The Story of the Church is Deep and Rich, and Full of Heroes Like These
Failing politicians. Falling church leaders. We could do with some new heroes right now. Thankfully, the deep, rich story of the church is full of them. Here are four early faith heroes to know about, the simple thing they did to change the world, and how work like theirs led to the very institutions you
Why Believe? In the End, Christianity Rises or Falls on These Two Things
Some days I wonder why I’m a Christian. In a secular age, it isn’t great for your career; in some countries, following Jesus can sign your death sentence. With so many spiritual alternatives, why believe? I got thinking about this recently. A memory of a close call in the Dominican Republic helped bring my reasons
The Chuck Colson Interview
Former Nixon aid, prisoner reformer, and evangelical statesman Charles Colson has died. Gaoled in relation to the Watergate scandal of 1974, Chuck went on to found Prison Fellowship and become an astute thinker on the Christian worldview. In this interview, one of the last conducted with him, Chuck and I discuss his part in the
An Easter Parable
Imagine for a moment that you’re a member of an organised crime ring with connections to corrupt city authorities. Imagine that you discover someone who knows your gang’s every deed—every scheme, every secret, every deal, all the money trails. One night you decide to round him up. He has to be silenced.
The Sacred Heart of Sacre-Coeur
For me, one of the great tragedies of modern life is that one can visit a cathedral and not be moved. We visit these grand places of worship, marvel at the architecture, admire the artworks and look at the pretty flickering candles but feel little more than admiration. I have experienced this many a time.
Losing My Religion: Dialogue with an Ex-Christian [Podcast]
In a previous post I shared some thoughts on how to converse across the Christian-atheist divide, following my dialogue with ex-Christian Rebekah Bennetch on Premier Christian Radio's Unbelievable? program. Like all good conversations, I walked away from the interview with much to ponder. Here are three reflections I scribbled down after the recording. You can
How to Talk to an Atheist (or a Christian)
I love it when Christians and atheists come together to talk. Recently I was invited to be a guest on Justin Brierley's Unbelievable? radio show to dialogue with an ex-Christian named Rebekah. We heard her story, discussed some of the assumptions Christians make about atheists, then explored ways Christians and atheists can better converse together.
6 Lessons from the Life of John Stott
Next to Billy Graham, perhaps no one has defined modern evangelical Christianity like John Stott. On Wednesday afternoon, July 27 2011, Stott finished his race - dying in the presence of friends, with Scripture being read to him and Handel's Messiah playing in the background. Stott lived a remarkable life, left a remarkable legacy and
Haiti: They Have What We Need
With 70 percent unemployment and 80 percent of its people living in poverty, Haiti merits its label as the most impoverished nation in the western hemisphere. Electricity is irregular, as is the water supply. The landscape is baron as 97 percent of the trees have gone. One in 14 Haitian children never reach their first
Anne Rice: Christianity’s Outsider Once More
As many a good fiction writer knows, there is often a deep, mysterious and symbolic link between an author’s life and the books they create. Only later does a writer realise how much she or he was the real character of the story. Such may be the case for Anne Rice, the queen of dark