The best ideas are common property
In his book, What is Happening to Religion in Australia? Understanding the Trends, social researcher Philip Hughes observes a fundamental change in Australian values in the past century. He charts a shift from duty to family life to personal fulfilment. Perhaps the most notable example of this is changing attitude towards same sex marriage, with two-thirds of all …
Continue reading "Sharing the good news of Jesus with others"
When my eldest son Michael was about four years old, he graduated from watching me mow the lawn to actively helping out. Donning over-sized protective wear – gumboots, gardening gloves, and a full adult face shield with earmuffs – he bravely ventured out onto the lawn at Blakehurst to “help” me with the mowing. The lawn …
Is there anyone here who used to read On Being magazine? For the final edition of that quality Australian Christian magazine, before its relaunch as On Being Alive in February 1998, the editors asked a range of Christian leaders about their expectations and their thoughts on probable trends for the Australian church. Several common perceptions stood out: an increasing reliance …
Continue reading "Growing deeper through spiritual practices"
According to Wheaton College professor Wayne Martindale, C. S. Lewis, the creator of the Narnia Chronicles, “had no natural fondness for church-going. He found the sermons often dull, and he disliked hymns and organ music, which he described as “one long roar.” He felt like “the most dejected and reluctant convert in all England.”[1] Yet Lewis discovered the …
Let me ask you a question: What is the most important thing the church does? I expect, in any crowd, there would be a range of answers: prayer, preaching, teaching, fellowship, pastoral care, social justice, mission, evangelism. Probably not committee work, or building maintenance! Each of these features is vital to the life and effectiveness …
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