Here’s a talk from a little while back on Ephesians 5:21-33 and marriage. There are two parts. At the start I run through a brief exposition of the passage and then Sarah and I have a discussion on the practical application.
Category: pastoral-care
Is Doug Wilson right to say that women who refuse to marry, bear children and carry out domestic chores are turning after Satan?
The short and simply answer to what might be considered a silly question is “No.” But obviously for us to end up with such a silly question, Doug Wilson has been saying something silly. It’s worth having a look at what he has been saying as it gives us an insight into the kind of… Continue reading Is Doug Wilson right to say that women who refuse to marry, bear children and carry out domestic chores are turning after Satan?
The crucial gift of curiosity
One of the striking things about the controversy concerning Peter Mandehslon is the seeming lack of curiosity at senior government level. Keir Starmer had indicated that he wanted Mandelson as the US Ambassador. A vetting process had been put in place. However, it remained the case that Mandelson was his personal, political appointment. Furthermore, Starmer… Continue reading The crucial gift of curiosity
Calling out the gold
One of the themes in Bethel’s approach to pastoral care is that you don’t so much respond to someone’s sin because that doesn’t truly reflect their identity. Instead you should seek to honour and name correctly who they are now, their new identity. This is sometimes referred to as “calling out the gold”. This very… Continue reading Calling out the gold
Shawn Bolz and the elephant in the room
I’ve mentioned in one previous article the issues around Shawn Bolz and specifically false claims of prophecy when it comes to words of knowledge that were apparently based upon social media data mining. Now, as it happens, I think that there is a potentially charitable view of how someone could get into such a situation. … Continue reading Shawn Bolz and the elephant in the room
The confidentiality questions we forget to ask
I often point out that confidentiality isn’t about secrecy, it is about maintaining a confidence and that means asking: However, I would suggest that there are two further questions we need to ask. 3. Why do they need to know? This will help us think about the communication and it is helpful to have clarity… Continue reading The confidentiality questions we forget to ask
When bad things happen to bad people
We often talk about the challenge of responding to circumstances when “bad things happen to good people.” Big caveat, yes we know that no-one is good, all have sinned. What we mean is that horrific suffering has fallen upon those who love the Lord and are simply seeking to serve him. Or, we feel that… Continue reading When bad things happen to bad people
Home and grief
It’s now 3 years since we said goodbye to my mum and Sarah’s dad within the space of a few weeks. In both cases, there was an unexpectedness although we were aware of serious health conditions. In mum’s case, she had gone into hospital for surgery on a hiatus hernia but didn’t recover from the… Continue reading Home and grief
What are we really triggered by? More on the Sheffield University trigger warning
The other week, I mentioned that Sheffield University had introduced a trigger warning for literature students that parts of the Bible might include violence and sexual violence. The Gospels were included in this. Now, perhaps those sharing and commenting on the story should have included their own trigger warning as it seems that this story… Continue reading What are we really triggered by? More on the Sheffield University trigger warning
Christians and long-term grief
I’m continuing to do some work on how Christians can walk alongside each other through grief. Partly, that’s about how do we all as believers bare one another’s burdens and partly it’s about how pastors and elders can particularly support church members but it is also about what it means for those of us who… Continue reading Christians and long-term grief
Faithroots 