Category Archives: Family & Society

The Baptist pastor and his transgender friends

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In this video, Baptist pastor Mark Wingfield speaks about his experience of spending several months studying issues around transgender people.  He then wrote an article: ‘Seven things I’m learning about transgender persons.’  The article had, at the time the video was recorded, been read by over a million people.  Over 450 people had responded in writing or by phone to it.  A number of these were transgender persons, and their friends and families.  Mark Wingfield was then moved to meet some of these transgender people face-to-face, and valued friendships were forged. …

Recommended tactics for trans lobbyists

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How is it that a small number of organisations have achieved so much influence, in such a short period of time, over public policy regarding trans issues?  How is it that we have been expected to affirm non-binary gender identities, support transition, provide gender-neutral toilets, and use language (pronouns, especially) in new kinds of ways, when we feel that we were not asked for our opinions about these things?

How is it, in other words, that the trans agenda seems to have overtaken us?…

Advice for parents in today’s transgender culture

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Dr Sharon James works for The Christian Institute, and is author Gender Ideology: What Do Christians Need to Know (Christian Focus Publications)

What follows is based on this post.

A growing number of adolescents – mainly girls – are experiencing ‘rapid-onset gender dysphoria’ (ROGD).  Such youngsters often belong to a group of friends, most or all of them identify as transgender at around the same time.

A peer group (either real or virtual) fosters the mutual belief that anxiety and unhappiness may be caused by being ‘transgender’, and that ‘gender transition’ will provide the solution.

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Once again: the slaves/homosexuality trajectory argument

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Sean Doherty writes:

The church is under huge pressure to move away from biblical teaching with respect to sexuality. For example, the New Testament scholar Walter Wink, who is in favour of same-sex relationships, admits that the Bible does rule out same sex sexual intimacy. But he also maintains that the Bible sanctions slavery, which thankfully we now recognise as deeply evil and wrong. Wink therefore suggests that it is quite right to move away from biblical teaching on this matter, in the same way that we have moved away from biblical teaching on slavery.…

1 Corinthians 15:44 – ‘Raised a spiritual body’

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1 Corinthians 15:42 It is the same with the resurrection of the dead. What is sown is perishable, what is raised is imperishable. 15:43 It is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; 15:44 it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body.

Paul’s teaching here has led some to interpret the resurrection appearances of vv5-8 as non-physical, amounting to something like subjective visions.  …

Matthew 7:16,20 – ‘You will recognise them by their fruit’

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Matthew 7:15 “Watch out for false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are voracious wolves. 7:16 You will recognize them by their fruit. Grapes are not gathered from thorns or figs from thistles, are they? 7:17 In the same way, every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. 7:18 A good tree is not able to bear bad fruit, nor a bad tree to bear good fruit.…

The case against euthanasia

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A summary of The Case Against Euthanasia, by Donald Mcleod (From The Monthly Record, Feb, 1981)

Current publicity probably gives an exaggerated impression of the pro-euthanasia lobby. But the subject cannot be dismissed ‘lightly: ‘respect for human life derives ultimately from the fear of God and that is becoming an increasingly rare commodity.’

Danger highlighted in the Voluntary Euthanasia Bill of Lord Raglan in 1969. The provisions of this were,

  • The patient signed in advance a form requesting “the painless inducement of death” in the event of him contracting an incurable illness.
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Another silent killer

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Just a few days ago – 1st April 2020 – the number of deaths associated with the coronavirus rose by 563 in a single day.

This is similar to the number of abortions that are carried out in the UK every day of every year.

The first of these situations is regarded as an ’emergency’.  Everyone’s talking about it.  Everyone is affected by it.

The second scarcely raises an eyebrow.  However an abortion may affect those directly involved (the mother and the father, especially), for the rest of us, it’s ‘business as usual’.…

Reflections of a Christian nurse

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From time to time, during my career as a nurse and nurse educator, I was asked to give a talk on, ‘My faith and my work.’

Here’s what I came up with on one of these occasions.

AS A CHRISTIAN NURSE, I HAVE LEARNED SOMETHING ABOUT…

1. THE WONDER OF LIFE

As a nurse, I have repeatedly marvelled at the miracle of life itself. I cannot understand how anyone who has witnessed the birth of a baby, or who has studied the workings of the human brain, or who has seen the body’s
remarkable recuperative powers at work, can fail to see in all of these things the wisdom and power of a wise and powerful Creator-God.…

Divorce and remarriage

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Some time ago, I participated in a debate about divorce and remarriage in Church.  I argued that a divorced person may be remarried in church during the lifetime of a former spouse, certainly if the divorce had been occasioned by adultery on the part of the former spouse, and possibly for other reasons also.  I’m afraid I don’t have a record of the counter-argument, but here’s what I presented:-

There are many things that we should be able to agree on:-

  • that marriage is ordained by God, Gen 2:24.
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