David Cook

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 […]

Australia normally goes to sleep while we holiday for the five weeks after Christmas, undisturbed except by the latest cricket scores calmly delivered to us by Richie Benaud. That has not been the case this year, the standard of cricket has been poor, Richie is no longer with us and the following events have turned

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

As a new Christian at Bible College, no subject impacted me more than Church History. The lecturer, Howard Green, was a superb lecturer. He made the past come alive and I knew nothing about the history of the church so every lecture was an eye opener. Whether Hegel said it first is debateable, “history teaches

Christians need never to be on the back foot in answering the attacks of atheists and secularists. The bankruptcy of their position is readily revealed when one examines their empty explanations given to life’s four biggest questions. What I appreciate most about being a Christian is the Faith’s realistic assessment of the human condition, and

Much of the debate in the media about fundamentalism and radicalisation would be solved if all involved developed a commitment to responsible hermeneutics. Hermeneutics is the science of interpretation. When a solicitor reads a legal deed, words are to be understood literally. When I read the newspaper, I adopt different hermeneutical principles in reading the

The October long weekend (3 – 5 October) has been hot in Sydney with temperatures reaching 35 degrees. Saturday saw the spectacle of a full MCG hosting the AFL Grand Final in which the Hawthorn Hawks dominated the West Coast Eagles, winning by a big margin of 46 points. Sunday morning began with the GEM

There is so much to admire in Pope Francis, not the least is his humanity. We appreciate it when our Prime Minister travels by tram in Melbourne or by ferry in Sydney, how much more when a worldwide leader, after addressing the US Congress, steps away from the politician and has lunch with the poor.

There are two qualities sadly lacking in Australian public life, qualities which, by contrast, ought to be evident in the life of every believer. Believers are what they are by the grace of God. We enjoy his favour not as an award for good behaviour or because we deserve it, but because God favours us