This is turning out to be an emotional day for me. I have accepted a job offer that will take me out of the classroom, working at an assessment body. It was not an easy decision to make, but I have come to realise that in order to influence education more meaningfully, I have to... Continue Reading →
Avoiding The Void
I am suspicious of hedonism: somehow it is a lie. Now I do not believe myself to be any more incapable of lying than the next person, but I do hold integrity as one of my core values: I do not believe that one can live a fulfilled life when one is consciously living a... Continue Reading →
Calling A Spade A Spade
Many Christians are content to adopt a live-and-let-live approach towards the Word of Faith movement. They see them as misguided but basically well-meaning (for example, read the thoughts of Eric Hyde, one of my favourite bloggers: https://ehyde.wordpress.com/2013/06/04/why-do-word-of-faith-christians-become-jaded/). I am not so understanding. I believe that Word of Faith preachers – Creflo Dollar, Joel Osteen and... Continue Reading →
The Commodification of Christianity: A Rant
We are often too quick to blame all social problems on systems: poverty is the result of capitalism; bigotry is the result of religion; economic or social problems are the result of a certain political party being in power; education is in crisis because we have the wrong curriculum or assessment strategy. I could go... Continue Reading →
Seeing the Human Face Correctly
… suit the action to the word, the word to the action; with this special observance, that you o'erstep not the modesty of nature: for any thing so overdone is from the purpose of playing, whose end, both at the first and now, was and is, to hold, as 'twere, the mirror up to nature;... Continue Reading →
What Are You Looking For The Devil For?
When I was younger, many in the church were fearful of a process called backmasking. There was much concern that certain (usually metal) bands were leaving subliminal Satanic messages on their albums, which you could hear if you played songs backwards. One of my favourite gospel bands at the time, Petra, decided to do some... Continue Reading →
Why Christians Shouldn’t Be Afraid of Art
I believe that those who refuse to read certain books, or listen to certain types of music, on the basis that they are not “Christian”, are on dangerous theological ground. Such refusal reflects – in my opinion - a fundamental misunderstanding of the Biblical concepts of law and grace. It also neglects to take into... Continue Reading →
Dancing on the Ceiling of Life
The problem with caring is that eventually you get hurt. Pain and passion are, for all intents and purposes, synonymous. When you give your heart away, it will get handed back to you in pieces. It is as inevitable as the tug of the moon on the tides. Life is not to be found in... Continue Reading →
When Necessary Use Words
When I was 15 or 16, and sitting in church, my Sunday School teacher (I do not remember which one) – during a pause in the sermon, whispered to me: “One day that could be you up there.” Perhaps it was a spontaneous whim that compelled his words; I doubt he remembers saying them to... Continue Reading →
Making Our Children More Human
Our country is facing a real crisis of leadership. It seems that nowadays leaders refuse to take responsibility for their actions; there is little remorse shown when they are caught engaging in morally dubious behaviour, and instead find ways to justify themselves and blame others. And it is not just a political predicament either. Our... Continue Reading →
