Jesus has a serious warning for those who lead others into sin. He says: it would be better for him if a great millstone were hung around his neck and he were thrown into the sea. God has a great love and concern for the vulnerable and so we have a great responsibility for them. … Continue reading Millstones and amputations (Mark 9:42-50)
Tag: sin
Are you ready to have the tough conversations?
If you are a pastor or elder in the church, then your responsibility is to provide and protect. We see this in Acts 20:28-31 28 “So guard yourselves and God’s people. Feed and shepherd God’s flock—his church, purchased with his own blood[h]—over which the Holy Spirit has appointed you as leaders.[i] 29 I know that false teachers, like… Continue reading Are you ready to have the tough conversations?
What was David’s sin with Bathsheba?
Over the past few years, a little debate has kept cropping up about whether it is right to suggest that David committed adultery with Bathsheba or whether in fact we need to say that he raped her. I wrote a guest post for Steve Kneale here when the debate first came up but it has… Continue reading What was David’s sin with Bathsheba?
Despicable me
I saw an interesting social media exchange earlier today. One person was outraged at what a well-known football commentator had said about a particular political issue. They’d then described the person as “despicable”. Someone else had interjected to say “No, you can’t call them despicable. We describe the actions as despicable.” There’s something important and… Continue reading Despicable me
The cost of living crisis and the cost of sin
I’ve been writing a little about the cost of living crisis and how Christians and churches should respond. We often feel reluctant to talk about such things for two reasons. First, we are wary of leaping into party politics – I think there is good sense to that. Secondly, because we are not quite sure… Continue reading The cost of living crisis and the cost of sin
Alone?
I saw this quote and image shared on Facebook the other day. I wonder what you made of it? “From this distant vantage point, the Earth might not seem of any particular interest. But for us, it’s different. Consider again that dot. That’s here. That’s home. That’s us. On it everyone you love, everyone you… Continue reading Alone?
Confrontation in church life
The other day, I wrote about the risks of getting a response to trouble and confrontation wrong. I wrote specifically about the challenges facing the West in responding to Vladimir Putin. However, most of us are not involved in major geo-political issues and hold little power over politicians or big business so on one level,… Continue reading Confrontation in church life
Depression, sin and trust issues
I just wanted to pick up on something I’ve seen suggested a few times namely that depression is intrinsically sinful because it involves a lack or loss of trust in the Lord. I’ve seen this suggested in the context of medication -that you should be depending on God to heal you but I’ve also seen… Continue reading Depression, sin and trust issues
Does it add up?
The controversy around #PartyGate continues to rumble on. The Metropolitan Police have begun their investigation. Last week, Boris Johnson was reportedly sent a questionnaire by the police. Well, I understand that he likes a quiz. Whilst we await the outcome, people continue to speculate about what the implications will be if the Prime Minister is… Continue reading Does it add up?
Discriminating home sellers
You may have picked up on the story of the home-owners who refused to sell their house to a same-sex couple. The story is I guess of personal interest to me because we are in the process of attempting to move home. Fascinatingly, something has come up repeatedly in conversations with estate agents, both when… Continue reading Discriminating home sellers
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