Reflections

BOU - please explain

Tuesday, 17 August 2010 11:47

Foundational documents are important. The American Declaration of Independence captures the essence of who the young nation was but also who they wanted to be. In times of confusion or turmoil, Americans like to turn back to their beloved document to keep them on the path set out before them by the ‘founders’. The sentence “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness” have entered the public consciousness and are the perfect summation of what this new nation stood for. In Melbourne, 9-11 July 2010, the Uniting Church’s own foundational document and it’s theological commitments and responsibilities were explored at a conference reengaging the Basis of Union (BOU), titled: Engaging the Basis: Theological Directions of the Uniting Church in Australia (UCA). Caryn Rogers attended and reports back from the conference.

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Caging humans

Monday, 09 August 2010 10:08

Caryn Rogers asks what broader purpose is served by South Australia's high incarceration rates.

Prison. We’re brought up believing it’s the place where bad people go. And to some extent that is true. But prison is a lot of things, and not necessarily always what we think, or hope, it is. The actuality of the prison system paints a complex picture, one which is often masked by political, frenzy-mongering rhetoric.

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Inside her head. A deeply neurotic internal monologue.

Tuesday, 13 July 2010 10:22

There is a lot of pressure on women. Pressure to succeed in all arenas of life simultaneously and look beautiful and effortless while doing it. But like a duck swimming in a pond, even the women who look serene on the surface are paddling like mad under the water line, just to stay afloat. Here we feature the private thoughts and anxieties of a 20 something female as she goes about her day.

The Promised Land

Friday, 18 June 2010 12:43

By Rev. Chris Walker

prmosiedland It had been a long day. I had been to Melbourne meeting with people. I caught a taxi to the airport in plenty of time for my flight home only to discover the plane was delayed. When I got to Sydney 1 ½ hours later than I expected, it was raining. I caught the train and was glad to be met at Westmead station by my wife and finally get home to our place.

When I lived and studied in the USA I was very conscious of not being an American. I was an Australian and Australia was home.

What does ‘home’ mean especially for those of us who call ourselves Christian, followers of Jesus who calls us to leave home and family for his sake and the sake of the gospel (Mark 10:29).

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My Home

Wednesday, 16 June 2010 09:51

By Bronwyn Thompson

terracehousesml My part-time occupation for the last few weeks has been to find a new place to live. Although the old place (a lovely converted terrace house) was much loved, various circumstances presented and proved to me that it was indeed time to move on. Part of the search for a new place was the requisite ‘list-making’. I quite like lists – I like to be able to get all my thoughts down on paper for future reflection, but most of all, I like to be able to tick off each item once the task is complete. Those ticks are the 30-year-old’s equivalent of an eight-year-old’s gold star received at the end of a school homework project. They scream ‘ACCOMPLISHED’!

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The haunted household

Monday, 07 June 2010 08:54

smallfluff Does your house mock your housecleaning efforts? Do the sock goblins steal your best socks? Dust monster colonise the underside of your tables and chairs? Artist Christoph Niemann knows the feeling and has adorably illustrated it on his Abstract City blog for the New York Times.

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The Love Song as worship

Friday, 21 May 2010 12:06

by Ben Grace

musicsml A few days after I was asked to write this article I went to Switchfoot’s concert at the Forum in Sydney. As I stood on the top level of the venue, with a bird’s eye view of the stage & the writhing pit of awed fans clamouring for a touch of John Foreman’s outstretched hand, it struck me again just how powerful music is. Whether Christian or not the crowd was united in epic sing-a-longs that held all the passion of the church in full voice rising to worship her Creator. I watched the looks of ecstasy on upturned faces as they mouthed lyrics like: