Unbounded church articles
‘They came for the Communists, and I didn’t object – For I wasn’t a Communist; They came for the Socialists, and I didn’t object – For I wasn’t a Socialist; They came for the labour leaders, and I didn’t object – For I wasn’t a labour leader; They came for the Jews, and I didn’t object – For I wasn’t a Jew; Then they came for me –And there was no one left to object.’
‘In the birth of a child, there is a new dawn with endless potential’ *** The first colour movie I ever saw was put on as a special showing by my primary school in class time. It was of the coronation of Queen Elizabeth the Second, and so her reign has pretty much … Continue reading Queen
The values altruism, freedom of speech, personal liberty, wholesome education and equality can only be the product of a Christianized society which Australia no longer is. So, in order to bring about these values , requires the re-Christianization of society.
”This is not a gentle decline. It is a Bus hurtling over a cliff’. Greg Sheridan ****** It is of the essence of the Christian faith that Christians are essentially optimists even when as now, in human terms, there appears to be not much going on in the world to encourage optimism. However, a … Continue reading ‘Love, the Vibe, She’ll Be Right and the Sound of Silence‘
“Something will turn up” Wilkins Micawber ****** Given the trajectory of the statistics on religious affiliation in Australia for several decades as revealed by the five-yearly ABS national census, it should come as a surprise to no one that the 2021 census results just released reveal yet again another plunge in the number of those … Continue reading How Long O Lord?
It has been said that ‘A pile of wood isn’t a fire if there are no flames’, and a theological expression of this was made by the famous Swiss theologian Emil Brunner who said that- “The Church exists by mission, just as a fire exists by burning.” So it is true, although many would like … Continue reading Piles of Wood or Fires
‘If you keep on doing what you have been doing you will keep on getting what you have been getting’ Anonymous ****** Some time ago I wrote of my great concern, even despair, at what I saw what was happening as churches emerged from Covid 19 restrictions. This despair was driven by what … Continue reading For the Past or the Future – What Are We Building?
It is the first Sunday of the new year; Christmas 21 is now a fading image in the rear-view mirror of time’s flow. Churches ‘were packed’ according to a Channel Nine news report. Except that while some were, many were not, as a little enquiry will reveal. In any case, it has been my experience … Continue reading A ‘Remnant’ – Yet Pretending Not to Be
The Future is a ‘Fuzzy Collection of Probabilities’ ****** It’s a long time since I was at High School and a great deal about my time there I have forgotten. One thing, or rather person, I do remember however is one of my science teachers in years 11 and 12. He was a Welshman, … Continue reading Mission in a Future that Turns Up When You Get There
As the standard Sunday-Centric churches emerge from Covid 19 lockdown(s) and consider future directions, it may be a good time to engage in some health checks. Such exercises, to be really useful, must involve asking some tough, rigorous, and even ‘Inconvenient’ questions. One such ‘Inconvenient’ question I have written about previously (See here) is- ‘How … Continue reading Another Inconvenient Question – How Much to win a Soul
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