Bishop William Cliff, Author at Dialogue

Church as agent of ‘disruptive’ spirit

October 15, 2024

Disruption is a word that more often than not can strike fear into the hearts of people who are terrified of inconvenience. The map application which I use in my truck as I make my way around regularly warns me of ‘traffic disruption’ and calculates an alternative route to carry me on to my destination with a minium of delay. Sometimes however, on the larger roads, we simply run into the block of traffic with no way out, and no

Forgiveness and reconciliation as Christians

May 13, 2024

People don’t understand forgiveness. It is a counter -cultural concepts in our modern times. We are living in a “three strikes and you’re out” and a “zero tolerance” kind of world. Now we know that this is not the standard that the gospel shows us, and so when Christians try and live out the forgiveness of Christ in their daily lives, it can be confusing, unintelligible to others and downright odd. Forgiveness isn’t a feeling. If you wait until you

Faith, belief and the cost of discipleship

April 4, 2024

But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a dedicated nation, a people claimed by God for his own, to proclaim the glorious deeds of him who has called you out of darkness into his marvellous light. Once you were not a people at all; but now you are God’s people. Once you were outside his mercy; but now you are outside no longer. 1 Peter 2:9-10 Having faced a short Epiphany, and an early Lent this year we

Advent: a season of expectation and preparation

March 28, 2024

Drop down, ye heavens, from above, and let the skies pour down righteousness… Advent is about waiting and yearning. The deep desire of the ages—that all creation be wrapped up in the final, saving acts of God—is the subject of the whole season we have set aside and called Advent. This year we are facing a world seemingly gone mad. The war in Ukraine drags on, and now the tit for tat death-dealing of the middle east is out of

ARTICLES

Church as agent of ‘disruptive’ spirit

Forgiveness and reconciliation as Christians

Faith, belief and the cost of discipleship

Advent: a season of expectation and preparation