I’m enjoying writing regular articles for Premier’s Unbelievable ministry, the apologetics forum hosted by Justin Brierley. A recent discussion on tribalism and the culture wars got me thinking about the church’s own tribal behaviour – and what we should do about it! Take a look here.
Tag Archives: Christianity
Does the West’s individualism distort Christianity and its deconstruction?
I’ve had some interesting feedback from a recent article on Western self-centredness and the ‘deconstruction’ movement that I wrote for Premier’s Unbelievable, a great apologetics and debating outlet. Take a look – it’s a reflection on a recent debate between someone who is “deconstructing” their Christian faith and someone who is more orthodox. Michael Gungor, the deconstructionist, has responded on twitter if you want to get involved in the discussion.
Shia LaBeouf’s faith
I have just written for Christianity magazine on Shia LaBeouf’s recent conversion to Catholicism, which he talked about with Bishop Barron and is posted on YouTube. It’s well worth a watch, but hopefully you can catch the highlights in this article.
For what it’s worth, I think he’s being genuine. With addiction and his other issues, relationships with God can be very tumultuous. I hope and pray he will grow in faith and love.
Beauty and pain
I’ve been writing more for Christian Today lately, but I’m slow at putting them on here. Apologies! Here is one of the recent articles, exploring beauty, attractiveness and how we value ourselves, through a sad recent story from a supermodel. Take a look!
What does the UK church really think about abortion?
I wrote a front cover piece for Christianity magazine on the issue of abortion – the first time I’ve really grappled with the subject. While writing it I did change my mind – it’s always interesting when that happens! I think I’d seen it as a bit of a lost cause, as the public is so pro abortion. However, I now feel more motivated to address the issue – with compassion. Take a look at the article here.
One important thing I learned. If you have had an abortion or played any role in one, or if you are pregnant and considering it, then there is a lot of help and support out there for you, without judgement. Feel free to comment here and I will try to signpost.
When Christian heroes turn out to be bad guys
I wrote this piece following the shocking news about Jean Vanier’s abusive behaviour – a man who used to be described as a ‘living saint’. Many other Christian leaders have been found wanting in recent years. Such news often deeply discourages us if we were inspired by the good deeds of this person in the past. I wrote this piece arguing that Christian ‘celebrities’ aren’t the best examples of our faith – something I know all too well, as a Christian journalist who interviews them! Instead let’s focus on the people we actually know in the communities we live in.
Let me know what you think…
Catholicism…
Hi everyone. Apologies for being quiet. Recently I’ve been going to Catholic Mass, and I’m learning more about Catholicism at the moment. I wrote about it a little for the Catholic Herald, take a look…
Health, fitness and the Instagram revolution
Hi everyone! I wrote an article for Christianity magazine recently, about how ‘health and fitness’ has become a ‘trend’ on Instagram. Check it out here! There are are reasons to be concerned about it, though social media can inspire us, too. It made me reflect on how lucky I was to grow up in an age when image and media influence was more limited.
Stop worrying about new atheism, and start watching ‘woke’ atheism
I wrote a blog for Christianity magazine on the tenth anniversary of the ‘atheist bus’ campaign. This milestone made me think about how much has changed since then. While ‘new atheism’ seemed to be a threat to many Christians at the time, it’s since died down. But ‘woke’ atheism, or identity politics, that I’ve written about a few times recently, has surged in that time – and I think this is a trend that the church really needs to address.
Peacemaking, not politics, is what we need right now
The bitterness and rage that has followed the US mid-terms should make all Christians pause and reflect. Particularly if we are feeling those emotions towards the other political ‘side’. Whatever the rights and wrongs of the particular political issues, Jesus did not call us to be political prophets, righting the wrongs of the world. He called us to love, and he prayed for his church to be united. I wrote a blog for Christianity magazine to expand on these ideas.
Apologies & are you confused by identity politics? And should Christians get involved?
Hi everyone,
I really apologise for not updating this blog more regularly. I have been writing now and then for Christian publications, but not noting so here…
The most in-depth piece I’ve written in recent months was about identity politics for Christianity magazine. Take a look here.
The aim was two-fold: one try to describe the phenomenon for those who are bemused by it all. Secondly was to ponder on whether Christians should be involved. Huge subjects for a short magazine piece, but really important ones… let me know what you think.
Russell Brand, Christianity & the postmodern generation
I wrote a quick blog about Russell Brand’s podcast with Alister McGrath today… take a look! I empathised a lot with Brand because his position isn’t that dissimilar to mine about 10 years ago.
Has government become our god?
Politics has certainly got interesting recently… but there’s an underlying trend that is alarming me. And that is, we are putting a lot of hope in it that I think should be put in god, and we’re putting a lot of responsibility on it that should be put on ourselves. Here’s a blog I wrote for Christianity magazine on this, but I think there will be more to come.
What should Christians think about blasphemy laws?
I wrote this shortly after a weekend news story (from experience, read ‘speculative) about Stephen Fry being investigated for blasphemy in Ireland. I’m for free speech, and more importantly, free dialogue with people who have these views. They’re often not presented in the mainstream press with the alternative point of view.
Is politics part of the church’s mission?
Apologies for the long delay since my last post. I actually spent several months researching this article on politics – it felt a very important subject and I wanted to make sure I was doing it justice. It’s been on my mind a lot following Brexit and Trump. Many Christians, especially those in the ‘elite’ of the church in this country (eg media, heads of denominations etc), passionately think that Christians should get involved in politics, and are often quite left-wing. The reverse is the case in the US, obviously. But is this what Jesus wants? The article explores this question. It helped me to make up my mind on the subject, but I hope I am being fair to all sides. Let me know your thoughts!
Learning from the testimony of Nabeel Qureshi
I learned about Nabeel’s cancer diagnosis when I’d just put down his autobiography, ‘Seeking Allah, finding Jesus’. If you haven’t read it I’d really recommend it. I thought there is a lot to learn from his story, and summarised ten points in this piece. Do pray for him.
Celibacy. How to do it.
Another piece for Christian Today, asking evangelical Christians who are single how they live without sex.
The reliability of John’s gospel
This article looks at some of the reasons why we can trust John’s gospel, despite the many attacks on it as unreliable.
Why we shouldn’t put all our faith in science
I did a talk about this subject recently, but some of the points are in this article in Christian Today.
Science is given an authority in our culture that often ignores its limitations – this is potentially dangerous. It’s also referred to by people who don’t understand it. Particularly in the social sciences, there are many opportunities for bias and misunderstanding. Take a look!
Why can’t I feel God’s presence?
I think I forgot to post this article when I wrote it for Christian Today – it’s done pretty well on the internet and I’m not surprised – it’s a common question, and it’s an important one! Knowing the presence and peace of God is one of the most wonderful aspects of Christian faith. We may not always have it, but seeking it is always worth it.
Heather Tomlinson's Blog 