Category Archives: General

Can you remember The Three Little Pigs? What happens when the first two houses get blown down? The pigs get eaten, right? Not likely, they actually run to their older brother’s house and they all live happily ever after in the brick house at the end, or so I read.

Let’s try again… what about Little Red Riding Hood? Do you remember the bit when the grandmother escapes the wolf by hiding in a cupboard, or the bit when the wolf sees the woodcutter, runs away from the woodcutter, leaving little red unharmed, and never comes back? Me neither…

Okay, one last attempt… Jack and the Beanstalk. What does the giant shout? “Fee, Fi, Foo, Fum! I smell the blood of an Englishman, be he alive or be he dead, I’ll grind his bones to make my bread”, am I right? Well, apparently, he now stops at “Englishman”…

Now for something more serious. Do you remember the bit in the Bible where Jesus is born, starts healing the sick and teaching, and then the book ends? No, me neither… I’m fairly sure there’s something else that should come between miracles and the end, at least something to do with a cross and an empty tomb?

Perhaps you’ve guessed by now that all of these rather strange accounts can be found on the shelves of my home – some in multiple editions. And that includes the children’s “Bible” that fails to reach the cross, let alone the resurrection. However, they all have something in common – and that is an assumption that children must not be confronted with death. But are they right? Should we remove death from the stories our children hear, and cut out the crucifixion from the Bible until they are older?

These questions came to mind today, following a conversation with one of my children on the way back from school. It ran something like this:

“Dad, look, a wedding car!”
“I’m not sure it is, it looks more like a funeral car” (spying the black car with dark rosettes)
“What’s a funeral dad?”
“What do we do when people die?”
“We celebrate”
“Well, that’s a funeral. Is a celebration normally happy, or sad?”
“Happy”
“So, why would we celebrate at a funeral, isn’t it sad if someone dies?”
“We know that they are going to heaven, we can celebrate”
“Are you sure, what if they have done bad things, are you sure they will go to heaven?”
“But it says in the Bible, that Jesus died for our sins” (good lad!)

We went on to talk about other related things, but it struck me later in the evening, reading the strange version of Little Red Riding Hood mentioned above, that my son’s understanding of the Gospel relies on his knowledge of death. But not only this… it is the same Gospel built upon death that has changed his understanding of death itself, and given him a reason for hope.

And I don’t think any age sensitivity should justify hiding that from anyone.

True, Jesus was brutally flogged and died on a bloody cross. True, it’s so horrific that when Mel Gibson made a film of it, the board gave it an 18 certificate. But it is also true that on that tree Christ died for our sins, that whoever believes in him would not perish, but have eternal life. And – knowing this – I believe that I’d be a bad father if I didn’t try my very best to teach that to my children.

Can you count the people?

Having this verse (Jeremiah 23:6) in mind this morning I came across this brilliant piece of writing from the late J. C. Ryle, formerly Bishop of Liverpool.

“This is His name whereby He shall be called—the Lord our Righteousness.” Jeremiah 23:6.

The time is short. It is but a little while, and the Lord Jesus shall come in His glory. The judgment shall be set and the books shall be opened. “Before Him shall be gathered all nations,” “that everyone may receive the things done in his body, according to that he has done, whether it be good or bad.” The inmost secrets of all hearts shall be revealed; “and the kings of the earth, the nobles, the military commanders, the rich, the powerful, and every slave and free person,” will stand together on a level at the judgment, and will see each other face to face, and one by one will have to give account of themselves to God before the whole world. Thus it is written, and therefore it is true and sure to come to pass.

And what does each of you intend to say in that hour? What is the defense you are prepared to set up? What is the answer you propose to give? What is the cause you mean to show why sentence should not be pronounced against you? Read on…

What is the emerging church? Is it a conversation, or a movement? What differentiates it from other Christian groups? Here, Dr. Carson discusses the nature and the epistemology of the emerging church in a very balanced way. Overall, he points to much which can be learnt from the emerging church, and many motivations which should be respected, as well as discussing some of they ways in which in some manifestations the results may be less than desirable.

Of particular value here is the discussion of the nature of truth, how concepts of truth differ between social and generational groups, and the way in which these changes affect the reception of various ways in which Christianity is presented.

The Emerging Church – D A Carson [Part 1]
The Emerging Church – D A Carson [Part 2]

My main concern here is that what a church does to attract new members must continue to be done to retain them. In particular, if the propositional truth of scripture is downgraded to a topic of discussion and personal discernment, then whilst it will attract many who find such an approach more comfortable it does not allow for an eventual return to propositional truth. If we suggest that everything is up for debate, then we will never be able to return proper authority to the word without alienating much of the membership.