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)
Category: pastoral-care
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
Can babies sin? Navigating a current controversy
Apparently, the latest dispute to occupy people’s head space and get a thousand fingers tapping passionately at their keyboards, is the question about whether or not it is possible for babies to sin. The big claim has been that if you are reformed, then you should recognise that babies sin. The practical focus seems to… Continue reading Can babies sin? Navigating a current controversy
Can’t you just say “they died”?
I recently saw someone complain on social media about Christians using euphemisms for death such as: passed away, gone home to be with the Lord and promoted to glory. “why can’t we just say that they have died?” They asked. Well having both pastored people through bereavement and experienced it myself, I thought I would… Continue reading Can’t you just say “they died”?
Divorce and Re-marriage
One of the big questions I’ve been asked frequently is what the Bible teaches about divorce and what the implications are for divorced believers. This paper surveys the different approaches taken and offers some practical advice.
What do we do with our fear?
One of the criticisms made of the Church by some is that we allowed fear of the virus and dying from it to overwhelm us and so, we lost sight of the hope we have in Christ. The implications of such critiques is threefold. First, it suggests that the primary problem was fear of the… Continue reading What do we do with our fear?
Faith, suffering and healing
One of the most common questions we tend to ask is to do with faith, suffering and healing. That’s probably because our health can be so often where we face suffering and where faith is tested. Even if we don’t face persecution, we are likely to face ill health at some point and will know people… Continue reading Faith, suffering and healing
Grieving Together
We have experienced a significant amount of bereavement as a church family recently. A few of us have said goodbye to precious family members. In some cases it was something we were preparing for but in others it came as a total shock. Last week, we were hit with the news that someone who has… Continue reading Grieving Together
The problem with that Titanic illustration
I want to pick up an illustration which I suspect most of us from conservative evangelical backgrounds have used at some point (or something similar). Andy Prime uses it in a sermon on the Gospel in a new book. He gets us to imagine the scene in the aftermath of the Titanic hitting the iceberg. … Continue reading The problem with that Titanic illustration
