Category Archives: Reflections on text and context

Today’s Gospel reading has an interesting story about a man with a disabled arm. The story presents good news for a man who had some big problems—and some moral challenges for the rest of us!

I follow the online daily prayer offerings from the Irish Jesuits, called Sacred Space. Today there is an invitation to see just how much my life is a gift from God, and I want to affirm this in a number … Read More »

I've been reading the first volume of Hans Küng's memoirs, My Struggle for Freedom. It's a great read, and so fascinating. Küng has been one of my favourite theologians, and to read of some of his own journey as a … Read More »

I'm reading Tom Frame's well researched book on 'unbelief' in Australia called Losing my religion (UNSW Press, 2009). The title is a bit misleading, because it's not at all about Frame losing his religion. The first section is a detailed … Read More »

This week two things have come together in my thinking: I've presented the paper posted yesterday, and amongst other things had many responses, of differing degrees of support or opposition. One disturbing response was the comment that the paper lacked … Read More »

I was invited by the leadership of our Baptist Union to present the keynote paper for a session of Theological Reflection, as part of the process of 're-imagining' our life together as a union of churches. If in fact we … Read More »

'Words, words, words' … a famous line in Shakespeare's Hamlet. When Polonius asks what the young prince is reading, he responds 'Words, words, words'—an answer which is yet no answer at all, intended to rebuff the old man who has … Read More »

Since writing on this theme a few days back, several further things have come to me that I wish to record. There is another quality of life that is given to us beyond suffering. Not all suffering, not all of … Read More »

I began this post more than two months ago. Other things have overwhelmed me since then. It is now time to share some of what all this has meant to me. It really is another time of life.

There are a few funny things I've been saving up for a while. Not sure why, really. Here's one of them: 10 Reasons Why Men Should Not Be Ordained.