thinking honestly about life and faith
Back on deck: a new year and (I hope) some new and fresh challenges.I have long since known the importance of making it, or allowing it to be, a new year and not just another year repeating what happened last … Read More »
It’s difficult being a scholar of theology or Biblical studies, during Christmas.The faith community loses its critical awareness at Christmas. I’m not talking about all that commercialism. I’m talking about the music, the children’s plays and all the other traditional … Read More »
Marc Batko, a member of the Moltmann discussion group, has translated Jurgen Moltmann’s "The Future of Theology" (1997) and uploaded the essay to www.portland.indymedia.Click on the link to this group and you can read Marc’s post. Here is a brief … Read More »
It was the great Karl Barth, theologian of the ‘Word of God, who lamented that the reformers had left us nothing in our churches, no images, no symbols. no visual helps, as we try to pray, nothing except words.At least … Read More »
In many parts of the world right now, governments are introducing new laws to combat terrorism. In the name of protecting our freedoms, new laws will remove those very freedoms. People may be detained, without even the right to notify … Read More »
In the last week, there has been a challenging interchange amongst the members of the Jürgen Moltmann discussion group about the death of God. This is not about the 1960s idea that ‘God is dead’. It’s about whether it makes … Read More »
There is an email circulating in Australia which pretends to be a warning from the blood transfusion service (‘the blood bank’ it is called), warning people about needle-stick injuries, infected with AIDS.Someone is said to have sat down in a … Read More »
Night time: it’s the right time for love, so a song says.But so much of our lives are actually governed by the desire to make the night into day.Our technology seeks to banish the night altogether. But when we do, … Read More »
The Guardian newspaper has published a 378 word summation of the Bible, by John Crace.The text is reproduced from the website, in the extended section below. It’s a fascinating task: to try to offer a coherent, balanced but short account … Read More »
Last year I had a sabbatical leave; —a really great privilege. It was a time of renewal for me as a teacher, and even more so as a person.Unlike previous times of ‘study leave’, this time I really did allow … Read More »