Stuart Townend in Norwich

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Holy Trinity, Norwich, was the venue last night for a concert from Stuart Townend and band.  Our church was packed, with tickets having sold out well in advance.

Stuart is, of course, one of the most celebrated contemporary Christian song-writers and worship leaders.

Special guest Mark Edwards on keyboard was supported by Mike Haughton on saxes and other wind instruments, Julian Ferraretto on violin, a superb bassist (and trumpeter!) whose name escapes me for the moment, and 18-year-old Joseph Townend doing sterling work on drums.…

‘Darwin’s Struggle: The Evolution of the Origin of Species’ – BBC Four

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I’ve just got round to viewing a recording of this BBC documentary, which  was broadcast on 28th September.

It covers much of the same ground as the recent film ‘Creation’, although giving less attention to biographical details and more (in true BBC style) to the presentation of gorgeous images that supplement Darwin’s account of the ‘struggle for survival’ in the world of nature.

We are not surprised to be told, at some length, of a parallel struggle – the struggle between science and religion. …

Psa 104 – Did Darwin kill God? (sermon notes)

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Here is a Powerpoint presentation used as the basis for a sermon preached in the light of the 200th anniversary of the birth of Charles Darwin, the 150 anniversary of the publication of his Origin of Species, and the recent release of the film ‘Creation’ which documents some of the events in Darwin’s life leading up to the publication of that book.

Psalm 104 was read during the service.

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Heb 4:1-13 – Don’t miss out (sermon notes)

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Text: Hebrews 4:1-13

[These are the notes of a short sermon prepared for an all-age service]

God’s people are on a journey. We have a goal, a destination, in view. But we need to make sure we don’t miss out.  How can we do that?

1. Get started

When you travel by plane, you start with take-off. But I wonder if you have ever thought, as you boarded a plane, ‘This will never get off the ground’.…

Genesis or evolution: do we have to choose?

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‘What About Genesis?’, ask Denis Alexander, in his book Creation or Evolution: Do We Have To Choose?  What follows is based on Alexander’s discussion.

Two preliminary points.  The final authority of Scripture in all matters of faith and conduct is fundamental.  Although modern science can shed light on the interpretation of the Bible, the relationship between the Bible and science is not such that we should relying on science to determine the meaning of the biblical text, or vice-versa.…

Heb 2:5-13 – What’s in a name? – sermon notes

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[Here are the notes of a short talk given at an informal breakfast ‘event’ hosted by Holy Trinity Church, Norwich.]

Consider the following sets of names:-

Ram – Nahshon – Akim
Abraham – Isaac – David
Tamar – Rahab – Ruth
Rehoboam – Manasseh – Amon

They are all found in the list of 46 names, spanning 2,000 years, that we find in Matthew chapter 1. They include non-descripts, heroes, women (each with an interesting story to tell!)…

Explanation, Explanation, Explanation

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Levels of Explanation

There are varous kinds of explanations, corresponding roughly to the questions ‘What?’, ‘How?’ and ‘Why?’

  • We might ask, ‘What is a kettle?’  This requires an interpretive explanation, clarifiying what the word ‘kettle’ means.
  • We might ask, ‘How is a kettle made up?‘  This requires a descriptive interpretation, identifying the various components of a kettle.
  • We might ask, ‘Why is the kettle boiling?‘  This requires a reason-giving explanation, but a number of these could be given. 
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Once again: the legendary Wilberforce-Huxley encounter

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For a good story to be passed on from father to son, from teacher to pupil, from book to reader, it isn’t always necessary for it to be true, it’s sometimes enough simply for it to be a good story that some people would like to be true.

The Natural History Museum (NHM) presents scant regard for historical accuracy in its account of Samuel Wilberforce and his famous debate with T.H. Huxley in Oxford on June 30th 1860.…

God’s ‘two books’

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The habit of referring to God’s ‘two books’ – the book of Scripture and the ‘book’ of nature – goes back at least to Francis Bacon (1561-1626).  Michael Faraday (1791-1867) spoke in the same terms, as did Galileo (1564-1642).  Charles Darwin quoted Bacon in the preface to his Origin of Species:-

‘To conclude, therefore, let no man out of a weak conceit of sobriety, or an ill-applied moderation, think or maintain, that a man can search too far or be too well studied in the book of God’s work, or in the book of God’s word; divinity or philosophy; but rather let men endeavour an endless progress of proficence in both.’…

Darwin and a Godless universe

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If any one theory can be said to have converted the Western world to atheism, it is Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution.  The noted American sceptic Robert Ingersoll (1833-99) declared:-

This century will be called Darwin’s century.  He was one of the greatest men who ever touched the globe.  He has explained more of the phenomena of life that all of the religious teachers.  Write the name of Charles Darwin on the one hand and the name of every theologian who ever lived on the other, and from that name has come more light to the world than from all of those. …