I’m actually writing this on Wednesday, so before the polls open. This means that technically I don’t know what the result is yet. Though unlike quite a few other recent elections, we probably have a strong idea of what the conclusion will be. Over the past 15 years, votes have thrown up a few surprises… Continue reading How do we respond to the election result?
Tag: fear
What do we do with our fear?
One of the criticisms made of the Church by some is that we allowed fear of the virus and dying from it to overwhelm us and so, we lost sight of the hope we have in Christ. The implications of such critiques is threefold. First, it suggests that the primary problem was fear of the… Continue reading What do we do with our fear?
Deliver us from evil
News reaches Mordecai of Haman’s orders. His response is to go into public mourning, tearing his clothes, putting on sackcloth and covering his head with ash. As news spreads, other Jews do the same. This was a cry to God for mercy and deliverance. It is important not to treat Mordecai as somehow to blame.… Continue reading Deliver us from evil
How might we talk to our children about Ukraine?
How should parents and Sunday School teachers talk to worried and anxious children about what is going on in the World around us It is many years since we’ve seen such horrific genocidal conflict so close to home and with a level of danger from nuclear conflict hanging oh too realistically in the air. If… Continue reading How might we talk to our children about Ukraine?
Laying down your life for your friends in a pandemic
Throughout the pandemic, pastors have found themselves under fire from two sides. For some, every decision to conform with guidelines, providing online services, introducing social distancing, asking people to wear masks has been seen as an act of compromise with the state driven by fear of death. Thy are told that they should not fear… Continue reading Laying down your life for your friends in a pandemic
Is fear a sin?
Sometimes we say that we should only fear God and that we shouldn’t fear other people. I have often talked about how the things we fear are the things that become our idols. Jesus tells us: “do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy… Continue reading Is fear a sin?
What are we afraid of?
Throughout COVID I’ve seen a particular line of argument from some of my fellow Christians to the effect that the response to the pandemic marks out a society that is afraid of death. Apart from the feeling that this comes combined with suspicion of interventions to mitigate against the virus and a little bit of… Continue reading What are we afraid of?
COVID and Omicron – what’s the mood?
Yesterday I ran one of my little surveys via twitter. Remember, these are not intended to give is a scientific analysis of the exact proportions of people that hold specific positions. Rather, they operate like a kind of focus group or dip check. That’s not a high number of votes and I expect proportions would… Continue reading COVID and Omicron – what’s the mood?
Avoiding scaremongering
I want to share with you two examples of how the media’s handling of COVID-19 has been extremely unhelpful. The public have a significant part to play in response to the pandemic and therefore needs accurate information in order to make informed decisions. The first example was published in the Independent. You can read the… Continue reading Avoiding scaremongering
Don’t be afraid – the first message of Easter
It’s Sunday morning. On the Friday, the Mary’s had watched to see where Jesus was buried. They then couldn’t do anything further on the Sabbath but on the Sunday, they make their way early to the tomb. We know that the aim of the women was to take spices to anoint the body. But something… Continue reading Don’t be afraid – the first message of Easter
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