I have a folder of articles on the benefits of smoking. It’s a thin folder. There are, however, a few noteworthy benefits: relaxation, settling effects for people with nervous disorders, increased concentration, suppression of appetite. You can’t say that smoking is all bad. Everything that God created is good and ought not be rejected but received with thanksgiving (1 Tim 4:4)—even nicotine. And yet, anyone taking up smoking today, in an age where it has been medically and legally demonstrated that smoking causes cancer and is likely to be the major cause of death by 2020, hasn’t done much work on the ‘pros’ and ‘cons’. The devastating biological damage which smokers experience outweighs any positive effects of smoking.
Chasing fantasies
Life
When I think about gambling I think about a comment our first daughter made when she was just six years old. Overhearing my wife and I discussing whether or not we had enough money to buy something, she chipped in, “Why don’t you buy a Lotto ticket? Then you’ll get some money.”
The Hijacking of ‘Secular’
“Australia is a secular country.”
“We live in a secular society.”
Such statements are generally part of the Australian identity, at least as defined by most of our newspapers. The adjective is generally taken to exclude talk of God—a fancy way of saying we aren’t religious. But it wasn’t always like that.
A silent grief: Pastoral reflections on infertility
Everyday Ministry
Five things worth knowing about the Dead Sea Scrolls
Everyday Ministry
The future of evangelical Christianity
Life
With doom and gloom being predicted on all sides for the future of mainstream Christianity, what sort of future should evangelicals look forward to? Phillip Jensen looks into the Bible and into the future for some answers.
The very practical doctrine of the Trinity
Thought
Do you believe in hell?
Thought
Telling Buddhists about Jesus
Everyday Ministry
Introduction
The first person to attempt to talk to me about the Lord Jesus was a young American woman who was part of a team of missionaries visiting the university at which I was studying. I was sitting on my own at a table in one of the cafeterias when she came over, sat down and said that she was interested in talking to people about what they believed. I explained to her briefly that I was a Buddhist and what that entailed. Her response? “Well, that’s ridiculous!” Out of pity, I resolved to indulge her for as long as she wanted to hang around. I hoped that it would not be long, and it wasn’t.
When too much sport is barely enough
Life
Media wash-up
Life
The newspapers are now silent on the induction of the new Australian Anglican Primate. The story has run its course and the weighty matters of Olympic Torch Relays, Telstra Shares, and State of Origin football have moved to centre stage.
Making sense of disaster
Life
Disasters strike mankind with great frequency and variety. Most of the ‘smaller’ ones go unreported, and are known only to the friends and relatives of the victims. The ‘larger’ ones, however, usually make the news headlines, and arouse feelings of bewilderment and loss in the wider community. Earthquakes, floods, shootings, crashes—how do we make sense of such disasters? In particular, how do we make sense of why they happen to whom they happen?
Getting the cart before the horse
Everyday Ministry
Ever since accountants have ruled the world, we have been getting the cart before the horse. Accountants count money, and because we all like money, we end up forgetting what produced the money, and we chase the money itself. The end result is that we neglect our ‘core business’ (as the management textbooks call it).
Time for reformation?
Thought, Sola Panel
The worldwide edifice of Anglicanism is on the verge of collapse. Should we move out, renovate or demolish and start again? In this article we look at recent extraordinary events.
On the trail of the Spirits in prison
Thought, Sola Panel
No part of the New Testament is more puzzling to modern readers than Peter’s enigmatic reference to the ‘spirits in prison’. Tony Payne is the latest in a long line of interpreters claiming to have the answer. Read on and see if you agree …