thinking honestly about life and faith
When I returned from my short visit to Rome recently, a surprising number of people asked me, Did you see the Pope? Well, almost. On one afternoon we were shown around some parts of St Peter’s where the public generally … Read More »
We had a brilliant sermon today at Collins Street Baptist Church: it was the first in our 4 week series relating to the Melbourne International Film Festival. We saw clips from the film Whale Rider and Rev Carolyn Francis spoke insightfully … Read More »
Today I read a short paragraph that I found deeply challenging simply because of its pithy succinctness: Bad religion has always favoured escape, passivity, irresponsibility. By dint of fixing one’s eyes on heaven above, one does not see what takes … Read More »
Many a parent or partner has uttered those words: Are you listening to me? The frustration inherent in the question reflects the fact that we can be ‘hearing’ what someone says but not really listening. In the political arena it … Read More »
Today, July 19th 2016, it is exactly 100 years since what has been called the worst 24 hours in Australian military history: at Fromelles in Northern France, 1,917 Australians were killed and 3,416 were wounded. This was part of the great … Read More »
I have been reflecting on the prophetic dimensions of a faith-commitment. It seems to me that we now live in a time and situation where not just some individuals, but perhaps all people of faith are in some degree called … Read More »
It is not an easy experience to be in a gathering where you understand less than 10% of what is being said: and that is what it was like today when I attended the Pentecost Mass at St Andrea Avellino … Read More »
The interesting part of our study of ‘Lives of Faith’ is that it provides actual data on what we mean by ‘faith’. In a sense it’s an empirical study: to look at how a person’s faith is worked out in … Read More »
I’m teaching a course on biography. I truly love it. It’s called ‘Lives of Faith’ and it follows James McClendon’s idea of biography as theology (and his book of that name, first published in 1974). I want to offer a … Read More »
A reflection for Good Friday: ‘My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?’ (Matthew 27.46 & Mark 15.34) I want to offer a reflection on this specific utterance which we find in the earliest gospel account (Mark) as the only … Read More »