Joseph Hartropp

• Do we need to fear hell before we can love God?

  There was another evangelical furore on Twitter yesterday about eternal damnation. Does God need hell to show how much he loves you?

• 'Self-care': Demonic indulgence or a godly discipline?

  A study recently shared by Barna reveals the 'self-care' habits of Americans who consider themselves Christian or simply 'spiritual'. What should one make of its findings, and is 'self-care' a dangerous enterprise of self-indulgence, or a vital discipline for a healthy church?

• NT Wright: St Paul was an 'extremist' who would despair at our church disunity

  What should modernity make of St Paul? It's one question the world-leading biblical scholar NT Wright has sought to engage in his latest book 'Paul: A Biography'.

• 'We do God, we just don't talk about it': Peter Stanford on bringing faith back to the fore

  'One of my favourite figures is that one in six atheists believe in angels...none of it is as clear cut as people think. Faith is still a powerful force in people's lives.'

• 'The Bible of Love': Snoop Dogg shifts gear with a faith-filled worship record

  Snoop Dogg is loud and proud about his Christian faith in his new Gospel album Bible of Love. It marks not only a fascinating shift for the established rapper, but an impressive and remarkable worship record in its own right.

• American Christians are ignoring the Great Commission: Here's why that's so dangerous

  Most US churchgoers don't know of Jesus' 'great commission' to 'make disciples'. Is this a fatal flaw in the contemporary church?

• Dawn of the dead: Are there zombies in Matthew's resurrection story?

  Matthew's gospel gives one brief yet startling detail of events around Jesus' resurrection that can easily confuse: is this the biblical zombie story the church likes to forget?

• Just a happy ending? Examining the evidence for the resurrection

  Its the heart of the Easter story – but is it mere myth? Here's some of the historical evidence for the resurrection of Christ.

• Prince of Wales 'deeply moved' by persecuted Christians: the suffering are 'not forgotten'

  The Prince of Wales has delivered an Easter message of emphatic support for persecuted Christians across the world. Those suffering for their faith are 'not forgotten', he said, as he described being 'deeply moved' by their 'capacity for forgiveness'.

• The Gethsemane crisis: Why didn't Jesus want to die?

  One of the most challenging stories of Scripture is when Christ kneels in despair at Gethsemane, and asks that he should not face the cross. Its familiarity can dull us to its strangeness. Without the cross there could be no salvation, so why didn't the Son of God want to die?

• The Donkey: How GK Chesterton radically retold Palm Sunday

  Palm Sunday celebrates Christ's triumphant entry into Jerusalem, riding on a donkey with palms at his feet. But a famous poem illuminates the tale by embracing the perspective not of Jesus or the people, but the humble colt on which the Messiah rode.

• The King in our midst: A prayer for Palm Sunday

  It's an anniversary of terror, but a revelation of humble glory too. How would you pray on Palm Sunday?