Channel 9 revives The Block; property bubble imminent
Channel 9 has recently announced that The Block, the renovation reality television show, will be back for 2010. Surely this is a sign that we may now be in a property bubble.
Public policy
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Commentary on the current state of global and regional affairs, politics, and other matters on public policy.
Sonny Bill Williams and the Trans-Tasman Court Proceedings and Regulatory Enforcement Agreement
I don’t follow rugby league that closely, but I noted that the Bulldogs and Sonny Bill Williams have settled their recent contract dispute. I am wondering whether the recent signing of the Trans-Tasman Court Proceedings and Regulatory Enforcement Agreement was a motivating factor for the settlement. Once ratified, the agreement will allow certain civil judgments […]
Theology and atheism in practice
In John Anderson’s valedictory speech to Parliament this week on the relationship between what people believe and what they will end up doing in the world. It sort of ties up with what I have noted earlier, though from a slightly different perspective. It is also an interesting contribution to the recent debates on atheism. […]
Popular economics
If you have been following the news, you probably have heard of various political parties announcing enquiries into petrol prices and grocery prices. While clearly it would be interesting to see what (if anything) transpires out of these enquiries, it is instructive to consider the economics of the situation. Consider the following observations. For many […]
Keeping one’s word
Given the developments in Australian politics over the past week, it’s rather serendipitous to read the following during my quiet time: God is not man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should change his mind.Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will he not fulfil […]
Old Testament macroeconomics
The Sydney Morning Herald recently ran a column from its Economics Editor, Ross Gittens, about the virtues of the economic system stipulated by the Old Testament. The article was largely based on a (rather old) Cambridge Paper, The Divine Economy, by Paul Mills. The thesis can be summarised as follows. The economic system in the […]
Moore College considers move to UTS Kuring-gai, USyd Cumberland
There has been talk for some time now about Moore Theological College running out of room, given the current rapid expansion of students studying at the college. It has been exploring various options to acquire bigger premises to fit in everyone, as well as the library (which I understand is the biggest theological library in […]
The draft and the gospel
The Sydney Morning Herald reported today of a proposal from NSW Young Labor to reintroduce national (community) service for graduating high school students. The group’s president, Sam Dastyari, particularly noted: The community service could take many forms, from being an army cadet to helping with chores at the local retirement village. It could be helping […]
Book review: The Future of Jesus
2005 New College Lectures: Church & State
One of the perennial challenges facing a Christian is balancing these two biblical commands: Submitting to God through submitting to and praying for the authorities (e.g. Romans 13:1-7; 1 Timothy 2:1-2) Submitting to God despite the authorities (e.g. Daniel 3:8-23; Acts 5:17-32) It can be particularly interesting in a democracy when, at least theoretically, we […]