I am sure at least some of you have worried that me moving to Patheos is a sign that I have become ecumenical or worse still a liberal. Evangelicals have always had a somewhat tortured relationship with ecumenicism and what is usually done under the name of "interfaith dialogue." The reason for this is really quite simple: we care profoundly about our integrity, and our truth claims. In other words, we do not want to engage with others in a way that suggests all views are equally valid, and … [Read more...]
The Christian Persecution Complex?
October 17, 2012 By 3 Comments
Over on Twitter I had a very interesting discussion yesterday with another blogger who has just moved over to Patheos. No doubt Jame's original question was probably prompted from a tweet that came from my introductory post here on Patheos. His blog is coming from a very different perspective to mine and is called Future Temple. Here is what we said, oldest posts at the bottom, and as is often the case in these discussions some of our replies to each other get a bit jumbled, but I think you … [Read more...]
One-Third Of Adults Under 30 Have No Religious Affiliation
October 9, 2012 By
Today I read the following article, which underlines the idea that demographically, it seems the USA is catching up the UK. Perhaps, however, as more and more people conclude it is no longer "cool" to attend Church, what we are already seeing on both sides of the Atlantic is that those who choose to stay are taking their faith commitment more seriously. The church will of course survive this downturn as it has every other before. "The number of Americans who do not identify with any religion … [Read more...]
Why loving Muslims need not lead you to compromise your Evangelical faith
October 5, 2012 By 4 Comments
It is of great encouragement to me that an idea that is both in many ways rather unremarkable, and yet sadly seems quite revolutionary, is gaining traction in many different places. This is simply the plan that we should befriend, serve, listen to, and generally too good to people from other faiths and none, whilst all the time making clear we still believe what we do. In a way it is simply a restating of old principles like "freedom of religion" and "free speech." I suppose the slightly … [Read more...]
Did God have sex with Mary?
May 28, 2012 By 2 Comments
It wasn't the question my Turkish taxi driver had asked me just yesterday, but I knew it was what he meant. If I had just reflexly answered his actual question, "So do you believe that Jesus is Gods Son?" a blasphemous image would fill his mind, and our conversation would probably shudder to a halt. What then did I say instead? "Well, that all depends on what you mean by "son of God." if you mean "did God have sex?" of course not! But Muslims actually agree with a lot of what we believe about … [Read more...]
Boris Johnson and a multicultural church
August 10, 2011 By 1 Comment
This is a fabulous picture of Boris Johnson in Enfield earlier. One of our church members met him, and gave him the Jubilee Church card that he is holding in his hand. If he (or anyone else for that matter!) wants to see what a big crowd of 40 nationalities gathering together in harmony looks like they are welcome to visit Jubilee Church at Enfield Cineworld this or any Sunday at 10am! … [Read more...]
What Kind of House? Apostles, their delegates, multiculturalism, prayer, worship, & mission
June 21, 2011 By Leave a Comment
This is the second part of a set of notes on Terry Virgo's first session at 300 Leaders. I have previously shared the video and downloads for the whole talk. 3. There was Barnabus. He had been sent. The Apostles were staying in Jerusalem. People have written about whether that was right or wrong. But they heard about another church coming to birth. Barnabas was sent as an apostolic delegate. He was known by the Apostles, and he represented them. It was rather like Timothy later on. … [Read more...]
15 principles to live by as a Christian in an increasingly hostile world
March 10, 2011 By 1 Comment
Last Friday, I posted about a recent court case that really centered on the perceived conflict between modern society’s requirements and the beliefs of two private individuals. Today, I want to move away from the specifics of that case and outline some general principles that should help us as people of faith to consider similar issues. We must beware of generalizing. It is easy and intellectually lazy to assume that all Christians, or all evangelicals, or even all Muslims think in a … [Read more...]
A new Warnie award for Bob Roberts
February 6, 2011 By Leave a Comment
I am sometimes just a little embarrassed these days about the so-called "Warnie Awards." They are something of a reminder of the good old days of Christian blogging, when almost all of us knew each other, especially the ones that were not political bloggers. Sometimes back then the online blogging community felt more connected. There were certainly a lot more links and interactions with each others posts flying around. It was of course much smaller, and basically much friendlier. With my … [Read more...]
Multiculturalism – Can we build churches that display God’s multicolored glory?
January 21, 2011 By Leave a Comment
The above video comes from the recent 300 leaders Conference. It is on a subject close to my heart: diversity. Many argue that churches will only grow if they focus on attracting one demographic of person. We at Jubilee have given our lives to trying, by God's grace, to prove that statement wrong. It hasn't all been easy, and this video shares some of the lessons we have learned over the years. … [Read more...]
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