How should Christians deal with tensions that arise between their faith and their citizenship? What does Christian citizenship look like? Read more
Published: 04/08/2017
We often hear the term secularism. Increasingly today, people envisage their life with no reference to a philosophical, ethical or moral code based on belief in God or other higher spiritual power. Brian Walsh observed this phenomenon decades ago: “Our consciousness, our imagination, our vision has been captured by idolatrous perceptions and ways of life. The dominant worldview, the all-pervasive secular consciousness, has captured our lives. …We were asleep to the secularisation of our live... Read more
Author: Cristian Romocea. Published: 06/07/2017
In How to Survive the Apocalypse, Robert Joustra and Alissa Wilkinson examine a number of popular stories – from the Cylons in Battlestar Galactica to the purging of innocence in Game of Thrones to the hordes of zombies in The Walking Dead– and argue that such apocalyptic stories reveal a lot about us here and now, about how we conceive of our life together, including some of our deepest tensions and anxieties. Read more
Published: 19/05/2017
The food economy is still an accessible place to begin working out an economy of membership.Wendell Berry's famous statement that ‘eating is an agricultural act’ has motivated many to reconsider the agricultural systems our eating habits promote. Yet Berry's writings also contend that eating is a spiritual act; when we eat, we enact our relationship with the rest of creation and with the Creator. Unfortunately, the social architecture of the developed world encourages us to imagi... Read more
Author: Jeffrey. Published: 02/04/2017
Many of us will be both puzzled and disturbed by this provocative claim from ethicist and theologian Oliver O'Donovan. It counters our gut-level intuitions and also runs counter to the spirit of the age in which ‘compromise’ is a dirty word. For Christians, the word evokes a sense of capitulation or assimilation, the sort of ‘friendship with the world’ that James describes as ‘enmity with God’ (James 4.4). To compromise is to give up and give in, to abandon one's principles... Read more
Author: James KA Smith. Published: 09/01/2017
‘Literary experience heals the wound, without undermining the privilege, of individuality … in reading great literature I become a thousand men [and women!] and yet remain myself. … Here, as in worship, in love, in moral action, and in knowledge, I transcend myself; and am never more myself than when I do.’ Read more
Author: Natasha Moore. Published: 28/11/2016
Academics from across China, Singapore, the UK and Australia today discussed how Christianity affects the values of both individuals and societies. Some seventy people – including theologians, historians and students – met at the Bible Society-backed International Conference on the Role of Christianity in Modern Society, Bible and Values. Read more
Author: Hazel Southam. Published: 11/11/2016
Hon. Anne Lino Wuor Abyie is a Member of the South Sudanese National Legislative Assembly.She is one of the South Sudanese MPs who attended the last two consecutive African Biblical Leadership (ABLI) Forums. Her passion is bringing the Bible to the ream of governance. As an MP she leads Bible Study programme at the houses of parliament every Monday. We sat together with her to discuss the Bible, public life and political climate in South Sudan. Read more
Author: Anne Linno . Published: 31/10/2016
In 2008, Fitna, a video linking Islam and violent conflict with Western civilization, became a massive hit on the web. The following year saw a similar phenomenon in Islamic Demographics. This is another wildly popular video – particularly among Christians – that uses statistics to argue for a looming Muslim takeover of the West. While offerings such as these are high on imagery and rhetoric, low on facts and references, it would be a mistake to dismiss this ‘conflict narrative’ as simpl... Read more
Author: Richard Shumack. Published: 24/10/2016
‘Love your enemies,’ Jesus said.
But does the daunting concept really apply to our hostile politics today? Can Democrats love conservatives? Is it possible for Hillary Clinton supporters to – gasp – love Donald Trump? Can Trump be loved even by Republicans who are convinced he is destroying their party?
Yes, actually. Read more
Author: Tom Krattenmaker,. Published: 17/10/2016
