Appropriately, I can announce that the second edition of my book is available today, at least on Kindle on Amazon US, UK and other amazon sites around the world.. The paperback and hardback will follow soon and hopefully before Sunday. Here is an extract from the book about Good Friday: As a young child I asked my father a series of questions one evening as he put me to bed. This is the conversation as I remember it: “Why is... Read more
It's 15 years since I authored Raised with Christ. In the book I urged Christians not to neglect the resurrection of Jesus. Today I am eagerly awaiting the publication of the second edition of that book. It should hopefully be available this week, just in time for preachers to use it in their sermon prep. At the end of this page are links to a few free chapters that may be particularly helpful as we all celebrate the most important day of the Christian year. Read more
Does religious faith have a valid role to play in helping people on their cancer journeys? We have two different answers today over on my Blood Cancer Uncensored website: My Religious Sceptic friend Maggie As an ex-convent boarding school child I was brainwashed! 60 years on I realise that the regime was destructive, abusive bullying and cruel. My beliefs at the time was it was abnormal to live away from my parents and that what I experienced was all... Read more
The events of epiphany and what followed are not well understood by many Christians. For sure the wise men did not arrive at the stable to pose with the shepherds as we often assume. The Bible is clear they came months later as we see from Herod’s asking when the star appeared so he could kill the potential rival king of Bethlehem. Many secular scholars question whether or not any of this is truly historical. The new Logos Bible Software... Read more
What a year 2024 has been. I was able to write a lot more than I did in 2023 which I enjoyed. This was also the year I marked a full seven years of my new life dealing with long term sickness and disability. I hope that my overview of what that has been like was helpful to many, and if you missed it that and some of my other articles are linked in this review of the year that has gone. Read more
Death should not be available on prescription. "Help the terminally ill die with dignity at a time of their own choosing" is the cry of those who want to change our law. After all, we have our pets put down if their suffering is great enough. Why would we want to force our family and friends to endure painful and difficult deaths when we could ease their passing at a time of their choosing? But this issue is not as simple as it initially sounds. Churches and our health services alike need to ensure they are offering HOPE to those who are suffering, rather than offering them what previous generations would have rightly called murder. Read more
Almost everyone who lives in the USA today are the descendants of immigrants. Even the native Americans must presumably have traveled over the sea at some point. The angry hostile rhetoric towards migrants on both sides of the Atlantic has no place among Christians. There are many modern US migrants who work hard, doing jobs the average American refuses to do. They pay taxes, and give birth to citizens who clearly have the right to stay in the country. It seems somewhat hypocritical that so many are so completely anti newcomers today. Read more
Trump's communication style has been normalized by the way American Evangelicals wholeheartedly endorse him. This is reinforcing the idea of many outside the Church that Christians are defined by their hate for those who are different from them. How can we come together and find a way for the church to model to the world the LOVE of JESUS rather than only his JUDGEMENT and WRATH as seems to be the case too often at the moment? Rudeness, misogyny, and brashness is seen in every speech Trump makes and this has not been challenged. Trump is being upheld by many Christians as a "strong" leader to be emulated. This bring shame on the church, and is risking a whole generation of Christians believing it is OK to speak like that. Where is the humility and meekness? As a society today we seem to be becoming more angry, less forgiving and less compassionate. Social media behavior and language is really very similar to the insulting and belittling way that Trump often speaks about his opponents. And on social media this language is not unique to the right. People throw insults at each other in a way that denigrates the name of Jesus. Read more
Over 80% of Evangelical Christians in the USA voted for Donald Trump. At the end of this article, I will explore a potential parallel between the church’s enthusiastic embrace of this strong character and the end-time rebellion prophesied by the Apostle Paul. I do understand why some Christians might have wanted to vote against Harris and some of the social policies she stands for. But the character she displayed throughout the contest is more congruent to Christian values than what we see in Trump. Kamala's humble and respectful concession speech was striking in its contrast to how Trump handled defeat four years ago. In a day she has accepted graciously the electorate's rejection of her as the president. Four years on from the last election Trump has still not acknowledged he lost. He threw a tantrum, claimed the vote was rigged, inspired an insurrection, and sulkily refused to come to the Inauguration. And for four years he has propagated the Great Lie that he really won the 2020 election. I am sure we will see Kamala Harris at Trump's inauguration. I am certain that, unlike Trump in 2020, the whole Biden-Harris administration will be fully engaged in the transition period, and will be committed to trying to help the incoming government be as ready as possible to take over. She clearly loves America and for America's sake wants Trump to be a much better president second time round than many of us who opposed him fear that he will be. I am praying that Trump is a much better president than I think he’s going to be. I would love to be proved wrong Read more
Our Christmas cactus is out already, reminding us that Christ came to US to bring us peace. If you feel that the next few weeks till the holiday season looks insurmountable and overwhelming may Christ come to you again TODAY and give you joy. Jesus calls to us today just as he did 2000 years ago: Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:29-30). #ThisistheWay Read more
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In