apologetics | Quaerentia

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‘

Q Combinations 7: Lewis, Fujimura and Elemental Love

It was a while back when I encountered this poem from the polymathic Lewis, that master of words and fantasies and reality. It is an astonishing poem (some suggest his greatest). Read more

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

21

Aug

The Black Dog (10 years on) 8: SOME LITERARY COMPANIONS…

William Nicholson wrote Shadowlands, the play (which became the film) inspired by C.S.Lewis’s extraordinary testimony A Grief Observed. In it, he gave Lewis this lovely line, one he never actually uttered, but may as well have done.

We read to know we’re not alone

18

Aug

The Black Dog (10 years on) 7: SOME TOP TIPS…

As I wrap this little sequence of ruthless self-exposure up, various omissions and oddities have occurred to me, so the easiest thing is probably to string them together in a miscellany that’s almost Pauline in its randomness (though naturally without his claims to authority). Read more

14

Aug

The Black Dog (10 years on) 5: THE INSENSIBILITY OF FAITH…

It’s been very moving to have messages in the last few days about my black dog posts. Thank you! At least it shows that it’s been worth it. As I mentioned in the first post, I’m genuinely not motivated by the kind of confessional culture that is all around us; still less am I trying to elicit sympathy. And I’m definitely not seeking advice or support (kind though some offers have been!). It is only to help those who don’t quite have the words for this yet. But I do realise that it’s raised lots of questions for some… Read more

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

5

Jul

Broadcast of my Wilderness of Mirrors interview on 100 Huntley St

While I was in the US for the publication of A Wilderness of Mirrors back in May, I was asked to make a mildly crazy detour to Toronto for an interview on 100 Huntley St, a daily Christian TV talk show. Having not really done this kind of thing before, and certainly not knowing what kind of constituency the show serves, I was rather nervous about it all. Read more

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.

29

Jan

There but for the grace… pastors escaping the power-trip pitfalls

We could call them the ‘pastor’s power pitfalls.’ There are many. Too many. It’s actually scary how much power a pastor wields – for good… and ill. It’s one of the key issues that has preoccupied me a lot about in the last few years while writing my culture of suspicion book (out VERY soon at all GOOD bookshops!). And I’ve witnessed (and struggled) under power-trip pastors. The worst thing, though, is how blissfully unaware they are of it. As one friend said of a church boss he struggled under for several years, “he’s like a drunk driver who never looks in the rear-view mirror.” Read more

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