Speaking as a cynical, grumpy ex-Gothic X-Generation boy who all the other generations despise, let me say this: If you’re a Christian, it’s not ok to say “Ok Boomer” That’s a dismissive and arrogant thing to say. And Boomers? It’s not ok to razz out on Millennials, as snowflakes or whatever. For what it’s worth […]
“Therefore, because of you the heavens have withheld their dew and the earth its crops. I called for a drought on the fields and the mountains, on the grain, the new wine, the olive oil and everything else the ground produces, on people and livestock, and on all the labor of your hands.” Haggai 1:10-11 Have you ever “done an Izzy?” Have […]
My twin brother and I were recently interviewed by The Centre for Public Christianity He’s an atheist. I am not! He is an academic. I am a pastor. I believe Jesus rose from the dead. He doesn’t. I loved this Life and Faith podcast interview because it gave us a chance to talk through some things […]
One of the of the most common question we get asked when we visit people in Australia is this: “what can your work in Mozambique teach the local Australian church about sharing the Good News with people in Australia”? Our answer is pretty simple: “Learn the language and culture of people outside of your church […]
Something is going to have to give. At the very time that work has been elevated to a means of not just material production, but identity production, it’s also become the second biggest means of stress production after family conflict. So we read in The Guardian, the searing truth about work making us feel more […]
If you want to check out what I have been doing since stepping down as senior pastor at the start of the year, you can check out the new Third Space website. Third Space exists to create room for dialogue between Christians and non-Christians; to consult with churches as to where that room/third-space might be (bearing […]
Now The West Wing is not a series I ever got in to, but my colleague at my new venture, Third Space, David Robertson has seen all of the series seven times (that’s biblical proportions), and even has the tee-shirt. It’s an old series now, but gee it’s got some staying power. Perhaps as politics […]
It’s about a year since we made the announcement that I would be stepping down from the role of senior pastor of our church, and handing that role to our then-associate pastor. I would be continuing in a two day role at the church, primarily as a preaching/teaching pastor. In light of that past […]
A report in the ABC today that more Australians are likely to identify themselves by politics than by any other identity marker – including and especially religion – is no real cause for celebration. Annabel Crabb’s article points out that while most Australians, 71 per cent, think that “occasionally” or “most often” religious discrimination occurs in […]
Dear Chief Minister of the Australian Capital Territory Greetings. May I first commend you on your impressive title. The general rule is the more tinpot the dictatorship, the more impressive the title. And yours is right up there. However I foremost want to write to congratulate you on your Facebook page announcement that says your […]
A-list celebrities who publicly announce that they have become Christians can be blamed for a lot of things. A lot of bad music, a lot of bad movies, a lot of bad fashion and a lot of bad relationships. One thing they can’t be blamed for however, is the demise of Christianity. One thing they […]
So there they were doing it the right way now. Those Christian crossover artists had learned how to do it in a hostile culture. At least if they wanted their career to survive. Carefully navigating the parking spaces of the entertainment industry. Backing in slowly between the lines. Making sure they didn’t roll over any […]
I now have access to the coveted Gold Lounge. I’m sitting here in the Gold Lounge at the Auckland airport, heading home from a conference, and it’s all hors d’oeuvres, funky drinks, comfy chairs, free everything, and peacefully quiet. Far from the madding aiport crowd. Gold Lounge access. Finally! I checked in on my iPhone […]
I’ve just finished speaking at a church planting Conference in Auckland. And it’s been a great chance to get to see what God is doing in those islands to the south of Australia. As I was encouraging them in the work of the gospel in New Zealand, my friend in Mozambique sent me this encouraging […]
Okay, that’s click bait right there. But finally, two years after I turned fifty, two years after receiving (and losing) my first poo test, I submitted to the Government’s demands for two samples of my poo, and dutifully mailed it off to their labs. There’s something slightly rebellious about sending poo back to the Government, […]
We live in a world where actions can have consequences we could never have imagined, where guilt and shame are more at hand than ever, and where we have no means whatsoever of redemption. We do not know who could offer it, who could accept it, and whether it is a desirable quality compared to […]
Imagine a man who was a perpetrator of domestic violence allowing his wife to leave the family home with no threat of stalking, and with a generous pay-out to get her started up again. His only condition? Sign an NDA – a non-disclosure, or non-disparagement agreement. “Look,” he says to her, though she can’t even […]
This follow up to the Bully Vol 1 post was going to deal with what we need to do about bullying leaders in the evangelical church. But a couple of questions, particularly some privately asked by a trusted and wise friend in leadership, means that we need to double down on some of the “Why” […]
The biggest risk to conservative evangelical church movements today is not the hostility of a toxic external culture. A far bigger risk to the movement, if recent sobering conversations I have had are any indication, is the internal toxic culture. In short, evangelical church movements have a massive problem with the workplace bully at the […]
2:59:59 That was my goal anyway. My goal for last Sunday’s Perth Marathon. The magical, and elusive, sub three. A sub three marathon while I’m still able. By “able” I mean realistically able at my age. I’m 52 now, and there’s a tipping point, a point of no-return for non-elite runners such as I to […]
If you own a flower shop and your customer base goes into decline, it’s worth asking what are the pull factors and the push factors putting your business at risk. The pull factors are those things that draw your customers away from your shop to other shops. These are hard to control. Maybe taste […]
Are Christians sick of being the butt of jokes? That was the premise of an article in The Australian newspaper in light of crass Aussie radio announcer Kyle Sandilands slap down of Christianity and the Virgin Mary on air. Sandilands had said on air that Christians are “as dumb as dog sh@#” for accepting the […]
In his novel The City and The City, English author China Mieville sets a murder mystery in two cities, Beszel and Ul Quoma. Bezsel is run down and grimy (think Eastern bloc 1970s), while Ul Quoma is all Singapore glitz and glam. Inspector Tyador Borlu is tasked to solve the crime, and as a citizen […]
I have to admit I enjoy reading the Australian Psychological Society’s monthly journal InPsych. Don’t get me wrong. I don’t enjoy it for the dazzling insights into the human condition that I see within its pages. I enjoy it because it’s prophetic: InPsych‘s commitment to a radical post-Christian perspective on what it means to be […]
