HUMANITY AND MEANING

It was the French mathematician Blaise Pascal who wrote of the God-shaped hole that lies within every human heart. Whilst it is said that Pascal may have originated the phrase, Augustine also hinted at the concept in his Confessions, saying that “Man [sic] is one of your creatures, Lord, and his instinct is to praise you. He bears about him the mark of death…But still, since he is a part of your creation, he wishes to praise you. The thought of you stirs him so deeply that he cannot be content unless he praises you, because you made us for yourself and our hearts find no peace until they rest in you.”

     In the 21st century we seem to have lost sight of what we are living for. We are so busy that we have lost the realisation that our lust for material gain to fill the void within is what controls our lives. Study after study has shown over the years that material wealth simply does not fill the emptiness. In fact, further evidence from the Australian Unity wellbeing index shows that, in Australia, once people start earning over $100,000 their level of happiness does not change. That means you can be a multi-millionaire and not be any happier than someone who is on a $100,000 salary.

   NILS VON KALM writes about man's search for meaning... | more... |

IT TAKES COURAGE TO APOLOGISE

On Wednesday, 11th June, while Canada's Prime Minister Stephen Harper was giving an official apology to Canada's Aboriginal People, my wife and I were driving into Regina, Saskatchewan, to attend the Rising Above National Conference on issues of abuse and residential schools. While the speech was historic and profound, I wasn't fully aware of what this apology was leading up to. Nor was I aware of how the events of this week would impact me.

     As we drove to our destination, we continued to listen to the speech broadcast live to the nation. Arriving at the conference site, we walked into an auditorium where some 200 Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people were watching the speech. Tears flowed throughout the gathering. It was a time of relief for some, yet very painful for others as it dug up memories that many kept hidden for years.
      During the next three days as I listened to people sharing their stories, I too found myself swept up in the whirlwind of horror, pain, and trauma. You see, I too am a survivor of physical and sexual abuse. While not an Aboriginal, nonetheless, I experienced abuse and have lived with those painful memories since I was ten years old.

     JIM UTTLEY, of Assist News Services, writes about what Canadian PM Stephen Harper's historic apology to Canada's Aboriginal people means to him... | more... |

STRENGTH TO DELIVER

Since the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, Americans have become keenly aware of the uncertainty of our nation’s future. We have faced the shocking reality that neither our commerce nor our strong military can ensure our security. And we have been awakened to the vast extent of turmoil beyond our shores.

  The question is: What do we as Christians do in these troubled times?

  Steps toward solutions are complex. Yet this we do know:  We need a habitation of God’s presence to change us and compel us to impact our society with the Gospel.

    It’s not a time for status quo Christian living. The world is desperately searching for answers. And I believe that America in particular will come to her knees and experience revival either by a birthing or a shaking.

   DOUG STRINGER issues a challenge for the future... | more... |

FEMINISM AND FEMININITY IN THE 21ST CENTURY

Have we reached our goal? Are women and men equal in today's society? Are women achieving the most they can? Or has our society become derailed somewhere along the trek to gender equality?

    I have many girlfriends who struggle with ideas of what, how and how much they should work. One friend confided years ago that she felt that the money she earned she could spend on herself, but not the money her husband earned. Is that equality? What about the couples who put all their money into the 'pot', and then split it 50-50? Is that equality? Where are we - the golden age of true comradery and partnership, still mired in a dungheap of injustice, or just confused?

     Before I go on, I know that many people will not listen to my opinion until they know where I'm coming from...well, neither would I. So, I am now 30, raised by an old-school feminist, currently staying at home full-time and raising our three children (three, two and under one). There - got me fitted nicely into that box?

     KATHERINE BORN examines what it means to be female in the new millennium... | more... |

YOUR PRIVACY - GUARD IT OR LOSE IT

Is there any such thing as a "private citizen" any more? In an age of ID theft and vastly increased public surveillance, is privacy dead?

     These were among the questions put to me in a radio interview recently.

     There's no doubt that, if we are to live in a safe and lawful society, we will need to compromise some aspects of our privacy - especially as the potential for technology-based crime increases.

     Most of us are willing to pay such a price to enjoy the benefits of a globalised, interconnected consumer society. However, we are concerned when we read how anti-terrorism laws and the like are used to "spy" on innocent citizens, as happened recently with a UK Borough Council.

MAL FLETCHER takes a look at where our reliance on technological surveillance may lead us... | more... |

"NO CHILDREN ALLOWED. PETS ARE WELCOME."

My two-year-old-son, who usually receives a lot of attention here in Tokyo because of his blue eyes and blonde hair, was recently upstaged by a pet dog, dressed in a pink dress, sitting in a pram. As we stood side-by-side, my son was ignored as passers by only had eyes for the dog in the pram.

     It is not uncommon for little girls to “play mothers” and dress up the family dog or cat in doll's clothes, push the pet around in a pram and treat it like a baby. But an adult man or woman doing the same thing might raise questions about their mental well-being, that is unless they live in Japan.

     One of the biggest things I’ve noticed since living in Japan, is the number of pet-owners who treat their dogs as they would their own children, nurturing them with love and affection. I had seen this on a lesser scale in Australia, but in a city with more than 12 million people, everything is magnified in Tokyo. I soon became aware of the number of stores for dogs and dog owners, with merchandise ranging from the usual pet related products to designer clothes and diamond collars for the beloved pooch.

    CORAL VASS takes a look at why so many Japanese are splurging on their pets... | more... |

AUSTRIAN CAPTIVES  - SYMPTOM OF A DISCONNECTED SOCIETY?

