“He Came Down from Heaven”—Really?
John Bowen
December 24, 2021
I can’t remember who it was that said it, but it stuck with me: “What the church needs is not better arguments but better metaphors.”
I can’t remember who it was that said it, but it stuck with me: “What the church needs is not better arguments but better metaphors.”
We have a tendency to tame the Bible—indeed, to tame Jesus. As one friend says, “Jesus was not your average Rotarian.” Life is safer and
Until then, we had done no more than exchange pleasantries on a Sunday morning. But one day Catherine asked if she could talk to me.
I do not consider myself “a person of faith.” There, I said it. Are you shocked? Yes, I attend my parish church regularly. I say the creed without crossing
What holds everything together? For many of us, the Christian faith is made up of fragments. Over here is the story of David and
Just the other day, I was challenged about the idea of “mission” and being “missional.” My friend said, “You can’t put mission before discipleship.” He
I remember once doing a debate on the rationality of faith with a philosophy professor in Montreal. In the course of the debate, I said
The camera always lies. Yes, yes, I know it’s not what we were taught, but think about it. Here is a photo of a child
I had decided to give up my favorite chocolate biscotti during Lent. The server in my favorite coffee shop was surprised that I wasn’t having
One of the joys for me in recent years has been telling Bible stories to children and families at our church’s Messy Church. Maybe it
Soon we will be hearing again those wonderful Christmas words, “In the beginning was the Word.” For many of us, Christmas would not be Christmas
How would you describe C.S. Lewis? A writer of wildly successful children’s fiction, a brilliant Christian apologist, a top English scholar, a popular broadcaster? He
In 2016, a photograph circulated on the internet of a group of young people in the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam. They were sitting in front of
During my years at Wycliffe College, I listened to many students wrestling with whether they were called to ordination. They were often surprised when I
Cam Harder is a well-respected, senior Lutheran Professor of Systematic Theology, now retired. I tell you that now because he also has a mischievous sense
Change and tradition sometimes seem like opposites. “We Anglicans have our traditions. We love them and are proud of them,” we hear. But we also
Business guru Peter Drucker used to advise every organisation to ask itself, “What business are we in?” So what exactly is the business of the
The bishop of another diocese told me she was once preaching about discipleship in one of her churches. After the service, a parishioner came up