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 …
Everything that exists must have a beginning, right? Hmmm… It’s not as straightforward an assumption as we often think. Does a river have a beginning? Numerous explorers lost their lives attempting to find the source of the Nile – yet even today, it remains inconclusive. Lake Victoria is claimed (by Uganda) as the source of …
What does it mean to be ‘created in God’s image’? It’s a question theologians, scholars and ordinary Christians have pondered for centuries. Lots of ideas, no consensus. Everyone recognises that human beings are unique amongst the animal kingdom. But unique in what way? Morality? Use of tools? Ability to reason? Language, cooperation, rationality, intelligence, a …
Who knew that the humble Easter egg actually has a long and noble theological history? Going way back to the early church, the practice developed of teaching new converts the basic foundations of the faith before they were baptised. Along with learning, they were expected to undertake a serious time of fasting, prayer, and spiritual …
The devastating pictures of the war in Ukraine bring to mind for some Christians Jesus’ description of ‘wars and rumours of wars’ as a sign of the end (Mat 24:6). Eschatology (the study of the last things – or the end times), is a controversial and often dangerous practice for Christians – a magnet for …
