A learning God?

Does God learn? How does that fit in with our theology? What would it mean if he does? What does it mean if he doesn’t?

Reflection on Shared Conversations

This week I have been part of the Church of England’s Shared Conversations on Scripture, Mission and Human Sexuality. They have been set up by the bishops as a way of discussing rather than simply debating.

Thinking about Hell

We don’t think about hell enough! And that is damaging our understanding of humanity and Christianity. That’s the challenge that I encountered last week, and now it’s Advent Sunday, which is traditionally a time of preparation for Christmas, with a focus on the Four Last Things: death, judgement, heaven, and hell.

The Trinity and equality

The doctrine of the Trinity is a vital part of the Christian faith. It is at the heart of our understanding of God and so of us, not least as we are “made in the image of God”. So, it has something important to say about how we relate to each other as well.

Beyond gender

There is a great deal of debate at the moment about gender within (US conservative evangelical) Christianity. One recent example of this is John Piper’s assertion that God wants a masculine Christianity. As has been pointed out, there are a lot of theological problems with this argument. Another problem, which has been relatively overlooked, is…

Why Darwin donated to missionaries

It’s well known that Charles Darwin became an agnostic. What’s less well known is that, whilst remaining an agnostic, he became a regular donor to and honorary member of the South American Missionary Society. Nick Spencer, in his book Darwin and God, charts Darwin’s religious beliefs in some detail. Here, I want to explore why…

Created in the Image of God

A basic Christian belief is that humanity is made in the image and likeness of God. This understanding, derived from Genesis 1:27 and often referred to by the Latin phrase imago Dei, has had a profound effect on Christian thought.