On the table beside me lies an essay. Age spots on the smooth ivory surface, the faded red ink of a date stamp, and the tell-tale black marks impressed on paper by the typebars of an old manual typewriter indicate originality. In the upper left corner, staples stitch the leaves, and every second surface bears …
Origin of the phrase, ‘In necessariis unitas’
Like me, you've probably heard some variation of the phrase, "In essentials, unity; in non-essentials, liberty; in all things, charity." It's a translation of the Latin phrase, "In necessariis unitas, in dubitas libertas, in omnibus caritas." Nineteenth-century church historian Philip Schaff calls it "the watchword of Christian peacemakers."(1) The phrase is often attributed to the theologian …
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The work of Mission Aviation Fellowship
During World War II, light aircraft were used to unleash unprecedented death and destruction. As the war drew to a close, Christian airforce pilots from Australia, New Zealand, England, America and South Africa all began to have the same thought: Why can’t these aircraft now be used to bring life and hope during peace time? From …
A Christian view on capital punishment
There are strong arguments for and against capital punishment. Some claim that crimes such as terrorism, drug trafficking or genocide should attract the death penalty. Others view the death penalty as barbaric. In the Old Testament, capital offences included murder (Ex 21:12-14), causing a miscarriage (Ex 21:22-25), cursing one’s parents (Ex 21:15), kidnapping (Ex 21:16), …
Should Christians support the death penalty?
As I write, Australian citizens Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran, two of the infamous “Bali Nine,” face imminent execution by firing squad in Indonesia on drug trafficking convictions. Other Australians have faced similar fates, including Kevin Barlow and Brian Chambers, executed in Malaysia in 1986 for drug trafficking; Nguyen Tuong Van, hanged in 2005 for …
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