For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away.
Two of the most common critiques of Christianity today come from very different directions. The first—hypocrisy—is not a critique of Christianity itself but of its failure to live up to its own vision. The second, however, strikes at the heart of what many have come to believe Christianity is: the doctrines of biblical inerrancy and... Continue Reading →
Reading is exhausting. That is because all good writing – indeed, all good art – is, to quote Jeanette Winterson, “conscious, and its effect on its audience is to stimulate consciousness”. In other words, the writer as artist seeks to bring a certain dissonance into the consciousness of the reader. Wrestling with the discomfort that... Continue Reading →
I am a good reader. It is hardly surprising because I have devoured books since I was small. Consequently, I was often asked to read the Bible passage at church, prior to the sermon. And I always used to add afterwards, even though it was not part of the liturgy, “This is the Word of... Continue Reading →
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 →
Facts are so inconvenient. They have an annoying habit of asking you to rethink your worldview. And rethinking worldviews is not something people generally like to do. In fact, we hate it so much that we will go to almost any lengths to avoid it. It takes a great deal of intellectual courage to stare... Continue Reading →
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 →
I would have preferred a zombie apocalypse. The world is on the edge of monumental change. You can feel it – war and famine and disease are becoming impossible to ignore; economies are collapsing, climate is shifting, scapegoating violence is on the rise in all its various forms as societies attempt to mitigate against imminent... Continue Reading →
Here’s the thing: no matter how appealing or fascinating we might find other cultures, no matter how alluringly they might present themselves to us, the fact is that people do not – by and large – change cultures. Our understanding of what culture is does not allow it. We do not possess a conception of... Continue Reading →
My wife, son and I are traveling back from his Scouts meeting. Meg – in another subtle attempt to persuade Nathan that his omega 3 consumption is deficient – comments that she feels like eating pilchards on toast when we get home. Nathan gasps in horror. “Did you swear?” There is a faint hint of... Continue Reading →
You can either have a Father or you can have a God. You cannot have both. I used to use the phrase “Father God” in my prayers a lot. But no longer. The two are not compatible. This, I believe, is central to the teachings of Jesus. You see, both “Father” and “God” are relational... Continue Reading →
Vapors In The Wind 