Like many Christians and indeed others across the nation, I was saddened to hear the news that the UK parliament voted in favour of legalising assisted suicide.
As Christians, we are not opposed to the withdrawal of life-extending care, but we are against the active murder of anyone. Fundamentally, we believe that every life is sacred and unconditionally valuable - human dignity is not something we assign to ourselves and can then take it away when faced with illness, poverty, or disability.
When my youth leader invited me on a trip to Taizé, I had never heard of the place. But, it was France. It would be my first time abroad, and I was excited, thinking I would see the Eiffel Tower.
The one dampener was that we were going by coach and ferry (for £35, an amazing price even then!), but the unfortunate Zeebrugge ferry disaster had taken place months earlier, causing ferry travel to experience heightened public scrutiny. But I and other young people went with the youth leader, other church leaders from the area, and some of their young people.
In the four years of writing for Evangelicals Now, the published responses to my articles have been few and far between. The responses sent by post to me (c/o Beacon Church Camberley) have been even rarer.
Actor Ralph Fiennes has apparently said recently that he attributed Trump’s win in the United States presidential election to having a better story.
It seems he thinks that Make America Great Again (MAGA) was able to capture people’s spirit and imaginations in a way that liberal progressivism wasn’t.
Life as 'foreigners and exiles' may involve oppression from our surrounding culture — it may also involve temptation, as our hearts are drawn to the treasures of this passing age.
In some contexts it can be easy to rail against the moral collapse in our nation rather than the love of mammon that ensnares the hearts of many Christians in good, Bible-believing churches.
I had been meaning to go to the Natural History Museum since my baby was born. I had visions of wafting around a floor before a quick feed on a bench and popping home to conjure a healthy nutritious meal for my family. For those with - or memories of - newborns… laugh, my friends. Laugh heartily.
Anyway, a friend gave me a ticket to a baby sensory class in the marine animals room at the museum and it was the excuse I needed for a scramble over to South Kensington. When we finished up, we were encouraged to explore the rest of the establishment at leisure and, after dragging myself past a piece of pumpkin and butterscotch cake that had its eye on me, I followed my nose and ended up in - a collection of meteorites.
In 1453, Constantinople, the capital of the Byzantine Empire, fell to the Ottoman Turks. This was a disaster for the Greeks but it became a blessing for Western Europe. It was inevitable that those who had the means, that is, the educated elite, sought refuge in the West and they took with them valuable manuscripts.
The spark that ignited the Reformation
For the first time there was significant interaction between Western scholars educated in Latin and Eastern scholars educated in Greek. Direct access to classical Greek works and the Greek New Testament was now possible. There was a keen interest in classical literature, art, drama and philosophy.
When my daughter Ruby was small, she was permanently attached to a small toy dinosaur that we christened Derek. Derek was born in Ikea, but with Ruby he travelled the globe.
He went with her to the toilet. He went with her to Sainsbury’s. And he went with her to visit Granny and Grandad in Belfast. We all loved Derek, but Ruby’s love for him bordered on obsession. This was fine when we had him with us - it was not fine when we realised we’d left him behind.
Here’s some good news: this month, for one month only, conversation about the incarnation of Jesus is socially acceptable with pretty much anyone!
Of course it’s not quite that simple, but it’s a huge opportunity that throughout December it’s normal to talk about Christmas. Let me offer two questions and one story that might help those conversations go a little deeper.
There are as many kinds of Jews as there are people. Some are religious and some are not, but like all other people Jews will bring assumptions to the reading of Scripture, to the concept of God and to the claims of Yeshua, Jesus.
For a Jewish person, religious or not, these assumptions are likely influenced, directly or indirectly, by the Tanakh, the Jewish Hebrew Bible. These are also the assumptions that Jesus Himself, along with His followers, held.
Advent is finally upon us. In just a few weeks we will celebrate Christmas, with all the fun and feasting that entails.
But before any of us get too enthusiastic about menu-planning for the big day or the hospitality we hope to extend following carols or crib services, former Prime Minister Boris Johnson would apparently like us all to know that the church is to blame for the obesity crisis.
I’ve been listening to Jimmy Anderson’s autobiography. Anyone familiar with England’s greatest fast bowler might question how engaging his story could be: he’s not known for being the cheeriest or most revealing in interviews.
This book, though, offers a surprising insight into Jimmy as a young boy, before he became the wicket-taking titan we know today. Early in the book he powerfully describes how lonely and isolated he felt as a bullied teenager. As someone who was bullied growing up I could relate to the pain and dissonance he felt, wondering where he belonged, struggling to fit in.
I don’t know when we reached peak Advent calendar. Maybe it was 2021, in a fit of post-Covid desperation.
