Living the way of Jesus
(October 20, 2020)What if, as well as talking and learning and speaking to others about our faith, we tried to put his radical teachings into practice in our daily lives?
Tag: making disciples
Is it time to ditch the sermon?
(July 18, 2020)Protestant church services have included long sermons since before we were all born. But the coronavirus pandemic may be changing all that.
Brad Jersak on God, love, atonement and life
(February 23, 2020)North American writer, teacher and theologian, Brad Jersak, was in Australia recently, and we were able to spend a day hearing him sharing his convictions about God and his love, Jesus and the atonement, and life. There was a lot to like and learn from, and some challenging ideas – all worth sharing with you.
A body born again
(November 14, 2019)Book Review: Metanoia by Anna McGahan. Once I started reading this remarkable book I was hooked. I want to tell you why I think it is so worth reading.
Discipleship, ecology and everyday economics
(September 15, 2019)Book review: Coming Home by Jonathan Cornford I heard Jonathan Cornford speak at a conference a couple of years ago, and he was one of the most interesting and challenging speakers I have ever heard. So when I saw this book published earlier this year, I quickly bought it. It didn’t disappoint.
Losing my religion
(July 1, 2019)The word “religion” can have different meanings. At its simplest, it means “belief in and worship of God or gods” (Oxford Dictionary). But more precisely, religion is often seen as a designated set of beliefs and rituals by which people relate to a god. Thus religion (implying dogma and restrictions) is often contrasted to spirituality […]
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 […]
Church for the 21st century?
(February 17, 2019)This is possibly the most revolutionary, revelatory and important book about the church and mission I have ever read. If you are interested in how the 21st century church can become a missionary community in first world countries, this book can teach us new ways, and inspire us to new efforts. If you are tired […]
When thoughtful christians begin to doubt
(January 30, 2019)In my previous post (When sensitive and thoughtful people begin to doubt) I looked at 4 different sets of musicians who were christians earlier in their lives, but had struggled with faith since then. Now I want to share a few thoughts on how churches and parents might help their youth to be able to […]