The more we are led by the flesh, the more God’s image in us is fractured. The more time a person spends in one world, the more like that world they become, whether it be an embodied world full of loving relationships, or a world full of self.
When governments forget that humans are valuable because they are made in God’s image, the alternative criteria always create terrible inequities and injustices. In the light of pro-abortion legislation currently before the NSW parliament, we offer this testimony as evidence of the pattern. Abortion: it’s a topic that divides. Women either shout or whisper about it, and men, no matter what they may think, tend towards deathly silence. But with the proposed NSW legislation it’s time for us to start talking. If you haven’t heard much about this legislation, it does a bit more than merely decriminalise abortion. It allows...
I’ll be honest. I have rarely thought about the doctrine of the Incarnation, except perhaps last year at Christmastime, in preparation for and delivery of Christmas sermons. But apart from that, I can’t recall many recent pastoral conversations about the nature and necessity of God becoming one of us. And most of our worship songs these days don’t reference the dangers of Nestorianism or Apollinarianism, either (can you think of any? Me neither). I remember writing essays on the topic at theological college, but haven’t put much pen to paper since then. So I recently challenged myself to find something...
Joy Arundell, student worker, pastor’s wife, and mum, reflects on what Genesis has to tell us about about the equality and order built into our sexual natures. When we want to explore what God’s Word teaches about men and women, we usually dive straight into the New Testament. We often begin with Paul’s teaching on how men and women relate in family life and church life. Or we might look at the early Church and consider how men and women worked in ministry partnerships as the church grew. Or we might even look at the life of Jesus and see...
In Genesis 1:27 we read that “God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them”. However, the passage doesn’t define what “Image of God” means. Consequently “Image of God” has been interpreted in a vast number of ways throughout church history. Does it refer to human capacity for reason, free will, relationship, creativity, ethical conduct, or something else? It doesn’t take too long to notice that interpretations sometimes seem self-serving—as though “Image of God” referred to whatever I think is important in life. The philosophers think it refers to reason, the artists think it’s...
