Author: faithrootsdw

No! Paul wasn’t infiltrating Christianity to destroy it

Every so often an attempt is made to place a wedge between the apostle Paul and Jesus Christ.  The standard argument is that the Gospels present us with Jesus as the founder of a Jewish apocalyptic with limited appeal beyond ethnic Jews either within Palestine or in the diaspora across the Empire. Paul innovated by… Continue reading No! Paul wasn’t infiltrating Christianity to destroy it

Returning to in person church after lockdown – how can we look after one another?

Whilst many churches have re-opened the doors over the past few months, actual in person attendance has in most cases been unavoidably limited. What we can do in person has been extremely restricted and social distancing has limited capacity. Some churches have not been able to open at all due to renting their premises.  Therefore,… Continue reading Returning to in person church after lockdown – how can we look after one another?

Leaky pipes are best replaced

This article by Nay Dawson is essential reading for complementarians who believe that women are called to serve in Christ’s church too. This is not a post pushing for us to change our minds on what Scripture says about elders and about teaching. It is simply arguing that women are given gifts to use for… Continue reading Leaky pipes are best replaced

When are we justified – and does it matter?

In my talks on Romans 4 and 5 I mentioned something called The New Perspective on Paul, an approach to Pauline studies associated with EP Sanders, Tom Wright and James Dunn.  The NPP argues that we’ve misunderstood the Jewishness of Paul’s Gospel and therefore going right back to the reformers have misunderstood Paul’s teaching and… Continue reading When are we justified – and does it matter?

Eurovision, hate and indifference

Eurovision returned last night after a one year COVID enforced hiatus. Normal service was well and  truly resumed with outlandish costumes, cheesy lyrics and quirky voting. To cap it all, once again, the UK finished bottom with the ignominious “null points”.  Then as usual, people took to social media to complain that everyone in Europe… Continue reading Eurovision, hate and indifference

This is how much God loves us (Romans 5:6-11)

What is the thing that we perhaps find hardest to believe during trials and suffering?  Well, it’s the very thing we need to know the most. We need to know how much God loves us. We left off last time with that wonderful declaration of God’s love for us. This is the first mention of… Continue reading This is how much God loves us (Romans 5:6-11)

We need to do better at deep and charitable theological engagement (another lesson from COVID)

You are a church leader and you’ve just been told by the government that due to a pandemic ripping through the population, you will now need to suspend public services as part of a national lockdown. You know that schools, pubs, restaurants, theatres and sports stadia are being closed. You know that people are being… Continue reading We need to do better at deep and charitable theological engagement (another lesson from COVID)