Crumbs from the Table

In the New Testament, there is no single, uniform designation for local church leaders. Aside from the unique office of the Apostles, who had seen the Lord, regular local church leaders were known as elders, overseers, pastors (the word is "shepherds"), teachers, "ministers of the New Covenant", leaders (Hebrews 13) or "those who labour among you and are over you in the Lord" (1 Thess 5:12).  The name given to church leaders nowadays often depends on church denomination. Roman Catholics and Eastern Orthodox have "priests", who may be addressed as "Father". In the Church of England, a common designation is "vicar". In presbyterian churches, the term is "minister" or, technically, "teaching elder". In "free churches" often "pastor" is the word used. In more recent times, as collective leadership has become the norm in free churches, the word "elder" is increasingly used, reflecti...

Very possibly, not everyone reading this blog is a fan of the 1990s sitcom, Friends. However, I think we can all agree that Friends, which ran from 1994 to 2004, managed to capture a cultural moment. Its continued popularity long after the final series was completed demonstrates the chord that it struck.  Towards the end of 2023 came the sad news of the premature death of one of the Friends actors, Matthew Perry (1969-2023). The death appears to have been caused or precipitated by "the acute effects of ketamine"; substance abuse was something Matthew Perry very publicly wrestled with during and after his fame with Friends. A touching clip replayed at the time of his death was his talk show interaction with pundit Peter Hitchen on this point. Matthew Perry comes across as both broken and "real", while his debating partner, while possibly well-meaning, appears to be defending a theoretical position without first-hand experience.  Naturally, the death of Matthew Perry,...

Lent is a 40 day period of fasting and spiritual exercise in the run-up to Easter (Pascha).  Lent originally began as a period of preparation for those due to be baptised, and so was kept by those in the final stages of preparing for full initiation into the Christian church. It was then extended to include all Christians. Lent has been observed by Christians since something like the 200s. Until a generation or so ago, Lent was widely observed in the Roman Catholic and some Protestant churches in the western world. It continues to be observed by committed individuals, and in more traditional heartlands of Christianity, as well as by the Eastern Orthodox Churches.   In more recent times, Lent has been practised in the western world in more limited ways. People might choose to "give up" something for Lent, such as sugar or maybe use of certain mass media. Others might attend courses during Lent, directing their energy towards Christian learning. It is not uncommon for peopl...

In this post, I want to recommend what I consider to be good Christian books. I am doing this for the modern reader, so the list is weighted towards modern titles and away from historic works which are useful in a different way. Apologetics / introduction to Christianity C. S. Lewis, Mere Christianity. C. S. Lewis, Screwtape Letters. Tim Keller, Reason for God Prayer John White, Pray-ers in the Bible   More in-depth theology J. I. Packer, Knowing God Church History A. McGrath, Introduction to Christian History Nick Needham, 2000 Years of Christ's Power (Five Volumes) Chadwick, The Early Church Preaching Donald Coggan, Stewards of Grace Stott, I believe in preaching

There is something I have noticed in my work as a pastor of a local church which I would like to share.  Many of you will be familiar with the " Engel scale ". It is an attempt to quantify, in terms of a "timeline" the progress of someone from unbelief, to faith, to Christian maturity. Minus 10 (-10) on the Engel scale is a virulent atheist (think of a famous evolutionary scientist and author of many books denying the existence of God). Minus 2 or 3 is someone on their way to becoming a Christian, but who has not yet come to the faith. Zero is the moment of conversion/rebirth.* This is followed by four or more further stages, as the new/young believer progresses towards Christian maturity, which includes active involvement in the church and Christian service.  What I want to focus on is the period after the "zero" moment of conversion.  What I have observed in church life, particularly in the two churches where I have served as the "lead pastor",...

After the Apostolic Fathers, the next generation of Christian leaders were called the Apologists. Their focus was external, engaging the society around them. The word "apologist" is from the word “ apologia ” which means a defence in court. The apologists defended the Christian faith vis-à-vis the surrounding non-Christian world, and engaged with the culture to communicate the gospel to Jews and Gentiles. The most prominent Apologist was Justin Martyr (100-165), a philosopher-become-Christian who grew up in Samaria (Holy Land), but was later at Rome where he was martyred. Justin's journey to faith involved various "philosophies", such as stoicism, Aristotelianism and Platonism, but it was a chance meeting with an old man on a beach that convinced Justin that the Old Testament prophets were true philosophers, and that Christianity was the true philosophy. He was also impressed by the dignity with which Christian martyrs met their death. Justin wrote two Apologie...

The Apostles whom Jesus chose fulfilled a central role as unique witnesses to the world of his resurrection from the dead. The first Apostle to die was James the brother of John in the year 44; the last to die was John around the year 100. During this time, the "baton" was passed from the Apostles, like Peter, John and Paul, to the next generation of Christian leaders. Ephesus was the place that Paul had "handed over" leadership of the church, and also the place where John was the last Apostle to die, and thus represents the first stage in post-Apostolic church history.  The first generation of post-Apostolic writers were called the Apostolic Men or Apostolic Fathers. They included Clement of Rome, Ignatius of Antioch, Polycarp of Smyrna (see below) and Papias of Hierapolis. Many of these were men who had been discipled by the Apostles. In Polycarp’s case, he had been discipled by John the Apostle at Ephesus. Besides these individuals, there are also a number of tex...