Football fans talk of “60 years of hurt” harking back to when England won the World Cup. UK Evangelicals also reflect back to 1966, specifically to October 18th when Martyn Llloyd Jones addressed the National Evangelical Assembly. His address on Evangelical Unity ironically led to greater division, on a personal level between Lloyd Jones and… Continue reading 1966 and all that
Author: faithrootsdw
Desire, temptation and depression
There are a few strands of thinking that I’ve pursued and engaged with over time on faithroots. You may pick up particularly that I’ve written extensively on concupiscence and also on depression. One of my concerns about the concupiscence (desire, temptation and sin) debate was that it seemed heavily focused on questions around gender and… Continue reading Desire, temptation and depression
It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and us: What does that actually mean?
A few days ago I wrote about church discernment and referred to this phrase which comes from Acts 15:28 but what does the phrase actually mean? Does it mean that some people had unique authority to pass on the Holy Spirit’s decision to the church? Well context will be helpful. Acts 15 is sometimes referred… Continue reading It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and us: What does that actually mean?
Dad…
My mum and sister were in tears. The person confronting them seemed harsh and stern. I remember dad walking up to to us from the communion table and saying “come on we are leaving.” I think there was an immediate sense that this just didn’t mean “we’re going home”. We were leaving that church and… Continue reading Dad…
Live streamed executions?
An execution in the US is to be live streamed. This has kept the death penalty on public profile following another recent botched execution. Personally, I don’t favour the death penalty for various reasons, not least because I do not see it as required by a Biblical worldview. Setting that aside, I’ve been intrigued by… Continue reading Live streamed executions?
So…
In this video I look at what we can learn from a little Yorkshire habit of finishing sentences with the word “So”
It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and us: Elders or congregation -who decides?
Do you favour congregational government or elder led church? That might be something you are thinking through if you are involved in church planting or revitalisation. I think of the two that the latter seems to be in vogue. That perhaps reflects frustration at bureaucratic versions of congregational government and the idea that it means… Continue reading It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and us: Elders or congregation -who decides?
Romans 7:7-12
Back at the beginning of chapter 6, Paul had responded to the potential objection to his teaching on grace, “does that mean we can keep on sinning?” with the emphatic “surely not!” Now he responds to a potential objection to his teaching on “the law”. If knowledge of the law leads to sinful behaviour, does… Continue reading Romans 7:7-12
More than campaigning: the pastoral dynamic to ethical issues such as assisted dying
I was saddened to hear of the death of Esther Rantzen recently. As well as being a significant TV personality throughout my childhood, Esther Rantzen built a formidable reputation as a campaigner. In later years her campaigning passion was particularly linked to the assisted dying cause. Recently, the attempt to ass an assisted dying act… Continue reading More than campaigning: the pastoral dynamic to ethical issues such as assisted dying
Building God’s House – A life of Terry Virgo
I’ve recently finished Andy Johnston’s highly readable biography of Terry Virgo. It is a fascinating and detailed account of the life of one of the senior leaders within Evangelicalism, indeed I would argue specifically Reformed Evangelicalism. It specifically highlights how someone who might have been seen in his early days of ministry as a rebel… Continue reading Building God’s House – A life of Terry Virgo
