Posts

The future of Northern Ireland

Last week, Sinn Fein topped the poll for the Northern Irish assembly at Stormont. This means that it is likely that a nationalist will be the First Minister for the first time in the province’s history. Elections and devolved government in Northern Ireland are complex and so simply being the largest party doesn’t tell us… Continue reading The future of Northern Ireland

The problem of the non-voter

I thought I’d write a little bit more about the problem of the non-voter and who it is a problem for. My friend who is passionate that we all must vote shared this graphic with me as part of our conversation. This kind of graphic is often favoured by political parties when they are in… Continue reading The problem of the non-voter

A voice crying in the wilderness (Mark 1:1-8)

Each of the Gospels start a little differently. Matthew and Luke both begin with Jesus’ birth and the nativity story but whilst Luke takes us to the specific day with shepherds and angels, Matthew focuses on the arrival of the wisemen.  Luke talks about Gabriel’s appearance to Mary but Matthew focuses on Joseph.  John begins… Continue reading A voice crying in the wilderness (Mark 1:1-8)

The Kingdom of God in Mark

Jesus begins his ministry by announcing the “good news” that the Kingdom of God is near.[1]  Therefore, if we are to benefit from this good news, we need to understand what Jesus means by the phrase “The Kingdom of God.” Firstly, The Kingdom of God is the fulfilment of God’s promises to Israel.  We see… Continue reading The Kingdom of God in Mark

It’s time to scrap Marriage preparation courses

If you are married, did you have marriage preparation classes?  What were they like? Any good?  I know of some people that were given a very intensive programme of instruction with lots of reading homework in between each meet up. We on the other hand were given two compulsory sessions, one where we watched a… Continue reading It’s time to scrap Marriage preparation courses

“Talk softly and carry a big stick” – latest thoughts on the Russian- Ukrainian War

Before the Russian invasion of Ukraine I argued that such a move did not fit with Vladimir Putin’s known and declared ambitions.   It was not that I believed such an invasion could never happen, certainly not that I claimed the ability to predict the future. It’s just that Putin’s ambitions were understood to be the… Continue reading “Talk softly and carry a big stick” – latest thoughts on the Russian- Ukrainian War

The freedom to vote must include the freedom not to vote

Yesterday was the annual local elections day in Britain. This meant that across the country, a lot of local council seats were up for re-election. The day also saw the election of a new Northern Irish Assembly.  Turnout at these elections is traditionally low and has declined over the years, perhaps as a result of… Continue reading The freedom to vote must include the freedom not to vote

How do we approach studying Mark’s Gospel?

It is possible to work through the Gospel in one of a few ways. This might include  Picking up a number of themes and tracing them through the Gospel as a series of sermons on The Kingdom of God, The Son of Man, Suffering and the Cross etc. A longer and detailed series might have… Continue reading How do we approach studying Mark’s Gospel?

How we think about abuse matters

Yesterday I shared an update on my correspondence with Premier Christianity about their article claiming that Jesus was married to Mary Magdalene. We might leave it there except that the article seems to be part of a concerning trend from a pastoral perspective. It was followed by two articles that I find deeply concerning in… Continue reading How we think about abuse matters