Seven up…

1) Power and Authority in the Church and Home – This talk by Christian psychologist Diane Langberg, originally given in 2013, is getting widely shared in light of recent discussions about power and spiritual abuse. If you’re in some form of Christian leadership, this is well worth 55 minutes of your time. Be prepared to feel uncomfortable.

2) Persecution of Christians review – Make what you will of Jeremy Hunt, this is an encouraging development for the sake of persecuted Christians around the world. As Secretary of State, Hunt commissioned the Bishop of Truro, Philip Mounstephen, to conduct a review of the Foreign Office’s support for persecuted Christians. As the Bishop puts it, “If one minority is on the receiving end of 80% of religiously motivated discrimination, it is simply not just that they should receive so little attention.” Hunt’s speech to launch the report this week had some encouraging signs of change: he highlighted the “decimation” of some of Christianity’s “oldest and most enduring communities”; urged for the language of Christophobia to help draw attention to this; and – crucially – advised that Foreign Office staff at home and abroad should undergo mandatory training on religious literacy. I was also intrigued to hear Hunt say that he had read the Christian biography, God’s Smuggler, when he was 10, and say that “as the Christian doctrine of Original Sin reminds us, the capacity for wickedness is inherent in the human condition.” By the way, if you want an example of the chilling impact of Christian persecution, read this piece by Telegraph journalist Tim Stanley on Christianity in Iraq, which seems “close to extinction”.

3) Love in an Age of Information Overload – Thought-provoking article on what love looks like when we consider the economy of attention. Challenging in a hyper-connected age.

4) Keswick Convention 2019 Livestream – It’s Keswick Convention time! Three weeks of rich and warm preaching of God’s word and the opportunity for rest, Christ-centred encouragement and catch-ups in the spectacular surroundings of the Lake District. And if you can’t get to Keswick (no charge for the convention, by the way), you can now stream online the morning and evening sessions through Keswick’s Youtube channel. 2019’s convention theme is longing: the desire for a greater knowledge of God captivated those who founded the Keswick Convention and longing lies at the heart of the Christian life. Week 1 will go through Psalms in the morning Bible teaching, and selected parables of Jesus in the evenings; Week 2 looks at Song of Songs in the mornings and 1 Peter in the evenings; Week 3 looks at Romans 8 in the mornings and Genesis 11-23 in the evenings. Tune in!

5) The Somewhat Improbable Fables of Bob #1 & #2 – Strange name (it’ll make sense once you get reading), but wow, these two opening posts are helpful, funny, and revealing! Too often Christians can approach the Bible in a manner whereby we throw out the window all our normal sense of how to listen well to someone.

6) What Calvin Might Say to Church Planters Today – Dan Steel shares some helpful insights from a recent book on a neglected aspect of John Calvin’s ministry, ‘Calvin’s Company of Pastors’.

7) Thread: Floyd Martin retires after nearly 35 years as a mailman tomorrow. I went with him on his route today – For something a bit different, I remember seeing this a few months ago, but I can’t remember if I linked to it or not. If I didn’t, then check it out. It’s joyous. If I already did, well, apologies, but, hey, it’s joyous!

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1) Talking about Toy Story 4 – The team at Faith in Kids share four simple conversation starters for families around some of the key themes in this summer’s big family blockbuster.

2) How to survive an intense season of ministry – Helpful stuff from Chris Green.

3) Awesome Cutlery New Album Kickstarter – In our house we’re big fans of Awesome Cutlery’s family-friendly Christian music – ever since their debut album came out in 2016. So we’re inevitably really excited about the prospect of album number 2! Why not help the guys make it possible by getting behind their kickstarter. (To be honest, if you’re going to get a copy of the album at some point, why not just pay now?!) My review of the first album is here.

4) Grace at Glastonbury – Nell Goddard reflects on Stormzy’s headline set at Glastonbury and in particular the remarkable moment when he introduced and performed his hit ‘Blinded By Your Grace (Part 2)’ and 100,000 festival-goers sang along.

5) You Are Not Too Old for Lullabies – Enjoyed this post over at the Rabbit Room. What’s the soundtrack to your days?

6) What Love Island tells us about the value of kindness – Interesting comment piece on the value and motivation for kindness in The Guardian, inspired by antics on the popular TV series.

7) The World’s Shortcut: How the Panama Canal Works – For something a bit different, I kind of stumbled upon this, but who knew!? Oh and come on, there must be sermon illustration in here somewhere…

Seven up…

1) The Reformed (Assistant) Pastor – Great post full of wisdom about serving as an assistant minister in a church.

2) The Land Where the Internet Ends – Where can you go in the West to get off-the-grid, and what might those living there have to say to us?

3) “No Outsiders” – A transcript of a very helpful and careful reflection on the nature of true tolerance, given by Christian minister and school governor Mike Smith at the recent National Association of Head Teachers’ Conference, as he reflected on the popular and controversial ‘No Outsiders’ programme, used by some primary schools to teach the Equality Act.

4) Daily Routines of Famous Creative People – Turns out great minds don’t think alike. Fun interactive chart.

5) Walking With – Set-up this week in order to support those who have been affected by the alleged abusive activities of a senior church leader, this church-run website seems exemplary in terms of modelling how we face allegations of abuse by church leaders. One temptation would be to not want to draw attention to it, with some perhaps feeling it would bring the gospel into disrepute. Yet this is mistaken belief; “the gospel is not served by cover ups”. I trust that highlighting this is about helping us all examine our own church cultures and practices, affirming those affected who have come forward (and possibly thus encouraging others to do so), and modelling a culture where we do not ignore unrepentant sin – wherever and whoever it stems from – but have the courage to learn from facing a horrific situation. As Vaughan Roberts, President of the Proclamation Trust, said in his statement at the Evangelical Ministry Assembly this week, “I apologise to those for whom this particular situation seems distant because you come from a different country or Christian circle. But this is a very serious issue for many of us and, anyway, all Christians would do well to reflect on the issues it raises.” You can watch the session from the EMA featuring Vaughan Roberts, the local safeguarding officer, and a barrister on the ‘Walking With’ site. Christopher Ash’s two articles in the resources section are an important read: ‘How to respond when Church leaders fall’ and ‘How should we respond when a Church leader is guilty of abuse?’ Duncan Forbes has also helpfully written about what Christians shouldn’t say when an abuse story surfaces.

6) 12 Ways Your Phone Is Changing You (free eBook) – Described as “a necessary book for our generation”, this is a challenging and insightful read – and for a limited time you can download a free electronic version when you complete the short survey by the publisher linked above.

7) Cardiff Met, a university team whose players pay £150 subs, prepare to make debut in Europa League – For something a bit different, this is a great story I’d not come across ’til this week. And if football’s not your cup of tea, Jeremy Vine’s ‘My Boris Johnson story’ is a head-shaking read. And if Boris Johnson’s not your cup of tea, then, well, eek.