I was reflecting with someone the other day about the horror of recent scandals within the church and the ongoing challenge for the many of us who are concerned about how such scandals have been made possible and may reflect other deeper cultural challenges. My friend expressed concern that we may be seeing the growth… Continue reading In the end it’s not reviews and reports that will protect you
Author: faithrootsdw
Truth and birthday cake
Yesterday, the House of Commons agreed to a motion calling for an investigation of Boris Johnson. That investigation will focus on whether or not the Prime Minister mislead parliament when responding to questions about alleged parties at Downing Street during the lockdowns. The debate both inside the House of Commons and wider in the media… Continue reading Truth and birthday cake
What the Archbishop didn’t say
Last weekend, before we got back to things like parties in Downing Street and whether the Prime Minister tells the truth, the media and social media were full of reports and debate about what the Archbishop of Canterbury had said in his Easter Day sermon. Reports focused on some statements critical of the UK’s Rwanda… Continue reading What the Archbishop didn’t say
Confidentiality and pastoral care
Often in pastoral care, the question of confidentiality will come up. This is important because when you are counselling someone, they are placing themselves in a vulnerable situation and may be telling you things that they’ve never told anyone before. They may be nervous about how making that known will affect them and their relationships.… Continue reading Confidentiality and pastoral care
Can I say to an unbeliever “God loves you?”
At least one pastor on social media doesn’t think so. This raises some interesting questions. The first of which is can we through a quick scan through Acts draw such a dogmatic conclusion as that the apostles “never” did something. Interestingly, if we are looking for examples from New Testament narrative, my friend -and experienced… Continue reading Can I say to an unbeliever “God loves you?”
The Fragility of Church Plants
Over the past decade, there has been a renewed interest in church planting. It’s something I write about quite a bit with a particular focus on reaching urban contexts. Since we moved to the West Midlands, we have been linked with an initiative first known as 2020 Birmingham and now as The Birmingham Collective. The… Continue reading The Fragility of Church Plants
Should we sing “the father’s wrath completely satisfied”?
A friend recently asked on social media for recommendations of newish songs for their church to learn. One I mentioned was the Sovereign Grace song, “Jesus Thank you” by Pat Sczebel . Another friend commented that whilst they too love this song, they struggle a bit with the chorus which goes: Your blood has washed… Continue reading Should we sing “the father’s wrath completely satisfied”?
Thinking about church planting but don’t know where or how to start?
I recently asked a couple of questions on twitter about church planting. One of the questions I asked was about the kinds of barriers that people experience that make it less likely for them to consider getting involved in church planting. Now, for a lot of people, it’s simply that they have no sense of… Continue reading Thinking about church planting but don’t know where or how to start?
COVID Spring 2022
It’s been a while since I wrote anything about COVID-19 however, I thought it might be worth a little update. Since I stopped updating charts daily, there have been substantial changes to testing and reporting including the ending of free Lateral flow tests. For that reason, I am not going to report on positive test… Continue reading COVID Spring 2022
Why I’m less keen on talking about class and church
There’s been much discussion about class and church in evangelical circles recently and despite the title I think that this is generally a good thing if it gets us talking about the missing people and unreached areas that should “rebuke our slothful ease” More so if it leads not just to talk but to action.… Continue reading Why I’m less keen on talking about class and church
Faithroots 