James 4:13-5:11 There are two types of time. One is the time we see on our watches and mobiles. The other is time from God’s perspective – seeing that life is uncertain, and judgement is coming, and the Lord is returning. If we lose track of time in this sense, it’s disastrous, because then we won’t be living as we should.
Simon Pilcher, former M&G bond head, is now chief executive of USS Investment Management, the UK’s largest pension fund, managing £64bn of assets. At this event he will be interviewed about his faith and work, and then give a talk exploring why belief in God is well-founded.
James 4:1-12 We live in a world in which there is conflict on all sorts of levels – between countries, in communities, in marriages and families, at work, in friendships, and even among believers. What does God think of conflict? Where does it come from? How can we resolve it? This passage gives us the answers.
Habakkuk 3:16b-19 Stock markets in turmoil; sporting events cancelled; businesses struggling; basics running out on supermarket shelves – Habakkuk faced circumstances not dissimilar to our own. And at the end of his little book he shows us how to respond as the people of faith.
James 3:1-18 Language is a wonderful gift which is unique to humans. We use words every day. Lots of them. But how significant are our words? Hugely so. James tells us that they reveal whether our faith is genuine or fake.
Habakkuk 3:1-16a Samuel Beckett’s play ‘Waiting for Godot’ is about two tramps, in despair, waiting for someone to show up, who never does. Believers can sometimes feel like that – waiting for God to show up in a world of evil and suffering. Habakkuk felt that way. But he ends his book assured that God will come, and finding joy and strength in God as he waits.
Romans 1:16-17 Jay Marriner has gone from a life of parties, dealing drugs, and crime, to life as a Christian and starting a new church in Brixton. In this interview and talk Jay shares his story and the message about Jesus through which God turned his life around.
Philippians 3:1-11 One of the key accusations of the New Atheists is that religion isn’t simply irrational, but that it’s dangerous and that it leads inevitably to intolerance and violence. Then, of course, the pro-religion voices try to protest by demonstrating the strong correlations between religion and many desirable outcomes such as stable mental health, and happiness, and altruism. And the debate rolls on. But what about God, what does God think of religion? Listen in as we consider this question from the Bible, and as we discover that God is not nearly so pro-religion as we might have expected…
James 2:14-26 Jesus warned that some will get to the gates of heaven only to discover, to their horror, that their faith is not the real deal, and it’s too late. James shares his concern. There is dead faith and living faith. We need to make sure we’ve got the right one.
Habakkuk 2:6-20 “Coronavirus: rapid spread raises fears of global pandemic” declares the BBC headline today. Where is God in all this? Does he care? Why does he not intervene? And as we look back on the history of our world, with its rise and fall of empires, and so much evil and suffering, where was…