Kevin DeYoung has got himself into social media hot water over his review of Beth Allison Barr’s book “The making of Biblical Womanhood.” You can read Kevin’s review here. You’ll see that he shares a lot of similar concerns to the ones I expressed in my review here. Why has he got into hot water… Continue reading Inviting the foul
Posts
What is our responsibility at this stage of the pandemic?
What’s your opinion about the 19th July re-opening? Strong opinions have been expressed from all sides and Christians and church leaders are not immune to holding such strong views. If you’ve followed this blog carefully over the past few weeks, you’ll have picked up that I’m cautiously positive about the decision to fully re-open. I’m… Continue reading What is our responsibility at this stage of the pandemic?
COVID forecasting – Rear view mirrors and uncertainty
What kind of COVID numbers can we expect to be seeing over the next few weeks? Knowing what we might expect to see is crucial for those involved in making the big decisions because case numbers impact on hospital admissions and that in turn has an impact on mortality figures. Those involved in leading churches… Continue reading COVID forecasting – Rear view mirrors and uncertainty
Policing temptation with what we wear
Social media is a dangerous place to go if you are worried about causing offense. Twitter in particular is a place where the compression of communication can lead to a lack of nuance and much misunderstanding. Of course it works well if your desire is to be provocative. But plenty of pastors have come unstuck… Continue reading Policing temptation with what we wear
Keep the Nightclubs closed
Where is the biggest risk going to be over the next few weeks as we move out of the final stages of restrictions? I suspect it won’t be in churches as we move back to normal worship, it is clear that churches are seeking to do this responsibly. It won’t be in your local supermarket.… Continue reading Keep the Nightclubs closed
Updated information for church COVID risk assessments
Here’s my regular update on what the picture is looking like in terms of COVID-19 to help church leaders think through their risk assessments when planning for church services. The most important and encouraging information is that the growth in cases seems to have slowed a little as the Euros’ effect seems to be easing… Continue reading Updated information for church COVID risk assessments
The Government, COVID and a tricky call about reopening
So, how do you feel about the decision to end COVID-19 regulations on the 19th July? Some of you are no doubt excited and relieved to see those measures coming to an end, others perhaps frustrated that the end didn’t come sooner and many feeling extremely anxious, concerned that this has come too soon and… Continue reading The Government, COVID and a tricky call about reopening
One rule for them, one rule for the rest of us?
This weekend it was announced that the Health Secretary Sajid Javid had contracted COVID-19. As he had been in a recent meeting with the Prime Minister and Chancellor of the Exchequer, it was assumed that they would need to self-isolate in line with the COVID rules. Well, on Sunday morning it was announced that they… Continue reading One rule for them, one rule for the rest of us?
Singing Lessons
In recent posts I’ve suggested we might need to be cautious about the assumption that the 19th July will immediately inaugurate the return of full churches, no masks and a return to congregational singing. I suggested that an interim step might be to encourage different parts of the congregation to sing either a whole song… Continue reading Singing Lessons
Update on Churches, COVID-19 reopening and risk assessments
Here’s a further update from my post earlier this week as you seek to prepare for post 19th July worship. The first crucial piece of information is that the Government have now published updated guidance for churches. You can read it here. The key things to note are that As expected, churches are encouraged to… Continue reading Update on Churches, COVID-19 reopening and risk assessments