Tag: relationships

Applying the trickier aspects of Song of Songs

Applying Song of Songs isn’t so neat and straight forward, whichever way we take it, either as practical wisdom about relationships or as a metaphor for Christ and the Church.  Have a read through the book and spot these things. The lead female character is someone who appears vulnerable, taken advantage of, at risk. She… Continue reading Applying the trickier aspects of Song of Songs

Between Legalism and Licence: Wisdom and the Billy Graham Rule

Yesterday I wrote about why speculation is not necessary and not helpful in response to the speculation following Matt Chandler’s announcement. Some people have asked then whether we can or should say anything at all.  I think we can respond to things that are in the public domain. The story is unavoidably there, not just… Continue reading Between Legalism and Licence: Wisdom and the Billy Graham Rule

You don’t need to speculate

This week, Matt Chandler, pastor of the Village Church and president of Acts29 announced that he was taking leave of absence from preaching and teaching at the Church. The reason given was that he had been direct messaging a female on social media and had been confronted about this by one of her friends.  An… Continue reading You don’t need to speculate

Who is Song of Songs About?

Earlier this week, I wrote about a tweet by Beth Moore that had caused some controversy and then suggested at the end of my article that perhaps a read of Song of Songs might be helpful to give us a sense of the kind of language employed in Scripture to describe our love for Christ.… Continue reading Who is Song of Songs About?

Headship – what are husbands meant to do?

I mentioned the other day a friend who was asking challenging questions about headship, submission, complementarianism and headship. Here’s another of their questions. If the core characteristic of male headship in marriage is love not leadership, why do we focus on submission to a husband’s leadership instead of his love? They are thinking primarily of… Continue reading Headship – what are husbands meant to do?

You are always saying no to something

I remember someone giving me a bit of advice once to the effect that for every request you say yes to, you should say no to an equivalent request.  It’s good advice but I would push it further.  The reality that that every time you say yes to something or someone, you are at the… Continue reading You are always saying no to something

Leaving faithfully

So, what happens when it is necessary to leave your current church?  This may be because: You are having to move due to work or family reasons There’s a specific opportunity to serve God in a new context You disagree with the church over a significant issue in terms of doctrine, direction of travel etc.[1]… Continue reading Leaving faithfully

How we treat others – a lesson from The Magician’s Nephew

Prompted by a friend, I’ve started re-reading the Chronicles of Narnia. The one volume edition we have starts not with the Lion, the witch and the wardrobe but with its prequel “The Magician’s Nephew”, the story of how Narnia all began. The story is of a boy Digory and his friend Polly, tricked into using… Continue reading How we treat others – a lesson from The Magician’s Nephew

When did you last hear a pastor talk about heterosexual ethics?

In my survey about what pastors talk about I asked when was the last time you heard a pastor address the matter of sexual ethics. I divided that into ethics concerning heterosexual relationships and same-sex relationships. The results are interesting because among those taking part, sexual ethics were highly likely to have been addressed in… Continue reading When did you last hear a pastor talk about heterosexual ethics?