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Are intergenerational mentoring and relationships possible?

In the 1950s, sociologist David Riesman coined the term “the lonely crowd”, in part to describe collectives of people who live according to common traditions and conforming values, but who barely know or like each other. I fear the church is in danger of becoming just such a lonely crowd.

From earth to eternity

As I write this, my elderly mother is in hospital again. There are purple bruises on the back of her hands and crook of her elbows, where needles and cannulas attempted to seek a viable vein. Once more, I was confronted by my own mortality.

Stars, planets and aliens: All in a day’s work for this theologian

If you look at Rev Prof David Wilkinson’s CV, the first thing that strikes you is that he is both a scientist and a Methodist theologian. Many Methodist pastors have had very different careers before becoming pastors, but for Rev Prof Wilkinson, the change in career trajectory came immediately after he had obtained his PhD in astrophysics from Durham University in the United Kingdom.

Parenting with compassion: Tending to your children’s psychological needs

There are no easy answers as to why some children have behavioural issues such as school withdrawal, low moods, angry outbursts, anxiety and fears. We can start to understand them if we ask the question, “What unmet psychological needs could be driving these behaviours?” The idea of psychological needs is not new. In Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, we learn that human beings are motivated to get these needs met—the physiological needs of rest, food, safety and shelter, and at higher levels the psychological needs of love, acceptance, belonging and esteem.

Our business is doing God’s Kingdom work

In Matthew 6:33, Jesus tells us “… seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you”. Giving priority to God can take place in many aspects of our lives. How do we translate it to our daily work?

Clashing generations: Intergenerational challenges in the Church

Anyone who has served in a church ministry is likely to be able to share an anecdote or two about some misunderstanding or conflict that arose between members belonging to different generations. “That’s life!”, you may sigh, but instead of resigning ourselves to it, we have undertaken The Generations Project in the hope that our research can help to facilitate greater empathy through a deeper understanding of each generation.

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