Black Stump – so much to do, so much to learn
Black Stump is a christian music and arts festival that has been held near Sydney for the past 25 or so years. I have just come back from my 15th Stump, and it was one of the best ever.
Category: Behaviour
Interfaith dialogue, atheists and christians
Last post I reviewed the book Faitheist by Chris Steadman, in which he tells how he works to encourage interfaith dialogue, even though he is an atheist. What should we christians think about dialogue with other faiths, and with atheists? Is it a compromise of what we believe?
Plastic brains and hard hearts
The Bible occasionally talks of people hardening their hearts, or having hard hearts (e.g. Pharaoh in Exodus chapters 7 to 10). This concept is now common in the English language. Brain plasticity suggests it may be closer to literally true than we might have imagined.
Plastic brains and following Jesus
I’ve been reading a couple of books on the human brain recently, and have been especially impressed by new discoveries about ‘neuroplasticity’. I think they help understand some christian practices I learnt many years ago.
Half a billion healings?
It is a circular argument, but it has been made often, from David Hume down to present day sceptics. There is no believable evidence for genuine miraculous healings, they say. But what about all the stories of people being healed? We know they can’t be true, they say, because no-one has ever shown scientifically that […]
Guns and christians
Many people have commented these past few weeks on gun ownership in the US. As an Australian, I hesitate to enter into the debate, so I won’t discuss either of the key questions – whether a high level of gun ownership reduces or increases gun deaths, and whether the laws in the US should be […]
Peace and non-violence
Completing my examination of things we can all learn from the Anabaptists, with the core conviction on peace and non-violence.
Spirituality, justice and money
Another core Anabaptist conviction to challenge us all.
Are we known for grace or judgment?
Jesus told a very striking story. You probably know it. A man owed a large amount of money but couldn’t pay, so he asked his banker for extra time to make the repayment. And he was given time. But then he called in a small debt he was owed, and refused the poor man’s entreaties […]
Obama, ethics and the Christian Right
So Obama has won, more convincingly than many expected. Many christians will be worried by this, yet there seems to be a number of christians taking a different line.