The Gospel Saturated Blog

The gospel is good news before it is good advice. It tells us who Jesus is, what he has done, and what that means for our lives and our world.

Jesus

Carrie Shaw
February 9, 2024

In Him Was Life

While it's true that repentance - a change of mind - is absolutely a factor in deciding to follow Jesus, repentance is not just a sudden and miraculous renovation of our previously bad life. Jesus didn't come to make bad people good but to make dead people alive.

Faith & Life

Carrie Shaw
January 13, 2024

Keeping The Faith

It's been nearly five years since the religious community I grew up in 'regretfully accepted my withdrawal from fellowship'. In reality, I did no such thing, their statement was simply an awkward and disingenuous way to excommunicate me because I could no longer affirm, without reservation, particular tenets they held to be watertight and immutable.

Faith & Life

Carrie Shaw
January 6, 2024

Crossing Over

There are many crossings a human will make in a lifetime. Our introduction to life is just the first. From the dim, watery, stillness of the womb, we are thrust out into the bright light of day; into this dizzying kaleidoscope we call life.

Church History Theology

Carrie Shaw
December 23, 2023

The Incarnation Of The Word

In the beginning, the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God. He existed in the beginning with God.

The Church

Carrie Shaw
December 8, 2023

Lessons From The Seven Churches

Right from the beginning the church was flawed, as Jesus always knew she would be, and she has been flawed ever since; a living, breathing contradiction.

Faith & Life

Carrie Shaw
September 25, 2023

Fidelity In Friendship

Derived from the Latin word fidēlis, fidelity is the quality of being faithful, loyal, accurate, or true. And it's a quality essential to all authentic, interpersonal relationships.

Faith & Life

Carrie Shaw
September 12, 2023

Living Intentionally

The goal of being more like God doesn’t come naturally or happen randomly, it requires purposeful choice in a specific direction.

The Church

Carrie Shaw
August 29, 2023

Without The Applause: Examining Celebrity Culture In The Church

I recently wrote an article which I called 'Beneath The Skin'; a critique of sorts of modern Christianity and the Western church. In this article, I want to dig a little deeper, to take a closer look at one of the issues I think played a part in asking this question. I want to examine the phenomenon of celebrity culture within the modern Western church and, in particular, the influence this culture has had on the average, ordinary Christian.

Theology

Carrie Shaw
August 10, 2023

When God Moved Into The Neighbourhood

This article invites us to reflect on the astonishing reality that the Word became flesh and dwelt among us - not distant, but near. When Jesus stepped into our streets and stories, heaven touched earth in the most extraordinary way.

Progressive Christianity Youth

Carrie Shaw
July 28, 2023

A Guide For LGBTQ+ Christian Teens

Are you a Christian teen struggling with or feeling confused by LGBTQ+ and gender identity issues? Then this is a conversation we need to have...

Faith & Life Progressive Christianity

Carrie Shaw
July 16, 2023

Sex + Gender

Post-modern ideology would try to tell us that there are (currently) 57 genders. Gender, it's claimed, is not something we are but something that we feel. Not only that, gender is something that is fluid, an experience that can remain static or be in constant flux. Today we may feel female. Tomorrow we may feel male. Next week, we may feel somewhere in the middle or possibly both at the same time.

The Kingdom

Carrie Shaw
July 5, 2023

The Kingdom Now And Not Yet

The Bible is saturated with the theme of the kingdom, a great unfolding reality that reaches its fulfilment in Jesus Christ. From the first pages of Genesis to the strange and magnificent visions of Revelation, the kingdom of God is not a side topic but the thread that holds the whole story together.

Israel, The Church, and the Christian Conscience

Carrie Shaw October 10, 2026

What do Christianity and Judaism have in common, if anything? How should the Church understand its relationship with the Israel of today? What responsibilities do Christians have towards the Jewish

The Revival Of Antisemitism (Or Was It Ever Really Dead?)

Carrie Shaw October 7, 2026

The reality is, the world feels sharply split right now: pro-Palestinian or pro-Israeli, and the gap only seems to be getting wider. Along with that widening gap is a troubling

The Headship Bait-And-Switch

Carrie Shaw October 4, 2026

“The husband is the head of his wife.” It’s a favourite refrain in complementarian circles, particularly when the conversation turns to biblical manhood, leadership, and a husband’s supposed God-given authority

Israel, The Church, and the Christian Conscience

Carrie Shaw October 10, 2026

What do Christianity and Judaism have in common, if anything? How should the Church understand its relationship with the Israel of today? What responsibilities do Christians have towards the Jewish people? And how should our answers to these questions shape the way we engage in public discourse about contemporary political and social issues?