If there’s one thing we know as Christians is that we won’t always get vindicated in this age. The slurs and opprobrium may well stick this side of the Parousia, and we know that there have been millions of Christians who have suffered greatly for the sake of the gospel, including the loss of their […]
Category: Culture
Christian Word of the Year: Winsome
So here’s me choosing my Christian Word Of The Year. Drum roll please, “The Christian word of the year is WINSOME!” Taa-dah! That’s right, winsome! It’s everywhere you look at the moment. So please step forward “winsome” and take a bow. You’ve been over-used, over-realised, under-appreciated, over-stated, undered and overed, and whatever else can happen […]
When Voluntary Assisted Dying Becomes Coercive Assisted Dying
The voluntary assisted dying (VAD) push in Australia is set to win the aesthetics of the ethical war, as it inevitably does elsewhere. And the latest stoush with the Catholic Church over comments by Brisbane Archbishop Mark Coleridge, who warned that the last rites may be withheld from those who undertake VAD has ramped up […]
Will There Be a Faith Left For the New King to Defend?
In my latest DeLorean Philosophy podcast I explore the ramifications (or some of them at least) of the dramatic drop in adherence to Christianity in England and Wales. Just as with the latest Australian census data, the equivalent in the UK shows a big decline in adherence, (the low-bar default position), while there’s been a […]
Just Breathe, Just Breathe, Just Breathe
The Nick Cave concert that Jill and I went to last night was a spiritual experience. And I use that term advisedly. I also use it in light of the fact that the review of the concert by our local newspaper also made the same connection. Have a look at the header above. The term […]
Sexual Strangling: It’s The New Vanilla
It was this line that got me. In a shocking article in The Sydney Morning Herald today, sexual safety educator, Maree Crabbe made this statement: “Young people speak about ‘choking’, external pressure to the throat, being so incredibly mainstream that its almost vanilla now, that it’s considered to be a normal part of a sexual […]
The Cheap Thrill of Heterodoxy
One of the key features in the church is that you get to see the battle between orthodoxy and heterodoxy (the move away from orthodoxy) played out in real time. In every generation. Sure there are always different issues coming to the fore, depending often on what the cultural pressure is doing. Heterodox views always […]
Andrew Thorburn is Lawyering Up: I Think That’s the Right Move
Essendon’s CEO-for-a-day Andrew Thorburn has engaged with lawyers and is reserving the right to sue the Essendon Football Club. Perhaps you’re wondering why the bloke who wrote “Being the Bad Guys” thinks we should be pushing back. Aren’t we supposed to be like Jesus? Isn’t our stance towards the hardening secular world not to assert […]
Some Short Thoughts about Kurt Cobain, Nick Cave and a Ministry Fail
Let me tell you about a pastoral ministry fail of mine. A small one, nothing major, but, in hindsight, a fail nonetheless. It has to do with Kurt Cobain. Or at least it has to do with his death. I remember the day that Kurt Cobain died. Many of my generation do. My generation is […]
DeLorean Philosophy Latest Ep: Faith Under Fire
The latest episode has just dropped. You can find it here. We’re exploring the increasing level of suspicion and hostility towards orthodox Christian views on sexuality and gender. Send it to a friend.
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