1
Oct
Q marks the spot – Treasure Map 85 (October 2015)
Sacred Treasure
- This is serious – Turkish Protestant churches sent death threats – directly affects a number of churches that I’ve regularly spent time with in Turkey. PRAY.
- My former All Souls colleague Jo Jackson has written a couple of great posts about weakness: 1. Willingly Weak and 2. Wonderfully Weak
- Phil Whittall (aka the Simple Pastor) has a great post on ‘We are alone in the universe‘
1
Sep
Q marks the spot – Treasure Map 84 (September 2015)
Sacred Treasure
- Did God Betray You? Really helpful piece about suffering and faith.
- We’re all sadists now: Carl Trueman on provocative but insightful form
- Tim Neufeld on cracking form about U2’s current tour: Ancient Psalms for a State-of-the-Art Tour
1
Aug
Q marks the spot – Treasure Map 83 (August 2015)
Sacred Treasure
- Prof Gary Habermas has made his 90-page book, Evidence for the Historical Jesus available as a free pdf.
- Gabe Lyons and Andrew Sullivan have a remarkable conversation about the pain of Church/LGBT (can’t they find a vowel!!?) relations
- She doesn’t mince her words here – it’s necessarily shocking – but this is important – Gail Dines TED talk on Growing Up in a Pornified Culture
1
Jul
Q marks the spot – Treasure Map 82 (July 2015)
Sacred Treasure
- Ding Dong the witch is dead: if you’ve missed this, it is a must read – a harrowing account of a pastor who is a survivor of horrendous child abuse
- Turkish Armenians with previously hidden Christian heritage are returning to Christianity from Islam
- Phil Whittall has a very good piece on the issue of transhumanism (after the discussion between Peter Thiel and NT Wright)
1
Jun
Q marks the spot – Treasure Map 81 (June 2015)
Sacred Treasure
- Philip Yancey has a good piece on the value of small churches… he also passes on a lovely John Ortberg story about a bus driver in San Francisco.
- Eddie Arthur has a consistently thought-provoking blog – this piece particularly good: Go to where God is Not at Work!
- Krish Kandiah on 7 reasons why preaching is dead and 7 reasons why it lives
1
May
Q marks the spot – Treasure Map 80 (May 2015)
Sacred Treasure
- Tolkien and the Long Defeat: this is such a powerful piece from Dec 2013 – so counter-cultural in our utilitarian world.
- Phil Whittall makes some helpful points about the strong tides of ethical change
- Did the early church believe in substitutionary atonement? Michael Kruger has a look
- 9 Traits of Church bullies – sadly very true
1
Apr
Q marks the spot – Treasure Map 79 (April 2015)
Sacred Treasure
- Emma describes how she and her husband Phil found themselves planting a church in Stockholm
- Cranmer has a bold but perceptive take on the Phobia culture that we find ourselves in
- Google CFO retires with an important challenge about work/life balance
1
Mar
Q marks the spot – Treasure Map 78 (March 2015)
Sacred Treasure
- Josh Byers over at Visual Theology has produced a GREAT infographic summarising all the arguments for the historicity of the Resurrection
- Cranmer rightly notes the increased levels of Christian engagement in the next UK General Election (see last month’s Q treasure). And here’s his great reflection on Andy Flannagan’s book Those Who Show Up.
- Ian Paul covers the ground on Stephen Fry and God
1
Feb
Q marks the spot – Treasure Map 77 (February 2015)
Sacred Treasure
- Show up: a fantastic campaign endorsed by scores of different outfits – to encourage Christian involvement with politics generally, and May’s General Election specifically.
- It isn’t a battle; it’s a pilgrimage: helpful wisdom for anyone, not just those struggling with porn issues
- Michael Wenham is someone with Lou Gehrig disease and so uniquely qualified to consider the Stephen Hawking movie, Theory of Everything.
1
Jan
Q marks the spot – Treasure Map 76 (January 2015)
HAPPY NEW YEAR! Have a fab 2015
watch this space because there are some big changes afoot for Quaerentia in the coming months…!!
Sacred Treasure
- AN Wilson on cracking form: it’s the Gospel truth – so take it or leave it
- Ministry through the dark night: very helpful consoling piece by someone (!?) about depression and despair in ministry
- Interesting piece in the Washington Post: Gay Christians choosing celibacy emerge from the shadows
1
Dec
Q marks the spot – Treasure Map 75 (December 2014)
Hurrah! Q Treasure Maps have reached a 3/4 Century!
