Month: July 2017

SWBC is for you!

Wondering whether you should go to the Scottish Women’s Bible Convention and why you should be excited about “another Christian conference”?  To help we asked different people why SWBC is for all women and is something we should all be excited by.  These people have either already booked their tickets, are involved in planning or are enthusiastically advertising at their churches.

This week we asked Alan McKnight, minister at Harper Church in Glasgow and part of the West of Scotland Gospel Partnership Steering Group, why he is encouraging the women in his church to go.

Alan writes,”When God’s word is faithfully taught his voice is heard and lives are changed. That’s why I’m so encouraged by the work of the Scottish Women’s Bible Convention because it is all about God’s Word and it provides a model for women opening up God’s word with other women.

We are encouraging all of our Harper women to go along and enjoy a feast of good teaching together with a varied range of seminars that will help with living the Christian life in the world as it is today. We see the Scottish Women’s Bible Convention as a model that our women can learn from and that it will enrich women’s ministry in the local church as well as building friendships across the various congregations supporting the event.”

Seminar – Gender

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On Mondays we like to draw your attention to certain aspects of the Scottish Women’s Convention. For the next few weeks we’ll be telling you a bit more about the range of Seminars that are on offer.

my-passport-photoName – Rachel Sloan

Lives – Edinburgh

What is the title of your seminar at the Scottish Women’s Convention?

Gender

What is the seminar about?

This seminar will be an introduction to gender looking at the current cultural viewpoint and how we should think about this topic biblically.  It will also look at how we care for those who struggle with gender dysphoria.

Why is this area important?

In the past Christians living in Western culture have enjoyed the benefit of being in world which largely shared our assumptions on sexuality and gender.  We can no longer assume that is the case.  In the past 30 years there has been a fundamental shift in our culture’s view of sexuality and in recent years the traditional view of gender is changing. As a result, as believers, we can find ourselves increasingly in the minority and misunderstood.  So how should we respond to all this?  How should we respond to what we hear in the media but closer home in our communities, schools, families, and churches?  How should we relate to someone who is transitioning gender or has already transitioned?  

We don’t want to be Christian women who rage against the tide of a changing culture.  Nor do we don’t want to be so ill-equipped at talking about this issue that we remain silent.  Instead we want to go back to our Bibles and think carefully about what God is saying – holding up society’s views and, our own, to the truth-revealing mirror that is God’s word.  Only then can we be truly Biblical in our response and show the world around us a different view with love and grace.  

Who is the seminar for?

Anyone and everyone!  We all need to be confident and assured that what the Bible says on sexuality and gender is in fact good news.  Whether is it helping our children understand the different views they are hearing at high school or so we can love well a member of our congregation who struggles in this area, only when we believe the goodness of God’s word, will we be better equipped to share this truth with others.

Besides your seminar, what one thing about the Scottish Women’s Convention are you looking forward to and why?

It was such a joy last year to see women from across Scotland come to together to learn from God’s word that I think I am looking forward to more of the same!

Speaker – Luke 7

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On Mondays we like to draw your attention to certain aspects of the Scottish Women’s Convention. We asked our speaker Clare Heath-Whyte to share more about what she will be speaking on.  Clare will also be running a seminar “Women of faith – hidden heroines of the Reformation”.

What are you speaking about at the Scottish Women’s Convention and why?Flier final

I am speaking on “Faith” from Luke 7. Faith is central to the Christian life, but there is so much confusion about what it actually is. Seeing Jesus meeting various people in this chapter helps us to understand what faith is (and is not) and what a faith filled life looks like in practice.

What is the title of your seminar at the Scottish Women’s Convention? What is it about?

Women of faith – Hidden heroines of the Reformation.

2017 is the 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation – when the wonderful truth of Justification by faith alone was rediscovered by Martin Luther. The names of some of the male reformers are well known – but the role of women was vital too. We will be looking at the fascinating lives of a couple of these women to see how justification by faith alone and the doctrine of scripture alone transformed their lives – and how they influenced the world around them.

Why is this seminar topic important?

Seeing how women in the past, with far fewer advantages and opportunities than we have, served Christ in their lives can challenge and encourage us today. Will we, like them, allow ourselves to be transformed by scripture rather than being conformed to the world?