People across Europe read with alarm this week's news that a woman in Austria, had been held captive in a basement by her father for twenty-four years. In that time she was raped repeatedly so that she bore him seven children, one of whom died.

     The woman was in her early twenties when she was locked in the four-roomed basement. Now in her forties, she apparently opened up to police only when she was assured she would never see her father again.

     The man, now in his seventies, is now being held by police.

     Some might see this as a blight on Austria - and it is - but it is also a blight on the rest of western society. We all share a detachment from our neighbour which makes this kind of thing, while unlikely, still very possible.

    MAL FLETCHER wonders whether in our rush to embrace technology, people in the Western world are missing out on 'real communication' ... | more... |

THE IMPORTANCE OF THE FUTURE

The New Yorker described him as 'one of the truly prophetic figures of the space age.' There can be no doubt that Sir Arthur C. Clarke was very influential both in the area of sci-fi writing - he was, after all, the co-writer of 2001: A Space Odyssey with Stanley Kubrick - and, indeed, within science itself, for a great many scientists are familiar with his work.

     Clarke's recent death and the media response to it remind us again of the interest we post-moderns have in all things futuristic. As I noted in my own book The Church of 2020:
     "The study of the future has become big business today...Futurists charge their corporate clients huge sums of money for the benefit of their research and their prognostications about what is to come. Future study has also become a form of entertainment. Sci-fi movies haven't lost their popular appeal over the years. If anything they've grown in stature as much of today's technology fulfils the seemingly fantastic promises made by early sci-fi writers. Bookstores now feature whole sections devoted to the study of the future."

In the wake of the recent death of science-fiction writer, Sir Arthur C. Clarke, MAL FLETCHER takes a look at our growing fascination with the future and argues that Christians should not fear the future but approach it with boldness... | more... |

STEALING BACK TIME

There are never enough hours in the day! Where has the year gone?! Is it that time already? These are the common questions of a society out of time; a society like ours, in which we have so much we want to do, or as Bono puts it 'where freedom looks like too many choices'. The title of a well known book from some years ago called The Thieves of Time suitably describes how many of us feel in our day-to-day lives. Well, whoever the thieves of time were, it’s time we stole it back.

     When I read through the Gospels, one of the things I notice is that Jesus never saw anything as an interruption to what he was doing. Consider the instances where He is on his way somewhere, either to preach, heal, or minister in some other way, and He is stopped in his tracks by a person such as the woman who had a bleeding problem. In desperate faith she touches his cloak, knowing that she will be healed.

     NILS VON KALM takes some time out to reflect on our busy lifestyles... | more... |

SUICIDE - READING THE WARNING SIGNS AND HELPING A FRIEND

The suicide deaths of 17 teenagers in and around Bridgend, Wales, since January 2007 has put the ugly subject of suicide back in the headlines across the UK and Europe as a whole.

     It’s an ugly and heartbreaking subject because of the tragedy of wasted young lives, and the mess of shame, anger and recrimination suicide leaves with families and friends.

     Psychologists and others in the region are looking for reasons as to why this spate of suicides is happening. Theories abound; including the idea - as yet unproven - that they are somehow directly linked via the Internet.

MAL FLETCHER looks at how we can all help to tackle the issue of suicide ... | more... |

'IN THE WORLD' BUT NOT 'OF THE WORLD': HOLINESS, CITIZENSHIP AND THEME OF 'EXILE'

To be ‘in the world’ but not ‘of the world’ is a well-known phrase drawn from the final discourse of Jesus in John 17. It captures most fittingly the tension that Christians experience between the call to discipleship and the norms and pressures of the day-to-day world in which that discipleship must be lived out.

     Seeking to be ‘in sync’ with the ‘not of the world’ call of Jesus, Evangelicals of an era not-too-long ago were especially concerned with certain activities which were considered to betray ‘personal holiness’ such as smoking, drinking any alcohol, dancing, watching particular kinds of movies - or any movies - and, of course, sexual promiscuity. These prohibited activities ranged from those clearly proscribed by the Bible to those that to fellow Evangelicals seemed rather arbitrary. Be that as it may, the thing which linked all these was the concern with personal morality.

    IAN PACKER, director of public theology at the Australian Evangelical Alliance, talks about what is meant by the 'politics of exile'... | more... |

THE CHRISTIAN MESSAGE AND SELF-ESTEEM

When talking about proper love of self and how God loves all of us, many Christians strongly hold the view that you cannot love others until you love yourself. In my view, this is not Biblical and therefore a heresy. I would challenge anyone to find a verse or passage in the Bible that says that you cannot love others until you love yourself.

     To respond to this, most Christians who hold to this popular view quote Jesus' saying in Mark 12:28-31 that the greatest commandment is to love God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength, and to love your neighbour as yourself. So, clearly we have to love ourselves so that we can love others. After all, you cannot give something that you haven't got.
      The problem with this view is that Jesus still says that we are to love God and love our neighbour. It is about giving. The focus is on others and not on us. This is linked to what is classically called the 'golden rule' - "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you". In a particular situation, think about what you would most want that person to do for you if you were in their position, and do it for them.

    NILS VON KALM takes a look at what it means to have a healthy self-esteem... | more... |

CHALLENGING OUR NOTIONS OF THE GREAT COMMISSION

I am totally committed to the Great Commission in Matthew 28:18-20.

     I learned about it when I was a young Christian. For a long time I thought that it was about bringing people to Christ - both locally and overseas - and telling them how to “go to heaven”. Once they had been converted to Christianity, we would teach them how to be disciples, which meant doing a lot of “Christian things”. They included: Read the Bible; pray everyday; go to church every Sunday; participate in mid-week church activities; tithe; give money to overseas mission and the poor; and, above all, tell other people how to do all of the above!

