Finally, some sanity. I have spent the last week in the US, where there is wall to wall coverage of the presidential primaries, most of it dominated by reporting and analysis of the Trump campaign. This morning I woke to a retired general pointing out that the military are not the plaything of the...
The greatness and the blindness of us all. Reflections on a visit to George Washington’s farm
I am in Virginia, United States of America, for a conference. Two days ago I travelled to the farm and mansion of George Washington, the great military leader who triumphed over the British in the war of independence and who went on to become the first President of United States. The estate is...
Would same-sex marriage create another stolen generation? Lyle Shelton, the ACL and the Same-Sex Marriage Debate
The Australian Christian Lobby, as expected, is campaigning hard against the legalisation of same-sex marriage. On Q & A this week, Lyle Shelton, ACL Managing Director, argued that recognising same-sex marriage would result in another stolen generation. It’s strong language, so what should we...
Help this artist bring his work to life
I’ve never done a promo on my blog, but I’m making an exception for a kickstarter crowdfunding campaign for a project by Michael Henderson, a gifted artist and pastor. Michael is creating a series of 16 paintings on aspects of the human experience of life, the beauty and struggles of...
Donald Trump, hubris, and making America great again
Like many people I’m shaking my head in bewilderment at the rise of Donald Trump to lead the Republican candidacy for the Presidency of the United States. What strikes me as particularly jarring is his campaign slogan that he will “make America great again”. It strikes me as...
Time to Tell the Positive Stories About Muslims
I have a friend who is a pastor in one of the most fundamentally Islamic parts of Indonesia. A few years back he was in Australia for a conference when news broke of an outbreak of violence against Christians in his hometown. Churches were being burned to the ground and an angry mob was bent on...
Let them stay is only half the ask
Many Australians have been disturbed by the apparent intention of the Government to return refugees, including babies born in Australia, to detention on Nauru. They are, quite rightly I believe, asking for the Government to let them stay. But this is only half the ask we need to make. Offshore...
The offer of sanctuary that should shock and shame us
Yesterday the Anglican Dean of St John’s Cathedral in Brisbane announced that he would offer sanctuary in the cathedral to any asylum seekers and refugees in danger of being shipped to Nauru or Manus Island. Other cathedrals and churches around the country have made the same offer. Sanctuary...
What Vikings Teach Me About God’s Love
I am currently watching the TV series “Vikings” and it gives me insight int o how it is that God loves human beings. The series tells the story of Ragnar Lodbrok, a Viking who initiates the first raids on England. The Vikings are mindnumbingly violent. People are slaughtered without mercy and...
Australia.A Work in Progress. Australia Day 2016.
It’s Australia Day 2016 and I am sitting in the Fly cafe at Melbourne airport waiting for my flight home to Newcastle. It has been a quick, overnight trip, but in the last 18 hours I have experienced everything that makes Australia a great country. Mum, my son and my brother are in Melbourne to...