The Bible | Student Christian Movement

Meeting Jesus Again for the First Time: Lent 2024

14 Feb 2024

“Believing in Jesus does not mean believing doctrines about him. Rather, it means to give one’s heart, oneself at its deepest level, to the post-Easter Jesus who is the living Lord, the side of God turned toward us, the face of God, the Lord who is also the Spirit. Believing in Jesus...

Rach's Reflection: What shapes my faith?

22 Oct 2018

This month we are thinking about how our faith impacts our politics, and I’ve been wondering what it is that shapes my faith in the first place.

This shouldn’t be surprising, but through some training, meetings and worship in the last couple of weeks, the importance of reading the Bible...

Through the eyes of Barth: The Bible as divine revelation

13 Nov 2017

Last year a friend of mine said to me “I’m surprised you believe in the big bang theory and evolution.” I, of course, had to ask why. “Well, you’re a bit of a biblical fundamentalist; if it’s not in the bible, you don’t believe in it.” On one level, my friend wasn’t wrong. When it comes to...

Reading Scripture in Light of Jesus: The Bible as Discipleship

13 Nov 2017

We all come to the Bible with our own ideas and points of view, so I will state up front that when I read Scripture, I read it keeping in mind the Anabaptist perspective and the Congregational way, not because I am particularly attached to those traditions per se, but more because I...

God's People on a Journey: The Big Picture of the Bible

6 Nov 2017

A friend of mine recently posted this on Facebook:

“There are two different types of Christianity, I feel. One starts with scripture and tries to shoehorn all experience of life into a biblical straightjacket (sometimes even ignoring science), and one starts with life and...

The Gospel and Safe Spaces

7 Sep 2017

“Snowflakes” (the non-wintery kind) seem to be the talk of the day, with many a modern-day Cato complaining about the times and mores; they decry “safe spaces” with the same verve one would expect Cotton Mather used in the witch hunts of his day.

One such...

5 Reasons Why Theology is Important for Non-Theology Students

6 Dec 2016

To any non-theology students, the word ‘theology’ might conjure up some intimating images: the intense study of God within the halls of academia, a subject that’s confined to lectures and seminars, where only serious study can do it justice.

But really theology is an essential part of the...

Book Review: The Upside-Down Bible

8 Mar 2016

Symon...

My SCM Experience has Lasted over 50 Years

25 Jan 2016

I owe a lot to the SCM. After a good Quaker upbringing, which taught me the importance of being of service to others, I joined the SCM at Bristol in 1958. It did two things for me.

Firstly, I was challenged to face up to a commitment in trying to be a follower of Jesus....

My Favourite Book of the Bible: Exodus

8 Dec 2015

We were slaves. We had no freedom, no power, no hope. Evil ruled over us, and we were subject to its regime. We groaned and cried out. All around us was a system of injustice and oppression, and there was no way out, or so it seemed.

Then, God.

God heard our cries, God saw our...