'Don't give into the idols of our time'
Stand firm and don't give into the pressures to conform to the 'idols of our time'. That was the message of a creative and interactive Bible study that started day two of the Baptist Assembly in Blackpool
Nigel Wright and Dotha Blackwood, Principal and tutor respectively at Spurgeon's College in London, unpacked the passage from Daniel 11:36-12:4 in a dramatised conversation between Daniel (Nigel) from 6BC and Dotha from the 21st century. This was done with much humour. Dotha asked Daniel, 'Do you know where you are and who you are with? Daniel replied, 'I think I am in Blackpool, in a nation called Britain and with a tribe called Baptists.'
The conversation not only helped explain the historical character of Daniel and the context of when his book was written but also compared the era of Daniel with today and the pressures we face to consume and conform to our society. At several points there were opportunities to discuss what the passage meant on an individual level and what pressures we are under as Christians.
Nigel Wright, who continued in the character of Daniel throughout the Bible study, warned of the dangers of giving into the pressures of the age by taking the Israelites as an example. 'Once you bow down to the idols of your time, you start to lose your identity and position as a holy nation."
'Blessed are those who stand firm and do not put their faith in the idols of their time.'