Posts

Should pastors expect to preach 3 times a week?

As a follow up to John Brand’s open letter to those training people in church contexts, a further letter to the editor appeared in the next month’s issue from David Randall.  You can read it here but it may be behind a pay-wall.  So, in summary, he contrasts what Brand had referred to as “real-world… Continue reading Should pastors expect to preach 3 times a week?

Do we need ‘less Bible’ in our Youth Ministry?

Robin Barfield writes in Evangelicals Now, asking if we have too much Bible in youth ministry.  There are some reasonable questions in the article and it’s worth a read.  Specifically, the central point is true, it is too easy for us to be on “transmit” to the point that we don’t listen and we don’t… Continue reading Do we need ‘less Bible’ in our Youth Ministry?

Should we really stop calling the church “a family”?

Tim Suffield writes that we should “stop calling the church a family.”  There seem to be three aspects to his argument. First, he argues that the Bible doesn’t really talk about the church as a family.  Secondly, even where it does use familial language, it isn’t the kind of family that we would think of… Continue reading Should we really stop calling the church “a family”?

An open response to an open letter in Evangelicals Now about training future pastors

This first appeared as a letter in Evangelicals Now here. Evangelicals Now have recently published an open letter from John Brand, principal of Edinburgh Bible College. It’s addressed to “church leaders training men for ministry.”  Well, that kind of sounds like me, so I hope that John and EN will accept an open letter in… Continue reading An open response to an open letter in Evangelicals Now about training future pastors

Offended?

One of the incidents in the Olympic opening ceremony that caused most controversy was the decision to create a tableau mimicking Leonardo Da Vinci’s “The Last Supper and featuring drag queens.  The incident was seized upon as offensive to Christian viewers around the world, something that the organisers have since accepted whilst denying that this… Continue reading Offended?

Calvin without Hobbes

1517 Johann Tetzel ““As soon as a coin in the coffer rings / the soul from purgatory springs” Indulgences – a financial payment protecting you and/or your family from Purgatory Semi Pelagianism –a recipe for corruption and Abuse Martin Luther Born 10th November 1483 2nd July 1505 –studying law –nearly struck by lightening “Help Saint… Continue reading Calvin without Hobbes

Imagine: The Paris Olympics and how a song and a ceremony offered the only message they could

The idea of an opening ceremony for something like the Olympics seems fairly straight forward.  You welcome the contestants, spectators and referees/umpires, you declare the event to have begun and then you let everyone sit back and enjoy the spectacle to come.  The thing about sport is that it is an incredible visual spectacle and… Continue reading Imagine: The Paris Olympics and how a song and a ceremony offered the only message they could

Athanasius and the dodgy worship leader

Introduction              Arian Chants and Songs                               en hote pote ouk en “The uncreated God has made the Son A beginning of things created And by adoption has God made Son Into an advancement of himself Yet the Son’s Substance is Removed from the substance of the Father The Son is not equal to the Father… Continue reading Athanasius and the dodgy worship leader

Irenaeus and the mystery of the missing Gospels

Introduction a. An Alternative Creation Story -God as distant, pure spirit –who doesn’t get his hands dirty Impersonal –in fact one Gnostic, Basileadis, goes so far as to describe him as “The non-existent God.”   -Between us and God are intermediary spirit beings/gods (demiurges)                -Creation as an unpleasant accident –matter  =bad, spirit = good… Continue reading Irenaeus and the mystery of the missing Gospels