The whole gospel addresses the world’s wrong thinking, not just the church’s comfort

Nov 12, 2019 by

The whole gospel addresses the world’s wrong thinking, not just the church’s comfort

By Andrew Symes, Anglican Mainstream: Is there a crisis in the nation, with a desperate need for radical change in government policies concerning the environment, health and social care, law and order, education, and our relationship with the EU? Or is there more a sense of ennui, of weariness with a stalemated political process, a disappointment with leadership, a longing to be “godly and quietly governed”? As we approach a general election which may potentially result in a continuation of...

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Witness which omits the inconvenient truth

Oct 22, 2019 by

by Andrew Symes, Anglican Mainstream: Religion is increasingly irrelevant for many people, but the Church still has opportunities to engage with large audiences outside its walls. Are those who speak for it making the best use of these openings? Sociologists of religion tell us that ‘secularisation’ does not tell the whole story as far as the decline of organised religion in Western culture is concerned. Yes there is a downturn in churchgoing and belief in the Christian God, but a rise in...

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“Relationships and sex education” as a tool for mass shaping of a generation’s worldview: can it be halted?

Oct 15, 2019 by

“Relationships and sex education” as a tool for mass shaping of a generation’s worldview: can it be halted?

By Andrew Symes, Anglican Mainstream: Since the beginning of the year, Anglican Mainstream has posted a steady stream of articles  on the government’s overhaul of Relationships and Sex Education, particularly as the plans affect Primary Schools. The new guidelines have the effect of standardising across the nation what many schools have being putting into practice already for some years: under the guise of promoting “British values” of “tolerance” and “inclusion”, and in an effort to prevent...

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‘The gospel in the public square’ – what does it look like?

Oct 1, 2019 by

By Andrew Symes, Anglican Mainstream. I’ve written before about my fascination with the last few chapters of Acts, which portray the apostle Paul on trial again and again. Here are some more reflections. While there are great differences between the early church and contemporary Christianity in the West, Luke was writing to an audience of Christians in a context in some ways similar to our own. The Christian faith was not banned; it was possible for churches to exist and even to flourish in...

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Book review: ‘Michael Green, by his friends’

Sep 24, 2019 by

By Andrew Symes, Anglican Mainstream. This collection of tributes, just released by IVP, paints a detailed picture of evangelist, pastor, scholar and mission activist Michael Green who died early in 2019. The different but dovetailing perspectives of more than 30 contributors are excellently marshalled and edited by Julia Cameron. This is no detached, merely factual biography, but a series of warm, affectionate reminiscences mixed with a clear overarching account of the life and various...

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ReNew Conference hears call to mission in the light of the future

Sep 17, 2019 by

by Andrew Symes, Anglican Mainstream: The annual gathering of conservative evangelical English Anglicans addressed the uncertainties of ministry in the present, given the challenges offered by the Church of England and Western culture, and emphasised the certainty of a future under Christ’s just reign promised in Scripture. In an amusing and challenging interview, Archbishop Ben Kwashi spoke of how within ten years of narrowly avoiding death when his house and church were burned by Islamic...

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