Interchange: Christian men reply to Elle

Feedback on the controversial article ‘The Prince and the Porker’ (Briefing #293).

Candy or Depardieu?

If Ms McPhearson’s experience of her husband’s and her friend’s husband’s view of female bodies is true, she and her friend both have my deepest, male sympathies. But let’s be honest with ourselves! Is it only men that are guilty of this crime? As a “fat and ugly” (not my words) bachelor, I daily live with the fact that I won’t find a wife until I lose weight—a fact told to me not only by a Christian woman but by a Christian woman who is actually in full-time ministry teaching other Christian women!

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The Sabbath Rest

Life

Workaholism

Workaholism is an addiction that needs remedy, much like alcoholism. Its symptoms are clear: long hours getting longer, work priorities overriding family and church; no time for recreation (what’s that?!). Workaholics can’t even go on holidays without taking their ball-and-chain mobile phone or laptop. But what is the underlying disease? What drives workaholism?

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Thinking theologically about glory and gospel ministry

An address given at the AIM ‘Thinking Theologically’ conference held at Moore Theological College in June 2002.

Thinking theologically

I take it that the reason you have paid good money to be at this conference is not because theology happens to be a hobby of yours, like birdwatching or classical music or stamp collecting. Instead, it is because you are involved in some way in the work of the gospel, in the pastoring of God’s people and in the evangelizing of Sydney and the world.

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Philosophy helped my evangelism

I found myself a few weeks back visiting Tim (not his real name), doing Just for Starters. Tim was becoming a friend, now that we’d spent seven or so sessions together, looking at the Bible. First, we went through Simply Christianity—five studies from Luke’s Gospel. Now we were following up with the Just For Starters studies—seven basic Bible studies on key areas in the Christian life. Tim still wasn’t convinced that the Bible was true, but he’d accepted that Christ had died for sins and risen from the dead. We were having lively times of discussion.

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