Being thankful: Not a guilt trip but a gift
My birthday is just after Christmas. When I was a kid, that meant I resisted writing thank you letters for Christmas presents till after my
John Bowen is Professor Emeritus of Evangelism at Wycliffe College in Toronto, where he was also the Director of the Institute of Evangelism. Before that, he worked a campus evangelist for Inter-Varsity Christian Fellowship. For over thirty years, John has been a popular speaker, teacher, and preacher, on university campuses, in churches and in classrooms, and at conferences, across Canada and the USA. His most recent book is The Unfolding Gospel: How the Good News Makes Sense of Discipleship, Church, Mission, and Everything Else (Fortress 2021).
My birthday is just after Christmas. When I was a kid, that meant I resisted writing thank you letters for Christmas presents till after my
I had known Matt since high school, and we were still pretty good buddies. In fact, these days, we had a kind of partnership in
Sometimes young people heading for ministry ask my advice. Some of what I say is obvious, but there is one item that always makes them
Over the years, I have discovered a great strategy for teaching evangelism. In any group I was teaching, I would start by asking., “Did anyone
The story is told of Bishop Handley Moule of Durham, a New Testament scholar in the early 20th century. He was on a train one
At the end of the Chronicles of Narnia, C.S. Lewis says, “You have no idea how good an old joke sounds when you take it
Is life a comedy or a tragedy? Surely there is more to weep over than to laugh at in our world—but that is not the
The four Gospels sometimes tell different stories. Only John’s Gospel tells of the raising of Lazarus. Only Luke tells the story of Mary and Martha.
I am currently rereading C.S. Lewis’ autobiography, Surprised by Joy, and one thing that has struck me afresh is his story of being taken to
We’ve seen them. We know them. We’ve shaken our heads over them, worried about them, prayed for them. Who are they? They are the “C&E”
I don’t remember much from my seminary days, and the things that I do remember would, I suspect, surprise those who said them. One professor,
“Mission,” “missional,” and even “missionality” seem to be everywhere. Bishops are talking about it. Candidates for ordination are talking about it. The leader’s guide to
Starting new churches has been a normal part of church life for 2,000 years. In the New Testament alone, 30 towns are mentioned where a
I don’t often read books more than once, though I feel I should. C. S. Lewis said it’s the mark of an educated person—though that’s
A few years ago, I got an email from an old college friend, Denis Alexander, at that time director of the Faraday Institute for Science
In Western societies, as I suggested last time, science and faith began with a warm and close relationship. But then there were misunderstandings, and the
I need to start with a confession: I am not a scientist. So, you might ask, what would I know about science and faith? I
Some people watch the movie Groundhog Day every February 2. Not me. The story is about a character who has to live the same day