This year our blog has seen many thought-provoking pieces from countless different authors. We hope that your thoughts have been stirred and your hearts encouraged by it. Have a look at our most-viewed blogs of 2017:
Sam Allberry, author of Is God Anti-Gay?, is a same-sex attracted Anglican minister who has sought to be faithful to God’s will as revealed in scripture. In this blog post, he reflects on the reasons why Christians must hold firm to the traditional view on this issue.
Punchy sound bites are great—they’re memorable and help us get some things clear in our head. There are many very helpful sound bites that often get used in church. They are good preaching and make a helpful impression upon us. But, we don’t want to turn them into absolute statements or our faith will similarly stumble. Matt Fuller, author of Perfect Sinners, discusses three commonly used soundbites: "There's nothing I can do to make God love me ore, or love me less", "Christians shouldn't feel guilty. Jesus has taken it all" and, "God hates the sin but loves the sinner".
The transgender debate is becoming all-encompassing. Issues such as education, law, government, entertainment all fall in the crosshairs of the transgender debate, and our culture moves with such speed that working out how to respond seems overwhelming, if not impossible. Andrew T. Walker, author of God and the Transgender Debate, gives five essential things for Christians to keep in mind as we think about and speak about transgenderism.
The UK has seen multiple terror attacks this year, perhaps the most shocking was the Manchester Arena attack. Our hearts broke when we woke on the 23rd of May to the news that 22 innocent people, the majority of whom were children and young adults, had been killed. But Rachel Jones, author of 5 Things to Pray for your World, encouraged us that if we're Christians, we're not powerless to help—we can pray. She suggested five things to ask the God of the universe, based on Psalm 56.
In July, Eugene Petersen, a prominent Christian author and creator of The Message Bible translation appeared to affirm same-sex marriage. He later retracted the statement but his confused response added him to the large group of Christian leaders who have changed their minds on the subject in recent months. Whatever Eugene Peterson's views on same-sex relationships are, this is certainly a subject that we need to be clear on ourselves. In this blog post, Tim Keller, John Stott and Sam Alberry help us to do so.
Bible Gateway recently found this to be one of the most-read verses in the Bible: “I can do all things through Him who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13). But could it also win the title of being the most misapplied and misunderstood? It’s a wonderful truth, but it needs some qualification. Steve J. Lawson, author of Philippians For You gives us 7 things to think about in relation to this verse.
In an extract from 2 Samuel For You, author Tim Chester reflects on how physical adultery springs out of two other, less recognised adulteries: spiritual adultery and heart adultery.
Back in August, one woman shared her story of living with and leaving her transgender husband. She concludes bravely, "At no point in these last five years have I doubted God's sovereignty. I’ve told him how unfair it feels, and that I never wanted to be a single mum, but I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that he is in control and nothing has taken him by surprise."
Fifty Shades Darker hit cinemas in February—Helen Thorne, author of Purity is Possible, responded. She commented that many women find such films very appealing. Whether that is a statement that shocks us or causes us to quietly nod our head in agreement, Helen has words of warning for us.
Trillia Newbell, author of God's Very Good Idea, says that when she speaks with adults about ethnic and racial diversity it’s not long before the phrase "I’m colorblind! My parents taught me not to see color” comes up. In this blog post she suggests that we are not colorblind, we don’t need to be colorblind, and we actually should strive to not be colorblind.
Eleanor is a Digital Marketing Assistant for The Good Book Company. She studied English Literature at the University of Birmingham and interned in a handful of different publishing houses before joining the company.
