The best ideas are common property
By Dr Rod Benson Melbourne prison escapee Ronald Ryan is taken to police headquarters in Sydney after his recapture, 5 January 1966. Ryan was hanged on 3 February 1967, the last person to be killed by the state in Australia. There are strong arguments for and against capital punishment. Some claim that crimes such as terrorism, …
Continue reading "Why Australia should not reintroduce the death penalty"
By Dr Rod Benson, October 2002 At their best, counselling and counsellors facilitate healing, growth and wholeness in every field of human experience. The efficacy and goals of relationship counselling in general, and emotionally focused therapy, are usually more modest. In my experience healing is always a relative process, and absolute wholeness is an elusive …
Continue reading "An assessment of emotionally focused therapy"
I have written elsewhere on the danger of dogma. Here, I want to explore the potential weaknesses of (over)reliance on Christian creeds and confessions in the life of the church. Recently, in an unprecedented move, a group of American theologians and pastors within the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) moved to amend their denomination’s confessional statement, “The …
Continue reading "Should churches enforce conformity to creeds?"
Inaugural Assembly of the Uniting Church of Australia at Sydney Town Hall, June 1977. Historically, Baptists have affirmed the ecumenical creeds as normative in terms of doctrinal congruence with Scripture but have also emphasised liberty of conscience regarding all matters of faith and conduct. Generally, Baptist denominations and associations have been reluctant to impose creeds …
Thomas Cranmer, the first Protestant Archbishop of Canterbury and chief architect of the Anglican formularies. Real or imagined crises are often the catalyst for the formulation, promulgation and revision of creeds and confessions. During the brief period during which the New Testament writings were being composed, a “trinitarian” confessional pattern emerged that shaped later credal formularies. …
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