I’ve been writing about the importance of rest over the past week or two but we cannot talk about rest without talking about work. It is that point which influenced my last article on the matter. In that article, I responded to a question about why we do not give enough attention to the part… Continue reading Work Matters
Category: ethics
Morality and the Christian account of God
So how does the God revealed in Scripture and worshipped by Christians do when it comes to the morality question? Once again we are back to the question of evil and suffering and why a good God can permit these things to happen. Now, there are two charges to respond to here. The first, is… Continue reading Morality and the Christian account of God
Specifically Wrong
Today asked about the Government’s Brexit policy, a minister, Brandon Lewis stated that yes the Government would break international law … in a specific way. You heard that right. A minister acknowledged intention to break a law. Not only that, the slightly weird defence was introduced that it was only in a specific way. That… Continue reading Specifically Wrong
Exploring Forgiveness and Repentance
I’ve been writing a little recently about forgiveness. It arises out of our recent studies from the Sermon on the Mount. It also relates to some other things I have written recently about our pastoral responsibilities to victims of abuse and to those accused. So, I was interested to see the other day that my… Continue reading Exploring Forgiveness and Repentance
Woke?
How did the term “woke” become the insult of choice in 2020? The word is simply an African-Americanism meaning to be awake. It has been around for many years. It came to describe those who had become awake to their subjugation. Woke people were awake to racial injustice, the historical effects of the slave trade… Continue reading Woke?
Angry at God? (4) The trouble with me
What is one of the most significant root causes of anger? I want to suggest that it often comes down to my desire to be in control. We often get angry when things happen that we hadn’t planned for and that we can’t do anything about. We become frustrated because our plans for life are… Continue reading Angry at God? (4) The trouble with me
Do we need to learn to doubt?
Schools are returning after lockdown and the summer break, soon students will be heading off to University too. So what should they be learning? What should professors and tutors be teaching their students? Here is one suggested list. It seems a good list doesn’t it? I agree that we should be teaching students how to… Continue reading Do we need to learn to doubt?
Truth (Proverbs 13)
Pinocchio is a puppet who just wants to be a normal boy. You’re probably familiar with the story. Whenever he tells a lie, his nose grows a little longer. Most of us probably wish that this would happen to the people we were dealing with. Then we’d be able to tell if they are telling… Continue reading Truth (Proverbs 13)
Christians, conspiracy theories and COVID-19
Do you know what one of the biggest problems with conspiracy theories is? It’s not that the theorists lack access to the facts on the matter or that they are necessarily failing to share them. Rather, what happens is: The conspiracy theorist has learnt not to trust those in authority and therefore infers suspect motives… Continue reading Christians, conspiracy theories and COVID-19
Was Billy Graham right? Is it just my job to love?
This is one of those quotes that sounds brilliant at first but after a little bit of reflection leaves one feeling uneasy. I guess that when Billy Graham said it, he had Matthew 7:1-6 in mind. In that sense the quote should warn us against the harsh judgementalism that we too often see -especially on… Continue reading Was Billy Graham right? Is it just my job to love?