faithrootsdw

For him

Let’s return to that question of what happens when we see people fall either due to false teaching or to moral failure. I’m thinking specifically of religious leaders here. Some people have argued that because Romans 11:29 describes God’s gifts and calling as irrevocable that even when a leader falls, they can and should be… Continue reading For him

What are you saying?

One of the things we need to be aware of as leaders is how people hear us which may not be as we intended to communicate. There are two things to consider here. It’s more than content In terms of content and tone, what this means is that I simply want to convey a specific… Continue reading What are you saying?

Where is your confidence?

Jesus and his disciples are in Jerusalem for the Passover Festival. At the heart of the festival was the Temple, an impressive building. Whilst the Jews on returning during Ezra and Nehemiah’s day had been disappointed by the 2nd Temple, a poor comparison to the one Solomon had built, Herod the Great had sent lavishly… Continue reading Where is your confidence?

Pastoral Theology

Another resource I’ve been developing on Faithroots is a “pastor’s theology”. The aim is to provide a Systematic Theology that is practically applied to help us think about how what we believe affects how we live. I am currently working on part 4 about Being Human and bits of that are appearing on the blog… Continue reading Pastoral Theology

Teaching Resources

One of the resource sets I’m building up on Faithroots is a set of teaching guides on books of the Bible. These have started life as resources for lay preachers in our church. The idea is that they are there to help people who might not be able to access a lot if commentaries. They… Continue reading Teaching Resources

Judgement is coming (Mark 13)

The Temple was one of the wonders of the ancient world. Initially a fairly simply design had replaced Solomon’s temple and Ezra records the disappointment of the people at this. However, by Jesus’ day, the second temple had been remodelled and extended greatly by Herod the Great who hoped to win favour with the Jews. … Continue reading Judgement is coming (Mark 13)

Do we owe sympathy and gratitude?

This is a follow on to my article the other day about how we respond when leaders fall and fail. My article then was specifically focused on our response to Liz Truss’s fall from power. That’s the starting point today and so I want first to share a tweet from the Archbishop of Canterbury that… Continue reading Do we owe sympathy and gratitude?

Healthy giving … healthy receiving

The other day a friend asked a question on social media about financial support for Christian projects. They asked whether or not it was okay for doners to attach theological strings to their donations. They then gave two examples of how this might come into play. I was interested by the responses given by people… Continue reading Healthy giving … healthy receiving

Pensioners are not dependents on State largesse

One of the great challenges of the 21st Century is how we look after an increasing aging population. We sometimes talk about a demographic time bomb, lower birth rates combined with increased life expectancy mean that the working population is smaller but has to support a much larger population of retired people. We have seen… Continue reading Pensioners are not dependents on State largesse

Who has more to give?

In the days following Jesus’ cleansing of the temple, the different religious and political groupings have attempted to take him on and bring him down. His actions in the temple courts amounted to a direct challenge of their authority and so, they attempted to undermine his. Jesus however has defeated all comers. He has demonstrated… Continue reading Who has more to give?