Category Archives: Debating Issues

Self Improvement and Dark Materials

I notice a host of articles and book titles about Self Improvement. They generally assume that faith is irrelevant, as if those ancient concepts of sin, grace and atonement are irrelevant. Or, some would say, harmful.
I believe Jesus teaches us a great deal about self-improvement, but that you have to stop trying!! A point totally missed by Philip Pullman’s Magisterium in His Dark Materials. Have a read and see what you think!

Too late for Planet Earth?

By all accounts, the World Leaders at COP27 failed to deliver any new commitments to address climate change. The chance to restrict global warming to 1.5 degC has all but gone.
Have I lost hope? If hope’s based on optimism in humans’ ability to save ourselves, then it’s slipping away. True hope needs to be anchored in something deeper. There we CAN find grounds for hope.

COP27…The Eleventh Hour?

Will enjoying nature soon become a thing of the past? Many people are attending the COP27 summit because they want to conserve nature. More than this – to preserve humanity itself! Yet, as Antonio Guterres said, we’re still speeding down a highway to hell with our foot on the accelerator…
A challenging conversation in a pub left me wondering, is there any reason not to despair?