Atonemement

Ian McEwan’s book, Atonement and the advent of the film of the book have brought a word redolent of musty church pews back to relevance. McEwan writes powerfully about the depravity of the human condition, emotionally and physically. If he does not believe in God he needs to. Is it significant that he has used the word Atonement as his title with its reference to the world changing crime in the Garden of Eden and its resolution through Christ making his story ours?

By the end of that day the lives of all three will have been changed forever. Robbie and Cecilia will have crossed a boundary they had never before dared to approach and will have become victims of the younger girl's scheming imagination, and Briony will have committed a dreadful crime, the guilt for which will colour her entire life.
(Synopsis of the book)

Why does the need for atonement, reconciliation, resonate in this story and our story? If only things could be put right!

For the whole article visit
http://www.takeleycf.org.uk/atonement.htm

In the church are there certain roles reserved for men?

Our evidence has to be from scripture. We will need to look at the created order in scripture and examine the scriptures that imply there are roles in the church reserved for men.

My position is that of an evangelical Christian who is sceptical of the evidence from the scriptures that there are reserved gifts, but believes that the elders of a church are free within the bounds of scripture to make decisions about propriety in worship and teaching. My inclination is to believe that such leadership is male.

For the full article visit

http://www.takeleycf.org.uk/women.htm