One of the most insightful comments coming out of the UK election blowout was from politics professor at the University of Kent, Matthew Goodwin: What we have seen in this election campaign is a Conservative Party that has been willing to lean left on economics and right on culture, … [Boris Johnson] is someone who […]
The government in my home state of Western Australia has just passed some of the most far-reaching euthanasia laws in the nation, and they are proud. Gleeful even. There was pushback, notably from one local MP who I know, Nick Goiran, who managed to get changes made in the weeks leading up to the passing […]
I’ve been dividing my writing time these past few months between my blog, a book I am writing for The Good Book Company in the UK, and the new Third Space website. Third Space’s website is a space for people to explore the Christian faith, not necessarily from a position of having faith in Christ […]
I got home from church last night and my neighbour diagonally opposite, Kath, was out in her garden. It was a mild evening, sun not fully set, so I wandered over for a chat. Kath’s a great neighbour. Her house is one of the old non-gentrified ones in the area, with a great cottage garden […]
I remember it well. Ten years ago this week I was sick. Not just sick, but sick sick. The phone rang as we were sitting down to eat dinner, much as I didn’t feel like eating. It was the doctor. Can I come along to the office? Now? With my wife? I guess I can. […]
And there’s no doubt about it I really, really wanna shout it now Singing, I’m not religious anymore, whoa yea And there’s no doubt about it I really, really wanna shout it now Singin, I’m not religious I just love the Lord So sang Scott Wesley Brown back in 1977, in his song, I’m Not […]
Australian apologists for the Chinese regime should hang their heads in shame, with further proof that China is crushing religious freedom with glee and breathtaking arrogance. Just this week it has been revealed that churches throughout China have been forced to remove religious iconography, which are then replaced by, er, religious iconography, namely the current […]
It’s the little moments that make the Christmas season so special This is the latest Christmas advert for Bonds. The picture isn’t showing you what the little things actually are, but I assure you it’s the Bonds undies that are probably one size too small for both these muscular chaps. Cue outrage. And I kinda […]
“You’re not one of those evangelicals are you?” I’d just settled into the plane for the five hour flight back home across this great brown land called Australia, and I was tired. The Friday night flight from Sydney to Perth is invariably late taking off (a thunderstorm this time? Nice move, didn’t see that one!), […]
Chick-fil-A, the famed chicken fast food franchise, has just announced that it will now open Sundays. CEO Dan T Cathy declared this past week that the shifts in consumer expectations have resulted in a careful decision by the company to open seven days per week, starting from January 2020. In a press release today, Cathy […]
I have appreciated the Netflix series, The Good Place (the earlier seasons are better). Here at Third Space, my colleague David Robertson and I discuss the show, it’s views of heaven and hell, why God is strangely absent, and what it says about right and wrong. Have a watch of The Good Place, if […]
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 […]
