Category: Opinion

Assessing motives (what we can and cannot do)

Jesus is able to assess the heart, we cannot. This means a good rule of thumb when dealing with others in debate is that we should seek to respond to what they are actually saying, not what their motives or intentions are. Indeed,  we should seek to assume the best of others, taking a charitable… Continue reading Assessing motives (what we can and cannot do)

When did lockdown really start (or “Is Matt Hancock re-writing history?”)

When did the lockdown really start? Does it really matter? Well, potentially yes. You see there’s been some heated discussion in the last week or two about whether or not the Government delayed entering lockdown and whether or not this cost lives? There seem to be two potential answers to this. The common answer is… Continue reading When did lockdown really start (or “Is Matt Hancock re-writing history?”)

So what was that really all about? (Further reflections on John MacArthur and defying the law)

In the light of John MacArthur’s decision to go against California state law on the Coronavirus, another prominent church leader in the States, Tom Buck posted this tweet. I don’t think we have ever really argued that everyone should risk their lives in cross cultural mission going to dangerous places. There has always been a… Continue reading So what was that really all about? (Further reflections on John MacArthur and defying the law)

Reopening and defying the law -why John McArthur has got this badly wrong

Grace Community Church, Sun Valley is a mega-church in California.  It’s pastor John MacArthur is prominent, particularly from the conservative end of the spectrum with an international teaching ministry. Last week, they decided to re-open their building for public worship in defiance of State rules during Coronavirus. Their argument was that they must obey God… Continue reading Reopening and defying the law -why John McArthur has got this badly wrong

Antisemitism is racist – no ifs no buts

Once again, antisemitism is in the news.  A celebrity has been sounding off on his twitter account, threatening to take on the whole Jewish community, comparing Jews to the KKK, encouraging the usual tropes about Jews controlling the world’s money. If we thought that antisemitism had gone away with the change of Labour Party leadership,… Continue reading Antisemitism is racist – no ifs no buts

It was the Russians

Finally we have had the report about Russian interference in elections. If I understand things right, there’s some evidence of attempted interference in some campaigns and none or little for others. However where there is no evidence of interference that proved that there must have been interference and the government have intentionally looked the other… Continue reading It was the Russians

Stop worshipping at the foot of the magic money tree

It’s the 2017 General Election, the Tories had gone into the campaign, fully expecting a landslide victory but had then proceeded to self destruct whilst Jeremy Corbyn’s campaign had too off with the promise of investment and handouts. Central to the Labour campaign was the commitment to abolish student fees. Then you may remember that… Continue reading Stop worshipping at the foot of the magic money tree

How Theological College helped prepare me for Gospel ministry

I’m republishing some articles I wrote a little while back about training for urban ministry. I want to share a few thoughts here about the positives of formal theological education and why I recommend it.[1]  There’s a temptation to see training as primarily academic and therefore irrelevant to the day to day life of ministry. … Continue reading How Theological College helped prepare me for Gospel ministry