In many ways, the message of this book is perfectly summed up in the subtitle, “How to live for Jesus in a world that says you shouldn’t”. Yet, significantly, Stephen McAlpine has as much to say about “why” we should live for Jesus in this broken world, as “how”. The fundamental point of the book is that we, God’s people, the church, used to be the good guys. Then we became just one of the guys. Now, pretty much everyone outside ourselves views us as the bad guys.

I doubt any of us would be put off walking through a field of sheep grazing happily on the grass. A field of wolves might be a different matter. For as long as there have been sheep and wolves, there have also been false teachers in the life of the church. False teachers are described as those wearing sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ferocious wolves (Matthew 7:15). Take a moment to read through these passages to remind yourself of the presence of false teachers in the early church - 2 Peter 2:1-3, 1 John 4:1-3 and 2 Timothy 3:1-9.

Some revisionist theologians’ arguments have sticking power because they resonate with our cultural norms. Put another way, they are persuasive because they draw on modern Western values and assumptions. This brief article considers four “sticky” arguments and how to respond well from a biblical perspective. 

The Coronavirus pandemic was my introduction to TFT and the Women of Light group, and I have enjoyed wonderful fellowship across borders, at the online conferences, as well as support on the Facebook page.

There is a Danish philosopher, Søren Kierkegaard, who is known for this quote: “Life is lived forwards, but understood backwards.” I start with that quote because I was recently diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome, which now helps quite a few things in my life make sense.

Growing up, I lived opposite an incredibly house-proud lady. We could regularly see her, rain or shine, sprucing up the front of her home. She would clean the windows, ensure no weeds were growing, and even go out onto the pavement with a hard scrubbing brush to remove all the dirt from the concrete flagstones. I’m not going to criticise anyone for maintaining high standards of cleanliness, but it used to amuse us that the fastidiousness of her home didn’t match that of the homes surrounding it.

Steadfastness’ has been a helpful focus for us within TFT recently, and it was intriguing to discover that God used our Spring Women’s Weekend to pick up on the same theme. The title for our devotional time was ‘Strength for the Journey’. We looked at 1 Kings 19:1-18 and Elijah’s weariness soon after his victory over the prophets of Baal. Many of us had arrived at the Women’s Weekend tired from the week’s commitments, a familiar pattern for weekends away. However, the passage helped us to recognise that many of us felt more than ‘tired’. Like Elijah, quite a few of us felt deeply weary.

There is a small section of my bookshelves that is designated “Helpful books with unhelpful titles”! I think I’m going to be adding this book to that shelf. 

If you have never heard of Alexander Whyte, let me introduce him to you. He was Moderator of the Free Church of Scotland in the latter years of the nineteenth century, and he is one of my heroes.I’ve been a Christian for a very long time, and I’ve constantly struggled with same-sex attraction. I’m in my seventies now and I reflect in this article on how I’ve survived, both spiritually and emotionally.

The week, before my daughter’s sports day, we practised her race on a local running track. She had signed up to run the 200m, and wanted to feel prepared for the big day. So we put our trainers on and headed to the track. As we set off together, I explained the importance of starting well and finding a comfortable pace she could maintain. She set off well, worked up to a sprint and stayed strong. Her pace slowed a little as we approached the corner, so my encouragement came loud and clear. “You can do this. Keep going!” I cheered.