What is Christianity?

Christianity is the historic faith which centres around the life and death of Jesus around 2000 years ago. Building on the teachings of the Old Testament Christians believe that Jesus was indeed the promised King and saviour that would usher in a new relationship with God. Shortly after his death and resurrection, his followers mobilised and spread throughout Asia and Europe, with churches popping up everywhere and vastly reshaping the ancient world. The words of Jesus and the early apostles are recorded for us in the Bible. We believe these to be the very words of God, and central to understanding his relationship and plans in this world. Not only did Christianity reshape the Ancient world, but Christianity has influenced much of the modern world too, (particularly in the West) with many of our ideas on good/evil, human rights, justice, philosophy, systems of government etc.. being based on Christian ideas and thought. While Christianity no doubt has historical baggage too, no one can deny its impact on history and culture around the world. Christianity is a global movement not characterised by any one race or country, but is available for all people, regardless of race, background or story.

 

Who is Jesus?

We believe Jesus is the son of God. The Bible talks about him being ‘the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being’, and his life on earth reflected that. He was a man full of knowledge, love and virtue who had compassion on the poor and vulnerable, called out religious hypocrisy, and taught vivid and powerful truths about himself and the God of the universe. Not only is he the perfect example to follow, but he is also worthy of our worship. We believe that his sacrificial death was the most important thing anyone has done in all of human history. The single act that can bridge the chasm separating man from God. There’s a lot of evil, suffering and despair out there, and the majority is inflicted on people by people. Jesus’ death on the cross was God’s answer to the problem that lurks in all human hearts: The problem of sin. And his resurrection gives hope that change is possible and lives can be transformed when we come to him. We no longer need to be held captive by our past our current negative thoughts, words and deeds. Jesus offers new life that is free, both in terms of personal liberty and cost. 

 

Why Church?

Church is a great way to explore Christianity in the context of a warm and welcoming community. Together we carry on the Christian traditions of meeting together, learning more about Jesus from the Bible, and encouraging one another to live out what he says in a way that’s relevant to everyday life. Feel free to join us and simply observe what happens. Together we have times of prayer, a message from the Bible, singing, kids ministries, the Lord’s supper (every 6 weeks) and plenty of time to meet new people, mingle and catch up with old friends.

 

Barriers to the Christian Faith

While we believe Christianity to be true and a source for good in this world, we understand that many people are not convinced. For some it can be philosophical barriers (i.e. suffering and evil, lack of evidence, moral disagreements), for others it can be for pragmatic reasons (Christianity’s history, hypocrisy, irrelevance). Whatever your questions and doubts are we’d love the chance to try and persuade you. Over the years we hope to add some short videos that might get at some of the barriers to the Christian faith. But we’d also love to invite you to come join us, whether that be in our weekly church services, or our evening courses like the Good Life Project, which make the case for Christian belief in the context of a relaxed and informal environment over drinks and yummy food. 

 

The Good Life Project

The Good Life Project is a short course that we run in the evenings in one of our local restaurants. It’s a great opportunity to look into Christianity with some friends, without the trappings and pressures of physically attending a church service. It’s also a place where you can ask the questions that matter to you, chat through some of the key ideas of Christian teaching, and go at your own pace. There is no pressure to change your beliefs or sign on to something else afterwards. We simply want to help you grapple with what Christianity has to offer.

 

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