Theology

Is there a theology of conflict?  Tough one.  If theology is the consideration of anything and everything in relation to God, then there must be.  Conflict exists.  But what would such a theology look like?  I have no answer to that question, but it’s nevertheless worth reflecting on – not only because of the horrific, […]

Christians sometimes assume that animals were sort of an optional extra in the biblical story of God and humanity. Maybe created for fun, or for our benefit – so we could have an interesting environment to live in, filled with useful and beautiful creatures, to name, eat, swat, watch, keep as pets, or use for

Here’s a radical idea; fasten your seat belt.  Will there be death in the new creation?  ‘Of course not’ (we think), and our minds instantly turn to Rev 21:4, ‘there will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away’.  Hmm… Are we perhaps taking

The Greek word erchomenos is a strange one. It means both ‘coming’ and ‘going’. You only know which meaning is in view by its context. Was Jesus coming to Jericho or going from Jericho when he healed blind Bartimaeus? Jericho had two sections, an old section, and a new administrative zone (built by Herod) a

As my plane descended into Gatwick on the morning of the Queen’s funeral, the lyrics of an old song kept playing in my head: ‘Kings and kingdoms will all pass away, but there’s something about that name.’  The name of course was Jesus. The song was a 1970s Gospel tune by the Bill Gaither trio. 

Warning: this topic is pure speculation, but here we go… Humans are uniquely philosophical creatures: ‘Why am I here?  What’s the purpose of life?  Not to be flippant – but the Bible gives a pretty straightforward answer in Gen 1.  We were made to ‘rule over the whole earth’ as his image-bearers, to ‘fill the

How shocking would it be if I said I don’t believe in miracles?  We’re conditioned as Christians to believe in miracles – so much so that if we don’t, it’s highly questionable we’re truly Christian.  But there’s a problem with miracles.  They don’t actually exist in the Bible!  Let me explain: There are several biblical

You could be excused for thinking this title is a bit facetious.  Everyone knows there’s conflict between science and religion, right? A recent survey asked the British public that very question. Nearly 60% believed science and religion were incompatible.  But when asked if there was conflict between religion and any specific science – like chemistry,

Yes, the title is a pun.  Time puns are inevitable.  I nearly called this, ‘a second’s time around’.  The previous article ‘God & Time’ pondered the question, ‘what is time?’, and clarified why time is truly a theological issue.  But what about length of time – time as duration?  Time is one thing – our

What is time?  We’ve probably all pondered that baffling question at one ‘time’ or another.  The best answer ever?  ‘Time… is what keeps everything from happening all at once.’  So true!  And yet it sounds like a joke from a Christmas cracker.  That ingenious answer was posited by the eminent physicist John Wheeler in a