Over the years, I’ve heard quite a few people describe themselves as “practical cessationists”. I first heard the term when I was finishing theological college and going into pastoral ministry. It’s an interesting term and leaves you wondering what is meant by it. Cessationists are those who hold to the view that the Gifts of… Continue reading Practical Cessationists?
Author: faithrootsdw
Antisemitism and Jeremy Corbyn’s Labour Part revisited
I am returning to a subject that I’ve talked about a few times, the issue of antisemitism especially when it creeps into public life. I’m returning to it now because it has remained a significant issue and because it particularly related to what happened in the Labour Party between 2016-2019. When there’s a change of… Continue reading Antisemitism and Jeremy Corbyn’s Labour Part revisited
Why I don’t think we should bring back the Gospel Service
Richard Baxter writes here in favour of bringing back Gospel Services. Well actually, he doesn’t. He;s arguing for something else. I’ll come on to that a little later. I thought though first of all, it might be helpful to give a bit of background to the concept of the Gospel service. Back in the 20th… Continue reading Why I don’t think we should bring back the Gospel Service
Have we got waiting on God all wrong?
Sometimes I think that the big dividing lines between Christians are not primarily about doctrine but about temperament and how we mentally process things. Take for example the recent debate about whether pastor’s have jobs, whether their vocation is about leisure or work. It strikes me that some of the arguments against work came from… Continue reading Have we got waiting on God all wrong?
Did Abraham lie? How not to rescue a patriarch
Tim Suffield argues here that when Abraham went to Egypt and agreed with Sarah that they would say she was his sister, that he was not lying and that he has unfairly got a bad press because of this. The basis of Tim’s case is that Abraham was in fact Sarah’s half-brother according to Genesis… Continue reading Did Abraham lie? How not to rescue a patriarch
The pastor’s role and the Christian Sabbath
I’ve been handling a couple of recurring themes over the past few weeks. First there has been the question of the Christian Sabbath and then there has been the question of whether or not pastors have jobs, whether they work or whether their role is leisure. The two issues dovetail neatly into another question that… Continue reading The pastor’s role and the Christian Sabbath
Birmingham’s bankruptcy is exactly why we need church planters
The recent announcement that Birmingham City Council is in effect bankrupt will not have done the city’s image much good. It may put off business from locating here and people from investing in the city. It is likely to make a lot of people reluctant to relocate here for work. This might affect your thinking… Continue reading Birmingham’s bankruptcy is exactly why we need church planters
If Sabbath is a creation ordinance, then…
I recently argued that one of the reasons why we should continue to keep a sabbath holy is because it is a creation ordinance. In other words, our relationship to Sabbath is based not just on the laws given in Exodus- Deuteronomy but relates to something given by God at creation. “The Sabbath was made… Continue reading If Sabbath is a creation ordinance, then…
Calvin and the Sabbath
One of the arguments raised concerning Lord’s Day Sabbath observance is that the early reformers, especially Calvin rejected it seeing it as belonging to the Old Covenant. It was, according to the viewpoint only reintroduced by later, Sabbatarian puritans taking a more legalistic hardline. It is true that Calvin did make talk in terms of… Continue reading Calvin and the Sabbath
Handing on the baton
After a summer break for August, the Faithroots Podcast returns this week. We’re rounding up our look at 1 Chronicles. 1 Chronicles 22 -29 David is coming towards the end of his reign. God has revealed to him that he is not he one to build a house for him. How does David respond? He… Continue reading Handing on the baton
