Articles by Br. Jacob Theunisz, BTh, BSc, licensed minister Church of England.Views and opinions expressed are purely my own.
This article is about "trust" as it relates to abuse in the church and is primarily intended for church members. Others, feel free to read along, because I have nothing to hide. The major problem with transgressive behavior is not that trust is damaged, nor even that many people can no longer have faith in [...]
Nowadays, there is a lot of attention on genders. Where the concept of "sex" once only had two possibilities, namely male or female, there are now on top of that a number of genders. Non-binary could be one of them, but it is also an umbrella term, as all genders essentially deviate from the binary [...]
Those who think the “Last Supper scene” in the Olympic Games opening ceremony only outraged a specific group of Christians are mistaken. I’ve seen reactions from almost every Christian writer or speaker I know, as well as from many unknown individuals, even those who don’t usually discuss their faith, and from Islamic perspectives. The stream [...]
At times, Jesus was really fed up with the Pharisees. When their arguments fail, they look for a sign. And then not like the poor and suffering, who seek healing or forgiveness or hope, but for a sign of power and authority, because otherwise they don't think Jesus is worthwhile. Jesus knows that such a [...]
In religious contexts, the word “ministry” nearly always refers to the work of the clergy, i.e. of the paid professionals who lead our churches and have been ordained. They can go by the title of priest, chaplain, vicar, pastor, reverend or minister. In the Anglican church there are also so called Lay Ministers, but this [...]
Introduction: The way we read a Bible text is often determined by how we have always read and explained it. Occasionally we discover new dimensions. Undoubtedly, the Holy Spirit plays an important role in such insights. We can also encourage this process by asking questions. These two approaches (the intuitive and the rational) do not [...]
On the 13th of April 2021 I was privileged to be interviewed by two spiritual directors in the USA on the subject of clergy and laity. Chris and Maggie are fellow-lay-ministers who regularly produce podcasts. Much recommended. How important it is to have a good understanding of the Greek words related to priesthood, is [...]
This is part 1 of a series of 3 articles about our mental, emotional and spiritual reactions to corona. I intend to show that fear, rituals and the sacrifices we are willing to make are strongly related. First of all: Fear. An old Dutch saying goes that fear is a bad counselor. But this does not [...]
A very good day to you. My name is Jacob Theunisz. I wrote this article (with video) to share with you my passion about equality in all areas of life. The Bible teaches us that we were all created in God’s image and that God loves each one of us without any [...]
Yesterday a Facebook friend of mine shared his letter to the editor, as published in a national newspaper. I quote, “From the beginning of the corona crisis I miss our [physical] church services. I have kept hanging on to the image – call it a vision – of an entire congregation returning to church after [...]
