March is the month when flocks of overwintering birds begin to leave the UK. Bird migration is an incredible natural phenomenon that occurs around us, yet many of us do not notice it.
But each year, as many birds leave our relatively mild winters behind to breed further north, birders and conservationists wonder how many will return. Those who dedicate their lives to this work are acutely aware that all is not well. The decline in numbers of once-common garden birds, such as sparrows and starlings, is drastic. It is easy to miss until someone tells you: “House sparrow populations in the UK have declined by approximately 60 –70% since the 1970s, with nearly 30 million vanishing from the countryside and cities.” The biggest problems most declining species face are habitat destruction, food availability, and disease.
The essence of the case against Christian social worker Felix Ngole is that his Christian beliefs make him unemployable.
Felix applied for his "dream job" as a Mental Health Support Worker with Touchstone Leeds. Felix has experience supporting people with mental health issues from all walks of life in various settings, and the appropriate professional qualifications to boot. After going through a recruitment process, including interview, Felix was provisionally offered the job and told he was the best candidate in interview and that he gained the highest marks of any candidate on an equality and diversity assessment.
When speaking to Jewish and Gentile friends you might have heard the accusation that the Gospel accounts were written centuries after the life of Jesus. Or even that Jesus is a legend disconnected from the realities of first-century Israel.
Yet the evidence tells a different story: the overwhelming number of manuscripts, and very early manuscripts, and citations by church fathers like Clement (c. 95 AD), confirm that the Gospels were in circulation within decades of the events they describe.
Since Charles I, no British royal has ever been arrested. Until last week.
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, formerly Prince Andrew, spent his 66th birthday in police custody under suspicion for misconduct in public office. He was later released, but the investigation is ongoing.
Once more, this late winter, we have begun to hear and read about the observance of Lent.
In recent days, I have read three blog articles which were supportive (in varying degrees) of the practice. The religion pages of our weekend newspaper gave us much the same news: it’s time for Lent and thoughtful Christians will, ofcourse, be observing it.
Last December, as reported by The Sunday Times, the Shadow Home Office Minister Katie Lam and 26 other MPs co-signed a letter warning that the Church Commissioners’ slavery reparations plan (to make “a funding commitment of £100 million, to invest in a better future for all, working with and for communities affected by historic transatlantic slavery”) risked setting a “worrying precedent”.
The letter also explained that: “at a moment when churches across the country are struggling to keep their doors open – many even falling into disrepair – it’s wrong to try and justify diverting £100million to a project entirely separate from those core obligations.”
Our headlines have been dominated by the drip-fed horror of the Epstein files; the realisation that rich and powerful people used precisely those riches and that power to prey on young women in unspeakably evil ways.
This has featured in the news for years; the erstwhile Prince Andrew only one among the famous who have been caught in the net of scandal. But another figure in the spotlight has been Peter Mandelson, whose relationship with Epstein has been revealed to be revoltingly close, and whose downfall has rocked the government, having been appointed by Sir Keir Starmer as US Ambassador.
In John 18, Jesus stands before Pilate and tells him, “the reason I was born and came into the world is to testify to the truth.” “What is truth?” retorts Pilate.
Jesus was the only entirely truthful person that ever lived. Leading up to His crucifixion, His accusers fabricated charges against Him. Peter fearfully and fervently denied that he knew Him.
Last weekend's second round of Six Nations rugby saw Scotland extend their remarkable Calcutta Cup record with a statement win over England at Murrayfield.
Scotland bounced back from a poor opening day defeat in Rome and played like men possessed to demolish England in a dominant 31-20 win, reclaiming the victors' trophy and ending Steve Borthwick’s side’s 12-game winning run.
The big news in the education world at the moment is that the government has published an updated draft of Keeping Children Safe in Education (KCSIE), the statutory safeguarding guidance for schools and colleges. And this version includes long-awaited guidance relating to “gender questioning” children — something the Association of Christian Teachers (ACT) has been pressing the government for over many years.
Schools were first promised this guidance in 2018, yet repeated delays, internal disagreements and a change of government meant schools were left waiting for almost eight years.
For some of us, the observance of Lent is a regular part of our faith. But for others, it might seem void of meaning - maybe an ancient ritual utterly disconnected from life in the here and now. "What does that have to do with us?" I understand the question. And that’s why slowing down and taking time to incorporate Lenten practices is so important for us all.
The meaning of Lent
Lent’s true meaning goes far beyond mere tradition. It is a profound spiritual practice that invites believers to deepen their faith and experience a transformative journey.
Political theology at its best can be an edifying pursuit as we learn together how to engage faithfully in our post-Christendom nation. However, the subject of "Christian nationalism" has become a flashpoint, where rigorously irenic disagreement seems to have been sacrificed for a series of alarmist diatribes.
Whilst legitimate critiques can be made of any number of the sprawling ideologies labelled "Christian nationalism," it does not serve anyone well to overreact. Indeed, those who ricochet against Christian nationalism are in danger of not only forcing today’s church into passionless political passivity, but also anathematising the vast majority of Christians throughout history who faithfully pursued Christian influence at a national level.
