Tag: reading
Reflections on Fatherhood From 'The Road'
After reading a passage from The Road, by Cormac McCarthy, in a sermon, someone came up to me afterwards and said, ‘I couldn’t put that book down.’ But before you...
'What's Best Next'? Three Reasons It Isn't This Book
According to Goodreads, I last finished a book in the November of 2019; since then I’ve been on an incredibly slow-burn with just six books, so my moribund profile says....
Some Reading Tips After Reflecting on My Own Habits
In 2013 I started keeping a list of the books I read each year. I can’t account for the decision, but looking over them makes for interesting—well—reading. For example, the...
Five Tips for Becoming a Better Writer
I recently had the opportunity to deliver a short talk to theological students on the writing of assignments. To risk giving away my age, it’s been over four years since...
Why Write? Because the Church's Theology Is Incomplete
In the previous and first instalment of this short series I attempted to make a case for writing, by appealing to its unforeseen blessings. In some ways, it was a...
How to Become a Better Reader
Last week Gavin Ortlund released a superb video on how to become better readers, with five strategies for reading more. Crucially he starts by saying, “There’s no real shortcuts to...
Why Write? For the Unforeseen Blessings
Over the last two months I’ve had a few opportunities to teach on writing—one of which you can watch, here. In the past, my talks on writing have been instructional,...
Doodle: Bavinck's Beautiful Vision for the Church
Earlier this year I wrote a doodle on Herman Bavinck’s expansive and inspiring vision for theological studies. In his words, from the Reformed Dogmatics, “Dogmatics is not a dull and...
A Guide to Good Writing for Those Who Can't Write Good
One of the characters in Marilynne Robinson’s Home describes preaching as, “parsing the broken heart of humankind and praising the loving heart of Christ.” I’ve often considered this a fitting...
Preacher, Don't Miss the Wood for the Trees
We’ve all heard the old saying, ‘don’t miss the wood for the trees.’ Unfortunately, like many idioms it is invariably misused and misunderstood. A particular issue with this idiom stems...
Doodle: The Best Books from 2022
Last week a friend shared the 26 Best Fiction Books in 2022 with me, published by The Times. Since I’m not a subscriber, this was all I got to read:...
Theology and Pastoral Ministry
In an excellent and timely article, Gerald Hiestand addresses the unhelpful bifurcation of theological scholarship and pastoral ministry. Hiestand warns that the result of this split is theological atrophy in...
