I recently came across this quote from Greg Sheridan, the Australian journalist and author of ‘God is Good for You’, who headed a recent article with – ‘The West cannot survive without a re-energized belief in Christianity’ Sheridan’s blunt, but I believe hard to argue with, observation flows from the fact that the socio-spiritual culture … Continue reading A Crisis in the ‘West’
‘The Church is Dead, Long Live the Church!’ ###### Around five years ago I wrote the following paragraph as an introduction to a booklet I was writing at the time. ‘Up to some point on that icy, dark north Atlantic night in 1912, on the SS Titanic’s fatal journey towards the notorious iceberg, there remained … Continue reading Out of the Ashes of This Present Insanity the Phoenix of a ‘Church That Lives’ Can Arise
‘Go (keep on going ) and make disciples’ ***** The goal of the standard strategy adopted by churches for local mission over many decades has been to draw people into Sunday services. Such a strategy has traditionally involved running special ‘guest’ services or other events that will attract non-Christians into the ‘church’ … Continue reading Mission Pluto
‘Wake up the church and . . . encourage it to strengthen itself, while there is still time’ … Continue reading The Cockle-Picking Tragedy
For centuries the traditional Hot Cross Bun was limited in its production to Easter as a sign of the central meaning of that most important Christian festival. However, it is now greatly reduced in its symbolism because it is available everywhere throughout the year, starting the day after Christmas! My local baker told me it … Continue reading Hot Fish Buns – The Bun Strikes Back
There are times when we can feel very alone in our faith. Where we may be the only Christian in a family who may give us a hard time over what we believe and practice. Or we may be the only Christian in our workplace which can create difficulties too, and in this increasingly Christianity-hostile … Continue reading The ‘Behind The Scenes’ God
“I chose you . . . . . that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should last.” ********** Probably like most people, now and again I get random thoughts come into my head. One of which recently floated into my mind when I … Continue reading Dead Horses, Opportunity Costs and the Un-harvest
The American businessman Stephen Covey was the author of the well-known statement that "The main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing." While that was said in the context of business it also is highly relevant to the existence, health and purpose of the church, particularly in the area of Mission. At the … Continue reading When the ‘Main Thing’ Isn’t
The general subject of this booklet is the Missional Malaise that now infects the whole Australian church landscape. The specific subject is the Anglican Diocese of Sydney, arguably still the strongest part of the Australian non- Catholic Church and thus of broader relevance to the wider church. While the specific focus is Sydney, it can … Continue reading The Missional Malaise – Time for Something Completely Different
In the light of the now well documented general and longstanding failure of the church to produce significant missional fruit, the ‘Unbounded Church’ concept is driven by the belief that there is an urgent need to do ‘Something Completely Different’. Suggested below are 10 New Year’s resolutions that may be helpful in creating a missionally … Continue reading Ten New Year Suggestions for Missional Fruit
