All Regular Columnists articles – Page 5
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Regular ColumnistsBelief in God may be falling. But our spiritually curious generation still thinks there's more to life
I recently joined thousands of fans for the London leg of Beyoncé’s Renaissance world tour. I’ve written in these pages before about my love for the Queen Bee, and how I believe much of her artistry over the past few years has pointed her fans towards God. ...
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Regular ColumnistsA stunning sight
It was one of those: Is this God speaking to me? moments. Seemingly from nowhere a thought surfaced, and the persistent luminosity of it made me wonder if the Holy Spirit was broadcasting on my personal wavelength. Some believers insist that their lives are punctuated with ...
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Regular ColumnistsHow can you worship the God of the enslavers?
Q: When the rapper Jahaziel renounced his Christian faith, he listed a number of objections to belief, including “Christianity’s involvement in the slave trade”. He spoke about wanting to “return” to the religious traditions of his African ancestors. His story is representative of a large number of ...
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Regular ColumnistsHow I stopped my chronic alarm-snoozing and learned to love early mornings with God
Want to be the best leader you can be? You need to sleep well, eat well, exercise well and pray well, says Natalie Williams. Here’s how she changed her daily habits
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Regular ColumnistsThe Church is being damaged by scandals. Here’s 3 reasons why I still have hope
The relentless news of scandals and failures in the Church is breaking my heart. It can feel really hopeless - and then it becomes easy to slide into despair. I could easily write a column lamenting the fact that this institution we’re all part of is in ...
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Regular ColumnistsCommunion then and now
Traditions may have changed over the centuries, but wherever and whenever we eat the bread and drink the wine, we share fellowship together as one family – and with Jesus – says David Instone-Brewer
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Regular ColumnistsA church divided on ethnic lines cannot stand
It’s a sobering thought, but the next time the Census religion data is revealed in ten years’ time, the Church in England and Wales is unlikely to have grown. Look ahead to 30 years’ time, and the number of Christians will make for even more grim reading. ...
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Regular ColumnistsThe pressure to impress
I was eagerly looking forward to my annual school reunion. Inevitably, we’d pass the hours reminiscing about the classes we’d loved and loathed, the girls we’d fancied, the pranks we’d played. Our gaggle of teachers had included a few rather odd characters. There was the chemistry ...
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Regular ColumnistsBetter than fire
Writing ahead of Pentecost Sunday, Lucy Peppiatt says the greatest gift the early Church received was not signs and wonders, but a fresh revelation of the love of God
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Regular ColumnistsThe sceptics were wrong. Religion still dominates the world’s biggest news stories
Source: marcos alvarado / Alamy Stock Photo This month marks 20 years since Alastair Campbell famously told a reporter: “We don’t do God.” Despite Campbell’s repeated explanations that his throwaway comment was merely an attempt to get rid of a pestering journalist, over the years his ...
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Regular ColumnistsChristians, you can keep your ‘thoughts and prayers’. They mean nothing without action
’Thoughts and prayers’ Christianity makes our sinful passivity look heavenly, says Chris Llewellyn, but we are called to be active participants in bringing about societal change and social justice
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Regular ColumnistsOur church has banned cheesy Christian signs. There's a better way...
Source: Flickr / au_tiger01 Recently we decided to add a digital notice board to the outside of our church building. Some might feel this is an extravagance, and many churches would not have the resources (or desire) to spend money on signage, but a road study revealed ...
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Regular ColumnistsTroubled: Why I'm still overcoming sectarianism
My mum’s teen years were characterised by routine bomb scares. But the most frightening part isn’t the horrifying violence she witnessed, but the nonchalance with which she talks about it. Northern Ireland’s atmosphere of hatred was her version of normal. Humans are incredibly adaptable. Even the ...
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Regular ColumnistsJesus hasn't returned yet. Why not?
In the first century, something or someone stopped Jesus’ second coming. David Instone-Brewer explores what happened and asks: What is it that is holding him back today?
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Regular Columnists30 years on from Stephen Lawrence, Black Christians are still living with trauma
I was nine years old when Stephen Lawrence was murdered, 30 years ago this April. It was the early 90s, and far-right extremist groups were making a resurgence in many parts of south-east London, including Eltham, where I lived, and where Stephen was killed. As a West ...
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Regular ColumnistsMum’s dementia
Looking back, it wasn’t the greatest idea. The care home had warned me that my mother was just days from dying. Agitation was robbing her of sleep and so I decided I would sit with her through the night. Mum was at the end of a ...
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Regular ColumnistsProud to be a ‘Biblical Christian’? Here’s why that might be a problem…
I recently polled my Instagram followers, asking them three questions: “Is it important to you to be a ‘biblical Christian’?”, “Is it important to challenge leaders whose worldview is ‘unbiblical’?” and “Have you actually read the whole Bible?”. Seventy-five per cent answered “yes” to the first question, ...
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Regular ColumnistsLeading a charity turned out to be surprisingly brutal. Here’s what I learned about handling pressure
The first thing I noticed when I started leading Jubilee+ was how tired I became. Formerly a night owl, suddenly I just couldn’t handle working late. It started out as mental tiredness – at the end of the working day, my brain ached. But it soon progressed ...
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Regular ColumnistsThe rewards of fasting
As Lent begins, Lucy Peppiatt looks at what scripture teaches about fasting, and why it’s a practice Christians can benefit from
