As a final post for 2022 (Happy New Year btw), when Christianity seems on the ropes, and the Church seems up a certain creek, and the paddle is nowhere to be seen, it seems that appearances can be deceptive. Glen Scrivener has written a marvellous little book called 'The Air We Breathe' published by The... Continue Reading →
The battle for inner courage and then for action was on display in the life of Moses. Given his instructions from I AM at the Burning Bush in Exodus 3, he set out to return to the Egyptian royal court and make his one simple, four word request: "Let my people go!" This is the... Continue Reading →
Two farmers were leaning against a fence staring intensely at the horizon of a field where you could just make out the sheep, and there seemed to be a problem, but they couldn't quite see it, so one famer said to the other, "I'm going to go over there and 'ave a proper ganda!" A... Continue Reading →
A few years ago when I visited Cambodia with a team from church, I read Mike Higton's excellent but demanding little book called 'Difficult Gospel - the theology of Rowan Williams'. It really is full of profound insights and commentary and hightly recommended. I re-read a bit of it today (pg. 17-18) and share it... Continue Reading →
To my mind there is no way to conceive of God in a Christian sense without conceiving of ourselves as servants. ‘Even the Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.’ Since Kant, ‘individuals’ want ‘autonomy’, self-lordship. Since Nietzsche, we want... Continue Reading →
And then, as we were serving tea and scones in the dining room, my brother David, in a heavenly voice, said without recourse to any current or prior conversation: "I think that the problem with nudity, the reason it seems offensive, is not so much the sight of genitals (which are hardly what you'd call... Continue Reading →
One day, Jesus comes back. He wanders through the streets and squares of a southern town, where just the day before 100 so-caleld heretics had been burnt at the stake. The story-teller narrates, 'He appeared quietly, unostentatiously, and yet - strange, this - everyone recognizes him. Saying nothing, he passes among them with a smile... Continue Reading →
Over the years I have mentored and counselled many young men and older-to-middle-aged men on the addictions they have regarding internet pornography. I am convinced this has to be at the centre of all discipleship discussions and in no way shirked by ministers and anyone in leadership responsibility. In every case I have assumed it is... Continue Reading →
Idolatry is alive and well in the world today. We can too easily scoff at our alleged 21st century sophistication when we consider the claims of idolatry in the Bible, but idolatry is around us everywhere and in us all the time. I recently described idolatry as anything that de-centres God from the place only... Continue Reading →
We should think rightly about the way we relate to our material possessions. We are stewards, looking after things in trust, enjoying but not owning. Obviously this is easier in theory than practice. But it is a good thing to remind ourselves that all these good things actually belong to God and not to me.... Continue Reading →
Gralefrit Theology 