The Cunard ship the Queen Mary was a floating palace when it started to carry the exceedingly rich across the north Atlantic before the second world war. It was fitted out in the most opulent and sumptuous manner, with the finest materials that money could buy, with staterooms that were fit for a King. Then … Continue reading Don’t Mention the War!
“The Love of an Angry God-The Ultimate Paradox
“Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” is the title of a book by the 18th century theologian Jonathan Edwards and deals with the plight of every human who stands before God in their natural state. The topic, that God can be angry, is something that many, including some Christians, find it hard … Continue reading “The Love of an Angry God-The Ultimate Paradox
The Striding Darkness
“The Sun’s rim dips, the stars rush out, At one stride comes the dark” How much I wonder are these lines from Samuel Coleridge’s poem “The Ancient Mariner” appropriate for our times. How much I wonder are our times similar in many ways to those of Augustine who writing when the Barbarians were at the … Continue reading The Striding Darkness
King Canute and the Unstoppable Tide
King Canute was an English King in the 10th Century who is recorded as having governed very wisely and as having done a lot of good for his people. However, the story (legendary or not) is that he became so flattered by those around him as to his greatness that he believed he could control … Continue reading King Canute and the Unstoppable Tide
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
Christianity-Lite A Deadly Poison
Among the offerings in the ‘spiritual supermarket’ that is Australia today there can be found this very attractive and popular package called ‘Christianity-Lite’ (C.L.). A characteristic of this belief system or ‘faith’ is that it is an ‘easy’ faith, a ‘comfortable’ faith where the spiritual journey is smooth and not too stressful; one into which … Continue reading Christianity-Lite A Deadly Poison
