Three years ago I wrote a comment piece for EvangelicalsNow suggesting that there was a quiet work of God taking place in the churches and we had not noticed it.
Imagine my delight when the Bible Society published “The Quiet Revival”, a survey by YouGov showing that church attendance in the UK had risen by 50% in the last six years and that the main growth was among young people. Only 4% of young people attended church at least once a month in 2018, now the figure is 16%.
Recently I have found myself caught between my love of the Royal Family and my dislike of dogs.
I don’t know which side of that statement will make me more unpopular with readers of en. (If this were TheGuardian, both would be equally heinous.) But my guess is it’ll be the dogs. One of my guilty viewing pleasures is Channel 4’s Gogglebox, justified by my need to keep in touch with popular opinion. The main takeaway? Britons really love dogs.
There have always been subs, of course. This newspaper for one. (What do you mean, you don’t have a subscription? It’s brilliant value!) And I really don’t mind paying regularly for things that I receive regularly. But lately things have been getting out of hand.
It’s easy to get frustrated in Christian life and church ministry when our passion for the gospel and the local church is seemingly thwarted by opposition, disruption, relationship breakdown or just human error. Is that frustration wrong? Are we expecting too much?
As a member of the Church of England, it’s hard to make sense of the current state of play with the Living in Love and Faith process. It is an existential threat because it undermines Biblical teaching on marriage, but the process has been stalled by the misfiring appointment process for vacancy in Canterbury and the recent resignation of Martin Snow as chair of the steering group. It was supposed to be a period of discernment, but it is currently a period of suspended confusion.
Certainly there is evidence of increased church attendance; this is mainly among Roman Catholics and Pentecostals. But there is also anecdotal evidence of an increased number of conversions, and new people turning up at church interested in the Christian faith.
Warning: the following content relates to crimes of abuse and could be both upsetting and triggering.
Recent headlines have reported on the shocking case of Stephen Ireland and David Sutton, both jailed for multiple child sex offences. The former has been a prominent LGBT advocate and campaigner, was a founder of ‘Pride in Surrey’, and cultivated significant relationships with local police — drawing added attention to the case.
It would be possible these days, it seems to us, to attend a Reformed and Bible-based conference virtually every month – possibly even more often.
Anyone who attempted to do so might well end up extremely well-taught and godly – or mad. Either way, they would almost certainly be quite a lot poorer, given the costs involved.
Have you been praying for the Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei recently?
Actually maybe you have, given the Trump self-declared “12 day” war between Israel and Iran. I pray that by the time this article reaches you the conflict in the Middle East will have not escalated into a full-blown global war.
In a recent article in Evangelicals Now, John Funnell describes an understanding of burnout and a way of doing ministry that seems to work for him and his family in their context, and that's great. God has most certainly used them! But, I want to offer a response.
John has done so much good for the gospel. We've never met, but we move in similar circles and so over the years I've been kept up to date with the amazing work God has been doing through him in Abersychan. God has gifted John uniquely for this work, while many others look to his ministry as an example and a pattern for their own.
I used to be the senior minister at a church named after a Victorian missionary martyr - so I thought we’d better take world mission seriously, and therefore take our mission partnerships seriously, too.
But why should that be reserved for the handful of churches who think they ought to do that because of what they’re called?
This term at our children's groups, I made the decision to attempt teaching the doctrine of union with Christ — with mixed results!
It got me thinking about how we teach tricky concepts and ideas to children, and whether that's a good idea or not. Let me tell you what went well, and what didn’t go quite to plan.
I have many colleagues in the IT industry who have a decided distaste for religious belief.
This is quite understandable because the IT industry attracts people who are more inclined to rely on deduction. Deduction involves applying a general premise to a specific observation in order to reach a logical conclusion. A general premise might be, for example, that "all autonomous vehicles use advanced sensor technology" which you apply to a specific observation that "Tesla's self-driving cars are autonomous vehicles", leading you to a logical conclusion: "Tesla's self-driving cars use advanced sensor technology".
We look to the role model of C. H. Spurgeon, under whose ministry thousands were converted, or the ministries of Whitefield or Wesley which had such extraordinary impact. We read the accounts of revivals in church history.
Approximately 150,000 people die each day worldwide. Death really is all around us, and yet every now and again there is a death that grips the world. That proved to be the case with former Liverpool footballer Diogo Jota who died recently in a sudden crash crash at the age of 28 along with his younger brother.
A talented footballer. A family man. An infectious personality. A role model. Here was a young man with his whole life ahead of him taken in his prime. Everything about his death was tragic. There was a moving tribute from Jota’s Portuguese teammate Christian Ronaldo who summed up the feelings of many when he simply posted on X, "It doesn’t make sense."
July is Disability Pride month - it has absolutely nothing to do with LGBTQ+, although some do try to hijack it a little!
This month is a celebration of what disabled people bring to the world and who we are. It started in America, way before LGBTQ+ had one. It also had a different name, but "pride" was in its descriptors.
