There is an interesting story on the BBC news about one Church of England Diocese producing some Social Media guidelines. The Diocese of Bath and Wells guidelines are here and some similar advice produced by the Methodist Church is here. Most of the guidance is obvious enough: 1. Remember what you post is public so think first.... Continue Reading →
Politics of #foodbanksdebate
This week the UK parliament debated foodbanks. On Facebook and Twitter this proved to be a big deal but on the main news outlets it never got a mention. So what’s gone wrong? We need to remember the nature of the debate. It was one of 17 occasions in this parliamentary session that the Labour... Continue Reading →
BMS Catalyst LIve: my impressions of #catlive
Yesterday I went to Catalyst Live in Manchester, a new event put together by BMS world mission. The day aimed to help Christian leaders think about the ‘Mission of the Mind’, bringing together speakers with backgrounds in theology, apologetics, science and culture. I’d been a bit wary of an event with so many different speakers... Continue Reading →
Christians and new media #cnmac13
My twitter feed has been filled today with comments from #cnmac13 the Christian new media awards and conference. I’d wanted to go but lack of time and an unwillingness to pay £100 in rail fares got the better of me. Conferences like this bring out the good and the bad in us. Do we really... Continue Reading →
Should Baptists be political conservatives?
It’s the conference season for UK political parties at the moment – so perhaps an opportunity for a more controversial blog post. Controversial because my observation is the majority of Baptist Ministers lean politically towards the Labour party, something I want to question. Whilst our history and theological roots can be contested perhaps Baptists ought... Continue Reading →
Northern Baptist Learning Community: new Co-Principals
NLBC have announced that Rev Dr Clare McBeath and Rev Glen Marshall are to be the new Co-Principals for the Manchester Based College. Glen has been a tutor at the College for a number of years with a focus on mission and homiletics. Clare has, among other things, been a Minister of Openshaw Baptist Church.... Continue Reading →
Quiet leaders influence
I read Susan Cain’s book Quiet a couple of months ago and have been pondering it since. The premise of the book is that about half the population are introverts and for too long those who are naturally quiet, serious or sensitive have been overlooked; whilst the loudest have taken over. Her aim is to... Continue Reading →
A baptist future: nightmare or sweet dreams?
The problem with advertising is that half your money is wasted - the challenge is working out which half. Pondering what the BUBG might be like ten years from now I’m sure at least half of what follows is rubbish but these five areas will be important.1. Local church size. A number of commentators suggest... Continue Reading →
A fresh non conformist voice
In the UK Parliament debate on ‘gay marriage’ I was struck by the negative perception many MP’s had of the way Christians campaigned against the bill; and in some cases with good reason. Which makes me wonder if we need a fresh non-conformist voice in public life that is nuanced and engaged. What might this... Continue Reading →
Gay Marriage
Since Steve Chalke's article last week a number of people have responded to his article. By co-incidence Poynton Baptist Church's Sunday evening gathering last week had previously planned to talk about 'gay marriage'. Following on from this evening conversation I have produced a short booklet that describes some of the issues. You can download it... Continue Reading →
Distinct Reflections 