The Rowan Williams vs Richard Dawkins Debate
On February 23, 2012 Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams and atheist biologist Richard Dawkins debated the origin of life and humanity at Oxford's Sheldonian Theatre. Here is the full video with some personal reflections and suggestions for further reading and viewing.
After the Wilderness, a New Beginning
What if the 'wilderness' seasons of life where there to make us into a new kind of person? What if the wilderness was a transition point to a new Promised Land, a new mission in life or a new beginning? A Lent reflection on recovering from broken dreams with God.
Our Little Submissions
Cameron Semmens is an Australian performance poet. When he asked me to contribute a chapter for his new book I heartily agreed. 'I'd like you to address the theme of submission,' he said. As it turned out, the topic was timely for me. Here is the chapter in full, including his poignant accompanying poem about
The TD Jakes Interview
TD Jakes' first church had 10 members. Today his Potter's House Church in Dallas, Texas sees over 30,000 attend its services each week. Jakes has been praised for his service to the poor, the imprisoned, the drug addicted and abused, but critics worry about his mansions and tailored suits, and whether his beliefs put him
A New Earth. A New You
Can changing your name change your life? Yes and no. The Christian vision offers something even deeper: a new earth and a new you with a new name thrown in too. Episode 7 in the Unseen Footprints article and podcast series.
God, Altruism and Natural Disasters
Why risk one’s life for a stranger? Why show kindness to another? What motivates human compassion, sacrifice and love? Richard Dawkins suggest 'selfishness'. I suggest 'God'. Queensland's catastophic floods in January 2011 revealed the best in humanity and showed us something of the divine. As rescuers, neighbours and even victims engaged in costly acts of
Hearing the Whispers of God
God is calling us, trying to get our attention. But he rarely shouts to make himself heard. Instead, he whispers to us. Before we've even opened a Bible he has been drawing, beckoning, whispering. Will we stop to hear him? Will we even attempt to hear his voice? Here are four ways he whispers to
The Sacred Heart of Sacre-Coeur
For me, one of the great tragedies of modern life is that one can visit a cathedral and not be moved. We visit these grand places of worship, marvel at the architecture, admire the artworks and look at the pretty flickering candles but feel little more than admiration. I have experienced this many a time.
What Do You Really Want?
Sometimes you get to see a dream realised and discover the dream wasn’t that great to begin with. As the party ends and the streamers are swept up, you realise you yearn for something greater, deeper, more lasting. That was my experience. Episode 3 in the Unseen Footprints article and podcast series.
How Pain Can Lead us to God
For some people, pain is the reason why they can't believe in God or spiritual things. But for others, pain is the very thing that prompts their search for 'something more'. In Episode 2 of this article and podcast series on the book Unseen Footprints, we explore the role pain has in spiritual searching. Includes