Yes our binmen are on strike but please stop trash talking Birmingham

You probably won’t have been able to ignore it anymore, what started as a local news issue, bin strikes in Birmingham and the second city/largest single local authority bankrupt has moved up the agenda to a national news story with reports of rubbish bags piled high in the streets and rats the size of cats. … Continue reading Yes our binmen are on strike but please stop trash talking Birmingham

We don’t have to celebrate Easter but there is a good reason for those who do

My friend, Steve Kneale has written here about why you don’t need to celebrate Easter.  His crucial point is that there is nothing in the Bible that requires us to celebrate any of the key festivals.  We might add that it would be silly to be legalistic about Christmas and Easter, possibly in some places… Continue reading We don’t have to celebrate Easter but there is a good reason for those who do

Talk about God.  Some ways in which we can get our understanding of God wrong

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One of the legitimate concerns in current debates is to know and speak of God correctly. In other words , we want to get our doctrine right.  However, one of the risks we have is that we can be so concerned about making one mistake that we make another. Here are some dangers in how… Continue reading Talk about God.  Some ways in which we can get our understanding of God wrong

Do we need a political theology?

In my article responding to Joel Knight about his EN article on Donald Trump, I observed that he had raised the issue of Political Theology.  I suggested that this was something worth enlarging on.  My concern was that there were a number of potential ways to take the statement, some more helpful than others. Political… Continue reading Do we need a political theology?

The sin of writing bad books?

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I’m about to engage with Joe Rigney ‘s book “The sin of empathy”.  I am not intending a review so much as a detailed engagement with the book’s arguments.  However, if you do want to read a book review, I agree whole heartedly with Dani Treweek who has written here What I wanted to do… Continue reading The sin of writing bad books?

Speaking Scripture to Power: Why we need a robust Evangelical Political Theology  (by Joel Knight)

This is a guest post by Joel Knight in response to an article I wrote engaging with his take on Donald Trump in Evangelicals Now. Joel is minister at Christ Church Wokingham Dave asks me what I mean by ‘political theology’ and I’ll begin here because I think it will illuminate the question about ethical… Continue reading Speaking Scripture to Power: Why we need a robust Evangelical Political Theology  (by Joel Knight)

A tale of two film reviews

The other day, I published a friend’s review of the film “King of Kings”. I’ve just seen another review from Growing Young Disciples. The differences between the reviews are remarkable. Whilst both are generally positive about the film, the GYD review includes a couple of comments which markedly shift the tone. First, the review asks… Continue reading A tale of two film reviews

The Quiet Revival? Initial reflections on the Bible Society Report of renewed church growth in England and Wales

The Bible Society have recently shared an encouraging report suggesting that the church has been growing in England and Wales since 2018.  I think it will be helpful to dig a little deeper into the report and see what the detail is saying and I’m hoping to do that in a few articles post Easter. … Continue reading The Quiet Revival? Initial reflections on the Bible Society Report of renewed church growth in England and Wales

How should we respond to Donald Trump?

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Joel Knight, writes for Evangelicals Now about President Trump and UK Evangelical response that: “Much of the response to Donald Trump’s presidency from Christians in the UK has centred on ethical assessment. Christians rightly recognise that character matters and have a concern for the disadvantaged and disenfranchised. Moral clarity is indeed a gift Christians can… Continue reading How should we respond to Donald Trump?