Before we go any further, I want to make it clear that I prefer to see local churches physically gather in a specific venue. There are so many reasons as to why I believe this is far better than zoom and Facebook. I long for the day when we can gather without restrictions, singing God’s… Continue reading Shall we gather? The case for physical gathering may actually prove the opposite!
Tag: COVID-19
Lockdowns and Christian Witness
Yesterday I explained why I believed that the Church should challenge the current lockdown measures but also why we should comply with them if unsuccessful. A big part of my argument is the priority of Christian witness. If eschatologically, we are focused on the great gathering of God’s people to come, then yes part of… Continue reading Lockdowns and Christian Witness
The problem with Christian Exceptionalism and the distinction between submit and support
From this Sunday, church buildings in England will be closed again for public worship due to a second lockdown. I expect that most church leaders will comply with this, all with a heavy heart. Some will do this quietly. Others will have raised objections through blog posts, letters to MPs, petitions and possibly a legal… Continue reading The problem with Christian Exceptionalism and the distinction between submit and support
An open letter to Boris Johnson: Please reconsider the impact of lockdown 2 on churches, businesses and community groups
Dear Boris, I know that what I’m about to say will go against the grain in terms of where the pressure on you is coming from. I understand as well that your decision to move to another national lockdown will have been taken reluctantly. However, I am writing even at this late stage to ask… Continue reading An open letter to Boris Johnson: Please reconsider the impact of lockdown 2 on churches, businesses and community groups
lockdown scepticism v COVID scepticism
You may increasingly be hearing people described as, or even describing themselves as lockdown sceptics. These are people likely to be disagreeing with the Government not (as seems to be the majority case) for doing too little too late about the virus but for doing too much. A lot of the suspicion comes from a… Continue reading lockdown scepticism v COVID scepticism
“You’re joking … not another one?” Lockdown 2?
Remember Brenda from Bristol’s reaction to the General Election in 2017. A lot of us are no doubt feeling like that about the prospect of another national lockdown. Of course there are a lot of people pushing heavily for one too. As a Christian and a church leaders I believe it is important that we… Continue reading “You’re joking … not another one?” Lockdown 2?
The current Evangelical scepticism about science and modelling could do long term harm
There is a narrative that is gaining traction at the moment which runs along the lines that we are resisting an authoritarian agenda led by “The Science” and fed by dodgy models. From this perspective, attempts to model and forecast should be ignored as worthless trash whilst our efforts to control and defeat a pandemic… Continue reading The current Evangelical scepticism about science and modelling could do long term harm
Is our approach to COVID-19 really that novel?
One of the claims that is doing the round at the moment is that not only is COVID-19 itself novel but that the approaches we have been taking to combat the virus are new. The argument is that suddenly we are using things like masks, social distancing and lockdowns to attempt to control a virus… Continue reading Is our approach to COVID-19 really that novel?
We’re all in this together
I love the story of Ruth in the Old Testament. Not so long back we spent a few weeks working through it together as a Home Group. The story is of a family who leave Bethlehem during a famine for Moab. It’s a story about economic migrants. They settle in Moab and the sons marry… Continue reading We’re all in this together
The real problem with Gnosticism
I’ve written on this subject a few times now because “Gnosticism” seems to be the label of choice when we want to attack the position of other Christians. I think there are two problems with this. First of all, I think it prevents us from understanding the actual position of people we disagree with including… Continue reading The real problem with Gnosticism
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