I was brought up by two loving Christian parents. They both worked in full time Christian ministry, so I spent much of my childhood in or around church.

Friendships are an essential part of our daily Christian lives, and yet few of us have a biblical theology of friendship. This article seeks to highlight a few key biblical principles for us to live and evaluate our friendships by.

I had recently asked my Barnabas group for advice about how to develop friendships with other women in light of same-sex attraction. So, when my group leader asked me to read and review “No Greater Love”, I eagerly agreed, hopeful to gain some clear insights, as well as a deeper theological understanding of friendship. I was not disappointed.

During my Curate training, the higher-ups thought it would be a good idea to make me (I use that word deliberately) do a placement in a school. To be fair, it was indeed a good idea. The thinking is that it helps Assistant Curates (assistant ministers) understand the inner workings of Church of England schools. When I wasn’t accidentally giving the wrong answers to Key Stage Two maths questions (that was humbling!), I was observing just how easy it was for the children to make friends. No drama. No angst. Friendship was just so natural for them.
 

TFT: What it was like for you growing up, Malcolm?

"Pride" is a book that was recommended by my Crosslands tutor for helping to clarify both the meaning of ‘concupiscence’ and the current issues surrounding it. I’m studying on their seminary programme, children’s and youth ministry track. When it came time to write my essay on ‘The Image of God’, I realised this book that was sitting on my shelf might be quite helpful! "Pride" is a book all about identity and how this gets distorted. It’s about worship and idolatry, and how we can end up worshipping ourselves (hence the name "Pride") instead of God.