I used to find it really helpful at the New Year, not only to reflect on the Year that is past, but also to make ‘resolutions’ for the year that lies ahead. The usual ones (lose weight, exercise more, be more organised, manage my finances better, be nicer on social media, get off social media!) seldom lasted beyond the end of January. This year I … Continue reading A Prayer for the New Year – 2018
Solas have just published a new book – (it would be a great Christmas gift) entitled “Why We Still Believe”. Description The West has become permeated with a culture that doesn’t ‘do’ God. Many people assert that we have progressed, while Christians are still clinging to out-dated ideas. In Why We (Still) Believe, fourteen contributors focus on several specific contemporary attacks on Christianity, showing why … Continue reading Why I Still Believe – in Humanity.
This article was first published on Christian Today I return from a lovely break in Croatia to discover yet another one of those ‘snowflake/University bans Christians’ stories. But this is one with a difference. It involves one of the world’s top Universities, Oxford. The problem with Balliol College’s now retracted ban of the Christian Union is not that it shows up the flakiness of the … Continue reading A Dangerous Church? The Elephant in the Balliol College Freshers Fair
I have been appointed editor pro-tem of The Record after the tragic death of Iain D Campbell. Because of the circumstances it has been very difficult to start from scratch but the first edition is now out, the second at the printers, and the third in preparation. Below is the first editorial. Welcome to the April Record. It is with a great deal of sorrow … Continue reading The Record Editorial – April 2017
Write On A Few Personal End of Year Reflections about Writing I am going to take a wee break from writing and for those who read this blog I thought I would seek your advice. I began writing a few years ago. Or should I say that I began writing in public a few years ago. I had always kept a diary, written personal letters … Continue reading Write On? – Advice sought….
I am currently on holiday and taking a break from writing. I am due to preach at St Andrews Anglican Church in Roseville Sydney – where John Dickson is the senior minister. Usually when I come to the end of a holiday I start thinking about the situation at home, in church and country. I try to take the long term view. So it … Continue reading Prophets, Prostitutes and Politicians
Today Elie Wiesel died. A man who was for me, as for many others a phenomenal inspiration. BBC Report of Elie Wiesel This chapter from The Dawkins Letters explains why the great questions raised by Wiesel and the horror of the Holocaust ultimately point to only one solution – Christ. Letter 8 – The Myth of Godless Morality Dear Dr Dawkins, As a young boy I … Continue reading Defeating the Darkness – In Memory of Elie Wiesel
This article appears in the June edition of Premier Magazine The Equality of Death? Last month I buried a woman. I had only met her two hours before she died. She was 92 years old and passed away quietly in her care home. I took the funeral at the local crematorium, which was attended by a few relatives, friends and some staff from … Continue reading The Equality of Death – Article for Premier Christian Magazine
This is my short chapter in What the Bible Means to Me published by Christian Focus. David Robertson “Surely you don’t believe in a book written by a bunch of illiterate desert shepherds? The Bible is a lot of rubbish”. The young man was very confident in his understanding and rejection of the Bible. Too confident. And illogical (how could illiterate people write the Bible?!). … Continue reading What the Bible Means to Me
It was strange waking up in in a church creche – beside Tom Courtney – not my worst nightmare – just the reality of the glamour that is Christian ministry! Our hosts brought breakfast into us – coffee, brown bread with cheese, ham, cucumber, tomatoes and jam. It was delicious – I really love the Polish food. It is tasty, healthy and there are lots … Continue reading ELF Poland – Day 2 – Saturday 30th May – Small Churches and Big Encouragements
