PSA Taking a (possibly permanent) break from Twitter/X

Just to let those of you who follow me on Twitter/X know, that I decided yesterday to de-activate my account. It may simply be a temporary break but there’s a significant possibility that it may become permanent. A lot of people have been making similar decisions for similar reasons recently. I may talk a bit… Continue reading PSA Taking a (possibly permanent) break from Twitter/X

“Stop” seems to be the hardest word (to hear)

Before Easter, Steve Kneale on his blog drew our attention to a recent article giving 5 reasons to reconsider infant baptism. I agree with Steve’s responses and in fact, the arguments are not significantly new but I did want to give a little bit more attention to two of them. One here and the other… Continue reading “Stop” seems to be the hardest word (to hear)

The New Perspective on Paul and the red herring of ethnicty

During my life time, one of the main, long running disputes in theology and Biblical studies has been around the Doctrine of Justification and what St Paul really taught.  It began with the work of EP Sanders on Second Temple, Palestinian Judaism where he argued that the Jews of Jesus and Paul’s day were not… Continue reading The New Perspective on Paul and the red herring of ethnicty

Taking God’s name in vain and loving your neighbour

Recently I was listening to a sermon on the two greatest commandments.  The preacher pointed us back to the original command to “love your neighbour” in Leviticus 19.  Something about the context caught my eye and so I’ve come back for a second look. The command is found in Leviticus 19:18. You;; notice that it… Continue reading Taking God’s name in vain and loving your neighbour

Does the UK need The Gospel Coalition?

Affinity have announced in a press release plans to set up a UK version of The Gospel Coalition.   TGC describes itself as “ a fellowship of evangelical churches in the Reformed tradition deeply committed to renewing our faith in the gospel of Christ and to reforming our ministry practices to conform fully to the Scriptures. “… Continue reading Does the UK need The Gospel Coalition?

Has Hamas changed?

On Sunday, I wrote about the six month anniversary of the Israel-Hamas conflict in Gaza.  I  repeated there my concern that Israel’s attempt to defeat Hamas by conventional military means in an urban area is likely to fail.  We are already seeing the enormous cost of the conflict in Palestinian lives and wider suffering.  At… Continue reading Has Hamas changed?

Why I responded to Matthew Parris’ Times article about euthanasia

Last week I wrote in response to Matthew Parris’ article in the Times where he argued that not only should euthanasia be legalised but that if this led to social pressure on the terminally ill and vulnerable that this would be a welcome thing. My article was published online by Evangelicals Now and I also… Continue reading Why I responded to Matthew Parris’ Times article about euthanasia

Gaza -six months after the 7th October

It’s now six months since that horrific morning when Hamas terrorists entered Israel and carried out a brutal atrocity, a violent spree of kidnap, rape, mutilation and murder.  Israel’’s response was to launch an extensive military operation into the Gaza strip with two stated aims, the return of the hostages and the complete and permanent… Continue reading Gaza -six months after the 7th October

Tom Holland, Jordan Peterson and Gospel confidence

A couple of years ago, conservative evangelicals seemed to go crazy for two prominent secular authors/speakers operating at a popular level, Jordan Peterson and Tom Holland.  Peterson’s star seems to have waned somewhat but Tom Holland remains popular and has been invited onto podcasts and to speak at evangelistic events, usually with a format that… Continue reading Tom Holland, Jordan Peterson and Gospel confidence

South Africa, Israel, genocide and a letter to the Government

This week, a long list of lawyers including barristers, solicitors and even some former Supreme Court judges signed an open letter to the Government, calling on it to act against Israel in response to accusations of possible or potential genocide.  The signatories argued that measures should include the suspension of arms sales to Israel and… Continue reading South Africa, Israel, genocide and a letter to the Government