I was speaking at West Smethwick Congregational Church last Sunday. WSCC is a church we built connections with when they sought help with revitalisation and replanting. A few years back they were down to half a dozen people. So, it was good to visit them and see such a change. They have a pastor and… Continue reading Jesus my king says “come and sit with me”
Posts
The cost of living crisis and the cost of sin
I’ve been writing a little about the cost of living crisis and how Christians and churches should respond. We often feel reluctant to talk about such things for two reasons. First, we are wary of leaping into party politics – I think there is good sense to that. Secondly, because we are not quite sure… Continue reading The cost of living crisis and the cost of sin
You don’t have to be a Marxist to be against racism
Last week, Together For the Gospel (T4G) held their final conference. T4G has been going for a number of years now and was set up by Al Mohler, Mark Dever and Legon Duncan. So what? You ask. Conferences and conventions come and go. This may have been a big one in the States, but all… Continue reading You don’t have to be a Marxist to be against racism
Grace (Ephesians 2:1-10)
Here’s the outline notes of a sermon I preached yesterday. Introduction As a church we want to be a grace filled community – a radical alternative to the world and culture around us. This means that every aspect of what we do and how we live is saturated in this thing called grace. We need… Continue reading Grace (Ephesians 2:1-10)
If you can’t hypothetically consider taking a break from something then you may well have dependency issues
The other week, I proposed in this article that the different Christian festivals should agree to take a two year sabbatical. Now, you may or may not have agreed with my assessment of particular Christian holiday weeks. To be clear, when I write about our own love-hate relationship with them I know that I don’t… Continue reading If you can’t hypothetically consider taking a break from something then you may well have dependency issues
Forgiveness and parties
Yesterday I wrote about how the #partygate scandal gets us to think about truth. Today, I want to pick up on another word that has been banded around a lot over the past week, particular by Conservative MPs and right leaning journalists. That word is “forgiveness.” Some people have even linked the theme of forgiveness… Continue reading Forgiveness and parties
Multiplying leaders
This week’s #Faithrootspodcast
In the end it’s not reviews and reports that will protect you
I was reflecting with someone the other day about the horror of recent scandals within the church and the ongoing challenge for the many of us who are concerned about how such scandals have been made possible and may reflect other deeper cultural challenges. My friend expressed concern that we may be seeing the growth… Continue reading In the end it’s not reviews and reports that will protect you
Truth and birthday cake
Yesterday, the House of Commons agreed to a motion calling for an investigation of Boris Johnson. That investigation will focus on whether or not the Prime Minister mislead parliament when responding to questions about alleged parties at Downing Street during the lockdowns. The debate both inside the House of Commons and wider in the media… Continue reading Truth and birthday cake
What the Archbishop didn’t say
Last weekend, before we got back to things like parties in Downing Street and whether the Prime Minister tells the truth, the media and social media were full of reports and debate about what the Archbishop of Canterbury had said in his Easter Day sermon. Reports focused on some statements critical of the UK’s Rwanda… Continue reading What the Archbishop didn’t say
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