As a Welshman, I watched the opening weekend of this year’s Six Nations with a mixture of familiarity and unease. Familiarity, because we have seen difficult periods before. Unease, because this one feels deeper.
Much of the attention fell, quite rightly, on the efficiency of France and England, and on Italy’s impressive composure in closing out their win against Scotland. But for those of us with Welsh rugby in our bones, the story was less about the scoreboard and more about what seemed to lie beneath it.
Don’t get me wrong, every missionary is grateful for the financial support they receive from churches.
They’re also blessed by knowing that churches are praying for them from the moment they leave these shores until they return at some future point. In fact, I was just sharing with a church yesterday that when a missionary says they’re travelling from one place to another and would like people to pray, they really mean it. It isn’t a filler item in a list of prayer points; the journey probably involves dangerous, ice-covered or corrugated desert roads, or even the risk of hijacking.
One of the most ardent of President Trump’s supporters in Congress for the past five years has been the Republican Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia. But in the first week of January she abruptly resigned from the House of Representatives having publicly split with President Trump on a number of issues as vocally as she had supported him for most of those five years.
When she was first elected to the House in 2020, her politics were regarded by many as so extreme that within a month of her arrival she was removed from all her committee positions in the House after she had publicly endorsed the use of political violence.
This is not a post about Brexit. But I am going to use the 2016 Brexit referendum in the UK as an analogy.
To refresh your memory, in 2016 a referendum was held in the UK on whether or not to stay in the European Union (EU). This had been a longstanding issue for debate ever since the UK first joined the EU in 1971.
As mass demonstrations blend Christian imagery with nationalist politics, questions are growing about how Christians should respond to Christian nationalism.
Many Christians are uneasy about the ways faith and politics are increasingly intertwined.
One of my catchphrases is, "Psychology and theology can be friends." We have the truth in Christ, but we also benefit from God’s common grace to humanity through science.
However, it is very important – especially in psychology - that you are careful about the science.
Comment
From bird migration to Biblical mission
March is the month when flocks of overwintering birds begin to leave the UK. Bird migration is an incredible natural phenomenon that occurs around us, yet many of us do not notice it.
But each year, as many birds leave our relatively mild winters behind to breed further north, birders and conservationists wonder how many will return. Those who dedicate their lives to this work are acutely aware that all is not well. The decline in numbers of once-common garden birds, such as sparrows and starlings, is drastic. It is easy to miss until someone tells you: “House sparrow populations in the UK have declined by approximately 60 –70% since the 1970s, with nearly 30 million vanishing from the countryside and cities.” The biggest problems most declining species face are habitat destruction, food availability, and disease.
The vital case of Felix Ngole: Christian beliefs in the workplace
The essence of the case against Christian social worker Felix Ngole is that his Christian beliefs make him unemployable.
Felix applied for his "dream job" as a Mental Health Support Worker with Touchstone Leeds. Felix has experience supporting people with mental health issues from all walks of life in various settings, and the appropriate professional qualifications to boot. After going through a recruitment process, including interview, Felix was provisionally offered the job and told he was the best candidate in interview and that he gained the highest marks of any candidate on an equality and diversity assessment.
The Jewishness of the Gospels proves they're true
When speaking to Jewish and Gentile friends you might have heard the accusation that the Gospel accounts were written centuries after the life of Jesus. Or even that Jesus is a legend disconnected from the realities of first-century Israel.
Yet the evidence tells a different story: the overwhelming number of manuscripts, and very early manuscripts, and citations by church fathers like Clement (c. 95 AD), confirm that the Gospels were in circulation within decades of the events they describe.
Responding to the fall of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor
Since Charles I, no British royal has ever been arrested. Until last week.
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, formerly Prince Andrew, spent his 66th birthday in police custody under suspicion for misconduct in public office. He was later released, but the investigation is ongoing.
Should evangelicals promote Lenten practices?
Once more, this late winter, we have begun to hear and read about the observance of Lent.
In recent days, I have read three blog articles which were supportive (in varying degrees) of the practice. The religion pages of our weekend newspaper gave us much the same news: it’s time for Lent and thoughtful Christians will, of course, be observing it.
The moral case against slavery reparations
Last December, as reported by The Sunday Times, the Shadow Home Office Minister Katie Lam and 26 other MPs co-signed a letter warning that the Church Commissioners’ slavery reparations plan (to make “a funding commitment of £100 million, to invest in a better future for all, working with and for communities affected by historic transatlantic slavery”) risked setting a “worrying precedent”.
The letter also explained that: “at a moment when churches across the country are struggling to keep their doors open – many even falling into disrepair – it’s wrong to try and justify diverting £100million to a project entirely separate from those core obligations.”
Mandelson, Epstein and the ‘deceitfulness of wealth’
Our headlines have been dominated by the drip-fed horror of the Epstein files; the realisation that rich and powerful people used precisely those riches and that power to prey on young women in unspeakably evil ways.
This has featured in the news for years; the erstwhile Prince Andrew only one among the famous who have been caught in the net of scandal. But another figure in the spotlight has been Peter Mandelson, whose relationship with Epstein has been revealed to be revoltingly close, and whose downfall has rocked the government, having been appointed by Sir Keir Starmer as US Ambassador.
