Over the past few weeks, we’ve seen COVID19 cases in the UK increase significantly again up to the kinds of levels we were seeing back in June/July. Here’s the UK wide picture. Primarily the case growth has been driven by English case numbers. Here’s the plot of reported cases and the growth in reported cases… Continue reading What is happening with COVID cases and should we be worried?
Author: faithrootsdw
Why are people attending church less frequently?
One of the trends that quite a few people have noticed in recent years has been the change in definition of what it means to attend church regularly. To those of us in church leadership, who have been Christians for some time, regular attendance tends to mean “at least once a week.” However, the reality… Continue reading Why are people attending church less frequently?
Should there be a “David’s Law” against anonymous online abuse?
Yesterday, MPs gathered in Parliament to pay tributes to Sir David Amess MP. There were a number of moving contributions. I thought that both the Prime Minister and the leader of the opposition spoke particularly well. One particularly passionate and powerful speech came from back bencher Mark Francois. In it he called for MPs to… Continue reading Should there be a “David’s Law” against anonymous online abuse?
Is anyone thirsty? (John 4:1-25)
Were you there in the petrol queues panic buying fuel the other week? I wonder how you would have reacted if someone promised you access to a secret stash of petrol or diesel? What if they could guarantee that once you filled up, the fuel wouldn’t run out. It’s a relief that the crisis has… Continue reading Is anyone thirsty? (John 4:1-25)
I’m not convinced we need a public inquiry on COVID
We’re expecting a full public inquiry to follow the COVID-19 pandemic and that is generally seen to be a good thing. Some people want an inquiry because they believe that there are people culpable either through intent or at least wilful neglect and they should be held to account. Others are looking for lessons learnt… Continue reading I’m not convinced we need a public inquiry on COVID
Training for ministry is not just about “what” but “who”
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”
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
