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‘Let no one who is not eager for truth and peace enter here’ (Plato)

Articles on this site express varying points of view, to encourage mature thinking on serious issues. The assumption is that you will want to study a controversial topic from various angles before you arrive at a conclusion, rather than simply believe what someone told you when you were impressionable! (So some stuff here is ‘hot’. Proceed at your own risk!). See the Statement of Faith for John Mark Ministries' theological stance.

Cardinal Pell and the Peril of Institutional Atheism

By and others ⋅ March 29, 2014 ⋅ Post a comment

The Religion of the Humble? Cardinal Pell and the Peril of Institutional Atheism Scott StephensABC RELIGION AND ETHICS28  MAR  2014 JOHN ELLIS RIGHTLY EXPECT THE CHURCH TO BEHAVE COMPASSIONATELY, PENITENTLY AND JUSTLY. WHAT ELLIS CONFRONTED WAS A CHURCH INTENT ON PURSUING ITS LEGAL DEFENCE AS THOUGH THERE WAS NO DIVINE JUDGE.CREDIT: AAP / JOE CASTRO SEE ALSO […]

Who is a Catholic? (Martin Marty)

By and others ⋅ March 18, 2014 ⋅ Post a comment

by MARTIN E. MARTY Monday | Mar 17 2014 “Who is Pope Francis? ¢â‚¬  was the understandable and constant question during this pope ¢â‚¬â„¢s first year, now past.  ¢â‚¬Å“Who is a Catholic? ¢â‚¬  is the understandable and urgent question in his second year, now begun. Of course, the two questions are symbiotic. What the pope says and does […]

JOHN STOTT: A Tribute to a Mentor

By and others ⋅ March 15, 2014 ⋅ Post a comment

By Rowland Croucher Who are the people who have influenced me most?   Intellectually: look at my 100 recommended books. (Note to myself: this needs updating). Maturationally: George Clark, my Sunday School teacher when I was a teenager. He alone helped me believe in myself. Ecclesiologically: probably Rev. (now Bishop) Dudley Foord. He gave me the […]

Faith and Belief: a Sermon for Trinity Sunday

By and others ⋅ February 22, 2014 ⋅ Post a comment

By Jan Coates We have times when we put aside reason and intellect, and accept through faith things we cannot explain or understand. So, this is Trinity Sunday. I have to say that the concept of the Trinity is not all that mysterious to me  ¢â‚¬“ being a multiple personality (like most Mums), it isn ¢â‚¬â„¢t […]

Pope faces moral dilemma catering to a divided flock

By and others ⋅ February 16, 2014 ⋅ Post a comment

February 15, 2014 William Saletan Pope Francis plays the middle man.  Photo: Reuters It’s not easy being Pope. You have 2000 years of tradition to defend. You have piles of doctrine and an ecclesiastical bureaucracy. Meanwhile, you have liberals clamouring for change. And then there’s your boss. To navigate these difficulties, Pope Francis recently instructed bishops […]

Church shouldn’t be this hard

By and others ⋅ January 26, 2014 ⋅ Post a comment

By  Tom Ehrich | Religion News Service,  Published: January  8 After 36 years of serving churches as a pastor and consultant, I came to a startling conclusion the other day. Not startling to you, perhaps. I might be the last person to get the memo. But the conclusion drew me up short. My conclusion: Religion shouldn ¢â‚¬â„¢t be this […]

Jesus and Women

By and others ⋅ January 4, 2014 ⋅ Post a comment

A study of the life-giving encounters in the Gospel narratives. by Melanie Morrison The biblical defense of hierarchy in male-female relationships is built on a select number of Pauline passages, while the gospels and the book of Acts are often ignored. The hermeneutical principle that undergirds this position is that the gospels are to be […]

Australia’s Catholic Church: two archbishops should resign

By and others ⋅ January 4, 2014 ⋅ Post a comment

Healing starts with fresh blood at the top December 26, 2013 Barney Zwartz Religion editor, The Age. View more articles from  Barney Zwartz The Catholic Church must make a clean sweep and break with a sullied past by excising its tainted leaders. Illustration: Matt Golding Last December, when I was about to leave  The Age, I prepared […]

Church Services: the Latest

By and others ⋅ January 4, 2014 ⋅ Post a comment

NEW CHURCH  SERVICES PASTOR: “Praise the Lord!” CONGREGATION: “Hallelujah!” PASTOR: “Will everyone please turn on their tablet, PC, iPad, smart phone, and Kindle Bibles to 1 Cor.  13:13. And please switch on your Bluetooth to download the sermon.” P-a-u-s-e…… “Now, Let us pray committing this week into God’s hands. Open your Apps, BBM, Twitter and Facebook, and […]

The Pope and the Future of the Catholic Church: a very important article…

By and others ⋅ December 12, 2013 ⋅ Post a comment

What Pope Francis means for the Church in the modern world Frank BrennanABC RELIGION AND ETHICS13  NOV  2013 POPE FRANCIS IS NOT WATERING DOWN THE TEACHINGS OF THE CHURCH. RATHER, HE ADMITS HONESTLY THAT WE HOLD IN TENSION DEFINITIVE TEACHINGS AND PASTORAL YEARNINGS, HELD TOGETHER BY MERCY AND FORGIVENESS.CREDIT: SHUTTERSTOCK.COM Note from Rowland: This is ‘in house […]

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