As a young child in Wollongong, I learned a lot of hymns and songs at Sunday School, in church, and at home listening to Burl Ives LP records. Burl was a challenge to my tiny mind, since as well as revivalist hymns he also sang patriotic American songs, and colonial Australian songs such as …
Taking the sting out of personal disagreements
A sermon by Rod Benson Matthew 7:1-5 “You hypocrite! First take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.” Some of us are so familiar with hearing these words of Jesus, recorded in Matthew 7:5, that the shock they presented to his …
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The good side of personal conflict
A sermon by Rod Benson 1 Corinthians 10:31-33 At U2 concerts in the early 90s, a regular part of the show featured criticism of George H.W. Bush. In fact, front man Bono used to call the White House in the middle of the concert to try to get a chance to speak to the 41st …
The church’s one foundation
A sermon by Rod Benson What books and movies did you love as a child? I seem to have spent a large part of my childhood in books. Among my favourites were The Narnia Chronicles by C.S. Lewis, the Tom Swift science fiction series, J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, mystery …
A passion for conversion and baptism
A sermon by Rod Benson What makes us who we are as Christians known as Baptists? Last week I suggested that one of our distinctive characteristics or qualities is a passion for reading the Bible for ourselves, expecting God to supply fresh light and spiritual nourishment to us through his written word. Today I want …