This question got asked by a thoughtful person the other day. Are we right to sing “You give and take away” in the song “Blessed be the name of the Lord?” The line of course is drawn from Job’s response to his suffering (Job 1:21). But was Job right in his assessment. We know that… Continue reading Does God “give and take away”?
Posts
How well are we eating?
Not physical food but spiritual food. The question was prompted by these comments from my friend Tim Suffield. They link to an article he wrote, arguing that we need more parachurch institutions not less, especially when it comes to theological education and training. As it happens I disagree with Tim’s particular solution here but I… Continue reading How well are we eating?
Free from anxieties
In 1 Corinthians 7:29, Paul says “From now on, let those who have wives live as though they had none.” What does he mean by this? Well, we know from the rest of the chapter that he cannot mean either that they should separate from and divorce their wives or that they should commit to… Continue reading Free from anxieties
Praying for Junior Doctors
I wrote about how we should think about and respond to the Junior Doctors’ strike on Friday last week. One crucial thing that I did not mention there is that whenever a particular issue or controversy arises, it should primarily prompt us to pray for those involved. A key player in the dispute is the… Continue reading Praying for Junior Doctors
Reading Proverbs
It’s quite rare to see a church preaching/teaching series on Proverbs. So I’m pretty excited that our church are going to have a mini series on the book and looking forward to hearing Chris and Rich introduce us to a fantastic and crucial Old Testament book. We did work through much of Proverbs at my… Continue reading Reading Proverbs
Belonging to a church
Here’s this week’s podcast
What do you think about strikes and industrial action?
I’ve been trying to do a little bit of ethical and pastoral thinking around the question of industrial action and strikes recently. Whilst this was a significant issue during the 1970s and 80s, it really slipped down the agenda over the following decades. However, it looks like we are entering a period where we can… Continue reading What do you think about strikes and industrial action?
What does 1 Corinthians 7 actually say about slavery?
In amongst what Paul has to say about singleness, celibacy, abstinence, non-Christian partners and divorce in 1 Corinthians 7, he talks about the situation that slaves find themselves in. Whilst our focus has been understanding the issue of sexual ethics, I want to pause on this particular example because the question of Paul’s attitude to… Continue reading What does 1 Corinthians 7 actually say about slavery?
How do we think Christianly about the junior doctors dispute?
After Easter, Junior Doctors in the NHS went on strike as part of an ongoing dispute concerning pay and working conditions. I appreciate that there will be diverse and passionate views about the strikes among my readers. Those views will reflect personal experience of the NHS, whether or not you personally know junior doctors. My… Continue reading How do we think Christianly about the junior doctors dispute?
What does 1 Corinthians 7 actually say about marriage to unbelievers?
I’m continuing my little series of articles looking at what 1 Corinthians 7 actually says about sexual ethics. Remember that the starting point has been a question about abstinence. Is it a good thing for men to abstain from sexual relations with women? It is In this context that a question comes up about situations… Continue reading What does 1 Corinthians 7 actually say about marriage to unbelievers?
Faithroots 