Pretty much every UK based comment from my generation and above have started along the lines of “I hadn’t heard of Charlie Kirk until this week .” Personally I’d heard a little. I knew about Turning Point and had an awareness of some of the politics. However, I also realised that I had seen a… Continue reading Who knew Charlie Kirk?
Category: Church life
True Revival?
This month ‘s Evangelicals Now carries an article by Bill James with more comment on the so called Quiet Revival. He asks if the reports reflect “True Revival”. I don’t want to really debate that question because I’m unconvinced it is helpful. There seems to be an obsession at the moment from both sides of… Continue reading True Revival?
Handkerchiefs and healing
In Acts 19:12, people are described as taking handkerchiefs and aprons that have been used by Paul to the sick and the demon possessed with the result that they were healed. Presumably this refers to work clothes from his trade as a tentmaker including cloths used to wipe sweat away from his face (rather than… Continue reading Handkerchiefs and healing
Why Pentecost is good news
Today is Pentecost Sunday. Fifty days after Easter, Acts 2 tells us that the disciples were gathered together when God’s Spirit came down filling the place and then. This was accompanied with dramatic signs: the building shook, a strong wind ripped through the place, the appearance of tongues of fire in their heads and the… Continue reading Why Pentecost is good news
Jeff the low stakes prophet
I recently saw this video from Lutheran satire. Here are some reflections. First the video may play into a stereotype of Charismatic prophecy, people talking to their experience and with it the status of their ideas, with a “thus says the Lord”. Now, it is fair to say that I have encountered people who either… Continue reading Jeff the low stakes prophet
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
Pastoring the grieving: The funeral
An important part of looking after people through grieving is the funeral which offers some form of closure. Although it is not the end of grieving, it does provide a marker, enabling the bereaved to move on with the next phase of their life. There isn’t really a right or wrong way to hold a… Continue reading Pastoring the grieving: The funeral
A little proposal, what if we got rid of the distinction between elders conpletely?
My friend Steve Kneale recently wrote in praise of unpaid elders. He began by talking. about the problems with different descriptions for paid and unpaid elders. I agree 100 percent with him. In fact the one thing I’d want to do is make explicitly clear that there is no Biblical foundation for the presbyterian distinction… Continue reading A little proposal, what if we got rid of the distinction between elders conpletely?
Talk of a Quiet Revival – how is it affecting Bible reading?
Most of the focus on the Quiet Revival report has been on the figures concerning Church attendance. However, the report also asked people about perceptions of the Bible and their own Bible reading habits. According to the report, 44% of adults own a Bible at home, however, 79% either hardly ever or never read it. … Continue reading Talk of a Quiet Revival – how is it affecting Bible reading?
Is having children the best long term strategy for church growth?
Ian Paul writes that “the best long-term strategy for church growth” .. is child birth. Now, as John Stevens has said when commenting on the article, yes, encouraging people to get married and have children is a good thing to be doing and very counter cultural. However, it is not by any stretch, a strategy… Continue reading Is having children the best long term strategy for church growth?
Faithroots 