Intriguing statement by the the leader of the Australian opposition Bill Shorten in his speech to the Australian Christian Lobby today. He claimed to believe in God and marriage equality. A weird paradox really for while Mr Shorten believes in 'marriage equality (i.e same sex marriage) the God he claims to believe in doesn't! Now … Continue reading A True Post Modernist
Anti-Social Behaviour and the Moral Collapse
Anti-social behaviour (ASB) (often criminal behaviour), such as the recent killing of an unborn baby by a drug affected driver in Wollongong and the alcohol fueled varieties often witnessed outside night clubs, is increasingly common in our society. I have particularly noticed that some examples of ASB today just did not occur a generation or … Continue reading Anti-Social Behaviour and the Moral Collapse
Reflections on War
Over the course of this year we have again seen the development of hostilities in the middle east and Australian forces are once more involved. It is therefore an appropriate time to reflect on the topic of war because it is a vexed one among Christians, and one which always generates a range of views. … Continue reading Reflections on War
When Church Gets in the Way of the Kingdom
It comes as a great shock to many church members that Jesus rarely used the word ‘Church’, basically only twice. Once when referring to the ‘Rock’ (himself) on which he would build the spiritual eternal community of those who become disciples (Matt. 16:18). A second time when giving guidelines on how to deal with discipline … Continue reading When Church Gets in the Way of the Kingdom
More Straws in the Wind
From time to time it is possible to detect what I call ‘straws blowing in the winds’ of Australian church life. These are indicators of the health, vitality and growth, or otherwise, of the Australian church. Some more ‘straws’ have become evident recently in reports submitted to the recent three yearly General Synod of the … Continue reading More Straws in the Wind
Thou Shall Not Judge
Of course this statement is one of the well known ‘Ten Commandments’ handed down to the people of God by Moses, and also restated by Jesus when he talked about taking the ‘log’ out of your own eye (Matthew 7:1-5) isn’t it? Well actually ‘No’, but you would think so by the frequency Christians are … Continue reading Thou Shall Not Judge
Gratitude for Those Who Fought for Us
This year there are a great number of events being held to remember the sacrifices made for us in battles of World War I, a war that has contributed much to the nation Australia is now. It is important that we remember those who sacrificed so much, particularly in the two world wars of the … Continue reading Gratitude for Those Who Fought for Us
For the Black Times
One of the great promises of the gospel is that God guarantees to His people a life to come which is one of perfection, joy, peace, no pain, no death, no suffering or bereavement. (Revelation 21:4) However, our current life of course can often be nothing like that. The reality is that we often experience … Continue reading For the Black Times
Perspective and the Lost Art of Reflection
In 1968 the first manned mission to the moon took place, a venture that was a triumph for human ingenuity, cleverness, vision and skill—all attributes required for human progress in any area, and marks of humanity at its best. It was a truly great achievement. However as William Anders one of the crew looked back … Continue reading Perspective and the Lost Art of Reflection
Persecution and Apathy
Christianity is an almost 2000 year old faith, and for most of those 2000 years there have been Christians in Iraq. In the 1990’s they numbered over 2 million. By last year this number had shrunk to around two hundred thousand (200,000), i.e. a reduction of 90% in twenty years. The minister of St George’s, … Continue reading Persecution and Apathy
