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April 24th, 2007

More on the Spring Harvest / Word Alive kerfuffle

Dear me. A lot is being written and said and it is a bit hard to keep up. I’m posting these without any in depth commentary as I have to get on with work today.

1) UCCF: Statement about the Word Alive situation (Update: original source)

It is basically saying that can’t work with those who don’t hold to ‘orthodox Christian teaching’ and that Spring Harvest ended the relationship.

2) Bishop of Durham, Dr N T Wright: Article on ‘Fulcrum’

Lengthy, but worthwhile article. It doesn’t address the specific Spring Harvest / Word Alive situation, but is talking about the theological whathaveyous behing it. He has harsh things to say to both Jeffrey John and the authors of a book ‘Pierced for Our Transgressions’, which is a conservative evangelical take on penal substitution by IVP and Oak Hill College types.

3) Bishop of Spring Harvest, Pete Broadbent: Statement about the Word Alive situation (Update: Bishop Pete has posted the statement in the comments of this blog too)

It’s terribly sad that UCCF are now coming out with an official statement that simply isn’t true to what actually took place. I don’t want to get into a public row with UCCF, whose ministry among students I support. But this is just simply to say that I dispute most of what is contained in the statement as being either misunderstanding (willful or otherwise) or total fabrication. I could hope that they would withdraw their statement and hold their peace.

Further update:
The ‘Pierced for our Transgressions’ authors respond to Bishop Tom Wright.

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10 Responses to “More on the Spring Harvest / Word Alive kerfuffle”


  1. selvaratnam.org » Archive » Blogging Church of England says:

    [...] [Update: more comments from Dave Walker here.] Posted in CofE, Church of England, Dave Walker, Blogging on April 23rd, 2007 [...]

    April 24th, 2007 at 9:10 am
  2. Chris Pettifer says:

    Reading a bit of the Tom Wright link it does appear to me that Tom would believe people have mis-understood what Steve Chalke was saying in his book.

    April 24th, 2007 at 11:21 am
  3. David Keen says:

    Here we go again. Debate conducted via the internet, rather than face to face. UCCF and SH should be talking to each other, not to us.

    Ah well, no publicity is bad publicity – New Word Alive (old Word dead?) and Harvest Fusion (or whatever it’ll be called) will both be a sell out. And I mean that in the financial sense!

    April 24th, 2007 at 11:25 am
  4. Karin says:

    Which bit, Chris? A quote would be nice.

    April 24th, 2007 at 11:25 am
  5. Chris Pettifer says:

    Mis-quoting and misunderstanding has probably started the argument, with which I wasn’t aware until I saw this stuff on Dave’s blog (the argument and whole cancelling of Word Alive etc I mean). At first glance it would appear that talking to each other is something that hasn’t really happened.

    The bit from Tom Wright’s article is a bit where he says the following:

    “I have now had a good conversation with Steve about the whole subject and clarified that my initial understanding was correct: he does indeed mean (a).”

    This doesn’t mean much until you know what a. and b. are – check out the article and search for that quote and you’ll find it.

    I too, though, am guilty of forming my own conclusions without talking to any of the people involved. I am probably assuming much and mis-representing the views of those concerned to a certain degree.

    April 24th, 2007 at 11:48 am
  6. Richard says:

    What does strike me as odd about all of this is that UCCF are withdrawing because Steve Chalke was involved and stands by his book. However the Bishops at Spring Harvest seem quite happy to work with Steve Chalke despite his opinion, whilst releasing a statement criticising Jeffrey John for doing much the same as Chalke had done a couple of years before.

    April 24th, 2007 at 11:49 am
  7. Chris Pettifer says:

    To be honest the whole thing seems messed up. I don’t know the full details from either side. Having read a bit more it seems quite confusing to work out who thinks what, who’s said what, who believes what and what not.

    April 24th, 2007 at 11:59 am
  8. Karin says:

    Hmmm. I do know Steve disagrees with some of the more extreme elements of the Evangelical Alliance. I also remember thinking his argument made sense at the time I read his book – in fact I don’t think it struck me as anything new or earth-shattering. It’s probably all about semantics – or largely so.

    This was written after Steve’s debate with the EA:
    http://www.ekklesia.co.uk/content/news_syndication/article_041115_4754.shtml

    April 24th, 2007 at 12:05 pm
  9. Johann says:

    Thank you, Dave. Bishop Tom Wright’s article on ‘Fulcrum’ is certainly long! But well worth reading. It helped me to realise how easy it is to make judgements without reading or knowing the full story, something I have certainly done on this issue. I am sorry.

    Interestingly, my daily readings this week are from 1 Corinthians ch 1 to 3 where Paul has a lot to say about divisions in the church. I quote:

    ‘For when one says, “I follow Paul,” and another, “I follow Apollos”, are you not mere men?’ 1 Cor 3.4 and

    ‘So then, no more boasting about men! All things are yours, whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or the present or the future – all are yours, and you are of Christ, and Christ is of God’ 1 Cor 3.21-23.

    All this following his assertion that he ‘resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.’

    We might substitute other names for Paul, Apollos, Cephas… I am taking verses out of context, but I do recommend the reading of these 3 chapters of 1 Corinthians.
    I pray that Christians, especially those of the evangelical wing of the church, may come together at the cross at this time.

    April 25th, 2007 at 8:28 am
  10. Mark Bennet says:

    I think it is LISTENING which is systematically missing from these conversations. There was an idea once upon a time that those ordained should be capable of engaging in Godly conversation.

    For those who need the Bible

    In the beginning was the Word …
    Hear, O Israel …
    They have ears but do not hear …

    And for those engaged with the Anglican Communion, I am saddened that we seem to have interpreted the ‘Listening process’ of the Windsor Report as a ‘Shouting contest’.

    But there we are, we have all sinned – and remarkably God has not rejected us, but loved us so much …

    April 25th, 2007 at 5:28 pm