Thoughts on Everyday Theology
Articles exploring the implications of faith
Done With Praising The Lord?
Editor's Preface: My friend John challenges us to think about the difference between the reality of God, and conventional names we use for God - a difference we may sometimes forget about. He leads you to examine the foundations of our Christian faith and distinguish...
Desiring and Knowing God
Editor's Preface: My friend Julian’s PhD research asked: ‘Can our desire for God tell us anything - all by itself, without the Bible - about who God is?’ I asked Julian to summarise what he learned in this blog post. I hope you find it interesting! - Barney The...
One Truth, Many Religions?
1. The Rise of Pluralism It used to be easy to assume that other religions are wrong and mine is obviously right, without even giving reasons. Those who belonged to ‘other religions’ were far away from me, also foreign in their culture, and clearly wrong about so...
Visiting a Charismatic Catholic Conference
The collision of ‘Spirit-filled’ and ‘Sacramental’ worlds at a Charismatic Catholic conference made me reflect on the value of both these traditions and their power when they are together.
What I Learned in Prison
The following four accounts were originally separate blog posts, recording my experiences of a series of visits to a maximum security prison. Their purpose is to show how my perspective was transformed through real-life encounters with people I do not normally meet. ...
What should we think of ‘allegorical’ interpretations of Scripture?
What are the most fundamental rules for interpreting the Bible? Here are some ways it is often formulated: A passage cannot mean now what it didn’t mean then. We must put a text in its cultural-historical context. The goal is to discover what the biblical author...
The Problem of Evil
Many have lost their faith, others never had faith, for this reason. It appears as a blatant contradiction at the heart of Christian theology. How can we say that God is good, and that nothing is impossible for him, when so many things happen that no good God would...
The Worthiness of God
At a recent church retreat, we were given the topic "The Worthiness of God" and asked to write a short reflection. I decided to write from a philosophical point of view. The Bible reference at the end is Paul quoting a Greek poet. Slowly, slowly I gain consciousness,...
Should you ever deny your faith? Reflections on the movie ‘Silence’
Spoiler alert! Do not read this if you want to watch the movie without knowing the ending. Summary of the Plot Christianity has been outlawed in Japan. Unless you deny your faith (‘recant’) you will be tortured and killed. But where the authorities formerly targeted...
The Church Universal
This Christmas eve, I went to Brecon Cathedral for Christmas carols with my wife and her family. This is my second year joining the family in this sacred tradition. As usual, we first went to the Castle Hotel and had roast dinner (yum) with coffee and tea for the...