So what is an evangelical, and should we care?
This is a lightly edited version of an article I published in Perth’s The Advocate, in 2012. It in turn was a more radically summarized version of a much longer article on the topic which I published in Churchman in Autumn 2008. With around 2 billion people claiming allegiance to Christianity, it is not surprising to discover that it comes in a wide range of flavours. Those in the know point to the Great Schism of 1054 when the church divided into the Eastern Orthodox and the Roman Catholic Church. The latter divided again after the Protestant Reformation of 1517, which in time birthed...
Read MoreIs there a case for a Christian University?
A few groups are working to form an evangelical Christian university in Australia. Is this wise, or is it a case of misguided zeal? Our last post explored the drift from a soft to a hard secularism. In this post I argue that the formation of a Christian university could help to change the missiological climate in which we are currently located. This is an updated version of an article of mine that was originally published in Perth’s Advocate newspaper in 2012. While we could argue as to what constitute the major missiological blocks to the Christian faith, my suggestion would be that...
Read MoreFrom Deo Volente to Digital Video: The Flight to Secularism
To keep the blog going while Rosemary and I are on holiday, I have drawn on some articles I wrote for Perth’s Advocate newspaper. This one originally appeared in 2012, and I have now updated it slightly. We all sense that the climate in which we practice our faith is changing. This post examines the shift from a soft to a hard secularism. Though at times a little tongue in cheek, the underlying issues are of great significance. Hope you enjoy it… My mother-in-law is a wonderful human being who has almost adjusted to life in the 21st century whilst clearly remaining a product of...
Read MoreFriendships that inspire…
Perhaps you have come across Gordon MacDonald’s classic, Restoring your Spiritual Passion. It originally came out in 1986, and is memorable on many counts, but perhaps the one that first springs to mind is MacDonald’s description of 5 kinds of people that you come across in ministry (and indeed, not just in ministry, but in all walks of life) and the impact they have upon your spiritual passion and zeal. The MacDonald taxonomy describes each of the five types with 3 letters and then pithily summarizes their likely impact on your spiritual passion with a single word… There...
Read MoreAbout the blog and a holiday…
Thanks for your continued support and interest in this blog. I have been really encouraged by the warm response of so many of you. There have now been well over 6000 visits to the site – it has significantly exceeded my expectations. More importantly, several people have contacted me to ask me if they can use material from the site in church newsletters or in sermons or as resource in a unit they are teaching. My answer is always the same: YES – that is why I write, and I can’t tell you the pleasure it gives me to think that the material is sometimes helpful. When reusing...
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