Category Archives: God

God: are we exploring further in or climbing out?

Posted on 16th July 2017 by Jonathan Clatworthy

‘God: none, one, three or many?’ was the theme of Modern Church’s annual conference earlier this week, chaired by Jane Shaw and Linda Woodhead. We were in the company of people who believe passionately in God and don’t believe in … Continue reading →

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Is Jesus the way?

Posted on 12th May 2017 by Jonathan Clatworthy

This is a sermon on a passage from John’s Gospel, 14:1-14. It’s the lectionary reading for this coming Sunday and I’m posting it in advance in case any other preacher wants to pinch bits. In Christian circles this passage is … Continue reading →

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Why Christians should vote for a different government. 3) God

Posted on 5th May 2017 by Jonathan Clatworthy

This post is part of the series introduced here, summarising some of the arguments in my new book Why Progressives Need God. Here I argue that we need change because of what Christians believe about God.

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Why does it matter about God?

Posted on 23rd January 2017 by Jonathan Clatworthy

This post is about God. Not about whether God exists, or what God is like, but why it matters – if at all. Most church leaders these days agonise over the declining numbers who attend church services, so it might … Continue reading →

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If you were an angel would you sing to a bunch of shepherds?

Posted on 26th December 2016 by Jonathan Clatworthy

If anybody is to have a sneak preview of the saviour of the world, who should get it? According to Matthew, the preview was given to wise men from the East. According to Luke, it was given to a bunch … Continue reading →

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Liberal theology and the Trinity

Posted on 13th December 2016 by Jonathan Clatworthy

We at Modern Church sometimes get asked what our line is on a particular religious topic. Recently we have been asked about the Trinity. We usually avoid having a line on specific religious doctrines. The whole point of liberal theology … Continue reading →

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Reclaiming church history for liberals

Posted on 18th September 2016 by Jonathan Clatworthy

I’ve been reading Dominic Erdozain’s excellent The Soul of Doubt: The religious roots of unbelief from Luther to Marx. At last, a book that sets the record right. The way I was taught Christian history, and the way far too … Continue reading →

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Suspect science and godless knowledge

Posted on 28th August 2016 by Jonathan Clatworthy

Richard Grant’s article Why scientists are losing the fight to communicate science to the public makes two good points about why people are often suspicious of scientists. I shall add a third, which to me is the important one. Grant … Continue reading →

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Spirit and matter

Posted on 3rd August 2016 by Jonathan Clatworthy

My last blog post Spirituality and religion: what’s the difference? generated a number of responses. This is a continuation of the dialogue with the philosopher Paul Doran who posted comments on my blog page. Paul is the founder of Philosophy … Continue reading →

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How do we identify ourselves?

Posted on 21st June 2016 by Jonathan Clatworthy

Thomas Mair, the killer of Jo Cox, when asked in court to state his name, gave it as ‘Death to traitors, freedom for Britain’. You couldn’t find a stronger way to identify yourself as British. In all the debates on … Continue reading →

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