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consumerism

RealityBites

Serving God as Cobblers and French Teachers

How can we serve God outside the church sphere? Many Christians today are aware of the problem of dualism: the sacred/secular split. It’s easy to understand that preachers, pastors, evangelists and apologists are serving God but what about cobblers and French teachers? William Tyndale (1494-1536) is famous for translating the Read more…

By Mark Roques, 2 monthsMarch 15, 2023 ago
Buddhist boy in water
RealityBites

Buddhist Despair with Rampant Consumerism

Materialism aka consumerism is such a seedy and destructive faith. Consider the story of 15 year old An who was sold by her parents to a brothel in Bangkok in Thailand. She was proud that her earnings allowed her mum and dad to buy two motorbikes and a fridge. Thai Read more…

By Mark Roques, 2 yearsAugust 10, 2021 ago
RealityBites

Become a Consumerist Today

Become a Consumerist Today My name is Ron and I am a lad from London. I am a consumerist. My life is all about consuming cars, motorbikes, haircuts and films. I will be a millionaire in ten years. This is what I believe. Take it or leave it. The world Read more…

By Mark Roques, 3 yearsApril 15, 2020 ago
RealityBites

Parable of the French Teacher

Delighted that the Baptist Times has published my article on how a French teacher can serve God. This is an introduction to the issues of dualism, worldviews, consumerism and serving God outside the sphere of the local church. Years ago when I lived in Bristol I was chatting to Susan Read more…

By Mark Roques, 4 yearsSeptember 11, 2019 ago
RealityBites

Neymar 100% Jesus?

It’s World Cup time – so some thoughts on Neymar, the Brazilian superstar.    Neymar is more than just a footballer. He is a brand and a way of life. The Brazilian star is the epitome of modern football as he travels the world with his friends in his luxurious Read more…

By Mark Roques, 5 yearsJune 5, 2018 ago
RealityBites

RealityBites in the Costa del Sol

Last month Anne and I celebrated thirty years of marriage. We wanted a break and so we booked a holiday with Club La Costa World which is located in Fuengirola on the south coast of Spain. Truth be told we got a fantastic discount of 80% which made the gig Read more…

By Mark Roques, 8 yearsJune 3, 2015 ago
RealityBites

Idolatry, Ideology and Islamic State (part 2)

A key text for understanding idolatry in the New Testament is a passage in the book of Romans. They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshipped and served created things rather than the Creator. Romans 1:25, NIV Here we should notice that idolatry does not merely refer Read more…

By Mark Roques, 8 yearsFebruary 24, 2015 ago
RealityBites

‘Pick-up’ artist Julien Blanc and how we are failing our young people

Men pay upwards of £1000 to listen to the ‘wisdom’ and ‘insight’ of ‘pick-up’ artist Julien Blanc. His worldview boils down to this: objectify women and use them for your pleasure. Videos of Blanc preaching and ranting can be found online under the hashtag #ChokingGirlsAroundtheWorld. This is, of course, shocking but it is Read more…

By Mark Roques, 9 yearsNovember 14, 2014 ago
RealityBites

Amazing Questions from Teenagers

I wanted to blog about some of the questions that students ask. RealityBites is a ministry that creates space for people to ask questions about life, the universe and, of course, Hertfordshire. We try to arouse curiosity in people about God, idolatry and the kingdom of Jesus. We do this Read more…

By Mark Roques, 9 yearsJuly 15, 2014 ago
Recent posts
  • New Age Faith and the Cosmic Ordering Service
    By Mark Roques
    In RealityBites
    May 18, 2023
  • The Importance of Culture for Academics
    By Michael Wagenman
    In Faith-in-Scholarship
    May 8, 2023
  • A person sketching a mountainIs this a good school? The perils of far-fetched objectivity
    By Richard Gunton
    In Faith-in-Scholarship
    April 27, 2023
  • Science Worship and Mass Murder
    By Mark Roques
    In RealityBites
    April 25, 2023
  • In Conclusion: First Steps in Becoming a Good and Faithful Questioner
    By Michael Wagenman
    In Faith-in-Scholarship
    April 10, 2023
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Latest comments
  1. Philip on New Age Faith and the Cosmic Ordering ServiceMay 24, 2023

    Blessings upon you, Mark, for highlighting in your brief article the sheer folly of the notion that we human beings…

  2. steve smith on New Age Faith and the Cosmic Ordering ServiceMay 24, 2023

    You wonder if the universe, on such a view, would (or could!) ever "choose" (is that the appropriate word?) to…

  3. Roy Clouser on New Age Faith and the Cosmic Ordering ServiceMay 22, 2023

    Good one, Mark! You are right on point: Pantheism has no alternative but t deny that evil is real, and…

  4. Duncan Stow on New Age Faith and the Cosmic Ordering ServiceMay 22, 2023

    Really helpful article Mark - So much of the new age thinking seems to ignore the problem of evil -…

  5. Ted Newell on New Age Faith and the Cosmic Ordering ServiceMay 21, 2023

    I had an afternoon with a sincere well-educated Indian man lately. To him, Nothing is impossible if we grasp how…

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