Two days before writing this from sunny North Carolina, a well-meaning friend asked me, “so, when did you convert?” This question still makes me bristle. Perhaps it shouldn’t.
I answer him, of course, and took it as the well meaning question that it was intended to be, but that word “convert” is not a word that I, or any other Jewish believers in Jesus that I know, feel comfortable with.
One of them I came across on a table in Waterstones, a new historical novel set in early medieval England, a period I’m very interested in. The cover is beautiful and the back cover is full of commendations for this wonderful new work of literature, praising not just its good writing but its insight and depth. Good to look at, something that would impart wisdom. I paid out my valuable money for it.
The first two weeks in July make up the best fortnight of the year for British tennis fans. The sun is (hopefully) shining, the barbecues are sizzling and most importantly, Wimbledon is plastered all over the nation’s top two TV channels.
What a Wimbledon it has been so far. At the time of writing, a record-equalling number of seeds have fallen in the first couple of days, others have barely survived, while several of the favourites remain on course to provide blockbuster entertainment in the latter stages.
During a wedding, a groom will say to his bride: “All that I am I give to you, and all that I have I share with you.” As a result of these words, and being united together, the bride shares in any titles or wealth that her now-husband had before the service started.
Similarly, in chapter 2 of his first letter, Peter writes “As you come to him, the living Stone – rejected by humans but chosen by God and precious to him – you also like living stones….” and goes on to describe wonderful truths about the church. From this, let's consider the wonderful ways that we inherit certain “properties” from Jesus, because we are enclosed in Him and united to Him.
Back in 2023, technology company Apple’s corporate sustainability campaign was showcased in the commercial, “2030 Status | Mother Nature”.
The ad was a creative initiative designed to communicate the company’s progress toward its ambitious goal of achieving a net-zero carbon footprint across its entire business by 2030. The central character, Mother Nature, was played by Oscar-winning actress, Octavia Spencer.
Comment
The revival so quiet you can’t actually hear it?
Three years ago I wrote a comment piece for Evangelicals Now suggesting that there was a quiet work of God taking place in the churches and we had not noticed it.
Imagine my delight when the Bible Society published “The Quiet Revival”, a survey by YouGov showing that church attendance in the UK had risen by 50% in the last six years and that the main growth was among young people. Only 4% of young people attended church at least once a month in 2018, now the figure is 16%.
Have we got dogs and human beings mixed up?
Recently I have found myself caught between my love of the Royal Family and my dislike of dogs.
I don’t know which side of that statement will make me more unpopular with readers of en. (If this were The Guardian, both would be equally heinous.) But my guess is it’ll be the dogs. One of my guilty viewing pleasures is Channel 4’s Gogglebox, justified by my need to keep in touch with popular opinion. The main takeaway? Britons really love dogs.
Subscriptions, life – and gospel truth
All my life seems to be a subscription.
There have always been subs, of course. This newspaper for one. (What do you mean, you don’t have a subscription? It’s brilliant value!) And I really don’t mind paying regularly for things that I receive regularly. But lately things have been getting out of hand.
Living in Love and Faith or Living Life Backwards?
It’s easy to get frustrated in Christian life and church ministry when our passion for the gospel and the local church is seemingly thwarted by opposition, disruption, relationship breakdown or just human error. Is that frustration wrong? Are we expecting too much?
As a member of the Church of England, it’s hard to make sense of the current state of play with the Living in Love and Faith process. It is an existential threat because it undermines Biblical teaching on marriage, but the process has been stalled by the misfiring appointment process for vacancy in Canterbury and the recent resignation of Martin Snow as chair of the steering group. It was supposed to be a period of discernment, but it is currently a period of suspended confusion.
Is this ‘revival’ true revival?
There are reports of a “Quiet Revival” in the UK.
Certainly there is evidence of increased church attendance; this is mainly among Roman Catholics and Pentecostals. But there is also anecdotal evidence of an increased number of conversions, and new people turning up at church interested in the Christian faith.
We all must reckon with abusers
Warning: the following content relates to crimes of abuse and could be both upsetting and triggering.
Recent headlines have reported on the shocking case of Stephen Ireland and David Sutton, both jailed for multiple child sex offences. The former has been a prominent LGBT advocate and campaigner, was a founder of ‘Pride in Surrey’, and cultivated significant relationships with local police — drawing added attention to the case.
Keswick at 150 years old
It would be possible these days, it seems to us, to attend a Reformed and Bible-based conference virtually every month – possibly even more often.
Anyone who attempted to do so might well end up extremely well-taught and godly – or mad. Either way, they would almost certainly be quite a lot poorer, given the costs involved.
Called to pray: In Parliament, in prison and in war
Have you been praying for the Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei recently?
Actually maybe you have, given the Trump self-declared “12 day” war between Israel and Iran. I pray that by the time this article reaches you the conflict in the Middle East will have not escalated into a full-blown global war.
