How Frozen illustrates different approaches to sin

The Disney film Frozen was huge hit back in 2013. So this hardly cutting edge cultural analysis! Elsa is not exactly the heroine, but the whole story focuses on her magical powers to make ice and snow (and clothes and living snowmen!). This power causes harm to those around her at various points in the … Continue reading How Frozen illustrates different approaches to sin →

Feeling doubts yet strong in faith

(This blog post is an exploration of an issue- I'd welcome feedback, and may end up changing my mind later on.) Different pastors have different personalities. That comes across in preaching style and in pastoral care. It is helpful for there to be a range of personalities and styles, as each may be particularly helpful … Continue reading Feeling doubts yet strong in faith →

Should leaders be “vulnerable”?

Leaders in many organisations, including churches, carry a wide range of responsibilities. And these often start to feel like burdens or pressures. I think this is common across institutions and fields. There are pressures. Leadership creates a challenge in how to express that. And Christian leadership, with Jesus’ call to integrity and truthfulness, faces this … Continue reading Should leaders be “vulnerable”? →

Demons and spiritual forces

Some people are fascinated by the idea of spiritual forces at work, and others find the idea outlandish and weird. No doubt some people are too fascinated by the spiritual forces at work, or too quick to blame things on demons that are really human sinful choices. But people who grew up in Western culture … Continue reading Demons and spiritual forces →

Why McGilchrist is wrong on the reformation

(The outline of McGilchrist’s thesis is here: https://jotsandscribbles.blog/2023/11/07/introduction-to-the-master-and-his-emissary/) For McGilchrist, the reformation is the first step towards unbalanced left hemisphere dominance, a step towards the enlightenment. It’s easy to see why he should think this. The focus on the word of God above the visual arts in church looks like a loss of right hemisphere insights. … Continue reading Why McGilchrist is wrong on the reformation →

You are not your own by Alan Noble

Belonging to God in an inhuman world I found this book helpful in articulating why our “choose your own way” modern world feels so crushing, unreal and inhuman. It starts with something most people agree on- the modern world is hard. There is a sense of alienation and inhumanity, which means despite our wealth we … Continue reading You are not your own by Alan Noble →

Direct simplicity and intriguing depths

Pete William's new book, "The Surprising Genius of Jesus" (https://uk.10ofthose.com/product/9781433588365/the-surprising-genius-of-jesus) focuses on one chapter of Luke. He shows that Jesus is able to tells stories that are directly addressing the crowds, understood simply as a direct answer to the challenge of the Pharisees. But he also shows that Jesus is working into his stories layers … Continue reading Direct simplicity and intriguing depths →