I noticed that this Sunday, a few churches made assisted dying and the Christian response their sermon topic. I couldn’t help think that it was a little bit late for this. Yes, the Bill has still got further stages to go but the wheels are already serving motion. More than that though, now is too… Continue reading Pastoring the Grieving – Give them context
Category: pastoral-care
Missing the Gospel in a response to the dropping fertility rate
I was disappointed to read this article in Evangelicals Now about how Christians should respond to a drop in the fertility rate. Now, it certainly is the case that this has declined sharply over the years and that there are some reasons which we might be unhappy to hear. However, I don’t know whether that… Continue reading Missing the Gospel in a response to the dropping fertility rate
Grief … Two years in
I’ve been sharing a few posts recently on pastoring people through seasons of grief. We are just coming in to the second anniversary of what was a challenging time for our family. Today marks two years since my father in law died. A few weeks later my mum also died after going into hospital for… Continue reading Grief … Two years in
Facing depression
Every so often I try and point people in the direction of this video series I put together a little while back. I hope it will be useful to you or something you can share with others. Please fee free to get in touch if you would like to talk about anything in them
Does the Good Father really allow his children to suffer?
At one extreme during the COVID coronavirus was the claim that the pandemic was a judgement from God or at least a wake up call from him. I have responded to this claim frequently and in detail in the past. However at the other extreme is the argument that God cannot have sent the pandemic… Continue reading Does the Good Father really allow his children to suffer?
Pastoring the grieving: walking with a family when the decision comes to end treatment
I’ve been sharing a few articles about how we pastor people through bereavement. In a previous article, I wrote about walking with a family through a coroner’s investigation and inquest process. In that article, I alluded to the fact that the time leading up to death may not be straight forward. When it comes to… Continue reading Pastoring the grieving: walking with a family when the decision comes to end treatment
Pastoring the grieving: walking with a family through a coroner’s and inquest process
One almost inevitable responsibility and privilege for pastors is to walk with church family through bereavement. I’ve been starting to put together some materials helping church leaders to think through and prepare for pastoring church members through bereavement. I write having been both sides, having both pastored church members when they came to the point… Continue reading Pastoring the grieving: walking with a family through a coroner’s and inquest process
Every soul held captive by depression?
There seems to be quite a few worship songs at the moment which pick up on the theme of healing and declare it specifically in relation to depression. Quite why this is happening I’m not too sure. Why the focus on depression and anxiety but not on other illnesses? Perhaps it’s just that people are… Continue reading Every soul held captive by depression?
On hospital visits
This tweet is doing the rounds at the moment. I must confess I found it rather hit and miss. Such is the risk with prescriptive advice listed out on social media. To be sure, the general principles about sensitivity to patient, family and staff are well worth keeping in mind. Basically the advice could be… Continue reading On hospital visits
Fragments and distortion
Original Revelation is the theory that humanity started with a clear revelation of God and truth. Sin means that this became increasingly fragmented and disrupted. It’s central to the form of apologetics I’m most aligned to, presuppositional apologetics and the thinking of my favourite missiologist, JH Bavinck. You’ll also find it showing up in the… Continue reading Fragments and distortion
Faithroots 