Thoughts on Everyday Theology

Articles exploring the implications of faith
The Church Universal

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...

Fasting in an Age of Indulgence

Fasting in an Age of Indulgence

“And when you fast…” - Matt 6:16 If a 1st century Christian could enter a time-machine and jump into the 21st century, what would they think about Western Christians today? What one thing would strike them the most? I suspect that they would be shocked at how little...

Reverence: A High Call for Low Church

Reverence: A High Call for Low Church

Like many evangelicals, I used to take pride in the decorative simplicity of my church. If we are to worship in Spirit and Truth (John 4:24), then why get carried away with ornate buildings, priestly garments, and religious imagery? I’m sure I said a number of times,...

Church Unity, What?

Church Unity, What?

In his letter to the Ephesians, Paul urges Christians to be “eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace,” because “there is one body and one Spirit.” Across his letters, he makes it clear that believers together make up Christ’s body on earth, with...

The Virtue of Being Single

The Virtue of Being Single

"The unmarried man is anxious about the affairs of the Lord, how to please the Lord; but the married man is anxious about the affairs of the world, how to please his wife, and his interests are divided." (1 Cor 7:32-34) “There are eunuchs who have been so from birth,...

Worship in Spirit and Truth

Worship in Spirit and Truth

‘God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.’ (John 4:24) The question of how we ought to worship has given rise to bitter conflict in the body of Christ. So well-known is the controversy that it has its own name: ‘worship wars’. Moderns...

The Significance of the Virgin Birth

The Significance of the Virgin Birth

A high school student recently asked this question: What’s the point of the virgin birth? It doesn’t really add anything to the story. Everything could have happened as it did. There just doesn’t seem to be a point. And wasn’t the point that Jesus came to earth as a...

How should Christians approach thinking about tradition?

How should Christians approach thinking about tradition?

It is difficult to be neutral about the idea of tradition. Either you are attracted to it, or you are repelled by it. This is especially true when it comes to the Christian faith. Many Christians are attracted by the idea of being part of tradition. The liturgy, the...