Author: faithrootsdw

Why the marches need to stop

It has been strongly argued that allowing demonstrations concerning Israel and Palestine to go ahead was important because this is about free speech and because the protests were essentially peaceful.  Whether or not that was the case in October  2024, and even then I thought it peculiar that the focus of the demonstrator’s anger seemed… Continue reading Why the marches need to stop

What can we really learn from Rochdale?

Last week, firebrand politician George Galloway was  elected  back to parliament in the Rochdale by-election.  The election campaign had been marred by controversy with the Labour Party withdrawing support for their own candidate after he made antisemitic comments. My friend Steve Kneale has written here about the result and lessons that the church might want… Continue reading What can we really learn from Rochdale?

If God predestines, why bother with evangelism?

There was an old apocryphal tale of little Calvinistic churches that didn’t put up notice boards with service times because if you were part of the elect, then you were predestined to be at church at the right time. I am not sure if anything like that has ever really happened.  However, this has been… Continue reading If God predestines, why bother with evangelism?

What have we learnt about God and from God?

What we’ve learnt We started looking at “Who is God?” by seeing that we can end up believing all sorts of lies about God. These include that God is not love or that he could not love me, that God is weak, he lacks the power to act, that God is distant, unapproachable and so… Continue reading What have we learnt about God and from God?

How important exactly am I – when we demand too much in friendships

And now to Precosia.  In some respects, I find this the saddest of all the scenarios we have looked at.  Why do I say that? It’s not to diminish the seriousness of the other situations. However, I think that generally speaking we are more likely to get what is stake with the other ones.[1] When… Continue reading How important exactly am I – when we demand too much in friendships

Learning to Enjoy God – An Alcoholic meets the good God

When we came to Methuselah, the alcoholic, we intuitively went to Ephesians 5:18: “Don’t be drunk with wine, because that will ruin your life. Instead, be filled with the Holy Spirit.” Here we see that being filled with the Spirit is contrasted – not compared – with being drunk on wine.  I think that one… Continue reading Learning to Enjoy God – An Alcoholic meets the good God

The doctrine of God and a marriage on the rocks

Now we return to Tom, Gladys and Ethel. Tom had been giving Ethel lifts to home group whilst his wife Gladys stayed at home.  When we first met their situation, we talked about a gut instinct that things were wrong and that we weren’t getting to hear the whole story. Tom had admitted that his… Continue reading The doctrine of God and a marriage on the rocks

Love, holiness, relationships and rivalry

Remember Juliet? We met her at the coffee shop where she was looking longingly into the eyes of Romeo, her work colleague. In conversation, it comes out that When you talk with Juliet, she defends her relationship as follows. By the way, I’m not suggesting that she presents the following points in a neat, structured,… Continue reading Love, holiness, relationships and rivalry