Sunday teaching

The world in which we believe in God

The idea behind this series is not to solve the world’s problems or even to suggest that the Bible has all the answers. It is to flag up some of the major stresses and concerns that people in the world around us have today, perhaps especially young people—and not excluding ourselves. Some of the issues may be divisive, so we approach the topics with humility, seeking grace, trying to understand differences of opinion, looking for healing and renewal in a world torn in so many different directions. But we also want to speak confidently from the Bible and on behalf of the living God, because we believe that the church has a very important future.

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  • Speaking words of wisdom
    20/08/2026

    Speaking words of wisdom

    We are having to deal with fake news, false realities, conspiracy theories, and more, on an industrial scale. The Bible tells us that the creative Word and Wisdom of God “became flesh” in the person of Jesus and brought a new world into being. We are learning to flesh that new world out by speaking words of divine wisdom.

  • What can we learn from “urban monasticism”?
    • 03/08/2026

    What can we learn from “urban monasticism”?

    We’re a church. But we’re not taking that for granted. We are actively exploring how a church like Westbourne Grove can best serve the living God in the post-Christian West. This week we will ask whether “urban monasticism” can teach us anything about how to live out a shared life in the Spirit in a challenging secular environment.

  • What does it mean to be spiritual?
    • 13/07/2026

    What does it mean to be spiritual?

    We may think that we live in a very rational, scientific age, but even in the supposedly secular West a good number of people—and a growing number of young people—regard themselves as “spiritual”. What do we mean when we say that? What does the Bible have to say about life in the Spirit? Possibly not what you’re expecting.

  • Age of anxieties
    • 29/06/2026

    Age of anxieties

    Last week we talked about how the biblical story might frame the climate crisis—the effects of which we are experiencing in a heat wave this week. It's just one of many things that we may be feeling anxious about. So we must ask whether the biblical story gives us grounds to proclaim good news. What hope do we have in this age of anxieties?

  • The groaning of creation
    • 25/06/2026

    The groaning of creation

    We hosted a screening of the People’s Emergency Briefing film in church last Tuesday. It presents in stark terms the threats posed to humanity by climate change. We showed the film for a reason. Surely a global crisis of such magnitude must be of concern to the God who created the heavens and the earth? We look this week at how the Bible helps us to approach the topic.

  • What does it mean to be human?
    • 12/06/2026

    What does it mean to be human?

    It feels as though the world is in a state of constant flux. Many of the old assumptions we made about what it means to be human seem to be breaking down—being male and female, being family, raising children, being a nation, having meaningful work to do. We have taken control of our own destiny, but do we know where we are going? So it’s a good time to ask: What does the Bible tell us about what it means to be human?

    Andrew Perriman, Westbourne Grove Church

  • Consuming the world
    • 02/06/2026

    Consuming the world

    It is claimed that people in the modernised world see on average 5,000 adverts every day. Some would say double that. Why is that happening? What sort of pressure—mental, emotional, economic—does it put us under? Is there a biblical perspective on the problem of rampant consumerism? Let’s see.

    Andrew Perriman, Westbourne Grove Church