Christians live between life here on earth and the life to come. Sometimes life here seems rather mundane – we are washing dishes, picking up the washing, taking out the garbage, even ‘killing fleas’ as Calvin mentioned, presumably referring to lice in the children’s hair. Then we are found singing …
At first glance, resurrection and persecution may not seem to be related, unless linked by martyrdom. After all, Richard Dawkins has claimed that religion was invented as a ‘comfort-blanket’ to help people cope with a nasty world. Presumably, the doctrine of resurrection would be among the strongest candidates used to …
There is nothing like a breath of fresh air after a bout of mask-wearing or a lockdown, and the same is true in looking at life, and the claims of the Christian faith. C. S. Lewis pointed out that ‘Christianity, if false, is of no importance, and if true, of …
God moves in a mysterious way,/ His wonders to perform. So begins one of the finest hymns in the English language. It was penned by one of the most depressed men who ever lived, William Cowper, who was friends with one of the most grateful men who ever lived, John …
THE FABLE OF THE RELIGIOUS COMMISSIONER
Some of the frogs in the marsh came to think that they needed someone to lead them. It is true that they already had a parliament of owls, but, although they could all hoot like owls, there remained a fear that some hoots were …
Commenting on celebrities and social events has its hazardous side. We are warned that even a fool can be considered wise if he keeps silent (Prov.17:28). The death of Archbishop Desmond Tutu, aged ninety, in December 2021 was followed soon after by Martin Luther King Day which is celebrated on …
There are those who thought that Statler and Waldorf were the funniest part of The Muppet Show. Whether a jaundiced bleat from the bleachers always gets it right is another issue, but Christians look like having to live with a federal Religious Discrimination Act. The third exposure of the …
In her own delightful and resilient way, the quadriplegic Joni Eareckson Tada commented, without a hint of self-pity: ‘Perhaps I cannot stand on the shoulders of great saints, but I do sit on them.’ Not only do we stand or sit on the shoulders of great saints, but we do …
The shattering news of little Emily’s inoperable brain tumour has dominated my thinking as nothing else could. One issue that arises is obviously ‘What can we pray for?’ Jesus’ disciples once begged Him: ‘Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples’ (Luke 11:1). Twice our Lord told parables …
One by one, the Australian states have adopted extreme euthanasia laws, to go alongside their extreme abortion laws and their celebration of LGBTQI lifestyles. Now, New South Wales is being pressed as the last domino to fall, as it were. We are all supposed to be progressive these days, and …
