This months article in Evangelicals Now – you can get the original here THE GREAT EVANGELICAL SCANDAL The church is taking a battering. In the 24/7 news world of the Internet and the era of monetised sensationalist reporting it seems as though the Good News is being eclipsed by the bad news. The father of lies is having a field day – although to be … Continue reading The Great Evangelical Scandal
22nd September 2019 Brothers and Sisters, It’s been a hectic two weeks. A couple of weeks ago I wrote from Shetland, last week from Brisbane – and this week I am back home in Sydney – and yes it does feel like home. Ann Street Presbyterian This week has been an encouraging week. Sometimes they happen! There were even moments of joy! It started with … Continue reading Letter from Australia 8 – Lawyers, Politicians, the Resurrection, the secret Garden and a Pair of Trousers
This months column in Evangelicals now. Mark Driscoll is back. For some that sentence speaks of a nightmare. For others it is something to be welcomed. Others will ask ‘Mark who?’ – thus demonstrating that celebrity pastors can have as short a fame lifespan as reality TV stars. I met Mark in 2008, in my first stint as editor of the Record. He was the … Continue reading The Return of the Celebrity Pastor
Quantum 58 This is probably my favourite Quantum so far….the producer has done a great job! It’s also the first I have done from Shetland…so we start with this.. We look at the election result in Shetland and the resultant political spin. Police in Scotland are to become policepersons and wear ‘gender neutral’ uniforms. The police in Scotland are becoming a PC laughing stock. … Continue reading Quantum 58 – The one with Shetland, PolicePersons; Brexit; Hong Kong; Argentina; Ebola; Vicars ‘marry’; Gay Gene Theory; Chick-Fil-A; Female Engineers; Brendan O’Neill; Gervais; Stormzy and Ed
I recently heard a speaker who I thought was excellent – what he said was biblical, clear and passionate. The audience loved it….but I struggled. And here’s the problem – I couldn’t work out why. There was just something that did not connect for me. I have been trying to identify the problem. Was it just me? The speaker was excellent and everyone else … Continue reading What’s Wrong With the World?
Norwich Cathedral has found a novel way to get into the news. As reported throughout the press, the Cathedral installed a Helter Skelter in order to attract people. “It’s certainly not a gimmick – its fun but it’s meant to get people thinking about the meaning of life”. Whilst I have no qualms with anyone ‘having fun’ and struggle with the concept of sacred … Continue reading A Tale of Two Cathedrals.
Sometimes you get read a post that astonishes and encourages. One such was yesterday when an old sparring partner from the Scottish Secular Society (someone who I also respect), Spencer Fildes wrote a message on his FB page stating amongst other things “Secularism is a myth” . The fact that a former vice chair of the Secular Society could write this set me thinking – … Continue reading Out of the darkness: Is the secularist faith in decline?
This interview appeared in Christian Today here at the weekend. Churches, where is your Athens? Staff writer Sun 28 Jul 2019 7:04 BST David Robertson (c) with his family in Scotland before making the big move to Sydney, Australia(Photo: David Robertson) For 27 years, David Robertson was pastor of St Peter’s Church in Dundee but thanks to a popular blog – the Wee Flea – and regular media … Continue reading Churches – Where is Your Athens?
Mark Driscoll is back! Only this time it is a new anti-Calvinist incarnation of the ‘look at me, I’m controversial’ preacher. For those of you who don’t know of Mark – one of the most influential preachers of the past 25 years – here is a brief recap… I met Mark in 2008, in my first stint as editor of the Record…Dissing Driscoll – some … Continue reading ‘Daddy’ Driscoll
As we continue with the torment of packing up and unpicking 27 years in the one house, serving the one Church, it’s interesting that I have been asked to do several interviews over the past few day. One of which was with CFP – part one was a short interview about A.S.K and the other is this one – reflecting on the Church in Scotland and … Continue reading CFP Interview Part 2 – The Church in Scotland and Australia
