Articles specific to the unbounded church concept
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?
'The Church in the West is blinded to the fact they have trapped Christ in their own culture”’ Paul Vincent Donovan ****** The current missional mindset of local churches, particularly their leaderships, continues to be controlled by the assumption, even if subconsciously, that the goal is to reach a still Christianized society living on, what … Continue reading A ‘Cultural Intelligence Deficit’- A Lesson From Africa
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
Often in recent years there have been reports of parents objecting to various supermarkets putting ‘Scary’ Halloween displays in their stores. These displays take various forms ranging from gravestone and skull decorations to ghoulish figures hanging from store ceilings. One parent is quoted as saying that they avoid taking their kids to stores in October … Continue reading Halloween-The Unholy Trinity and the New Paganism