Whenever it was, it doesn’t seem to show any signs of abating. They are, as one newspaper round-up put it, ‘as much a staple in the run-up to Christmas as drinking too much and listening to Last Christmas for the 1,237th time.’ A cursory look at the John Lewis website reveals a wealth of options – you can, among other things, spend £160 on a ‘Dazzle and Glow’ beauty Advent calendar, or £25 on one with a month’s worth of pork scratchings. Take your pick.
Today has been the busiest Friday in the House of Commons for years.
Usually MPs are in our constituencies, focusing on local issues. But today, the Commons chamber was packed. Over 160 MPs sought to express their views on a bill to introduce assisted dying for adults with a terminal illness and less than six months to live.
The news is bad. Nearly always, our news sources contain grim stories, depressing trajectories and disheartening testimonies.
Christian news is sometimes little better. I’m glad for a newspaper, en, that strikes a balance between a realistic view of a sin-infested world and an optimistic view of Spirit-infected people. But it would be easy to see the former and not the latter.
There’s a beautifully written, perfectly acted scene in an old TV show: two characters, husband and wife, have been in a heated argument. As they’re beginning to see one another’s point of view, and the heat is about to seep out of the argument, one admits that they were in the wrong.
Just as they add, ‘however’ - about to defend their corner - the other jumps in immediately: 'No. No "however". Just be wrong. Just stand there in your wrongness and be wrong and get used to it!'
What needs to change in evangelical culture after the publication of the Makin Report? The harrowing details of its contents have been covered in some detail on the en website.
That such things should happen among those professing the soundest of doctrine is repugnant, vile and wicked. Many leaders knew – and yet Smyth was able to continue abusing for decades.
'The slaughter of so many millions of unborn children in the West in the last few decades is one of the great blind spots of our decaying culture,' (enEditorial, September).
Comment
Two lessons from the assisted suicide debate
Like many Christians and indeed others across the nation, I was saddened to hear the news that the UK parliament voted in favour of legalising assisted suicide.
As Christians, we are not opposed to the withdrawal of life-extending care, but we are against the active murder of anyone. Fundamentally, we believe that every life is sacred and unconditionally valuable - human dignity is not something we assign to ourselves and can then take it away when faced with illness, poverty, or disability.
Where are our missional youth leaders?
When my youth leader invited me on a trip to Taizé, I had never heard of the place. But, it was France. It would be my first time abroad, and I was excited, thinking I would see the Eiffel Tower.
The one dampener was that we were going by coach and ferry (for £35, an amazing price even then!), but the unfortunate Zeebrugge ferry disaster had taken place months earlier, causing ferry travel to experience heightened public scrutiny. But I and other young people went with the youth leader, other church leaders from the area, and some of their young people.
Why reputation is prioritised over protecting victims
In the four years of writing for Evangelicals Now, the published responses to my articles have been few and far between. The responses sent by post to me (c/o Beacon Church Camberley) have been even rarer.
That’s why the letter I received in response to my last article (How do Christian legal principles help us navigate scandals?) caught my attention.
The death of the liberal story
Actor Ralph Fiennes has apparently said recently that he attributed Trump’s win in the United States presidential election to having a better story.
It seems he thinks that Make America Great Again (MAGA) was able to capture people’s spirit and imaginations in a way that liberal progressivism wasn’t.
What treasures are you really chasing?
Life as 'foreigners and exiles' may involve oppression from our surrounding culture — it may also involve temptation, as our hearts are drawn to the treasures of this passing age.
In some contexts it can be easy to rail against the moral collapse in our nation rather than the love of mammon that ensnares the hearts of many Christians in good, Bible-believing churches.
Discovering the generous imagination of God
I had been meaning to go to the Natural History Museum since my baby was born. I had visions of wafting around a floor before a quick feed on a bench and popping home to conjure a healthy nutritious meal for my family. For those with - or memories of - newborns… laugh, my friends. Laugh heartily.
Anyway, a friend gave me a ticket to a baby sensory class in the marine animals room at the museum and it was the excuse I needed for a scramble over to South Kensington. When we finished up, we were encouraged to explore the rest of the establishment at leisure and, after dragging myself past a piece of pumpkin and butterscotch cake that had its eye on me, I followed my nose and ended up in - a collection of meteorites.
Are seminaries failing in the teaching of New Testament Greek?
In 1453, Constantinople, the capital of the Byzantine Empire, fell to the Ottoman Turks. This was a disaster for the Greeks but it became a blessing for Western Europe. It was inevitable that those who had the means, that is, the educated elite, sought refuge in the West and they took with them valuable manuscripts.
The spark that ignited the Reformation
For the first time there was significant interaction between Western scholars educated in Latin and Eastern scholars educated in Greek. Direct access to classical Greek works and the Greek New Testament was now possible. There was a keen interest in classical literature, art, drama and philosophy.
