The toxic danger of gossip for both men and women

I recently engaged with an article that described gossip and slander as “the curse of women.” The article has since been withdrawn, I suspect one if those articles written in haste and frustration at specific circumstances. However, the association of women specifically with gossip is a common misconception. I found that phrasing unhelpful because I don’t… Continue reading The toxic danger of gossip for both men and women

Loose lips … careless talk is costly

There was a campaign during World War II with the theme “Loose lips sink ships.”  The point was that unguarded comments might give away intelligence to the enemy enabling U-Boats to target trans-Atlantic crossings.  It became a bit of an Anglo-American proverb, a reminder that careless talk is costly. It’s a proverb that Joe Biden… Continue reading Loose lips … careless talk is costly

Food from around the worldwide web (15-05-2022)

Occasionally I provide a round up of articles that others have been writing about. Here’s the latest. 3 reasons Christians slander one another -it’s something we know shouldn’t happen and yet seems to happen a lot. Why? Is this approach to complementarianism just dressed up egalitarianism – this is a slightly similar issue, not so… Continue reading Food from around the worldwide web (15-05-2022)

Truth and birthday cake

Yesterday, the House of Commons agreed to a motion calling for an investigation of Boris Johnson. That investigation will focus on whether or not the Prime Minister mislead parliament when responding to questions about alleged parties at Downing Street during the lockdowns. The debate both inside the House of Commons and wider in the media… Continue reading Truth and birthday cake

It may appear to come from your side but it’s not friendly fire

You may be familiar with the term “friendly fire”. It refers to when a military assault on the enemy ends up taking out members of the same side as well as or instead of the enemy positions. This can be caused by those people being in close proximity to the enemy at the time or… Continue reading It may appear to come from your side but it’s not friendly fire

What can I do when falsely accused?

Sadly, we’ve seen some high profile examples of sin, bullying and abuse or of church leaders failing to handle such situations well.  I’ve written occasionally about these things because I’m concerned to see healthy churches and healthy leadership. However, not every accusation will be true.  Sometimes this is because there has been a genuine misunderstanding… Continue reading What can I do when falsely accused?

Remember: You are not Jesus!

What turns out to be the most controversial is often a surprise.  Sometimes I can write something or say something and it gets little reaction when I would expect it to create a lot of heat. Other times, I say something I consider fairly innocuous or obvious and it creates waves with people taking the… Continue reading Remember: You are not Jesus!

Abuse, bullying and slander – a war of attrition

When it comes to concerns about abuse and bullying I think we can identify the following types of context Clear examples of coercive, cruel and manipulative behaviour Clear examples of false accusation One off but significant failures The reality that all of us are finite and fallen and consistently get things wrong in terms of… Continue reading Abuse, bullying and slander – a war of attrition

Walking away from gossip and slander

In a recent study of Romans 6, I talked about sanctification and how we are tempted to see the Gospel in the following terms. I enjoy sin, it brings me pleasure but at a great cost, the penalty of death. Christ pays that price so I am free from hell but in return he expects… Continue reading Walking away from gossip and slander

What you don’t do is start a witch hunt

One of the standout claims from the Oprah Winfrey interview is the claim that a member of the royal household made racist comments about the potential skin tone of baby Archie.  The accusation is hard hitting in the context of current concerns about racism’s effect on our society and to be honest has that edge… Continue reading What you don’t do is start a witch hunt