scholarship. serving. ministry.
Having, in previous weeks, pulled out the parables of the sower/soils and of the weeds, together with their interpretations, from the collection of ‘kingdom of heaven’ parables in Matthew 13, the lectionary for Trinity 7 in Year A now mops up the remaining, mostly short, parables about the kingdom to complete our reading of the … Continue Reading
The reading for Trinity 8 in this Year A is the remaining parables of the kingdom in Matthew 13. Although very brief, they contain some startling images, and raise the key question of the relationship between God’s initiative and our response. Come and join Ian and James as they discuss these intriguing texts, and the … Continue Reading
Andrew Goddard writes: Twenty years ago, Archbishop Rowan began his presidential address to the July 2003 York General Synod by asking “Does the Church of England exist?”. He replied that “there are several different ‘Churches of England’” and we need “to find out what it is that makes these diverse ‘churches’ one” because “if we can’t … Continue Reading
Andrew Goddard writes: in the first of three articles, I highlighted the challenges that now face the post-LLF process in ‘squaring the circle’ of different commitments made in our understanding of blessing, the nature of marriage, and our agreed sexual ethic. In the second one, I explored the question of our disagreements and what might be … Continue Reading
The lectionary gospel readers for the Fourth Sunday of Easter take the three parts of John 10 in turn; being in Year A, we are reading the first ten verses. But this is a good example of where our modern chapter divisions (first created by Stephen Langton, the 13th-century Archbishop of Canterbury who helped to … Continue Reading
The Sunday gospel lectionary reading for Easter 4 is Jesus’ teaching about himself as the Good Shepherd in John 10.1–10. It is actually part of the continued debate with the Pharisees after the healing of the man born blind in John 9, and takes place in Jerusalem. Join James and Ian as they discuss the … Continue Reading
Andrew Goddard writes: Shortly before General Synod, in the light of what I had earlier written at the start of the discernment process concerning what was needed from the bishops and possible ways forward, I argued for a pause rather than a rush to judgment in the form of a vote. This did not happen … Continue Reading
The Sunday gospel lectionary reading for Lent 4 in this Year A continues with the third of our four encounters between Jesus and individuals in the Fourth Gospel: Lent 2: Jesus and Nicodemus (John 3.1–17) Lent 3: The woman of Samaria (John 4.5–42) Lent 4: The man born blind (John 9.1-41) Lent 5: The raising … Continue Reading
The Sunday gospel lectionary reading for Lent 4 in Year A is John 9.1–41. It is the third of four stories of Jesus’ encounters with individuals in the Fourth Gospel, as a series exploring discipleship and taking a break from Matthew, to which we return on Palm Sunday. James and Ian explores the issues in … Continue Reading
Andrew Atherstone writes: After the high drama of the Church of England’s General Synod, we had one day to wash and repack before flying to Ghana for the eighteenth plenary meeting of the Anglican Consultative Council (ACC-18), hosted by the Province of West Africa. It was like being evacuated from the battlefield to a temporary sanctuary, … Continue Reading
Steven Croft, the bishop of Oxford, yesterday published a booklet Together in Love and Faith, in which he sets out his thinking about same-sex relationships, and proposes that the Church of England should provide public services for the blessing of same-sex civil partnerships and marriages, but allow a conscience clause for those who dissent, and eventually … Continue Reading
Ian Paul: theologian, author, speaker, academic consultant. Adjunct Professor, Fuller Theological Seminary; Associate Minister, St Nic's, Nottingham; Managing Editor, Grove Books; member of General Synod. Mac user; chocoholic. Tweets at @psephizo
To make a one-off or repeat donation to support the blog, use PayPal with the button below:
You can also visit my Patreon page.
For other ways to support this ministry, visit my Support page.
Andrew Goddard Bible biblical interpretation Biblical literacy biblical theology Christmas Church of England culture discipleship discussion doctrine eschatology ethics evangelism gay Grove guest Hermeneutics History hope interpretation James Blandford Baker Jesus John's gospel Justin Welby leadership lectionary Luke Luke's gospel Matthew ministry mission New Testament Old Testament Paul politics preaching resurrection Revelation same sex unions sexuality theology video Year A Year C
