The significance of Jesus for faith and ethics

I've been re-reading Glen H. Stassen et al, Authentic Transformation: A New Vision of Christ and Culture (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1996), a critical analysis of H. Richard Niebuhr's 1951 book, Christ and Culture, and came across this insight into the significance of the life and teachings of Jesus: In a beautiful climactic passage [writes Stassen, …

J.R.R. Tolkien on anarchism

"My political opinions lean more and more to Anarchy (philosophically understood, meaning the abolition of control not whiskered men with bombs) — or to ‘unconstitutional’ Monarchy. I would arrest anybody who uses the word State (in any sense other than the inaminate real of England and its inhabitants, a thing that has neither power, rights …

Striking a balance in Christian lobbying

Here's something my Melbourne colleague Gordon Preece wrote earlier this month, which I think deserves a wider hearing: Recently I went to an Australian Christian Lobby night in the Victorian parliament house where the leaders of the two main parties (with Bronwyn Pike filling in for John Brumby) addressed church leaders and responded to questions. It …

Catherine Deveny on ANZAC Day

This afternoon, between 3.01 pm and 5.16 pm, Catherine Deveny (@CatherineDeveny), a columnist for The Age newspaper in Melbourne, posted 14 interesting tweets about ANZAC Day.  One she deleted before I could save it. Here are the rest (warning: this post contains strong language): Don't support Anzac Day. Refuse to celebrate a glorification of war that ignores the suffering …

Famous quotes on the Eyjafjallajökull eruption

Pat Robertson: "It's God punishing Europe for having abandoned their Christian history!" Joel Osteen: "If you just have enough faith, it will stop erupting." Tim LaHaye: "It's a fulfillment of Revelation 6:15-16. Watch out for falling airplanes!" Hal Lindsey: "It's the end times and directly caused by Satan. Didn't you see all those 'ell's in …