There is a saying that “A lie can be half way around the world whilst truth is still putting his shoes on.” I was reminded by that when reflecting on the political and social media reaction to the murder of Henry Nowak. First, go back to the original incident. There is an early example of… Continue reading Henry Nowak, conspiracy theories and the church
Author: faithrootsdw
Do we need the King to be “Defender of the Faith”?
Here are some thoughts in response to King Charles’ decision to be the defender of space for all faiths.
The grace of the Bible’s teaching on divorce
Back when I was at a previous church, we met a particular pastoral situation when someone who had got divorced wanted to remarry. Unsurprisingly, the leaders held to a variety of views because there are a diversity of views among Evangelicals more widely. We didn’t want to just look at the individual case but rather… Continue reading The grace of the Bible’s teaching on divorce
The killing of friendship
This is a repost of a previous article from the old faithroots site. In his lament for Saul and Jonathan, David says of his friend: “How I weep for you, my brother Jonathan! Oh, how much I loved you!And your love for me was deep,deeper than the love of women!”[1] Some people have picked up on… Continue reading The killing of friendship
Signs and symbols of God’s presence
It might be tempting for some to skip over the next 15 chapters of Exodus. However, we should know better than to ignore a significant section of Scripture. It looks like we merely have a list of instructions here, building instructions, interior design instructions, clothing instructions etc. Yet, if we believe that all Scripture is… Continue reading Signs and symbols of God’s presence
Pastoring a church through the question of men and women in leadership
Perhaps one of the greatest challenges for local churches right now is navigating potential controversies around how to understand the role of men and women in the local church. This reflects, a polarising between those holding to complementarian positions and those holding to egalitarian ones. How in practice can we address this in a way… Continue reading Pastoring a church through the question of men and women in leadership
The true and better Sinai
When the people of Israel were at Sinai, God told Moses to set boundaries around the mountain. This was the place where God would meet the people, where they would hear him and receive his word. Yet, for all but Moses, it was to be at a distance. One day, people were bringing their kids… Continue reading The true and better Sinai
Are you washed in the blood?
Imagine if you had been stood amongst the people as Moses spoke and then demonstrated the covenant by sprinkling or showering you with blood from the sacrifices. We tend to be queasy about blood, ancient people were less so. The blood was significant and significant because it was not just something happening in the distance… Continue reading Are you washed in the blood?
Holiness as blessing and challenge
God’s holiness is a great theme in the Sinai passages. We see this in the way that the Law tells his people how to live in his holy presence and in the conditions that are set. There is a delineation between who can approach YHWH and who cannot. Some of the people can come so… Continue reading Holiness as blessing and challenge
Romans 5:6-11
“For yet Christ…” The syntax in Greek frontloads the identity of Christ. He came whilst we were still weak, whilst sin still had a hold and we were helpless. We could not do anything to save ourselves. He died for those who are ungodly, lacking righteousness (v6). This is the surprising factor. Paul observes that… Continue reading Romans 5:6-11
