Get behind me, pragmatism!

  • Samuel Freney
  • 12 June 2015

It was the week following the videos coming out of the beheading of 21 Christians by ISIS, which made our discussion about Jesus saying to turn the other cheek pretty tough to wholeheartedly embrace. It’s a difficult demand, and you’ll find there’s plenty more in the New Testament about not taking up arms and solving problems with violence, but rather living as part of the kingdom that is not of this world.

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A day of small idols

  • Jean Williams
  • 5 June 2015

I was standing near a group of school mums, waiting for my kids to come out of school, when I overheard this one-sided conversation: “It’s my island bench! I’ve always wanted one! It’s mine. Mine! “The new kitchen goes nearly the whole length of the house. There was this

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Down-under round-up: 3 June 2015

  • Sandy Grant
  • 3 June 2015

Issue of the week As I said last week, the Australian marriage debate has heated up, with legislation for same-sex marriage introduced into Federal Parliament. Among the stack of articles published by Christians here and abroad, here’s my pick. Firstly, 'Six initial thoughts on the gay marriage debate’, by Nigel

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On good and bad evangelism

  • Sandy Grant
  • 1 June 2015

‘Proselytism’ is on the nose in our allegedly tolerant world, increasingly proscribed or restricted by law or administrative policy. Mostly the word is left undefined, open to great subjectivity. Some think of it merely as seeking to persuade others of the merits of a religion, with a view to

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Guidance on how to be a man

  • Peter Sholl
  • 29 May 2015

Warning: this post contains an obvious conclusion, but read on anyway! I am a 40-something Christian man. I am married, and at the moment I live in Australia (although I usually live in Mexico). I enjoy the cricket, can cook a good steak, and will happily go to the

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There Was No King in Israel (Judges)

  • Des Smith
  • 11 November 2019

8 studies from the book of Judges.

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Down-under round-up: 27 May 2015

  • Sandy Grant
  • 27 May 2015

Issue of the week Neil Foster, Associate Professor of Law at Newcastle University, continues updating us on Schools, Scripture, Banning of Books and Sexual Orthodoxy, examining the merits of the objections stated to the now-marginalized Christian views on sex. He argues that “students are entitled to hear points of view at

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Where to look for God

  • Tony Payne
  • 26 May 2015

Would it be possible to have the cross of Christ plastered all over your church, talked about often, celebrated in festivals, sung about weekly... but still to have a church that was essentially ignorant of the cross and its power? Martin Luther’s vigorous "yes!" to this question was at the

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Book review: Show Them Jesus

  • Tim Zulker
  • 25 May 2015

Show Them Jesus: Teaching the Gospel to Kids by Jack Klumpenhower New Growth Press, 2014, 214 pages What it’s about Show Them Jesus is a book about why kids need to be taught the gospel, and how to do that. Here’s an outline of the book: Why

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What your church needs to know about church

  • Tara Sing
  • 22 May 2015

People love watching and talking about trends. Trends in the stock market, trends in prices, trends in culture, and also trends in churches. And apparently, the trend for churches in 2015 is not a good one. If the predictions are true, it looks like things are going downhill: Your

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