Bad Shepherds: When The Process is the Punishment
‘There’s an oft-repeated assertion in the church leadership world that the best safety net to abusive leadership is a rock solid process. And the best way to get a rock solid process is to have a rock solid system, such as a denomination, that is capable of putting a rock solid process in place. Wanna get rid of those bad shepherds we read about so often? Trust us, we’ve got the system to ensure it. Once there is a rock solid process… the real action can begin. And the real action? It pretty much ends up being a whole lot of inaction disguised by emails, paperwork and reports in a central office.’
Was Jehu’s Cunning Against the Baal Worshipers a Good Thing?
‘In Israel in the ninth century BC, under the influence of the house of Ahab, people had exchanged the truth about God for a lie. The lie was Baal. The worship of Baal was very bad indeed. All the evils of this regime were the fruit of this idolatry (see 2 Kings 9:22). It is no accident, therefore, that the account of Jehu dealing with the evil of the house of Ahab comes to its dramatic climax and conclusion in a terrible confrontation with the worship of Baal. What happened to the worshipers of Baal will horrify us. When we see what Jehu did, we will need to reflect on how Baal worship could be so bad that it incurred this response from the man appointed by God to judge.’
Gail’s, The Guardian, and a proxy war in the press
I wrote about some of the recent furore surrounding Gail’s Bakery here. I don’t usually link to secular pieces, but I thought this was a particularly interesting one from Mic Wright. He is a media critic and picks apart a recent Guardian piece on Gail’s.
Marriage (Really) Matters
Dani Treweek addresses a well-shared clip about marriage in this one. In the process, she helps us think about what the marriage covenant really is.
Stop Being Shocked When Christians Disagree with You
This is an important one from Trevin Wax, particularly in our current climate.
What is irresistible grace?
Joel Beeke takes us through this one.
From the archive: Preaching on or preaching to?
‘My heart sinks when people decide to ditch their sermon series in Judges or 1 Timothy (or whatever) because they decide that some current event is more worthy of a sermon of its own than the Word of God. But I equally don’t see how the pastor who is concerned about applying the Word well to his flock can plough on in his series in Judges or 1 Timothy (or wherever) and not ask, what does this passage say to us about the major events that are currently affecting our lives?’