The UK has been rocked by recent allegations that the late Jimmy Savile, popular TV personality and charity campaigner, was infact one of the nation's most prolific paedophiles. The stories are shocking. The impact, devastating. The number of children hurt and the extent of the involvement of other celebrities is, as yet, unknown. So how, as Christians, can we pray? Here are our 10 thoughts…... continue reading
Would you mind doing me a favour? I’d like you to get out your mobile phone please. Yes, now would be good if you can... Got it? Great. Thank you.
Now flick to your sent box for your text messages. And read through the last 20. I’m guessing they’ll be a fairly representative sample of how you use your mobile. Take a look and see what kinds of things you’re texting …
My last 20 text messages fall into these categories:... continue reading
28 months ago, Adrian Watts left Oak Hill Theological College. He moved to Bradford and started a church plant with his fellow-pastor, Tom Swinney. Today The Good Book Blog continues to talk to Adrian about why he chose to plant in Bradford and how things are going ...
Christians who've recently moved into a new area aren't always keen to join small church plants. Of course, sometimes it's right to join a larger, more established church. But how would you address some of the common objections?
When considering joining a church plant, it is worth asking the question ‘why have they decided to plant a new church?’ For example, there maybe a church plant because Christians in the area are having to travel some distance to go to a Bible teaching church and so it would be wrong to assume that a bigger, more established church, is better.
Here are four possible reasons why people might not want to join a church plant. And a few points to ponder.... continue reading
28 months ago, Adrian Watts left Oak Hill Theological College. He moved to Bradford and started a church plant with his fellow-pastor, Tom Swinney. Over the next couple of days, The Good Book Blog talks to Adrian about why he chose to plant in Bradford and how things are going ...
Tell us 2 things that delight your heart as you look back over the past year or so
1) Seeing Trinity Church go from a plant to a small established congregation.
Two and half years ago, Tom, his wife Caroline and I were eating a chilli together discussing for the first time the possibility of working together on a church plant in West Yorkshire. Today I sit in the office with Tom as I write a Bible study on Acts 12 for tomorrow evening's Growth Group. Recently we welcomed new students at the Fresher’s Fayre tomorrow at the Trinity Church stall. Last year we were called as a church plant and now we are known as a church. It is incredible how God has answered our prayers to establish this new church. We have fifteen committed core members who are growing in maturity. The church has a growing fringe and plenty of opportunities to do evangelism.... continue reading
28 months ago, Adrian Watts left Oak Hill Theological College. He moved to Bradford and started a church plant with his fellow-pastor, Tom Swinney. Over the next couple of days, The Good Book Blog talks to Adrian about why he chose to plant in Bradford and how things are going ...
Why plant a church rather than go on staff at an existing one?
The most obvious route out of Bible college is to become an Assistant Pastor to gain experience. However, within the independent sector there are very few vacancies to be an Assistant Pastor, particularly in West Yorkshire. The churches are generally small with few resources and they cannot afford assistants. This lead to two possibilities: we could either work in another part of the country or begin a new work in Bradford. Since the purpose was to work in West Yorkshire. We planted a new church.... continue reading
Experiencing joy and peace can easily be seen as the ‘norm’ for the Christian. Yet so often, we find that life hurts.
One of the hardest things about suffering is when we do not know why it has happened. Often God does not explain why. He wants us to trust him in our trouble.
Phil Crowter, author of several books in the Pray/Prepare/Preach series came face to face with the reality of terminal cancer. In his book Preaching Job, he points out that the Bible gives us many good reasons for the troubles we face in life. God uses trouble in our lives to produce good things. Here’s Phil’s list of useful points to consider when life is hurting:... continue reading
Happy world animal day! I do hope you're enjoying this special 24 hours. Personally, I'm reeling slightly from the disappointment that my place of work hasn't made today the suggested "bring your pet to work day". Instead I have had to leave my furry creatures at home and make do with Algenon the warehouse spider as my sole non-human companion. Such are life's challenges(!)
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But leaving aside, for a moment, my personal traumas... It does occur to me that evangelical Christians rarely give much thought to the place of animals in the world. Which, considering the first job given to humans at creation was to "rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground" (Genesis 1:26) is an omission that we could do with addressing...... continue reading
Things have changed enormously since I was at school. Sex education for me, was an embarrassed biology teacher mumbling about plants and flowers, and what turned out to be rather speculative and misinformed rumours from the lads smoking behind the bike sheds.
Now we have a planned education system about families, relationships, sex and sexuality running from primary school onwards. On the one hand that's great: I've always thought it strange that we should be so coy and secretive about the realities of a subject so important and wonderful. On the other hand not so great: in that it is taught in a way that is "value free" - suggesting that homosexuality is a lifestyle choice like any other. Great in that it teaches not to persecute those who are different. Not so great in that it suggests that sex (properly protected) can be without consequences. ... continue reading
This week we are running a series of blog posts following Vaughan Roberts’ interview on how he struggles with same-sex attraction. This extract from the excellent Walking with Gay Friends (IVP) by Alex Tylee, helps us understand some of the barriers to the gospel that there are, and how we might break them down...
Having acknowledged how hard and complex it all is, what on earth are we to do when we try to communicate the gospel into all of this?
The first response is not to be put off. We probably need to witness to gay people slightly differently and perhaps more sensitively than we do to some other friends, but this does not mean that we should shy away from it completely, or that it is impossible. The gay community needs the gospel! Our gay friends need saving from a lost eternity. We cannot let fear or ignorance stop us from fulfilling the great commission with this particular lost and neglected mission field.... continue reading
Last week, Evangelicals Now published a brave and insightful interview with Vaughan Roberts where he spoke frankly about his same-sex orientation and his passion for Christ-likeness. Since then there has been a swathe of (mostly positive) public comment and rightly so. But what impact do interviews like this have on people who are quietly struggling with same-sex attraction in their local church? Today, the Good Book Blog asks one woman the question, "what difference has Vaughan's interview made to you?"
1. It's helped me relax
The impression you can get from the newspapers is that Christians are polarised when it comes to matters of sexuality. On one side you have the more liberal Christians who are happy to accept homosexual practice as a lifestyle that honours God; on the other you read about Evangelical Christians vehemently denouncing homosexual practice as heinous sin. To read a wise, gentle and biblical account which is clear that gay sex is outside of God's plan for his people but also empathetic towards those who struggle is so wonderful.... continue reading
