Questions for book club discussions

If youโ€™re thinking about starting a book club, or youโ€™re leading one where the conversation tends to go off-topic or you need prompts to extend the discussion, here are some sample questions. They are designed for literary fiction but will suit any kind of fiction, including childrenโ€™s and YA literature, and Iโ€™ve added a section …

Regeneration, retreat, or decluttering? The many faces of Lent

Ask people what theyโ€™re doing for Lent, and youโ€™re likely to get a wide range of replies. Formally, Lent is a 40-day season in the Christian liturgical calendar intended to prepare the faithful to experience the ultimate meaning and resurrection joy of Easter. We take the word โ€œLentโ€ from the Anglo-Saxon lencten, meaning โ€œspring-time,โ€ which in the …

Australian Christian leaders to visit Palestine

No. 1 of 47. First published 28 Nov 2007 In December 2007, an official delegation of Australian Christian leaders will visit Israel and Palestine. The purpose of the delegationโ€™s visit is to meet with and express friendship and prayerful support for its Christian counterparts in Palestine and Israel. During the visit the delegation will also …

12 tips for better academic reading

By Dr Rod Benson These 12 tips are designed for academic readers, especially theological students, but any reader can use them to improve reading comprehension and efficiency. Choose a regular time to read. Ideally, this should become a daily habit โ€“ half an hour, an hour, or whatever you can manage. Youโ€™re looking for a …

To creed or not to creed

Matthias Stom, โ€œThe Evangelists St Mark and St Luke,โ€ c.1635. Wikimedia Commons. Public Domain. As I said in the first post in this series, none of the churches I attended as a child affirmed creeds or confessions of faith. The Bible alone was said to be our rule of faith. While I remain grateful for the spiritual …