Monthly Archives: February 2008
Doubts #2: The Old Testament
So I was telling you about how doubt came in after my church broke up and I wasn’t feeling God’s presence. Another thing is always in the back of my mind, and sometimes the front: lingering doubts about the Old … Continue reading
Filed under Bible, my spiritual journey, theology
Body Life # 2: The Lord’s Supper – Putting the eating back into meeting
This is the second in a series of six articles first published in Oikos. They are a simplification of John Yoder’s Body Politics Simplified – this time with a specifically house church audience in mind. Our life together as a … Continue reading
Filed under Body Politics, house church
Doubts #1: Where’s God?
This year I’ve been coming out of a period of doubt about my faith. It’s been amazing to feel hungry for God again and to feel like I can believe, that the good news sounds good. But I’m realising I … Continue reading
Filed under my spiritual journey
Book review: Feast of the world’s redemption by John Koenig
Sadly, this book has been sitting on the shelves of the theological library where I work since 2001 without being borrowed. But in preparing a sermon on the agape feast, I got it out this weekend and fixed that up. … Continue reading
Filed under Body Politics, book review, church (ecclesiology)
The agape feast
The text of the sermon I preached today at Agape Chinese Baptist Church I think ‘Agape’ is a wonderful name for a church. In using it, you are using a word which sums up what church should be all about. Agape … Continue reading
Filed under Body Politics, church (ecclesiology), sermons
Emerging church V house church
An important difference between the emerging church and the older house church movement is in mission. The emerging church seems a very missional church, at least in the Australian incarnation. It attracts not just Christians who are disaffected with institutional … Continue reading
Filed under church (ecclesiology), house church
Judging God?
While I’m being challenged by Reformed writers, I read this in the Trinity Theological College newsletter, from an article by Damien Young, and it resonated with me: Not so long ago people assumed that we were accountable to God, but … Continue reading
Reading J.I. Packer’s Knowing God
I noticed this deep, deep respect for Scripture in J.I. Packer. It isn’t even a defensive respect; he doesn’t waste time arguing about it here, although I know he does elsewhere. I would like to cultivate a similar reverence, for Scripture … Continue reading
Pastor as CEO?
I’m allergic to the idea of the pastor as a CEO, and so it was with interest that I read a post by Mike on the Ra’ah blog defending the idea. (Especially since Mike has had a big influence on … Continue reading
Filed under Body Politics, church (ecclesiology)
Book review: David Watson – Fear No Evil
I have an unhealthy fear of death. Particularly, I have an unhealthy fear of dying young. That’s why I was so affected by Heath Ledger’s death. I think it’s related to what Alain De Botton calls status anxiety – for … Continue reading
