Something struck me as I was writing about spiritual discipline. Normally when we think about human growth and development we thing about becoming more independent. A child learns to feed and clean themselves. Learning to ride a bike means that bike stabilisers are removed. We are said to develop in a skill first by watching… Continue reading Growing in dependence
Tag: Suffering
Spiritual discipline
Richard Foster’s book “Celebration of Discipline” written in 1977 popuylarised the idea of spiritual disciplines, practices to help Christians grow spiritually. His list, rooted in monastic ideas dating back to the early church included: meditation, prayer, fasting, study, simplicity, solitude and submission. My personal take is that really those things are ways of creating time… Continue reading Spiritual discipline
Peace with God and how we can face suffering
What do you say to a family watching the impact of dementia on a loved one as they see them robbed of memories, ability to communicate and even their personality? What do you say to Iranian brothers and sisters getting daily news about family who have been murdered by the regime? How about when a… Continue reading Peace with God and how we can face suffering
God’s justice and human suffering
A video picking up on questions arising from Romans 3:5
How does Jesus answer the problem of suffering?
Luke 13 begins famously with Jesus being asked about a tragic atrocity. Pilate had not only slaughtered some Galileans but had also had their blood mixed in with their sacrifices, thus contaminating the altar and making the sacrifices ineffective. The implied question that Jesus answers is as to whether the victims had been particularly guilty… Continue reading How does Jesus answer the problem of suffering?
Why is suffering a problem for believers?
This Sunday we are looking at the opportunity of suffering. at church Specifically we will be thinking about how we share the Gospel in response to suffering. It seems strange to talk about suffering as an opportunity. We tend to talk more about the problem of suffering. This has been strikingly emphasised by an interview… Continue reading Why is suffering a problem for believers?
Why God is not an emotionless firefighter (or why we need to pick better illustrations)
One of the reasons why I think a lot of people struggle with the idea of “Divine Impassibility” is that sadly it is often badly represented. Take for example, an essay that Matthew Barrett wrote for The Gospel Coalition website. In the article, he talks about how whenever someone shares about a tragedy they have… Continue reading Why God is not an emotionless firefighter (or why we need to pick better illustrations)
Jesus, empathy and pastoral care
Here’s a follow on from what I wrote here the other day, a #FaithrootsPodcast picking up on an aspect of the Empathy debate.
Pity as the enemy of compassion
The UK Parliament has just voted for a second reading of the bill to introduced assisted dying. I want to step back and reflect on the debate that was held in the House of Commons. I tuned in to the early stages of the debate and heard several of the speeches. What struck me was… Continue reading Pity as the enemy of compassion
Assisted Dying: Fear or hope?
The Assisted Dying bill is due to be debated on the 29th November. I did eventually get a reply from our MP this week. She indicated that she is mindful to vote against and continue to push for better funding of palliative care. This reason is actually pretty crucial. There are a number of pragmatic… Continue reading Assisted Dying: Fear or hope?
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