Someone once said that the purpose of the news media is the manufacture and maintenance of anxiety. I think he was right, but I also think that some churches do something similar.
That famous quotation, 'If Christ be God and died for me, then no sacrifice can be too great for me to make for him'[1], is true. But sensitive souls are vulnerable to a dangerous distortion: 'If Christ be God and died for me, then no sacrifice I make can ever be enough for Him'. I wonder if this explains an unhealthy drivenness in the churches?
Activity is good, the Lord Himself was noted for it. He ‘went about doing good’[2] and so should we. But why do I meet a lot of neurotic Christians living with a constant sense of failure: 'I’m not doing enough, I’m not keen enough, I don’t have enough faith.'
Reflecting theologically on war in the Middle East
It is rare that theology features in the decision making of great nations, but there are reports of US military …