It’s common for Christians to teach that you should only “go out” or “date” if you have marriage in view. I completely agree. The Bible teaches there is singleness and marriage; there is no third state called “going out” or “in a relationship”. This third ambiguous category of “going out” does not help us think …
Martin Buber said: “All real meaning in life is in meeting”. What’s the most revealing meeting at church? – Sunday morning? In almost every church I know, the best attended meeting is the Sunday morning service. That’s the “high” point, where most work is put in. That’s where we expect newcomers to show up; it’s …
We need to regularly ask God to burst our Christian bubbles. People talk about the “Westminster bubble”. It means politicians and journalists are living in their own world of Westminster, out of touch with the mood of the rest of the country. Similarly, mainstream media (based in big cities, employing people of a very particular …
It sounds like something straight from George Orwell’s “Ministry of Truth”. But it is in fact language that the Scottish parliament’s equalities committee are using as they explore out-lawing “conversion therapy”. The committee has concluded that religious teaching and prayer about sexual identity should only be permitted if it’s conducted in a “non-directive way” (para …
M asked a great question the other night at prayer meeting. In 1 Corinthians 1, Paul is explaining that the values of the cross up-end the values of the world. Paul is seeking to stop the values of the world creeping back in to the church. So, M asked: “what does that mean for my …
What guides your decision-making and daily living? How do you decide what time to get up? How do you decide what to eat for breakfast and lunch? How do you decide what to say to family, friends, and colleagues each day? How do you decide how much to spend on groceries? How do you weigh …
Here’s an outline of a conversation I had after church a while ago: “Does the Holy Spirit speak to you personally?” “Yes”, I said. “Absolutely! He’s been speaking to me and to you during the last 30 minutes, through the Holy Scriptures”. “No, I don’t mean that. I mean do you hear his voice telling …
“Safe To Be Me” is the name of a conference the UK government are organising in 2022 to promote LGBT rights around the world. I think the conference title is ingenious. In just four words, it unites two big, popular ideas: safeguarding and identity politics, and rolls them into a moral agenda. “Safety” is the …
Here’s a dilemma I have. I haven’t been able to resolve it yet. But, I think spotting the dilemma itself has some value. It works like this: On the one hand, I will read a passage like Titus 3. Paul says: “be gentle, and… show perfect courtesy towards all people, for we ourselves were once …
[Note: this is a longer read about a big subject, that’s only going to get bigger in the years ahead] In shocking news, our reporter at the Jerusalem Post can reveal that Alexander the Coppersmith has accused the apostle Paul of spiritual abuse. Dear presbytery of Jerusalem, I’m afraid I’m writing with some difficult news. …
Breaking news: “spiritual abuser” allegations rock early church! Read More »