     But at a closer look we find that these are not entirely right. First, Jesus didn’t really say that we are to tell people how to “go to heaven”. Yes, the Bible says that those who believe in Jesus will have eternal life. But it doesn’t say that after death there will be some kind of heavenly bliss. Instead, John tells us in Revelation that we will live in a new city, where God will dwell with us (21:2-3, 10). (Note that John says that the city will come down “out of” heaven.)

    SIU FUNG WU takes a closer look at what the Great Commission is all about... | more... |

BRITNEY SPEARS & CO - KEEPING YOUR KIDS AWAY FROM THE CELEBRITY TRAP

How can you keep your kids from falling in love with the celebrity ideal? If you're a parent, and especially if you have teenagers, you will have asked this question along the way.

     A few years ago, a European survey of young adults asked, ‘What would make you most happy in life?’ The number one response was: ‘I’d be truly happy if I could be famous.’ When asked the follow-up question, ‘famous for what?’, the answer was usually, ‘It doesn’t matter...just famous for anything.’

   The New Year has hardly dawned and already we’re reminded about the ‘dark side’ of celebrity. Britney Spears, once the highest selling female artist on the planet, has lost the legal right to see her own children because of her desperate and perhaps despairing behaviour.

   Sadly, this very talented but troubled young woman has been on a downward spiral for some time. Many people look on in sorrow and bewilderment, asking: "Doesn't anyone in her inner circle have what it takes to reach her and turn her around?"

    MAL FLETCHER takes a look at the 'celebrity trap' and outlines his tips for how parents can help their children avoid it... | more... |

WHAT'S WRONG WITH CHRISTIAN MEDIA?

"Everyone may be talking about digital switch-overs by 2012, but some things will never change - like the godly qualities that inspire trust; the qualities that make us trustworthy.

     "This is where those of us involved in the independent Christian broadcast sector have an important and even prophetic role to play.

    "In the Christian worldview, trustworthiness is a virtue based not first in human nature, but in the nature and character of God. Perhaps more than any other media community, we can model trustworthiness to a generation that has seen so little of it. In the process, we can put ourselves at the centre of an important cultural conversation."

    In a controversial speech to the Christian Broadcasting Council (UK) in late November, MAL FLETCHER talks about the future of Christian media... | more... |

FAITH AND POLITICS - A CLOSER LOOK AT THE SIN OF SODOM

No doubt the church is increasingly interested in public policy issues. About 700 churches across the country participated in the Rudd-Howard webcast in August, where the two political leaders were asked where they stood on a range of moral and justice issues. According to some reports, over 100,000 Christians took part in the event. This is a clear indication of their interest in political debates.
      But among Christians there seems to be a difference of opinion regarding which policy issues are most important. Some Christians think that social justice issues are most important. Others, especially evangelical and Pentecostal Christians, tend to be more concerned about personal morality issues, such as same-sex civil union and embryonic stem cell research.

     SIU FUNG WU puts a different slant on the Biblical story of Sodom... | more... |

REMEMBERING BURMA

The human hunch is a powerful indicator that things are not right. And so it was when our group stepped across the border from Thailand into Burma. It was my first trip overseas and I had been confronted with HIV, leprosy and poverty in Thailand along with the exuberant smiles and graceful hospitality of the Thai people.

     At the border we were met by heavily armed security. There were obvious language barriers but our guide spoke and we were motioned forward. Without really thinking about the ramifications, I passed over my passport which was studied and then kept. We stepped into Burma and there was the hunch, the taste in the mouth, the tightening of the neck muscles, the narrowing of peripheral vision.

     I questioned why our passports were not returned - “If something happens, they will be destroyed and we were never here” my friend replied. My breath shortened and I start to notice the humidity and heat like the pressure of something heavy.

     ADAM KELSALL finds memories of a trip to Burma several years ago have come flooding back... | more... |

OF FAITH AND FOOTBALL

It was the great Liverpool manager of the 1960s and 70s, Bill Shankly, who, when asked in an interview about football being a matter of life and death, replied: “I am very disappointed with that attitude. I can assure you it is much, much more important than that".

    If you live in Melbourne, you would have to have been asleep for the last couple of weeks to not be aware of finals fever. September is in the air. It is that time of year when the smell of the grass fills your nostrils, when spring has started and the weather is a little warmer, and Monday's experts - to use a phrase from a popular song some years ago - are out in force. If your team is involved, you can feel the excitement as you make your way with the droves of other worshippers to pay homage at the temple, otherwise known as the MCG.

     NILS VON KALM on his love for Christ - and for AFL club Hawthorn... | more... |

TOWARDS A THEOLOGY OF WEALTH

It should have become clear that the right response to the good news is not merely about giving money to the poor. The theology of wealth is all about true discipleship - one that embraces the poor like Jesus. It is about identifying with those in humble circumstances by giving up one’s own privileges, power and status.

     Thus the issue is not about whether God wants to prosper us with lots of money, or whether we should remain poor like George Muller. It is about our willingness to respond to the call of genuine discipleship.

     Those who enjoy financial prosperity not only have to watch out for the “love of money”, but also the love of honour, status and privileges. On the other hand, there is a danger when one thinks that poverty is a way to attain some form of “superior spirituality”.

     In the second part of a two part article, SIU FUNG WU looks at how our call to discipleship should shape our response to money... | more... |

Perhaps more than ever we need a theology of wealth. Why? Three reasons immediately come to mind. First, Christians in the West are richer than most people in the rest of the world. If most of us are relatively rich by the world’s standard, how, then, should we use our wealth?

