Earlier this week, I shared the results of a survey that I had done among my twitter followers picking up on the impact of the pandemic. The survey showed that whilst quite a few people are able to talk positively about the impact on their spiritual health in terms of relationship to church family and… Continue reading The pandemic – faith and emotional health
Posts
Mike Ovey
It’s five years ago since the shocking news that Mike Ovey had been taken from us suddenly. Although there has been the constant comfort that he is with the Lord which is a better thing, Mike is still sorely missed. He’s missed by many as a friend. Although Mike was an academic theologian and principal… Continue reading Mike Ovey
The apologetics of plague and pandemic
In a world where it’s all about survival of the fitness and there isn’t really purpose nor personality, the idea that human beings, the very creatures that represent those two things are still standing. It has struck me that our experience through history of plagues and pandemics is deeply unhelpful to the arguments of people… Continue reading The apologetics of plague and pandemic
Have COVID interventions worked -more on difficult decisions in uncertainty
Were the Government reckless in failing to bring in additional COVID measures for England over the Christmas and the New Year period? Or did Scotland and Wales jump the gun with pointless measures that haven’t worked, were never going to and weren’t necessary anyway? A lot of people think so and hold their views very… Continue reading Have COVID interventions worked -more on difficult decisions in uncertainty
Church buildings close because churches die
It has been reported that 400 Church of England parish churches have closed in the last decade and 1000 in the last 30 years. This has prompted concern, not just, or so much from practicing Christians but non-believers too. See for example this by Michael Deacon in the Daily Telegraph. The primary concern of those… Continue reading Church buildings close because churches die
When people are trying to influence church direction with conspiracy theories
I’ve written previously about the challenges with responding to conspiracy theories in relation to COVID19. I was recently asked how I would encourage church leaders to respond when those conspiracy theories are being pushed by people within the church with a view to shaping the church agenda. My response is as follows. First of all… Continue reading When people are trying to influence church direction with conspiracy theories
COVID update for church risk management 05-01-2022
Here we are with our first Risk Management update of 2022. I’ve updated my model assessment as follows: As you can see, I’ve reduced the risk probabilities in most cases suggesting that we are past the point of highest risk. There are two reasons for that. First, because there was a strong indication from Boris… Continue reading COVID update for church risk management 05-01-2022
A magnifying glass on my sin
Back in 2019 I was becoming increasingly irritable and snappy. I found that my patience was in short supply and that I struggled to find joy and delight in things. Perhaps it was no surprise then when towards the end of the year I found myself diagnosed with Mixed Anxiety and Depressive Disorder. Things had… Continue reading A magnifying glass on my sin
2022, COVID or a post COVID world and the church
I thought it might be helpful to say a little bit more about what we might expect to happen with COVID-19 over the next year or so and how this might affect our approach to church life. I’ve seen a few people setting out some potentially scary scenarios recently. For example, in one very bleak… Continue reading 2022, COVID or a post COVID world and the church
The other effects of the pandemic
We know the horrendous cost of the pandemic through death, bereavement and serious sickness. However, there have been other consequences too. I recently ran a twitter poll in order to get us thinking about some of these things. First, I asked about how the pandemic has affected your relationship with God. I’m assuming that the… Continue reading The other effects of the pandemic
