To Sin By Silence: The danger of enabling spiritual abuse

January 12, 2015January 12, 2015 Geoff Robson Christian Ethics, Christian Living bullying, church politics, enabling, Ephesians, leadership, Mark Driscoll, spiritual abuse

“Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them.” (Ephesians 5:11)

Last month, when I wrote about the massive issue of spiritual abuse and what’s happened with Mark Driscoll, I expected a decent number of people to read the article. Driscoll is a high profile guy, and spiritual abuse and bullying within churches is a really big issue.

It certainly seems like lots of people have read it, and that’s good. If the aim of that piece was to shine light on an often-hidden and widely misunderstood issue, more people reading it can only help. Continue reading →

31 Days of Prayer: Day 28 – Fighting the spiritual battle on our knees

August 28, 2014August 20, 2014 Geoff Robson Christian Living, Quick Hits 31 Days of Prayer, armour of god, David Platt, Ephesians, prayer, Satan, Spiritual warfare

“Our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. … Pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.” (Ephesians 6:12, 18)

One of the reasons prayer is hard (and it is, in case you missed the memo on that) is that’s it’s part of an unseen but all-too-real spiritual battle. We’re not just battling our own busyness and tiredness, our own sinfulness and self-sufficiency when we try to pray. We’re battling Satan, the great adversary of God. And he delights in prayerless Christians. Continue reading →

When Prime Ministers Attack: Faith under (friendly) fire

September 6, 2013September 6, 2013 Geoff Robson Christian Ethics, Christian Thought Colossians, Ephesians, gender roles, homosexuality, Kevin Rudd, politics, Same-sex marriage, science

What can we learn from the Australian Prime Minister throwing his own faith under the bus to win political points?

In case you haven’t already heard, the Australian election campaign took an interesting turn this week when Prime Minister Kevin Rudd appeared on Q & A (a current affairs interview program in Australia) and was asked a question about ‘same-sex marriage’. Rudd went into full flight, launching a passionate defence of the change of heart that has seen him become a vocal proponent of what he calls ‘marriage equality’.