Monthly Archives: June 2008

Magic, science and religion

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Most magic is essentially the same as religion: it is a human attempt to contact the supernatural and, perhaps, manipulate it. Most magic seeks to achieve ends by getting supernatural beings to bypass the normal workings of nature. Religion also seeks supernatural aid, although the purpose is usually more lofty (to do with the afterlife or basic sustenance, not overt power) and the means involves more veneration. Also, generally, the being involved in religion is on a broader scale than those involved in magic: gods are generally conceived as being bigger, more universal, and more powerful than the demons, ghosts or spirits called upon in magic. But these are differences of degree or emphasis, not of fundamentals. (more…)

Living with the Underworld

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I like to think of the city of Melbourne as being a nice place to live—more predictable and safer than its cousin Sydney, full of cul-de-sacs, footy carnivals, Neighbours and cappuccinos. But apparently it too has a dark underbelly—a monstrous flipside peopled by drug dealers, crime gangs and hit men engaged in a bitter, deadly war. It turns out this other Melbourne was there all along—imperceptible to its more decent citizens until it was shockingly revealed. (more…)

A hitchhiker’s guide to the underworld

Thought, Sola Panel

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What is the underworld? What are evil spirits and demons? Should we fear death and the devil, and does Jesus really make a difference with these things? Tony Payne talks to Peter Bolt, author of Living with the Underworld, to get some answers.

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The same thing or the new thing

Up front, Sola Panel

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I once was sitting with the inestimable David Jackman in an airport, which is where we often seem to meet, and I asked him what the big challenges were, looking ahead for The Proclamation Trust. He paused a moment and then said in his characteristically gentle and mellifluous tone, “You know, I think it’s to keep on doing the same thing we’ve been doing for the past 15 years”. (more…)

Conflict resolution

Up front, Sola Panel

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Sometimes it’s better to just overlook it when someone sins against you.

Matthew 18:15-20 is such a helpful passage when you feel someone has sinned against you. It encourages you to talk to them in private to point out the sin or offence. (Maturity now makes me realize that when you do this, there’s also the possibility of hearing another side to the story, which may make you reconsider.) Then, if there’s no repentance, you involve a couple of elder-type Christians. Only in the face of continued defiance would it finally become a public matter for discipline in the church. Notice there’s no room for gossip or whingeing to others! Churches would enjoy improved relationships if we could follow these principles. (more…)

A Luddite revolution?

Up front

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It occurred to me recently that we may need a Luddite revolution in our attitude towards ministry.

The Luddites were basically a group of tradesmen in 19th-century England. They saw the threat posed by the spread of industrial technology, and protested against it—even sabotaging local wool and cotton mills. (more…)

Why we must be seeker sensitive

Up front, Sola Panel

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The phrase ‘seeker sensitive’ has dropped out of fashion recently. For those who haven’t heard the phrase, the idea of a ‘seeker sensitive service’ is a church gathering that focuses on the desires and needs of ‘spiritual seekers’—non-Christians with a thirst for knowing more about God. It aims to do everything possible to make it easy for them to come to church and enjoy the experience so that they come back and learn about God. Yet the Willow Creek Association, for example, once a champion of the ‘seeker sensitive’ model of church,1 has recently had a major rethink of some of its key values. In their book Reveal: Where Are You? by Greg Hawkins and Cally Parkinson, they speak frankly about the failures of an approach that was too heavily oriented towards growth in numbers rather than growth in maturity. (more…)

Podcast: A hitchhiker’s guide to the underworld

Audio

Tony Payne interviews Peter Bolt, author of ‘Living with the Underworld’, about demons, death, the devil and the difference Jesus makes (MP3).

Audio MP3

Read the primary documents!

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One of the most helpful things I learned from my history teachers at school was this: read the primary documents!

One online university library helpfully defines primary documents (or sources) as:

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