What Research Tells us about the Possibilities of Christmas

As each Christmas passes, it becomes increasingly noticeable that traditional carols are falling into disfavour. On the one hand, this is to be expected in a secular society unreasonably afraid of offending, but it also suggests that there is still a great opportunity for Christians to fill a gap in making meaning of the Christmas season. Whereas televised events such as Christmas Eve’s Carols by Candlelight provide the strongest December faith connection for many Australians, recent research shows the potential of Christmas to proactively heighten Christianity’s impact.

What One Ancient Transaction Shows Us Today

I was intrigued by an obscure Old Testament story read in a church service recently. What possible relevance might it have to an audience reading the text many centuries later? How would such an account of history be helpful beyond the immediate narrative?

An App for That

As a musician, I used to think that poetry was just a waste of good song lyrics. Perhaps I’ve learned now to appreciate more creative diversity, but my feeble attempts at writing poetically show I might yet have some way to before I master this art. If rhyming qualifies, though, then I just might be able to pull out the thesaurus and begin. So here goes. A few reflections on how technology has changed us.

When a driver was a golf club and hardware meant some nails,
Forgetting important dates were our only memory fails.

Fifty Years On

This past weekend marked the 50^th anniversary of the first moon landing. The ‘why’ of Armstrong’s famous “giant leap” became comparable to an Everest climb. He was first, and it was there. Of course, we haven’t yet colonised or mined the moon and the initial visit did little other than afford galactic bragging rights over the Russians. Was it really so important and how does it matter now?

The Truth About Why Jesus’ Death Matters

The nature of Jesus’ redemptive work is, of course, crucial to understanding its application. It has sometimes been described as the ‘at-one’-ment by which people are joined in relationship to God. The mechanism of this reconciliation, though, makes the Atonement more multi-faceted than the simplistic picture we gain from isolated theories put forward to explain it. Easter only makes sense when Jesus’ death does, and here’s why it matters more than just gaining a four-day weekend.

What I’ve Learned About Intentional Parenting

When I arrived early at my daughter’s basketball game, I figured this might allow us some quality time together before everyone else arrived. Needless to say, teammates were already in the stadium and I was promptly directed to a lonely ‘parent bench’ on the other side of the court. It reminded me just how intentional our parenting impact needs to be in the small window of opportunity we are have before other influences seem to take over. What does this look like?

Millennials’ Attitudes Toward Faith-Sharing Revealed

U.S. sitcoms, Seinfeld and Friends, began to popularise the communal determination of morals in the 90s. Few could have imagined how the next generation of Christians would then relativise their own beliefs. The Barna research group now report some staggering findings that make one wonder what it is that shapes faith or even the reading of the Bible today.