Scoop

The Journey team selects stories that got us talking this week.  Worship of Mary (Jane) focus of new church The Guardian profiles a new church in Colorado where worship is dedicated to marijuana: yes, the International Church of Cannabis is lighting up its building and welcoming pot-aficionados. Featuring the stunning artwork of legendary painter Kenny Scharf, the church’s building boasts ping-pong, board games ...

The Journey team selects stories that got us talking this week.  God to Trump: take out Kim Jong-un USA Today covers the latest statements of pastor Robert Jeffress, an evangelical adviser to President Trump, who said God has given the American President full authority to take out Kim Jong-un. The Texan pastor cited the Book of Romans and a passage which says rulers ...

The Journey team selects stories that got us talking this week.  Star Trek’s big discovery: no God Entertainment Weekly has news which might be sad for religious Trekkies: according to the article Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry’s vision for the sci-fi favourite is a future where religion is virtually non-existent. While shooting the new Star Trek: Discovery television series, Entertainment Weekly reported one ...

It may have a staggering page-count but Carlos Eire’s latest book Reformations tackles an epic two hundred year period during the Protestant and Catholic Reformations as the West transitioned from the Middle Ages to modernity. Nick Mattiske reviews. You don’t want to drop this massive book on your foot, but you might like to lug it back home from the ...

After the Brisbane Times recently explored whether the current classification system for movies, television and video games is really working for parents, The Scoop sat down with Digital Youth Discipleship project officer Steve Molkentin to discuss movie ratings, parenting and top tips for family-friendly entertainment.   Australian Council on Children and the Media (ACCM) honorary chief executive Barbara Biggins recently ...

The Journey team selects stories that got us talking this week.  New faith for true Beliebers? NME has some good news for Christian Justin Bieber fans who feel the current denominations just aren’t serving them enough Bieber-ness in their faith: rumours are the Canadian pop star may start up his own church. The exact source of the rumour is unknown but Richard Wilkins ...

Juggling work, family and community commitments can wear down even the most energetic of people so when do we schedule time to take a breather and let creative ideas around church flourish? Scott Guyatt contemplates what could be achieved if every church had a think-tank. Life in congregations can be incredibly busy, particularly for those with multiple leadership roles who ...

The Journey team selects stories that got us talking this week.  No jail for “hate crime” against dead Christian babies The Daily Mail reports on an attack against 70 Christian graves by a stonemason who escaped jail time for what some are calling a “hate crime” against Christians. Many of the destroyed memorials belonged to dead babies and the crime left the graves ...

On 24 June the Queensland Synod’s Multi-Cross Cultural Reference Group celebrated the Uniting Church’s 40th anniversary with a party highlighting the rich cultural diversity within the church. Akesa Racava reports.  Turning 40 has been equally important across all cultures in the Uniting Church. For our multi-cross cultural congregations it required a celebration of colour, music, dancing, feasting and worship. Beenleigh Regional Uniting Church ...

With all the talk within the church about birthdays recently we thought what better time than now to ask staff members what were the best and worst birthday presents they’ve received. Here’s Scott with his memories.  The best  We had been married for only about six weeks when my birthday rolled around. There were no hints, no requests, no discussion about ...