preaching – My Back Pages

What does it Mean to be ‘Pastoral’?

A brief effort to reclaim an oft-neglected part of a metaphor (with some reflection on the Church of England’s same-sex blessings).

Weighty Words vs. Gravitational Mass: Balancing Sermon and Sacrament

Should the sermon or the Lord’s Supper be the focal point of the Sunday meeting? Yes.

Anthony Trollope on Young Preachers

Trollope is fast becoming one of my favourite novelists, even if I have only just finished reading Barchester Towers, which is only the second book of his I’ve read. It has everything I could want in a novel: beautiful and witty prose, colourful and sympathetic characters, and a backdrop of Anglican ecclesiastical politics. One scene,Continue reading “Anthony Trollope on Young Preachers”

Reading Scripture: The Text, the Event, and the Community

Many say that we have to pay first attention to the original audience and the human author to understand the Scriptures. But who are they, anyway? And does that audience relate to the events that they were reading about in Scripture?

Acts 6: Is Preaching More Important than Serving?

Should we preach the gospel or serve the poor? Yes.

Teaching Scripture: When in Doubt, the Application is to Love the Lord

Or, ‘Missing the Wood for the Trees’