Last week, the ABC ran an article about the Community Development Programme (DCP) of the Australian government. In that article it reported that many people who received funds under this program were slugged with fines for not completing all the jobs and activities required for which they received funding. Around 35,000 people are supported by… Continue reading How to help those in need
…telling to the generation to come… Psalm 78:4 Did your teachers have a strong influence in your life? Do you value the teachers you have had? Is the teaching profession valued in our society today? Should greater value be attached? What image does “teacher” conjure up in your mind? Maybe a classroom of bubbly, energetic,… Continue reading The value of teachers
The website www.visualcapitalist.com publishes from time to time nicely done graphics to present statistics in an attractive way. Recently it published a graphic that makes the growth of the world population visible, and how it is divided over the continents. It is an animated graphic which leads you through the years from 1950 to 2100.… Continue reading World Population to reach 11.2 Billion in 2100
Over the last couple of decades there has been a move by Evangelical and Reformed churches to get closer to the Roman Catholic Church (RCC) with the aim of removing obstacles for unity. Some say we have a duty to seek unity because of Jesus Christ’s prayer in John 17:21 “that they all may be… Continue reading Eternal life without faith?
Every so often you can read ‘prophecies’ about the end of the world. Often these ‘prophets’ claim to have a special kind of revelation through which they are able to understand the Bible better than anyone else, even better than our Lord Jesus Christ Himself (Matthew 24:36-44; Mark 13:32-37). The Rapture Now again, there is… Continue reading 23 April: The End of the World?
Three well known leaders within Christianity were in the news recently. Two because of their passing away from this earthly life, one because of his resignation as leader of a well known mega church: Billy Graham, R.C. Sproul, and Bill Hybels. Billy Graham Billy Graham is a world renown evangelist. In February, we published a… Continue reading About Bill, Billy and R.C.
What makes the church grow? In the New Testament we read that in the first days and years after Pentecost the church grew rapidly. The first days it was about thousands who were added to the Christian congregation in Jerusalem. When through persecution the church was scattered over the surrounding areas, those who fled, took… Continue reading Why Christianity doesn’t grow in Western countries
Identity. Who am I? Who am I really??? The short answer to this question is quite simple: I am God’s child. And this should always be the starting point when we give ourselves the luxury of internal self-seeking. This needs to be the rock-solid truth that we come back to over and over again, also in… Continue reading Who am I?
Something that crossed my desk this week: Why do students lie? Now, the short answer is obvious. I don’t want to get in trouble, and so I tell a lie. I minimise the effect of what I did, shift the blame on others, and if push comes to shove, simply say it wasn’t me. I… Continue reading Why do students lie?
New controls Early this year the Chinese government implemented new laws and regulations to tighten its control over the nation. The government says it wants to stop religious extremism, unrest, disturbances and violence. However, the regime wants to control religion, curb challenges to its authority and muzzle criticism. All churches, sects and faith groups… Continue reading Chinese Government applies the blow torch
What’s on your Facebook today? Maybe a birthday notification? New friend recommendation? Event notification? Photo of what your friends did yesterday (which you should tag!)? Even more important, what buttons will you hit in response? Does Facebook need you more than you need Facebook? Can you do without Facebook? Can Facebook do without you? With… Continue reading Would you miss Facebook?
Sir Charles Dilke [1843-1911] commented once that false statements can be arranged according to their degree under three heads, fibs, lies, and statistics. Mark Twain used a stronger word, when he wrote his now famous quote, which I will not repeat here. What is clear in these statements is, that people can lie out of… Continue reading Lies and Statistics
Ever listened to the way we speak? Ever thought about our conversations and how we phrase things? Have you ever considered what would happen if we turned some of our sentences around? “I really like Sam. She’s such a giving person and friendly, but…” And then we hear what we really think about her: “But she’s… Continue reading Applying the ‘holy but’
Public schooling may appear much less costly than Christian schooling (or homeschooling) but is it? Can our children be used to “witness and influence” in an unbelieving school culture? Sharon Bratcher in Reformed Perspective writes about the “need to renew our dedication to Christ-centered, Christ-honoring education”. She quotes Pastor Voddie Baucham, at a Ligonier Conference,… Continue reading We don’t want costly schooling!
On Thursday 8th March Rob Van der Linde (ARPA Chairman) and Laurence Van der Plas (ARPA Research Officer) gave evidence to the WA Parliament’s Joint Select Committee on End of Life Choices. The 50-minute hearing took place in the Legislative Assembly Committee Rooms. After a ten-minute opening statement in which ARPA was able to explain… Continue reading ARPA gives evidence to WA Joint Select Committee on End of Life Choices
How do you know? How can you be sure? Let’s be honest, most parents don’t know, and most are not sure. They like to think they are, but deep down, there’s this nagging doubt: is my child safe within the ICT world? You can’t stop it, nor turn the tide. Most of us don’t want… Continue reading How do you know? How can you be sure?
This story is nearly 80 years old. And has been retold many times, and worth telling again: In August of 1949, fifteen men parachuted into a mountainous area of Montana to put out a growing fire. Within minutes, the fire exploded out of control, spreading at 660 feet per minute and threatening to consume the… Continue reading Take action or run?
Today we find ourselves midterm, and with the Labour Day holiday on Monday it might be a good idea to STOP and take stock of how the year is going. Stop: we live in a fast-paced world and find ourselves moving from one thing to the next. There is always the next thing on our… Continue reading STOP and take stock
Ever since Xi Jinping became president of the Chinese Communist Party, there have been increasing restrictions on religious activity. Initially there were some indications that the new government was simply trying to confirm and prove it authority in every area of life. The silent hope was that with time, like in the past, these kinds… Continue reading Increasing restraints to Religious Activity in China
You have just received an account from a small business for a job well done. How soon will you pay it? What is your usual strategy: same day pay or many days delay? In an article that should prick everyone’s conscience Bernard Salt fires an arrow about paying your bills on time to small business.… Continue reading When will you pay that bill?
