WHY?
Our Mission
The Centre for Christianity in Society exists to connect Christ with contemporary culture by
explaining Christianity truthfully, engaging issues thoughtfully and equipping Christians thoroughly
for the glory of God and the good of all people
WHAT?
OUR WORK
The CCS team is available to:
Speak on topical issues and big questions to all ages, sceptics or believers, in person and through various media.
Train Christians to think biblically, apply truth in loving relationships, and
evangelise persuasively.
Create informative, engaging and practical Christian perspectives on issues in writing and video.
Advise Christian leaders about contemporary culture and issues facing Christians.
HOW?
OUR VALUES
We affirm the core beliefs of the Christian faith and work within four values based on 1 Peter 2 verse 17:
Fearing God – as servants of God, we aim for truthfulness in everything we say, integrating insights from quality scientific and sociological research with biblical truth.
Honouring the authorities – we seek proper permission to work in any context into which we are invited and we want to help people in authority fulfil their responsibilities well.
Honouring everyone – since every person is created and loved by God, we aim to treat them with integrity (honesty and transparency) and grace (humility and sensitivity).
Loving the family of believers – as diversely gifted friends united in God's love, we want to work with all individuals, churches or organisations that share our core beliefs
WHO?
OUR PEOPLE
The work of CCS is planned and overseen by a Board of Directors led by our Executive Director, Dr Paul Coulter.
Some aspects of our work are carried out by associates, who are experienced and qualified people who freely identify as part of CCS but work independently or for other organisations to provide one or more of our services.
WHEN?
Our STORY
The Centre for Christianity in Society was launched in 2020 as a collaboration of friends with an interest in connecting Christian thinking with the issues and trends in contemporary culture. Two of our three founding directors, Paul Coulter and Rachel Shields, had been involved together in several initiatives in the area of apologetics over many years, including the Northern Ireland Christian Apologetics Network and the Sophron Network. The addition as a collaborator of Michael Shaw, who came up with the Centre's name, was the catalyst for a new beginning. Together these three amigos refined the focus of the Centre on our three 'Es' - explaining, engaging and equipping. They served as a team leading the Centre's work but other associates and friends also contributed to our speaking in churches and training.
In 2021, growth in our ministries led us to decide to register as a charity. Paul Coulter brought some of his existing resources (Understanding Christianity and First Steps) into the Centre and we recruited a volunteer operations manager and a fourth director, Keith Gardiner. On 6th October 2021, CCS became a company limited by guarantee, registered with Companies House (Company Number NI682889). Helped by another volunteer with experience in launching charities, we have begun the process of registering with the Charity Commission for Northern Ireland.
An obvious question to ask might be why we are establishing a new charity. We have two simple answers. First, there was no existing charity in Ireland with a focus on apologetics, ethics and cultural engagement from an evangelical Christian perspective. We know there are others elsewhere, and we want to partner with them where we can, but we believe that Ireland needs local contributions. Second, there was no existing avenue for us to make our contribution as a network of partners. The Centre is not just an organisation. It is, and will remain, a group of friends encouraging each other to use whatever gifts we have to make Christ known and to equip his people. We are a collaborative network seeking to mobilise Christians of diverse gifts, personalities and levels of education to make their contribution to connecting Christ with contemporary culture.
You can find out about our plans for the future in our Development Plan.
FOUNDATIONS
OUR CORE BELIEFS
We believe in ...
The Holy Scriptures as originally given by God, divinely inspired, infallible, entirely trustworthy; and the supreme authority in all matters of faith and conduct...
One God , eternally existent in three persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit...
Our Lord Jesus Christ , God manifest in the flesh, His virgin birth, His sinless human life, His divine miracles, His vicarious and atoning death, His bodily resurrection, His ascension, His mediatorial work, and His Personal return in power and glory...
The Salvation of lost and sinful man through the shed blood of the Lord Jesus Christ by faith apart from works, and regeneration by the Holy Spirit...
The Holy Spirit , by whose indwelling the believer is enabled to live a holy life, to witness and work for the Lord Jesus Christ...
The Unity of the Spirit of all true believers, the Church, the Body of Christ...
The Resurrection of both the saved and the lost; they that are saved unto the resurrection of life, they that are lost unto the resurrection of damnation.
Statement of Faith of the World Evangelical Alliance, 2001