thinking honestly about life and faith
Right now, in the Advent and Christmas seasons, there is a lot of talk about Christ being born: about God becoming a human person, appearing in human form and so on.Making some sense of the reality of this claim is … Read More »
I was astonished yesterday to read in the newspaper about Brad Pitt, the actor, who has committed himself and a lot of his own money, to a re-construction project in New Orleans. Apparently Pitt came to love the city when … Read More »
I am once again ashamed to be an Australian.Yesterday, the Immigration Minister in our country announced that the government has decided that it will allow no more Africans into the country. Notwithstanding the huge number of African refugees in camps … Read More »
Today I received the regular email news from the Washington head office of the Baptist World Alliance: but for once this was exciting. We have a new General Secretary, Neville Callam, who is from Jamaica, and in this his first … Read More »
I’m reading the autobiogrpahy of Barry Jones (born 1932), called A Thinking Reed.It’s interesting in a lot of different ways, and I think I will write several posts about it.But first I want to note again the value of stories, … Read More »
I have to admit it: I have not succeeded with my plan to post, chapter by chapter, on Luke’s Gospel.No excuses. But I am still following the Year of Luke, in my preaching and reading, so here is something from … Read More »
At last I have had some time to finish Marilynne Robinson’s book Gilead.It is a beautiful tale, and the theme I noted in an earlier post continues to the end.The pastor, John Ames, is a man of deep, reflective faith, … Read More »
It’s been more than a while since I posted.There have been very good reasons. College life has been busy with the end of semester time. The amidst all that we had a tragic event, with the suicide of one of … Read More »
One of the classic insights of spiritual teachers, over many centuries and across all faiths, is to challenge what has been called spiritual blindness.There is something about religious fervour which actually blinds us to what is evident to others.Somehow, we … Read More »
People everywhere are talking about Richard Dawkins’ argument about ‘the God delusion’.Dawkins has been a critic of religion for a long time now, but his recent work has gained a lot more public notice. Dawkins and a number of other … Read More »