Standing in the shopping mall, those tomb-side words on that chill first Easter morning came to me, “They have stolen Him away and we don’t know where they have put Him”, words true for most contemporary Australians. But worse, society’s degraded state of spiritual desiccation is now so far advanced that most don’t even know there has been a theft!
"C.T.'s life stands as some rugged Gibraltar — a sign to all succeeding generations that it is worthwhile to lose all this world can offer and stake everything on the world to come. (C.T.’s) life will be an eternal rebuke to easygoing Christianity. He has demonstrated what it means to follow Christ without counting the cost and without looking back.”
Easter is a certainly is a time to laugh and dance with joy in what Jesus did for us, but it is also a time to weep Jesus’ tears for people like Jack, our family, friends, colleagues who have rejected Him.
Standing in the shopping mall, those tomb-side words on that chill first Easter morning came to me, “They have stolen Him away and we don’t know where they have put Him”, words true for most contemporary Australians. But worse, society’s degraded state of spiritual desiccation is now so far advanced that most don’t even know there has been a theft!
While it should be remembered that no-one can be argued into the Kingdom of God, Christians need to be equipped to be able to say something about what is actually a quite limited number of issues that both Christians and non-Christian's wrestle with. ‘Barriers to Faith’ is intended to be some help when Christians need to respond to some of the main questions/challenges they may encounter in conversation with others.
The central thesis of the Unbounded Church missional strategy is that in order to reach the Lost in Australian society, Christians must abandon the standard decades old, low and declining fruit, Sunday-Centric, In-Drag, resource-consuming missional platform and go into the community and set up small Christian fellowships where the Lost regularly meet already. The slogan … Continue reading ‘Because We Were There’ – John’s Story
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
Recently I was on a ship sailing in the eastern Atlantic. Much of the time there was nothing to be seen but the apparently boundless, horizon-kissing ocean in all directions. Nothing that is but a seemingly timeless wind-driven surging of waves, an unlimited globe-circling highway to distant lands, a mind stretching enormous-ness emphasising our smallness. … Continue reading Nothingness to Love- An Ascent to Praise
The Importance of this Topic This topic is of the highest importance for two reasons. Firstly because the Bible is God's special means of revealing himself and his character to us, without which knowledge of God is limited to the inadequate inferences drawn from the Creation we see around us (general revelation). Secondly, experience shows … Continue reading You Can’t Believe the Bible
