Church
Complement, Coworker or Doormat?
Three main streams of thought on the roles of men and women exist within the church. They are briefly defined below. For a fuller explanation, click here. Complementarianism (n.) The belief that men and women have complementary roles and responsibilities in marriage and the church. Leadership roles are prescribed for men; support roles are [...]
Pastor’s Wife or Superwoman?
The yellowing leaves of ancient trees shivered in the early autumn breeze. The picnic food was gone, but the church people lingered to chat. A woman with a troubled expression pulled up her chair next to mine. Intensely lowering her voice, she shared her concern. “We’ve been trying to find a pastor for a while, [...]
Does architecture enhance worship?
I enjoyed visiting St. Stephen’s Anglican Church in Newtown (Sydney) on Saturday for a wedding. The church was constructed in the 1870s by Edmond Blacket. You would probably be more familiar with his “other” designs – The University of Sydney and St. Andrews Cathedral. While waiting for the wedding to start I took some notes [...]
Helping Oppressors or the Oppressed?
Because the weight of the recent discussion about wifely submission has leaned towards the topic of abuse within marriage, I’ve been seeking the Lord for more clarity on this painful issue. First Peter 3 encourages wives to adorn their spirit by quietly hoping in God through respect and submission. But repeated or prolonged patterns of [...]
Grace for Slackers
“Woman, get in your place and stay there!” With these words in last week’s post I was preaching boldly to myself while some of my readers were startled. If you are a woman who has heard those words spoken without compassion and understanding, I apologise for setting a tone that may have alarmed you. I [...]
Projection Software for Church Services
I remember the first time I saw a data projector used in a church service. The unit was the size of a carry-on piece of luggage and it also acted as a convergence device with a built in VCR! Today, you would be hard pressed to find a church without some integration of a data [...]
Top 5 Kids Songs
If you grew up going to Sunday School, then - like me – you probably have many songs stuck in our head. The older I get, the more I appreciate the life truths that these songs declare. Next to Scripture memory, I can’t think of better words to have circulating in my head. Here are my top 5 [...]
Spice Up Your Public Bible Reading
Switching on my iPod, I prepared to skip the Bible reading and go straight to the preaching. But something about the well-modulated tones stridently spiced with a Bronx accent arrested my attention. Aside from the fact that the woman’s voice was reading from a modern translation, this oral presentation of God’s Word brought fresh perspective [...]
Labels … More Harm than Good?
Do you every wonder why Spirituality is respected, but Religion is a dirty word? Consider the myriad of Christian terms: Protestant, Orthydox; Reformed, Charismatic; Fundamentalist, Evangelical; And this is before we use sub-denominations, philosophies or personalities. If this definition growth continues, we will soon run out of phone boxes to meet in. Through history, Christ’s followers have fought long and significant [...]
On Frightening Timothy
It is an evil thing and a bitter to frighten Timothy. And it is woefully easy to do. Timothy is very young. He always was! He always will be! Timothy has solved the problem of perpetual youth. He will never grow old. He was very young when he went up to Corinth that first time. [...]
Cultivating a Culture of Growth in the Church
Another sad story of church stagnation. Faces lined with weary stubbornness dot the congregation. Numbers are depleted since our last visit a few years ago, but besides the smaller numbers, nothing has changed except the decorations in the church lobby. Knowing a little of the background of this once thriving church, I wonder what led [...]
Straight Talk about Gay Guys
He was massaging my scalp and crooning a love song, twirling just a little in his high heels. My hairdresser, that is. Hot numbers from the karaoke all-time favourites list are his specialty. To make conversation I asked if he had ever performed in public (I meant outside of the hair salon). He confessed that [...]