'That’s not my God'
When my daughter Ruby was small, she was permanently attached to a small toy dinosaur that we christened Derek. Derek was born in Ikea, but with Ruby he travelled the globe.
He went with her to the toilet. He went with her to Sainsbury’s. And he went with her to visit Granny and Grandad in Belfast. We all loved Derek, but Ruby’s love for him bordered on obsession. This was fine when we had him with us - it was not fine when we realised we’d left him behind.
How to get to the heart of Christmas in conversation
Here’s some good news: this month, for one month only, conversation about the incarnation of Jesus is socially acceptable with pretty much anyone!
Of course it’s not quite that simple, but it’s a huge opportunity that throughout December it’s normal to talk about Christmas. Let me offer two questions and one story that might help those conversations go a little deeper.
Do we need to become conversant in Judaism?
There are as many kinds of Jews as there are people. Some are religious and some are not, but like all other people Jews will bring assumptions to the reading of Scripture, to the concept of God and to the claims of Yeshua, Jesus.
For a Jewish person, religious or not, these assumptions are likely influenced, directly or indirectly, by the Tanakh, the Jewish Hebrew Bible. These are also the assumptions that Jesus Himself, along with His followers, held.
Boris Johnson blames the Church for UK obesity - is he wrong?
Advent is finally upon us. In just a few weeks we will celebrate Christmas, with all the fun and feasting that entails.
But before any of us get too enthusiastic about menu-planning for the big day or the hospitality we hope to extend following carols or crib services, former Prime Minister Boris Johnson would apparently like us all to know that the church is to blame for the obesity crisis.
The role of friendship: lessons from Jimmy Anderson and C. S. Lewis
I’ve been listening to Jimmy Anderson’s autobiography. Anyone familiar with England’s greatest fast bowler might question how engaging his story could be: he’s not known for being the cheeriest or most revealing in interviews.
This book, though, offers a surprising insight into Jimmy as a young boy, before he became the wicket-taking titan we know today. Early in the book he powerfully describes how lonely and isolated he felt as a bullied teenager. As someone who was bullied growing up I could relate to the pain and dissonance he felt, wondering where he belonged, struggling to fit in.
When their teaching is healthy, but their behaviour isn't
What does it mean to 'contend for the faith once for all delivered to the saints' (Jude 3)?
Here is a clear call to disagree, to argue, to oppose, to speak against, to condemn – but is this only a matter of doctrine?
How can Advent calendars boost your Bible reading habits?
I don’t know when we reached peak Advent calendar. Maybe it was 2021, in a fit of post-Covid desperation.
Whenever it was, it doesn’t seem to show any signs of abating. They are, as one newspaper round-up put it, ‘as much a staple in the run-up to Christmas as drinking too much and listening to Last Christmas for the 1,237th time.’ A cursory look at the John Lewis website reveals a wealth of options – you can, among other things, spend £160 on a ‘Dazzle and Glow’ beauty Advent calendar, or £25 on one with a month’s worth of pork scratchings. Take your pick.
Tim Farron: 'We should not walk away' from assisted dying debate
Today has been the busiest Friday in the House of Commons for years.
Usually MPs are in our constituencies, focusing on local issues. But today, the Commons chamber was packed. Over 160 MPs sought to express their views on a bill to introduce assisted dying for adults with a terminal illness and less than six months to live.
Disability History Month: The dark and hidden past of disability
It’s Disability History Month. This has happened every year from 16th November to 16th December since 2010.
Has your church ever done events around this, in the same way many do events around Black History Month?
Amid all the bad news, can you see good news too?
The news is bad. Nearly always, our news sources contain grim stories, depressing trajectories and disheartening testimonies.
Christian news is sometimes little better. I’m glad for a newspaper, en, that strikes a balance between a realistic view of a sin-infested world and an optimistic view of Spirit-infected people. But it would be easy to see the former and not the latter.
How good are you at being wrong?
There’s a beautifully written, perfectly acted scene in an old TV show: two characters, husband and wife, have been in a heated argument. As they’re beginning to see one another’s point of view, and the heat is about to seep out of the argument, one admits that they were in the wrong.
Just as they add, ‘however’ - about to defend their corner - the other jumps in immediately: 'No. No "however". Just be wrong. Just stand there in your wrongness and be wrong and get used to it!'
Lament and repentance
What needs to change in evangelical culture after the publication of the Makin Report? The harrowing details of its contents have been covered in some detail on the en website.
That such things should happen among those professing the soundest of doctrine is repugnant, vile and wicked. Many leaders knew – and yet Smyth was able to continue abusing for decades.
Abortion – what about the hard cases?
'The slaughter of so many millions of unborn children in the West in the last few decades is one of the great blind spots of our decaying culture,' (en Editorial, September).
Indeed it is – and in the East.