wfn.org | ACNS3298 Archbishop's call to active service in Christ

["Anglican Communion News Service" <acnslist@anglicancommunion.org>]

ACNS 3298     |     IRELAND	|     7 FEBRUARY 2003

Archbishop's call to active service in Christ

[The Church of Ireland] Technical aids and new technologies are no
substitute for lives of active Christian service in a world of evil, need
and want, Archbishop Robin Eames said today.

During a visit to the Christian Resources Exhibition at the King's Hall in
Belfast, Archbishop Eames spoke to clergy from various denominations on the
character and challenge of Christian leadership.

He said, "The heart of the Christian Gospel lies in denial of self. Jesus
called people to deny, reject and remove themselves from the love of self
and the 'self importance of self.' He gave them the vision of life where all
that human life offered could only reach its real fulfillment, its real
purpose when we surrender to Jesus Christ. There is simply no substitute to
that experience as the starting point to Christian leadership.

"So much in the life of the Church today is a pale reflection of that
experience. It is often a compromise, a half-hearted witness. We don't like
to 'rock the boat' in society. We reflect the standards of the world rather
than the standards of Christ. Respectability has replaced sacrifice. Power
and influence are more important than the vision of Christ."

Archbishop Eames said the force of evil and the anti-Christ is on our
doorsteps.

"Evil is a reality. Wherever we see hatred, division, sectarianism, abuse of
little children, glorification of base attitudes, lies and falsehood - it
all cries out for the leadership the voice of Christ alone can provide," he
said.

Archbishop Eames said the most powerful influence of a Christian life is
when people look at it and see in real life terms a life that means
something - a life that works.

He said, "It is when the Christian and the Christian Church become totally
involved in the ups and downs of life that real Christian leadership becomes
most effective. It is when Christians take the risk, raise 'their heads
above the parapet', face the world as it really is head-on, that true
leadership is seen."

Archbishop Eames concluded, "Northern Ireland needs a new vision of the Call
of Christ. Those of us who claim the name of the living Christ are called to
find new and exciting ways of telling the story, not least in active lives
of service in the community."

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