I’m very new to the world of being a provider of formal theological education (having had some experience as a student), and am learning lots along the way. One of the issues that is really big beyond the shores of Australia is the question of accreditation and qualification. (more…)
When it’s time to go: The what, why and how of leaving church
Life
Thinking of leaving your church? Simon Flinders takes a look at what church is, why you’d leave (and why you wouldn’t) and how to leave well. (more…)
WordWatch: Ivory tower
Word Watch
Today, we think of an ‘ivory tower’ as a place where you are separated from the flow of ordinary life. We are most likely to use ‘ivory tower’ when speaking of academics—on the rather quaint notion that they only need to understand the philosophy of the later Middle Ages, or the conjugation of irregular verbs in Urdu (or whatever), and that their specialist knowledge somehow puts them out of touch with the ‘real world’. (more…)
Greasy inclines (an almost lousy argument)
Life
“If you come across a bird’s nest …”
Life
A few people have asked me about the magpie (which actually turned out to be a currawong) and its eggs since I wrote about them a couple of months ago. The good news was that the currawong’s boldness was vindicated and the nest survived. (more…)
Leadership on the Front Foot 5: Tactical issues
Pastoral Ministry, Sola Panel
The Syrophoenician woman
Life, Sola Panel
One of Jesus’ most jarring statements occurs in the story of the Syrophoenician woman, Mark 7:24-27:
And from there [Jesus] arose and went away to the region of Tyre and Sidon. And he entered a house and did not want anyone to know, yet he could not be hidden. But immediately a woman whose little daughter had an unclean spirit heard of him and came and fell down at his feet. Now the woman was a Gentile, a Syrophoenician by birth. And she begged him to cast the demon out of her daughter. And he said to her, “Let the children be fed first, for it is not right to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.”
This saying of Jesus, spoken as it is to a poor, vulnerable woman with a suffering, oppressed little girl, sounds uncharacteristically harsh. Not only does it seem to reflect a nationalistic, even racist, attitude to God’s blessing (God’s blessing is for his children, not for Syrophoenicians), it’s couched in the most derogatory terms imaginable. (When Jesus mentions “dogs”, he means dirty little mongrels, not adorable Labrador puppies.) (more…)
Delightful whispers from the Psalms
Life
Reading the Psalms after reading about Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection brings its own delightful surprises. Like so much of the message the world calls foolish, the surprises don’t draw attention to themselves with all kinds of fireworks; often they come with just a whisper.
Leadership on the Front Foot 4: Operational issues (part ii)
Pastoral Ministry, Sola Panel
Zac Veron’s Leadership on the Front Foot is a book all about church leadership. So far, we’ve worked through personal issues in leadership and the first part of his section on operational issues. Today we look at three more operational issues. (more…)
Of pots and kettles and other things that aren’t black anymore (or another lousy argument)
Life
It’s kind of funny the way the English language dates. How my pot (which is made from stainless steel) could call my kettle (which is constructed from high quality white plastic now beiged with age) black is a mystery that I’m sure my children could ponder without resolution for some time. Nevertheless, the saying persists as another one of those lousy arguments that get better with age.
It’s right up there with “Get that log out of your own eye” and “Let he who is without sin cast the first stone”. Both of these (rather like our proverbial water boiling appliances) are excellent pieces of godly advice, but hopeless ethical arguments. Before you lynch me for speaking about the Bible like this, let me explain.
Where to, Lord? An interview with Mark Charleston
Pastoral Ministry
Not Under Bondage
Review
Not Under Bondage
Barbara Roberts
Maschil Press, Ballarat, 2008, 196pp.
Divorce and remarriage are always controversial and troubling issues for those who wish to submit to the authority of God’s word. Even for those who have given the subject some thought, it can be challenging to know where the dividing lines lie: we want to affirm the importance of the marriage relationship, yet we’re aware that marriages, like all relationships, can break down. As a result, it can be difficult to know what to teach and how to advise those undergoing marital difficulties. (more…)
Review: Finally Alive
Review
If I hadn’t been asked to review this book, I may not have read it. So I’m glad I was asked. Finally Alive by John Piper is simply terrific, and I suggest you grab a copy today.
The reluctant doorknocker
When Dave Cunynghame was asked to join a church planting team that was aiming to reach the disadvantaged suburb of Berkeley, little did he know what God had in store. (more…)
Problems with the text
I love puzzling over difficult parts of the Bible. I love it, for the difficulty is in my head, not on the page, and puzzling over these difficulties gives me an opportunity to change the way I think.