Faith & Life

Amidst all the major world events vying for attention recently, I’m not surprised that I barely heard a whisper about the passing of Jürgen Moltmann.  His death took place just as preparations for the 80th anniversary of D-Day were in full flow – and that was somehow appropriate.  Moltmann’s life and theology journey were profoundly […]

A truly inspirational figure passed away in September this year, age 94 – the man known to Christians around the world simply as ‘Brother Andrew’.  His real name, Andrew van der Bijl, was not important, in fact he preferred it not be known.  It could only lead to trouble.   I first encountered Brother Andrew

This picture is an honest to goodness wild male turkey (or tom) that wandered from the nearby woods into my parents’ back garden last Autumn.  He had at least 2 hens with him, but they were far less captivating. Before you ask, no, my parents did not shoot or eat this beautiful creature.  They merely

As I write, Americans are gearing up this week to celebrate their ‘Independence Day’. The fireworks, celebrations (and food consumption) will be tremendous, as will the undeniable sense of historic pride and accomplishment. The tadpole defeated the piranha!  The tiny colonies gained their freedom from mad King George and the monstrous British Empire!  These ideals

Forgiveness lies at the very core of Christian faith.  Without it, where would we be?  Christians uniquely understand forgiveness as deriving and emanating from the very heart of God, enabling us to be forgiven and making it possible (in fact necessary) for us to forgive.  It’s a reflection within us of the very nature and

Marv who, I hear you ask?  Marv Rosenthal was one of the greatest Bible teachers I’ve ever known.  He passed away earlier this year at age 86 (graduating this life with high honours in Christ), and it got me thinking about all he’s taught me.  It was largely due to Marv that I developed my

We’ve all heard of the argument called ‘the slippery slope’.  Put one foot on the slope and it slips down further, try to correct it and it slips further again, and soon there’s no way back.  A similar proverb claims: ‘What the parent allows in moderation, the children will take to excess.’  Christians often apply

Will machines become more human, or will humans become more like machines?  The answer is both are happening at a rapid pace.  It’s no longer, ‘the robots are coming!’  The robots are here.   Yet the language is slippery: robots, androids, cyborgs, synths, replicants, artificial intelligence, nanobots, droids… what do we mean by all these?

‘What are you giving up for Lent’?  I first remember being asked by a friend at school, and I hadn’t the faintest idea what she was talking about.  My parents didn’t know about Lent either – except that it wasn’t in the Bible, so we didn’t need to bother with it.  It was a Catholic

Robots used to bring to mind rather clunky metal creations appearing or sounding vaguely human.  The terrifying Daleks who kindled nightmares in the Dr Who generation of the 1960s had a fatal flaw which saved humanity – they couldn’t climb stairs!  But robots have evolved, and today we have artificial intelligence (AI), a far more