A few years ago, 2008 to be precise, as part of a paper I was writing at the time, I carried out a small survey in regard to the level of passion in congregations in regard to reaching the community with the gospel. The format was that I asked a number of Senior Ministers to … Continue reading The Dead Hand of Apathy
You Can’t Believe the Bible
The Importance of this Topic This topic is of the highest importance for two reasons. Firstly because the Bible is God's special means of revealing himself and his character to us, without which knowledge of God is limited to the inadequate inferences drawn from the Creation we see around us (general revelation). Secondly, experience shows … Continue reading You Can’t Believe the Bible
Science, the Bible and Faith
There has been much discussion in recent times regarding the concept of intelligent design: i.e. the claim that there are aspects of the universe which are far too complex for them to occur without being deliberately designed. This has generated a hot debate about what should be taught in schools, should children learn just the … Continue reading Science, the Bible and Faith
Prayer and the Dark Power
In his book ‘Mere Christianity’ the former atheist-turned-Christian C.S. Lewis writes: “One of the things that surprised me when I first read the New Testament seriously was that it talked about a Dark Power in the universe—a mighty evil spirit who was held to be the Power behind death, disease and sin...This universe is at … Continue reading Prayer and the Dark Power
“The Love of an Angry God-The Ultimate Paradox
“Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” is the title of a book by the 18th century theologian Jonathan Edwards and deals with the plight of every human who stands before God in their natural state. The topic, that God can be angry, is something that many, including some Christians, find it hard … Continue reading “The Love of an Angry God-The Ultimate Paradox
God Places
It’s dusk, dimming light, calm, no breezing of the trees, oak and ash, an un-rippled surface of the Mayfly skimmed pool. The pool, so many hours spent there, pre and post faith- yes a God place, a place to which I return every few years; a place where I know God that will ‘connect’. There … Continue reading God Places
Mission and ‘Messy Theology’
“To live a creative life we must lose our fear of being wrong” Joseph L Pearce **************************************** I have always had a great interest in science, particularly new discoveries in astronomy and astrophysics, the science of stars, black holes, how the universe works etc. and now in the current debates about quantum … Continue reading Mission and ‘Messy Theology’
The Striding Darkness
“The Sun’s rim dips, the stars rush out, At one stride comes the dark” How much I wonder are these lines from Samuel Coleridge’s poem “The Ancient Mariner” appropriate for our times. How much I wonder are our times similar in many ways to those of Augustine who writing when the Barbarians were at the … Continue reading The Striding Darkness
He Is Risen!!
Went to church this day, day of all days. Moved again by the enormity of what Christ has done for us! Put against that reminded of the tawdriness, shallowness, triviality of our celebrity culture of small things. Driven to thanksgiving for the priceless gift from the God who flung the stars into space, the gift … Continue reading He Is Risen!!
Planning to Fail In An Uberized Netflix World
Summer’s sun beats down, January days slip by, schools’ return looms near and down in the forest of parish-land there is the faint rustling of ministers stirring from their summer slumbers. First musings on sermon series seep into the consciousness, music leaders are planning their selections, Sunday school programs call for attention. A seemingly endless … Continue reading Planning to Fail In An Uberized Netflix World
