The other week I wrote a piece for Connecting with Culture, the weekly email from London Institute of Contemporary Christianity (LICC). In it, I reflected on the rise of ‘deinfluencers’, and the dual role of Christians to deinfluence and influence, through a combination of prophetic critique and joyful celebration. If you fancy a read, you can…
Category: Writing
Romans: A Letter that Makes Sense of Life
The book of Romans is arguably the most important letter ever written. But for many readers – and certainly for many preachers – it can be a daunting book to dive into. So for those keen to explore this letter, Andrew Ollerton’s latest book is a fantastic resource.
A line I hate. A line I love.
A line I love, and a line I hate. In 15 words or fewer.
The Messiah formerly known as Prince of Peace
It’s nearly Christmas. Which means it’s that time of year where Isaiah 9 gets its annual outing. This is an amazing chapter, prophesying the birth of the Messiah, who will bring great light to people walking in darkness. And he shall be called, ‘Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God,Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.’ (Isaiah 9.6) There is so much in…
2022 Reading Roundup
It’s that time of year where people humblebrag about how much they read, under the pretence of making recommendations for others. You can hardly move on Twitter for end of year reading lists. And Phil Whittall’s roundup of roundups takes it to an Inception-level extreme – lists within lists. As Qoheleth might have said, ‘Of…
Learning to Listen in a Lonely World
‘You can be lonely anywhere, but there is a particular flavour to the loneliness that comes from living in a city, surrounded by millions of people.’ Olivia Laing – The Lonely City In her haunting book, The Lonely City, Olivia Laing explores the theme of loneliness, especially as experienced in urban contexts. Loneliness is not…
The Bible in Four Minutes
How do you quickly and effectively summarise a story as complex as the Bible? Impossible, you might think. But storyteller-poet Dai Woolridge has given it a pretty good shot! His latest video tells biblical story in four minutes, weaving together many of the key themes and threads, showing how they connect beautifully around the person…
The Provocation of Hope
‘Hope is never mere, even when it is meagre. When all other senses sleep, the eye of hope is first to awaken, last to shut.’ (Gil-Galad, The Rings of Power, Season 1, Episode 5) I’ve been thinking recently about the theme of hope, prompted by a few verses from the Epistles (and that quote from…
Learning to pray on Gethsemane roundabout
This strange little roundabout is a few minutes from my house. The first time I walked across it, taking my then-five-year-old daughter to school, she declared: “Oh, I know this place from my Bible! It’s the Garden of Gethsemane.” It was a strange thing for her to say. Gethsemane in her storybook Bible looks far…
BeReal: Connecting with Culture
If you’re curious what a ‘geriatric millennial’ makes of a social media app much loved by Gen-Z, then you’re in luck! This week I had the privilege of writing the London Institute of Contemporary Christianity’s Connecting with Culture, and I chose to offer a few thoughts on BeReal. The concept is simple. Users receive a…
Liam Thatcher 