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The Baptist Union > The Baptist Times > Archive > Opinions / Reflections > Opinions/Reflections - January - June 2017
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Opinions/reflections - January - June 2017 

Reclaiming your virtual self
How can we use the web, social media and our smartphones in a way that’s aligned with our faith?
Pride disguised as humility? 
It is right and good to pray for ourselves; but those prayers should not be selfish. How that can be?
A reflection on Baptists and leadership 
The term leadership can split opinion among Baptists, but wholesome leadership is both biblical and vital in enabling others to thrive - Nigel Wright
Nothing left but the screen
How do we break into the hollowed-out lives of those in the hidden places of our communities, whose only company is the television?
Why do pastors burn out?
When leading a church becomes principally about numerical growth and legacy, it’s no wonder church leaders struggle. There is another road
The most powerful thing you can do for POTUS 
Donald Trump will need the prayers of the church if he is going to have any measure of success in leading the nation
Multi-ethnic Churches: a gospel imperative
God has demonstrated that His Gospel brings an end to whatever divides us - multi-ethnic churches are essential in a post-Brexit world
Loitering with intent in the community
Jesus offers really only one strategy for mission... and it is this
Leadership in smaller churches 
There are many encouragements amid the challenges of leading smaller churches, including growing network support
Looking down on other people
By what right does any Christian presume to pass serious judgement on someone else?
Sage on the stage, or guide on the side?
The enabling leader: giving people the tools to face their problems is a leadership that encourages congregations to develop their giftings
A reflection on prayerfulness
Is prayer the same as prayerfulness? As mindfulness? Or … do you pray like the Simpsons?
An urgent call for the confessing church
Amid rising racism and hate mongering in a turbulent world, the Church needs to rise up and confess Christ
Effective multicultural leadership teams 
Understanding the four areas where misunderstandings can occur when people of differing cultural backgrounds work together
10 years on: The Journey continues 
Increasing the number of Black and minority ethnic (BME) ministers and leaders remains a challenge for Baptists
Plain sailing - or sinking?
Comparing our spiritual lives to a boat - where are you on the sea of life?
Not disabled people who need healing? 
What if we all get to heaven and realise disabled people were healed all along? Rachel Wright shares a modern day parable
Where there's nowhere to hide
How smaller churches can open a door to leadership opportunities (even in partnership with larger ones)
Questions we’re afraid to ask about the Bible   
Why does an Old Testament in church reading always stop JUST before it gets gruesome?  
The thieves on the cross - who were they?
And what lessons can we learn from them? Lessons from the thieves in the crucifixion narrative
Responding to hate - a reflection
'The hate of this man will not die with him if it still lives within us.'
Limitless Resources in Christ 
A minister whose church is exploring housing a refugee family reflects
Why do Christians clash?
Churches are more vulnerable to conflict than any other group or organisation. Why is that the case?
What gets you out of bed in the morning?
I wouldn’t be going anywhere without my pills - but alone, they're not enough. What keeps you going?
Doing Satan’s work for him 
Fake news? In a world awash with lies and half-truths, Jesus followers are called to be people of total integrity
When hope is in short supply
What does it mean to be Beacons of Hope in a world where hope is so often in short supply? By Lynn Green
Election 2017: 'It's not all about Brexit'
Brexit is likely to dominate the next seven weeks, pushing back other matters of genuine priority. Let's not forget them
A multi-congregational approach
A new project to help Baptist churches explore a multi-congregational future is being launched
The election... and the resurrection
No-one can confess Jesus as Lord with integrity and exclude politics from that confession, says Baptist minister
And how are you feeling? 
Our emotions are important – but must always be subordinate to that day-by-day desire to know God and trust him
Rethinking Old Testament ethics   
Making sense of the more difficult passages of the Old Testament - and their relevance for Christians today
Living, moving, being - real change
How do we confront the structural challenges that break people, rather than offer sticking plaster solutions?
As in Heaven – President’s address 
New President Dianne Tidball calls on Baptists to 'to wake up, seek God, share good news and punch holes in the darkness'
Rebuilding our confidence in prayer
A Baptist minister was overwhelmed with questions about prayer. What happened next?
Calais: the rumour of a new jungle? 
Refugees remain in Calais, despite last year's clearing of the camp there, writes Simon Jones
Leadership: The Model is Jesus   
Jesus offers perfect leadership – and here’s why we need to rediscover it, writes Baptist minister Karl Martin
Sacrifice - poem about the Manchester bomb
'As last cry shattered the chatter of onlookers, and the cries of the watching women, mixed with his...'
'Thank God I'm vulnerable'
To remove our vulnerability would be to remove our humanity – a minister's reflection on the London terror
The perils of the echo chamber
The way in which we engage across the political divide after 8 June is as important as how we deal with the campaign
The election and the environment
Former Baptist Union President John Weaver examines the environmental policies of the main parties
'Christians are the new heretics'
Where does Tim Farron’s resignation leave us? A reflection by Baptist blogger Chris Goswami
Creation groans - the London fire  
Ours is the task to provide the space where the groans of a shattered creation can be heard. By Phil Jump
Two vital principles of spiritual gifts
Each one of us is gifted by God, for the common good. How are we ensuring we are using those gifts?
Can our prayers change God’s mind?  
God invites us to share in his work, even allowing us, through prayer, to shape the manner in which that task is achieved
Baptists - book for Greenbelt!
Music, arts, faith, justice - there is nothing else like it in terms of Christian festivals in the UK, says a Baptist minister
1 in 5 teens are Christians 
– and church buildings are back in fashion! What does your building say about who you are as a church?
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