Picking a Path Through the Egalitarian Scorched Earth

Dani Treweek – prompted by the recent travails of the SBC – has been writing from a complementarian perspective on some of the issues with both current complementarian and egalitarian arguments. Ever thoughtful, this one (and the two linked in the post) are well worth checking out.

Belfast Reels

Andrew Roycroft speaks about the recent atrocity in Belfast as a son of that city. You can also read my article on what unfolded in Belfast from earlier this week here.

Why Was Jesus Baptized?

I was recently thinking about this question from the perspective of Mark’s gospel. Here, Patrick Schreiner answers it from the perspective of Matthew’s gospel.

Virtue Signalling in the Church

‘Is it possible for a Christian to be more concerned about the appearance of godliness in their own lives, rather than the existence of it? To sound like they love God, but deep down actually fear man? To talk of virtuous deeds yet be substantially empty of them? I am living proof that the answer to those questions is yes. The worst part is, I find myself obsessed with projecting virtue not just in the secular spaces in which I operate, but in the stomping ground of my local church. The one place where virtue ought to be developed in a real and substantive way has instead become a home for shallow and performative signalling. Rather than being a place of willingly obscure sacrifice, it has devolved into a venue for not-so-subtle humble-bragging.’

The Curious Case of Extra Resurrections in Matthew 27:52

‘Imagine your shock. You mourned the death of a loved one. You watched him get buried. Not long afterward, the sky goes dark followed by an earthquake. Days later, still unsettled by these phenomena, your dead relative walks in the door. Only the Gospel of Matthew records this astounding detail. When Jesus rose, others rose with Him. What? Dead people came back to life and just walked out of their graves on the first Easter? Who were they? Why did this happen? Did they die again? Why did nobody but Matthew mention these resurrections?’

Where’s the challenge?

‘We want people to experience real, noticeable growth in their walk with Jesus. Challenge-based discipleship might not be the whole answer — but a church with nothing to rise to, no sacrifice required, no finish line in sight, probably isn’t the answer either.’

From the archive: Posh football players & church in deprived communities

‘We are all part of the body and we all serve different functions, each seeking to honour Christ using whatever skills and abilities and we have. As God is sovereign, he places us each – with our specific backgrounds and skills – in the churches in which he places us for his glory. If we are in our particular church – whatever background we might be from – the Lord has placed us there, with the specific background he has given us, to work for his glory. Contextualisation and representation both matter. But let’s not believe, in his sovereignty, the Lord can’t bring people who are totally different to us so that those we aren’t reaching, or don’t connect with so well (or, in different ways to those with whom we do), might display the manifold wisdom of God.’