I was asked this week what issues in the American Elections concern my constituency of readers, many of whom are American. I think a number will agree with an issue that is not often expressed. For me, as a British observer, one big concern I have is for the unity of your great nation. It seems that with every passing election cycle the divisions grow deeper. Some Republicans dismiss Obama as out to destroy what makes America great, while some... Read more
In this post, I offer a meaning of Evangelical, but this must be read in conjunction with my post “What is a Christian?” I do not claim in this post to be outlining the boundary markers of Christianity. Evangelicalism is a part of the broader Christian movement. I also do not claim any special authority to lay out these principles which are not new to me. It is true that Evangelicalism can be hard to define. But this is I... Read more
I believe it is very important that we broaden our definition of Christian, but at the same time narrow our definition of Evangelical. UPDATE: See also this post “How to become a Christian“ Very often people confuse the two these days. The Evangelical movement has always been a movement within the wider Christian movement. Often it has been accused of believing that only other Evangelicals are really Christians. It is no wonder then, that some today do not like it... Read more
I am thrilled that John Piper has announced the line up for his 2013 conference Still Not Professionals, and my pastor Tope Koleoso will be one of the main speakers. I plan to accompany Tope, so I hope to look forward to meeting many of you there. Read more
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... Read more
The Friendly Atheist in a post entitled New Police Chief Thinks Prayer Will Lower Crime Rates said, “Or you could just, you know, skip the whole prayer step and start taking action right away. I’m no cop but I’m pretty sure Phase One of making any city safer isn’t “Waste a lot of time doing nothing.” Here is what I said in the comments: Prayer helps you care. Prayer inspires you to act. Prayer strengthens your resolve. Prayer reminds you how fortunate you... Read more
“Only the Christian faith believes the myth that human beings are special, we are not just objects” claimed Michael Ramsden today in the online stream of the Global:Church forum. Ramsden travels widely, and has heard leaders from other parts of the world query if it is time to simply drop the whole concept of “human rights.” There are two reasons some are making this suggestion. Firstly, especially to those of no faith, people are not inherently special, and we are increasingly urged... Read more
Be careful what you wish for. Many American Evangelicals are no doubt approaching the forthcoming elections with a sense of apprehension. And well they should, but for different reasons than perhaps they realise. I appreciate that I comment as an outsider on goings on in the USA at what I perceive as a time of national madness that comes round every four years (although with midterms, perhaps it never stops!). But, I think that very separation helps me to see... Read more
This post is a slightly long-winded way of explaining why I am taking my blog to Patheos.com. We live in interesting days. As Christians, both offline and online we find it very easy to huddle together in groups that think the same way as us. There is clearly an important place for that. We gather as churches and in virtual communities online and as a result our faith is strengthened by our fellowship with brothers and sisters. All to often... Read more
I did briefly consider writing a whole series about the gender issue following on from my debate with Rachel Held Evans and Owen Strachan, as well as two other recent posts here on my blog: Gender Roles – A Complementarian and Egalitarian Spectrum Bible verses that speak to gender roles or complementarian vs egalitarian spectrum – what do Scripture Passages say? I had wondered about dealing in detail with the arguments of Rachel Held Evans in her series entitled Mutuality... Read more
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