In recent times, I have conducted ministries in Britain and Australia. There is a decline in church membership and attendance in both countries, and the decline is rapid. In the British press, there has been a spate of complaints by Christians, asserting that the Christian religion is under attack and being marginalised.
In 1995, former Prime Minister John Howard delivered one of his famous ‘Headland’ speeches, a series of appeals to a disaffected Australian public that contributed to his political success.
Earlier this month, The Australian published the results of a survey to identify the best prime minister for the past four decades. Howard was the clear winner. Revisiting his words is ...
Reading The Australian is enough to make me worry the worst of times may be ahead of us.
On 19 Feb I read that the Renewable Energy Target (RET) should be scrapped; that the carbon tax is still to blame for Alcoa’s closure and that the appointment of self-proclaimed climate change sceptic, Dick ...
In November last year, during the annual Preaching and Ministry Conference held at the Centre for Theology and Ministry, Rev Dr Santhosh Kumar (pictured) delivered the JD Northey Lecture.
The lecture is named after Rev James Douglas Northey, principal of the Theological College of the Congregational Church between 1940 and 1960. A fund was established by the Congregational Union ...
Palm (or Passion) Sunday is the first day in what is known as ‘Holy Week’, the most important week of the annual Christian calendar.
Through an intricately woven series of rituals and services, Holy Week recalls the final week of Jesus’ ...
That’s the theme the Cross-cultural Mission and Ministry Unit has chosen for 2014.
Tapestry is a good image for the colourful world we live in. Who can deny the beauty, the rich and diverse textures of the world? And what is a tapestry before the weaving commences and the strands are interlaced? Individual fibres of various textures, some smooth, ...
CIVIL wars are the most destructive of conflicts. They divide communities, friends, and families. They inflict deep and abiding wounds. Life in this synod presently feels like being in the midst of a civil war. The failure of Acacia College and its consequences have wounded many and set people at odds with one another.
The ‘struggle to juggle’ paid work and the rest of life is not new, but it is confronting many Australians so starkly that the Australian Work and Life Index (AWALI) now uses the term ‘work-life interference’ rather than ‘work-life balance’. Most workers ...
On Sunday, 19 May, the Church celebrates Pentecost. In Acts Chapter 2:1-13, we are told when the people from different cultural backgrounds witnessed what happened they were “amazed and perplexed” and said to one another: “What does this mean?” (Acts 12:12)
Two thousand years later, I believe it is valid for us to ask the same question – “What does ...
