Pauline Hanson and now Sonia Kruger have called for curbs to be placed on Muslim migration levels into Australia. I believe the concern of each has been a seeming lack of integration of Muslims into the Australian community, failing to join Tony Abbot’s, ‘Team Australia.’ Genesis 1 records God speaking (‘And God said’,’Then God said)…

There is a college in Oxford dating back to 1379 which has the audacity of being called, New College. Travelling in the UK, one has a sense of one’s own immortality being surrounded by buildings 500, 600 or even more years old. In Australia, 100 is quite an achievement and 150 is remarkable since white…

I have just been to an Emergency Meeting of the NSW General Assembly, which met at Roseville Presbyterian Church on Wednesday, 6 April 2016. The issue, to test the appropriateness of the NSW Trustees’ suspension of the Council of Scots College, Sydney and to appoint a Management Committee to govern the College until the 2017…

I have had punctuality bred into me, even now, if I am meeting my sisters, I know they will be at least 10 minutes early and sometimes I am even earlier. Some people are habitually late, I am habitually early. Oscar Wilde said that he was always late on principle, the principle being that punctuality…

Wee Waa’s boom years were the mid 1960’s to the mid 1980’s, there was plenty of water, and cotton, as an Australian industry, was in its infancy. American farmers led by Paul Kahl and Frank Hadley, two Christian men from California, were instrumental in establishing the industry, centred on Wee Waa. Wee Waa Presbyterian was…

Toplady’s hymn expresses it well: “Nothing in my hand I bring, Simply to thy cross I cling; Naked turn to you for dress; Helpless look to you for grace; Foul I to the fountain fly; Wash me, Saviour, or I die.” By dying on that cross, Jesus won our salvation. To do so, Jesus had…

On Friday 12 February, at the invitation of the Australian Christian Lobby, I joined a delegation to meet Prime Minister, Malcolm Turnbull, in his Sydney office.  It was agreed that we confine our remarks to the issue of the plebiscite regarding single gender marriage which will be held, in the event of a coalition victory,…

The citation said that General Morrison was selected for his commitment to “gender equality, diversity and inclusion”. During the preamble to the presentation of his award, it was noted that Mr Morrison is now chair of the Diversity Council of Australia. During the speeches, the word “diversity” was repeated again and again, and so I…

We celebrate the incarnation of God, Jesus Christ, the Word, become flesh, who made his dwelling among us (John 1:14). John says, “we have seen with our eyes, we have looked at, our hands have touched … we proclaim to you what we have seen and heard” (1 John 1:1, 3). Paul put it in…

I have noticed that articles on Facebook are often headlined:  “Three reasons why…..” or “Four ways to …. “ or 5 key thoughts on ….”. So I thought I would finish this year in that vein:  Two big issues… A one word answer? Having now been back in parish/pastoral work for four years, I find…