That was the intriguing and provocative question raised by Mike Ovey in his outstanding address at the recent GAFCON gathering in Nairobi, Kenya*. He argues, most convincingly in my view, that large parts of the western church have distorted what the Bible really says about the grace of God and turned it into what the
Read moreI could have pretended that these thoughts were my own. However, the rest of the staff team will know (if they read this!) that they come from a book we’ve been reading together: Gospel DNA – Apostolic ministry values for today by Richard Coekin. In one chapter, he points out how the Lord Jesus Christ
Read more“Greater love has no-one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends”. Those familiar words, from John 15:3, are fittingly wedded to Remembrance Sunday. After all, on this day we remember many who did indeed lay down their lives on the battlefield, at sea and in the air; they lay down their
Read more“Is the word of God the word of God?” That was the striking question put by Dr Peter Jensen, General Secretary of the Global Fellowship of Confessing Anglicans, at the start of the second Global Anglican Future Conference recently held in Nairobi. (Sorry about all the long names – I want to be accurate!). That
Read moreWhat would you think of sitting next to a young girl wearing a hijab (and so presumably a Muslim)? Living in multicultural Birmingham as we do, most of us would think nothing of it. Now suppose you were both sitting in King’s College Chapel, Cambridge waiting for choral evensong to begin! That’s what happened to
Read moreThere’s a wonderful story told about Martin Luther (if I recall it correctly). It’s said that one morning he was looking particularly miserable and downcast. So much so, that his wife Katy said to him, “Martin, what’s the matter? Is God dead?” What a godly woman! And what a brilliant piece of pastoral counselling! Just
Read moreFrom 1 September, Girl Guides and their leaders have been required to pledge themselves to a new promise. The old promise was: “I promise that I will do my best to love my God, to serve the Queen and my country, to help other people and to keep the Brownie/Guide Law. The new one is
Read moreHere is my third and, for the time being, final attempt to re-phrase one of Paul’s prayer-reports as a prayer we can pray ourselves. I would love to know what you think, and especially what it feels like to use these as your own prayers. I hope you’ll give them a go! This one is
Read moreI confess that I’m nervous about re-phrasing Paul’s prayer-reports as prayers that we might take to our own lips. I fear that, in doing so, I may be distorting Scripture. However, I think it is worth trying. For one thing, Paul isn’t giving set prayers to be repeated word for word. For another, surely he
Read moreLast Sunday, we were studying Paul’s wonderful prayer-report in Ephesians 3:14-21, and I suggested that we try praying it every day this week. It then occurred to me that it might be helpful to re-write it as a prayer – which might make it easier actually to pray!… Our great Father, You are Father indeed:
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