COVID’s long tail and the church

Remember when we thought that the pandemic would be dealt with by the short sharp shock of lockdown and then we would be back to church as normal again. We looked forward to those summer services when would be gathering back, packing in to services with a sense of thanksgiving. Those optimistic days seem a… Continue reading COVID’s long tail and the church

Women teaching men revisited – another look at 2 Timothy 2:12

One of the key verses in the debate about the role of men and women in the church, especially in relation to teaching, preaching and leadership is 2 Timothy 2:12 which says: “12 I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man; rather, she is to remain quiet.” There has… Continue reading Women teaching men revisited – another look at 2 Timothy 2:12

Faithroots Live 17th Feb 2021

This Wednesday, once again we have a programme of live events on the Faithroots Urban Facebook page. The aim of the day is to provide teaching, training and encouragement particularly for Those seeking to serve God in urban contexts Those who want to dig deeper but might not be able to access traditional Theological training.… Continue reading Faithroots Live 17th Feb 2021

We need a way out of costly social distancing measures, not just lockdown (open letter to Boris Johnson)

Dear Boris, I’ve written open letters to you throughout the pandemic.  As we approach the end of what we all hope will be the last lockdown, I want to write to you again concerning some of the rumours and hints that are currently going around. Over the past few weeks, the narrative has built up… Continue reading We need a way out of costly social distancing measures, not just lockdown (open letter to Boris Johnson)

“Family and friends” are not your accountability.

One of the things that you may have picked up from the Ravi Zacharias scandal is that a lot of responsibility for accountability lay with family and friends.  That’s one of the problems with a self selected group of people becoming responsible for a person’s accountability.  If we simply choose our own friends and family… Continue reading “Family and friends” are not your accountability.

Building back better -discipleship after lockdown

Some of our churches are going to need to do some building back after lockdown. I’ve mentioned before that I don’t think that we were pandemic proof and so COVID-19 hit us like a full on Tsumani.  Yet, in many respects, what the pandemic took out for our churches was not the real stuff. We… Continue reading Building back better -discipleship after lockdown

The “both – and” of mission

Republished from the archives (2018) One of my personal passions and priorities is to see people get involved in urban mission, making disciples who make disciples in communities where there is practically no gospel witness at the moment. That’s why I keep pointing visitors to faithroots.net to our ActBC pages. That urban focus means that… Continue reading The “both – and” of mission

What (if anything) have we learnt about God’s Sovereignty during lockdown?

One of the charges laid against those who are seen as most enthusiastic about lockdowns and vaccines is that they have forgotten about God’s Sovereignty over life and death and so are doing everything they  can to cheat death.  Furthermore, the argument is that belief we can control the virus is “hubris.” I’ve argued in… Continue reading What (if anything) have we learnt about God’s Sovereignty during lockdown?

Did we grow to love the fringe too much?

I resisted for a while, especially when I hoped lockdown would be short but eventually I succumbed. I realised that my hair was beginning to look like I was channelling Boris Johnson.  So, I bought some clippers and in a dramatic, bold move set them to number one before unleashing them on my head.  I’ve… Continue reading Did we grow to love the fringe too much?

Gifting, discernment and abuse

This is the sermon mentioned in my article about spiritual abuse Worship is about                Glorifying and praising God                Encouraging one another up /being a witness                Hearing God speak to us? How do we know that it is God speaking? By Knowing our own limitations (v 1-2) A question about Spiritual things –… Continue reading Gifting, discernment and abuse