Category: spirituality


Entries close for the Blake Prize 2011

Filed under: art, multiculturalism, spirituality — Leave a comment
June 25, 2011
Blake Society chairman Rev Dr Rod Pattenden

There is a long and rich tradition in human culture of expressing religious and spiritual ideas through art, and one of the chief ways in which this is recognised in Australia is through the Blake Prize, which this year celebrates its 60th anniversary.

The Prize has been awarded since 1951 to a work that addresses a subject of religious or spiritual integrity. The range of entries, and the decisions of the judges, have ensured that the Blake Prize has often drawn heated discussion, debate and controversy over the years. Entries for the 2011 Prize closed on Friday, and the panel of three judges will announce the winners in the various categories on September 15.

Blake Society chair Rod Pattenden noted that Australia’s cultural diversity has generated new religious ideas, “and the program of works every year resembles a history lesson in the most important social issues of the time.”

At its best, art can be a profound expression of spiritual truth and experience, although no less so than devotion to sacred Scriptures, and the regular spiritual practices of a community of faith.

Broadcast on 2CH Sydney, Sunday 26 June 2011.

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The Bible – worth reading

Filed under: Bible, culture, spirituality — Leave a comment
May 20, 2011

Although a lot of older Australians grew up at least familiar with the language of the Bible, and its stories, a British survey has found that the Bible’s influence on everyday language is not well known.

It’s 400 years since the King James Bible was first published, bringing the sacred Scriptures of the Christian faith to a wide popular English-speaking audience, but few of us know just how much it has shaped our culture and language.

For example, 41 per cent of those surveyed thought the expression, “eat, drink and be merry” originated with Shakespeare, while only nine per cent knew it was from the New Testament. Eighteen per cent thought the phrase, “the writing on the wall” was from a Beatles song. And one in eight thought the term, “a drop in the bucket” was coined by Tony Blair.

The only biblical phrase to be correctly identified by a majority of survey respondents, from a list of five phrases, was the expression, “my brother’s keeper.”

For cultural as well as spiritual reasons, the Bible is worth a good read. Who knows what fruit it might yet yield?

Broadcast on 2CH Sydney, Sunday 22 May 2011.

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Is religion set for extinction?

Filed under: faith, secularism, spirituality — Leave a comment
May 17, 2011

According to a study using census data from nine countries, religion is set for extinction. The data, stretching back as far as a century from countries that have included a census question on religious affiliation, reflect a steady rise in those claiming no religious affiliation.

Researchers using a technique called non-linear dynamics have predicted that religion will go the way of the dinosaurs in Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Finland, Ireland, Switzerland, The Netherlands, and the Czech Republic.

But there’s no indication of this occurring any time soon, and from what I’ve been able to learn about the research, it seems rather shaky. For example, the research model appears to be based on an earlier study of people who spoke different languages, the idea being that social groups that have more members will gain more, and grow in status.  And vice versa.

I’m not at all sure that spirituality, let alone organised religion, falls into the same category.  So the door of your local church won’t be closing, and the helping hand will continue to be offered, and God will still be God for the foreseeable future.

Broadcast on 2CH Sydney, 27 March 2011.

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The spirituality of Oprah Winfrey

Filed under: apologetics, spirituality — Leave a comment
January 13, 2011

One of the most recognisable and bankable personalities in the world, Oprah Winfrey, spent a week in Australia last month, kicking off the 25th season of her TV show with a spectacular adventure tour Down Under.

Many of us are familiar with the very watchable stories and interviews in her show, and some of us are aware of her own amazing rags-to-riches story.  But what is it deep down that gives meaning to Oprah’s life, and motivation for what she has achieved?  Ross Clifford was asked this recently, and here’s what he had to say:

Oprah does some really good things. She has a heart for helping other people.  Her idea of spirituality is based around the book The Secret by Rhonda Byrne, which is focused on ‘attractional living.’  She believes the laws of the universe are in control, that positive attracts positive, negative attracts negative. 

But bad things happen to good people.  Oprah has one side of the coin: thinking positively certainly helps.  But there are other controlling factors.  We don’t control the world.  God may have a plan for us, and that sometimes works through the darkest times.  We may learn more from the valleys than the peaks. 

Broadcast on 2CH Sydney, 2 January 2011.

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Faith has little impact on Gen Y

Filed under: spirituality — Leave a comment
October 15, 2010

By Rod Benson

A five-year study by researchers in the Church of England has found that young people, when faced with a significant challenge like bereavement or illness in the family, were more likely to put their faith in friends, family or themselves rather than God.

The researchers surveyed 300 people from Generation Y who had attended a Christian youth or community project to see what impact it had made on their faith development.

It seems that, for the majority of those surveyed, spirituality was irrelevant for day-to-day living, and young people were not searching for answers to life’s ultimate questions.

In my experience, the opposite is true: young people are inherently spiritual, and do have important questions about ultimate reality.  It may be their parents and mentors who have a jaundiced spirituality, and who don’t know how to address faith issues in meaningful ways.  But those big questions do deserve thoughtful and honest answers. 

Broadcast on 2CH Sydney, 10 October 2010.

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