Resident Aliens

The Babel fiasco in Genesis, which we looked at in the previous instalment of this mini-series, is quickly followed in the timeline of salvation by the account of Abraham (Ge 12.1ff). This looks very much like a ray of light into what otherwise looks like a very dark landscape in a very dark world...

For almost as long as I can remember as a Christian I have found myself musing on the question of what makes a good Bible translation. I grew up in a part of the world in which, for many professing Christians, this was simply a non-question There was only one ‘good’ version and it was ‘Authorised...

This article is the sequel to Aliens and Strangers . As I sit down to write this second instalment of our reflections on the question of where we as human beings really belong, our family is waiting to take possession of our new home in Wales. Almost a year ago we watched the contents of our last...

Making Sense of the Here and Now There is something deep within the human psyche that longs to be ‘home’ – to be settled in a place where we belong. Yet for many it is a frustrated longing. For some because they are, by virtue of their circumstances, dislocated from where they want to be. It may be...

Fides sola est quae justificat; fides quae justificat non est sola . Latinisms can have a wonderful way of crystallising issues in theological reflection – so with this one: ‘It is faith alone that justifies; but faith that justifies is never alone!’ This isn’t just a statement about the alone-ness...

When the Banner of Truth Trust published the second volume of his Collected Writings in 1977, John Murray’s views on effectual calling sparked off animated debate in Reformed circles at that time. He challenged the formulation found in the Westminster Shorter Catechism that defines effectual...

There are few places in Scripture where we are given deeper insight into the anatomy of a life of prayer than in the book of Daniel. The well-known words of the old children’s chorus, ‘Daniel was a man of prayer…’ could not be more apt! This great man who was so greatly used for such a great length...

It’s the kind of question a child so often asks, but also the question that adults find so hard to answer; then again, it’s the question that pastors most dread facing. When someone has died and there is no indication they were ever converted, where do they go when they leave this world behind? It’...

Who Cares for the Carers? They are the unsung heroes of the 21 st Century – an entire army of family members, friends and neighbours who just want to help. They are the ‘Carers’. Some care for disabled children and adults, others for those whose lives have been shattered through accident, war or...

Life and relationships have become all too superficial in our present age. It is the easiest thing in the world to say we know someone and yet really have nothing more than a nodding acquaintance. Indeed with the influence of the media - television in particular - it is possible to see some famous...