Category Archives: Children

Hope for all the world?

Thought

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Christians claim to believe that Jesus is Lord, and that his love is for all people. But if that is so, asks John Woodhouse, shouldn’t we be ambitious for our children to become philoxenes when they grow up?

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The porn problem

Life

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It’s official: smoking in films influences teens. Newspapers around the nation on 11 June 2003 reported a new study—published online that day in The Lancet—that surveyed 3500 adolescents who had never smoked, and assessed their exposure to smoking in movies. A follow-up survey some time later found that those who had watched ‘hard-smoking’ movies were up to three times more likely to take up the habit themselves. Health groups have called for an ‘R’ rating on all films with frequent smoking scenes.

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The Boundaries series

Review

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There are books; there are workbooks; there are audio and video tapes. If your head is above the sand in the world of Christian books, you will have heard of the Boundaries series, authored by Dr Henry Cloud and Dr John Townsend.

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The blessing of infertility

Life

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I’m surprised that in this world of political correctness, the word ‘infertility’ still exists. I would have thought by now that my wife and I would have been classed among the ‘reproductively challenged’, or some other ghastly term. ‘Infertility’ is certainly a word we have both come to know and accept over the last three years—more as an embarrassing out-of-town relative than as a dearly loved member of the family.

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A silent grief: Pastoral reflections on infertility

Everyday Ministry

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When a couple marries, they pray for the gift of children. What happens when the answer to that prayer is ‘no’? How do we cope with the disappointments of infertility? And to what extent is today’s biotechnology causing more problems than it solves?

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