The paradigms through which we engage the world shape the questions we are able to ask, and limit the truths we are able to see. Mostly our paradigmatic frameworks are invisible to us, and so we accept as normal and real the worlds with which we are presented. If you are a 21st Century Protestant... Continue Reading →
Reluctantly Hopeful
Today I want to respond to a comment on my last post. I had been talking about the Eucharist as a central symbol of the new way in which Christianity wanted to frame culture. I bemoaned the fact that in the way we practice it today we more or less completely miss the power of... Continue Reading →
Once Upon a Time
Here is a truth many will probably find unpalatable: our lives are based on stories. Now I do not think that this ought to be something that concerns us: it is perfectly normal and necessary. But it is something that we need to be aware of. Confusing our stories with reality can lead us into... Continue Reading →
What’s In A Name?
I find myself in the unenviable position, as a writer, of having a message that will alienate me from pretty much all potential readers. Non-Christian readers will be discouraged from reading by my advocacy of the primacy of Jesus, while Christian readers will be discouraged from reading by my rejection of what they regard as... Continue Reading →
Hope Evolves
As a father, I have heard of it happening to other people’s children but I never dreamt that it could happen to me. I have taken all the precautions that could reasonably be expected of me, and I believe I have been responsible and vigilant. But sometimes even your best efforts are just not enough... Continue Reading →
On Earth As It Is In Heaven
With low, brooding rainclouds and gently rolling hills, the Oxfordshire countryside was everything I had imagined it would be. I grew up reading Enid Blyton, Billy Bunter, and William, so driving down narrow country lanes, flanked by hedgerows laden with berries, seemed a bit like coming home after years away. But this was not my... Continue Reading →
Nobody Has A Theological Bird’s Eye-view
As Dr Peter Enns has pointed out, in his 2014 book: "The Bible Tells Me So: Why Defending Scripture Has Made Us Unable to Read It”, we are as far removed from the world of David and Samuel as the modern world is from the year 5000. Enns is a much respected scholar, who has... Continue Reading →