Faith. Rebuilt
April 27th, 2017
The church in first world countries, as a whole, is losing ground, neither making converts nor making an impact. There are many ideas, many books, talks and blog posts, outlining the problems and the way forward, as someone sees it. But I recently came across a brief overview that I think provides a better understanding […]
April 16th, 2017
Truth and love are both basic virtues for christians. The Bible tells us God is love, and Jesus is the truth (1 John 4:8, John 14:6). But sometimes truth and love seem to get in each other’s way. Or maybe it is what we think is the truth and what we think is loving. But […]
April 8th, 2017
I wrote last week of the grief I and many others had felt at the death of champion cyclist Mike Hall and the termination of the inaugural India Pacific Wheel Race. In the week that has followed, I have been enormously impressed by the dignity, sensitivity and camaraderie of the cycling fraternity. I think we […]
April 1st, 2017
Mike Hall, 1981-2017 Death is ugly, especially when it is someone you love, or someone who died too young, or when it all seems so random and senseless. I never met Mike Hall, and two weeks ago I didn’t even know his name or who he was. But he died yesterday, and I am grieving, […]
March 31st, 2017
I don’t know about you, but when I read the Old Testament accounts of Joshua and the Israelites invading Canaan, I don’t have any picture of the geography or where the cities were located. The matter is complicated by the fact that many people feel a lot is at stake. Believers generally want to find […]
March 16th, 2017
I’m sure you will have read, and heard it said, that archaeology confirms the accuracy of the Bible. But you may also have heard from sceptics that the Bible isn’t historically accurate. So which is true? This is a complex matter with a wide variety of conclusions among the experts. I have tried to investigate […]
March 4th, 2017
Guest post by Shane Claiborne (taken from his Facebook page – see note below) Last month, I was arrested, along with 17 other people, as we held a banner on the steps of the Supreme Court that said: “STOP EXECUTIONS.” We were not blocking doors or disturbing the peace. We were not unruly or disruptive. […]
February 23rd, 2017
For years, more progressive or liberal christians have been saying the churches need to change to meet the challenges of modern (or postmodern) society. More conservative christians have argued that we should remain faithful to traditional understandings and practices. Both sides can tend to welcome studies and surveys that show their approach is working better. […]
February 16th, 2017
Last year was the hottest year globally since records began more than a century ago. For the third year in a row, the annual temperature records were exceeded. Yet so many people are sceptical and opposed to action on climate change. They seem to fear how climate change action may affect them, by costing them […]
February 5th, 2017
Some books on Jesus and the New Testament are clearly apologetic in nature, seeking to argue or defend a certain viewpoint, whether it be sceptical or believing. Other books clearly aim at being academic, impartial, seeking to advance academic opinion. This book, which is almost a decade old, is kind of both. I have only […]
A list of all blog posts, in reverse chronological order, is on the Blog archive page.