Is creation care a Gospel issue?

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This was a question posed in Evangelicals Now, back in December by John Samuel and Richard Buggs.  The question was prompted by a statement in the 2011 Cape Town Commitment from the Lausanne Movement which also found its way into the 2024 Lausanne Congress.  It reads: If Jesus is Lord of all the earth, we… Continue reading Is creation care a Gospel issue?

What is an Evangelical?

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It’s over twenty years now since  the controversy  over Steve Chalke’s book, The Lost Message of Jesus.  Central to the controversy was his rejection of Penal Substitution and central to the response was that you can’t deny Penal Substitution and continue to be recognised as an Evangelical. It is worth noting that at the time,… Continue reading What is an Evangelical?

Desire: What is the concupiscence debate all about?

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I’ve been starting to dip my toe into a little theological debate about something called “concupiscence”. I’ve so far focused on highlighting what Scripture has to say about desire and temptation.  It’s probably worth saying a little bit more about what the debate seems to be all about. In the new volume, Ruined Sinners to… Continue reading Desire: What is the concupiscence debate all about?

Jesus, desire and temptation

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We cannot talk about desire and temptation without looking at Jesus’ experience of temptation.  We can see this exemplified in the temptation he experienced in the wilderness from Satan and secondly in the Garden of Gethsemane.  Remember that Jesus’ experience of temptation is different to ours, he was without sin and so his nature was… Continue reading Jesus, desire and temptation

Have we given up on children and Church?

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Matthew Roberts writes in The Critic Magazine “If there is one thing which has typified the collapse of confidence of Christian churches in Britain in the last century, it has been the strange assumption that Christian worship is not for children.” There are a few presumptions in that statement which I’m going to look at… Continue reading Have we given up on children and Church?

Is depression an emotional state that makes people interpret the events in their lives in a negative way?

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A quote in the Daily Telegraph says ““Depression is an emotional state that makes people interpret the events in their lives in a negative way,” explains Mabel Martinelli, the director of the Cambridge Centre for Cognitive and Behavioural Therapy. “It’s only by helping someone to find some space from that feeling that they are able… Continue reading Is depression an emotional state that makes people interpret the events in their lives in a negative way?

Preaching through a Gospel – going large

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I thought it might be worth saying something about approaching a preaching and teaching series through a Gospel. There are a few ways in which you can do this.  You can choose to approach the whole book like you might do other books of the Bible and work through passage by passage, alternatively you can… Continue reading Preaching through a Gospel – going large

“But I wish you had tap danced”:  Why good interpretation of Scripture, historical theology and contemporary conversation partners matters

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As noted previously, David and Jonathan Gibson have beef with John Stevens over his book “The fight of your life.”  Some of their critique is rather peculiar.  They acknowledge that it is a short, pastoral work (in fact it was based on a series of talks” and then complain that rather than engaging at length… Continue reading “But I wish you had tap danced”:  Why good interpretation of Scripture, historical theology and contemporary conversation partners matters

In defence of Executive Pastors

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I saw this article the other day and I’m not completely unsympathetic to the concerns. However, I’m not completely convinced by the arguments either. So I thought it was worth saying something in defence of the executive pastor. It’s worth saying two things up front. First of all,  the term tends to refer to a member… Continue reading In defence of Executive Pastors