Glocal Christianity

Illegal Jesus

"Illegal Jesus" by E9.

Somewhere it seems to have been forgotten by conservatives that Jesus was himself a refugee.

Good News for the Anxious

“I am the one that raises the whip to your already racing heart … I’m the voice, you know the one, who's always questioning, questioning, questioning everything you do, everything you think.”  

This is the voice of Anxiety, from the Beyond Blue clip that is hitting social media by storm. This is the voice that one out of every four of us experience some time in our life. And it is not a new experience either. The ancients themselves asked, “What do people get for all the toil and anxious striving with which they labour under the sun?” (Ecclesiates 2:22) and cried “Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.” (Psalm 139:23) If you’ve ever woken in a panic in the dead of night you are not alone.

At the end of the clip, Anxiety asks, "So, now that we have become acquainted, what are you going to do about it?" Having suffered from anxiety myself, this is a question that interests me deeply. Now of course there are secular answers to this, and of course we should explore these options. But above and beyond this I am after spiritual help, so I have also sought guidance from scripture.

For instance, the apostle Paul counselled his communities with these words, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  (Philippians 4:6). In this he followed Jesus, who said, “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothes? (Matthew 6:25) and “Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?” (Matthew 6:27)

However, taken in isolation, I find these words less than satisfying. For who of us can stop worrying simply by self-effort? Would you accept these words from your doctor? And who of us has not experienced unanswered prayer? What happens when you’re left in an anxious state despite prayer, even in your prayers?

This is where we need some gospel perspective. We need to remember that Jesus himself suffered from anxiety, not least in the garden of Gethsemane, on the night before his crucifixion. Mark tells us, “He took Peter, James and John along with him, and he began to be deeply distressed and troubled.” (Mark 14:33) God among us ... he experienced anxiety! 

Think about it. Meditate on the implications. If God experienced anxiety, then experiencing anxiety is not necessarily an imperfection in us. It cannot, at least not automatically, be attributed to sin, or idolatry, or a lack of faith. Moreover, remember that Jesus acted faithfully even in his anxiety and saved us through this act and subsequent resurrection. His experience of anxiety was transformative. So, I seek for his experience to be transformative for me also.

Mavericks, Make Yourselves Known!

I was thinking of organising another get together for maverick Christians in and around Sydney ... or even just mavericks plain and simple ... who'd like to meet face to face for spirited conversations on life, the universe and everything. You know, deep and meaningful with plenty of laughs over some food and wine. If that sounds like you, register your interest in the comments of via email.

How Deserted

How deserted lies the city,

  once so full of people!

How like a widow is she,

  who once was great among the nations!

She who was queen among the provinces

  has now become a slave.

Lamentations 1

Blurry Jesus

"Jesus" by aaronwty

Jesus seems a bit out of focus in this picture. I wonder if that's a statement on the state of the contemporary church?

Jazz Age Jesus

"Jazz Age Jesus" by graven-images-426

The artists comments, "The third and final “chapter” of my gospel, “Jazz Age Jesus” is my ideal post-modern conception of a “Christ-figure”. Images associated death, knowledge, and the spirit are collaged, re-combined, and constructed to create another disembodied, yet complete figure. In the tradition of early Christian art, certain clues are given to indicate “divinity” and “spiritual love”. Within the same archaic tradition, I also refer to this image as “Christ as an Intellectual” (as opposed to “Christ as The Good Shepard, Christ in Majesty”, etc.) This is a triumphant and colorful ending to my gospel."

Not sure if I like it or not, but it certainly invites a closer look.

What is evil?

A question for you all: which understanding of ‘evil’ do you think is more in line with the New Testament: (a) evil as equal and opposite to ‘good’ or (b) evil as neither equal nor opposite to good, but rather, as an absence or distortion of ‘good’.

Who will lead Sydney Anglicans into the next era?

I was reading on the Syndey Anglican Network that Archbishop Peter Jensen is due to retire on July 11, just a few short months away. While responses to his legacy will no doubt vary, there's no doubt that Peter Jensen has had a profound impact on the Sydney Christian scene and well beyond. I wonder what comes next?

Have we turned freedom into an idol?

What is an idol? The word tends to carry the connotation of something bad. But often an idol is something good, just worshipped inappropriately. 

Consider money. Is it not good to give money to the poor? Yes, it can become an idol. But so can anything. It is not bad in an of itself.

It's instructive to consider some of the online definitions of an idol. It is said to be, "a false god" and "a person or thing that is adored, often blindly or excessively."

Now consider the value of freedom. It is of value, but when we turn it into an ultimate value, have we not crafted an idol for ourselves? How many values, how many children, in our land and the lands of our enemies, are we willing to sacrifice in the name of freedom?

Gay Sex for Evangelicals

Homosexuality is not a topic I blog on often as (1) I see little value in using my voice to inflame debates which are already overheated and (2) homosexuality is not a topic which I consider myself particularly qualified to comment on in any case. 

My friend Nigel Chapman, however, has written an article that I feel makes a worthy contribution to the conversation. As church secretary for Surry Hills Baptist, a suburb where up to 30% of the population is homosexual, he has a wealth of experience in engaging with the gay community and Christians with same-sex orientation. It is with this in mind that I highly recommend you read his article, Gay Sex for Evangelicals - Why gay sex is biblically condemned, and how this understanding solves the Evangelical impasse over same-sex attraction. 

I'm not going to quote it, I'm not going to comment on it up front, I'm not even saying how much I agree with it or not, I'm just going to encourage you to read it in full, without any short cuts.