J.johns Reflections - Philo Trust

The Biggest Scandal of Our Age?

Posted: 24th Oct 2011 (0 comments)

The Biggest Scandal of Our Age?

Imagine you are walking past a house when you notice a child sobbing in the garden or, late at night, you hear shouting and frightened screams coming from next door. What do you do? I hope you would do something. You would not walk on or just turn your music up. You would act, and probably without even thinking about it. We all know that, when suffering is happening and tragedy is imminent, to act is the only right – the only decent – thing to do. We must intervene.

Steve Jobs

Posted: 11th Oct 2011 (0 comments)

Steve Jobs

Like everybody else I was saddened by Steve Jobs’ death. I appreciate the way that he pioneered to make computers and phones look and work better. Even if you don't use Apple products, you have to acknowledge that almost all of our digital equipment now aspires to the style and quality that Steve Jobs promoted – and is better for it. The worldwide outpouring of grief over the death of Apple’s entrepreneur and spokesman has, however,been fascinating in its extent and intensity. Of course, in turning round Apple, Jobs was a financial success (very much a rarity these days) but the response is surely based on more than that. What is clear is that the man inspired confidence and belief in a way that very few other people in our time have done.

Now the dust has settled

Posted: 11th Aug 2011 (0 comments)

Now the dust has settled

On the 11th September 2001, the world stood in shock as 3,042 lives were tragically lost by violent attacks. The world gathered in prayer to God with indescribable sadness and groaning. We continue to pray today for God’s peace on all the families and friends who are still affected by their loss.

Riots and God

Posted: 10th Aug 2011 (13 comments)

Riots and God

Many people had long felt that there was something very nasty lurking beneath the placid waters of British society. The sudden, brutal and mindless violence that erupted in large parts of London and other cities over the last few days was an unpleasant demonstration that this potential for nastiness was not only real, but closer to the surface than anybody feared. Just as troubling was the realisation that the police – those traditional guardians of the once secure British way of life – might be powerless to deal with it.

Goodbye Uncle John

Posted: 28th Jul 2011 (0 comments)

Goodbye Uncle John

On the 26th of July, after some years of failing health, John Stott finally slipped quietly away to glory. I was one of many people blessed by his ministry and to me he was - and always will be - 'Uncle John.'

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly of Social Networking

Posted: 21st Jul 2011 (0 comments)

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly of Social Networking

One of the most extraordinary contemporary phenomena is the explosive rise of social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter. Facebook can be likened to a personal notice-board – with photos, news and comments – made visible to a circle of ‘friends’, while Twitter is a constantly updated listing of messages (‘Tweets’) open to all. Three figures give some idea of their scope: around 750 million people have Facebook accounts, around 1 billion Tweets are posted each week. Facebook and Twitter (along with YouTube) are influential and have been credited with aiding the downfall of political regimes. Births, weddings and – more troubling – suicides, are now announced on social networking sites. I am on both Twitter (@Canonjjohn) and Facebook. Yet for all their importance, the growth of these sites has been so subtle that we haven’t given much thought to how we should respond.

The News of The World Scandal

Posted: 13th Jul 2011 (0 comments)

The News of The World Scandal

It is too early to make a final judgement on what is currently known as the ‘News of the World Phone Hacking Scandal’, where journalists pursuing stories appear to have systematically hacked into mobile phones, stolen personal information and allegedly made payments to corrupt police officers. It is too early because we do not know who authorised these actions and whether such illegalities occurred elsewhere within Rupert Murdoch's vast News Corporation media empire, which includes The Times, the Sun, The Sunday Times and Sky television. Yet if we cannot yet make a final judgement, we know enough to be angry. Some of our society’s most fundamental standards have been trampled on and there has been a complete disregard for those most elementary British values, the rights to decency and privacy.

Valuing life’s veterans

Posted: 27th May 2011 (0 comments)

Valuing life’s veterans

If I were to ask who were the most discriminated and neglected people in British society, I wonder what your answer would be? In fact, it is the elderly who are often overlooked and are pushed to the margins of society. Although many senior citizens are physically active, psychologically alert and enjoy fulfilled and happy lives, a large number struggle with loneliness, ill health and neglect. We are becoming a society that prefers not to bother with the elderly. However, it is not that long ago that they were honoured and respected. Why has this devaluation of the aged happened and what should we do about it?

The Royal Wedding

Posted: 8th Apr 2011 (0 comments)

The Royal Wedding

The forthcoming marriage of Prince William and Kate Middleton is an opportunity to celebrate marriage on a grand and public scale. The Bible teaches that exclusive and lifelong marriage is a key foundation for society and in an age when marriage is downplayed, such a public wedding is to be approved.

Trust and the Ten Commandments

Posted: 1st Apr 2011 (0 comments)

Trust and the Ten Commandments

A small boy was asked where God gave Moses the Ten Commandments. After a moment's thought he answered ‘Mount Cyanide.’ He was not alone in associating the commandments with poison. You must have seen those images in picture Bibles of Moses descending down Mount Sinai carrying two massive tablets of stone with an impossible ease. His face always bears the most solemn of frowns and it seems clear that what he bears is a set of rules so unpleasant that they might as well be cyanide. Centuries of preachers have confirmed such a view by trying to highlight the New Testament’s message of grace by painting the Law of the Old Covenant in the gloomiest possible of shadows.

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