Author: Chris Green

The defensive pastor, the annual meeting, and four critical lessons

The young pastor glanced at me and nodded his head towards a crowd across the room. ‘That man has a problem,’ he said. I knew who he meant.  But I reckon my young pastor friend was mistaken. It was the night of the Annual Meeting.  Now, whatever your denomination or tribe, I’ll bet you have

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If you’re new today…

You probably had somebody turn up at church last Sunday, and they hadn’t been in your building before. And the pastor at some point welcomed such a person from the front, acknowledging their presence.  Maybe they pointed them to the coffee, or the Welcome desk. Now think How did the pastor describe them?  And what

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Two magnificent exhibitions show – once again – why Christians should be interested in history.

Two magnificent exhibitions show- once again – why Christians should be interested in history. The first is at the British Library: Anglo-Saxon Kingdoms: Art, Word, War Now I suspect for most of us, the phrase ‘Anglo Saxon’ conjures up a mental image of a bloke in a beard with a sword, probably wearing a helmet,

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Self-control – the negative kind, and the positive kind

We usually take ‘self-control’ in a negative sense. Not losing your temper, or not watching porn.  That’ s a vital spiritual standard, and we need it. But unless we add in the positive kind of self-control, it’s static.

One friend’s a Chieftain. Another is Chilled. Three reasons why it’s silly for me to compare myself with either.

Theologically, the healthy and wide spectrum resonates with grace, but one end tips into being motivated by guilt, and the other end tips into inertia. One denies the gospel, and the other takes the gospel for granted.