Essay: From secularism to spirituality – the unexpected resurgence of Christianity in Australia
KARL FAASE, CEO of Olive Tree Media which has recently released a new 10 part series, ‘Encounter’, capturing life-changing stories about encounters with Jesus, looks at the growing openness of people towards rethinking the Christian faith as they encounter Christ…
Faith, not fear
Do you have loved ones whose eternal destiny you worry about? Listen up… PICTURE: Alex Shute/Unsplash The Bible isn’t a fan of fear. “Perfect love casts out fear” it says. So, when we witness to loved ones out of fear, it comes from the wrong place. I understand your feelings, but fear taints our witness. It […]
Faith and science
I saw a meme recently that made me smile – and wince. Apparently a well-known scientist said, “the difference between religion and science is that you don’t need faith to do science. You test everything.” PICTURE: Louis Reed/Unsplash Why did I smile? This quote is blind to the first thing you must do to be […]
Christian maturity
Biblical scholar Dallas Willard was once asked, “what is a sign of Christian maturity?” His answer, “Mature Christians are very hard to offend.” I love that, what a challenge in today’s world of offence! Standing on the rock. PICTURE: Joshua Earle/Unsplash Mature Christians are anchored in their identity in Christ, and, therefore, secure in their […]
This Life: Confronting fear
SAMANTHA ELLEY reflects on the New Testament account of a woman forced to face her fears – and her own experience doing so…
Conversations: Matthew Slater, a Super Bowl champ with his eye on higher things, retires from football
In an interview which took place before his retirement announcement this week, BOB SMIETANA, of Religion News Service speaks with NFL player Matthew Slater about his career, his faith and his plans for the future…
Teach your children
There are some in our society who believe you shouldn’t teach religion to children – “let them learn it later when they can make up their own mind”. PICTURE: gpointstudio/iStockphoto Most people in history would think such a view is crazy. Isn’t your faith integral to who you are? Your identity? Your culture? Of course, it is! […]
Prayer is a beautiful thing
I know some atheists laugh at people of faith like me for praying – like there is any scientific evidence that prayers are answered on a cause and effect basis (there are some interesting studies on prayer, but that’s for another time). PICTURE: Jon Tyson/Unsplash But you know what – to sit in a community with […]
Four givens
Renowned psychiatrist Irvin Yolem talks about the four givens of human existence: isolation, meaninglessness, freedom and mortality. PICTURE: deberarr/iStockphoto At our core, we all battle with our feelings of being alone, of wanting autonomy, the desire for meaning, and the reality of death. These are the existential challenges that drive our anxiety, and we either ignore […]
Essay: How much do Americans know about the faiths around them?
RYAN BURGE, in an article first published on Religion News Service, looks at what the data shows…