I’ve been handling a couple of recurring themes over the past few weeks. First there has been the question of the Christian Sabbath and then there has been the question of whether or not pastors have jobs, whether they work or whether their role is leisure. The two issues dovetail neatly into another question that… Continue reading The pastor’s role and the Christian Sabbath
Category: ethics
If Sabbath is a creation ordinance, then…
I recently argued that one of the reasons why we should continue to keep a sabbath holy is because it is a creation ordinance. In other words, our relationship to Sabbath is based not just on the laws given in Exodus- Deuteronomy but relates to something given by God at creation. “The Sabbath was made… Continue reading If Sabbath is a creation ordinance, then…
Calvin and the Sabbath
One of the arguments raised concerning Lord’s Day Sabbath observance is that the early reformers, especially Calvin rejected it seeing it as belonging to the Old Covenant. It was, according to the viewpoint only reintroduced by later, Sabbatarian puritans taking a more legalistic hardline. It is true that Calvin did make talk in terms of… Continue reading Calvin and the Sabbath
Is the Christian Sabbath unBiblical?
I’ve written a little about Sunday and Sabbath recently. I don’t seem to be the only one talking about the subject. This article takes a different position to me, arguing that Christians are not under an obligation to observe Sunday as Sabbath. Like the author, Luke Plant, I don’t think that the question is of… Continue reading Is the Christian Sabbath unBiblical?
How we talk about the pastor’s role matters
Last week, I engaged with Tim Suffield on whether pastors have jobs or not. Someone who engaged more supportively with Tim was John Barach. He tweeted: My response was that this is all sounds very pleasant but isn’t how Scripture describes the call to pastoral ministry. He responded by saying: In our conversation he developed… Continue reading How we talk about the pastor’s role matters
Perhaps pastors are modelling what work was meant to be like
I’ve engaged recently with a suggestion that pastors do not really have jobs. I’m going to engage further this week with another person who has argued that pastors are paid to enjoy leisure time. However something struck me which I want to focus on first. A lot of the argument seems to assume that pastors… Continue reading Perhaps pastors are modelling what work was meant to be like
Help! My city has gone bust.
This week, Birmingham City Council announced that they had issued a Section 114 notice, the public sector equivalent of announcing bankruptcy. This means that spending is under severe controls, limited to “protecting vulnerable people and statutory services.” With all other spending stopping with immediate effect.[1] What exactly does all of this mean for the city… Continue reading Help! My city has gone bust.
How many of the Ten Commandments did Adam and Eve break?
Adam and Eve broke one specific commandment in the Garden of Eden: not to eat from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. However, I want to suggest that there is a sense in which they may well have been breaking each of the Ten Commandments. How? Well, first of all, by listening to… Continue reading How many of the Ten Commandments did Adam and Eve break?
Freedom in Christ changes relationships to others
As well as writing letters to churches, Paul wrote to a few individuals. We have three examples in Scripture, though I’m sure he wrote more. He writes to his co-workers Timothy and Titus giving them instructions about how to pastor the churches within their care. The third example, to Philemon is even more personal. Paul… Continue reading Freedom in Christ changes relationships to others
How might Christians enjoy a Sunday Sabbath?
I’ve argued that Christians should observe Sunday as their Sabbath day. So, how should we go about it? I commented in my first article that one of the reasons why people turned away from the idea of Sabbath was that in many circles it had become legalistic with heavy, arbitrary rules about what you could… Continue reading How might Christians enjoy a Sunday Sabbath?
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