The past few years have witnessed a steady stream of high-profile church leaders being removed from leadership as patterns of abuse, impropriety, and pride have been brought to light. And there are likely more to come, along with many others whose profiles are not prominent enough to gain attention. It’s not just the leaders themselves… Continue reading Calling all shepherds
Category: Blog
As shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves
Last week, I looked at Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount and how it encouraged us to view opposition from and rejection by the wider world honourable in God’s eyes. This week, I thought I’d take a look at what else Jesus has to say about responding to hostility. Expect opposition to happen Multiple times throughout… Continue reading As shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves
Blessed are you when people insult you
Adapted from Tim MacBride, To Aliens and Exiles: Preaching the New Testament as Minority-Group Rhetoric in a Post-Christendom World (Cascade, 2020), 163-67. Used with publisher’s permission. Matthew 5:11 “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me.” While Christians in the West can’t… Continue reading Blessed are you when people insult you
Christian giving is a three-way street
Patronage and Philippians 4:10-20 This video (and transcript below) illustrates the importance of cultural background in understanding the New Testament. For more, enrol in the Bible Overview subjects at Morling College, as part of an undergraduate or graduate certificate. We’re looking at a short passage near the end of Philippians (4:10-20). It’s a passage that’s… Continue reading Christian giving is a three-way street
In (partial) defence of the monologue sermon
This article originally appeared on the Morling College blog in July 2020. The monologue sermon gets plenty of negative press in Christian circles these days; some of it deserved. Preachers routinely go longer than their congregation’s attention span, perhaps overestimating their ability to hold interest, or being too busy to invest the extra time it… Continue reading In (partial) defence of the monologue sermon
Why am I so tired?
This is an article I wrote for the students at Morling, at the start of semester 2, 2022. I’ve posted it here as I think it applies to far more than just study… If at some point last semester you asked yourself, “why am I so tired?”, you’re not alone. Emerging from pandemic lockdowns, many… Continue reading Why am I so tired?
Interpreting Revelation
Few books of the Bible have been as controversial in their interpretation as Revelation. This article is a transcript of various sermons and lectures I’ve given over the years about how I approach the book. I’ve included it here essentially so I can link to it whenever Coffee with the King deals with a text from Revelation –… Continue reading Interpreting Revelation
“I am of Albo” / “I am of Scomo” – Political Tribalism and the Church
Some election-season advice from Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians. 1 Cor 1:10 I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another in what you say and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly united in… Continue reading “I am of Albo” / “I am of Scomo” – Political Tribalism and the Church
Beyond Israel Folau: the importance of rhetorical setting
Over the past couple of months there’s been a steady stream of articles by Christian leaders weighing in on the Israel Folau controversy. A common theme has been an affirmation of Folau’s commitment to his faith, while expressing concern about his rhetorical strategy; that is, the way in which he’s spoken about it. We see… Continue reading Beyond Israel Folau: the importance of rhetorical setting
When your sermon needs Greg
I’ve been guilty of it. Probably more times than I’ve realised. And so have you, I’m guessing, if you’re a preacher who has ever tried to be creative; who has tried to do something different in order to captivate the congregation with the truth of Scripture. At some point, we’ve all fallen into the error… Continue reading When your sermon needs Greg
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