Monthly Archives: June 2020

       My blog dated 14 June 2020 considered the terms ‘race’ and ‘racism’ with respect to differences in human beings. I repeat what I said then and will expand on it.        The God of the Bible doesn’t recognise races, except one human race. He doesn’t think in terms of ‘black lives matter’—He thinks that every single life (that He created!) matters. This God only recognises individuals. God wants to love and care for everyone personally: as someone for whom…..

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       In my recent reading of Christian books I have been confronted with the claim that A or B was a ‘great theologian.’ So I asked: what would make this or that person a ‘great’ theologian? The answer is somewhat difficult to determine because it all depends on how you interpret the description ‘great.’ And it also depends on how you understand the term ‘theologian.’        Therefore, I consulted expert opinion to determine what theology is and what theologians do……

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       Definitions matter.        The definition of ‘evangelical’ should have a clear meaning in terms of Christian belief. It is reflective of modern society that a source like Wikipedia provides a succinct description of beliefs associated with the term ‘evangelicalism.’ However, I will use a description from S B Ferguson & D F Wright (eds), ‘New Dictionary of Theology’ (Leicester: IVP, 1988), 239.        ‘Evangelical theology has particular ties with the distinctives of the Protestant Reformation. It is deeply committed…..

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       At this moment, the world is in dreadful strife with coronavirus, huge uprisings of people in the western world caused by Marxist/Leninists who wish to destroy our current society, increasing tensions between nations and the general hell of poverty and disease. We can froth and foam about all that is ill with the world and society and posit immediate responses. That is fairly pointless. Today, I want to look at the big picture confronting the world and briefly outline…..

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       Over the past few weeks we have heard repeated allegations by people from a wide range of political views about the presence of racism and racists in the United States, the United Kingdom and, now, Australia.        Those on the political left (ranging from socialists to hard-core Marxist/Leninists) have, in the main, resorted to public demonstrations, riots, looting and vandalism to express their point of view. They now seem incapable of just having a debate or conversation about their…..

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       In 1912, Mr Henry Smithers, who had a long criminal record in Victoria, travelled to New South Wales (NSW), where he was promptly arrested because NSW didn’t want criminals coming to their state. The NSW Government has passed an Act of Parliament entitled The Influx of Criminals Prevention Act 1903—ironic because NSW began life as a penal colony!        Eventually, the case of R v Smithers was heard by a full bench of the High Court of Australia ([1912]…..

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       From a Christian perspective, the role of a political leader in a democracy like Australia should be to seek the highest (overall) welfare of the people being governed (Romans 13:3-6). People have a responsibility to obey the law—subject to the injunction in Acts 5:29.        It needs to be remembered that political leaders have to satisfy many differing views in the community on a wide range of issues. To be a good politician means that some decisions of government…..

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       Last week I wrote about freedom, both in our world and in the spiritual realm. Christians must become aware of the fact that our transmission of the gospel of Jesus to others, whether by voice or various electronic methods, is likely to place us under increasing danger of offending the laws of Victoria. Freedom of speech is much too important an issue for you to brush it aside with a response like, ‘It really won’t affect me much.’ The…..

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       It is said that freedom is the ability to choose the prison in which you live. Most people choose ‘prisons’ of their own making: some fairly good (e.g. family, work, community activities, sport); some fairly unpleasant (e.g. crime, violence, an indifference to other people). Others are trapped in ‘prisons’ made by others (e.g. advertising, pornography). Each of us can assess the prisons that we inhabit, either as full-time inmates or those on day-release (as it were). One trap is…..

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