thinking honestly about life and faith
There are real hazards in the freedom of religion—not just in the current debates but in the thing people want and call ‘freedom of religion’. This has become very clear this week as we have visited a number of places … Read More »
I have been immensely enjoying Meredith Lake’s The Bible in Australia: A cultural history (Newsouth books, 2018). It is so clearly written, in a very readable style. The work presents the impact of the Bible as ‘global’, in the sense that … Read More »
Tim Winton has done it again—finding a way to tell his story of young people and older people, together trying to work out what it means to be human, particularly a white, male human in this wide, dry land. The … Read More »
It’s that time of the semester when students are working to finish assignments and teachers are working on grading, assessing the students’ work and hoping to meet the deadlines imposed by university administration, to publish results. Pressure all round. Just … Read More »
Tomorrow is Trinity Sunday and I am delighted to have the opportunity of leading our local community of faith in worship. A generation ago, a leading British scholar wrote in a book on preaching that Trinity Sunday was the one … Read More »
It is 50 years today since the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. He is one of the heroes of my life. He died in what was my first year at University. He was already a hero of the Baptist … Read More »
Here is my Reflection, from today’s Christmas Day Service: Someone once made a clever little re-phrasing of the Lord’s prayer, from ‘Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us’, to ‘Forgive us our Christmases, as we … Read More »
I’ve spent this week in Waco, Texas, with a group of leaders and scholars from both Baptist and Catholic churches, commissioned to dialogue together for 5 years on the theme of ‘a common witness’. It has been a surprising … Read More »
It’s been some time since I offered any reflections on the work I am doing as an Interim Pastor with the Box Hill Baptist Church, in Melbourne. Nine months into that role, I think some issues have become much … Read More »
At this time of year, we are reminded constantly of how many days till Christmas—and soon the waiting will be over. Waiting is a theme here: but I find myself wondering whether in fact we are waiting for anything. We … Read More »