-
Jan 13 2024 
Keeping The Faith
Reading Time: 9 minutesIt’s been nearly five years since the religious community I grew up in ‘regretfully accepted my withdrawal from fellowship’. In reality, I did no such thing, their statement was simply an awkward and disingenuous way to excommunicate me because I could no longer affirm, without reservation, particular tenets they held to be watertight and immutable.
I feel that had the Bible genuinely been our mutually agreed authority, there would have been no good cause to excommunicate… -
Jul 16 2022 
Beyond The Pale
Reading Time: 9 minutesI recently wrote about my separation from the religious community I grew up in and the overwhelming response to my article was both encouraging and thought-provoking.
Many people wrote to me, both publicly and privately, to let me know that the article had deeply resonated with them. They expressed that they, too, have had many questions over the years, wrestling with inconsistencies while attempting to find their place in a system they secretly suspected they didn’t… -
Jun 07 2021 
Radical Social Change: A Letter To Philemon
Reading Time: 4 minutes“Injustice: unfairness, unjust act, Unfair: not equitable or honest, not impartial or according to rules, society: organised and interdependent community, system and organisation of this” – The Australian Oxford Dictionary, Third Edition
The issue of social injustice* has always been one that is close to my heart. It’s something that I like to talk to my kids about often, to try to impress upon them just how fortunate they are in many aspects of their life.… -
Apr 28 2021 
Beneath The Skin
Reading Time: 7 minutesWhat’s beneath the skin of our collective Christian identity?
Has Christianity lost touch with its original radical and beating heart? Are we so enamored with the power and prestige of this present world that we have forgotten our own history?
Are we, the church, so entertained by the lights and sounds, by the choreographed music, by the dimly lit stages and almond-milk-lattes-after-service that we’ve forgotten the ancient truths our early Christian brethren lived and died for?
Have we… -
Mar 05 2019 
Is Church-Going Still Relevant?
Reading Time: 6 minutesDespite Christianity still being Australia’s largest religion (61.1% compared with 7.3% of all other religions combined), the proportion of Australians identifying as Christian has been steadily declining over the past century. Compared to 1911, when 96% of people identified as Christian, the 2001 census recorded the figure of 68% and the latest Census, taken in 2011, recorded a drop to 61.1%.
New figures released in 2017 show that some 7 million Australians (30.1% of the population),… -
Jun 04 2018 
Avoiding Church Burnout
Reading Time: 4 minutesBurnout, particularly in relation to church life, is a subject that doesn’t get as much discussion as it should. Perhaps it’s because we tend to think that ‘doing lots of stuff’ and ‘attending lots of events’ is a requirement of any conscientious church member. We dutifully fill our calendars with copious church events, often to the exclusion of personal time, family time, or, most importantly, time with God.
(Not a reader? Take a listen instead ⇓)
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
Burnout is…
