History of the Bible / Membership Covenants: Cure or Curse?

BACK FROM REYKJAVíK

Good evening from icy England—now that I’m back from even icier Iceland. The last time I was in Reykjavík was 2008, and this visit too was quite encouraging, with great food and fellowship, enjoyable walks praying and exploring the city, and talks around the theme of the problem of suffering.

The amazing volcanic island straddles the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates, so tremors and eruptions are not uncommon. You may have seen the recent Grindavík eruption on the news a few days ago. With the approaching lava flow, 3000 were evacuated. At first this may not seem a large number—not quite 1% of Iceland’s total population—but it would be like 3 million Americans having to flee their homes. A time of sober reflection.

During the same weekend we also held a session of the European School of Missions, plus a session of the Athens Institute: Family Life, with Joseph Harris and Guy Hammond, teaching colleagues for many years. How useful to be able to connect and teach online!

HISTORY OF THE BIBLE ILLUMINATED!

Founded in 2019, the Phoenix Seminar Text & Canon Institute produces academic research and church resources illuminating the history of the Bible. I only learned of the institute two months ago, at the annual meeting of the Evangelical Theological Society. To learn more, click below.

MEMBERSHIP COVENANTS: CURE OR CURSE?

Q: What do you think of membership covenants for congregations? Are they helpful, or harmful?

Guest reply by Malcolm Cox (Watford, UK)

A: Lately, from a number of sources, I’ve been hearing discussion about membership covenants. I am aware of some churches who have adopted them. I will not write a full treatment of the topic here. Rather, I will share a few initial thoughts.

When I recently heard someone talking about membership covenants, I had a visceral reaction. I felt something like a hot flush in my body. I took this to be a warning sign. But a warning of what? A warning that membership covenants are unhealthy, or a warning sign that I have un-dealt-with issues, or both—or something else? KEEP READING

UNTIL NEXT WEEK…