The so-called prosperity gospel has been a matter of concern in certain Christian circles for some time. The phenomenon doesn’t look like abating any time soon, and American evangelicals have renewed their opposition, with 9 Marks covering it at the beginning of 2014, and the Gospel Coalition posting throughout the […]
Estimated reading time: 5 minutes
At St Andrew’s Hall, the learning centre for CMS Australia, our friends have just launched a six-part video course called Mission Mindset. The course outline begins, Rather than seeing ‘mission’ as something ‘special’ Christians do, the church is increasingly communicating that Jesus sends us out to continue his work and […]
Estimated reading time: 1 minute
This post is part of a series. A few years ago, I was on a parish council which received a request from a Korean congregation: would we be open to them using our building? It didn’t sound like a merger or even a partnership, just a congregation looking for a […]
Estimated reading time: 6 minutes
It’s been a recurring question for me sitting in traffic in Dar es Salaam: why do so many Tanzanian cars have a Playboy logo on them? The bunny stickers are very common, even if they aren’t quite as ubiquitous as the Muslim, Christian and soccer signage used on daladalas (often […]
Estimated reading time: 4 minutes
Some of us Christians in the West are claiming grave concerns about religious liberty and/or the decline of Western society. And we Christians are clearly losing the influence we once had. A lot of Christian commentary and ‘cultural analysis’ is coloured with these anxieties. What’s the world coming to? Are […]
Estimated reading time: 5 minutes
When it comes to the environment, Australia can be a confusing environment. We know Australia is a place of both abundance and fragility. Solar energy is readily available at the neighbourhood level, and we’re pretty sensitive about water use — suburban Adelaide has had good water restrictions in place almost […]
Estimated reading time: 5 minutes
As I shift back and forth between the two contexts of Australia and Tanzania, I see two overarching and related issues in play. One is to do with the nature of ‘world mission’ and cross-cultural ministry, the other is to do with the church’s situation in Australian society. In standard […]
Estimated reading time: 3 minutes