     In the first part of a two part article, SIU FUNG WU takes a look at what it means to be wealthy for a Christian... | more... |

SHAKEN AND STIRRED IN ACEH

The recent flooding in Bangladesh, and the enormous suffering that came with it, hardly rated a mention in Australian media. Watching SBS brought back memories almost three years old.

     I went from a Brisbane lounge room to a makeshift office in Banda Aceh during the terrible weeks of early 2005.

     “Oh s**t, that’s bigger than last week!”
     “I’m getting outside.”
     “Sir! I cannot swim.”
     “It’s all right Bunda. There isn’t another big wave coming.”

     Our middle aged translator fled. The army sergeant shook his head and gave me that look.

     “Yeah, right sir. How long have you been a qualified seismologist?”

     That exchange took place in the former morgue, amidst the wreckage of Banda Aceh’s largest hospital. I served there for almost six weeks on the Australian Task Force sent in the wake of the Boxing Day tsunami. As officer in command of media operations, I dealt with the international press corps covering the Australian Defence Force relief effort.

     PHIL SMITH recalls how the Boxing Day tsunami challenged his faith... | more... |

BLAIR DEPARTS - A REFLECTION ON LEADERSHIP

Today I rode in a cab past the Palace of Westminster just as Tony Blair was closing his final Prime Minister’s Question Time, and bidding farewell to 10 years as premier of Britain.

      A few minutes earlier we had passed Buckingham Palace, where news crews were already setting up to cover the arrival of Blair for his final audience with the Queen; just before Gordon Brown would arrive to be asked to head the government.

      The British media have been talking about this day for a long while. Of course, as you’d expect in a vibrant democracy, many people have been hoping for an end to the Blair era for years. Despite the misgivings of many, though, he had still managed to win three terms in government, a feat never before achieved by a Labour leader.

      Later in the day, I arrived in Paris, where the French have recently seen a change of personnel at the top, with President Sarokozy commencing his term in office.

      As these leadership changes take place, I’m reminded that leadership at any level is a temporary thing; that leaders have only so much time in which they can bring change.

     MAL FLETCHER on what makes a good leader... | more... |

THE ESSENCE OF HUMILITY

Far be it from me to write an article on humility. At first it strikes me as kind of ironic to be writing an article on this topic, given that it will probably be read by many people. It's dangerously good for my ego, and therefore not good at all. It can be dangerous for me, someone who likes being upfront and receiving affirmation, to write an article on what it is to be humble. Who do I think I am?

      However, write this I will, and I pray that it will not be me writing, but the Holy Spirit who guides me and teaches me more about humility as I write. For if there is one thing I have learned over the last couple of years, it is that doing life my own way does not work. I cannot do life on my own. I need someone or something bigger than me to guide me. Otherwise I keep running into walls and end up being selfish, resentful, fearful, anxious and unloving. It is God who keeps me on the straight and narrow.

      Philip Yancey writes of heroes of his who have exercised humility by finding a group overlooked and undeserved. Listen to what he says: “I think of Dr. Paul Brand, a promising young physician who volunteered in India as the first orthopaedic surgeon to work with leprosy patients. Or of Henri Nouwen, professor at Notre Dame, Yale, and Harvard, who ended up among people having a fraction of those students' IQs: the mentally handicapped at L'Arche homes in France and Toronto. Both of these men demonstrated to me that downward mobility can lead to the success that matters most.”

      NILS VON KALM sets out in search of true humility... | more... |

THE GOSPEL AS PUBLIC TRUTH

The term ‘public theology’ is increasingly being used to make the point that biblical and theological principles have relevance outside the four walls of the church. Christian ministry to the world in which we live is more than ethics and evangelism.

     ‘Public theology’ covers social and cultural analysis, workplace ministry, political involvement and social ethics. It deals with the public relevance of Christian doctrine and aims at overcoming the privatised and domesticated view of faith which has long restricted Christian influence. A privatised view of faith has suited both secularists and many Christians who have accommodated to this demarcation of life’s issues and focused on personal and family issues while leaving broader issues of public life alone.
      But the past few years has seen a significant change in attitude, evidenced in the politicisation of evangelical groups previously committed to being (at least nominally) a-political. Theologically, this fits well with the claim of theologian and ethicist Oliver O’Donovan in Desire of the Nations that "theology must be political if it is to be evangelical".

      Dr BRIAN EDGAR, director of public theology at the Australian Evangelical Alliance, on the value - and dangers - of public theology... | more... |

THE GAME OF POLITICS

Recently we have seen another Federal Budget come and go. The pork barreling has happened again, and of course no one is surprised, especially in an election year. This is what we expect months out from an election. According to the media, this was a good budget in that it gave something for everyone and no one missed out.
      In the budget we were also introduced to the Government's own version of Kevin Rudd's 'education revolution'. In addition to what we saw in the budget, we have seen the Government soften its stance on its contentious industrial relations laws by introducing a fairness test. In the process they clearly outsmarted the Opposition.

      Australians have become used to such budgets and such promises by our leaders, and we have also been numbed to the media response. We are not surprised at the media's reporting that these government initiatives are very strategically thought out to put the Government in the best position to outsmart the Opposition and prepare itself for the upcoming election.

      NILS VON KALM calls for Christians to stand up and help to "change the direction of the wind"... | more... |

SUFFERING WELL?

