Ancient Israel was expected to observe sabbath years (every 7) and jubilee years every 50. Those years were meant to allow for the release of slaves, cancellation of debt, return of property to tribal/clan ownership and rest for the land with the fields left fallow. Whilst those laws were specific to Israel and so not… Continue reading Fallow Ground
Tag: COVID-19
COVID-19 depression and suicide
There has been some discussion about the affects of COVID-19 and lockdowns on mental health. Now despite the memes that have circulated on social media about spiralling suicide rates, the data as we have it does not suggest that this seems to be the case. If there have been any increases in incidents, they reflect… Continue reading COVID-19 depression and suicide
Do we worship freedom?
When he wrote Escape from Reason, Francis Schaeffer talked about how we have divided the word in half, below the line is the natural world and above it is the supernatural, what we look to for meaning, what in effect we worship. Once we remove from God from above the line we replace him with… Continue reading Do we worship freedom?
Prioritising the non-vulnerable may help protect the vulnerable
The primary assumption with rolling out vaccines is that you want to make sure that the highly vulnerable get the vaccine first, so you start with the over 80s and then the over 70s and those with medical conditions. There is a lot of wisdom in that. However, a comment by our local Public Health… Continue reading Prioritising the non-vulnerable may help protect the vulnerable
Why I started preaching longer sermons again
At the start of Coronavirus when we all moved church services online, the majority view was that we needed to preach shorter sermons (in fact our services overall were shorter). I agreed with this approach and followed it. I believe it was the right thing to do. You see, all the evidence seemed to point… Continue reading Why I started preaching longer sermons again
Isolation is a form of death
Early in the pandemic, I wrote an article called “There is more than one way to die.” I was concerned then and remain so today that in their desperation to prevent physical deaths from the virus, authorities would miss other deadly dangers. There are two strands to the point that there is more than one… Continue reading Isolation is a form of death
A suppressed virus will always return
It’s not just Britain then -and it probably isn’t just about a new mutation. Around the world, coun tries are bracing themselves for a third wave of Coronavirus. Today, the news attention has shifted focused form the South East of England to South Korea which is experiencing its own third wave of the virus. In… Continue reading A suppressed virus will always return
Between scaremongering and complacency
Reading newspaper articles and social media comments this morning, once again I am torn between panic and complacency. Panic induced by continuing reports and discussion about a super new, fast spreading mutant variant of the COVID-19 virus. Complacency risked by those insisting this is all some conspiracy. Some even claiming that the mutation has bene… Continue reading Between scaremongering and complacency
Winding back the hyperbole
Between the 4th and 6th Century AD a controversy boke out particularly among the churches in North Africa concerning a group called the Donatists. They believed that priests in the church had to be perfect in order to serve effectively. The root cause of this was to do with persecution. Some Christians had found ways… Continue reading Winding back the hyperbole
Christmas is not cancelled
Many people are frustrated and upset at the sudden U-Turn on Christmas arrangements. Those measures had offered some small reprieve but arrangements for festivities were still going to be minimal and restricted. Now, however, the hashtag #ChristmasIsCancelled is gaining currency. So, it is important to say that Christmas is not cancelled. Now, by this I… Continue reading Christmas is not cancelled
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