The Divine Universe

So far as the four canonical gospels are concerned Mary is not a prominent figure. In John’s gospel Jesus even seems on a couple of occasions to put her down. It is only in the birth stories of Matthew and Luke that Mary is a central character. It seems it must have been generally known [...]

No, this is not a debunking of the big bang theory; it is a recognition that the big bang theory has the essential features of a myth, in the proper sense of that word. As such it expresses deep truths about reality beyond the details discovered by astronomers and physicists. The true nature of myth [...]

There can be no doubt that Christmas is the favourite Christian festival of our secularised society as Santa Claus, in his Coca Cola coloured livery, struts around uttering humourless Ho Ho Hos. The festival of Christmas, instituted in the twelfth century, begins in the shops in late October, and the decorations don’t come down until [...]

Recently I watched a documentary about the trial in Victoria of some suspected Islamic terrorists. The State had limitless financial resources to construct their prosecution, while the pro bono defence worked on a shoestring and, not surprisingly, most of the suspects were convicted. One was sentenced to fifteen years goal. But they were not convicted [...]

The LORD is a man of war. Exodus 15:3 (KJV) It is hard to think of a single war in which God was not fighting for both sides.  At least, that is the impression one gets.  Even today, as World War Three gathers momentum, both the Coalition forces in Iraq and Afghanistan and the Moslem [...]

  In 325CE the leading thinkers of the church met at Nicea to settle a dispute about the nature of Jesus, whether he was divine or purely human. The majority finally decided he was divine. This is theology: an alien language in this secular, scientific age. In some respects, however, contemporary physics, with its new [...]

“Whoever comes to me will never hunger, and whoever believes in me will never thirst.” (John 6:35) Wouldn’t it be an amazing thing if the church were able to feed all the starving millions in the poorest regions of the world? Reading about the feeding of the five thousand (every Gospel reports it), one suspects [...]

You can say, that the resurrection is impossible, therefore it didn’t happen, or you can say it happened, therefore it must be possible. Most Christians would say the latter, but we tend to say it is a miracle beyond our comprehension. However, there are Christian scientists who are seriously exploring the bodily resurrection from a [...]

  In John’s Gospel there is a long description of Jesus’ last meal with his friends: a Passover meal (John 13-17). I have been to a number of Passover meals with my nephew’s Jewish family (he married a Jewish lady) and, in spite of their religious and ritual nature, they have always been very light-hearted [...]

  The first time Jesus preached in his local synagogue people were amazed and also confused. Mark says they were actually offended. His teaching impressed them enormously with its erudition and insight but they knew him as an ordinary young man who worked with his father as a general handyman, fixing broken furniture, roof tiles [...]