Bethnal Green Mission Church

Our journey in exploring the death of Jesus takes us to many people's favourite golf club in our atonement bag of theories — Penal Substitution. It is an explanation that has been routinely accepted as the dominant understanding of the cross (at least within the Latin Western Protestant Church). However, it is also a theory that has had lasting and damaging consequences for our understanding of Go...

We are exploring the rich and complex meaning of Jesus' death on the cross. Today, we look at two ways in which the church has historically tried to explain the Atonement, using C.S. Lewis' Chronicles of Narnia to help us. How do the biblical metaphors, church history and Narnia help and hinder our understanding?

We've started a pilgrimage in exploring the meaning of the crucifixion of Jesus. This week we take a deep dive into Rene Girard's scapegoating theory and how it relates to the life, death and resurrection of Jesus. Girard believes that, since the dawn of time, human societies have instinctively sought to scapegoat people, which left unchecked can lead to a contagion of violence. We explore here ho...

This new series of What We Missed In... starts on Holy Cross Sunday, the Christian feast day dedicated to the exaltation of Jesus' crucifixion. This begins (like Brian Zhand did on the same day in 2016 on the Camino de Santiago) a pilgrimage that pays attention to the cross of Jesus. What actually happened when Jesus died, and why are we still asking the question? We will not rush to answer these...

If worship is the action and orientation of our whole lives towards God, what does it mean to work, rest and play? James introduces this new series, exploring how we can understand and embody the worship of God in our daily lives of work, rest, and play. 

One of the problems we have when reading the parables is our over-familiarity with them. We think we have the meaning sussed and sorted. Often, though, we have blunted their power and simplified their meaning. This is true of Jesus' punchy one-liner in Matthew 13.45. What is the Kingdom of God like when compared to a merchant looking for fine pearls, and can what happens to him help us understand...

We continue to wrestle with our biases and presumptions about this story of Jesus. Today we explore the thorny issue of Jesus' warning that the unrighteous goats will experience 'eternal punishment' for their lack of mercy for the last, little, least and left-behind. What does the word 'eternal' actually mean, and how have we heard it interpreted? What is the nature of 'punishment' that Jesus is w...

Jesus' story in Matthew 25:1-13 about the judgement of the nations has been quoted in public spheres, political arenas, and church pulpits for many years. The history of the interpretation of this text has itself been diverse and complex. For many, it is a 'go-to text' - as a rallying cry for social justice and activism on behalf of the poor, vulnerable and dispossessed in our world, or a warning...

This is part 2 of our reflections on one of Jesus' most enigmatic parables in Luke 16.1-13. Where was Jesus heading with this story, and what is the nature of this 'trusted thing' called mammon, that he warns his disciples and hearers about?

This is one of Jesus' most eccentric and perplexing parables. What do we do with this man who is a frauster, a trickster, a deceiver, but whose actions are commended by the boss he has stolen from and validated as being shrewd by Jesus? There are a variety of possible meanings to this story, but it is one that refuses to be pinned down to a single definitive interpretation. How can Luke's emphasis...

Parable titles sometimes take us in the wrong direction, and so it seems for Jesus' parable of the labourers in Matthew 20. What can we learn about the Kingdom of God from the reckless business actions of the vineyard owner? Why did he pay his one-hour-a-day workers the same as the whole-day ones? We echo the grumbling and the cries of unfairness from those who worked longer. What is this strange...

In this talk James kicks off our new series 'why am I still a Christian?'. In this talk James vulnerably shares his own journey with faith and sexuality and how this journey has led him deeper in his belief of how the church can be a place of welcome, inclusion and celebration.

Welcome to this final episode in our journey through Deconstruction as Discipleship by Michael Houston. Chapter 6, titled Towards a Flourishing Community of Re-forming Disciples, brings us to a hopeful vision of what lies beyond disorientation. Mike explores how faith communities can become safe landing spaces—places of grace and graft—for those navigating doubt and reconstruction. He challenges u...

Welcome to this episode, where we explore Chapter 5 of Michael Houston’s Deconstruction as Discipleship, titled Surgery on a Malformed Faith. In this powerful chapter, Mike likens deconstruction to a necessary and often painful surgery—one that confronts harmful spiritual narratives and opens the way for healing. He identifies two core distortions in contemporary Christianity: the idolisation of c...

Welcome to this episode of our series on Deconstruction as Discipleship , where we engage with Chapter 4: Dismantling Two Faith Constructs . In this chapter, Mike explores two deeply ingrained yet often damaging theological frameworks: our inherited view of the Bible and our portrait of God. Using the metaphor of cathedral scaffolding, Mike argues that many of us have unknowingly inherited distort...

Welcome to this episode, where we explore Chapter 3 of Mike Houston’s Deconstruction as Discipleship , titled Provocations of Faith Disorientation. In this chapter, Mike unpacks what causes many to move from a settled faith into a place of questioning and disruption. Whether it’s personal pain, theological rigidity, or institutional harm, he suggests that disorientation is often the beginning of a...

Welcome to this episode, where we dive into Chapter 2 of Deconstruction as Discipleship by Michael Houston, titled The Syntax of Deconstruction . In this chapter, Mike explores how the language and metaphors we use shape our experience of faith transition. Drawing on the Psalms, he outlines a powerful framework—Orientation, Disorientation, and New Orientation—to describe the movement of deconstruc...

Welcome to this AI-generated podcast series, based on Deconstruction as Discipleship: A Credo for a Christ-like Community Wrestling with Faith by Mike Houston. Drawing from over 35 years of church leadership, Mike shares his personal journey alongside the stories of others who have walked with him. Through theological, biblical, and pastoral reflection, he engages with scholars, writers, and conte...

In the second sermon of Jesus' story of the 10 bridesmaids, we wrestle with Matthew's context, style of writing and emphasis to discover how they drive the parable's meaning. How is the Kingdom of God presented in a parable and gospel with so much judgment in it? And how does the delay of the Groom challenge our hope for the arrival of God's Kingdom?

It's safe to say that the parable of the wise and foolish bridesmaids is not one of Jesus' most loved stories. We have most likely heard it as a warning to be prepared for Jesus' coming, but this misses the nuances of the story, its cultural setting, and how Matthew has written his gospel. What if the parable offers us something far richer, more complex and which challenges our discomfort with the...

Exploring Faithfulness in the Fruits of the Spirit series is inspired by the online exhibition from the National Gallery. The exhibits are Orazio Gentileschi, The Finding of Moses (NG6684), early 1630s, oil on canvas and  Soldi, Isabella, Duchess of Manchester, 1738, oil on canvas.