Sacred Treasure
- I know a number of the people involved in making this doc on Jesus’ claims to be the Son of God – made in Turkey for those from that part of the world. Looks great!
- The Pope draws in Tom Wright, Rick Warren, Michael Nazir-Ali and others to the discussion about family. Unprecedented?
- In particular, here is fmr UK Chief Rabbi, Lord Sacks’ remarkable speech in full.
- Ros Clarke is an old friend who recently completed a PhD on the interpretation of the Song of Songs – she’s set up a great website to offer the fruit of all her labours more widely.
1
Nov
Q marks the spot – Treasure Map 74 (November 2014)
Sacred Treasure
- Emma Scrivener on form yet again her: lovely piece on the Both/Ands of the Christian life.
- She’s also got a great A-Z of Christianity – check it out!
- Nell Goddard writes beautifully and poignantly on When Christians cause the suffering
- The importance of plural leadership – yet another interesting thought from Chris Green
1
Oct
Q marks the spot – Treasure Map 73 (October 2014)
Sacred Treasure
- C S Lewis on Friendship
- Are the Apocryphal Gospels true? Ian Paul picks up Simon Gathercole’s address at the recent British NT conference
- If you missed it, this is an extraordinary episode of BBC’s Panorama about the Christians working in North Korea for Pyongyang University of Science and Technology (30 minutes – definitely worth watching in full).
1
Sep
Q marks the spot – Treasure Map 72 (September 2014)
Sacred Treasure
- Cranmer has been on form: 1. None dare call it evil, except Justin Welby; 2. I have forgiven Islamic militants
- Interesting stuff here from Tyndale House on Simon Gathercole’s work on the Gospel of Thomas
- “Your liberal and democratic principles are worth nothing here…” from the Chaldean Catholic Archbishop of Mosul
- The stigma of being an atheist in the USA…
2
Aug
Q marks the spot – Treasure Map 71 (August 2014)
Sorry this late – It’s been an absolutely CRAZY month (including finishing a job, moving house and going on a couple of week long meetings.) Soon, normal Q service will resume, I promise!
BETTER LATE THAN NEVER, I SUPPOSE.
Sacred Treasure
- This is important: Paul Vallely’s much linked (rightly) article: Christians: the world’s most persecuted people
- Nice interview with my Langham US colleague, Ben Homan, on preaching globally
- Damian Thompson as provocative as ever – about that other agent provocateur, Richard Dawkins, and his new offensiveness to the Left.
1
Jul
Q marks the spot – Treasure Map 70 (July 2014)
Sacred Treasure
- We refuse to be enemies. This is an astonishing story from a family of Palestinian Christians living in Bethlehem.
- Dominic Lawson (son of former Chancellor Nigel, brother of celeb chef Nigella) writes wonderfully about his 19 year old daughter with Down’s Syndrome.
- Abp Justin Welby’s address at the National Prayer Breakfast, on 17th June – some great stuff
- Chris Green asks whether or not we should preach like TED talks
1
Jun
Q marks the spot – Treasure Map 69 (June 2014)
Sacred Treasure
- God raises the dead – even for preachers like Chris!
- Why Emily Letts filmed her own abortion…
- The Twitter Disconnect: Why Christians are more loving in real life… some good stuff here
- A Nick Cave service??! Looks a lot of fun (H/T Maggi)
1
May
Q marks the spot – Treasure Map 68 (May 2014)
Sacred Treasure
- This is good: John Piper gives 10 lessons from a hospital bed
- I’m not busy… so says Ian Paul apparently
- Larry Hurtado deftly sorts out the whole Jesus Wife document farrago here and then a follow-up here
1
Apr
Q marks the spot – Treasure Map 67 (April 2014)
Sacred Treasure
- Giles Fraser nails it on euthanasia
- Kevin de Young on celebrity pastors etc
- Andrew Brown writes an inspiring obituary of Margaret Spufford (mother of one of my literary heroes, Francis)
1
Mar
Q marks the spot – Treasure Map 66 (March 2014)
Sacred Treasure
- Why Benedict Rogers, a Christian, opposes the very idea of a Christian political party
- So a mural artist in Montenegro considers Tito, Marx and Engels deserves to be depicted in hell… what do you think?
- Some good news from Cranmer: highlighting all the UCCF outreach efforts this term
