Category: pastoral-care

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

Getting impersonally personal

Something struck me after engaging in a particular dispute recently.  It was the dispute about the Keswick Convention’s relationship to abortion campaign group CBR UK and their church focused project, Brephos.  I was reflecting back with my wife after some follow on conversations with people who had got in touch we me about my article. … Continue reading Getting impersonally personal

Submitting to one another and learning love languages

My friend Steve Kneale has written a very helpful article here about how we learn to experience love across cultures.  In his article, he picks up on how the concept of “love languages” has often been misunderstood and misused. Steve, observes that too often, people talk in terms of what their “love language” is meaning… Continue reading Submitting to one another and learning love languages

What about those curses?

I wanted to write say a little bit more about the fear of curses.  Previously I argued that Spiritual Warfare is not about a kind of superstitious approach relying on symbols and actions to ward off evil.  What I mean by this is twofold.  First, I don’t need to worry too much if there is… Continue reading What about those curses?

Marriage when it’s not reciprocal

I’ve argued in previous articles that Paul’s teaching about marriage in Ephesians 5:22-32 is an amplification or application of what it means to “submit to one another” ((5:21).  This means that you can describe it as “mutual submission” albeit: However, whether or not we buy into the concept of mutual submission, I think that generally… Continue reading Marriage when it’s not reciprocal

Marriage health-check (applying Ephesians 5)

In my previous article, I suggested that we should be cautious about attempting to be over prescriptive about what it means to practically apply Ephesians 5:21-32.  I’m convinced that rather than looking at each aspect individually to see if wives are submitting, husbands are being good heads etc that we do best to look at… Continue reading Marriage health-check (applying Ephesians 5)

Marriage, mutual submission and headship: what does it look like in practice?

In Ephesians 5:22-32 Paul instructs: Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands as you do to the Lord … Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her” In a previous article, I argued that this was a fleshing out of 5:21 and the instruction to “submit to one another.” … Continue reading Marriage, mutual submission and headship: what does it look like in practice?

A big bug bear

I wrote recently in response to Sinclair Ferguson’s comments about blogging.  My friend Steve Kneale has written more directly with his response here.  I share Steve’s sentiments.  I think Steve is right to suggest that such comments portray a lack of insight into the nature of Gospel ministry.  On a side note, one of the… Continue reading A big bug bear