“There is a depressing predictability to what’s currently happening in the Middle-East. An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth – something that Jesus warned about in the Sermon on the Mount. Israel under Roman occupation was the original context of those words. If you live like that, the whole world ends up blind and whole world ends up toothless. But how do you break the cycle of violence? (And do we wish to?) Jesus, didn’t lead a violent revolt against the Roman Empire; he didn’t attack other religions. He criticised his fellow Jews for their hypocrisy and taught his disciples to be meek, to turn the other cheek, to go the extra mile, to love their enemies, to lose their lives and take up the cross.”

“I now believe that scripture teaches the active presence of God and Jesus in the life of the believer by the Spirit. I also believe that the reason the Spirit is sometimes called 'holy’ is to draw a distinction between the holy Spirit of God and our naturally unholy spirit. These refreshing and reassuring conclusions encourage us to accept God’s help to reflect his holy character in our lives.“

“Just as the Jews were unable to obtain their freedom by their own might, we are also unable to free ourselves from the captivity of death and sin by our own might too. Just as Cyrus saved the Jews from captivity and slavery; similarly Jesus saves us from the captivity and slavery of sin.”

“He wept for those whom he loved that were suffering. He wept too, I think, for those who did not understand what he had been sent to do. But he knew – he had always known. And in these last few days he tries to prepare his disciples for what he knew was inevitable. And John passes that information on to us. Five chapters out of the 21 that make up the Gospel of John are more or less dedicated to Jesus trying to equip his followers for what was going to happen. Because he knew. He had always known.”

“If we start from the premise that God exists and that He created all things, then we would expect His wisdom to permeate all aspects of life and to persist through all time. Truth is pervasive, evident, and discernible. It precedes us, surrounds us, outlives us, and reveals us.”

“Jesus came to show us how God loves everyone, including the oppressed, the marginalized, and the misunderstood. And how powerfully he did so. For me, his examples the most powerful reason for looking again at how we treat women today.”

“History, scripture and astronomy help us to gain a new and better understanding of the story of Christ’s birth, including the date of his birth, the journey of the magi, that famous star, Joseph and Mary’s trip to Bethlehem, the fabled inn, the message of the angels, the nearby shepherds, the swaddling cloths, and even the manger in which the saviour was laid.”