Previously I wrote about what 1 Corinthians 7 has to say about marriage and sexual abstinence. The chapter is a key passage for our understanding of relational and sexual ethics in the light of the Gospel touching on marriage, sex, singleness and divorce. It’s often cited but I’m not sure that it is always fully… Continue reading What does 1 Corinthians 7 actually say about singleness?
Category: ethics
Why getting our theology around sex and marriage is important but difficult
A few weeks back, controversy erupted around The Gospel Coalition publishing an extract from Josh Butler’s up and coming book, Beautiful Union. Recently, Preston Sprinkle hosted Josh along with Sandy Richter, an OT scholar and Brenna Blain, an advocate for abuse victims on his podcast to discuss the book and the controversy. You can watch… Continue reading Why getting our theology around sex and marriage is important but difficult
Who were the legalists? 1 Corinthians 7 and ascetism
In response to my little series of articles on 1 Corinthians 7 and sexual ethics, I’ve been asked about why I suggest that the Corinthians may have been attempting to take an ascetic route of self denial and abstention which Paul might have had to correct. Surely, the problem in Corinth was the opposite. The… Continue reading Who were the legalists? 1 Corinthians 7 and ascetism
What does 1 Corinthians 7 actually say about sex, marriage and abstinence?
My social media timeline has been dominated recently by controversies about what Christians believe and the Bible teaches about sex and relationships. In the context of those controversies, 1 Corinthians 7 crops up frequently. The three particular contexts in which it has come up have been: I think that in fact, all three debates are… Continue reading What does 1 Corinthians 7 actually say about sex, marriage and abstinence?
Credible sources and Christian culture
If you read a newspaper story, especially in this day and age of investigative journalism and the pressure to be the first to break a story, you will frequently read about credible or reliable sources. It’s also about protecting anonymity. Increasingly, I’m hearing and reading such language in Christian circles, especially when it comes to… Continue reading Credible sources and Christian culture
A raw conversation about sex and theology
As the fall out continues from Josh Butler’s book, Beautiful Union, and that car crash TGC article, we are, I think beginning to see some helpful reflection and interaction. Issues around marriage, sex and intimacy are I think of importance to those of us who care about pastoring well and so whilst some of us… Continue reading A raw conversation about sex and theology
Guns, rights and exegesis
Sadly, there has been another horrific shooting at a US school. Far too frequently we hear of such terrible and tragic events in the United States and this prompts debate about gun controls. One of the arguments frequently made for not bringing in tighter controls is that Americans have a constitutional right to bear arms. … Continue reading Guns, rights and exegesis
How not to talk about marriage and women
Take a look at this tweet. It sums up in one revolting little paragraph everything that is wrong with a certain outlook on life, a certain distortion of what God’s Word teaches. I suspect that it arises out of a couple of misunderstandings of what Paul says in 1 Corinthians 7. First, in v7, Paul… Continue reading How not to talk about marriage and women
Disability and Evangelical Theology
The other day, I responded to some comments on twitter about what Evangelicals believe about the New Creation/our resurrection bodies and implications for people with disabilities. Fascinatingly, a lot of the comments seemed to be coming from people who wanted to speak for those who had disabilities, physical impairments and chronic conditions but did not… Continue reading Disability and Evangelical Theology
Disability, discrimination and New Creation
Yesterday on my twitter timeline, a tweet came up from someone who seemed deeply angry and offended. They took exception to evangelical theology of renewed and restored bodies, especially when suggested that those with disabilities would receive them. Their anger arose from having a relative with Downs Syndrome. They couldn’t imagine them without Downs Syndrome… Continue reading Disability, discrimination and New Creation
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