Interior of the Santa Maria Goretti Church, Mormanno, southern Italy, completed in 2021. The New Testament consistently teaches that the church, the “body of Christ,” exists because of the gracious initiative of God. The Father sent the Son into the world to announce the coming of God’s kingdom and to accomplish redemption; the Son sent …
Sharing the good news of Jesus with others
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 …
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The ministry of witness
We sometimes think of the Book of Revelation as a mysterious puzzle or a terrifying forecast of the end of the world. But if we read it thoughtfully, this last book of the Bible is a spiritual treasure and a source of deep joy. It’s not the easiest book to read, but it also has …
Even greater things
John 11:21-27; 14:12 Teaching, training apprentices, rebuking religious leaders. Healings, exorcisms, turning water into wine, calming a storm, feeding a crowd with five loaves and two fish. And then the biggest of all: raising a widow’s son from death to life, and then raising Lazarus from the dead. Jesus was one of the most unusual, noteworthy …
Who was Arthur Stace? Part 1
A diminutive figure crouches on the pavement in pre-dawn darkness, his right arm moving in rhythmic jerks. He stands, looks around, and moves on. Dressed in a black lounge suit and tie, with an overcoat over his left arm, his hat all but obscures a face like a character from a gritty Graham Greene novel. …
All Told 