Michael is a graduate from Winchester university with a BA and MA in history; and a PhD in History from the University of Essex. He loves football, music, history, games, books, movies, and above all Christ! He considers himself a social democrat and likes to be involved in politics. Michael is particularly keen in learning about worship theology.

Context, context, context

What are the words you will most likely hear in a history lecture? Context is key I have had that ingrained in me ever since I began my history undergraduate some years ago. Yet, they are also the words we should be thinking about when we open the word and read scripture. Context is key. […]

The decline of the local church

Our prayer is that people would come into our churches from the local area, saved and unsaved, to add to our numbers. Yet, I’ve been troubled in recent months by the thought that many of us don’t go to churches local to us. Instead, we go to the ones which fit our specification and forget the little faithful congregation next door.

Let’s get rid of excessive evangelism and reform the church

Over the last few decades, I believe that many of us have lost sight of what church is about and are instead gripped and obsessed with modern evangelism techniques in all their shapes and sizes. From seeker sensitivity to the construction of endless cafes, churches up and down the land have neglected the lives of the congregation. This is not healthy.

Learning from the Sardis church

The church of Sardis is a warning to all of our churches as we pursue growth, numbers and a thriving community. In this post, I aim to draw our attention to our hearts, and who we are really serving.

Faith-led research: being a Christian in the Humanities

There aren’t many Christians within Academia.  In this episode, Michael and Ryan sit down to discuss how our faith has impacted our work our lives and our research.  From Zimbabwe to Colchester, our faith has been the root of everything and we would love to share a bit about it with you. We hope you […]

Should Christians be AV only?

There are often debates in our churches about what Bible translation we should use.  In this episode, Michael, Ryan and Josh sit down to discuss if we as believers should be King James-only Christians and if not then why not?! We hope you will find this helpful and encouraging.  Do let us know if there […]

Why we must learn about the Reformation today

Why do we need to know about Luther, Calvin and all the reformers?  In this episode, Michael, Ryan and Josh sit down to discuss how important church history is for us as believers, how it helps us makes sense of our world, how it encourages us, but also that we should not romanticise the period. […]

Active and passive singing

Singing is (or should be) an important part of our walk. The words of hymns can help us reflect upon the Word and what we learn on Sunday. Historically, Psalms played a significant role in congregational singing in reminding God’s people throughout the ages of God’s character, to encourage, to rebuke the nation and provide […]

Recommended songwriters and hymns from the twenty-first century

I have often talked about the issues of church music; in fact, some may think it is the only thing I can talk about!  The debate in the church should never be old versus new, contemporary against tradition, but rather about what honours the Lord.  Thus, although we like traditional hymns, we also are really […]