III. 1. Summary of Findings In Part 1, we argued for what might be described as a “Soft-Complementarian” interpretation of Ephesians 5:21-33. We argued that:
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Marriage at work (9) Protection and abuse
8.1. The Problem So far, our scenarios have assumed a reasonably positive family situation. We have considered to some extent the husband’s responsibility when his wife is unwilling to submit to his leadership in decision making, but what happens when the context turns more sinister?
Pastoral care of the COVID-19 anxious
What should we be doing about those people who are still extremely anxious about COVID and it is having a significant affect on their ability to participate in the life of the church and indeed other aspects of family and community life? My view is that we are now moving into a season when a… Continue reading Pastoral care of the COVID-19 anxious
Faithroots Live is back
We’re coming out of lockdown so I’m planning to run some Faithroots Live sessions through the Autumn. This term we’ll be meeting up on Facebook on Tuesday evenings (8pm -9pm) with lots of Biblical studies, church history and doctrine to get your teeth into -all with a practical pastoral edge. Faithroots Live is particularly aimed… Continue reading Faithroots Live is back
Marriage at work (8) Decision making
How do we couples make decisions in the light of Ephesians 5:21-33? If wives submit to their husbands, does that mean that, as the head, he is responsible for all decision making? Must she give in to him when there is an argument?
How do people feel about COVID -and what does that mean for your church?
I’ve been giving regular updates for those producing risk assessments for in person church gatherings in the light of COVID-19. I’ve identified the following major risks to consider. ID Risk Description Probability 1 Risk of causing COVID infection spread Low 2 Risk of invalidating insurance Low 3 Risk of breaching H&S Law Low 4 Risk… Continue reading How do people feel about COVID -and what does that mean for your church?
Marriage at work (7) Wives and work
In this chapter, I will argue that not only does Ephesians 5:22 allow wives to work, but they may also take the role of lead wage earner. I am arguing on the basis that our exegesis has demonstrated that whilst “headship” and “submission” are transcultural requirements, their expression is culturally contextualised, so that:
… but what if we haven’t had any new people join us?
When I asked my followers on twitter whether or not they were seeing new to church people at their in person meetings, 13.1% said that they hadn’t seen any new people at all. I can’t really ignore that part of the poll, so wanted to share some thoughts here. That’s not least because if you… Continue reading … but what if we haven’t had any new people join us?
What about post COVID newcomers?
One of the major concerns for Church leaders recently has been what we do about those people who don’t seem to be returning to in person church? Within that number are those who are still very anxious about coming to church services but still very much believe in the L ord. Some will be able… Continue reading What about post COVID newcomers?
Marriage at work (6) “This is a mystery
We now come to the climax of the instruction to husbands and wives. These verses hold the whole instruction together and show how Christ’s relationship to the church is the basis for the marriage relationship. As we noted earlier, Paul has been building up to this point by introducing body and flesh language in v29-30.[1]
Faithroots 