What is the mission of the local church in the city? A lot of churches if asked that question will talk about sharing the love of Jesus, being salt and light, showing compassion etc. But what dies it mean to be salt and light, what does it mean to show the love of Jesus? Those… Continue reading Revealed … suppressed (Romans 1:16-32)
Posts
The connection between faulty views of worship and abusive cultures
What has our view of corporate worship got to do with the problem of abuse in the church? Well, it struck me during a conversation on social media that it might have quite a bit. The discussion was about whether or not corporate worship is primarily horizontal or vertical. I intend to engage in a… Continue reading The connection between faulty views of worship and abusive cultures
Beasts, Dragons and a COVID vaccine passport
What if someone with a lot of wealth, tech no and power, maybe someone with a name like Gill Bates was able to get a vaccine into you that changed your DNA? What if the authorities insisted we had a digital passport to prove we had been vaccinated or tested. Isn’t that like the mark… Continue reading Beasts, Dragons and a COVID vaccine passport
Join us for Faithroots Live on Wednesday
Once again you are invited to our Faithroots Live day. The aim is to provide some more in depth teaching and training for those who would appreciate it but for various reasons might not be able to access traditional theological education. All are welcome and it’s free of charge. Join us at 9am for devotions.… Continue reading Join us for Faithroots Live on Wednesday
Abuse and the fault in our theology
I remember being asked once whether I’d prefer to pastor a church that was weak/confused in its doctrine but seemed on fire with passion for the Lord and loving or a church that seemed to be ticking all the right boxes doctrinally but wasn’t clicking in terms of love, welcome, enthusiasm. After thinking about the… Continue reading Abuse and the fault in our theology
Relax, refresh, restart
I’ve been writing a few articles about churches and life after lockdown. In them, I’ve included some potentially provocative comments about traditional midweek church ministries. Please don’t get me wrong on this. I’m not saying that you must never run these activities. I simply have a twofold point. The first is that a lot of… Continue reading Relax, refresh, restart
One step forward? Let’s hope it’s not two back
So, the Prime Minister has announced the roadmap route out of lockdown, arguing that it is a cautious route but hopefully irreversible. Much of what he said had already been leaked in advance and that’s something we keep saying needs to change but is unlikely to. The leaking of actual measures was not helped by… Continue reading One step forward? Let’s hope it’s not two back
Is it too early to come out of lockdown?
Understandably, there is still some nervousness about whether or not we should be coming out of the current lockdown just yet or whether it is too soon. I thought it might be helpful to have a look at the available data. The key information is as follows. First of all, the rolling 7 day average… Continue reading Is it too early to come out of lockdown?
One thing I ask (Psalm 27)
I love these words from Psalm 27 “One thing have I asked of the Lord, that will I seek after:that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life,to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to inquire[c] in his temple.”[1] They stick in my head but it is important to not miss the context. David is… Continue reading One thing I ask (Psalm 27)
What would it help to know?
Yesterday I commented on the need of the pastor to be informed on a whole range of issues outside of their specific expertise in Biblical studies. We cannot and should not seek to become experts in every field but there are things we can do to help pastors be prepared for this aspect of ministry.… Continue reading What would it help to know?