Cary and Cooper in their podcast have recently had “The Chosen” in their sights. The Chosen is a recent dramatization of the life of Jesus which has been hugely successful. Like most historical dramatisations, it blends specific historical data (in the case, events and words from the four Gospels) with imagined, or let’s suppose script.… Continue reading Should you watch The Chosen?
Posts
How will history judge you?
Changing the emphasis on one word can significantly alter the meaning of a question. You probably read the title of this article with the emphasise on “you”? However, my intention is to emphasise the “how”? You see, it’s one of those oft used phrases, along with expressing the desire to be “on the right side… Continue reading How will history judge you?
James’ issue is not with a bias against the poor
In James 2:3, those who leave the poor person standing and neglected are spoken to sternly. However, the problem James has identified is not so much, or not just that believers are neglecting some because they are poor or because they have taken a disliking to them. Rather, the reason that the bias is there… Continue reading James’ issue is not with a bias against the poor
The Complementarian compass
When we think about questions relating to the relationship between husbands and wives in the home and the role of men and women in the church, we tend to think of the debate being primarily between complementarians and egalitarians with a binary choice. I want to suggest that there are good reasons for not seeing… Continue reading The Complementarian compass
Where is Jesus?
One of the strange things about James’ letter is that Jesus doesn’t seem to be particularly prominent in the epistle. It is perhaps this, as much as discomfort with his take on faith and works which has tended to make it one of the less popular books of the Bible to study or to preach… Continue reading Where is Jesus?
Revitalisation questions
As promised, here are some follow up thoughts from my article about how to help churches without pastors. In that article, I suggested that it is likely that you will find yourself in a wider conversation about the need for revitalisation. Whether the conversation starts with an intentional request for this kind of help, or… Continue reading Revitalisation questions
How do you support a church without a pastor?
This was a question raised by Tim Wilson, pastor of Wheelock Heath Baptist church on Twitter. For context, Tim is involved with the Rural Project which is about supporting churches, plants and revitalisations in rural contexts, so similar to the kind of work I’m involved with in urban contexts. Here are my thoughts. I’m assuming… Continue reading How do you support a church without a pastor?
Faith and works, hearers and doers
Central to James’ argument is that living faith results in transformed lives, particularly in the crucible of persecution and suffering. This transformation affects character (1:19-21) and attitudes (2:1-7) because it is about our lives being shaped by love for God and for neighbour (2:8-13). This means that there should also be a change in behaviour… Continue reading Faith and works, hearers and doers
Bitter-sweet
Faithroots Podcast on Revelation 10
Can I choose between faith and works?
James continues to tease out the relationship between faith and works to show that the two go hand in hand together. Having used a practical example, he now uses logic by setting up a hypothetical debating partner. A look at the text (Read James 2:18-26) The hypothetical interlocutor suggests that it is possible for one… Continue reading Can I choose between faith and works?
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