Preaching Conference
In 1993, during my tenure as Principal at SMBC, a biennial Preaching Conference was established. The preacher at that first conference was Dick Lucas from London. Other preachers through the […]
The Unpublished Letter
After I was appointed Moderator General of the Presbyterian Church in 2013, I thought I ought to get a national perspective on the news, and so I have been a […]
The Ten Truths
I am a post war, ‘baby boomer’, I have never known any other state than freedom, including the freedom to speak my mind. Since 1968 I have been a Christian […]
Preaching Clubs
Ulrich Zwingli, the Swiss Reformer, preached his sermon on ‘The Shepherd’ in 1523. The sermon and its publication was widely influential in the developing role and model of ministry in […]
On Death
Robert Dessaix is the latest prominent person to give us advice about death and dying. Like Kerry Packer before him, Dessaix reports that in 2001 following a heart attack, he […]
EMPTY
‘Empty’, ‘vacuous’, ‘meaningless’, ‘unsubstantial’, ‘nothingness’ – these are just some of the nouns and adjectives which my Thesaurus provides to describe the lead photo in the Australian of the weekend […]
Science and Reformed Theology
In June, 1977, the Uniting Church in Australia deliberately adopted the nomenclature, ‘Uniting’ rather than ‘United’, because it was believed that the ecumenical process was to be an ongoing one. […]
The Vulnerables: Our Heritage Builders!
Attending a recent investment seminar with a group of retirees, I was asked whether I was a skier. I was astonished that many of my fellow attendees said they were […]
The Absent Father
In 1978 Ronald Conway published his expose of Australian life, The Land of the Long Weekend. Conway asserts that Australia is one of the most female-dominated societies in the world, […]
A Visit Down South
I spent five weeks in February/ March, 2020, supplying the pulpit at Scots Church in Melbourne. As a born and bred Sydneysider I have been part of the ribbing which […]
The Vaccine Revealed!
Where will the vaccine come from which will spell the end of this powerfully infectious Covid-19? Once it has been discovered life can return to normal, back to the life […]
Antagonism
Two Christian radio commentators were being compared, and one was preferred because, ‘he never preaches at us’. The preferred one, ‘is just nice, accepting and just like us, except that […]
Expository Preaching on the Wane?
I studied at Moore Theological College from 1973 to 1975, under the principalship of D. B. Knox. We always anticipated his Doctrine 1 lectures, held twice a week for the […]
An Admirable Church
St Helen’s Church of England is in the middle of the city of London, very close to the Headquarters of Lloyds and the Bank of England, in Bishopsgate. The church […]
Leisure to Consider the ESV
As I write this, I am half-way through my self-isolation, following my return to Australia from Malaysia, nine days ago, and taking advantage of this opportunity to read books which […]
Some Research on Preaching in the Presbyterian Church of Victoria
In March each year the Presbyterian Theological Centre in Victoria runs a Pastors’ conference to encourage faithful and engaging expository preaching in our churches. This year the speakers were David […]