I’m not ok today. My particular brand of neurospicyness means that I occasionally go through periods of depression. Sometimes these last for a day, sometimes for a few weeks. Sometimes it’s just a general feeling of melancholy and anxiety; other times it feels like a big pit of icy darkness waiting to swallow everything good…
We make a mistake when we think of discipleship as something which develops in a straight line from A to B. Instead, when working with survivors of, or people experiencing, trauma, we need to recognise the fragmental nature of human reality and so also avoid faith-tropes such as holism, wholeness, and flourishing. We need to…
The short answer: probably not. The longer answer… Christianity and Money Don’t Go Together Christianity has had a complicated relationship with money and wealth throughout its existence. In its early period, Christians were almost universally poor, oppressed, and at risk of their lives. They were frequently enslaved people, from ethnic minorities, and women. The Bible…
My almost-five year old (who currently thinks she is 15) has got to the stage of saying that things are “unfair” if she doesn’t like them. “No, you can’t have any chocolate tonight. Treats are for the weekend.” “But that’s not fair!” “Can you tidy your toys away please?” “That’s not fair!” You get the…
The eleventh doctrine of The Salvation Army includes a belief that the wicked will receive eternal punishment in hell. Is it possible to hold to this doctrine while also believing that all people will be saved? I think so. I happily and confidently affirm the Army’s doctrines. But I also believe that in the end…
It is only the Crucified God who can save us. Every other divinity is just a projection of our own insecurity. We have often got our understanding of God wrong. All too often, we begin with an idea of who or what God is. God is all powerful, God is all knowing, God can do…
The sin of hypocrisy is the sin which is often most besetting for Christian communities. It is also the sin which Jesus spent most of his time calling out. This was particularly true during Holy Week. Yesterday, on Holy Monday, we saw Jesus flipping over the tables in the Temple to signal the start of…
Flipping Tables is always a valid answer to what would Jesus do. As Dietrich Bonhoeffer said, following Jesus does not just mean binding the wounds of those who have suffered from injustice. Sometimes it means putting a spoke into the wheel that is grinding them down. After making his entry into Jerusalem, Jesus went to…
On Palm Sunday we are confronted by the revelation of King Jesus as he begins the revolution. An eternal revolution as the Kingdom of God takes form in the world. The mission of Jesus comes to a climax. The world holds its breath. The dark powers of the world are confronted, exposed and broken by…
I think we sometimes understand our Christian faith as a battle rather than a relationship. Our language and songs often emphasise our ongoing battle against temptation, to overcome sin, and to fight onwards to reach our destination. But sometimes, we emphasise the combative elements of our faith at the expense of the roots of our…