Who is the God of the Bible, and what does it mean to have faith in him? This book gets to the heart of the issues without taking too long about it. God, we learn, is the God who is Creator, Judge, Saviour, Life-Giver, and Trinity. Everything about the Christian faith flows out of that … Read more…
This year I’ve returned to USYD main campus as a (part time, postgrad) student after ten years away. Fisher library is still there. Ralph’s is still there (though the man himself, sadly, is much missed). But what on earth has happened to the student politicians’ sense of irony? For those of you who missed the … Read more…
Is there any hope of salvation for people living with a dementia diagnosis? How can we know if someone has come to faith? How can a person come to know God if he or she can no longer recognise loved ones? In this short practical and pastoral book, Mark Wormell brings theology together with the … Read more…
Churches are full of people who disagree with us. And that’s definitely the way it should be. Come to think of it, it’s hard to imagine a way of making everyone agree with us that doesn’t involve an entrance exam and a pitchfork. So how do we disagree in style? For Sydney Anglicans, one of … Read more…
Guest author Nick Utber of Open Box Technology is convinced the latest technology will create Robo-Pastors. In Part 1 of our series on the Robo-Pastor I discussed what it looks like to include technology in the life of the ministry staff. It is evident that technology is advancing at a rate that significantly changes workplaces and what … Read more…
It’s leadership recruitment season for many ministries. Whether you’re lining up growth group leaders or a treasurer for 2016, no doubt you have given some thought to finding men and women with the three (or four, or five) “Cs” – character, conviction and competency (and maybe commitment and chemistry if you’re picky). Here’s a thought … Read more…
There is a great deal of suspicion of emotional manipulation. Sometimes I think that suspicion is justified. A friend told me a story about a church where the keyboard was hooked up to an electric shock machine, and just at the right moment the keyboard player would hit the button and people in the front … Read more…
Here’s a big claim: I think that almost all the most serious problems we run into when it comes to church gatherings have to do with a confusion between saving worship and saved worship. Jesus’ saving worship Saving worship is the worship that saves us. You may have experienced in your own life how easily … Read more…
Guest author Nick Utber of Open Box Technology is convinced the latest technology will create Robo-Pastors. The 21st Century has well and truly arrived, and with it comes technology only previously seen in science fiction. We still have not seen artificial intelligence of the ilk of The Jetsons and 2001: A Space Odyssey, but surely these are not … Read more…
Here’s a leadership lesson that I took way to long to learn. Say ‘no’, early. Like you, I’m a conflict avoider. I say, ‘like you’ because everyone avoids conflict (except sociopaths). It’s just a natural phenomenon. The undulation of rivers is a testament to the way conflict avoidance is baked into reality. However, the problem … Read more…