Being angry biblically
Is there a way to be biblically angry? This one thinks so and looks to the Psalms to make its case. The question here isn’t ‘is it okay to be angry?’ so much as ‘when I am angry with just cause, what should I do about it?’
5 Characteristics of a Great Small Group Leader
This one looks at the things that make for a good small group leader.
12 Theses on Church Buildings
This one is excellent. I really appreciated these thoughts on church buildings.
Babel & the Sin of Glorifying Ourselves
‘The great sin of the city of Babel is not tower-building, or unified labor [sic] toward a societal goal. The sin of Babel is the sin of seeking independence from God.’
10 Mistakes I Made When I Took a Sabbatical
If you ever get one, well worth being aware of these particular pitfalls. Take note!
How Far Does an Elder’s Authority Go?
As I have just written a book on eldership, and having quoted Jeremy Rinne a number of times in it, this one caught my eye. This one explores how far elders’ authority in the church goes.
From the archive: If it’s possible to game the system, it suggests the system isn’t fit for purpose
‘If we have come from an arts and humanities background (like I did), wedding ourselves to this mode of learning means that those of us who were able to use the system to our advantage the first time (and, I suspect, there are quite a lot of us in reality) will be able to do exactly the same thing in the pursuit of higher grades in our theological colleges. Whilst that may look wonderful on our published stats of pastors who got first class honours on our BTh and passes with distinction on our MTh, it doesn’t do a great deal for the churches to whom we then send those same people out. We might have helped them parse information and present it nicely in papers that (appear to) weigh arguments and gain good grades, but we won’t have done much to help the day to day nuts and bolts of life in vocational ministry.’
I wonder if I might contribute my own recommendation, which could be of interest to the blog owner as well as others.
I’ve just come across a new substack which combines insight from neuroscience, psychoanalysis, and biblical teaching. There are only three articles on it at the moment, but that is enough for me to assess its high value, and there is considerable agreement between the content and what I have come to understand from my experience of trauma-informed secular psychotherapy – even to the extent that both the substack author and a presentation that I have seen have references to the same neuroscience textbook.
The introductory substack post includes the following: “Here, we’ll look at the Bible and mental health together with curiosity, compassion, and respect for how God made us. You can expect thoughtful reflections on Scripture, especially verses about the mind, emotions, suffering, and renewal. We’ll talk about anxiety, depression, trauma, hope, and other mental health topics from both a biblical and neuroscience point of view.”
https: //thechristianmindreset. substack. com/
(Spaces inserted to prevent hyperlinking.)