thinking honestly about life and faith
In the last few weeks I have encountered again a view of God and of life in general which I can only call oppressive. I attended the funeral of a person whose family of origin belonged to a quite exclusive … Read More »
I am really enjoying Marilynne Robinson’s latest book Reading Genesis. Many of us have loved her novels, especially the Gilead series, filled with rich insight into human life, themes of family, love, home, and the quest for a faith that … Read More »
After his immensely helpful book When bad things happen to good people, Rabbi Harold Kushner wrote another equally insightful book, which in many ways is more challenging still: When all you’ve ever wanted isn’t enough: the search for a life … Read More »
The Apostle Thomas is surely one of the most unfairly maligned characters in the Christian stories. I have been reflecting upon his part in the Gospel narratives in preparation for this coming Sunday. Thomas has always been a hero of … Read More »
I have long been enriched by the poetry of T S Eliot. Here is a section from ‘East Coker’, from the Four Quartets. It seems particularly apt for this week, especially for those Christians who find it hard to stay … Read More »
I’ve greatly appreciated the work of Elizabeth Johnson, Catholic feminist theologian, from whom this provocative quotation comes: In his brief ministry, Jesus appears as a prophet and child of Sophia sent to announce God as the God of all-inclusive love, … Read More »
We celebrate the 90th birthday of John Dominic Crossan, whose exceptional scholarship into the origins and types of the Christian testament has been so valuable. Having hosted a conference with him as the main speaker, I can testify to his … Read More »
I’m preaching this coming Sunday at the Collins Street Baptist Church (10.30 am) for the Sunday before Lent: the Lectionary Gospel is Mark 9. 2 – 9, the story commonly called the Transfiguration of Jesus, and the Epistle, from 2 … Read More »
It was the year after Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination that the thin paperback version of his Strength to love was published and, it appears, I bought it for 80 cents! This is another of those thin books, but again … Read More »
Yesterday in several Australian states it was a public holiday. In Victoria it is called ‘Labour Day’. It commemorates the foundations of the Labour movement here, where workers on the new buildings for the University of Melbourne went on strike, … Read More »