Imagine turning up at a wedding, heading towards the groom and telling him he was a great mate, a general all round good guy and your favourite friend. Then after a short pause you tell him “but your bride is a hideous troll isn’t she. Can’t stand her mate.” A few minutes later you find… Continue reading The church is still the bride of Christ
Category: Church life
The detached head
“That Hideous Strength” is the last in CS Lewis’s science fiction trilogy. It’s aa grim and shocking read if you are used to the Narnia stories or even the first two of the science fiction books. Central to the plot is the severed head of a man which some involved in the project is still… Continue reading The detached head
From the shadows
The Roys Report is a podcast run by Julie Roys with a particular focus on bringing abusive behaviour in the church into the light. Julie is doing an important job but even still she has a responsibility to get things right. I was among a few people who questioned her reporting of the Jonathan Fletcher… Continue reading From the shadows
The Love Factor
Back last week when picking up on the Jonathan Fletcher report, I noted that one of the central issues raised was a sense of fear among those who had been most affected by the abuse which affected their ability to come forward. I concluded my article on “fear” with these words If perfect love drives… Continue reading The Love Factor
The pastor king?
I’m continuing to reflect on some of the lessons arising from the 31:8 review of the Jonathan Fletcher case. The case relates to an Anglican minister in London who has been identified as engaging in systemic abuse of young men over a number of years. Leaders within what is often referred to as “the conservative… Continue reading The pastor king?
The fear factor
One of the issues that emerged from the Jonathan Fletcher review was the prevalence of fear amongst those affected by the case. The review comments: A further factor which is of great importance is fear. As has been explained, the level of fear some participants held was palpable in interviews and email correspondence. Repeated reassurances… Continue reading The fear factor
Little leopards …
The reports have come out on the Jonathan Fletcher case and they make for sober reading. Fletcher was the pastor of a church in London and over the past few yers, in an alarming similarity to the accusations against John Smyth, it emerged that he had introduced an abusive regime of punishment beatings with vulnerable… Continue reading Little leopards …
Expository Worship
In his book “Nine Marks of a healthy Church” Mark Dever makes Expositional Preaching his first and most important mark of healthy church life.[1] I want to suggest that Dever is right to give expositional preaching such a central position but that he does not go far enough. Why is Expositional Preaching so important? Dever… Continue reading Expository Worship
A year in lockdown – was it worth it?
What were you doing this time last year? I was running a temperature and fighting a dry cough. That’s right I’d gone down with COVID-19. The result was that I was going to stay at home. I’d hoped initially that it was just a cold but through the day, it became clearer that it wasn’t.… Continue reading A year in lockdown – was it worth it?
When an elder is accused
It’s the thing that any church dreads, someone coming and bringing an accusation against a pastor or elder. In fact, it is something that elders and pastors dread too. Elders, sadly make enemies as they seek to confront and challenge sin, so the possibility is real that someone might seek to get back at you… Continue reading When an elder is accused
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