Somewhat unfairly, the small Arctic rodent, the lemming, has been thought prone to bouts of mass suicide. The same can now be said of humankind, although in our case the charge seems more accurate. Last month the World Bank released a report, Turn Down the Heat: Why a 4°C Warmer World Must Be...
The Defining Moment in Desmond Tutu’s Life
Asked by the BBC to identify the defining moment in his life, Archbishop Desmond Tutu spoke of the day he and his mother were walking down the street and a tall white man dressed in a black suit came towards them. Tutu was nine years old and apartheid was in full swing. In the days of apartheid...
Grace Notes. How I Find God’s Favour on my Life
It’s said that CS Lewis was at a conference comparing the world’s great religions. When participants tried to identify what was distinctive about Christianity Lewis suggested “That’s easy. It’s grace.” Lewis was wrong. In Honor, Patronage, Kinship and Purity:...
Another terrible sermon, but one I’d gladly sit through again
A few weeks back I blogged about what was undoubtedly the worst sermon I have ever heard. Hot on its heels was a sermon I heard by an American woman in a regional city in northern NSW. This however was one sermon that I’d happily sit through again. It was the early 1990’s and I was a...
Alexander Papaderous – Reflecting Light into Dark Places
Alexander Papaderous was born on the island of Crete. During the Second World War Alexander’s hometown, Lividas, was destroyed by the Nazis and Alexander, still a child, was interned in a concentration camp. After the war he was determined to be a force for peace and forgiveness. He studied...
Losing my Religion. How I Almost Lost My Faith & Gained It Back
During my first year of pastoral ministry I experienced a crisis of faith. I had entered theological college four years previously with the confidence of both youth – I was only twenty years old – and fundamentalism. I knew what I believed and knew it with utter certainty to be true...
Creation Care. A Call to Action by the Lausanne Movement
The Lausanne movement is a movement of evangelical Christians focussed on global mission. At a consultation earlier this month the movement issued a call to action on the environment. The full text is reproduced below. What do you think? Introduction The Lausanne Global Consultation on Creation...
Stop Selling Sugared Water. The Irresistible Vision of Steve Jobs
One of the most inspiring stories I’ve heard about a vision to leave the world changed Who among us could live without computers? It seems they’re everywhere – in our studies at home, on our desks at work, in the library, the bank and even the cafe. We get pleasure from them, we swear at them, we...
Belief Enablers. What Turns Australians On to Christianity
In my last post I reported the findings of research into what blocks engagement with Christianity for Australians. The research also provided insight into what fosters engagement. First, while half the population are not open to changing their religious views, half are, including a significant...
Belief Blockers. What turns Australians Off the Church
This week I came across a piece of brilliant market research into Australian attitudes to Christianity and the church conducted in late 2011 by McCrindle research. For those Christians inclined to think of creation and evolution as the key ideological battleground, to assume the Church commands...