Jesus and the Collaborative Rule of God
Chris Marshall Jesus promised the kingdom of God, French biblical scholar Alfred Loisy famously quipped at the turn of last century, and what we got was the church! In saying this Loisy was actually making a comment on Jesus’ eschatological outlook. He was suggesting that the historical Jesus never expected the church or the church [...]
The Lost History Of Christianity
Philip Jenkins (HarperCollins, 2008) This is a fascinating book from a trusted and highly readable scholar. It is a story that is both inspiring and sobering, enlightening and disturbing. I highly recommend it. Having had my appetite for Middle Eastern history whetted again by Rodney Stark’s book, God’s Battalions (see the Ruminations site for my [...]
God’s Battalions: The case for the Crusades
Rodney Stark (HarperCollins, 2009) At first glance the subtitle of this most recent book by Rodney Stark is rather provocative, perhaps even distasteful. No doubt this is intentional – both on the part of the author and the publisher. “The case for the Crusades”? It raises the question: is Stark seriously trying to argue that [...]
I’ve been ruminating about….gratitude
I met her at our annual high school prizegiving. We were sipping wine in the Principal’s office before the ceremony, so I introduced myself as a board member and then inquired in what capacity she was there. And so began her story. She had traveled down from Auckland especially for the occasion, to present a [...]
Welcoming Displaced Children
Olympia Jetson was a bright young eleven year old girl. However, she and her half-sister Saliel carried some dark secrets. They lived most of their short lives with their mother and step-father in the Manawatu. On December 3, 2001 they were stabbed with a knife while sleeping, by their step-dad, Bruce Howse. Both girls died [...]
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