“The death of God”

11 Oct

In the last week, there has been a challenging interchange amongst the members of the Jürgen Moltmann discussion group about the death of God. This is not about the 1960s idea that ‘God is dead’. It’s  about whether it makes … Read More »

The wisdom of Kierkegaard

11 Oct

I have been reminded  again, in my reading this last two days, of the brilliant insights of Søren Kierkegaard, 19th century Danish philosopher and theologian. Here are a few of his gems: (apologies for the lack of gender-inclusive language. We … Read More »

In love with fear

10 Oct

There is an email circulating in Australia which pretends to  be a warning from the blood transfusion service (‘the blood bank’ it is called), warning people about needle-stick injuries, infected with AIDS.Someone is said to have sat down in a … Read More »

Have a good night!

2 Oct

Night time: it’s the right time for love, so a song says.But so much of our lives are actually governed by the desire to make the night into day.Our technology seeks to banish the night altogether. But when we do, … Read More »

A Mini Bible: Dumbing down, or a real challenge?

27 Sep

The Guardian newspaper has published a 378 word  summation of the Bible, by John Crace.The text is reproduced from the website, in the extended section below. It’s a fascinating task: to try to offer a coherent, balanced but short account … Read More »

Doing good achieving nothing

25 Sep

Last year I had a sabbatical leave; —a really great privilege. It was a time of renewal for me as a teacher, and even more so as a person.Unlike previous times of ‘study leave’, this time I really did allow … Read More »

Politics with community

20 Sep

Steve Chatelier and Simon Moyle both shared with me the conviction that the individualism of contemporary political culture is what is killing us—for some, literally so. Just today, while thinking more about these comments, I heard again a recording of … Read More »

Politics without morality?

16 Sep

There are two new features on our political horizon, which in a sense come together right now.The first is the astonishing event of a former leader of the Labor Party, in Australia, publishing diaries which dump the most remarkable vitriole … Read More »

How to read the Bible

15 Sep

How to use the Bible in doing theology—in honest thinking about faith and life. I’d like to share some ideas about how we can read the Bible responsibly, and with creative value for our own authentic faith. Let’s consider one … Read More »

Moving … again

13 Sep

The ninteenth century Danish philosopher – theologian Søren Kierkegaard once observed:     Before you can move from the spot, you have to move at the spot. There is something vital in this. We can move beyond our situation, but … Read More »