The realities of ministry burnout
In a recent article in Evangelicals Now, John Funnell describes an understanding of burnout and a way of doing ministry that seems to work for him and his family in their context, and that's great. God has most certainly used them! But, I want to offer a response.
John has done so much good for the gospel. We've never met, but we move in similar circles and so over the years I've been kept up to date with the amazing work God has been doing through him in Abersychan. God has gifted John uniquely for this work, while many others look to his ministry as an example and a pattern for their own.
Should you consider visiting a mission partner?
I used to be the senior minister at a church named after a Victorian missionary martyr - so I thought we’d better take world mission seriously, and therefore take our mission partnerships seriously, too.
But why should that be reserved for the handful of churches who think they ought to do that because of what they’re called?
Should we teach hard doctrine to children?
This term at our children's groups, I made the decision to attempt teaching the doctrine of union with Christ — with mixed results!
It got me thinking about how we teach tricky concepts and ideas to children, and whether that's a good idea or not. Let me tell you what went well, and what didn’t go quite to plan.
Why belief isn’t illogical: A conversation with an atheist peer
I have many colleagues in the IT industry who have a decided distaste for religious belief.
This is quite understandable because the IT industry attracts people who are more inclined to rely on deduction. Deduction involves applying a general premise to a specific observation in order to reach a logical conclusion. A general premise might be, for example, that "all autonomous vehicles use advanced sensor technology" which you apply to a specific observation that "Tesla's self-driving cars are autonomous vehicles", leading you to a logical conclusion: "Tesla's self-driving cars use advanced sensor technology".
Preaching and the power of perseverance
Some have a romantic view of Christian ministry.
We look to the role model of C. H. Spurgeon, under whose ministry thousands were converted, or the ministries of Whitefield or Wesley which had such extraordinary impact. We read the accounts of revivals in church history.
Diogo Jota, Jesus and dealing with grief
Approximately 150,000 people die each day worldwide. Death really is all around us, and yet every now and again there is a death that grips the world. That proved to be the case with former Liverpool footballer Diogo Jota who died recently in a sudden crash crash at the age of 28 along with his younger brother.
A talented footballer. A family man. An infectious personality. A role model. Here was a young man with his whole life ahead of him taken in his prime. Everything about his death was tragic. There was a moving tribute from Jota’s Portuguese teammate Christian Ronaldo who summed up the feelings of many when he simply posted on X, "It doesn’t make sense."
Disability Pride Month: Will your church celebrate?
July is Disability Pride month - it has absolutely nothing to do with LGBTQ+, although some do try to hijack it a little!
This month is a celebration of what disabled people bring to the world and who we are. It started in America, way before LGBTQ+ had one. It also had a different name, but "pride" was in its descriptors.
Stop asking Jewish believers when they 'converted'
Two days before writing this from sunny North Carolina, a well-meaning friend asked me, “so, when did you convert?” This question still makes me bristle. Perhaps it shouldn’t.
I answer him, of course, and took it as the well meaning question that it was intended to be, but that word “convert” is not a word that I, or any other Jewish believers in Jesus that I know, feel comfortable with.
Why is modern storytelling so disappointing?
Recently, I started reading three new novels.
One of them I came across on a table in Waterstones, a new historical novel set in early medieval England, a period I’m very interested in. The cover is beautiful and the back cover is full of commendations for this wonderful new work of literature, praising not just its good writing but its insight and depth. Good to look at, something that would impart wisdom. I paid out my valuable money for it.
What Wimbledon taught me about pressure - and the cross
The first two weeks in July make up the best fortnight of the year for British tennis fans. The sun is (hopefully) shining, the barbecues are sizzling and most importantly, Wimbledon is plastered all over the nation’s top two TV channels.
What a Wimbledon it has been so far. At the time of writing, a record-equalling number of seeds have fallen in the first couple of days, others have barely survived, while several of the favourites remain on course to provide blockbuster entertainment in the latter stages.
Four ways union with Christ changes everything
During a wedding, a groom will say to his bride: “All that I am I give to you, and all that I have I share with you.” As a result of these words, and being united together, the bride shares in any titles or wealth that her now-husband had before the service started.
Similarly, in chapter 2 of his first letter, Peter writes “As you come to him, the living Stone – rejected by humans but chosen by God and precious to him – you also like living stones….” and goes on to describe wonderful truths about the church. From this, let's consider the wonderful ways that we inherit certain “properties” from Jesus, because we are enclosed in Him and united to Him.
A tale of two marketing campaigns
Back in 2023, technology company Apple’s corporate sustainability campaign was showcased in the commercial, “2030 Status | Mother Nature”.
The ad was a creative initiative designed to communicate the company’s progress toward its ambitious goal of achieving a net-zero carbon footprint across its entire business by 2030. The central character, Mother Nature, was played by Oscar-winning actress, Octavia Spencer.