Easter 2025: 250th anniversary of a famous hymn
Marylynn Rouse
Date posted: 20 Apr 2025
The River Ouse meanders peacefully behind the church of St Peter and St Paul in Olney, Buckinghamshire. It bids a pleasant walk along its river banks as swans glide gracefully by while a watchful heron keeps an eye on a troop of Canada geese on the opposite side of the bank. This tranquil scene was the refuge of the local minister, newly ordained, who fled there in a state of panic.
Before coming to Olney the Reverend John Newton had published six sermons. He had just preached from the last one! A friend explained many years later, "he thought he had told them his whole stock, and was considerably depressed."
everyday evangelism
Crossing the great divide in evangelism
Gavin Matthews
Date posted: 19 Apr 2025
Let me tell you about Patrick. When I was a student, the chaplaincy centre (where the CU met) and the student union were separated by a narrow alleyway. Whilst you could almost simultaneously touch the two places if you stretched out your arms wide enough; culturally and spiritually they were miles apart.
In the chaplaincy we welcomed great Bible expositors, prayed, studied the Scriptures, and debated theology. On the other side of the great divide, they sorted out student accommodation, earnestly debated student politics, played pool and drank copious quantities of diluted cut-price lager.
Why mindfulness is different from Biblical meditation
Dave Burke
Date posted: 14 Apr 2025
We sing about it: ‘Be still for the presence of the Lord…’ We read about it: ‘Be still and know that I am God…’ But we are never still!
The Bible often speaks of ‘stillness’, and the things related to it, such as meditating and waiting on God. But Christians, especially evangelical Christians, cannot abide stillness. We like noise and activity, with a side-order of mild chaos. We don’t do stillness.
The faith of Pol Pot's chief executioner
Julia Cameron
Date posted: 13 Apr 2025
Next week sees the 50th anniversary of the fall of its capital Phnom Penh on 17th April 1975, setting the stage for one of the most barbaric regimes in modern history.
By mid-afternoon on that fateful day the whole population of this elegant city was being forced into the countryside by Cambodian rebel leader Pol Pot and his Khmer Rouge army. Sidney Schanberg of the New York Times captured the brutality of those hours as patients in hospital, some still with saline drips attached to their arms, were pulled from their beds and thrust into the melée. There was no mercy.
Mastering golf – and sin
Luke Randall
Date posted: 11 Apr 2025
It’s now early April and that means that sporting competitions move into the oft dubbed ‘business end’ of the season, where every point seems to matter that wee bit more and every mistake feels more costly. However, for those who follow golf, April means the start of the major season, and more specifically, that The Masters is just around the corner.
Hosted at Augusta National Golf Club in Georgia, USA, the event is now widely considered as the crown jewel of golf’s four major championships, with perhaps just The Open vying for its crown. It is the only major to be hosted at the same location every year and the beauty of the course is perhaps only rivalled in sport by tennis’ annual Wimbledon Championships.
Christ's kingdom needs pioneers like the apostle Paul
David Shepherd
Date posted: 10 Apr 2025
Recently, on the business networking platform, LinkedIn, I read an article entitled: ‘Are you an Explorer, a Pioneer or a Settler?’ Although the author focused on technology innovation, his insights are equally applicable to churches.
According to the author, pioneers are focused on “relentless pursuit" of growth and are therefore willing to take a calculated risk by venturing into uncharted territory. In contrast, settlers are more risk-averse and prefer to build on what’s already been established.
A quiet UK revival? How can we respond?
Rebecca Chapman
Date posted: 9 Apr 2025
As we look forward to Easter, some of us may reflect on how many people attended Christmas services, and be recalling the joy of overflowing churches.
There has been talk of a Christian revival in the UK for at least a year – and speculation about it everywhere from the press to podcasts. But where is the data showing us how the Spirit is moving? Instead, we are often presented with disappointing data from various denominations about decreasing numbers of people attending church.
pastoral care
When there are no words
Helen Thorne-Allenson
Date posted: 9 Apr 2025
Sometimes we do not know what to say. Those moments when a friend tells us of a terminal diagnosis – those days when we watch horrors unfold on the international scene – those times we visit someone whose ill health is not improving, has not improved for many a year, and our question “How are you doing?” is simply met with the familiar “The same.” Sometimes no words of hope spring to mind.
