Author: faithrootsdw

How should Church Discipline work between churches?

In my articles responding to the Stephen Sizer case, I’ve argued that one of the problems that prevented an effective response to the problem of antisemitism in the church was a failure to do church discipline well. This affects both the immediate local church context and inter church relationships.  So, I thought it might be… Continue reading How should Church Discipline work between churches?

My burden as well?

When we were little, my mum used to read Jungle Doctor stories to us.  These were a collection of stories that a missionary had told to help communicate the Gospel and were later put into book form. The stories were allegorical tales about the different animals. In one story, Antelope comes across Monkey.  Young monkey… Continue reading My burden as well?

Perhaps we all could listen a little better – a response to Aimee Byrd

Aimee Byrd has written this article, essentially arguing that Complementarians need to listen to people including herself who have been challenging their theology and culture but essentially giving up on us (I identify as a Complementarian) arguing that we are beyond hope. We are simply unable to listen. When Aimee’s book first came out, I… Continue reading Perhaps we all could listen a little better – a response to Aimee Byrd

Stephen Sizer, antisemitism and church discipline

In this article, I wrote about why the church seems to have dealt badly with the problem of antisemitism, particularly in relation to the Stephen Sizer case.  Before going further, I should also mention again that this is not just about the Sizer case.  As I commented in the previous article, a couple of years… Continue reading Stephen Sizer, antisemitism and church discipline

The right ending of Mark?

When you get to Mark 16:8, you see a couple of little notes which indicate that most of the earliest manuscripts we have of the Gospel finish about here, however, some, including those that were relied upon for much of the time when the Bible was first being translated into English offer either a shorter… Continue reading The right ending of Mark?

If you want to look after your pastor, just let him have a normal weekend off!

I’ve just read one of those Twitter threads which outlines how churches should look after the pastors.  This current one talks about things like using paying the pastor a decent wage, paying for any counselling they need, letting them have marriage enrichment weekends, praying for them, giving them sabbaticals and also giving then a “sabbath… Continue reading If you want to look after your pastor, just let him have a normal weekend off!

Stephen Sizer – why did we deal so badly with Antisemitism?

Stephen Sizer is a former Anglican Vicar who only a few years back was a prominent figure within conservative evangelicalism.  Sizer has a particular concern for Palestine and a while back wrote a book challenging the kind of end time fundamentalism, sometimes also referred to as “Christian Zionism” which puts a strong focus on the… Continue reading Stephen Sizer – why did we deal so badly with Antisemitism?

The good shepherd carries me

You are probably familiar with that old little poem, a favourite of greeting cards, bookmarks and fridge magnets. It talks about two sets of footprints across the sand.  The speaker though spots moments when there is only a single track and complains that at the point when life seemed hardest, it looked like Jesus had… Continue reading The good shepherd carries me

Do you know where you are going? Does everyone else know where you are going?

Back when mum and dad were living in Shenzhen, I went out to visit them a few times. On one occasion we went up to Beijing. We got a taxi from the airport to our hotel.  After a little while we began to think that the journey was taking far longer than it should.  Then… Continue reading Do you know where you are going? Does everyone else know where you are going?