Nguyen is a Philosopher and game player who explores how the seemingly overlapping scoring systems of games and bureaucracy create such different outcomes. Why do games with rules and scoring systems bring fun and freedom, while metrics used for bureaucracy end up feeling dehumanising and distorting? Since I enjoy games (though not as much as … Continue reading Blogging through “The Score” by C. Thi Nguyen (part 1)
Holy happiness (making sense of life)
We all want to be happy. And not just superficially happy. We want to be deeply happy forever. The Bible word for this sort of happiness is blessing or blessedness. And the Bible suggests that this sort of happiness is part of God’s intention for humanity. In Genesis 1, the first thing God does after … Continue reading Holy happiness (making sense of life)
Antifragility
We don't want things to go wrong or break. That is sensible- when things go wrong it makes life worse. But our desire to stop bad things happening can lead to us unintentionally making the situation worse. So take the toddler, who is always falling off things, running into things, getting bruised. The parent worries … Continue reading Antifragility
My prayers: An inadequate oscillation
Like most Christians I know, I wish my prayers were better. I wish I prayed more and I wish I prayed better. But as I seek to pray more, I find myself struggling between two weaknesses. My prayer life seems to be an inadequate oscillation. On the one hand, there are times when my heart … Continue reading My prayers: An inadequate oscillation
Is Jam making worth it? (Or reflections on life beyond profit and pleasure)
Early in the autumn, Karuna spent a Saturday afternoon making up 12 jars of blackcurrant jam. The blackcurrants had been picked in several batches over the summer from the allotment, and it was a bumper year for soft fruits. There were more than 3kg of them in the freezer, having been frozen on trays then … Continue reading Is Jam making worth it? (Or reflections on life beyond profit and pleasure)
The Cloister, the Forum and the Starship
Many of us feel there is something worryingly wrong with our human society, despite being wealthier than any society in history. Many also worry that AI, coming on the heels of smart phone and social media, may be having significant negative effects on our ability to relate, think and cope. There are many attempts to … Continue reading The Cloister, the Forum and the Starship
The pastoral power of penal substitution- once for all forgiveness
Our series so far has tried to show the biblical evidence that Jesus’s death is substitutionary, Jesus dying in our place so that we don’t have to. https://jotsandscribbles.blog/2025/08/23/is-jesus-death-substitutionary/Then we saw evidence that Jesus’ death is him taking the just penalty for our sin in our place so that we receive the blessing he has earned https://jotsandscribbles.blog/2025/08/24/is-jesus-death-penal/. Thirdly, … Continue reading The pastoral power of penal substitution- once for all forgiveness
The explanatory power of penal substitution- why can’t God just forgive?
Our series so far has tried to show the biblical evidence that Jesus’s death is substitutionary, Jesus dying in our place so that we don’t have to. https://jotsandscribbles.blog/2025/08/23/is-jesus-death-substitutionary/Then we saw evidence that Jesus’ death is him taking the just penalty for our sin in our place so that we receive the blessing he has earned … Continue reading The explanatory power of penal substitution- why can’t God just forgive?
Does Jesus bear God’s anger at the cross?
(This is the third in a series of posts exploring penal substitutionary atonement. The first and second are here: https://jotsandscribbles.blog/2025/08/23/is-jesus-death-substitutionary/ https://jotsandscribbles.blog/2025/08/24/is-jesus-death-penal/) So far I have shown that there is good biblical evidence for the Jesus' death being substitutionary (he dies in our place so that in some sense we don't have to die) and penal … Continue reading Does Jesus bear God’s anger at the cross?
Is Jesus death penal?
(This is the second in a series of posts exploring penal substitutionary atonement. The first, on substitution, is here: https://jotsandscribbles.blog/2025/08/23/is-jesus-death-substitutionary/) In my first post, I argued that Jesus' death can (and must) be understood as in some sense substitutionary, and not merely representative. He died in our place so we don't have to. He is … Continue reading Is Jesus death penal?
Jots and Scribbles 