Writing in the book “On Classical Trinitarianism” Christopher Hall asks and answers: “Exactly what are we saying and doing when we recite the Nicene Creed as members of Christ’s body, the church? We are affirming our trust in the Holy Spirit’s guidance and empowerment of the church as it studied, contemplated, and articulated the meaning… Continue reading Scripture Alone or Scripture and Liturgy
Author: faithrootsdw
The blessings of the ascension
The conclusion to Luke’s Gospel helps us answer two important questions. Where is Jesus? And in response to this, where are we meant to be? Where is Jesus? The simple answer is that he is ascended. He is now in heaven. It’s that little, overlooked but crucial day in the Church calendar, perhaps because it… Continue reading The blessings of the ascension
Summer and winter, springtime and harvest
Reflecting not just on the Quiet Revival report but on anecdotal responses, one of the leaders in our group of churches commented recently that it feels as though something is happening, that summer is here.[1] He was talking about knowing the times and seasons. If we are in the summer time, then the kinds of… Continue reading Summer and winter, springtime and harvest
Time to celebrate? Another Sabbath factor
Something struck me from Graham Alexander’s comments after Bradford City got promoted. He was asked if it would be down to business for the next season on the following Monday. He said that no, the players would enjoy the civic celebrations, have a short holiday together.and observe the fire memorial. Then it would be back… Continue reading Time to celebrate? Another Sabbath factor
Is the empathy debate really just about “untethered empathy”?
I’m interested to see that Joe Rigney’s book “The sin of empathy” is continuing to generate a lot of passion. New Testament scholar, Robert Gagnon has posted a short article on facebook reacting to an article under the headline “Christian nationalists decided empathy was a sin, now it’s gone mainstream”. He complains about the … Continue reading Is the empathy debate really just about “untethered empathy”?
Have we tried too hard to be “unchurchy” when people want “churchy-church”
Steve Kneale raises an interesting question for us here. Have we been too focused on attempting to be less “churchy” when that is exactly what people ar looking for, something that looks, feels and sounds like we expect church to be. This is a helpful question, coming at a point when reports, anecdotal evidence, and… Continue reading Have we tried too hard to be “unchurchy” when people want “churchy-church”
The baptism of Naaman
I wonder if you’ve ever preached on Naaman at a baptism service. Of course there could be a very cliched and unhelpful way of doing this, simply focusing on the fact that Naaman goes down into water and out again, baptism by immersion QED. You might end up with some iffy practical application there, Are… Continue reading The baptism of Naaman
The stories the preacher needs to tell
In a recent sermon on Luke 6, I observed that as we read the Gospel, we can actually see three stories being told. There’s the story of Jesus, the one we obviously expect to be there. However, Jesus is also retelling, or rather acting out the story of Israel. God’s people had experienced exile in… Continue reading The stories the preacher needs to tell
Some reflections on Confidentiality and the church
Steve Midgely, writing for the Journal of Biblical Counselling notes that churches often operate with a mindset that their confidentiality reflects the medical world’s approach. He quotes the Hippocratic Oath as saying: “Whatever…I see or hear, in the life of men, which ought not to be spoken of abroad, I will not divulge, as reckoning… Continue reading Some reflections on Confidentiality and the church
What if your pastor is your therapist and your therapist is your pastor?
I saw this article the other day arguing that your pastor is not meant to be your therapist and vice versa. I can sympathise to some extent with the argument. On the one side of things, there can be a tendency to treat church like a self help process. This doesn’t just affect one to… Continue reading What if your pastor is your therapist and your therapist is your pastor?
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