Articles, thoughts, essays, and content from Brian as well as students – our budding theologians.
The Different Faces of Temptation: A 21st Century Take
I’m part of the preaching team at my home church, Carey Baptist, and this Sunday get to preach on “Temptation”. It sounds like a quaintly Victorian concept, something you really shouldn’t take seriously – after all, one of my favourite chocolates is named “Temptations” and the manufacturer expects me to eat them, not avoid them. Isn’t “temptation” about the fun in life – with only the most dull and drab refusing to dive into all that is on offer? Perhaps, but I’ve enjoyed...
read moreRefresh: Churched, Un-Churched and De-Churched
This was a relatively early post on this blog – dating all the way back to Nov 2015 – but continues to be one of the most frequently downloaded. If anything, the topic is even more pertinent a decade later. Churched, Un-Churched and De- Churched If you’re up with the discussions on the future of the church you’ll know that commentators distinguish between people who are un-churched (as in never had any significant contact with a church) and those who are de-churched (as in once were involved, but no more thank you very much)....
read moreWhen the elephants fight, the grass suffers…
A good friend recently drew my attention to a fascinating Swahili proverb, best translated “When the elephants fight, the grass suffers.” We had been talking about the rise in global unrest, and who the victims are. When the big players fight (or when the elephants fight), it is a host of innocent bystanders (the grass) who suffer the most. True, sometimes elephants fight to the death, especially during the “musth” period when testosterone filled bulls can become very aggressive, but most often they simply walk away,...
read moreRefresh: Easter Cancelled. They’ve found the body…
Today’s Refresh is suited to the post Easter period. It’s wonderful to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus, but how likely is it that it happened? The blog is a light taster of this important topic – if you want to read some of my more developed thoughts on this and other apologetic subjects, see my book Why Christianity is Probably True. But for now, enjoy this post from Sept 11, 2015. It was part of a short series on apologetics. Refresh: Easter Cancelled. They’ve found the body… Graffiti was an art form during...
read moreEaster 2025 – Why Timing Matters
To be honest, it’s been a really busy week and so I asked myself, “Why not just use an old Easter post for resurrection Sunday? After all, it’s not as though the message of Easter 2025 is different to Easter 2024 or Easter 1924.” At a certain level that is entirely true – and at another level, entirely false. To some extent it depends on if you view Easter as primarily a comfort, or as a challenge. If you see Easter as essentially a comfort, there is a timelessness about the message. Easter is the reminder that...
read moreRemembering the Friday…
We are sometimes a little uncomfortable with Good Friday, and tend to rush past it to arrive at Easter Sunday as quickly as possible. Yet unless we feel the weight of the Friday, we will miss much of the mystery of Easter. If you are a theologian you might say that a theology of suffering must precede a theology of glory, lest the latter becomes trite and superficial. So this Good Friday I have been noting the things I need to remember… I need to leave the last supper and walk to the Garden of Gethsemane. I need to pause – is that...
read moreRefresh: On doing what you can…
As we gallop towards Easter, today’s Refresh post is a haunting reminder to do what we can – even when it is clearly not enough. Refresh: On doing what you can… Perhaps this Easter you will read the Mark 14 account of the woman who pours perfume over Jesus. Lest that doesn’t sound like an especially exciting story line, grab hold of this. She used the entire bottle which had cost more than a year’s salary. While we are not certain how many dollars that was in AD33, if she was on Australia’s minimum wage, it would now...
read moreFour Postures of Faith: Knowing your Season
If you are a person of faith, I imagine you find your faith works out differently as circumstances and life chapters change. I find it helpful to think about the posture that my Christian beliefs invites me to take, and to live more intentionally in light of what lies before me. If this sounds a little obscure, let me outline what I think are the four most common postures of faith we are invited to adopt – and you might have some others to add to the list. Of course, sometimes there is a mix and match – but let’s not over...
read moreRefresh: From Theodicy to Theophany…
Today’s Refresh clearly wins the prize for “Most obscure blog title in 2022”. Sorry about that! But the journey it discusses is important, perhaps even liberating. I hope you find it helpful. This was first posted on 13 Feb 2022. Refresh: From Theodicy to Theophany Ok, I admit the title of this post is not exactly catchy! But you are still reading, so let me quickly say why I think it matters. You probably know people who have suffered greatly – perhaps you are one of them. All suffering is hard to watch, but it is...
read moreOverplanning as Procrastination: Cultivating a Bent Towards Action
You’ve probably heard the quip: “When all is said and done, far more is said than done.” If you have sat through one talk fest too many, you will know that many a true word is spoken in jest. Are there times when our zealous planning and “let’s test that one more time” simply become an excuse for procrastination? Those of you who know me will be aware that I’m alert to the counter to any argument – it’s an art I developed back in my days in the school debating team, and it has served me...
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