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Continue reading →: Prayer before studying the BibleThis is a prayer that may be used to open a session of Bible study. It was written by Julie Palmer. As we open our Bibles We also open our hearts. May these words of truth fall upon the very fabric of our lives. Father, we pray that these ancient…
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Continue reading →: Churches fighting government over vaccine mandate?This morning the Sydney Morning Herald reported on opposition to proof of vacination mandates by a number of church leaders including the Catholic Archbiship of Sydney and Anglican Archbiship of Sydney. I think this exposes some stark differences over how different people define “church”. If you define “church” in terms…
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Continue reading →: Medical Healing and the ChristianI think it’s a sign of our times that, while I have seen many Christians commenting on the pros and cons of vaccination, I don’t think I’ve seen too many articulate their theology of medical healing for fellow Christians. Once again, much of our practice seems to be happening in…
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Continue reading →: An old hymn for Resurrection SundayA brighter dawn is breaking Percy Dearmer (1867-1936) A brighter dawn is breaking,and earth with praise is waking;for thou, O King most highest,the power of death defiest; And thou hast come victorious,with risen body glorious,who now for ever livest,and life abundant givest. O free the world from blindness,and fill the…
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Continue reading →: A Most Motherly FatherAlthough YHWH is never directly addressed as Mother in the Bible, YHWH is certainly presented as a most MOTHERLY Father on quite a few occasions (e.g. Isa 42:14, Isa 49:14–15, and Isa 66:12–13). We should never be misled into thinking God has anything less than the full complement of feminine…
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Continue reading →: Disempowered by dualistic thinkingI don’t think it’s helpful to view opponents (dare I say enemies?) in dualistic terms. Framing conflicts in terms of good people versus bad people is disempowering in many ways. It downplays the possibility that your opponents can change. It also downplays the probability that you’re not as different to…
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Continue reading →: How to accommodate racismHow to accommodate racism within Christianity? It can be accomplished by adding things to scripture, sure, but it’s much more effectively accomplished by taking things away. People don’t notice that as much. Rather than twisting the story of the curse of Ham into a justification for enslaving blacks, as more…
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Continue reading →: Bible heroes weren’t all moral modelsThe problem with using the Old Testament stories as morality tales is that even the best of the patriarchs, judges, and kings had serious character flaws. The most obvious example is King David, who, despite his outstanding faith amongst the kings, nevertheless committed rape and murder. If anything these stories…
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Continue reading →: Two Women, Two Stories: The Challenge of Jesus to Jewish Purity CultureMany of the gospel stories have subtexts that will remain hidden to the reader without proper attention to Jewish symbolism. A good example is found in the threefold account of the two women in need from Mark 5:21-43. It begins with a father, Jarius, seeking help from Jesus for his…
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Continue reading →: A prayer for Australia DayPrayer for January 26th written by Rev Katherine Rainger Before you our Creator, Redeemer and Sustainer, We remember that we stand on holy ground We acknowledge the stories of this land We acknowledge the peoples of this land We acknowledge the lore of this land We acknowledge the languages of this…
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