Before I go on to share the article I wrote for Christian Today I have to share from a really heavy heart. This has turned out to be far more significant than I thought. I listened to a man who denies the Gospel, preach a Gospel that was no gospel at all and wrote an article about it. As a result I received a barrage … Continue reading The Wedding, the Sermon and the Reaction – Article on Christian Today
I have seen something else under the sun: The race is not to the swift or the battle to the strong, nor does food come to the wise or wealth to the brilliant or favour to the learned; but time and chance happen to them all. Moreover, no one knows when their hour will come: As fish are caught in a cruel net, or birds are taken in … Continue reading Ecclesiastes 9: Time and chance, and why we can’t always get what we want
(Richard Dawkins is in Sydney this weekend so I issued this challenge to him on the Christian Today website) Dear Professor Dawkins, Apologies for writing you another letter (remember The Dawkins Letters?) but you just don’t seem to be responding. It’s so funny how we don’t talk any more. Anyway, I hope you are well and fully recovered from your recent bout of illness (I would … Continue reading An open letter to Richard Dawkins: What have you got to lose by debating God’s existence with me this weekend?
This article was first published on the Christian Today website ‘How to live life’ books are always near the top of the bestseller charts. Jordan Peterson’s 12 Rules for Life is still up there after many weeks. Some regard this as a modern fad, but as Solomon tells us, there is nothing new under the sun. Three thousand years before Jordan Peterson, Solomon offers his own rules … Continue reading Ecclesiastes 9: 4 biblical rules for enjoying life (and glorifying God)
Last week marked the 200th birthday of Karl Marx, born on the 5th of May 1818. It was an event marked in a positive way by amongst others, the Economist, the Financial Times, the New York Times (whose headline read ‘Happy Birthday Karl Marx, you were right’), and the Guardian columnist Owen Jones who tweeted; ‘Happy 200th birthday Karl Marx’. The Chinese sponsored a new statue of Marx … Continue reading Should Christians Celebrate the Birthday of Karl Marx?
Having reflected on how little he knows, Solomon now turns to the one thing we can all we sure of – death (Ecclesiastes 9:1-9). We many not know what is going to happen in life, but one thing is certain – everyone is going to die. The same destiny overtakes all. That is the hard reality of life. So let us eat, drink and be merry for … Continue reading Ecclesiastes 9:1-9 – Death, Life and Destiny
(This article was first published on Christian Today) The former leader of one of the UK’s few mega churches (Abundant Life, Bradford), Paul Scanlon, is now someone who gives ‘Master Classes in Communication’. Recently he communicated a very interesting thought that has caused a bit of a stir and hit a nerve. He Instagrammed: ‘Christians and non-Christians agree on one thing – we both dislike evangelism.’ … Continue reading Does Jesus Dislike Evangelism?
(This article was published on the Desiring God website (here) last week) Much to my surprise, I became a Christian as a teenager. But when I did, I was quite determined to be a secret Christian. This was partly because, to be honest, I didn’t like most of the Christians I knew. But it was also partly because, living in a very post-Christian Scotland, I … Continue reading How Could We Be Silent? – SpeakingUp About our Greatest Love
Powerful men have often found that their power is itself a powerful aphrodisiac. Six decades ago President Jack Kennedy used his office and power to enable several affairs with different women. Kennedy was infamous for his sexual appetite, once boasting that he needed to have sex every day. Many in the church rightly condemned his behaviour. Two decades ago President Bill Clinton was accused of … Continue reading Three presidents, three affairs and a compromised church
This weeks Ecclesiastes article first published on Christian Today Having reflected on the way that we regard our times and look at life, in Ecclesiastes 7: 15-22 Solomon turns to some other conundrums of both ancient and contemporary life. He warns us of four dangers that really hit home today. Pixels 1. The danger of an unrealistic view of life It seems meaningless that the good die … Continue reading Ecclesiastes 7 – Four dangers for today’s Christians
