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#1100 for broadcast on 2CH Sydney, 19 July 2015 As a child I was taught that a parable is “an earthly story with a heavenly meaning.” It’s a definition I haven’t forgotten, and as a minister of religion I’m familiar with many of the parables Jesus told. So I was intrigued to see, in this … Continue reading
#1099 for broadcast on 2CH Sydney, 12 July 2015. Historians occasionally refer to “American exceptionalism,” the idea that the United States is inherently different from other nations, and plays a unique progressive role in human history. A survey by LifeWay Research confirms a religious dimension to this exceptionalism: most Americans appear to believe God has … Continue reading
#1098 for broadcast on 2CH Sydney, 12 July 2015. The Australian Bureau of Statistics has released its fourth four-year “general social survey” of 13,000 households, taken in 2014. The survey measured the “subjective wellbeing” of respondents by asking them to assess their overall satisfaction with life on a scale of nought to ten. The average … Continue reading
#1097 for broadcast on 2CH Sydney, 12 July 2015. Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter came out last week saying he thought “Jesus would encourage any love affair if it was honest and sincere and was not damaging to anyone else,” and would therefore approve of gay marriage. Not so Sydney Anglican Dr Mark Thomson, Principal … Continue reading
#1096 for broadcast on 2CH Sydney, 5 July 2015 Every day, people are distracted by well-meaning but misguided ideas. An example is the Sex Work Decriminalisation Bill, introduced in the South Australian Legislative Council last week, ostensibly in the name of enlightened freedom, which would repeal all protections for sex workers. Family Voice Australia research … Continue reading
#1095 for broadcast on 2CH Sydney, 5 July 2015 In the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to legalise same sex marriage in every state, a cross-party bill to redefine marriage will be introduced in the Australian Parliament when it resumes on August 11. Brace yourself for more divisive debate. Meanwhile, in a provocative … Continue reading
#1094 for broadcast on 2CH Sydney, 5 July 2015 The recent Encyclical on environmental care released by Pope Francis has been criticised as religion meddling in politics, but in reality it provides a fine summary of biblical teaching on our shared ecological responsibility. To those who question the church’s right to offer definitive opinions on … Continue reading
#1093 for broadcast on 2CH Sydney, 28 June 2015. Each time I visit the Middle East, local church leaders share their deep concern at the drift of Christians from the region. Visitors come in air-conditioned coaches to take photos of ancient buildings, but the “living stones” – the local Christian communities – are few in … Continue reading
#1092 for broadcast on 2CH Sydney, 28 June 2015. Writing recently in The New York Times, columnist David Brooks said, “Many of us are clearer about how to build an external career than on how to build inner character.” But occasionally he meets people who “radiate an inner light,” who “seem deeply good,” who listen … Continue reading
#1091 for broadcast on 2CH Sydney, 28 June 2015. In a recent column for Eternity magazine, the Reverend Dr Michael Jensen remarked that a lot of sitting is done in church. Not sitting waiting for the service to end, but sitting with an expectation that the Bible will be read and a sermon preached, and perhaps … Continue reading
NSW Council of Churches 