of the triumph of secularism into once againbeing condent in their faith and being willing and ableto share it. he famine caused by materialistic atheismand secularism, combined with the destructieness of modernism and the confusion of post-modernism, hasopened up a great door of opportunity for those who haereceied the Bread of Life. As was said in another timeof famine by those who had been granted the answer:‘We’re not doing right. his is a day of good news and weare keeping it to ourseles’ (2 Kings 7:9). he Centre for Public Christianity will seek to promote the proclamationof the Gospel of Jesus Christ in Scotland, the K andthroughout urope. How will we do this?

PLAN

– he plan is simple. Premises, People, andPreparation, all leading to Proclamation.We begin with premises, not because we consider themto be the most important, but rather because we alreadyhae them. St Peter’s Free Church in Dundee has justcompleted a £800,000 redeelopment that will proideofces, rooms, a conference centre and media capabilitiesfor the CPC. We loe the idea that a building which was acentre for renewal and reial in the 19th century, insteadof being turned into a pub or ats, is once again beingused for that purpose.We now need the people to staff and deelop the centre,to proide training and leadership, and to help us liaisewith church, society and media. All this will lead to...

PPAAN

– Peter tells us that we are to‘always be prepared to gie an answer to eeryone whoasks you to gie the reason for the hope that you hae’(1 Peter 3:15). But many of us feel unprepared. hat iswhy a major part of the centre will be to proide trainingfor Christians, churches and Christian organisations, inwhat we term ‘eangelistic apologetics’. his is learninghow to proclaim the Good News of Jesus Christ, in thelight of the questions, fears, prejudices and opportunitiesof contemporary culture. For that we will look at suchissues as use of the media and arts, medicine, science andphilosophy, communication in a café culture, history andthe church - in particular. We will try to proide the bestspeakers in their elds so that the training will be highquality. We aim to proide training days, weekends andweeks, as well as media based resources.

‘Ordinary Christians are the church’s front-line troopsin her engagement with the world. Are we taking seriously our duty to support them in their warfare?’

Leslie NewbigginFinally, we aim not only to train but also to be an exampleof what we are teaching. We will seek to engage with themedia throughout Scotland, the K and urope and wewill seek to conduct public communication and outreacheents in the marketplace as far as the Lord enables us. he basic process for this will include an opening dayconference to launch the Centre for Public Christianity;an appointment of a director; the establishment of aBoard; formal partnerships established with like-mindedorganisations; the deelopment of a website and other media resources; the establishment of training coursesin the use of media, art, music, philosophy, science,medicine, and history in eangelistic apologetics.

PNAL

– he potential for this is enormous.t is our coniction that society in Scotland and indeedthroughout the K is more open to the Gospel now than ithas been for 25 years. Sadly, the Church seems to be lessable and willing to go with that Gospel. We are too silent.How will they hear unless someone tells them? he rippleeffect of hundreds of Christians enthused and trainedto proclaim the Gospel in the marketplaces of a culturehungry for truth, beauty, and meaning will be enormous.How is anyone sufcient for these things? nly by God’sgrace and enabling.