Divorce and re-marriage in domestic abuse cases

** From time to time I touch on pastoral issues around abuse and bullying. I try to avoid detailed descriptions. However, some readers may find that the discussion as here may have a trigger effect in terms of provoking past memories.** Yesterday I began to talk about marriage and divorce where there has been domestic… Continue reading Divorce and re-marriage in domestic abuse cases

Was Jesus married?

This is the question posed by Premier Christianity in a recent article.  Not only that but their editor Sam Hailes lays credence to the claim in this tweet. It is concerning that the editors of a mainstream, Christian publication which was traditionally considered at least broadly evangelical could even consider such a piece worthy of… Continue reading Was Jesus married?

Marriage counselling where there has been abuse

I’ve been planning to write something about divorce and re-marriage in the context of abuse cases for the past couple of weeks. It arises out of some of the discussion following on from the case of church discipline reported from Grace Community Church. One question that has been raised is whether the Bible permits separation… Continue reading Marriage counselling where there has been abuse

Jesus my king says “come and sit with me”

I was speaking at West Smethwick Congregational Church last Sunday. WSCC is a church we built connections with when they sought help with revitalisation and replanting. A few years back they were down to half a dozen people. So, it was good to visit them and see such a change.  They have a pastor and… Continue reading Jesus my king says “come and sit with me”

The cost of living crisis and the cost of sin

I’ve been writing a little about the cost of living crisis and how Christians and churches should respond. We often feel reluctant to talk about such things for two reasons. First, we are wary of leaping into party politics – I think there is good sense to that. Secondly, because we are not quite sure… Continue reading The cost of living crisis and the cost of sin

You don’t have to be a Marxist to be against racism

Last week, Together For the Gospel (T4G) held their final conference. T4G has been going for a number of years now and was set up by Al Mohler, Mark Dever and Legon Duncan.  So what? You ask. Conferences and conventions come and go. This may have been a big one in the States, but all… Continue reading You don’t have to be a Marxist to be against racism

If you can’t hypothetically consider taking a break from something then you may well have dependency issues

The other week, I proposed in this article that the different Christian festivals should agree to take a two year sabbatical.  Now, you may or may not have agreed with my assessment of particular Christian holiday weeks.  To be clear, when I write about our own love-hate relationship with them I know that I don’t… Continue reading If you can’t hypothetically consider taking a break from something then you may well have dependency issues