Articles, thoughts, essays, and content from Brian as well as students – our budding theologians.
Because Honesty is the Highest Form of Loyalty
It was a throw away comment in an Adam Grant podcast I was listening to at the gym. Remember, he said, “honesty is the highest form of loyalty.” Of course, just because someone says something doesn’t mean it’s true, but in this instance I thought it worth thinking about – and I guess this blog is part of that thinking process. I put the comment alongside another discussion I heard on The Rest is Politics podcast, where the ever interesting Alastair Campbell was speaking about the Shimon Peres solution....
read moreThe Different Faces of Ambition
Ambition is one of those things it’s easy to be ambivalent about. In it’s naked form, it sees some catapult over others, with neither regard nor care for the impact their scramble to the top has on those further back in the line. Ruthlessness is not an attractive quality, but it is the price some are willing to pay to get their dreams to materialise. But ambition does not need to wear this face. It can be a commitment to ensure a worthy dream comes true. It can be about using our gifts responsibly. A clearly articulated ambition...
read moreYet I Still Dare to Hope: When Hope is a Virtue.
So what virtues do you aspire towards? If you want a conversation to take a turn to the serious, it’s a good question to ask. Some people will answer promptly – perhaps citing some of the more commonly listed virtues – courage, justice and integrity. Others might be more exotic in their choice. Perhaps they will leave you perplexed because they selected procrastination, doubt and detachment. Yet others will be rendered speechless. That’s not to say they don’t have any virtues, but it probably means they haven’t spent much time...
read morePraying for the Peace and Prosperity of our City of Exile: Jeremiah 29:7 and the Political Landscape
It’s been a big week in politics – and I don’t even live in the US! As is usual with elections, there are winners and losers – those who are ecstatic and those who are devastated. In the middle are those who are essentially disinterested, but this is probably a smaller group than is usually the case. I could pontificate at great length about what the US Presidential election says to us and about the role that Christian faith plays in elections – but I don’t have an appetite for that right now. Instead...
read moreMissing You: Gaps that aren’t Filled when People Leave…
I came across a beautiful poem by Irish poet Dennis O’Driscoll entitled simply, Missing God. It’s about the societal drift away from God and all the things we lose in that journey. One verse reflects on how different civil marriage ceremonies feel as they avoid words like “everlasting” and “divine”: Miss Him during the civil weddingwhen, at the blossomy altarof the registrar’s desk, we wait in vainto be fed a line containing wordslike “everlasting” and “divine”. If society misses the signs of the Divine it...
read moreOn earning the right to complain…
Much of life is paradoxical. Have you noticed that those with the most to complain about usually don’t, while those whose lot has fallen on pleasant paths often whinge endlessly. I don’t know why, but perhaps those for whom things routinely go right are so accustomed to this fortunate state that they instantly react when something is a little wrong. By contrast, those who regularly struggle are more likely to shrug off a new difficulty with a “well that hardly compares with some of the difficulties I’ve gone through. So let’s just move...
read moreBecause Genius is often just Persistence in Disguise…
I have a PhD. For those who like detail, I earned it for my research into the theological method of Stanley J Grenz and just as he worked to revision evangelical theology, my thesis attempts to revision some of his work. But this post is not about that – did I hear a collective sigh of relief? But it does have a point – a simple one. People have often said to me, “Gosh, you have a PhD. Are you are genius? You must be. That’s so hard to do.” My reply is simple: “Absolutely not. But I am more persistent than...
read moreAspirational or Actual: Navigating the Gap…
Do you have a picture of an ideal you? What does it look like? My ideal me is wise, kind, loyal, energetic, creative, courageous, prophetic, pastoral, thoughtful, engaged, pure, free, mindful, generous, funny, impacting, sensitive, inclusive, affirming, joyous, hopeful, positive, smart, informed, full of faith and at least a dozen other hopelessly optimistic adjectives and adverbs. He also has the looks and strength of a 30 year old with the insight gained from 80 whirls around the sun. On my better days I am a few of these – but then...
read moreWhen subtracting is adding: 8 Suggestions for a “don’t do” list
In our FOMO world, saying yes to new opportunities is the new normal. It has many benefits, and certainly it is far better to lean into life and all it offers than to embrace FOGO – the fear of going out and seeing threat and hazard everywhere. But because every yes is also a no, we need to ask if subtracting things from our life is sometimes the best way to add to it. Like me, you probably find yourself more productive with a daily “to do” list. I usually dive into the things that I can achieve quickly and with little...
read moreThe in and out dilemma: Should we magnify our differences?
By and large we live in a tolerant era – well, it’s tolerant until it isn’t. What do the things we both tolerate and exclude tell us about ourself and the time in which we live? And what’s the difference between tolerating something and embracing it? Should we go on about our differences, or focus more on the common ground between us? And should our differences drive us apart, or draw us together in curious wonder? That’s a lot of questions for an opening paragraph! I guess I’m asking them because the...
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