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The Evangelical Liberal is a blog to explore more open and liberated ways of being a Christian, particularly for those who have struggled to find their way within the evangelical tradition. Read more-
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- “Up, civil unrest!” (an Easter-ish reflection)
- Still Evangelical Liberal after all these years?
- Reasons to be hopeful?
- Covid questions – 3. What kind of God would send a pandemic?
- Covid questions – 2. Is it sent by God to punish sin?
- Covid questions – 1. Is it the end of the world?
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Category Archives: Dark night of the soul
Coping with our faith crises
One of the problems with the usual model of spiritual or religious development we’ve inherited is that it too often places the ‘spiritual crisis’ only in the past – ‘I was lost, now I’m found’. So we’re allowed the single … Continue reading
Posted in Dark night of the soul, Faith, Scepticism and doubt, Stages of faith, The faith journey
Tagged backsliding, doubt, faith crisis, faith journey
10 Comments
An experience of divine absence
No, this isn’t a post about Brexit, though it does feel strangely appropriate under the circumstances. In the past I’ve written about an experience of grace, a time when I felt a deep and unexpected sense of God’s goodness towards … Continue reading
More things to hold onto in hard times
Picking up from where we left off last time… 4. There is always hope “Everything will be okay in the end. If it’s not okay, it’s not the end.” When we’re in the midst of the dark night it can … Continue reading
Posted in Dark night of the soul, Suffering
Tagged anger, dark times, lament, pain, sorrow, Suffering, trials
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Things to hold onto in hard times
Last time I was suggesting ways we might respond to times of global trouble such as now. But what about responding to the times of trouble in our own personal lives? I keep coming back to suffering, because it bothers … Continue reading
Posted in Dark night of the soul, Suffering, Tragedy
Tagged dark times, pain, Suffering, trials
2 Comments
Music, sorrow and hope
This is kind of a Good Friday post, but I’m putting it up a bit early as I’ve got other things planned for Good Friday… Tragedy transfigured – Concierto d’Aranjuez One of my favourite childhood pieces of classical music was Joachim … Continue reading
Posted in Dark night of the soul, Good Friday, Music, Suffering, Tragedy
Tagged Gorecki, hope, lament, Rodrigo, sorrow, Suffering, Tragedy
2 Comments
On shutting out the light
I am the great sun, but you do not see me, I am your husband, but you turn away… (Charles Causley) Last time I was asking how we’d respond if the worst were to happen. Would we hate God forever? … Continue reading
Posted in Anger at God, Dark night of the soul, Grace, Hell, Love of God, Salvation, Suffering, Tragedy, Universalism
Tagged bereavement, hating God, hell, spiritual blindness, Suffering, Tragedy
2 Comments
When the very worst happens
In recent posts I’ve been looking at questions around God’s leading and speaking, and God’s plans for our lives. But what happens when everything appears to have gone completely wrong, awry, off course? What are we to do when the … Continue reading
Posted in Anger at God, Dark night of the soul, Divine intervention, Evil, Love of God, Suffering, Tragedy
Tagged bereavement, God's will, goodness of God, grief, loss, pain, Suffering, theodicy
5 Comments
The nightmare after Christmas – the dark side of the Nativity
One of the things I do for work is to schedule ‘on this day in history’ tweets vaguely relating to our broad subject area. We’ve currently got an exhibition on about the artist J.M.W. Turner, and so I’ve been researching … Continue reading
Posted in Christmas, Dark night of the soul, Evil, Incarnation, Mental health, Psychology, Tragedy
Tagged Bedlam, Bethlem Hospital, Christmas, despair, Herod, J.M.W. Turner, madness, mental health
10 Comments
Life as tragedy and comedy
I didn’t originally intend this as a reflection for Remembrance Sunday, but I happen to be posting it today and it seems strangely appropriate… If all the world is a stage and each of us merely players, what kind of … Continue reading
Posted in Church calendar, Dark night of the soul, Future, Love of God, The faith journey, Tragedy
Tagged bad news, Comedy, cosmic drama, death, entropy, good news, happy endings, resurrection, Tragedy
4 Comments
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