This Week's Historic Political Event

From all appearances this looks to be just an ordinary field. And yet here at Runnymede, just up the road from Newbold College, the Magna Carta (Latin for 'the great charter') was sealed by King John in June 1215. In this document the aristocracy and barons listed 63 specific grievances against the King, calling for an end to his excessive and arbitrary government. Through its statement of liberties, it sought to prevent the king from exploiting his power and made it clear that the king was subject to the law, not above it.

I couldn't help but recall this historic occasion as I sat with Newbold colleagues watching another momentous event - Britain's first ever prime minister debates. Two days ago, representatives from the Labour Party, the Tory Party and the Liberal Democratic Party squared off before a live audience in Manchester and on national television to try to convince the electorate that the policies of their party would contribute best to the health of this nation.

Perhaps the single greatest problem with politics is that we focus more on gaining or retaining power rather than simply 'administering justly, loving mercy and walking humbly with our God' (Micah 6:8). May God grant us such noble leaders!

Yet, as was so clearly evidenced with the signing of the Magna Carta, the path to having noble leaders is to have an engaged citizenry. May God grant us both noble leaders and engaged citizenry as we approach this May 2010 election in Britain.

Springtime in England

The comment is often made that to relish the journey is as important as reaching the destination. That could not be more true than this past weekend as I traveled to a speaking appointment in Liverpool.

Traveling along the back roads of the M49, I reveled in the profusion of blossoms and budding trees, the verdant valleys and hillsides - all nature coming alive following the cold hibernation of winter. But what most delighted my senses was coming upon newborn lambs. They do more than frolic and play - they literally spring straight into the air as if their wobbly little limbs are attached to coils. This action is referred to as gambolling.

Sheep have three curious markings placed on them throughout the mating season. The first scoring - typically a blue powder - is painted on the underside of the ram so as to indicate when he has mounted a ewe - to be alert to her possible pregnancy. A colour marking is placed on the ewe once the shepherd runs an ultrasound to discover if she is carrying one, two or three embryo - so that he can take the steps necessary to prepare for the impending delivery. (Most sheep deliver twins.) And a final marking, a large number is placed on the ewe to match her up to her newborn lambs, so that there is no mistaking who belongs to whom.

Now, doesn't all this make a fine sermon - we being marked by the Shepherd's blood so as to distinguish us as sheep of his pasture. That, in fact, is our goal at Newbold College - introducing sheep to the Good Shepherd (John 10), to convince young people of God's loving care (Luke 15:1-7), and to have them commit to a lifetime of following him (Psalm 23).

Bright British Blokes

I was introduced to Alexander Fleming when yet in primary school. This British scientist developed a substance that would revolutionize medicine when accidentally leaving a petri dish uncovered. The substance - penicillin.

As trawling for fish in the North Sea grew, so also did the popularity of fish and chips with the British working class. In 1860, the first fish and chips shop was opened in London's East End by Jewish proprietor Joseph Malin and, by 1910, there were 25,000 fish and chips shops in Britain. It is impossible to estimate the number of fish and chips places currently in operation! (My favourite is Rock & Soul, established in 1871. It is London's oldest fish and chips shop, located at 45 Endell Street WC2H 9AJ, near Covent Garden.)

In 1925, John Logle Baird became the first man to televise moving images - the precursor to today's television. As is so often the case, he was initially dismissed as a nutter by the British press.

The reflective cat's eye safety devise used along roads and motorways originated in the UK in 1933. The inventor was Percy Shaw of Halifax, West Yorkshire, who was inspired by the eyeshine of a cat sitting by the side of the road one dark night.

More recently, Sir Timothy Berners-Lee, an MIT professor, implemented the first communication between an http client and the computer server thereby creating the world wide web.

I stand in awe of these cleaver Brits and am so grateful for the contributions that they have and continue to make to our lives!

England - The Ringing Isle

Although far from competent, I am becoming a campanologist under the expert tutelage of John Harper.

Last year, one of our business professors informed me that the local All Saints Anglican Church was in search of individuals interested in learning how to ring bells. I naturally thought of handbells. So, imagine my surprise when, the first night of training, I encountered six long ropes suspended from the ceiling. I was being introduced to a very special form of church bell ringing, very much a British tradition started centuries ago.

