republished, with permission, from the Church of England Newspaper, 22 June 2007 ‘Lord, won’t you buy me a Mercedes-Benz?’ is the plaintive backing song used in the famous car advert in 1995, and again this year. The sentiment of the song, by Janis Joplin (from her 1971 album, ‘Pearl’), raises key questions about materialism and … Continue Reading
republished, with permission, from The Church of England Newspaper, 15 June 2007 Dear Fulcrum Friends, There is a poignant story of Jesus walking towards a Dutch Reformed Church in South Africa, during the apartheid era, and seeing a black man sitting on the steps, crying. He asked, ‘Why are you weeping?’ The reply came, ‘They … Continue Reading
by Colin Craston republished with permission from the Church of England Newspaper, 8 June 2007 The highest point of unity among Evangelicals in the Church of England was 40 years ago at the Keele National Evangelical Anglican Congress. Divisions began to emerge after the second Congress at Nottingham ten years later. The subject of Hermeneutics … Continue Reading
Summary Why the wrangling over Lambeth? If nothing else, the present debate over invitations to and attendance at the upcoming Lambeth Conference offers an important opportunity to reflect on the character of the Church as a body that gathers, takes common counsel, and makes representative decisions. Specifically, some of the public statements over these matters … Continue Reading
If the healing ministry of the Church is to be integrated with the whole gospel of the Church, it has to be rooted in what is central and normative for everything else that claims the name of Christian, namely the incarnation of the eternal Son of God in Jesus of Nazareth. Of course the incarnation … Continue Reading
‘What does Salvation mean in the Urban Context?’, by Jon Kuhrt, Director of Community Mission, Shaftesbury Society Jon KuhrtJon Kuhrt works with people affected by homelessness, offending and chronic addictions at the West London Mission. He, his wife and three children are part of Streatham Baptist Church and he is a member of the Christians … Continue Reading
The Gospel According to Judas By Benjamin Iscariot Recounted by Jeffrey Archer With the assistance of Prof Francis Moloney (London: Macmillan, 2007) A Fulcrum review by Dr Justin Thacker, Evangelical Alliance Head of Theology This really is a fascinating piece of work. The Gospel According to Judas, written by Jeffrey Archer in association with a … Continue Reading
Discipleship is, as your title indicates, a state of being. Discipleship is about how we live; not just the decisions we make, not just the courses we attend, but a state of being. It’s very telling that at the very beginning of St John’s Gospel, a text to which unsurprisingly I’ll be coming back later … Continue Reading
The story of Jesus calling his disciples is one that used to be communicated to every child in our country. There was something so poignant, immediate, attractive about this charismatic figure appearing to random working men in the middle of earthy, everyday tasks and saying ‘follow me.’ There is something unforgettable about a bunch of … Continue Reading
a response to Robert Jenson, Jeffrey John, and a new volume entitled Pierced for Our Transgressions Eastertide, 2007 by the Bishop of Durham, Dr N. T. Wright Introduction About ten days before Easter, the question of the cross suddenly impinged on me from two different directions. Late one night, I read an article on the … Continue Reading