The possibility of full re-opening from lockdowns hangs in the balance at the moment. The primary cause for concern is the newer B1.617.2 variant first noticed in India. It appears that the variant has a higher transmission rate and there is the possibility that it may not be quite as responsive to vaccines. The positive… Continue reading What to do about the fact that June 21st re-opening has been thrown into doubt
Category: Church life
Red Herrings and church life
I’ve written two articles describing examples of what are in my opinion “red-herrings” when it comes to the UK’s COVID-19 response. I could be wrong in my assessment. I write as an amateur arm chair critic not an expert. However, the point I wanted to make was that often we risk being distracted by something… Continue reading Red Herrings and church life
Are small groups overrated?
Jonathan Carswell was seeking to provoke a bit of discussion with this tweet -and he succeeded. So, what do you think? Are they overrated, ineffective and unaccountable? It’s worth noting at this stage that Jonathan is making a relative comparison to the other ministries run in a local church, presumably including your retired ladies meeting,… Continue reading Are small groups overrated?
Returning to in person church after lockdown – how can we look after one another?
Whilst many churches have re-opened the doors over the past few months, actual in person attendance has in most cases been unavoidably limited. What we can do in person has been extremely restricted and social distancing has limited capacity. Some churches have not been able to open at all due to renting their premises. Therefore,… Continue reading Returning to in person church after lockdown – how can we look after one another?
Leaky pipes are best replaced
This article by Nay Dawson is essential reading for complementarians who believe that women are called to serve in Christ’s church too. This is not a post pushing for us to change our minds on what Scripture says about elders and about teaching. It is simply arguing that women are given gifts to use for… Continue reading Leaky pipes are best replaced
We need to do better at deep and charitable theological engagement (another lesson from COVID)
You are a church leader and you’ve just been told by the government that due to a pandemic ripping through the population, you will now need to suspend public services as part of a national lockdown. You know that schools, pubs, restaurants, theatres and sports stadia are being closed. You know that people are being… Continue reading We need to do better at deep and charitable theological engagement (another lesson from COVID)
What lessons should Christians be learning from the pandemic? (1) What has God been teaching us?
The other day, I wrote about the lessons that the UK as a country needs to be looking at if it’s to learn from the pandemic for the future. What about the church? What lessons are we learning as Christians from the pandemic? Well, someone of those lessons are not really going to become clearer… Continue reading What lessons should Christians be learning from the pandemic? (1) What has God been teaching us?
Complementarianism and Singleness – in practice
This is my third article responding to the accusation that complementarianism discriminates against single people. I want to look at how this works out in practice. I want to say at the start that this is not an attempt to claim that the churches I’ve been part of as a member or as a leader… Continue reading Complementarianism and Singleness – in practice
Complying with COVID measures did not imply a lack of faith
One of the nastiest lies put about through the last year is that anyone who sought to comply with COVID-19 measures such as wearing face masks, social distancing and co-operating with restrictions on church gathering were somehow lacking in faith. If they had enough faith in Jesus, then they would not be worried about death… Continue reading Complying with COVID measures did not imply a lack of faith
After the pandemic -don’t forget about the body of Christ
We are enjoying our new church and particularly the prayer meetings and mid-week community groups. Often at these, one of the elders will pick up on a key thing from the Sunday sermon and encourage us to think about practical application before turning to prayer. The other Sunday, the speaker had talked about Christ returning… Continue reading After the pandemic -don’t forget about the body of Christ
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