You might find the topic of suffering an odd subject to write, but I find it quite appropriate. I find that most, if not all, of us cringe at the thought of suffering. Quite naturally I suppose. However, I want to dive into the not-so-natural way to endure suffering, or, you could say, the 'supernatural' way to suffer.
      Honestly, I find the idea of suffering a most repulsive thought myself, but that doesn't change the reality of enduring my fair share of it. In fact, that is why I have developed a mindset of learning to suffer in a manner that brings glory to God. Let me say right up front that I have not perfected this at any level, but I have made it one of my life goals.

      Quite possibly there are those of you who are already thinking to yourselves 'what a morbid topic'. My suggestion would be to take a step back and examine what Jesus told us as believers we would endure. So, for the purposes of this article, pick up your cross and come along with me as we strive to learn to suffer well.

      CHRIS THOMPSON writes about one of the paradoxes of Christianity... | more... |

THE FOOTPRINTS MYSTERY

Such a beautiful poem, yet it has become the subject of such a bitter fight. Although many have stepped forward to claim authorship of the Footprints poem that has inspired millions across the world, there are three major contenders: Carolyn Carty, Margaret Fishback Powers, and Mary Stevenson.

     CAROLYN CARTY
     Carolyn Carty says that she wrote the Footprints poem in 1963, while grieving the death of her grandfather. She was just six-years-old. Although this seems an amazing feat, Carty was quick to point out that she was able to read and write fluently from four-years-old, and comes from a long line of teachers and preachers. She was inspired by a poem written by her grandmother, as well as Longfellow’s poem A Psalm of Life and John F. Kennedy’s immortal words: "Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country".

      Originally content to stay out of the limelight, Carty became so outraged when others began to claim authorship and cash-in on her work that she decided to come forward. “It is hard to be noble in this situation,” she told me. "It only came to my attention in May 2003 that others were not only claiming authorship, but were collecting money that does not belong to them."

      JANET CAMILLERI takes a look at the controversial origins of the Footprints poem... | more... |

THE UPSIDE DOWN KINGDOM...OR IS IT?

There is a brilliant book called The Upside Down Kingdom by Donald Kraybill, which explains how the kingdom of God is so opposite to what the world teaches about what is important in life. The world teaches us to look out for number one while Jesus teaches us to deny ourselves and love our enemies. The world teaches us that having more and more will make you happy. Jesus asks us what will it profit someone if they gain the world yet lose their very self?

      However it is my view that it is not the kingdom that is upside down, it is the world that has things the wrong way around (I need to state that Kraybill says this also, however he simply wishes to retain the upside down image to focus on certain issues).

      When I think of this term, I think of the way of Jesus, being the way things were meant to be. When we follow Jesus, we are being who God originally meant us to be. It is when we follow the ways of the world that things turn upside down. The ways of the kingdom are the right way up.

    NILS VON KALM takes a look at the right way up... | more... |

A CRY FOR CREATIVITY?

A German boy, aged 15, lapsed into a coma recently after excessive alcohol consumption at a ‘Flat Rate Party’.
      His case serves to highlight again the problem of rising alcohol abuse rates among Europe's teenagers.

      The young German was allowed entry to an event where patrons are allowed to consume as much alcohol as they want for a flat fee. Apparently, nobody bothered to check his age - the legal drinking age in Germany, as in much of Europe, is 18 years.

      Many across Europe are questioning why, in an age of unprecedented prosperity and opportunity, young people are turning to alcohol in a way that puts their health, even their lives, at risk.

      Indeed, for some young people, alcohol consumption seems to have become a form of personal expression. It's almost as if they feel they cannot be truly alive, or creative, without a few stiff drinks.

    MAL FLETCHER argues that drinking to excess among young people reflects the lack of long-term creativity in their lives... | more... |

BILLY THORPE AND GOD - THE SPIRITUAL SEARCH OF A ROCK ICON

In a period of less than a year a number of prominent Australians have left this world for that which lies beyond. Steve Irwin, noted for his contribution to conservation and wildlife, Peter Brock, Australian car racing legend, and now, Billy Thorpe, Australian rock icon, best known as the leading figure of Billy Thorpe and the Aztecs.

      Each departure has brought a mixture of shock, disbelief and grief to people across Australia, and to varying degrees worldwide. The last of the three, Billy Thorpe, is an interesting study. A man who according to many accounts, and his own writings, in both the musical and literary sense, was on a spiritual search. Did Billy Thorpe find God? We may never know, but he was certainly a man possessed by the knowledge that there is more to this earthly life.

      Much has been written about Billy Thorpe in recent days. His funeral, attended by famous celebrities ranging from Bryan Brown, Olivia Newton-John and Jack Thompson, to musicians such as Max Merritt, Normie Rowe, and Col Joye paid tribute to his impact on the Australian music scene and to Billy Thorpe as a man. Friends noted that Billy Thorpe was on a lifelong spiritual search without elaborating regarding whether or not he had found what he was looking for.

     RUSSELL STUBBINGS reflects on the Australian view of the afterlife... | more... |

SIGNS OF A CULTURE IN DECAY

Much has been written about the moral decay of western culture. It hasn't just been in recent years either. For many years, people have decried the decadence and hypocrisy of our affluent, individualistic western culture. Mahatma Gandhi was once asked what he thought of western civilisation. He replied, “I think it would be a great idea”. In the 21st century, nothing seems to have changed. We are as self-interested as ever, we have never been richer and we have never been so unhappy. We are still a culture in decay.

      In June last year, the New Economics Foundation produced the 'Happy Planet Index', a measure that addresses the relative success or failure of countries in supporting a good life for their citizens, while respecting the environmental resource limits upon which all our lives depend. Of the 178 countries included in the report, none of the wealthy G8 countries ranked in the top 60. The best was Italy which ranked 66th. Australia ranked 139th. We need not be surprised when we such a ranking. Consider some of the following indicators that our culture is in a serious mess.

