In Depth:  Bill James

Now This

Bill James

Harvest thanksgiving services are less common nowadays. We tend to be urbanised – removed from the farm and the countryside, and simply taking for granted the provision of our daily food.

But as Christians we should be glad of any opportunity for thanksgiving. Our thankfulness sets us apart from the unbeliever who refuses to give thanks (Rom.1v21).

Now This

Bill James

By the time this article is published, the summer holiday season will be coming to an end. We all enjoy having a break from the routine of daily work – surely there’s nothing controversial about that? And yet the most controversial of the Ten Commandments is number four, relating to the Sabbath.

My own position is that the moral law is expressed in the Ten Commandments, which continue to have universal and binding authority. The Sabbath continues today, being celebrated now on the first day of the week (the Lord’s Day). This view is expressed in the Westminster Confession, the 1689 Baptist Confession, and the Savoy Declaration.

Now This

Bill James

As we look forward to celebrating the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ on Easter Sunday, and indeed on every Lord’s Day, we are reminded that we are a people of hope.

The apostle Peter reminds the early churches that we have a “living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead” (1Peter 1:3).

Now This

Bill James

Empathy is getting a bad press. One Christian writer, Allie Beth Stuckey, has a new book called Toxic Empathy, while Joe Rigney describes empathy as a sin. Even in the realm of secular commentators, Gad Saad’s new book is Suicidal Empathy. So what’s the problem with empathy, and how is it different to sympathy?

We all understand the importance of sympathy, that is an understanding of the situation and experience of someone, especially when they are enduring trials. It is a great consolation to have a sympathetic high priest in the Lord Jesus Christ who can sympathise with us in our weakness not just because as God He understands us completely, but also because He took flesh and has entered into human experience Himself and endured temptation. It is a sign of love and care to sympathise with those around us who are struggling in a variety of ways.

Now This

Bill James

The New Year is a wonderful opportunity to reflect with thanksgiving on the year that is past, and to pray in faith for the year that lies ahead. What are your prayers for the New Year?

The news this year has been dominated by stories of elections and new governments. There have been grim reports of wars and conflicts in Ukraine/Russia, and Israel with its neighbours. We might add that there are numerous other conflicts around the world which don’t appear in our national media, including Sudan and Burma/Myanmar. Our prayers might well include petitions for peace, and for just and righteous laws in our country and around the world. We are commanded to pray for rulers and authorities. Jesus teaches us to pray ‘Your will be done’ which includes a desire for God’s will and creation purposes to be reflected in a sinful world.

Now This

Bill James

We hear much about ‘Christian values’ of kindness, love, sympathy and understanding, not least at the Christmas season when we are encouraged to express ‘goodwill to all men’. I hope that as Christians we are kind; it is after all an element of the fruit of the Spirit.

But we need to beware a kindness which is divorced from any foundation in Christian morality. Some suggest that it is ‘unkind’ to question anyone’s lifestyle choices. But is it really ‘kind’ to give approval to someone who is choosing a reckless and ungodly path which will ultimately bring devastation to themselves, and to others? Is it ‘kind’ to remain silent about the gospel and wish others well on the broad road that leads inevitably to destruction?

Now This

Bill James

We can sometimes be bewildered by the speed at which the world changes, and new ideas and fashions take root.

In the West there has been a headlong plunge towards identity politics, and a promotion of ideologies of sexuality and gender which seemed unthinkable just one or two decades ago. At the turn of the millennium it was ‘normal’ to talk of two genders, and of marriage between one man and one woman. Now the new ‘normal’ is very different.

Now This

Bill James

When Tom Daley tearfully announced the end of his diving career after the Paris Olympics, he said that he was looking forward to spending more time with his family.

It is not only accepted, but celebrated in the media that he has children with his ‘husband’ through surrogacy, and this is unquestioned and unchallenged. He is not the only one, joining high-profile names like Elton John and David Furnish, Paris Hilton, Kim Kardashian and Kanye West.

Now This

Bill James

Ever since the Covid pandemic, it has become quite common in the media to hear at the end of an interview the exhortation to the guest to ‘stay safe’.

Sometimes I receive messages which close in the same way. Perhaps at the beginning of a new term, when children are sent off to school, or teenagers to university, or a new season of life or work begins, our instinct is the same – our great desire is that our loved ones ‘stay safe’.

Now This

Bill James

We can sometimes feel that we aren’t making any difference. Perhaps we thought and prayed about how to vote in the General Election, but ended up with an MP, or a government, which we did not choose.

That can be true in church life as well, or a difficult situation at work; however hard we pray, and seek to do the right thing, we are not seeing any progress. We might be tempted to give up, stop praying, and doubt whether God cares about the situation. Or perhaps be tempted to take matters into our own hands and get angry, vent our frustration, and respond in a less than godly way.

Now This

Bill James

Jonathan Haidt’s recent book on anxiety amongst teenagers being exacerbated by smartphone usage rings true. But the title of his book The Anxious Generation could be applied more widely to Western society.

We are becoming accustomed to a world of constant threat and uncertainty. The Covid pandemic ramped up social anxiety to such an extent that mask wearing and lockdowns were not only legally mandated but actually welcomed by many.

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Bill James

One of the troubling issues of our national economy is the number of people who are not at work.

While the official unemployment statistics are very low, because very few are looking for work, the number on out-of-work benefits has risen to 5.6 million, and growing (The Spectator, 24 February 2024). It seems that since Covid, for whatever reason, many are reluctant to get back to work.

Now This

Bill James

There has been an extraordinary ruling in the Supreme Court of Alabama. Early embryos used in IVF should be afforded the rights of children, protected by the State’s Wrongful Death of a Minor Act, the court declared.

The ruling was extraordinary not only because of its clarity, but also the Biblical and theological reasoning used to make the case. As Christians, we welcome the affirmation that human rights and personhood are rooted in Biblical foundations, namely that each human life begins at conception and we are made in the image of God.

Now This

Bill James

As summer approaches, many of us will receive wedding invitations.

We may be clear that Biblical marriage is between one man and woman, and that sexual intimacy is only appropriate within that context. But how do we respond when a friend or a family member invites us to their gay or transgender wedding? Do we prioritise friendly relationships and accept, or decide on principle that we cannot go?

Now This

Bill James

We are horrified as we look back in history and see how our spiritual forefathers failed in critical ways.

During the time of the slave trade, some not only remained silent but were involved by owning slaves. During the time of Nazi Germany there were precious few who, like Bonhoeffer, were willing to speak up at the risk of their lives. So, what will be the verdict of history on our generation? Which issues do we neglect which will be seen in a different light in the future?