Tag: Emotions

We don’t talk about empathy no, no, no

You may recall a little hoo-ha a while back (I think it may have been a couple of years ago even when a prominent US Evangelical said that empathy is sin.  I engaged with the issue here and here. Well Evangelicals Now have decided to rake up the issue again in this article.  I hope… Continue reading We don’t talk about empathy no, no, no

Does God have emotions?

In September’s Evangelical Times, Psychiatrist Alan Thomas argues that God does have emotions.  He does not believe that this contradicts the Doctrine of impassibility, that God is without passions.  However, he argues against the concept of an emotionless God.  Guy Davies has responded by arguing that God does not have emotions and that this would… Continue reading Does God have emotions?

My sadness may commend the Gospel

Jesus is described in Isaiah 53:3 as a man of sorrows,[cand acquainted with[ grief;” We would do well to pay attention to this as it provides the starting point to the other side of the coin to Lloyd Jones’ comments about the failure of unhappy Christians to commend the Gospel.  Jesus himself experienced suffering, sorrow and… Continue reading My sadness may commend the Gospel

Joy, enjoyment and singing

In my article on singing the other day, I talked about the importance of enjoyment and joy when we are singing.  I wanted to expand on a little footnote I included in the article.  There I commented that: Incidentally, when I talk about joy and enjoyment here, I don’t think that means we are meant… Continue reading Joy, enjoyment and singing

Food from around the Worldwide web

With the horror of this week’s shooting in Texas there have been some confused and at times abhorrent responses to this. I respond to one particularly unhelpful one here whilst Steve Kneale writes here in response to Franklin Graham’s repeat of a frequent trope that the problem isn’t the guns it’s the people here. There’s… Continue reading Food from around the Worldwide web

When did you last hear a pastor talk about mental health issues?

In my recent survey about application and what pastors talked about, I asked respondents to indicate whether or not they’d heard pastors address particular issues within the last 5 years. One issue concerned mental health. This is such an important subject to address within our churches because as we preach and pastor we are so… Continue reading When did you last hear a pastor talk about mental health issues?

“Do you want to be clean?” Preaching to the affections from the Old Testament

I mentioned the other day the conversation I had with Dan James about Haggai 2.  One of the things I’ve been challenged about increasingly is the importance of preaching to the affections.  This is an old puritan phrase meaning that our preaching should speak to the whole person not just to the intellect. We don’t… Continue reading “Do you want to be clean?” Preaching to the affections from the Old Testament

Because I say so? -what should I do with my doubts?

In presuppositional apologetics[1] one of the key arguments deployed for why we can trust the Bible is the claims that Scripture makes about itself. The basis for this argument is tht at some point, we have to accept that there is a final authority, an ultimate arbiter on belief. The question is “who” or “hat… Continue reading Because I say so? -what should I do with my doubts?

Sleep and mental health

One factor affecting mental health is rest and sleep. There are two aspects to this. First of all, when we are struggling with anxiety and/or depression this can affect sleep patterns but also disrupted sleep is likely to affect our overall sense of mental well-being.  So, it is possible to get into a vicious cycle. … Continue reading Sleep and mental health