It can be frustrating to be without a response. Most of us, in church circles, want to be able to say something that encourages – something that brings hope. Indeed, those of us in any position of responsibility can sometimes feel a real pressure to come up with a great thought – an apt Bible verse – that is going to make a real difference. Of course, we’re humble enough to know we cannot make everything better, but surely we should be able to make some inroads, we think.
Ten questions with: Ryan King
en staff
Date posted: 8 Apr 2025
Ryan King is pastor of Grace Baptist Church, Wood Green, London and works with Grace Baptist Partnership on Europe-related leadership development and church planting projects.
He is the author of Every Man’s Conscience: Early English Baptists and the Fight for Religious Liberty (H&E Academic) and is married to Uliana, who he met while speaking at a conference in Ukraine, and together they have a daughter, Sara.
the ENd word
How questions about the resurrection are changing in 2025
Jon Barrett
Date posted: 7 Apr 2025
Alistair Begg recently said that preaching is often “less about telling them something new, but more about reminding ourselves what we mustn’t forget”.
He’s right. As a preacher I’m well aware that, to borrow a line from Oscar Wilde, “I have nothing original in me but original sin.” That’s not to say that I steal other preacher’s sermons (I don’t), but is an admission that I’m very unlikely to spot something brand new in a text that’s never been spotted before by anyone else. The truth has already been “once revealed to the saints” and my job is to bring out the meaning of what God has previously made known in the pages of Scripture.
How do you encourage your church musicians?
Tom Brewster
Date posted: 5 Apr 2025
In 1976 Elton John told us that “Sorry” seems to be the hardest word. I think he was probably onto something. But perhaps he ought to have written a follow-up song about “Thank you” being the second hardest (pair of) word(s). The title needs some work.
How do you seek to encourage your musicians and technicians who serve week to week? Paul instructs us to “encourage one another and build one another up” (1 Thess. 5:11). But practically speaking, how do we do that? Sometimes the simplest answers are the best, and here’s my top tip: say thank you – a lot.
What did Jesus really redeem us from?
Tim Vasby-Burnie
Date posted: 4 Apr 2025
If a member of an evangelical church was asked, “What are we redeemed from?”, I hope most would answer something like “sin”, “death”, “judgement” or “hell”. All good answers!
But Peter has another answer: “For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect” (1 Peter 1:18-19). The exodus and passover imagery is clear.
Children’s activities for rainy days and quiet Sundays
Catherine MacKenzie
Date posted: 3 Apr 2025
I know that books, particularly children’s books, can be expensive. So let’s look at a set of activity books with a variety of price points.
These are great for a rainy afternoon, or a quiet Sunday.
‘A rising tide lifts all boats:’ Why your church should back this mission
Nick McQuaker
Date posted: 3 Apr 2025
Almost 40 years ago, I entered the workplace as a new Christian and soon formed a friendship with Richard, who had joined the company as part of the same intake of school-leavers.
I began to share my faith and witness as best I could. A few months later, my local church held a mission weekend. I invited Richard to one or more of the special events that were taking place. To my delight, he said yes and came along. To my far greater joy, Richard gave his life to the Lord that weekend. This was a wonderful introduction to God using a local church mission to bring someone to faith.
history
The age of the dilettante
Michael Haykin
Date posted: 3 Apr 2025
We live in the age of the dilettante, when everyone’s opinion is as good as everyone else’s.
The obvious problem with this approach to knowledge is that while in certain spheres it might be valid, in the vast amount of knowledge that we now have it is a recipe for obscurantism and the dissemination of ignorance.
evangelicals & catholics
Reaching Catholics: The need for a norm
Leonardo De Chirico
Date posted: 2 Apr 2025
In my conversations with Catholic friends, I have found it useful to reference the five “magnetic points” expounded by British theologian Daniel Strange. There are five fundamentals that all human beings are looking for and to which they are magnetically drawn. Because of their universal presence in people’s lives, they can be seen in Catholics.
According to Strange, each religion responds in various ways to these five questions. Their responses are points of attraction for people to be drawn to them. The questions are:
engaging with culture today
Diognetus’ diagnosis...
Dan Strange
Date posted: 2 Apr 2025
He was just there to buy his dinner.
In a Constantinople fish shop in 1436, a young theology student notices and rescues some papers set aside for wrapping fish. It’s a hitherto unknown and anonymous letter which we now know as “The Letter to Diognetus”.
