Author: faithrootsdw

Why do we want to talk about one will in God?

The view of The Church over many centuries has been that the individual persons of the Trinity do not each have their own will, rather God has one will.  This will is a property of his nature. This also leads to the conclusion that Jesus, having two natures, must have two wills, one human and… Continue reading Why do we want to talk about one will in God?

What a church can learn from a public heath director

Yesterday I had the privilege of interviewing Lisa McNally, Sandwell’s Director of Public Health. We were talking about avoiding local lockdowns and the part the community can play. Reflecting back on the conversation I was struck about some important lessons for churches in the discussion that go beyond questions about pandemics. So, here’s a summary… Continue reading What a church can learn from a public heath director

What if people don’t come back to church?

This article from Thom Rainer is a sobering read. Although written from a US perspective, I think it is likely to be very true of the UK situation too. Certainly, there are things I recognise as I read the article. I want to add a qualification and then consider how we respond.  The qualification is… Continue reading What if people don’t come back to church?

The Son with two wills

In my last article on EFS, I began to talk about something called the Third Council of Constantinople.  You may be forgiven for not having heard of it even if you are well read in Church history and doctrine. It does not have the same prominence as some of the other Councils such as Chalcedon… Continue reading The Son with two wills

Church is about more than a quick in and out visit

When people have come to join us at Bearwood from a more Roman Catholic or High Church background, there are often some tell-tale signs. One is the tendency to arrive as close to the start time as possible and leave quickly at the end avoiding much social interaction with others. So, when I first saw… Continue reading Church is about more than a quick in and out visit

Eternal Functional Subordination, The Will of God and The Creeds

In the last two articles on EFS, we picked up on what Jesus says in John 5 and Matthew 26. We saw, that on the face of it, The Son submits his will to The Father.  Proponents of EFS argue that this is exactly what the Son is doing and that this must be an… Continue reading Eternal Functional Subordination, The Will of God and The Creeds

“Not my will but yours” – who is talking to who?

In Matthew 26, Jesus is in the Garden of Gethsemane after he has shared the last supper with the disciples. There in the garden he goes to pray on his own and says these famous words.  “My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.”[1]… Continue reading “Not my will but yours” – who is talking to who?

The Son with amnesia?

In an earlier post, I talked about the challenges and the importance of talking about the Doctrine of God. I mentioned the controversy around the Doctrine of the Trinity and the Eternal Functional Subordination debate. Over the next few posts, I want to talk in a little more detail about this.  My personal view is… Continue reading The Son with amnesia?

Conversations about God

There has been much debate about the Doctrine of God over the past few years. The technical end of the debate is about whether a particular historical approach known as Classical Theism is the benchmark of orthodoxy and whether certain theologians have strayed beyond that therefore making them heretics. There are two specific examples of… Continue reading Conversations about God