I remember the pastor of a church I used to attend commenting that rarely when people are in the midst of the crisis is that the time to try and teach them how to face the situation. Rather, if we are going to get through the challenge of a health, work or relationship crisis then… Continue reading Were we prepared?
Category: Church life
What drives false teachers, bullies and abusers?
False teachers also tend to be bullies and abusers. The reverse is also true, abusers and bullies tend to be false teachers if they happen to be involved in church life and leadership. There are a couple of reasons for this. First of all, false teaching is itself a form of spiritual abuse, secondly false… Continue reading What drives false teachers, bullies and abusers?
Ableism, society and the church
In recent years, there have been strong and persistent campaigns against “Ableism”. Like sexism, ageism and racism, ableism is about prejudice against people seen as of less value than others. As the word suggests, it is about prejudicing able bodied people against those with physical and mental disabilities. As with other prejudices, ableism can include… Continue reading Ableism, society and the church
Are we commanded to sing?
This is a little follow up to my articles on singing in our hearts and on the Creeds. One of the questions that keeps coming up is about the command to sing corporately. This is particularly important for people who follow what is sometimes referred to as “The Regulative Principle.” There are two approaches to… Continue reading Are we commanded to sing?
This isn’t the pandemic we were expecting
Whilst pandemics are frightening things we dread, when one strikes it can send a bit of an adrenaline rush can’t it? That’s why we have been hooked by films and TV dramas like 28 Days Later and the Last Ship. Did the adrenaline kick in for you just a little bit back in February/March when… Continue reading This isn’t the pandemic we were expecting
Is it really unhelpful to recite the creeds?
On Steve Kneale’s blog is an article arguing against reciting the Creed in Church. You can see his arguments here. In this article, I’m going to offer a response. To be clear up front, I’m from a non-conformist background and am most comfortable in “non-liturgical” churches. However, I am not anti-liturgy. I think it can… Continue reading Is it really unhelpful to recite the creeds?
You don’t have to be my Facebook friend
I was asked a brilliant question the other day. The questioner explained that they have friends on social media who they really struggle with, they find their regular comments about immigration hard to stomach and often there is an undercurrent of racism. For balance, they observed that they find some of the Black Lives Matter… Continue reading You don’t have to be my Facebook friend
Can we just sing in our hearts?
At the present time, Government guidance to churches is clear, we should not participate in congregation singing as there remain concerns about coronavirus being spread through singing and shouting. The option is there to listen to the songs. So, how are we to respond to this? So far, I have seen three approaches to this.… Continue reading Can we just sing in our hearts?
Blocked
If you are on social media then you are probably familiar with the idea of being able to “block” someone. The function is available on facebook and twitter. Blocking means that they can no longer see your messages or interact with you. On Twitter it means that you won’t initially see their tweets though you… Continue reading Blocked
Why we should embrace failure
In a previous article I started to look at the question of failure. Here I want to offer x good reasons for why we as believers and particularly church leaders should embrace failure. What happens if we refuse to encounter failure? First, if I don’t embrace the reality of failure then I am unlikely to… Continue reading Why we should embrace failure
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