“There are few things more dangerous than inbred religious certainty.” – Bart D. Ehrman This is a REPOST of a blog I wrote a couple of years ago … most fitting at this time of Australian religious and political discussions! There is a danger in assuming that every Christian belief and practice that we adhere to…Continue reading A very brief Introduction to Christian Fundamentalism
Tag: Religion
The Avoidance Crisis
“Everything worthwhile in life is won through surmounting the associated negative experience. Any attempt to escape the negative, to avoid it or quash it or silence it, only backfires. The avoidance of suffering is a form of suffering. The avoidance of struggle is a struggle. The denial of failure is a failure. Hiding what is…Continue reading The Avoidance Crisis
The Scarcity of Wonder in our Black-and-White, Know-it-All World
“If I had influence with the good angel who is supposed to preside over the christening of all children, I should ask that her gift to each child in the world would be a sense of wonder so indestructible that it would last throughout life as an unfailing antidote against boredom and disenchantments of later…Continue reading The Scarcity of Wonder in our Black-and-White, Know-it-All World
Only Children and Fools Tell the Truth!
“Remember, there will be those among the powerful who try to make you say what you know is clearly not true because if everyone agrees to believe the lie, the lie can go on forever … If you want to be a leader, you, too, must refuse to tell the old lies. You must learn to…Continue reading Only Children and Fools Tell the Truth!
Questions in the Desert – Part Three
Faith is a dynamic and ever-changing process, not some fixed body of truth that exists outside our world and our understanding. God’s truth may be fixed and unchanging, but our comprehension of that truth will always be partial and flawed at best. – Bishop Gene Robinson – Dear reader, please be aware that this blog…Continue reading Questions in the Desert – Part Three
Questions in the Desert – Part Two
“We are not called by God to do extraordinary things, but to do ordinary things with extraordinary love.” – Jean Vanier- Dear reader, please be aware that this blog post is a continuation from Part One. … The story of Philip and the Eunuch encourages us to pay attention to God’s Spirit in our lives. It also…Continue reading Questions in the Desert – Part Two
Questions in the Desert – Part One
Nature’s seasons are a constant reminder that nothing we do or experience in life is permanent. I was part of a mega-church community in Melbourne, Australia, for over thirty years. I never thought that season would come to an end. But it did. One of the last sermons I gave at this church was on…Continue reading Questions in the Desert – Part One
This Ancient Mountain
I acknowledge the original custodians of this land and pay my respects to the Elders both past, present and future for they hold the memories, the spiritual connections, the traditions, the culture and hopes of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples of Australia. Every morning when I step on to my front verandah I greet…Continue reading This Ancient Mountain
A Thrill of Hope
A thrill of hope, the weary world rejoices, For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn. – Adolphe Adam – Simeon’s Moment by Ron Dicianni It’s that time of year again. While some folks claim there is a ‘war on Christmas’, it takes very little research to discover that this apocalyptic, deluded conspiracy theory holds…Continue reading A Thrill of Hope
Remember with Purpose
You must not mistreat or oppress foreigners in any way. Remember, you yourselves were once foreigners in the land of Egypt. – Exodus 22:21 – Part of the problem in reading an ancient sacred text with modern minds is that there is a disconnect and dissonance in context, culture and thought. When reading the Bible, for…Continue reading Remember with Purpose