Creation care: It is a gospel issue, although not a salvation one
Chris Wright & Dave Bookless
Date posted: 25 Feb 2025
We appreciate the article ‘Is creation care a gospel issue?’ by John Samuel and Richard Buggs in the January issue of en, and share their concern that the phraseology of the Cape Town Commitment might be mistakenly interpreted as ‘adding works to grace,’ and thereby ‘undermining’ the message of the gospel itself.
That is certainly no intention of ours, or indeed of the Lausanne Cape Town Commitment, which elsewhere in Part 1.8 defines the gospel of grace very strongly in terms ‘trusting in Christ alone … on the work of Christ and the promise of God.’
Now This
The problem with empathy
Bill James
Date posted: 25 Feb 2025
Empathy is getting a bad press. One Christian writer, Allie Beth Stuckey, has a new book called Toxic Empathy, while Joe Rigney describes empathy as a sin. Even in the realm of secular commentators, Gad Saad’s new book is Suicidal Empathy. So what’s the problem with empathy, and how is it different to sympathy?
We all understand the importance of sympathy, that is an understanding of the situation and experience of someone, especially when they are enduring trials. It is a great consolation to have a sympathetic high priest in the Lord Jesus Christ who can sympathise with us in our weakness not just because as God He understands us completely, but also because He took flesh and has entered into human experience Himself and endured temptation. It is a sign of love and care to sympathise with those around us who are struggling in a variety of ways.
Lessons from England's no-swearing rugby captain
Luke Randall
Date posted: 17 Feb 2025
The Six Nations is underway for another year and the tournament has reached the halfway stage, when onlookers start to get an idea about who is likely to go all the way and claim victory following their five matches.
However, one perhaps lesser-known story surrounding the annual international rugby tournament centres around newly appointed England captain, Maro Itoje, who has spoken publicly about his Christian faith in the past and is known to refrain from swearing during matches.
Sharing Jesus with your Jewish friend
Ziggy Rogoff
Date posted: 17 Feb 2025
You are an evangelical wanting to share the gospel with your Jewish friend.
Last year, you invited them to the carol service at Christmas, but they didn’t want to come. In January, you tried again to open a conversation about Jesus at the water cooler, and they shut you down with the answer, 'But I’m Jewish; this is not for me!'
He is with us in the storm
Suzanne Smith
Date posted: 17 Feb 2025
Another day, another set of bloods being taken.
Living with Myeloma, this blood cancer is my part-time job. Sometimes full-time, as anyone with a long term health condition will tell you.
the Bible in action
‘The deaf shall hear’
Martin Horton
Date posted: 16 Feb 2025
When did you last buy a Bible? Was it as a gift or because your well-loved copy was falling apart? How easy was it to choose?
With more than 60 versions of the Bible in English, choosing a new Bible might take a while: you might even suffer from ‘Bible decision fatigue’– a genuine phenomenon, according to Bible Gateway.
Celebrating Friendship with 'Friendsentine'
Rachel Redeemed
Date posted: 14 Feb 2025
In the past, my husband, friends, and I have hosted a special dinner called 'Friendsentine.'
This event celebrates the filial kind of love, rather than the romantic love traditionally associated with Valentine's Day.
pastoral care
Is love really in the air?
Helen Thorne-Allenson
Date posted: 14 Feb 2025
Love is in the air. Or that is what the world would have us believe at the beginning of February.
Online adverts abound for that romantic getaway, that perfect gift – and there are a plethora of articles to read on what he/she ‘truly wants’. Of course, for Christians, love is never a seasonal thing. We are called to love our God, love our neighbours (Mark 12:30-31) – even love our enemies (Matt. 5:44) – each and every day. And love, in Biblical terms, is rooted in truth, faithfulness, mercy and grace, not just warm fluffy feelings.
Set your hope
Tim Vasby-Burnie
Date posted: 12 Feb 2025
In 1 Peter 1:13 we reach the first command, the first imperative in this epistle. Some preaching definitely needs a bit more application, but some preaching keeps loading people with things to do when the passage is all about what God has done!
Since verse 3 Peter has been praising the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. He has told us of our hope—the promise of resurrection and an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade.
