Opinion

Latest

  • Europe Family & Children Opinion

    Does Christian education matter anymore?

    By Jeff Fountain

    In a secular society where ‘faith-based’ learning institutions are often viewed as fossils of a bygone age, education today is widely considered the rightful domain of secular governments. Should governments even allow ‘special’ religious-based education anymore? Hasn’t religion caused so many conflicts in the past? Shouldn’t education be based on scientific facts, not ‘superstitious’ beliefs? Even believers have to ask themselves, does Christian education matter anymore?

  • Europe Opinion

    World Refugee Sunday on June 16 & 23 reminds us of God's heart for the forcibly displaced: "For I was hungry, and you fed me"

    By Kaisa Golding

    Forced displacement goes hand in hand with acute food insecurity. The 59 countries/territories with food crises account for 90 million individuals forcibly displaced from their homes. Most are internally displaced in their own countries (64 million), and the rest are refugees, asylum seekers and migrants seeking resettlement elsewhere. Behind these huge numbers are human beings – men, women and children made in the image of God. The Bible is filled with stories of welcoming and caring for those

  • Oceania Opinion

    Co-creating safety

    By Jay Mātenga

    Safety is central to our wellbeing. Our sense of safety has an immediate impact on our physical health, emotional stability, social harmony, economic viability, psychological growth, as well as our spiritual maturity. Even the slightest glance at the news or social media today reveals a dramatic increase in instability resulting in a corresponding decrease in a sense of safety, psychologically if not physically.

  • US & Canada Opinion

    Meeting God in the metaverse

    By Jeff Reed

    God has been preparing the digital and the metaverse mission fields, and in these digital environments we can reach the world. A handful of innovative church planters with little to no support are leading what can at the very least be called an innovative experiment. Their work is bringing hard-to-reach people encountered in digital spaces into relationships with Jesus. The missional implications of their work cannot be ignored.

  • Europe Opinion

    Which worldview fits?

    By Jeff Fountain

    Freedom to do what we want – rather than what we ought – is deceptive. Yet we live in a society where the right to be free to do what you like is widely accepted. It’s called liberalism. We are autonomous individuals, we are told, free to pursue self-interest, free to discover our ‘authentic selves’. At the same time, freedom is a concept championed by Christian thinkers throughout history. Freedom of conscience, closely linked with freedom of worship, is the keystone of all freedoms. Luther’s i

  • Africa Opinion

    An Old Testament theology of prosperity

    By Danson Ottawa

    The prosperity gospel teaches that God wants his people to be wealthy and healthy. At its core is often the idea that in Christ God has restored to us the blessings of the covenant made with Abraham. These blessings are understood in a primarily material way, including good health, economic prosperity, and an all-round victory in most areas of life. Prosperity gospel preachers rely heavily on the Old Testament to make this case, arguing that God promises his people abundant wealth and abounding

  • Europe Society & Culture Opinion

    Living in a world that has lost its reason

    By Canon J John

    In fact the Western world has indeed ‘lost its reason’ in two senses. It has lost its rationale, its reason for existence; it is now ignorant not only of what’s right and wrong but even of what it stands for. Yet it has also ‘lost its reason’ because it has become an intellectual chaos in which nothing is certain except uncertainty.

  • Asia Opinion

    Taking Confucian spirituality seriously (by Ping-cheung Lo)

    By Ping-cheung Lo

    When I was a young Christian, I was told by a well-respected pastor and seminary teacher that there are two views on the composition of a human being: dichotomy (body and spirit), or trichotomy (body, soul, and spirit). The spirit is that part of our being that can get connected with God. That explains why churches, Chinese churches in particular, are fond of the words “spiritual” (屬靈) and “spirituality” (靈性、靈命). 

  • Oceania Opinion

    Yielding to gravity (by Jay Matenga)

    By Jay Mātenga

    The text for this month is 1 Corinthians 1:9-10 (NLT), “God will (keep you strong and free from blame), for he is faithful to do what he says, and he has invited you into (koinonia) with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. I appeal to you, dear brothers and sisters, by the authority of our Lord Jesus Christ, to live in harmony with each other. Let there be no divisions in the church. Rather, be of one mind, united in thought and purpose.” 

Most Popular