In the church of my youth, the Biblical principle of male headship was widely accepted. The Bible verses around it are quite clear, albeit written within a cultural context that is difficult for a modern reader to understand. 1 Corinthians 11: 3 But I want you to realise that the head of every man is Christ, and the head of the woman is man, and the head of Christ is God. As a married man, I find... Read more
In a recent article, I argued for full inclusion of the LGBTQ+ community in the Church – not half-inclusion, when we provide a welcome of sorts while banning members of that community from leadership roles and quietly believing there’s something fundamentally wrong with who they are, but full inclusion, along with a sincere apology for all the pain the Church has inflicted. The purpose of today’s follow-up piece is to examine the disastrous and painful consequences of continuing to... Read more
I recently posted an article on full, unconditional inclusion of the LGBTQ+ community in the Church, and was greatly perplexed by the responses. From my point of view, the discussion went like this: Me (by means of the article): ‘Inerrancy is forcing you to exclude the LGBTQ+ community, but it’s a false doctrine.’ Responses: ‘But the Bible says…’ In the politest possible way, I suggest this is missing the point. ‘The Bible says’ is not an... Read more
I recently heard a disabled preacher state that his disability was God’s will. As a disabled person myself, I can understand the temptation to think this way – there’s a perceived comfort in believing one’s particular limitations have a divine purpose, but for me, this is lazy and harmful thinking. If we pause even for a moment to consider the implications of this idea, it is cruelty made manifest. This particular chap might find comfort in the idea that... Read more
Digging into the doctrine of inerrancy has been an eye-opener over the past couple of months. I’ll recap two thoughts from recent articles as a foundation for this article’s main thrust: We cannot read the Gospels honestly without accepting that Jesus broke, reinterpreted, and overrode the Law as part of his teaching and ministry. I have to conclude then that though Jesus loved the scriptures, meditated on them, memorised them, and quoted them, he did not see Old Testament... Read more
This article has been written for a specific audience – Christians who want to find a way to include the LGBTQ+ community in their church but who feel boxed in by scripture. A friend from a small group I was part of for several years used to say: ‘When I get to Heaven I want to ask what’s wrong with being gay. I accept what the Bible says, but I just don’t see the problem.’ This is where... Read more
At the heart of the dialogue between Progressive Christians and Evangelicals is a question about how we ought to interpret scripture. That question breaks down into several others – what are scriptures in the first place? Does the Bible teach that those works identified as scripture are inerrant (without error)? Why are there different versions of the Canon? I’m going to keep it simple – if Jesus is our perfect example, we should treat the scriptures as he did. ... Read more
One of the unique beliefs of the Christian faith is that God chooses to serve his creation. The idea that Almighty God would give himself as a sacrifice for lesser beings can often be offensive to people of other faiths – how could God be great if he serves? And yet he does. When Jesus washed his disciples’ filthy, faeces encrusted feet, Simon Peter was similarly confused, even horrified, but Jesus made it clear that if Simon didn’t allow Jesus... Read more
Everything, Everywhere, All At Once is a wild ride. I couldn’t figure out what I was watching half the time – was it a comedy, a family drama, a sci-fi adventure, a spiritual fable? By the end I found it was all of these and much more. The film asks questions that are often left unaddressed by formal religious institutions, but which certainly fall under the umbrella of existentialism and thereby spirituality. As a Christian, I found its core question... Read more
One of Jesus’ most treasured ambitions was to see true oneness among believers. John 17:21 I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. To be clear, this is a record of Jesus praying for you and I. He wants us to go way beyond unity of purpose and become one as he is one... Read more
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