Sometimes as adults we forget that all our reflections on science and faith have a history and that we all came to this space by a long route, sometimes deep into childhood. In this blog we get a rare insight into the thinking of a child, one who thinks very hard and very deeply about the questions that really matter.
Humans share with other animals a set of instant responses which protect us from threats. Our brains trigger our bodies to flight, fight or freeze before we have time to think. But when we get stuck in stressful situations these reactions can get unpleasant and unhelpful. In this blog, Silvia Purdie maps out the stress response system, and asks ‘What is anxiety?’
Anxiety feels dreadful, and it can make us less intelligent and capable of solving problems. There’s plenty to be stressed about in 2022, but what is the alternative to chronic anxiety? Minister and counsellor Silvia Purdie identifies five strategies from the Christian faith tradition which are ‘tried and true’ – effective ways to reduce anxiety.
Weaving Mātauranga Māori into Science teaching in Christian schools
Sean Cleary is a Physics and Earth and Space Science teacher at KingsWay School, and also a new Board member of New Zealand Christians in Science. He spoke as part of the Auckland Winter Lecture series on Mātauranga Māori, science and God.
Climate Warming in the Light of an Ethic of Responsibility
Petrus has written a paper for the Catholic Lutheran Dialogue, outlining the reality of climate warming, biblical and theological responses, and concluding with a checklist expressing human responsibility.
Humans are animals. We can be in no doubt. Not only are humans animals but we bear the unmistakable fingerprint in our DNA of being related, by ancestry, to animals. So why did God allow us to develop as animals, as animals related by ancestry to other animals? And what did he intend by those other animals, especially ones that we would never eat or have a practical use for – the hyena, horse-flies, hummingbirds?
"As a Christian, I hold to the view that there is more to life than what we see in the physical realm. Truth is not confined to physical reality but reaches deep into the unseen from which we derive moral sensibility and a profound sense of place and meaning. And if indeed the physical universe is Created then the ultimate truth surely is to be found in the search for our Creator. We as humans build our lives around the as-yet unseen and it is only natural that we should reach out to the ultimate Unseen."
