For some reason, I've been asked to do a regular ‘culture watch’ segment for the kids' spots at the beginning of church.

I'm not sure I even believe in watching the culture, but someone clearly did at some stage in the history of our kids' talks, so here we are with me doing a ‘culture watch’ spot. My basic strategy has been to work on a topic or passage from the Bible, and find a YouTube clip with the faintest of connections to something that may possibly illustrate the bit of Bible I want to talk about, but is at least funny in a ha-ha kind of way.

More »

5 Comments »

The movie Real Men is at best a guilty pleasure. A womanizing super-agent teams up with a wimpy suburban family man to save the world, one long dad joke after another. For me, the scene which captures the style of the movie best is when the protagonists are attacked by a bunch of rogue CIA agents… all dressed in clown suits. It begins with the line “Who are those clowns?” and finishes as the last clown standing looks around and says (and if you couldn't see this coming when the scene began, you should hang your head in shame) “I'm working with a bunch of clowns”, before running away.

More »

31 Comments »

I've been thinking about the problem of evil. Not so much the very pressing and existential problem of my own evil, but the classic three-part gotcha argument that every half-baked neo-atheist trots out these days with a smug smile. It usually goes like this:

An all-powerful God could eliminate all evil and suffering.

An all-good, all-loving God would want to eliminate all evil and suffering.

Given that evil and suffering are everywhere in our world, the all-powerful, all-good, all-loving God does not exist.

More »

29 Comments »

This is the eighth post in Jean's series on women in the Bible. (Read the first, second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh.)

I'm sure you’ve met her. She's polite, poised and polished. She talks in correct and considered sentences, but rarely about herself; certainly never about anything intimate. You won't see her at a loss. You can (barely!) imagine her in tears, but only when no-one's looking. If she has worries or grief, they are well hidden. Her house is immaculate, her job responsible, her hospitality faultless. She's strong, capable, and generous.

More »

Add Comment »

This is the final part of this six-part series on personal security. If you missed it, you can read part one, part two, part three, part four and part five.

More »

3 Comments »

I guess it is no surprise that the gay community are pressing for a change to the definition of marriage in the Commonwealth Marriage Act. I have been rather more surprised at the number of ‘ordinary Australians’ who apparently (at least according to the media) support the change. I have been absolutely amazed at the buzz amongst some quarters of the Christian community that we should lay down and die on this one.

But perhaps I shouldn't be so surprised and amazed.

More »

9 Comments »

This is the fifth part of this six-part series on personal security. If you missed it, you can read part one, part two, part three and part four.

More »

Add Comment »

Recently on a feedback card at church, someone commented:

“I thought Jesus didn't descend into hell! Just that he suffered the death we deserved.”

The answer is: yes and no! The question raises complex issues that cannot be easily answered in a short space.

So let me take a long space. (And if you are interested, read on, read slowly, and re-read if you need!)

More »

70 Comments »

This is the fourth part of this six-part series on personal security. If you missed it, you can read part one, part two and part three.

More »

3 Comments »

For the first time I can recall, I recently received questions via our church comment cards about the non-sermon Bible reading. It was Galatians 3:15-25! Normally questions are from the sermon passage—things the preacher has not covered or were not clear on. But it's good to be attentive to the other Bible reading too!

However, I want to encourage people to see if they can answer their questions for themselves, rather than just asking the pastoral staff. (I still answered the questions though as worked examples!)

More »

1 Comment »