Blog
Watched by the World: Forgiveness as Gospel Witness
When Paul wrote to Philemon, he did something easy to overlook. He did not address the letter to Philemon alone. He addressed it to Philemon, Apphia, Archippus, and—pointedly—to the church that met in Philemon’s home. This was not a private note slipped discreetly...
Two Different Things: Forgiveness and Reconciliation
One of the most important clarifications a Christian can make when navigating the aftermath of being wronged is the conviction that forgiveness and reconciliation, while deeply related, are not the same thing. Conflating them causes real harm. It leads some people to...
Before Reconciliation: The Posture of Forgiveness
There is a confusion that potentially does a great deal of damage to Christian discipleship. It is the assumption that forgiveness and reconciliation are the same thing—that if reconciliation has not happened, forgiveness has not been extended. This misunderstanding...
Bible study porn: The role of community in Bible study
When Zack Snyder’s Man of Steel was released in 2013, one reviewer critiqued its closing act as “violence porn.” Bryan Singer’s 2006 Superman Returns had been criticised as light on action. Snyder overcorrected with Man of Steel. The excessive action included a final...
Helpful Love: Sharing and Showing Christ’s Love to Saints and Strangers
Paul’s concern in Romans 12:10–13 centres on authentic love within the body of Christ—love that is genuine and without hypocrisy. Christian love must necessarily be genuine, for, as Martin Luther observes, “Love is never more defiled than when it is tinged with...
Hopeful Love: The Key to Christian Consistency
The term “fair-weather friend” describes a person who is supportive and friendly in good times but who disappears in difficulties. Tragically, many churches know the reality of fair-weather Christians, who profess Christ when things are going smoothly but who, as...