Ethiopia is a land of rich culture and complex history, with 88 ethnic groups and as many languages, not to mention religious plurality. The challenge of accommodating plurality has always been a fundamental cause for its tempestuous political history.

Some of the best-known stories of Jesus are the ones he tells himself – the stories or parables. They stick in our minds, as good stories do.

If you enjoy gardening, or are just dipping your toe into it, you’ll know the real pleasures that it can bring, writes Hazel Southam. Creating a community garden with like-minded people, can be transformational, for individuals, the neighbourhood, ...

They want to hear God’s word and they’re asking if you will help replace their Bibles.

1 and 2 Kings were originally one book, so 2 Kings picks up where 1 Kings concluded. In chapter 1 we encounter five men: Ahaziah the king, Elijah the prophet and three army captains. The last lines of 1 Kings tell us all we need to know about Ahaziah...

This period of Israel's history sees the nation under continuous attack by the Syrians to the north, and in occasional conflict with Judah to the south. King Jehu's son Jehoahaz and grandson Jehoash are both condemned for 'leading Isra...

Coronavirus, terrorism and the worst flooding for a generation – life hasn’t been easy in Niger, one of the world’s poorest countries, in 2020. But despite the country's multiple challenges, a Bible Society literacy project is flourishing.

Some Bible stories are extremely difficult for us today, reflecting as they do an understanding of God that we cannot share. In this story, God sends a famine on Israel because of the guilt of the house of Saul for his treatment of the Gibeonites.

The judgement God promises because of Solomon's behaviour falls not on the king, but on his son Rehoboam. The loyalty of the northern tribes of Israel to the house of David had always been fragile. After they entered Canaan and in the time of th...

Ezekiel is taken by the Spirit to the east gate of the temple, where the 'glory of the Lord' had stopped before totally abandoning the sanctuary. This idea of the 'glory of the Lord' is a recurring Old Testament motif –'She...

Othniel was the first of the judges, and his rule sets up the pattern that's to follow: oppression, rescue, apostasy, in a continuing circuit. The people 'forgot the LORD their God' (verse 7) and worshipped idols; consequently they...

The 1647 Westminster Confession defines God as being 'without body, parts or passions', but that's more of a philosophical statement. In the Hebrew Bible he is very passionate indeed: loving, sad, angry, regretful, and sometimes downri...

Romans is Paul's most purely 'theological' letter. He had not yet visited the church there, though he knows several of its members. The letter seems to have been written to outline what he believes as a way of introducing himself. It&#...

In Acts 18, Paul preaches in the synagogue in Corinth and is met with opposition, but receives a dream from God telling him not to be afraid or silent. God’s encouragement to Paul is that there are many other believers in the city of Corinth to aid...

Left more isolated than ever by the pandemic, prisoners are asking for Bibles – and you can provide them today

With an estimated 7,000-plus languages in the world there may be a little way to go, but the full Bible has now been translated into 700 of them. Crucially, this means around 80 per cent of the world’s population, just over 5.7 billion people, can ...

After having spent some time with Jesus, the disciples must have thought they had a pretty good idea of what he was about, until at the drop of a hat he began to talk about suffering and dying. Peter voiced what everyone else was thinking: the Messia...

The long-term effects of coronavirus may be devastating for African economies, putting outreach work in the poorest nations at serious risk

Even within the lifespan of people like the apostle John who were close followers of Jesus and witnessed first-hand his life, death and resurrection, there were false teachers travelling around and leading believers astray with a message other than t...

The letters in Revelation 2–3 display Christ’s presence with his churches, his complete knowledge of their spiritual condition and his desire for their wholehearted commitment to him. Each church is addressed specifically but also told to ‘hear...