Praying for truth today
In John 18, Jesus stands before Pilate and tells him, “the reason I was born and came into the world is to testify to the truth.” “What is truth?” retorts Pilate.
Jesus was the only entirely truthful person that ever lived. Leading up to His crucifixion, His accusers fabricated charges against Him. Peter fearfully and fervently denied that he knew Him.
Scotland’s curious Calcutta Cup 'curse' over England
Last weekend's second round of Six Nations rugby saw Scotland extend their remarkable Calcutta Cup record with a statement win over England at Murrayfield.
Scotland bounced back from a poor opening day defeat in Rome and played like men possessed to demolish England in a dominant 31-20 win, reclaiming the victors' trophy and ending Steve Borthwick’s side’s 12-game winning run.
New guidance for 'gender questioning' children - good, or bad?
The big news in the education world at the moment is that the government has published an updated draft of Keeping Children Safe in Education (KCSIE), the statutory safeguarding guidance for schools and colleges. And this version includes long-awaited guidance relating to “gender questioning” children — something the Association of Christian Teachers (ACT) has been pressing the government for over many years.
Schools were first promised this guidance in 2018, yet repeated delays, internal disagreements and a change of government meant schools were left waiting for almost eight years.
Why Lent is more than a dead ritual observance
For some of us, the observance of Lent is a regular part of our faith. But for others, it might seem void of meaning - maybe an ancient ritual utterly disconnected from life in the here and now. "What does that have to do with us?" I understand the question. And that’s why slowing down and taking time to incorporate Lenten practices is so important for us all.
The meaning of Lent
Lent’s true meaning goes far beyond mere tradition. It is a profound spiritual practice that invites believers to deepen their faith and experience a transformative journey.
In defence of Christian nationalism
Political theology at its best can be an edifying pursuit as we learn together how to engage faithfully in our post-Christendom nation. However, the subject of "Christian nationalism" has become a flashpoint, where rigorously irenic disagreement seems to have been sacrificed for a series of alarmist diatribes.
Whilst legitimate critiques can be made of any number of the sprawling ideologies labelled "Christian nationalism," it does not serve anyone well to overreact. Indeed, those who ricochet against Christian nationalism are in danger of not only forcing today’s church into passionless political passivity, but also anathematising the vast majority of Christians throughout history who faithfully pursued Christian influence at a national level.
Rugby's Six Nations: Lessons for churches
As a Welshman, I watched the opening weekend of this year’s Six Nations with a mixture of familiarity and unease. Familiarity, because we have seen difficult periods before. Unease, because this one feels deeper.
Much of the attention fell, quite rightly, on the efficiency of France and England, and on Italy’s impressive composure in closing out their win against Scotland. But for those of us with Welsh rugby in our bones, the story was less about the scoreboard and more about what seemed to lie beneath it.
How do you relate to your church's mission partners?
Don’t get me wrong, every missionary is grateful for the financial support they receive from churches.
They’re also blessed by knowing that churches are praying for them from the moment they leave these shores until they return at some future point. In fact, I was just sharing with a church yesterday that when a missionary says they’re travelling from one place to another and would like people to pray, they really mean it. It isn’t a filler item in a list of prayer points; the journey probably involves dangerous, ice-covered or corrugated desert roads, or even the risk of hijacking.
Reflecting on Marjorie Taylor Greene's change
One of the most ardent of President Trump’s supporters in Congress for the past five years has been the Republican Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia. But in the first week of January she abruptly resigned from the House of Representatives having publicly split with President Trump on a number of issues as vocally as she had supported him for most of those five years.
When she was first elected to the House in 2020, her politics were regarded by many as so extreme that within a month of her arrival she was removed from all her committee positions in the House after she had publicly endorsed the use of political violence.
Can 'celebrity Christianity' disciple you effectively?
We live in a golden age of Christian content, but at the same time it is a fragile age for Christian community.
Sermons stream instantly. Conferences draw thousands. Podcasts, platforms, and personalities shape how many believers think about faithfulness.
Congregational church government: Yes or no?
This is not a post about Brexit. But I am going to use the 2016 Brexit referendum in the UK as an analogy.
To refresh your memory, in 2016 a referendum was held in the UK on whether or not to stay in the European Union (EU). This had been a longstanding issue for debate ever since the UK first joined the EU in 1971.
Christian nationalism: The mirror image of progressive Christianity?
As mass demonstrations blend Christian imagery with nationalist politics, questions are growing about how Christians should respond to Christian nationalism.
Many Christians are uneasy about the ways faith and politics are increasingly intertwined.
The problem of bogus behavioural research
One of my catchphrases is, "Psychology and theology can be friends." We have the truth in Christ, but we also benefit from God’s common grace to humanity through science.
However, it is very important – especially in psychology - that you are careful about the science.
Smartphones, social media and parental responsibility
It seems that the topic of smartphones and social media for children is now part of the cultural conversation.
The UK government recently announced a consultation on banning social media for all children under 16 – something already happening in Australia.