Yesterday I wrote about the accusations against an unnamed Conservative MP. Steve Kneale has written an excellent article today helping us to take our thinking further for church life. I would encourage you to read both articles and if you are part of a church leadership (or leadership of a local or national network or… Continue reading “The process itself was the punishment”
Tag: #ChurchToo
An MP, a rape accusation and #churchtoo
In the news this weekend, an as yet unnamed Conservative MP has been arrested on suspicion of rape. There have been calls for him to have the Conservative whip suspended, for example, Jess Phillips, the shadow Domestic violence minister has expressed shock that this has not happened yet.[1]Her argument is that naming him is necessary… Continue reading An MP, a rape accusation and #churchtoo
Leaders set the tone – sometimes it is about us
In a previous article I said that we set the tone by recognising that things are not always about us. However, sometimes they are. One of the things that concerned me about early comments during coronavirus was the speed with which some church leaders and prominent speakers and writers were quick to suggest that the… Continue reading Leaders set the tone – sometimes it is about us
Love is not an excuse to tolerate and cover up abuse
Yesterday, I wrote about what love is not. This is because sometimes people use the concept of love to manipulate victims to continue living with abuse and without justice. I want to explore that a bit further today because one of the arguments used is that this is part of a wife’s responsibility to submit… Continue reading Love is not an excuse to tolerate and cover up abuse
Love is not
Last week I started writing some articles about what a healthy church looks like and I argued that the one most neglected mark is the one that Jesus and the New Testament argues is of first importance, Love. But there is a risk if we just talk about “love” without thinking carefully about what it… Continue reading Love is not
False teachers, abusers and cults (2 Peter 2:10-16)
I’ve spent some time on Faithroots talking about the problem of abuse and bullying in the Church. This has been in response to some very public scandals in the last year or two relating to high profile church leaders and organisations. It also relates to things I have observed more widely in church culture. High… Continue reading False teachers, abusers and cults (2 Peter 2:10-16)
Bullies – a personal story
a bruised reed he will not break, and a faintly burning wick he will not quench; he will faithfully bring forth justice (Isaiah 42:3) I arrived at primary school aged 4, one of the youngest and therefore smallest in my class, to add to that I came with ginger hair and asthma, by aged 10 I had… Continue reading Bullies – a personal story
Law and Legalism, Grace and Wisdom
On Sunday mornings recently we were tackling the middle section of Deuteronomy. It’s a challenging section with at first sight a lot of rules and regulations where it is not always easy to see how they relate to each other and where at times the culture they represent seems alien and even offensive to our… Continue reading Law and Legalism, Grace and Wisdom
A good time to bury bad news?
A New Labour advisor infamously described 911 as “a good day to bury bad news.” It highlighted the impression that Tony Blair’s government were more interested in PR and image than the truth. I thought again about that incident the other day when I read this tweet from Duncan Forbes “Would love to see the… Continue reading A good time to bury bad news?
When friends turn – the enemy within
Friendly Fire: a phrase that puts together two words that should not go together. The phrase came into common parlance during the 1991 Gulf War to liberate Kuwait. Sadly a lot of soldiers were killed by their own side, the result of the challenges of bringing different armed forces together with different cultures and communication… Continue reading When friends turn – the enemy within
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