28 years ago, my wife Gaye gave birth to our second daughter. After a very long labour and a breach birth, Leah was born four weeks early. We suspected that something was wrong with her quite early on. She was misdiagnosed at 18 months with cerebral palsy, but Leah never seemed to be like other children with that condition. At the age of 15, Leah was correctly diagnosed with Angelman Syndrome, a fairly rare genetic condition where there’s a small deletion in the 15th chromosome. Having a 28-year-old severely disabled daughter who doesn’t speak and who has the understanding of a three-year-old has brought many difficulties, frustrations and disappointments. But she has also brought our family a tremendous amount of fun and laughter.
Archives: life
Banking everything on God
Life
We are calculating people. We learn to be. The accountants talk about a ‘cost benefit analysis’, and as we weigh the ‘pros’ and ‘cons’ we do the same thing in almost every part of life. One of the principles we learn from the financial world is spreading the risk. You never get too deeply committed to any one thing. A range of investments makes sure that if one fails, others will sustain you.
Starless City
Life
If any Christian is not fully convinced that the Western world is in a state of terminal crisis, then they should take a trip to the multi-million dollar Sydney Casino, also known as ‘Star City’. If this establishment is the jewel of Sydney’s night life then we are in serious trouble.
Homosexuality is a choice
Life
Not so long ago, we looked at how homosexuality has become ‘normalized’ in modern Western society (‘How we went gay’, Briefing #221/2). We closed with a promise to return to the issue, and in the following article we begin to do so. Andrew Lansdown looks further at the changing face of the gay movement. In particular, he shows that all the current talk of the gay gene, and being ‘born gay’, was rejected by the generation of gay activists who led the charge in the 70s and 80s.
Public lies and private lives
Life
“Even presidents have private lives”, Bill Clinton told the American people following his statement to the Grand Jury concerning his “inappropriate relationship” with White House staff member Monica Lewinsky.
Jesus, the name high over all
Life
Charles Wesley was born in England in 1707 during the rule of Queen Anne. After a lifetime spanning the complete reigns of George I and II, he died ‘full of years’ during the reign of George III in 1788.
Mormonism: magnificent illusion
Life
A bit like speaking English to an American: the words are familiar, but the planet is different. That’s the way people describe the experience of trying to discuss Christianity with a Mormon. John Bracht, a former Mormon and now Baptist pastor, explains why some of their teachings can sound so familiar, and yet so foreign. He offers a guide to how we can have fruitful discussion with Mormons rather than angry arguments.
Divine Intervention: Genetic engineering and the plan of God
Life
Heart transplants. IVF. The Genome Project. There’s even a rumour about a cure for the common cold.
The potential of medicine seems to grow by the day but the question for Christians remains the same: how much should human beings fiddle with God’s creation? How do we discern between Babel-building and faithfully stewarding the world God has given to us? Using the example of genetic engineering, theologian and ethicist Michael Hill gives us some guidelines for sorting out what kinds of medical activity Christians can welcome.
The First Duty of Fatherhood
Life
Australian feminist Eva Cox says any mother who isn’t back in the workforce after her child turns one is a bludger. Why this growing attack on motherhood? Andrew Lansdown thinks that the changing role of the father has something to do with it.
One nation before God
Life
“God’s own country”.
So declared the recent front-page headline of our local newspaper, over a colour picture of a lone figure on a beautiful dusk-coloured beach. While I have often heard people refer to this area by that phrase, as front-page news it somehow feels official now: God lives in Sutherland Shire, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
To whom shall we go?
Life, Sola Panel
Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.” Can we say the same? Or do our evangelical heroes carry more authority than we care to admit?
Sam’s story
Life
I am happily married, a mother of two healthy little people and I suffer depression.
In hindsight, I realize I have always had more ups and downs than most people. When my second child was three weeks old, I became extremely anxious and depressed. There was one moment when, because of its sudden severity, I am aware that it started. It was two years before I had a day free of it.
Interview: Comprehending the darkness
Life
A black and white view across La Perouse Bay on a gloomy evening, the sea vast and incomprehensible, the shoreline harsh. The old photo on Professor Philip Mitchell’s wall in his office at the School of Psychiatry, Prince Henry Hospital in Sydney, reflects something of the experience of being depressed. The future seems bleak, dark, vast and unreachable; the situation seems hopeless; loneliness presses in.
Warren’s story
Life
In September 1992, I scribbled on a piece of paper, “It’s so difficult to hang in there. I’ve lost control of my life. It’s impossible to think positively. Will things ever change for the better? I’m not sure I’m able to continue, to keep going. I’m lonely, unhappy, scared, guilt-ridden, a failure. What can I do to change the situation? It’s hard to see where God is involved. What else do I have to lose? I’m sure I’m gradually giving up. It has been such a long time.”
Depression and suicide
Life
Derek Hopgood was a lovely, humble Christian man. He was a good husband to his wife in every way and a caring father to his two teenaged girls. He was also an excellent deacon of our congregation. One of his hobbies was photography and often we have used his photographs in the pages of Evangelicals Now.