The Scandal of Stumbling Blocks: Avoiding Causing Spiritual Harm

Have you ever considered the seriousness of causing someone else to stumble? That is, to hinder someone’s spiritual wellbeing.

Does it surprise you that the apostle Paul describes it as evil (Rom. 14:20)?

In The Scandal of Stumbling Blocks, James Durham helps us to consider the matter deeply by defining the nature of stumbling as well as showing its serious consequences. He looks in considerable detail at different kinds of stumbling and identifies the ways that people can stumble and be stumbled. Durham provides practical advice for avoiding and preventing offense.

Now edited in modern English, Durham’s classic treatment on considerate Christianity can be used to edify a new generation.

Contents

Preface

1. Why Is Stumbling Important?
2. What Is Stumbling?
3. What Are the Different Kinds of Stumbling?
4. What Ways Do We Stumble Others?
5. To What Extent Should We Avoid Stumbling Others?
6. How Can Believers Prevent Stumbling?
7. How Can Ministers Prevent Stumbling?
8. What Are the Key Truths about Stumbling?

Discussion Questions

James Durham (1622-1658) served as minister at Black Friars church in Glasgow, a chaplain to King Charles II, and a minister at the Inner Kirk of the cathedral in Glasgow. Known for his piety, wisdom, and scholarship, Durham stands as one of the great Scottish Presbyterians of the seventeenth century.

Matthew Vogan lives in Inverness, Scotland, with his wife, Janet, and son, Joseph. He is a ruling elder in the Inverness congregation of the Free Presbyterian Church of Scotland and author of various articles for a number of periodicals. He works in local government as a project manager.