We don’t realise how rich we are! I tend to be quite careful about expressing political views online or in public. As a church pastor, my job is to help people unite around Jesus. There are a few obvious issues (matters of life and death, honesty in public life, freedom of religion and speech) which … Continue reading What is wrong with us as a country?
Tag: jesus
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”?
New opportunities and dangers for the church
Over the last few years, there have been some cultural shifts that have been encouraging for Christians. There have been a number of high profile intellectuals or public figures who have moved from atheism to some form of Christian faith, including Paul Kingsnorth and Ayyan Ali. The individual shifts reflect something of a cultural shift. … Continue reading New opportunities and dangers for the church
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
Discipleship: weird cultishness or inevitable reality
One feature of Christianity, and especially evangelical Christianity, that strikes some outsiders as odd is the emphasis on discipleship. The idea that one would be shaped by a community in a set of beliefs and practices and ways of approaching life can seem deeply sinister. Isn’t this what cults do? But we think this way … Continue reading Discipleship: weird cultishness or inevitable reality
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
Jots and Scribbles 