Resident Aliens

There are passages in Scripture we know only too well, but which we understand alarmingly badly. Paul’s words about love to the church in Corinth rank high among them. Far from being designed with wedding services and marriage enrichment weekends in mind, they were first spoken with a sting in the...

The steady flow of articles on theology posted on this website in recent months has been enormously helpful. As I have found myself encouraged and challenged by much of what has been said, I thought I might be able to add one further reflection to the mix of what has already been written. It has to...

Europe is in the grip of the most serious displaced persons crisis since the Second World War. Pope Francis, on his recent visit to the US, has raised the issue with the President as well as in his address to Congress. But what should we as Christians make of it in light of the Bible’s teaching? I...

If we were to ask the question, ‘Which is the most significant prayer found in the Bible?’ the answer would almost certainly be, ‘the Lord’s Prayer’ and understandably so. This was the prayer Jesus taught his disciples in response to their request, ‘Lord, teach us to pray’ and it has become the...

There is a subterranean dimension to being a preacher that those who are not preachers often do not see and those who are often try to keep buried. It’s the fact there is a dark side to ministering God’s word and it has a profound impact on those whose calling it is to do so. A preacher friend of...

According to its introductory statement, Place for Truth is a forum for reflections on theology in its entire spectrum from biblical through to its practical expressions. In light of these parameters, I did wonder whether or not this particular reflection belongs here, or perhaps somewhere else...

Too often ‘tradition’ has become a red flag word to the ears of evangelical Protestants. Especially when it is used in relation to ‘Scripture’ in the same sentence. The reason for this, of course, is the way in which the Roman Catholic Church throughout its history has subordinated the authority of...

There is more to being a preacher than preachers often realise. Biblically speaking it is the primary means by which God’s truth revealed in Scripture is to be propagated, not just to the church, but also throughout the world; but for it to be effective, we need to appreciate its twofold dynamic...

Almost from the very first time I read the Westminster Confession of Faith I remember being struck by its choice of words to describe the character of Bible translations. It says they should be in ‘the vulgar language of every nation unto which they come’ (WCF 1.8). Clearly the primary focus of...

Given the frequency with which ‘the fear of the LORD’, or one of its variants, is mentioned in the Bible, it is more than a little unusual that so little seems to be said about it in the church today. In all too many cases a focus on the immanence and intimacy of God as revealed in Scripture has...