Weep with those who weep
(January 26, 2020)Australia Day is a national holiday and day of celebration – except for our indigenous people, who have suffered so much since European settlement.
Tag: Change the church
Fake news and tribalism are the new black?
(January 4, 2020)Monthly challenge I’ve been reading and thinking a lot about people’s attitudes to climate change recently, and I am reinforced in the view that we (all people, but especially christians) have entered a new era.
Opposing Jesus …. in the name of Jesus
(December 24, 2019)Three warnings to start with. This isn’t a Christmas post. This isn’t a political post. Although Donald Trump’s picture appears, it’s not really about him at all, though he is relevant. I am not an American, so I write as an outsider. This post is a response to a Christianity Today editorial and the public […]
A lead role in a cage?
(December 3, 2019)Pink Floyd’s 1975 album Wish You Were Here is one of my favourites. The theme of the evocative album is the band’s feeling about Syd Barrett, their former bandmate, who had crashed out due to drugs and a mental condition that made it impossible for him to play his part in the band.
Christianity, pluralism and truth
(November 2, 2019)Book review of “Why did Jesus, Moses, the Buddha and Mohammed cross the road” by Brian McLaren. A challenging book that raises some important issues.
Short-sighted selfishness rules, OK?
(August 24, 2019)This is the Ministry (the main decision-makers) in the Australian Government. These people lead the Government, develop policy, plan legislation and lead the various Government Departments which have responsibility for (among other things) trade, commerce, agriculture, social services and foreign affairs. The Government also has a role in health and environmental issues (which are more […]
How evangelical doctrine and Biblical inerrancy can distort the Bible and Jesus
(August 1, 2019)Most christians have been taught to reverence the Bible. This has been especially true of Protestant christianity. The Reformation was built on the doctrine of sola scriptura (by scripture alone). And when conservative christianity felt threatened by evolution, liberal theology and modernist thinking in the 19th century, it developed a statement of “the fundamentals”, one […]
Evangelical, Liberal and Progressive Christianity – three diverging paths
(June 16, 2019)There’s a lot of new, and sometimes scary, ideas flying around the christian scene these days. What are we to make of them?? Where is Protestant christianity heading? If you have doubts and questions about your form of christian belief, perhaps another form has something to offer. Check out a few ideas here.
Modern western evangelicalism – easy religion for comfortable christians?
(May 3, 2019)I’ve been thinking for a while about modern western evangelical christianity. Not what some people may see as the worst of this belief system – televangelists, conservative politics and a focus on sexual ethics – but the mainstream. My initial christian experience was in this culture and belief, and while I have moved on in […]
Evangelism – learning from unbelievers
(March 13, 2019)There’s a saying in chess that, if you are in doubt about your next move, choose the move your opponent would like least. I reckon a similar, but opposite, saying might apply to christian evangelism: if you are wanting to evangelise, try to choose the behaviour your friend would most appreciate. A recent study by […]