Author Archives
Epiphany and the walls look bare
Epiphany is the traditional ending to Christmas, but as the pretty lights and colourful decorations get stowed away for eleven months the walls look kind of bare…
Heavenly Resolutions – a drama script for New Year
This new-year-resolution drama about bored young people trying to be cool, promises made in secret and an unlikely pair of angels looking for action suggests that, while dramatic conversions or lifestyle changes are exciting, what heaven really rejoices in are the little, almost mundane things.
How to make advent shine at your church
Advent is a fantastic ready-made theme – the light coming into the darkness of the world, complete with candles as a twinkly visual aid. The question is, how do we make it that little bit different from last year so that people keep listening? Fortunately others have walked there before and left us the fruits of their labours.
Have an ethical Christmas!
Could ethical gifts give you a new perspective this Christmas? As the economic conditions continue to looks gloomy and the factories of southern China struggle to cater for all our crazy advertisement-fuelled whims this festive season, the ethical gift catalogues blossom. Here is a pick.
Does your youth group have a legal name?
A Christian youth project in Sheffield has been threatened with legal action by an American Christian television station because its name is already registered by the station. Should a church have to check such names? Should big Christian organisations act this way?
How to do drama #1 Why do drama?
Most churches realise that drama is a good thing to have in a service – but why? Is a sketch (skit) just something to break up the monotony of the service or has drama got a power that your church needs?
Faith and science for beginners
If we are to understand the world we live in, we are going to need science to tell us how it works and faith to help us understand the meaning and purpose. The Test of Faith course goes beyond the increasingly entrenched opinions (think Dawkins and creationism) and helps people think intelligently about some of the most important issues of our time.
Twitter communion cancelled
When is communion not communion? When is the body of Christ too disembodied? Can a community be virtual? As its first Twitter Communion is called off the Methodist Church is struggling with some very modern theological questions.
How to do drama
Are you in a drama group? Are you learning what it involves? Or perhaps you would like to be? How to do drama is an occasional series with the aim of helping the young drama group and its terrified actors, hopeful director and baffled script writer to survive in the exciting but frightening world of drama.
How to do drama #37 Rewriting the Bible
Churches have sensibilities. Jonah can negotiate with a fish, John can prefer garlic bread but Jesus can’t change his menu. How can Christian drama negotiate this?
My Gospel Right or Wrong
As an amusing diversion, take a dip into a blog which tells how “Frisby Independent Baptist Church has been fighting the forces of modernism, liberalism and decidedly suspect Anglo-Catholicism for four centuries.”. It made me smile anyway.
Prince Charles, the environment and our soul
The Prince of wales thinks our society has a big inner problem: a disconnection between humanity and nature, a collective loss of soul.
How Would Jesus Vote?
There is always an election coming, and elections don’t just change governments, they change everything. So, traditional marriage values? War against Climate Change? An end to multiculturalism? How Would Jesus Vote?
But I haven’t found what I’m looking for!
Is life with God a search or a bus ride? Do you worship with people who know they are looking or who think they have got there? Which soundtrack have you selected for your soul?
Deep Roots – a drama script about the sower and the seeds
What did the weed say to the corn? This sketch presents the parable of the sower from the plants’ point of view to restore some of the original impact which is a little lost on our urban society.
A number one reason to buy a song?
Should we buy a song just because it is Christian and because Facebook urged us to? The history of such endeavours is not good.
A funny thing happened at CofE Synod
A church that doesn’t ordain gay people and won’t carry out same-sex weddings votes to treat the gay partners of deceased clergy as if they had been married. Confused? You should be!
How to do drama #7 Understanding the script
Drama starts with a script. If you have never read a script before you may find it daunting but essentially a script is a list of who says what and when. Simple!
Are Christians finally on board in the climate change war?
Is global climate change finally on the agenda of a Church that has always proclaimed that God calls us to be stewards of His creation?
