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.

Progressive Christianity The Church

Carrie Shaw
April 9, 2022

Will Progressive Christianity Destroy The Church?

I want to talk about something that’s been on my mind for a while. Some time ago, I watched a commentary by a ‘Christian pastor’ that totally shocked me. In fact, I haven't really stopped thinking about it since. I found it disturbing; equal parts ridiculous and horrifying, and I really couldn’t believe it was being presented under the guise of legitimate Christianity

Faith & Life

Carrie Shaw
February 24, 2022

John Writes A Letter

There's a serious crisis amongst Christians. It seems we can talk a lot about love, but we're actually woefully inadequate at demonstrating it. Instead of showing real, authentic love, demonstrated in graceful, multi-faceted ways, we see the opposite in many of our Christian communities. We're often religiously wealthy but morally bankrupt; devoid of any real expression of a grace-led life. We say we're born again but are we really? Has grace really touched our hearts?

Faith & Life

Carrie Shaw
February 10, 2022

The Faith | Works ‘Conundrum’

The kind of faith that is real, saving faith is shown to be vital, living, and demonstrable in action. To illustrate his full meaning, James gives two examples from the life of Abraham, whom he describes as 'the friend of God' (James 2:2). The first was when God promised Abraham a great line of descendants, even though at the time Abraham and his wife were both old and childless. Abraham didn't doubt God for a second, and James cites this faith (Genesis 15:6) as "reckoned to Abraham as righteousness." Abraham believed God was 'good for His word' and this is why, James says, he was justified.

Faith & Life Origins & Authority

Carrie Shaw
December 9, 2021

Leaving

Leaving is never because of just one thing. Not really. It's the result of a thousand, inconsequential one things that all converge in a single moment of sudden, irreconcilable difference. For me, the eventual leaving of the religious community I grew up in began as a tiny question fluttering at the back of my mind.

Jesus

Carrie Shaw
December 8, 2021

Jesus, The Hope Of The World

It was an important and necessary reality that Jesus shared in our humanity; a connection which he derived from his mother, Mary. Jesus’ redemptive work on behalf of humanity was deeply connected to his own humanity. His ability to sympathise with us and to reconcile on our behalf springs from a complete understanding of what it is like to be human; with all our doubts, fears, temptations, and failures. He understood humans because he was human.

Faith & Life

Carrie Shaw
November 25, 2021

Come Walk With Me

Come walk with Me. Imagine we are once again in Eden, walking together in the cool shade of the trees. Listen to the sound of the great river, flowing through My garden paradise. Hear the rush of its distributaries, flowing north, east, south, and westward out from My garden. Living water springs from this place, refreshing and pure.

Theology

Carrie Shaw
November 9, 2021

By One Man

I like the Apostle Paul. I like his ability to 'call a spade a spade', the unrelenting pursuit of his faith, and his bold assertion to "preach nothing but the cross of Christ" (1 Corinthians 2:2). No doubt he ruffled more than a few feathers at times, with his unapologetic directness and refusal to tolerate any other gospel than that of being saved by grace through faith alone.

Faith & Life

Carrie Shaw
August 23, 2021

Majors And Minors | The Danger Of Extremism

There is much that can be said about legalism and the hypocrisy that arises from it. An emphasis on externals makes it very easy to fake what is really going inside. Promoting or insisting on conformity to these outward markers of 'spirituality' often results in people who may look spiritual on the outside but who are, in reality, suffering from deep inner turmoil and sin.

Theology

Carrie Shaw
August 9, 2021

Three Reasons I Don’t Believe In Hell

The subject of hell has popped up in a few different conversations recently, and, while I tend to try to avoid speaking from a position of negativity ('what I don't believe...'), the generally accepted interpretation of this doctrine is one that's never rung true for me.

Faith & Life

Carrie Shaw
August 2, 2021

In The Shadow Of The Empire

Christianity in the first century was a spiritual explosion, fueled by the reality of the resurrection of Jesus and the presence of the Holy Spirit. Unlike the Jewish community, who lived and worshipped largely by themselves, Christians were active evangelists, eager to share the good news about Jesus with all who would listen. They preached Jesus everywhere, not just as the long-awaited Jewish Messiah, but as Lord, Saviour, and King; over and above Caesar.

Faith & Life

Carrie Shaw
July 21, 2021

Searching For Identity

I think a lot of us struggle with having a clear sense of who we are, and our Christian life is often theory rather than practice, layering over our core, rather than challenging ourselves to examine what lies at the heart of us. This process of layering – creating and developing a false self over the top of core emotional truths – ensures that we remain entrapped and enslaved to ‘the old man’, rather than liberated in Jesus as a new creation.

Progressive Christianity

Carrie Shaw
June 30, 2021

The War On Gender

There's a troubling trend arising in our postmodern age, an era that has also given rise to 'post-truth'. New information platforms, social upheaval and the overabundance of global communication networks are giving this idea traction and we're seeing it take root and grow, with potentially devastating consequences. This is the generation that has unequivocally waged war on 'gender'*.

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?