I’ve Had Cancer and I Am Not Angry With God
First published 15 April 2015 This post is now incorporated with 22 other similar ‘reflections’ in my book, Facing Cancer with Faith. When I first heard about Stephen Fry’s now infamous outburst against God in a recent interview on Irish TV, I admit that I dismissed it as the ranting of a celebrity amateur atheist.…
Does God Punish Nations With Storms?
First published 5 October 2014 In my last post I was thinking about the reaction David Silvester received recently to his open letter accusing UK Prime Minister David Cameron of bringing God’s judgment upon the nation. In the letter he said that, “The Scriptures make it abundantly clear that a Christian nation that abandons its…
Why Is It Offensive To Speak Of God Punishing?
First published 27 September 2014 David Silvester is a local government councillor near Oxford in the UK, until recently representing the UK Independence Party. At the beginning of 2014 he (in)famously said in a letter to the Henley Standard, “Since the passage of the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Act, the nation has been beset by…
Is Christian Faith a Placebo? (Derren Brown’s Trick Too Far)
First published 1 January 2013 Celebrity psychologist Derren Brown is an extremely clever man. Having watched a few of his TV shows, I have to admit to being as amazed as anyone else at the things he manages to do. He uses hypnotism, NLP (neuro-linguistic programming) and psychology to perform some marvelous magic and spectacular…
Where Shall We Turn in Times of Doubt?
First published 21 May 2010 Times of doubt A while ago I wrote to encourage those who are worried that they don’t have strong enough faith. I was, to be honest, concerned that my previous reflections may be overly dogmatic, and end up discouraging those who read and say, “I still don’t get it!” I…
Is Christian Comfort ‘Pie in the Sky’?
First published 18 March 2010 This post is now incorporated with 22 other similar ‘reflections’ in my book, Facing Cancer with Faith. Well it’s not quite what I expected to be dwelling on when I started my blog just over 6 months ago, but my thoughts on hardship and suffering as a Christian do seem…