3 reasons not to mention Greek and Hebrew words in a sermon
I am pretty much on board with this. Very rarely is referencing the Greek or Hebrew necessary, it is often wrong (or, at least, over-stated) and rarely adds much to a sermon. I can see some cases where we might do it, where it is really significant to do so, but by and large, I agree. If you can’t make your point in English you probably don’t have much cause to make it at all.
Should we try to control who is in our lives?
As with the previous post, I do think there are exceptional cases where we might have distance ourselves from people (but that bar should be very high and particularly rare). But I largely agree with this one: ‘I have become persuaded that seeking to control who is in and out of our lives is in large part more American than it is Christian. I believe this for three main reasons.’
The best thing for the British mission movement
‘The best thing that could happen for the British mission movement is for one or two high profile agencies to go bankrupt.’ Stick with Eddie Arthur on this one, there’s more (but not less) to it.
Kate Forbes: Would a Christian be permitted to lead Scotland?
David Robertson takes a look at the SNP leadership bid of Kate Forbes, a professing Christian and member of the Free Church of Scotland. The usual furore has already been stirred surrounding her Christian beliefs. The question is, how much will it really matter? See also my post from earlier in the week Thoughts on Kate Forbes’ SNP Leadership Bid.
The Last Post
I have had similar thoughts about twitter of late. I’ve still not quite decided to jump ship, but I read this one and had a great deal of sympathy with it.
The lost art of handing out gospel tracts
It is considered passé by many, old fashioned by others, but I think there is something in this: ‘It’s been more than twenty years since I handed my first tracts… But even today I still get scared. It’s still awkward almost every time. And yet, I continue to feel compelled, even privileged, to do this uncomfortable, scary work of handing out tracts. If you’ve been terrified to share the gospel or have hesitated to use tracts to do so, here are a few reasons that may cause you to reconsider.’
From the archive: Four suggestions for theological education
‘I have commented before about the need for change in theological education. If we are going to serve those from deprived communities, and train those who might go to them (and, to be honest, train those in middle class communities better for the actual task to which they’ve been called) I think we need to overhaul our approach to teaching. Let me offer four suggestions on how we might see some helpful change.’