by Akos Balough Could one simple question end the abortion debate? Could this question bring clarity and agreement, no matter which side of the fence you’re sitting on? It might seem unlikely, but I think it could. And it would do this by shifting the abortion narrative – the story that so much of our culture believes about abortion. The Current Abortion Narrative TV…
'Christian living' Tagged Posts
By Richard Chin (AFES) 4. Systems The systems—or organisational structures—produce their own cultural effect. The key is to understand the purpose of systems and set them up thoughtfully so that they serve God’s plan and strategy. For example, in Acts 6, the apostles had to organise a “system” to ensure that the daily distribution of food to all the widows was fair,…
By Richard Chin (AFES) GROWING A CULTURE THAT SERVES GOD’S STRATEGY Here’s a corny (but memorable!) acronym to create culture: MAPSss 1. Modelling Gospel Flexibility So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.Give no offense to Jews or to Greeks or to the church of God,just as I try to please everyone in everything I do, not seeking…
By Akos Balough 2) Christians Are Called to Have ‘Hope’ Eternal hope, as opposed to worldly hope. McKay and many others are right to look at this world, and realistically examine what’s wrong with it. But the Bible doesn’t just leave us with a picture of reality. It also promises that things will turn out for the best – just not in this…
By Akos Balough (from Gospel Coalition website) I’ve noticed people aren’t as optimistic about the future these days. In our post 9-11, post-GFC, post-Trump era, people are increasingly anxious. Optimism no longer abounds – at least not like it used to. Australian social researcher Hugh McKay has recently written about this in his book Australia Reimagined: Towards a More Compassionate, Less Anxious Australia. He details the challenges facing…
Glenn Hohnberg (The Gospel Coalition website) A real ‘yes’ could change your life. Jesus said, ‘But let your word ‘yes’ be ‘yes,’ and your ‘no’ be ‘no.’ Anything more than this is from the evil one.’ (Matthew 5:37) In the last year, I’ve been thinking how letting our yes be yes and our no be no could transform our lives. Jesus…
7 Deadly Sins – An Introduction Over the next seven weeks we will be looking at the ‘Seven Deadly Sins’: Greed, Lust, Envy, Gluttony, Anger, Pride and Slothfulness, exploring their relevance in today’s society and for our lives. For most of us though, the concept of the Seven Deadly Sins seems old and out-dated, something to be caricatured and laughed at or…
The Pillars That Grace Built – Part 2 (Chris Thomas concludes his two-part reflection on Law and Grace) Now the Jordan is at flood stage all during harvest. Yet as soon as the priests who carried the ark reached the Jordan and their feet touched the water’s edge, the water from upstream stopped flowing … (Joshua 3:15-16, NIV) A flooded Jordan was no…
Guidance on how to be a man by Peter Sholl Warning: this post contains an obvious conclusion, but read on anyway! I am a 40-something Christian man. I am married, and at the moment I live in Australia (although I usually live in Mexico). I enjoy the cricket, can cook a good steak, and will happily go to the beach. Like most…
How Christians Can Go Beyond The ‘Culture War’ – Part 2 Step 2: Resonate Understand the underlying desires that make them hold their view Once you’ve understood their position, you’re now ready for the next step: resonating with their viewpoint. The gospel doesn’t just challenge a culture, it also connects with it: Resonating means feeling the God-given ‘existential cry’ behind the other person’s position –…