What it means to 'contend for the faith'
Tom Forryan
Date posted: 12 Feb 2025
You always understood that following Jesus wouldn’t be easy. It may be about to become much more painful than you ever imagined—and all because you set out your stall to obey Jude 3 and contend for the faith once for all delivered to the saints.
The church you go to is everything you ever thought a church should be. The work has steadily grown under the influence of an internationally-respected minister who has been in place for a number of years.
history
A Welsh Baptist in Ontario
Michael Haykin
Date posted: 12 Feb 2025
The 19th century was an era of great emigration from Britain and Ireland. Of the four major people groups from this collection of islands – the English, Scottish, Irish, and Welsh – the last-named were the least represented among these emigrants.
For example, the population sizes of Wales and Ireland during this era were not too different, but the Irish emigrated in their millions while the Welsh left Wales only in tens of thousands. One key reason for this difference in numbers of emigrants was the mid-19th-century development of South Wales into one of the world’s leading industrial centres. One Welshman who did leave his native land, though, was Benjamin Daniel Thomas (1843–1917), who left Wales in the autumn of 1868.
What we can learn from Larry Sanger's journey to faith
Niv Lobo
Date posted: 11 Feb 2025
On February 5, just last week, Larry Sanger — a former philosophy professor and a co-founder of Wikipedia — announced his conversion to Christianity. He accompanied it with a long account of how that happened.
What’s going on? A vibe shift? A revival? A surprising rebirth of belief? Whatever is happening at a cultural level, I give thanks for Sanger’s testimony. Reading it was a delightful, encouraging experience; there were moments in Sanger’s story which struck me with a wonderful freshness, as well as others which resonated with my own coming to faith. It’s long, but I recommend reading it for yourself.
Ten questions with: Donald John MacLean
en staff
Date posted: 11 Feb 2025
Donald John is an elder at Cambridge Presbyterian Church and President of Westminster Seminary UK as well as Professor of Historical Theology. He is also a trustee of the Banner of Truth and Tyndale House.
1. How did you become a Christian?
Pakistan’s little-known Christian story
Mike Wakely
Date posted: 5 Feb 2025
In a small town in western Punjab, now in northern Pakistan, there lived a Hindu from a caste of farmers. His name was Nattu Lal. He heard the gospel, put his faith in Christ and was baptised in November 1872.
Nattu was the son of the head man in his village. His family was wealthy, but Nattu wasted his money and proved himself to be a poor Christian witness. But he did one thing that was of immense importance. He brought a poor man called Ditt to faith in Jesus.
The art of giving good feedback
Matt MacGregor
Date posted: 3 Feb 2025
Providing good feedback to the musicians who serve your church is essential. It helps nurture their God-given gifts and ensures that their service is a blessing and not a burden to the church.
This is not an easy task, nor is it only the responsibility of leaders. With the help of the Proverbs, here are three (conveniently alliterative) principles to help all of us in the church to get this right.
defending our faith
The ‘extraordinarily good’ evidence for the Exodus
Chris Sinkinson
Date posted: 2 Feb 2025
As I often share in this regular column, the archaeological evidence for the Bible continues to grow. New discoveries and fresh interpretations give an ever-increasing pool of data to establish that the Bible is real history and not embellished legend or fiction.
But when is the evidence overwhelming? There will always be doubts, gaps and reasons why sceptics can dismiss the case if they choose. We can look at the account of Moses and the Exodus as a test case.
a Jewish Christian perspective
To the Jew first
Joseph Steinberg
Date posted: 31 Jan 2025
As a leader in Christian mission to Jewish people, I often hear people quote Romans 1:16 where Paul writes, ‘For I am not ashamed of the gospel because it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Gentile.’
But recently I was asked to speak from Paul’s corresponding words a few verses later in 2:9 where he writes: ‘There will be trouble and distress for every human being who does evil: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile.’
everyday evangelism
Six reasons to put Jesus at the heart of evangelism
Glen Scrivener
Date posted: 31 Jan 2025
The heart and soul of evangelism is lifting up Jesus as Lord. As I said last month: ‘Jesus is Lord’ represents bullseye. This is what we aim to communicate. And when our friend receives this message, they have received the sum and substance of the gospel.
So last month I made the theological case for putting Jesus at the centre of our evangelism. This month I want to rejoice in the simplicity of it all. It is wonderfully clarifying to lay other things to one side and simply make much of Jesus. Let me give you six liberating implications:
