The image at the top of this article is one that will trouble many people. It’s the image of Nicola Sturgeon, the Scottish First Minister meeting with Michelle Collins, the leader of Sinn Fein. Now in the years since the 1997 Good Friday Agreement, Sinn Fein have certainly had an image make over. However, it… Continue reading Sturgeon, Sinn Fein and why an end to sectarianism is urgently needed
Author: faithrootsdw
Do we need an emergency budget?
A lot of politicians – mainly opposition ones – have been calling urgently for the Chancellor of the Exchequer to deliver an emergency budget. It’s barely a few months since Rishi Sunak delivered his budget so why do we need another one so soon after? Ostensibly, the reason is the dramatic change we are seeing… Continue reading Do we need an emergency budget?
Further reflections on men, women, training and the church
The other day I mentioned a little bit of controversy around the question of whether women should go to seminary. John Steven’s, the National Director of the FIEC and a staunch complementarian has added his voice in support of women training at seminary sharing an article from Michael Bird who happens to be an egalitarian.… Continue reading Further reflections on men, women, training and the church
Buildings, buildings, buildings -short term and long term thinking
There’s been a bit of a discussion over the past few days about church planting and the importance of owning your own building. There have been two big prompts for this. First of all, the FIEC posted this article from Adrian Reynolds discussing the pros and cons of not owning your own building: Secondly, David… Continue reading Buildings, buildings, buildings -short term and long term thinking
Picnic (Mark 2:23-28)
Do you remember when the then Prime Minister, Theresa May, was asked what the naughtiest thing was that she’d ever done? Struggling to think of anything particularly heinous, she gave the since much mocked answer that she had once skipped through a field of wheat. Well, here we find Jesus and his disciples in trouble… Continue reading Picnic (Mark 2:23-28)
How do we deal with the Cost of Living Crisis? Wrong answers only please.
There’s a trend on social media where someone asks a question and then invites people to give only wrong answers. The aim is to get the silliest response possible. It looked this week as though Conservative Government Minister Rachel Maclean thought she had been invited to participate in such a challenge. Maclean has managed to… Continue reading How do we deal with the Cost of Living Crisis? Wrong answers only please.
A wedding or a funeral? (Mark 2:18-22)
Back in October, we had the great joy of seeing my niece get married. We are now looking forward to my nephew’s wedding in about two weeks’ time. We’re looking forward to smiles, applause, laughter, music and dancing. There’ll also be plenty to eat. A Wedding is a celebration, a feast. Jesus draws on the… Continue reading A wedding or a funeral? (Mark 2:18-22)
Why I believe women should pursue degrees in theological AND pastoral studies
The other day, a Christian woman announced on twitter that she’d completed her BA in pastoral ministry. This drew the following response from a US Theology professor. There has been an ensuing debate around the rights and wrongs of women studying at seminary particularly in a complementarian context. Complementarians understand that men and women are… Continue reading Why I believe women should pursue degrees in theological AND pastoral studies
Who needs a doctor? (Mark 2:13-17)
We now begin to see why sharp divisions were growing between Jesus and the Pharisees. There was a clear line drawn between “us and them”. That line was between those who were considered to be faithful or at least trying to be faithful to YHWH by keeping Torah, by seeking to be pure, clean, hol… Continue reading Who needs a doctor? (Mark 2:13-17)
Revelation through the lens of the Ukraine invasion
I’ve argued before that when we read Revelation it is applicable to our present situation, not because we attempt to read a detailed chronology of the last days with timings but because we best understand Revelation as offering God’s explanation of the whole of history from the perspective of the end. This means that we… Continue reading Revelation through the lens of the Ukraine invasion
