search

When we think of the word ‘narcissism’ we may imagine people taking selfies, maintaining an attractive image on social media or something similar. True narcissism, however, is something far more serious.

It destroys communities, churches, marriages, families and individuals. It is not just a case of people showing-off, annoying as that may be. True narcissism is destructive and it needs to be understood. That is why I have written the booklet.* It is a warning for all who work with people – that is all of us.

Graham Nicholls

Date posted: 1 Nov 2023

What is evangelical unity and does it matter? And anyway, who’s to say what an evangelical actually is, and even then, what would visible evangelical unity look like?

That was part of our discussion at the autumn meeting of the Affinity Council – a group of leaders from churches and Christian organisations that help guide Affinity as we set our priorities.

John Woods

Date posted: 1 Oct 2023

Andrew Wilson is based in Eastbourne and serves as the Teaching Pastor at King’s Church London.

Andrew will be familiar to many from his books, including The God of All Things and 1 Corinthians for Today, the Think Theology website, and his regular columns in US magazine, Christianity Today. Our Reviews Editor John Woods was pleased to have the opportunity to chat with Andrew about his latest book Remaking the World: How 1776 Created the Post-Christian West, which is now hot off the press from Crossway.

‘The former treatise have I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach’ (Acts 1:1).

Auguste Rodin is one of the most famous artists of the last few centuries, specifically in the field of sculpting. If you are unfamiliar with his name, perhaps you will recognise his most famous piece, The Thinker. The statue was originally a part of a series of sculptures based on Dante’s Inferno. Initially small in size, The Thinker was eventually recast into the monument-size work that most of us would recognise. Today, different versions of this pensive piece can be found around the world in places like Paris, San Francisco, Buenos Aires, and Stockholm.

Living in a post-Covid, post-Brexit UK has been, and will continue to be, challenging. Considering these realities, how is the Christian and the church in the UK to respond to the suffering of the poor, not only in this country, but in other nations too?

There is a fascinating encounter in Acts 10 that shows the gospel door to the Gentiles being flung wide open. What necessitated this glorious opportunity was an encounter in heaven wherein a memorial was brought before God consisting of the prayers of Cornelius, a Roman Centurion, and a copy of his financial records – specifically, that he gave much to the poor. It’s also interesting to note that Cornelius was stationed in the region of Israel during Rome’s occupation. This was not an easy time for anyone, and yet Cornelius’ financial generosity can be seen overflowing to those who were of a different nationality and who, to some degree, were antagonistic and unsupportive of who he was and what he represented.

Ross Hendry

1. How did you become a Christian? 

Nicola Laver

Date posted: 1 Oct 2023

If you’ve seen Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning, you’ll know the hunt is on for the key to a powerful sentient AI entity – a villainous entity that threatens to unleash god-like omnipotence over the entire world.

It’s a timely movie, illustrating the potential (if fictional) power of artificial intelligence; it’s prescience wasn’t lost on me (I watched it the same night I’d finished the first part of this article).

Keswick speaker Hélder Favorin writes: Amalia, from Eastern Europe, shared these words: ‘I turned 20 recently and I cannot stop appreciating how full of colour and meaning my life has become. I feel secure and confident about my future. I’ve had anxiety attacks and even a few severe panic attacks; I couldn’t handle it alone. But because of my faith in Jesus, I have found peace and protection. He is my rock and I know that I can rely on Him in any situation.’(1)

Amalia’s honest testimony may feel like an oasis in the desert-like spiritual landscape of European youth, the most secularised, atheistic and agnostic demographic in the world. At the same time there might be many more oases – and even rivers of God’s activity among youth in Europe – than we realise. The tide keeps turning.

A few weeks ago, on a Saturday afternoon in the beautiful countryside setting of Devon, an event involving about 50 friends and family gathered to mark our latest grandson’s birth. Called a ‘naming day’, it represented a kind of non-Christian christening.

Partly, perhaps because paganism pre-dates Christianity, my son and his partner hoped, like themselves, that everyone would be touched by a deeper and more meaningful experience of creation. Obviously, as infants, we would have been present when our parents had us either christened with names or prayed over with thanks to God. This event was markedly different and more interactively engaging than a traditional Christian service. As the ceremony began all those present were recognised as having different religious or non-religious backgrounds. This implied, for me at least, that some unspecified acceptance of religious diversity was expected.

John Woods

Date posted: 1 Jul 2023

en reviews editor John Woods interviews Dr Dan Strange, Director of the Crosslands Forum.

Before joining Crosslands full time, Dan was College Director for Oak Hill Theological College. A former UCCF worker with a PhD in Theology and Religious Studies, Dan lives in Gateshead with his wife Elly and most of their seven children, where they are part of Hope Community Church. He is a trustee of Tyndale House and author of several books including Making Faith Magnetic.

James Robson

Date posted: 1 Aug 2023

The Keswick Convention has been running since 1875. Over these years, much has stayed the same: the same passion for Christ, the same longing for lives transformed by God’s word, the same heart for global mission.

The event is open to everyone and is funded by donations. There is no fee to attend. The beautiful town of Keswick in the Lake District remains the home of the Convention.

It was my tenth anniversary in my current pastorate, and I was given a three-month sabbatical.

When contemplating potential sabbatical projects my thoughts went to surviving and thriving in pastoral ministry over the long haul, and then I hatched a plan.

Between 1979 and 1999 the Pope, John Paul II, published a collection of essays titled ‘Letters to My Brother Priests’. That sentiment, that his fellow clergy were his brothers, is something we would do well to learn from in our Protestant circles.

Those who serve Christ’s sheep as shepherds should see themselves as being in a spiritual brotherhood, a brotherhood that’s in desperate need of each other. The church has struggled with pastoral abuse, scandals, burnouts, and dropouts. The last few years of Covid, war, civil unrest and political instability have only heightened the weight carried by pastors. These trials have taken their toll. But where are pastors to turn when they need help?

Rebecca McLaughlin holds a PhD from Cambridge University and a theology degree from Oak Hill Theological College in London. She is the author of several books including Confronting Christianity: 12 Hard Questions for the World’s Largest Religion. She spoke to Rebecca Chapman for en.

en: Tell me how you came to faith?

Andy Bannister

1. How did you become a Christian?

The province of Sindh in Pakistan suffered appallingly from flooding last year. This province and the people who live there may be unfamiliar to you, but this location was the home of one of the lesser-known Christian heroines of faith, Blanche Brenton Carey.

Blanche, the daughter of a Brixham vicar, joined the Church of England Zenana Missionary Society in 1884 and became one of their pioneer missionaries, serving in Karachi from 1885 to 1950. Her deep desire was to tell the women and girls of Sindh about her Saviour Jesus Christ.

Kicked out of college and hooked on drink and drugs, Pauline Hamilton drove recklessly towards a cliff near her home to end it all. At the last moment, her tyre blew out, leaving her stunned in the stationary car.

Pauline’s life changed forever. She turned at once to the God who had rescued her and, in grateful amazement, offered her whole life to Him. This dedication would eventually take her to China, where she would serve for over 30 adventure-packed years as a missionary. Through many trials Pauline never lost sight of the God who had promised never to let her go.