The best ideas are common property
Upon arrival at my place of worship this Easter Sunday, I was greeted by the declaration, “Christ is risen!” And, aware of liturgical protocol, I replied, “He is risen indeed!” When I stood before my congregation to preach the Easter sermon, I spoke the declaration, and the people replied, with joy, “He is risen indeed!” …
Continue reading "Origin of the classic Easter greeting, “Christ is risen!”"
The extraordinary diversity of dog breeds in the modern world, from the towering Irish Wolfhound to the compact Chihuahua, is the result of a long and intricate partnership between humans and animals. Unlike most domesticated species, dogs exhibit an extraordinary level of variation. This diversity reflects not only biological potential but also human culture and labour. Moreover, dogs …
Last night, over a communal dinner, the conversation turned to John 17, and then to the status of Judas Iscariot, and then to the notion of “perdition” (Jn 17:12), which may refer to “destruction, ruin, or ultimate loss.” From there, we skirted around the theology of predestination and Judas’s assumed eternal fate, and then on …
Continue reading "Should Protestants reframe purgatory as final sanctification?"
The Uniting Church in Australia (UCA) is distinctive among Australian Christian denominations because of a particular way of being church: it is intentionally ecumenical in origin, conciliar in structure, dialogical in decision-making, and diverse in practice. Formed in 1977 through the union of Methodist, Presbyterian, and Congregational traditions, it represents a culmination of ecumenical aspiration and an ongoing experiment …
Since the dramatic election result in South Australia last weekend, readers of news media, not least the Murdoch press, will have noticed a renewed emphasis on “patriotism.” Former Liberal Party Opposition Leader Alexander Downer was even moved to write an opinion piece provocatively headlined, “Liberals have forgotten patriotism. Now One Nation owns it.”[1] What is …
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