I am fascinated by how Doctor Who slips under the radar of contemporary scepticism in a way that Christianity doesn’t. Perhaps its simply because it doesn’t assert itself as being true. The Bible is extremely weird in places: monsters with horns on their horns, men wrestling with angels, devils entering pigs, floods covering the whole Earth, people Read more
This week – even as the world mourns the tragic loss of life in the unprecedented Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippine Islands – political leaders have converged on Warsaw, Poland, in yet another anticipated meeting on climate change. Concerned citizens throughout the world are hoping and praying for prompt and practical results. The conference follows Read more
A common activity in youth work is to use the day’s newspapers to help start a discussion with young people. I can only imagine the apprehension of any church youth leaders using this activity last Wednesday. The Daily Mail headline, ‘Minister: My fear for boys warped by porn’ could have produced a rather uncomfortable conversation. Read more
Mulvarosa Pibilra Perote is one of more than 500 survivors of Typhoon Haiyan who are taking shelter in a seminary in Tacloban city. The building has been turned into an evacuation centre, where Caritas and its partners are delivering aid. Mulvarosa, a 57-year-old grandmother, was at home when the storm hit, along with five of Read more
Armistice Day 2013 was particularly sobering. The traditional memorials were kept, all with solemnity due in honouring memory of the dead, the witness of veterans and laments for current conflicts. Sadly, however, evidence would suggest that war will remain a means for political ambition and solution for impasse. Hope for better may be forlorn. Perhaps Read more
The Treasury has dumped a monsoon bucketful of scorn on the campaign for a living wage. But the case for such a campaign withstands the deluge. In a report released last Friday, the Treasury argues the “living wage is not well targeted at the intended demographic of low-income families”. It thinks the $18.40 an hour Read more
Most remarkable about the consultation regarding sex, marriage and family life, in which the Catholic Church has asked Catholics throughout the world to take part, is its brave implication that things have to change. One sentence in the official document accompanying the Vatican’s questionnaire is an example of this. As a result of the current Read more
On All Saints Day, various outlets reported that a new musical would use the songs of Britney Spears to tell the story of Jesus Christ. On some level, we weren’t that surprised: we’ve seen jukebox musicals and Jesus musicals before, so why not a jukebox Jesus musical? After all, if the same guy that wrote Read more
I really like Pope Francis. But I’m biased. I like him not primarily because he strikes me as so “different” or “humble” or for the other things the press says about him. No, I like him because he strikes me as a bit goofy. He talks to people he’s not expected to talk to and Read more
How can so much pain and suffering be inflicted upon a people and no notice taken by those that are inflicting it? Tell me the ideology or political view that outweighs the right to life? Around 9.3 million of Syria’s 23 million inhabitants need aid. The number of people who have lost their homes or Read more