Post Plebiscite Reflections…
Well, the results from the Australian Plebiscite on same sex marriage are in, and are very much as predicted with 61.6% in favour and 38.4% against, the only surprise being the astonishingly high participation rate of close to 80%. Clearly this was not an issue over which most Australians yawned in disinterest, grunting a dismissive “whatever”. I’ve written about the plebiscite before so have no intention of rehashing what I said here. What I’d rather do is ask if there is anything we can learn from the plebiscite, and ask how it might shape some of our interactions...
Read MoreIs God unfair?
I was speaking at the Slavic Baptist Church this Sunday, and with the help of an excellent Russian interpreter tackled the ever perplexing question of why good people often suffer, and the question which arises from this, “Is God unfair?” I was interacting with some of the views explored by Philip Yancey in his excellent book Disappointment with God, and the response to the message made me think that what was said would be worth sharing with a wider readership. So with a few minor edits, here is what I said… I have been a pastor for over 30 years now, and in that time I...
Read MoreThe 10 Commandments: Gary Player’s take…
Though I am not a golfer, I was struck by the death of golfing great Arnold Palmer. It set me thinking about the other golfing great I heard about constantly during my childhood, Gary Player, and I wondered if he was still alive. The answer is yes, and he seems to be thriving and continuing with a great deal of charitable work around the world – his foundation having donated over $50 million. I found that out by visiting his website, and was struck when on it by his 10 commandments, which I have reproduced here. Player is of course a committed Christian, and I think it shows in the...
Read MoreIs narcissism becoming a virtue – or whatever happened to humility?
Yesterday I led a professional development day for staff at Grace Christian School, in Bunbury. One of the topics we explored was the rise of narcissism, and ways Christian schools can help provide a corrective for it. Of course there might be some readers who wonder if a corrective is necessary. After all, pendulum’s tend to swing back and forth, and the current wave of self love has followed hot on the heals of too long an era where the need of the individual was always seen to be subservient to the needs of the group, and when any delight in self was viewed as sinful and a display...
Read MoreThree challenges facing Christians…
Those of us who are embedded in healthy church communities sometimes wonder why there are so many who are not. Put differently, at a time when it is so easy to track down information about Jesus and to learn about his teaching, why are so many deciding that following him has little appeal. A fair amount of the negative response can probably be put down to the negative publicity surrounding the church, with people thinking, ‘well, if that’s the community he founded, count me out.’ But it is not just that. If you ask me what I think the three greatest challenges facing Christians in the...
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