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Christian Civilization: The Offer Jesus Refused
Christians are not called to be devoted to Christian civilization. They are called to be devoted to Christ. The moment the preservation, restoration, or expansion of a civilization becomes the controlling concern, Christ is displaced from the centre. This is the same temptation Jesus faced in the wilderness. Satan offered him “all the kingdoms of the world and their splendour” (Matthew 4:8), but…
Loving Enemies Without Enabling Harm
“Love your enemies” is one of Jesus’ most challenging teachings, partly because we often misunderstand what love means. Loving an enemy does not mean pretending that everything they do is acceptable, agreeing with them, or refusing to name harm when we see it. Christian love is not sentimental kindness that avoids discomfort. It is a commitment to seek the good of the other person while still…
Time, Space, and Following Jesus: A Christian Vision of Reality
What kind of universe makes faith possible? This may seem like an abstract philosophical question, but our understanding of reality shapes how we understand God, human freedom, and what it means to follow Jesus. Christianity has always asked questions about God’s relationship to creation, time, and knowledge. Modern physics does not answer these questions for us, but it challenges some of our…
Who Is Lucifer? The Story Behind the Name
The Fallen Angel (1847) by Alexandre Cabanel Everyone thinks they know who Lucifer is. In popular culture, Lucifer is the devil before his fall from heaven. He was the highest of angels, corrupted by pride and cast out in rebellion against God. He appears in novels, films, television series, heavy metal lyrics, and esoteric traditions. The story is so familiar that few people ever stop to ask…
Is Criticizing Netanyahu Antisemitic?
Was Nathan antisemitic for confronting King David? Was Elijah antisemitic for denouncing King Ahab? Was John the Baptist antisemitic for rebuking Herod Antipas? Of course not. Calling Israel’s rulers to account is one of the oldest prophetic traditions in Scripture. So why shouldn’t a follower of Jesus, himself a Jew who stood in that same prophetic tradition, speak against injustice wherever it…
The Curse of Ham? Refuting Racist Readings of Genesis 9
Noah’s Drunkeness (1896–1902) by James Tissot What Is the “Curse of Ham”? For centuries, some Christians claimed that Genesis 9 teaches God placed a curse on Ham, the ancestor of many African peoples, and that this curse justified the enslavement and subjugation of his descendants. This interpretation became one of the principal theological defences of the transatlantic slave trade,…
Justice, Witness, and the Limits of Politics
As a Christian activist, I believe political engagement has an important place. We should seek justice, defend the vulnerable, and speak truth to power. Love of neighbour demands no less. But we should also remember the limits of politics. Laws can restrain evil. They can protect people from harm. They can create a more just society. But they cannot create a people shaped by love, forgiveness,…
Job Was Not an Israelite: Why That Matters More Than We Think
Job by Helen Seigel One aspect of the story of Job which seems under explored to me is the fact he was non-Israelite. Job came from the land of Uz, outside the covenant people, with no mention of Torah, Temple, priesthood, or promised land. Yet God says of him, “There is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil” (Job 1:8). If Lamentations…
Job Was Not an Israelite: Why That Matters More Than We Think
Job by Helen Seigel One aspect of the story of Job which seems under explored to me is the fact he was non-Israelite. Job came from the land of Uz, outside the covenant people, with no mention of Torah, Temple, priesthood, or promised land. Yet God says of him, “There is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil” (Job 1:8). If Lamentations…
Not a Time to Despair, but to Endure
This morning I find myself pondering Paul’s second letter to Timothy where it says: “But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous,…
Upstream of Theology: Why Christians Disagree
I am increasingly aware that many disagreements between Christians, and between people more generally, begin at a deeper level than theology itself. We often focus on differences in belief and practice, but the roots usually lie further upstream, at the level of epistemology and hermeneutics, knowledge and interpretation. Before we ask, “What does the Bible teach?”, we have already answered…
Why 1 Corinthians 14 Should Not Be Used To Silence Half The ChurchÂ
I have been thinking about the way 1 Corinthians 14 is used by some against women who wish to serve in the church. Paul cannot be forbidding all speech by women in 1 Corinthians 14:34–35, because earlier in the same letter he assumes that women pray and prophesy in the gathered church (1 Corinthians 11:5). Moreover, his concern in this passage is with women asking questions in the middle of the…
Who Is Responsible for Lust? Comparing Islamic Art and the Teachings of Jesus
I came across this image this evening, which i found disturbing. It features Mohammed, along with Buraq and Gabriel, visiting Hell, and seeing a demon punishing “shameless women” who had exposed their hair to strangers. For this crime of inciting lust in men, the women are strung up by their hair and burned for eternity. Persian, 15th century. What disturbed me most wasn’t just the violence of…
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Why seek to "save" Western Civilisation through Christianity?
I see many people like this today, voicing the idea that Western civilization can be saved by Christianity. The concern behind that claim is not hard to understand. There is a real sense of cultural drift and it can feel as though something foundational is slipping away. For many, Christianity represents that lost foundation. But even at the starting point, a crucial assumption is being made:…
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Prayer In the midst of Winter
Lord, In the midst of Winter,when the days are cold and wind can pierceremind us of the warmth of your love. When days are short, dawn comes late,and dusk arrives early remind us that in the darknessyour light still shines. When the flowers of spring still lie hidden in the earth,when leaves are off the trees, and the world can seem bleakremind us that Easter is but a short time away. And when…
The Illusion of Control in an Automated World
Every now and then someone makes a comment that makes me realise just how differently we see the world. For example, someone had a computer problem the other day, which I fixed, and found was most likely triggered by a patch. They said, “People shouldn’t be playing with our computers at night. And shouldn’t they be notifying us when they make changes?!” This made me realise, they actually seem to…
Who Is the “Holy Spirit” in the Qur’an?
Something I have noticed from studying the Qur’an is that the Holy Spirit is never clearly defined. Several passages place the Holy Spirit in connection with Jesus and with revelation, but the text never pauses to explain what or who the Holy Spirit is. Though I have often heard Muslims identify this figure with Jibril (Gabriel), such identification is never made explicit in the text…