    Amid the signs of a "culture in decay", NILS VON KALM finds that all you need is love... | more... |

ENTERING THE 'PROMISED LAND'

Late one night recently, The Lord rebuked me for a case of spiritual pride.

      God does miraculous things in our lives - rescues us from bondage. But that is not all that he wants to do in us and through us: He then wishes for us to walk into freedom; to claim our spiritual and even worldly promised land(s).

      We often speak of how the Jewish nation was miraculously rescued out of bondage to the Egyptians, and then we can read the frustrating history of how they wandered in the wilderness for 40 years; before finally entering their Promised Land.

      And I must confess that there have been times when I have scoffed and even joked about the length of time that it took the “chosen ones” to get to the point of spiritual maturity and righteousness, to be permitted to walk in and claim their destiny.

     NICK HODGSON goes jogging and learns a lesson about dying to self... | more... |

COSMIC RENEWAL - WATER, WATER, WATER

Where has the rain gone? Victorians started 2007 with the introduction of stage three water restrictions. Similar restrictions are currently enforced in Sydney (level three) and Brisbane (level four). In many parts of Australia people are enduring much tougher water restrictions and indeed experiencing a severe drought.

      Interestingly, Melbournians just had their city’s coldest Christmas day on record, which came with rain, hail, and snow in the mountains. Yet it was seen as the best Christmas gift for eastern Victorians as they battled a prolonged bushfire, which was in turn a result of extremely dry weather.

      According to the Bureau of Meteorology, 2006 was the second driest year for south-eastern Australia, and the nation’s average temperature had risen by 0.9 degrees Celcius since 1910 - presumably a significant change for the earth’s delicate climate system.

     SIU FUNG WU goes below the surface in a look at Australia's water crisis... | more... |

LIVING IN A 'MICROCHIP CULTURE'

Shoppers could soon pay for goods using a microchip implanted under the skin, according to a report in The Times newspaper in the UK recently.
      The idea, says the report, is already catching on with today’s iPod generation, with one study showing that one in 10 teenagers and one in 20 adults already willing to have a microchip implanted to pay shop bills and help to prevent identity fraud.
      The VIP Baja Beach Club in Barcelona already uses implanted human body chips to identify its exclusive clientele - ostensibly because wearing bikinis and shorts leaves nowhere to carry wallets and purses. Members use the chip to gain access and to pay for services.

    MAL FLETCHER says while 'digital money' has its advantages, there are serious implications for our freedom and privacy... | more... |

CALLING TIME ON BOYS BEHAVING BADLY

As an Australian Rules Football enthusiast (that’s the one where highly skilled players attempt to kick goals with an oval ball for those who prefer lesser sporting endeavours) I am suffering with major internal conflict.

      Everything I love about the sport is still there: the skill, speed, bumps, tackles, agility, high marks, courage, camaraderie, the smell of Dencorub, the atmosphere of a big crowd, remarkable goals that seem to defy physical laws, yet something is amiss.

     Over the past few years I have become increasingly disturbed by the boorish, rude, arrogant, and inappropriate behaviour modeled by our so called elite footballers, and those at local league levels who seem to follow suit. A number of high profile recent cases in both Australia and overseas come to mind - many involving drink-driving or violence - which typify the disturbing behaviour of many so-called stars.

     RUSSELL STUBBINGS argues that it's time for sports organisations at all levels to blow the whistle on poor behaviour on and off the field... | more... |

THE CHRISTIAN VOTE

There is no doubt that Christians are increasingly keen to influence Australian politics today. This is especially so among evangelical and Pentecostal Christians. Within my own small circle of friends, I have met three Christians running for seats in the Victorian state election in November. Their courage and passion are commendable and demand our prayers.
       The recent enthusiasm to influence government policies has prompted me to reflect on how Christians should vote in the present political environment. In the following I will argue that the motivation of voting for Christian political candidates must go beyond their making a stand on certain moral issues. Christians in politics find themselves in a position to bear witness to the character of God and the values of His kingdom. In our voting, we need to prayerfully select those whose lives and policies truly reflect God’s justice and mercy.

     SIU FUNG WU argues that the decision to vote for a Christian politician should be about more than just their stand on "certain moral issues"... | more... |

THE DANGERS OF ALCOHOL

One of the traditional activities of Wesley Mission over the centuries has been opposition to alcohol. An irony has emerged in the fight against alcohol: on the one hand, there has been a greater acceptance of it among the churches, while on the other hand there has been growing scientific concern about its dangers!

      I recently took part in Alcohol Awareness Week, a national initiative to alert people to the dangers of alcohol. I chair the NSW network that coordinates some of the events. The network is an ad hoc grouping of churches and other organisations that support a total abstinence policy on alcohol.

      The network has this total abstinence policy, first, because it believes that alcohol is a dangerous drug. It is far more dangerous than the government’s official “harm minimisation” approach suggests - and so it should be treated as such.

     Dr KEITH SUTER says there needs to be a rethink on how we approach alcohol... | more... |

THE EMERGING CHURCH - GROWING MISSIONAL CHURCHES IN AUSTRALIA TODAY

When Bob Dylan lyrically commented on the changing times back in 1963, little did he know the extent of the social and cultural change which would follow. Today we are faced with rapid change, both locally and globally. It is the rapidly changing times in which we live which makes Christian mission in Australia a unique challenge fraught with many difficulties and obstacles, and yet, at the same time, many possibilities and rewards.

