Santa Claus is coming to town

Santa Claus is coming to town

It’s the most wonderful time of the year. So claimed Edward Pola and George Wyle in their 1963 Christmas song. This is probably, at least experientially speaking, an accurate claim. At Christmastime, people seem friendlier, the roads are quieter, entertainment options...
Of misunderstanding, misrepresentation and Mary

Of misunderstanding, misrepresentation and Mary

I have a high school friend who is Roman Catholic. He wasn’t raised Catholic, but converted to Catholicism from a Protestant background some years back. I have had a good many electronic discussions with him regarding our differences in theology, and one of his most...
The altar of convenience

The altar of convenience

An article appearing in London’s The Telegraph quotes a Church of England representative as saying that Sunday morning worship has become “inconvenient” for Christians. While “many people still crave quiet reflection,” he says, they are “seeking out less ‘pressurised’...
Because you have prayed

Because you have prayed

Does prayer change things? This is one of the perennial questions about the biblical teaching on prayer. Many have (rightly) noted that, in one sense, prayer cannot possibly change things. That is, if God is sovereign (and he is), and if he has ordained everything...
Systematising unbelief

Systematising unbelief

One of our pastors, preaching systematically through the Gospel of Luke, recently reached the account of the young demoniac at the foot of the mount of transfiguration (Luke 9:37–43). This is a fascinating account, which is brought into full focus only as you consider...
Staying relevant

Staying relevant

Hillsong Church is an Australian Pentecostal megachurch, founded in 1983 by Frank Houston and his son Brian. A multisite church, with international offshoots in (among other locations) London, Kiev, Cape Town, Stockholm and New York, the church claims a weekly...