Seven up…

1) A Place for God – I appreciated this free download of the opening chapter of Pete Nicholas’ new book seeking to navigate timeless questions for modern times. Tim Keller provides the foreword, which is a great read too.

2) Parents, We Get to Pray – So much well-worn wisdom in this from Kathleen Nielson.

3) Many Strategies Fail Because They’re Not Actually Strategies – Some helpful stuff here from HBR.

4) Sowing Truth and Trusting God – We plant, we water, we serve… this is an encouraging brief little video reflecting on a season of trial and change and God’s providence.

5) Ofsted Survey on Sexual Harassment in Schools – Concerning data in this report suggesting that sexual harassment has been entirely normalised in our schools. Huge questions about the narrative of sexual freedom here, as well as the impact of pornography. Is sexual fulfilment the key to human flourishing? Is freedom to express our desires a basic human right? Is porn really neutral? As Peter Lynas tweeted, ‘when stories clash in post-truth culture, it revers to a power grab’. Or, as Rachel Gardner put it, ‘Porn is what happens when a society hates women… hates sex, intimacy, children, stable relationships & a safe society.’

6) Humpback whale gulps and spits out Cape Cod lobsterman – What can I say? Jonah 2.0.

7) The greatest ever songs of the summer – ranked! – For something a bit different, we’re just about halfway through June so clearly it’s time to compile those summer playlists. Some strong choices here from The Guardian. What would you include?

Seven up…

1) Why did you first consider Christianity? That was the question posed to former atheist Brent Beshore by one of his atheist friends. And this was his response…

2) Five Ways to Survive & Thrive 2021 – I’ve registered for this CPAS June webinar on how to “use the summer season for restoration ahead of the autumn term”. Free and two different time slots for attending on 16 June. Why not join me?

3) Eating Out with your Kids when Hell is real – Maybe a clickbait-headline, but it references a common charge levelled against people of faith. How can Christians (or anyone else) believe that our eternal destinies are dependent upon personal choices in this life, and yet then not spent all their waking hours (and perhaps sleeping hours too) persuading people to make the right choice? How can we ever dine out, or watch movies, or… sleep?! But actually this is a question that every human faces every day…

4) Inseparably Together at the Friends Reunion – As the Friends ‘Reunion’ was broadcast last week, Jen Logan reflects on the phenomenon of the Friends concept.

5) A Few Thoughts On Writing – I enjoyed these pithy thoughts on writing in the current world.

6) Free Evangelism eBooks – Two brilliant books on sharing your faith currently available for free download: Firstly, Evangelism as Exiles: Life on Mission as Strangers in Our Own Land by Elliot Clark draws on Clark’s years of ministry in a Muslim-majority nation and guides us through 1 Peter offering striking insights for today. Secondly, Honest Evangelism by Rico Tice aims to excite and equip Christians to share their faith, even when its tough.

7) Cow in love with Accordion – For something a bit different, cow, forest, accordion. What’s not to love?

Seven up…

1) Martin Bashir, the BBC and the Diana interview: Why as Christians we should always strive for honesty and integrity – Christian comedian and BBC employee Paul Kerensa reflects on this big news story from the last week.

2) Beautiful Difference: The (Whole-Bible) Complementarity of Male and Female – Not got through all of this yet, but it seems to be a fascinatingly holistic and stimulating presentation of the notion of male/female complementarity (note: not ‘complementarianism’, although he might have some similar coverage). It’s especially good because Andrew Wilson doesn’t pull any punches where we might exaggerate the difference between male and female – and even if you disagree on where he believes the Scriptures take this in the church, this is well worth the time and energy. As he puts it, “The Jewish-Christian vision of sexual complementarity…reflects our vision of cosmological complementarity—and ultimately, behind it, the beautiful difference of Creator and creation, God and Israel, Christ and church, Lamb and Bride.”

3) How to talk to strangers about Jesus – Some creative ideas reported by UCCF Staff Worker Meg Conway from her recent experiences with students.

4) Kate Forbes – Two striking articles in the British press this week about the Christian and Scottish Finance Secretary, Kate Forbes MSP, firstly on the BBC and then this opinion piece (reflecting on her BBC interview) in The Spectator (with a much-tweeted line about Scottish denominations). I loved this explanation of her beliefs: “To be straight, I believe in the person of Jesus Christ. I believe that he died for me, he saved me and that my calling is to serve and to love him and to serve and love my neighbours with all my heart and soul and mind and strength. So that for me is essential to my being. Politics will pass – I am a person before I was a politician and that person will continue to believe that I am made in the image of God.“

5) Love in the Marketplace – What’s for sale on online dating sites? – This long-form piece from Mary Harrington, writer at UnHerd, is a perceptive, wide-ranging and stimulating cultural reflection on belonging and marriage and much more besides.

6) Dawkins’ Grilled on ‘Immorality’ of bringing a child with Down’s Syndrome into the world – Fair play to radio host Brendan O’Connor for politely and persistently pushing Dawkins on this. As Tom Holland puts it, ‘The assumption that all human life is of equal value is, as Dawkins intimates, a theological one. Or as Nietzsche long ago recognised, “when one gives up the Christian faith, one pulls the right to Christian morality out from under one’s feet.. When the English actually believe that they know “intuitively” what is good and evil, when they therefore suppose that they no longer require Christianity as the guarantee of morality, we merely witness the effects of the dominion of the Christian value judgment.”‘

7) Getting Married in the Church of England – An Update – For something a bit different, this caught my eye as I took my first wedding in a loooong while yesterday, and if you hadn’t spotted it, we now have new arrangements for the registration of marriages. Dead simple they are…