07 Jun, 2019 The Pentecostals are Coming
Whether we like it or not, Pentecostalism is going to become increasingly influential in Australia in the coming decades. How will the Anglican Church respond?...
Faith & Worldview Blog
Posts offering a Christian perspective on spiritual issues people face today.
01 Apr, 2019 The Christchurch Killer’s Anti-Humanist Ideology
Posted at 06:27h
in Changing World, Faith & Worldview Blog, Faith and Culture, Identity, Restoring Worldviews 12 Comments
In the wake of the horrific Christchurch shootings, we need to engage thoughtfully with the ideology which influenced it. Just before the massacre, the self-confessed killer, Brenton Tarrant, distributed what is being called a manifesto, in which he unashamedly describes what he was about to do as a “terrorist attack”, and gives and account of his ideology. We need to understand this ideology, not to give it a platform, but to learn and to equip ourselves to stand against such hatred.
05 Dec, 2018 Religion and Anti-Discrimination Laws: What’s It all About?
At the present time Federal Parliament is debating whether to remove exemptions in the Sex Discrimination Act which allow religious educational bodies to discriminate if they are acting in accordance with their religious beliefs. ...
09 Apr, 2018 Were the ‘Dark Ages’ Really Dark?
Today just about anything and everything may be objected to as ‘sending us back to the Dark Ages’, including restrictions on subsidies for renewal energies, growth in faith schools, acts of terrorism, destruction of art works, the popularity of right-wing parties in Europe, the rise of superbugs, and denial of global warming. The Dark Ages have become proverbial.
24 Mar, 2018 Who Are We?
I read a thought-provoking post this week by Orthodox Jewish savant and author, David Goldman. He was commenting on the death of a pedestrian, run over by an automated Uber self-driving car....
07 Feb, 2018 Theology and Church Viability
Posted at 14:09h
in Discipleship, Faith & Worldview Blog, Faith and Culture, Restoring Worldviews 0 Comments
It is a cliché of our times that churches are declining. Dwindling membership is a fact of life for many congregations. But not for all churches. Certainly not outside the West, where Christianity is rising in many nations....
04 Jan, 2018 A Letter from Patricia
Last year I received a hand-written letter from 'Patricia', responding to something I had written on changing Ausralia's marriage laws, in which I argued that society should support the norm of marriage as a couple raising their own biological children. I enjoyed reading Patricia's thoughtful letter, which was clear and well-expressed. Here is her letter and my reply.
22 Dec, 2017 When the Church Loses its Way
In my devotional reading today I was reflecting on the career and fate of the sons of Eli. Hophni and Phinehas were religious leaders who were going very wrong, exploiting their priestly office for material gain and sexual favours. 1 Samuel 2: 25 reports that...