For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away.
Here is a truth many will probably find unpalatable: our lives are based on stories. Now I do not think that this ought to be something that concerns us: it is perfectly normal and necessary. But it is something that we need to be aware of. Confusing our stories with reality can lead us into... Continue Reading →
I find myself in the unenviable position, as a writer, of having a message that will alienate me from pretty much all potential readers. Non-Christian readers will be discouraged from reading by my advocacy of the primacy of Jesus, while Christian readers will be discouraged from reading by my rejection of what they regard as... Continue Reading →
You, as an individual, do not exist. At least, not in the way you thought you did. You are not, in the first instance, an independent being who, from that point, enters into relationships with others. Before there was any “you” with which others could relate, there was always first you-in-relationship, and it was out... Continue Reading →
In my opinion, perhaps the greatest obstacle to a sound theology is a flawed conceptualisation of personhood. Cultural and religious systems the world over (and I follow René Girard’s line of thought here, that religion is primarily functional rather than spiritual, and religious systems can be entirely secular – the gods being entirely incidental) operate... Continue Reading →
I firmly believe that a sound theology must be rooted in a sound anthropology. Before we can begin to come to sensible conclusions about a Creator, in other words, we first need to develop a proper perspective on humanity. That this is imperative may not be immediately obvious, but failure to do so is ultimately... Continue Reading →
Something you learn as you get older is that there is no limit to human ingenuity. Another thing you learn is that there is also no limit to the human capacity for acting completely insensibly. Popular culture is rife with examples of both. Sometimes in the same example. Italian (con-?)artist Salvatore Garau recently managed to... Continue Reading →
As a father, I have heard of it happening to other people’s children but I never dreamt that it could happen to me. I have taken all the precautions that could reasonably be expected of me, and I believe I have been responsible and vigilant. But sometimes even your best efforts are just not enough... Continue Reading →
Most days I feel like I have the emotional strength to deal with life. Today isn’t one of those days. And that is not a request for advice, or consolation. I don’t admit to this because I am desperate for help; I write it because I process by reflecting, and I reflect by writing. ... Continue Reading →
There will eventually come a time when you will be old enough to read and understand these birthday messages. I picture a future you, having just discovered these, poring curiously over this message. And I cannot help but wonder how much of this year you remember. It has, without a doubt, been one of the... Continue Reading →
All concepts of utopia are ultimately forms of tyranny. Whether those utopias are religious and promise some sort of Paradise; whether they strive for liberty through ideological frameworks like socialism, capitalism, or democracy; or whether they are socio-cultural and attempt to achieve harmony through celebrating a common cultural or linguistic identity, they all ultimately suffer... Continue Reading →
Vapors In The Wind 