I recently read a fabulous article reflecting on lament and hope in a COVID-19 world. Cathy Ross draws on the books of Lamentations and 1 Peter to wrestle with how voicing pain can be a path to healing. This means that lament can actually be a way of keeping hope […]
We’ve been discussing TB Joshua on and off for weeks, but thus far I’d mainly been listening and asking questions. They had obviously picked up that I was not enthusiastic about him, but I haven’t actually said why. But this week I decided to take the plunge, and what it […]
Every morning on the way back from dropping Elliot at school I stop and talk with some ladies selling food on the side of the road. Recently we have been discussing the Nigerian ‘Man of God’ TB Joshua. They are convinced that he can offer healing to Red Twin, if […]
Each Good Friday we pause to consider the son of God hanging on a cross, humiliated, broken and weak. And for many of us, I suspect that this is deeply guilt inducing. We know we should feel thankful but we secretly formulate this year’s list of sins: gossip, nagging, making-good-things-ultimate, […]
“Being a doctor is just delaying people’s deaths.” Have you heard this line before? It’s an argument used to encourage people into full-time vocational ministry. The idea is that medicine isn’t worth doing because everyone eventually dies and ministry is more valuable because it lasts into eternity. That sounds like […]
I approached No More Hurting: Life Beyond Sexual Abuse by Gwen Purdie, with considerable caution after the disappointment of Feminine Threads and I am My Sister’s Keeper, also from publisher Christian Focus. However, this is an excellent resource both for those who have experienced sexual abuse and for those who […]
In 2 Samuel 13, Tamar, violated, shamed, manipulated, de-humanised, debilitated, grieved, isolated and humiliated by an act of sexual violence asks, “Where could I get rid of my disgrace?” The question appears to be unanswered. In Rid of My Disgrace, Justin and Lindsey Holcomb, who work with sexual assault victims […]
