Dear David,
Thanks very much for putting Christianity back on the front pages of the papers by claiming, as our Prime Minister, that this is a Christian nation. I notice that you’ve been getting some flak from people who don’t think this is, or should be, a Christian country.
And the thing is, David, that they’re right.
This isn’t a Christian nation. And it never has been. There’s no such thing as a Christian state, with borders and land and law enforcement and so on. There was once a nation that collected all God’s people into one place, with civic laws and a penal code and so on. It was called Israel, and it existed until Christ came, and explained that his kingdom is not of this world, recognizes no borders, and whose only land in this world right now is the hearts and bodies of his subjects, what he called 'his church' (that's not the same thing as the Church of England, David, though part of that denomination's membership are included in it). It’s only because Christ came and turned the centrifugal force of Old Testament Israel into the centripetal force of the New Testament church that our nation has any of his people living in it at all. While Israel was to be a light to the nations, now the church is to be the light in the nations.... continue reading
Did you know that yesterday was Charlotte Brontë's 198th birthday? I didn't. But Google kindly told me when I logged in.
Did you know that today is Earth Day? Again, I didn't - but Google came to the rescue again, with an animated doodle this time. I enjoy those ones - do you? They keep me on the Google page for longer, and reinforce whichever special day it is. My favourites are the games - especially when they reinvented Pacman, a game I spent far too much time on as a student…... continue reading
At an Easter reception in Downing Street on Wednesday night, UK Prime Minister David Cameron made a bizarre claim: “Jesus invented the Big Society 2,000 years ago. I just want to see more of it”.
In case you’ve forgotten, the Big Society was one of the buzzwords of the Conservative party’s 2010 general election campaign. The policy put a renewed focus on community action, giving local governments more power, supporting community groups and encouraging volunteering. The aim was to create a “Big Society” that takes power from the hands of politicians into the hands of people.
So did Jesus invent the Big Society?... continue reading
This week, 5 members of The Good Book family have been enjoying Together for the Gospel - a biennial conference for pastors and Church leaders in the US. What have they enjoyed most? Here's what they are rejoicing in as they begin their journeys home ...
Tim: Meeting fantastic and enthusiastic American Christians who are eager to reach out with the gospel in a wide range of circumstances.
James: Hearing about the impact that our resources are having all over the USA and beyond.
Brad: Seeing Sam Allberry (author of Is God Anti-Gay) on the Q+A panel with Al Mohler and Russell D. Moore, talking about how to engage with the people and the biblical debates surrounding homosexuality in our churches and society today.
Abi: To see people excited about our resources and seeing fruit from using our resources in their churches.
Carl: Having meetings with some great future authors (watch this space) about some really helpful gospel-centred future books (watch this space again). Also, bacon and maple syrup for breakfast!
Enjoying some great teaching at Word Alive this week? Coming up to join in the fun next week? Then do pop along to the bookstall and say "hi" to Andy or Timmy. They would love to meet you. And there are some great deals on a selection of our products.
John Richardson, known to many through his writings and his blog, died at the end of last month after a short illness.
I first met John when we started discussing the possibility of taking his self-published books to a wider audience. Get into the Bible was a short book that introduced many people to the idea of biblical theology for the first time, and ran into several printings with us. We went on to publish Revelation Unwrapped a short, accessible commentary on the last book of the Bible, and God, Sex and Marriage, unpacking marriage from 1 Corinthians 7. The latter book was all the more intriguing , as John was at the time of writing a bachelor. He approached the subject of marriage with all the enthusiasm of the non-combatant. All these books are still available from us as e-books.... continue reading
Working for A levels or a degree? Recently graduated? Love Jesus? Enjoy writing? Considering a career in Christian publishing? Then why not apply to come on The Good Book Company work experience week?
From June 30th to July 4th 2014, we will be offering 5 young people a glimpse into the wonderful world of The Good Book.
Based at our offices in Epsom, Surrey, there will be opportunities to try your hand at proofreading, editing, manuscript-assessing and putting together design-briefs plus writing for marketing and the blog. And you’ll get a great overview of how the different parts of a publishing company work together too...
If you have a genuine interest in serving Jesus through publishing, please apply to join us. Simply send in your CV and a covering note, setting out why you’d like to be part of our experience week, to Helen at careers@thegoodbook.co.uk by Tuesday 15th April
“It’s my job to correct God’s mistakes”. So says a surgeon in South Korea who specializes in sex-change operations.
There are those who are tormented day and night with an overwhelming conviction that they have been given the wrong body. It’s not a passing phase. Often it starts in early childhood. There’s a deep conviction that they are men not women – or, more commonly, women not men. And the feelings that flood their minds rarely ease.
In the face of such struggles, it’s not surprising some question the basis of their pain. Is the mismatch they experience between body and mind an accident of nature? Is it their fault? Is it a product of society’s dysfunction? Or has God slipped up in their case and simply got it wrong?... continue reading