      The Problem: Marginalization of the Church
      In postmodern, secular society the church has been marginalized, no longer enjoying the influence it once had. For many Australians the church is regarded as irrelevant and even obsolete - an attitude that brings church planting into the realm of missionary activity. For those in Australia who seek to grow the Kingdom of God, a deliberate missionary strategy is needed in order to impact the local community, restore the relevancy of the church, and rekindle interest in the Christian faith. As evangelistic, mission-minded believers we need to see ourselves as missionaries working in cross-cultural contexts, immersed in communities where people are largely unchurched and show little interest in Christianity.

     RUSSELL STUBBINGS takes a look at "incarnational ministry"... | more... |

CELEBRATING FATHER'S DAY

Well, well, well, it's that time of year again. Father's Day is next Sunday, 3rd September, here in Australia. We all know that Father's Day is close because of all the adverts for tools coming on our television and filling our mailbox.

    How did it all start?

    It actually started with a woman. Sonora Louise Smart Dodd, first conceived the idea of a Father's Day while listening to a Mother's Day sermon. Mother's Day was first celebrated by the ancient Greeks and then again in 17th century England as "Mothering Sunday". In the US, Anne Jarvis revitalised the concept during the American Civil War and it was eventually officially made a holiday in the early 1900s.

     WARWICK MARSH takes a look at the origins of Father's Day ... | more... |

WHAT WOULD JESUS SAY TO AN AIRPORT TERRORIST?

Terrorism is the use of violence or the threat of violence to coerce or manipulate people's behaviour.

      The history of terrorism over the past 20 years reads like a medieval horror story gone wrong. There's a long list of terrorist actions, but some caught our attention in a very big way.

      Like the 1988 bombing of Pan Am flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland where 270 people lost their lives (21st December). And the 1995 bombing of the Federal Building in Oklahoma City, which left 168 people dead and hundreds more injured (19th April).

      During the 1990s, authorities around the world began to identify a new breed of terrorist. These people were not necessarily poor or oppressed. They were often well educated and sometimes wealthy.

  MAL FLETCHER looks at how Jesus would view terrorism... | more... |

JUSTICE, RIGHTEOUSNESS, AND ABSOLUTES

The renowned British statesman Benjamin Disraeli once declared that “Justice is truth in action!”. I believe it was Eric Pement of Jesus People USA who penned “There can be not justice without truth and there can be no truth without absolutes!”

      If these statements are in anyway accurate, then we are faced with a serious problem in our postmodern culture. Why? Because 'justice', the universal cry of all hearts believed to be unjustly treated, cannot be delivered in a relativist environment.

      For justice to be dispensed it must be the product of and founded on truth, but as we see for truth to be such, it must be predicated on absolutes. Ravi Zacharias defines truth as follows: "A property assigned to an assertion, which corresponds with reality as it is." This property and assertion must be truth, must be so for all people at all times. However, who is it that puts legs on this thing? Who is it that determines ultimate absolutes? Man? Which human being or group could be trusted or believed to produce such a thing?

  In part two, SHANE VARCOE explores the relationship between truth and justice... | more... |

A TRUTH TO DIE FOR?

I believe it was Martin Luther King Jr who said "Until a man has found something to die for, he cannot really live."

      The difficulty with this proposition in a relativism satiated post-modern age, spawned only from the metaphorical parents of 'no constraints on self' and 'unprecedented prosperity', is that we have trouble choosing which 'truth' to subscribe to.

      Many delude themselves that we have successfully demolished absolutes, and therefore we have before us a veritable 'smorgasbord' of theosophical options - all now equally valid. So what criteria do we use in our selection of this ultimate investment? And, in the First World West, with the sociological DNA of comfort, ease and the 'self' first’, is any lucidity really possible?

  In part one of a two part essay, SHANE VARCOE explores the meaning of truth... | more... |

COLLISION COURSE: CONSUMER CULTURE AND CHRISTIANITY

We live in an era of great paradox. Prosperity and wealth on the one hand, poverty and severe lack on the other. The Western world in particular is marked by a continual quest for accumulating material possessions, money and wealth. One only needs to scan the shelves of any book store to be convinced of our obsession with becoming rich. Church leaders inform us that we need more money and need to orient our thoughts towards accumulating wealth. But is this merely a reflection of the culture in which we live or a Biblical mandate? Do we have a God-given right to dream of wealth and riches, even if it does mean we can then “bless others”?

      Those of us who belong to the community of God need to seriously consider our response to this message of consumerism and wealth. What does the Bible teach us about money, materialism and consumerism? It is easy to blindly accept what we hear and see, and sometimes we can fall victim to the subtle infiltration of worldly values and attitudes into the church. As a counter-cultural movement, the church must firstly be aware of the gods of the age, and secondly resist their entry into the very culture and fabric of the church.

   RUSSELL STUBBINGS explains why the church should be resisting 'consumer culture'... | more... |

WILL BEING COOL SAVE THE CHURCH IN A 'POST- CHRISTIAN' CULTURE?

I am lounging back in my chair as I sip my coffee with my friend and fellow follower of Jesus. Our lunch is taking place in one of Melbourne’s hip inner city latte zones. We are discussing ministry over some Moroccan food. In this cool neighborhood, we do not look out of place, no way! These two pastors look the part! We look nothing like the Ned Flanders cliched image that most non-Christians have of Christians. We have managed to achieve that level of careful dressing so as to be stylish without really trying. “Yeah, these two men of God feel right at home in this cool world.”

      But then everything goes wrong. One of the hip natives of this 'land of cool' plants himself next to us and orders lunch. No stress - our cultural signals will not give away our status as believers in Jesus. Everything is going well until my friend drops the J- BOMB.

