Historian Paul Barnett explores the evidence for the existence of Jesus compared with other famous figures of the ancient world.

(See the PDF for complete article.)

Files: Mystery of origins

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Two papers from the 2004 CASE Federal Election Forum are reproduced (in expanded form) here, to stimulate discussion among Christians and to give others some insight into the ways Christian people approach politics (188k PDF).

Elections: why bother? (Andrew Cameron)
There are several reasons why a Christian might feel that elections are not worth bothering with.

• We sometimes feel cynicism about human shortcomings, in comparison to God’s government

A review of Looking for Spinoza: Joy, Sorrow, and the Feeling Brain by Antonio Damasio

Antonio Damasio’s book on the neurobiology of feelings and the pursuit of happiness is a little out of my area. I can’t comment on the discussion about the brain-stem switch, or the emotional impact of Parkinson’s Disease. I look forward to comments from qualified Christina neuroscientists. But I found these discussions fascinating, even to the lay reader, and on

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A review article of the Dan Brown novel on the alleged conflict between science and religion.

The idea of the conflict between science and religion is pervasive in our society, particularly in popular literature. This article examines the mythical origins of the conflict metaphor and its employment by the airport novelist of the moment, Dan Brown.

Dan Brown’s Angels and Demons is a page-turner mystery novel, and has proved a very successful one at

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What impact is American foreign policy having on worldwide views of Christianity. A bishop to the defence forces explores the mingling of theology and foreign affairs.

Drawing on three recent books about America’s place in the world, Tom Frame considers the complex entanglement of American culture, Christian mission and imperialism.

(See PDF for complete article.)

Files: frame-american-foreign-policy.pdf

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