How (not) to be a guilt driven church (The truth about cats and dogs 2)

The book we bought and the book we read Bridging the gap – Ephesians 2:8 -10)  For by grace….To do good works Useless and harmful bridges L……………….. L………………… M………………. Solving the problem Two reasons why we don’t boast                S……………..                N……… C……………………………… It’s g……….. all the way To think about When I am challenged… Continue reading How (not) to be a guilt driven church (The truth about cats and dogs 2)

The thing we don’t talk about (The truth about cats and dogs 1)

This is the first of three talks/studies. I will include a handout followed by a video talk The thing we don’t like to talk about – but probably should (Psalm 51) The difference between cats and dogs What is guilt? Often when we talk about guilt we really mean s……………. g….. and s………… Shame is… Continue reading The thing we don’t talk about (The truth about cats and dogs 1)

The Shaming of the Shrew

This is the third in a little series of articles reflecting on the controversy surrounding Dominic Cumming’s trip to Durham. I guess it also relates to the issues that came up with Professor Neil Ferguson and Catherine Calderwood, the former Scottish Chief Medical Officer I am more concerned with the lessons we learn for our… Continue reading The Shaming of the Shrew

The Scandal of the Evangelical Heart

In 1994, Mark Knoll wrote “The scandal of the Evangelical  Mind” in which he protested at what he perceived as a lack of willingness to think deeply and carefully among evangelicals. He identified an anti-intellectualism within our movement. Rachel Held Evans became a notable doubter/sceptic of evangelical faith and in 2013, she wrote: The questions… Continue reading The Scandal of the Evangelical Heart

Do we have grace?

I first heard of Vernon Higham when Wesley Aiken, pastor at Rochester Baptist Church came back from a holiday. Higham had been the visiting speaker at the church where Wesley’s family went on their holidays. Wesley described this frail elderly man taking to the pulpit and preaching a gospel sermon about the grace of God… Continue reading Do we have grace?

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

Anxiety in a Time of Coronavirus

For those struggling with anxiety, the lockdown caused by the COVID-19 pandemic will be a particularly challenging time.  Here, we wanted to share some thoughts and advice that we hope you will find helpful. First of all, just as if you were suffering from physical symptoms of illness, we would encourage you to seek appropriate… Continue reading Anxiety in a Time of Coronavirus