Over 90% of all the bell towers in the world - over 5,000 with ringable bells - are located in England thus rightfully earning it the name, the 'Ringing Isle.' Besides calling the faithful to prayer, church bells were employed as an ancient form of communication - announcing weddings, funerals, arrival of dignitaries and warning of invasion during World War II.

Church bells are mounted in a strong frame made of wood, iron or steel. The largest bell is in St Paul's, London, weighing 16.7 tons. The heaviest full-circle ringing bell, at 4.1 tons, is the tenor at Liverpool Cathedral. They are sounded by a group of generally three to six persons pulling on ropes and because of the bell's weight, the ringing must be based on technique rather than on brute force. (Think of the film Four Weddings and a Funeral.)

Change ringing is quintessentially English, combining music, math, sports and tradition. This method, ruled by numbers and patterns, allows church bells to ring in a series of mathematical patterns called 'changes'. This form of bell ringing creates 'tunes' and so sound different from bells in other traditions. The only other places in the world where bells are rung in this manner are in places where the English once dominated: e.g. Scotland, Wales, Ireland, Africa, India, Australia and New Zealand.

The library of change ringing recordings compiled by John Ketteringham demonstrate the wonderfully rhythmic tunes which can be made to sound merry, sad or dignified depending upon the occasion and can be found at http://cccbr.org.uk/bellrecordings/.

I hope that you enjoy these melodious sounds as much as I enjoy ringing (playing in the 'band'). And, next time you're in England, do stop and listen to the sweetness of the church bells.

Britain by the Brits

Somehow I assumed that because we share a common heritage and language my transition from the States to the UK would come rather easily; surely not the steep learning curve required when I moved to China in 1996. However, it only takes a quick read of anthropologist Kate Fox's book, Watching the English to underscore the uniqueness of this most amazing people and their culture.

And so, if possible, I would transport all American high school and college/university students to share in the Cultural Experience being offered by Newbold College this June, when the Department of Management, Arts and Social Sciences introduces young people to real 'Britishness'. Students will engage in a comparison of UK business, literature, historic institutions, religion and sports - even democracy - to that of America throughout the two-week tour of England, Scotland and Wales.

To learn about Britain from the Brits - everything from the more genteel afternoon cream tea to the more raucous game of World Cup soccer.... Bravo to academicians like Rod Rosenquist, Peter Balderstone, Val Bernard-Allan, Robin Anthony and Karl DaSilva who know how to design creative learning experiences beyond classroom walls!

Newbold at UNESCO

Doctor Jean-Claude Verrecchia, principal lecturer in New Testament at Newbold College participated in the launching of an impressive exhibition on the Bible - a project of the French Bible Society entitled The Bible, Heritage of Humanity.

As one of the redactors of the exhibition, Dr Verrecchia was in charge of the module dealing with the transmission of the Bible: the different manuscripts and their reliability. It took more than two years for J-C to complete this project.

The quality of the exhibition - its contents and layout - was so impressive that the UNESCO has accepted to sponsor it! The exhibition will now travel from town to town, in France to start with, but not only, as discussions have already begun to translate it into other languages. Dr Verrecchia's hope is to eventually bring the exhibit to Newbold College. We can't wait!

Newbold College Board Members

You can't help but appreciate the exceptional talent that constitutes the Newbold College Board of Governors - the fine professionals that aid the College in becoming the best it can be in higher education offerings.

Take, for example, John C. Walton. Dr Walton is a professor of Reactive Chemistry at St Andrews University, Scotland with more than 270 professional publications to his credit! His research focuses on designing reactions that can be used to create free radicals that make novel materials and medicines.

Dr Walton holds two doctoral degrees - a PhD from the University of St Andrews and a DSc from the University of Sheffield. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry and the Royal Society of Edinburgh, a EPSRC Peer Review College member and serves on the editorial board of ARKIVOC and Stanborough Press.

At Newbold College, Dr Walton (John) is known as a reflective board member issuing great insights all dished up with bantor. He shows himself to be a passionate educator, seeking to create life-changing opportunities for young people and as a valued friend of the College. How blessed we are!