All that I have is yours …except the toothbrush

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The other evening, without really looking, picked up my toothbrush and started brushing my teeth.  I walked briefly back into our bedroom to ask Sarah something.  It was at that point, she spotted what I’d missed. You’re using my toothbrush.” Now, you may have different opinions on whether it’s okay or gross to share toothbrushes. … Continue reading All that I have is yours …except the toothbrush

The purpose of marriage part 2: Marriage and the Great Commission

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God blessed his creation and blessed humanity in Genesis 1 given them a mandate to fill and subdue the world.  At the end of Matthew’s Gospel (28:19ff), Jesus blesses his followers, the church and gives them a mandate to go and make disciples.  Those disciples are to be baptised and taught to obey Jesus.  This… Continue reading The purpose of marriage part 2: Marriage and the Great Commission

Gods purpose for marriage: part 1 – marriage and the cultural mandate

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I thought it might be helpful to follow up on my recent articles that have picked up on current controversies within Evangelicalism concerning same-sex attraction.   A good starting point in our thinking is to see what the Bible actually has to say, positively about sex and relationships. The starting point for our understanding of gender,… Continue reading Gods purpose for marriage: part 1 – marriage and the cultural mandate

Is servant leadership a sin? Responding to Doug Wilson

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Doug Wilson writes on Blog and Mablog about what he perceives to be “the sin of servant leadership“.  His argument is that the problem is not with the word “servant” but with “leadership”. We would be deeply uncomfortable with the term servant lordship”.  So our problem is not with service but with authority.  He argues… Continue reading Is servant leadership a sin? Responding to Doug Wilson

What about marriage and eternity?

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When Jesus responds to the Sadducees conundrum and the Levirate marriage, he insists that in “the age to come”, there is no more giving and receiving in marriage (Luke 20:27-40).  This may leave us with a few pastoral questions and implications. First of all, there was the immediate pastoral implication for people in that context. … Continue reading What about marriage and eternity?

Is C4M right to insist that religious marriages must be preceded by or include a civil/legal agreement?

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The Coalition For Marriage have put forward a proposal requiring there to be a civil ceremony prior to or during a religious ceremony and to forbid religious ceremonies from taking place without the legal bits being in place.  Now, I must admit that my first reaction was surprise that the Coalition For Marriage was still… Continue reading Is C4M right to insist that religious marriages must be preceded by or include a civil/legal agreement?

Separating the legal bit of the wedding from the celebration

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The Times observes that people are increasingly separating the legal civil registration of marriage from the celebration, sometimes with a significant period of time in between.  Steve Kneale picks up on this here and argues that it is s good thing and will help The Church get a better and more Biblical view of marriage. … Continue reading Separating the legal bit of the wedding from the celebration

Are equality and authority in competition?

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I recently saw a comment relating to the debate on complementarian marriage that it is not possible to have permanent authority over someone and be equal to them?  Is that right?  On the surface it seems obviously true, especially from a post modern perspective. However, I just want to get us to push our thinking… Continue reading Are equality and authority in competition?