   MARK SAYERS looks at whether churches should be trying to be 'cool' ... | more... |

ADULTESCENCE! HOW THE YOUTHIFICATION OF OUR CULTURE CHANGES EVERYTHING FOR CHRISTIAN LEADERS

We are turning into a massive youth culture. A society in which being young is an attitude, not an age. Overall this social wave is going to radically affect how we run and structure our congregations. Planning how we respond now is key for the life and sustainability of many of our churches. But I hear you asking, ‘What has happened to the whole concept of young people growing up getting married, getting a real job and a hair cut when they hit their 20s?’ Welcome to the world of the twixter. In Japan they are called 'freeters', in other countries ‘Peter Pans’, and they are changing our culture.

      Twixters are young adults who range in age from late teens to mid 30s. They move from job to job, see themselves as part of youth culture. Romantic and sexual relationships to them are fluid and non-binding, except when it comes to their connections with their parents, with whom often they share a co- dependant relationship. They spend most of their money on music, fashion, travel and entertainment. Their peers are everything to them, and if they are going to get married at all, they will do it late. For most twixters marriage and children change very little of their desire to be part of youth culture.

   MARK SAYERS takes a look at the ramifications of a trend in which young adults are staying younger, longer... | more... |

COMPETING PRIORITIES? EVANGELISM, HOLY LIVING AND SERVING THE POOR

The Micah Challenge campaign had a good year in 2005. It called on the government for more and better aid, trade justice, and debt relief, for the poor countries in our world. Although there is a long way to go in eliminating global poverty - where a staggering 30,000 children die of poverty-related causes each day - the Australian Government’s announcement of a $1.5 billion increase in overseas aid by 2010 is very encouraging.

      While many churches have enthusiastically supported the campaign, it is fair to say that global poverty is still not a high priority in most of our local churches.

      Interestingly, in a recent web article in Christianity Today, Rick Warren, author of Purpose Driven Life, honestly confesses that he has previously missed the over 2000 scriptural references to the poor. This kind of oversight explains why issues of aid, trade and debt, are not high in the pastor’s priorities.

    In an article first published in Soundings, SIU FUNG WU argues Christians should adopt a holistic approach when it comes to balancing evangelism, holy living and helping the poor... | more... |

CAN THE RICH BE POOR? RECOGNISING OUR BLIND SPOTS

It is encouraging to see the recent interest in fighting global poverty. Both Nicky Gumbel (the Alpha Chaplain) and Rick Warren (author of Purpose Driven Life) openly support the Make Poverty History campaign.

      In Australia, Micah Challenge led the way in urging the Prime Minister to increase our overseas aid budget, and he announced recently a $1.5 billion increase in our aid level by 2010.

      Such compassion for the poor is heartening. The church is heeding the call of the Scriptures to be generous and speak up for the poor. Yet the Gospel demands us to go beyond generosity. Perhaps we should stretch our understanding of poverty further, and the best place to start is to find out where our blind spots are.

    SIU FUNG WU takes a look at identifying and avoiding our blind spots when it comes to global poverty... | more... |

WHAT MAKES A GOOD AID WORKER?

So what makes a good aid worker or development professional? I think it comes down to these main five things: a passionate heart, good relationships, clear objectives, appropriate skills, and being a reflective practitioner.

      In order to do this work there’s got to be some fire in your belly. There needs to be some pulsating, vibrant force which drives you along. This can be a mixture of things - for some it’s the heart of compassion; for others it’s a strong sense of social justice; for many Christians it’s a calling from God to reach out to others. Ideally of course, for believers at least, it should be a combination of all these.

      In one real sense, success in the field is all about relationships. Being an aid worker will force you into a multitude of new relationships. The biggest challenge often relates to your workmates - both national and expatriate! How do you also meaningfully identify and empathise with those you’re there to help? 
      CHRIS PIPER poses the question of what qualities are needed in an aid worker... | more... |

AN INDIVIDUAL LIFE?

“I’m an individual, you can’t fool me!” - Mark "Jacko" Jackson.

     I grew up in a family. I had a mum and a dad and three brothers. I was very fortunate with my education that I journeyed through primary and secondary education with the same group of peers. I lived in a small town where it seemed everyone helped this young person grow up. Scout leaders, church leaders, bosses of part-time jobs. Relationships were forged with not just people my age but older people and younger people, people with kids, grandmas and grandpas, rich and poor. It was a complex soup of humanity jumbled together in one bowl and I drank it up gleefully.

   ADAM KELSALL reflects on what it means to be an individual... |more...|

SHANE VARCOE takes a look behind the words dogma and karma... | more... |

SIMON CAREY HOLT wonders what heaven is like... | more... |

NICK HODGSON takes a look at the cost of sin... | more... |

 SIMON CAREY HOLT discovers Bibleman... | more... |

  JO HOPPING takes a look at the issue of suffering... | more... |
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TANYA BENNETTS writes of a new move to combat the AIDS epidemic in South Africa... | more... |

ADAM KELSALL relates a meaty parable... |more...|

ADAM KELSALL goes in search of a 'true' narrative... |more...|

ADAM KELSALL takes a look at how our horizons can limit us... |more...|

ADAM KELSALL reflects on the journey of life... |more...|

CAROLE ADAMS writes of how she saw her purpose in a cross-stitch... | more... |

The consumption of humanity? ADAM KELSALL questions a consumer mentality...

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   NICK HODGSON puts a new spin on the Christian saying What Would Jesus Do? (WWJD)... | more... |