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I just wonder whether this whole thing is a way of us avoiding persecution, by emptying all the ministries in the church and our church of the gospel challenge. Is it just a grifting scam for the world, or is it something significantly more dangerous for the world and for us.

I wonder why our church took communion today. We should have focused far more on resurrection. What does this mean for ourselves, our own resurrection? Our future hope? We should all have left the church filled with hope and anticipation. Instead resurrection was tagged onto Jesus's sacrifice...

This was the first week of Lent at my local methodist church. It seems that the work of Christ in atonement and salvation has almost completely given way to calls for social justice activism. SJ hymns like "In an Age of Twisted Values" (which we sang) just make me very uncomfortable indeed...

A service focused this morning on the plight of the Palestinians. A Palestinian Methodist leader on video used the words genocide referring to the current action by the Israelis. This was just accepted by the service leader. Indeed, she only referred to October 7th once as a burning down of...

The reason why I am asking is that I have dear friends in Central Asia who are Orthodox, in loyalty to the Moscow patriachate. Things were always respectful but non-compromising with me, a protestant in our admittedly shallow discussions. I did hear that they don't believe all orthodox...

Paul talks about a godly conviction that leads to reconciliation with God. I am sure that there is an element of this in my current state, as I consider a lifetime of missed opportunities and taking the line of least resistance. But I think it's more than this and I am trying to work it through...

This morning it was explained to us (not offered even as one interpretation) that Jesus was the seed in this parable. So there are 4 fates of Jesus in the world and in the church - He can grow or be stifled or be overwhelmed or stay inactive, depending on the circumstances of His embedding in...

A Christian couple like us decided when they retired to attend their local church. In both cases this is a Methodist church. None of us are full-blown Methodists by persuasion but we are strong believers in worshipping and serving locally. We got together recently and started talking about the...

I am a conservative and believe that government exists to support people in those situations when spouse, family and local community cannot help and that individuals are more truly helped by being nurtured within families, with strong and moral father and mother. Nothing here would be...

An order has been given that an EDI (Equality, Diversity and Inclusion) course has to be taken for all members who have a responsibility in the congregation. Now some of those people do have objections to being forced to affirm certain lifestyles as equally acceptable to God, but all of them...

Most services I have attended in my local evangelical churches follow a pattern of joyous welcome, uplifting hymns, passionate prayers and then at the end a long sermon which casts down spirits and makes us leave certainly feeling we are failures or worse, that we are in danger of losing our...

I have been attending the local methodist church for 3 years now. I have noticed that USUALLY when there is a communion service, the bible verse is changed by the leader from GIVEN to BROKEN. This formulation isn't even in the liturgy when it is used. I have pointed this out once and the...

We moved to this village 3 years ago during Covid, and decided not to travel but attend either the Methodist or the Anglican church. I am trying to get a handle on how much of Wesley's passion and theology is still energising this congregation. Most sermons are about social justice and being...

I have a relative who is grieving painfully and rather angrily after the loss of his wife in January. I believe his grieving is now unhealthy and unnatural. He continues his daily chores exactly as he did under his wife's insistence. He won't allow himself any recreation or new pastimes because...

Hatun Tash was awarded damages for being arrested / removed from speakers' corner. Christian preacher paid out £10,000 by Met Police who arrested her when she 'asked for help' | Daily Mail Online There is no statement of how the police would act the next time it turns ugly.

I am used to having a ministry of support. I recently volunteered to lead worship as part of our evening bible study. As a one-off I understood that the Study leader would play a CD, as it fitted in with the theme. Then we were on holiday for a week. The use of a CD continued for 2 weeks, until...

I want Putin to pay really heavily for his destruction of so many cities in Ukraine, but we believe, don't we, that God is in control. A woman who was into mission to the Jews in a big way said that the holocaust was necessary to get the Jews back to their Holy Land. She then said that the...

I have noticed that some in the secular media have expressed real warmth and concern for this controversial provocative evangelist. Even to the extent of supporting her right to preach an uncompromising evangelical message in the public space. This from feminists and Marxists and libertarians...

Is it THAT important that Jay Smith has said that the bible is not the "Word of God" in his outreach to muslims where he uses sourcing to discredit the Koran? Presumably he does this so that the polemic doesn't get reversed although he insists the support for the text for the bible is much...

Even a serious failure. Of course it happens that way, but should it? Even our leaders and prophets are 'sinners saved by grace' I'm thinking of Ravi Zacharias. And there are others. People whose flesh gets in the way of their ministry. (There is a discernment minister who occasionally admits...