‘Defamiliarise’ is a word that has been echoing in my mind ever since I stumbled on its use recently in a book review. In the image of Christ the King, when a crown is made of thorns, Jesus and the Gospel subverts the concept of royalty. When Jesus reigns from a cross, Jesus and the
Let us pray (in silence) [that we hold fast to the conviction that God’s purpose cannot be defeated] Pause O God, your providence is unfailing, remove from our path, we humbly pray, whatever is harmful and grant us those things that work for our good; through Jesus Christ, our Saviour who is alive with you,
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I was recently at a conference for religious educators. There were world-class presentations on social phenomena, ethical issues, scientific developments, religious change, and so forth. Presentations were by atheists, Christians, Muslims, Buddhists, and Jews. There was discussion on everything from euthanasia, through refugees, to our understanding of happiness. [And I’ve just been to an ethics
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Fashion designers (and their supporting media), of course, want the focus of The Wedding to be on the dress. But, those watching The Wedding went from the dress to the preacher… and (I don’t think it is simply because I’m a priest) there continues to be a high focus on THAT sermon. And the preacher.
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No sooner had I written about the McCrindle report on Faith and Belief in Australia, and my hope that there might be similar report – including on New Zealand – and a reply to my post promised me NZ’s version on Friday 18 May. And here it is. The full report. A handy infographic. 16%
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This week is the seventh week in Ordinary Time (Counting Time). Sunday, May 27, Trinity Sunday takes precedence and hence replaces the Sunday in the eighth week in Ordinary Time. Let us pray (in silence) [to God the source of all being, through the eternal Word, in the power of the Holy Spirit] pause Almighty
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What the heck: it’s the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity – so I’m going to wade in where angels might fear to tread… angels, dreams, and visions are often in the same story, aren’t they?! This week, the new Roman Catholic Bishop of Christchurch indicated he is reconsidering whether to restore Christchurch’s earthquake-damaged Cathedral
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Update: Having, in this post, expressed hope that others will do similar research to the Australian study, and especially interested in how it might compare to New Zealand, we now have a New Zealand study – I will blog about this soon! I have been reading a fascinating Australian study on religion, spirituality, and worldview
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