Viewing all items in Resource Category: Editorial

Justin Martyr (c. 100 – 165), is regarded as the first ever Christian philosopher.  He was born at Nablus, Samaria, to parents of Greek origin, and was well educated in rhetoric, poetry and history before he turned to philosophy.  He studied at Ephesus and Alexandria and tried the schools of the Stoics, the Pythagoreans, and...

 Solomon took a census of all the foreigners residing in Israel, after the census his father David had taken; and they were found to be 153,600. He assigned 70,000 of them to be carriers and 80,000 to be stonecutters in the hills… (2 Chronicles 2:17-18) We can spend much of our working life filling in forms...

Do you have to ‘hot desk’ at work?  Do you like it?  Probably not, for a recent study has found that four out of five office workers who hot desk say it has a negative impact on their mental health. Brickendon, the consultancy who did the research, found that people find it stressful to have...

How do you make your home attractive to potential buyers?  Some of us try baking bread, brewing coffee, putting out vases of flowers, or even cutting the grass, in order to make our home look and smell good. Now there’s a new way: include the history of your home. Do some research by scanning newspaper...

Jesus calls those who live for His kingdom to demonstrate His character: ‘Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.’ (5:5). Meekness can come over as being ‘weak or feeble’, hence ‘Gentle Jesus, meek and mild.’ However, the Greek word means being tamed: ‘Blessed are those who are tamed, under control.’ The picture...

We are more and more reliant on pills. Prescriptions for antidepressants have doubled in the last ten years, rising from 36 million in 2008 to 71 million in 2018. Prescriptions for drugs for conditions caused by unhealthy lifestyles are also soaring.  According to NHS Digital figures, prescriptions for diabetes have risen from 22 million in...

With Trinity Sunday in mind: How can God be One and Three at the same time?   Perhaps the Father is like the sun in the sky – dazzling in majesty and glory, whose light, Jesus Christ, illumines all mankind; and whose invisible warmth, the Holy Spirit, brings us to life.  Sun, light and warmth –...

Do you like messing about in boats?  If so, then you’ll have heard of St Elmo’s Fire. It is the light that is sometimes seen on mastheads of boats after storms at sea. St Elmo is another name for St Erasmus, a fourth century Syrian bishop who was not afraid of violent storms.  Legend has...

There are an estimated two million single parents in the UK, raising their children in a variety of situations:  alone, co-parenting with an estranged partner, or in the middle of a legal battle. Our church family can best enjoy their company by becoming their extended family, and offering them companionship, care and skill support. One...

No doubt you are beginning to look forward to your summer holidays. Just think about it – sun, sea and sand, time to relax and unwind, no deadlines to meet, no responsibilities to shoulder . . . ah, bliss! We are fortunate to live at a time when workers are encouraged to take time off...

The Ugandan Church had dozens of martyrs within just ten years of Christianity arriving there.   At first, it had gone so well:  the first Anglican missionaries arriving in Uganda in 1877 were welcomed by the Kabaka (king) of Buganda, Mutesa.  Mutesa also welcomed the Roman Catholics and Muslim Arabs, and, being a natural diplomat, retained...

Sunshine glinting off a reflective object in your home can be enough to set your house on fire. So warns various fire services up and down the country, from Staffordshire to Dorset. As one expert from Staffordshire Fire and Rescue stresses: “Always keep reflective items such as mirrors, glass and crystal ornaments away from direct...