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
Category: Theology
Literacy and why oral theology can go deep
I love reading. I grew up with books starting when my sister came home from school and decided she would teach her younger brother to read. My wife is an English teacher who became passionate about reading when a teacher gave her “To kill a Mocking bird”. This means we have a vested interest in… Continue reading Literacy and why oral theology can go deep
Simba is on the move… The true and better Lion King
We are in those days after Christmas when there’s nothing better than settling in with a good We know that there were intentional lessons about Jesus from Aslan in the Narnia Chronicles. Here though are some Gospel lessons from The Lion King
Nativity
By way of a seasonal taster for The Big Story video series, here’s the bit where I cover the Christmas Story.
Tried by sinful men, mocked and beaten then, nailed to a cross of wood
We are now moving into the account of those last hours of Jesus life, a night facing inquisition, accusation, mockery and beatings that will continue into the final morning. All of the Gospels give significant attention to those events. Luke does not give us the detail of Jesus’ night time appearances before the High Priests… Continue reading Tried by sinful men, mocked and beaten then, nailed to a cross of wood
Digital ID and the mark of the beast
From time to time, people get a little bit twitchy about different things that are seen as end time signs. In particularly, the so called “Mark of the Beast” has caused much eschatological angst over the years as people have tried to work out what it is. Different things have been suggested from bar codes… Continue reading Digital ID and the mark of the beast
The Big Story
The Big Story course is now available on YouTube. This programme introduces you to the plotline of Scripture and how God’s plan of salvation unfolds. It will also help you to get a feel for narrative preaching and see how big themes help you to unpack specific Bible passages. The Big Story offers a foundational… Continue reading The Big Story
Home in flesh
Veiled in flesh the Godhead see, hail the incarnate deity.” Very God, begotten not created. One of the things that people have consistently had trouble with through the ages has been the identity of Jesus. This goes right back to the early church when the Gospel message about him kept encountering pagan beliefs about the… Continue reading Home in flesh
Christian nationalism: learning from castles and COVID
One of the reasons that we’ve been slow to respond to Christian Nationalism is the belief that it is not one single thing and therefore impossible to define. So, for example, Kevin DeYoung in his article “Six Questions for Christian Nationalists” says: “no one agrees what a Christian Nationalist is”[1] whilst Andrew Wilson recently wrote,… Continue reading Christian nationalism: learning from castles and COVID
Christian Nationalism and prophecy
One of the things I’ve observed is that some of the key people and churches in the Christian Nationalist Movement tend to lean heavily on prophetic words and this feeds into the approach to preaching. Here is an example from Chrisopher Wickland. In fact, this was the first part on the subject I’ve just looked… Continue reading Christian Nationalism and prophecy
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