Q Marks the Spot 183 (January 2024 Treasure Map)

HAPPY NEW YEAR! Hoping that 2024 is a cracker! Sacred Treasure Paul Kingsnorth: Our Godless Era Is Dead Paul Windsor has written up our LP leaders’ gathering in northern Greece towards the end of November. The powerful story of Peter Jensen’s prodigal son Dave It sounds like there was a lot of wise parenting going […]
Best books of 2023

So here is a brief rundown of my favourite books from 2023. There were others I could have chosen too, but you have to draw a line somewhere. As with the last couple of years’ lists, (2021 and 2022), here are the books I gave 5* to on my Goodreads page. And because these books […]
Q Marks the Spot 182 (December 2023 Treasure Map)

Sacred Treasure African Christianity thrived LONG before white men arrived Mary Harrington on Why the Fairies disappeared Michael Kruger on the wonders of Manuscript P66. It’s becoming a Christmas tradition all by itself: Ian Paul on why Jesus was NOT born in a stable How John Milton came to terms with going blind in his […]
Q Marks the Spot 181 (November 2023 Treasure Map)

Sacred Treasure Glen Scrivener on No to Trans, Yes to Gay Marriage: New Normal? This has done the rounds since Brad East wrote it in 2018, but it’s spot on: An honest preface to contemporary academic biblical scholarship. Alan Jacobs is powerful on Diseases of the Intellect, relevant as the Middle East tumbles deeper into […]
Q Marks the Spot 180 (October 2023 Treasure Map)

Sacred Treasure This is an extensive and helpful survey: Why did Jonathan Edwards think that Slavery was morally right. Chris Green has been on sabbatical and has started a little series of wisdom gleaned; part 2 here John Wyatt is a source of great wisdom and insight in a crazy world: here is his helpful […]
Q Marks the Spot 179 (September 2023 Treasure Map)

Sacred Treasure Ian Paul digests the recent Times poll of clergy re whether UK is a Christian country etc etc etc He also offers an extensive 4-post review of Charlie Bell’s new book Queer Holiness I’ve found that Jared Stacey is someone who should be listened to in his research on Christian conspiracies and nationalism. […]
Divine Appointments: a drama in two acts

Half a day can radically transform one’s perceptions. Act 1 Time: Night, Monday 10th July. Place: Norman Manley International Airport, Kingston; small, windowless room; a few plastic chairs; boxes of files (identified by marker-pen scribbled years from 2011 onwards) piled high along two walls. It always elicits at least a smirk, if not chortles, when […]
Q Marks the Spot 178 (August 2023 Treasure Map)

Sacred Treasure Gray Sutanto is an Indonesian theologian now working in USA: has fascinating insights into Christianity & Western culture (HT Chris Howles) On saying goodbye to a beloved church: sometimes churches actually do function well! Chris Yokel on the mythologies at work in Christopher Nolan’s new film Oppenheimer Frederick Douglas on 5th July 1852: […]
Q Marks the Spot 177 (July 2023 Treasure Map)
Sacred Treasure Phil Whittall has picked up some important points made by Harvey Kwiyani about 2nd generation diaspora believers in Europe He has also picked up 3 really important questions for the church today from NS Lyons Chris Yokel has a lovely piece on Rabbit Room: Do not despair Great church historian Philip Jenkins on […]
Q Marks the Spot 176 (June 2023 Treasure Map)

Sacred Treasure Philip Jenkins in cracking form on the legacy of Byzantium’s fall in Europe, somehow managing to draw on Blackadder and M. R. James as well. Ian Paul on how disagreement is resolved in the Acts 15 Council of Jerusalem. Tim Keller’s Legacy On Friday May 19th, Tim Keller died at 72 of the […]
Q Marks the Spot 175 (May 2023 Treasure Map)

Sacred Treasure It’s important to keep an eye on the annual Open Doors persecution list, the World Watch List. It’s much more extensive than you might think. 5 lies that global (ie all Christian) workers believe The Cognitive Distortions of Legalistic Preaching by Anthony Robinson over at Mockingbird Ian Paul on whether or not the […]
Scriptural Quirks: the colour(s) of sin?

I think it was in the very first draft of Cross-Examined, way back in around 1999, when I used an illustration for facing up to the hardest things in life (such as guilt and condemnation) of of a jeweller showing off a brilliant diamond. I described how the diamond would be placed against a black […]