Over time, the pendulum swings back and forth in terms of what is considered a good education. A few years back, schools were all about so called “child centred learning” where children were to be encouraged to explore and discover for themselves. Teachers were not “the sage on the stage” but “ the guide at… Continue reading Training for ministry is not just about “what” but “who”
Author: faithrootsdw
Men Women and Leadership … in practice
I hope you’ve found the recent #FaithrootsLive series helpful. The aim has not been to court controversy but help us to think better about how to honour Christ and love his church. Here’s the last in the series where we Consider some of the potential objections and criticisms of complementarianism Begin to think about how… Continue reading Men Women and Leadership … in practice
On grief, anger and agendas
It’s funny how things said can suddenly take on a whole new level of poignancy. On Friday morning I was involved in two little twitter threads. The first was started by Daniel Blanche sharing the lines of a beautiful worship song: The second linked to a TV discussion that Graham Nicholls of Affinity was involved… Continue reading On grief, anger and agendas
Relatability can be helpful too
In the news this week, a church in Bournemouth that has officially changed its name from St Michaels to St Mikes and put in a coffee bar in the hope of attracting younger people in. There have been a few reactions to this, notably Giles Fraser here and Rod Liddle here. Steve Kneale rightly observes… Continue reading Relatability can be helpful too
Church and the aftermath of the pandemic
Here’s my regular update on where we are in terms of churches coming out of lockdown restrictions. First of all, an update on the current data. As you can see, we’ve seen a further increase in UK cases over the past week or two and that increase is continuing, primarily driven by the English case… Continue reading Church and the aftermath of the pandemic
On authors, Israel and boycotts
Author Sally Rooney has announced that she will not allow her most recent novel to be published in Hebrew through an Israeli publishing house. She claims that this is part of the BDS action to campaign against Israeli occupation in Gaza and the West Bank. I’ve not read her work but my wife’s immediate response… Continue reading On authors, Israel and boycotts
Is complementarianism harmful and dangerous?
In our #FaithrootsLive sessions we’ve been looking at church leadership and the roles than men and women can/should play in this. I come from what is usually referred to as a “complementarian” position. Now, one of the challenges about this conversation is that it is a difficult, if not impossible conversation to have because as… Continue reading Is complementarianism harmful and dangerous?
Theological training -what is the standard we are looking for?
I’ve heard all kinds of analogies for theological training. The one that sticks in my mind from those arguing for seminary training is the comparison to airline pilots. You wouldn’t want to be a passenger if the pilot had never been trained, had done the bare minimum or was learning on the job. Recently as… Continue reading Theological training -what is the standard we are looking for?
When did you last hear a pastor talk about heterosexual ethics?
In my survey about what pastors talk about I asked when was the last time you heard a pastor address the matter of sexual ethics. I divided that into ethics concerning heterosexual relationships and same-sex relationships. The results are interesting because among those taking part, sexual ethics were highly likely to have been addressed in… Continue reading When did you last hear a pastor talk about heterosexual ethics?
Right with God (Romans 9 v 30- 10:21)
I want to specifically talk to those of you who have been following along as we’ve looked at Romans. You’ve been drawn to this message about good news, peace, joy, hope, getting right with God and your response has been “I need in on that.” Something in the message of this book has reached into… Continue reading Right with God (Romans 9 v 30- 10:21)
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