October 17th, 2011
Christians pray for healing, and most of us can report times when we have seen God answer those prayers (as well, sadly, times when healing hasn’t been given). These experiences of God’s grace can leave a deep impression on our faith and life. But can they be useful in showing the truth of Jesus to […]
October 16th, 2011
On 8 October actress Marzieh Vafamehr was sentenced to 90 lashes and one year jail in Iran for her part in the Australian film My Tehran for Sale. I’m a little late in posting this, but its not too late to sign an Amnesty petition to the Iran government opposing flogging. Amnesty: End flogging in […]
October 12th, 2011
Most christians believe that God heals people, but most of us also know that not everyone is healed. We hear various reasons why God doesn’t always heal, but in the end we just don’t know. But it is always encouraging to hear a reliable account of God healing someone.
October 10th, 2011
The stories keep on appearing – there’s definitely something happening here. This time it’s the story of a keen mission-minded christian who was condemned by the ‘doctrine police’ for questioning a few of the less important doctrines of some sections of the church. So he left the church, to serve God in other ways. Read […]
October 8th, 2011
If you thought I was exaggerating in yesterday’s post when I criticised church plants and said “a maintenance church may resist change that will further the mission”, you should read this story of a successful pastor who tried to ‘go missional’, in Stories from the Revolution.
October 7th, 2011
Jesus left us a big task (Matthew 28:19-20): “Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the […]
October 4th, 2011
I have discussed the decline in church attendance in western countries, asked why go to church? and looked at why sermons are a poor way of making disciples. So can we rescue the church from ineffectiveness and irrelevance? What might improve things?
September 29th, 2011
Christians face persecution in many countries today, especially North Korea, Saudi Arabia and Iran. According to some estimates, about 100 million christians face persecution, far more than any other religious group. Right now, two people need our support. Asia Bibi Asia is a christian woman, wife and mother of two children. She has been imprisoned […]
September 28th, 2011
A recent survey of American religion reveals some interesting facts Robert Putnam (Harvard) and David Campbell (Notre Dame) undertook extensive research of religious attitudes in the US, and late last year published the results of their research in American Grace: How Religion Divides and Unites Us. I haven’t read the book, but I’ve seen an […]
September 27th, 2011
Last weekend’s Sydney Morning Herald carried two opinion pieces on greed, ethics and a “broken” western society that presented a disturbing picture.
A list of all blog posts, in reverse chronological order, is on the Blog archive page.