Biblical words matter.
We sow, God saves.
Christianity is a counterculture.
Run the race as if it matters.

Introduction

These commentaries are the result of my personal experience and study. They reflect my perspective on Christian doctrine—the narrative that shapes a believer’s faith—and how that narrative influences our ability to walk in the footsteps of Jesus Christ. Today, Christianity often seems disconnected from the broader cultural conversation—reduced, in many ways, to an inconvenient subculture that increasingly grapples with spiritual diversity and social identity. This growing irrelevance raises a pressing question: why has the Church drifted so far from meaningful engagement with society? What concerns me most is how rarely this issue is addressed. Leadership from the pulpit is more focused on the organisation of the institution itself—an oversight that, in my view, has a direct and damaging effect on the health of the Church.

About Me

My earliest experiences were shaped, but not led, by a Christian view of life—a position that continued for 40 years before I made a personal decision to accept Jesus Christ as my Lord and Saviour. In 2001, I was part of a leadership team that welcomed a new Pastor to our Church. Not long after, we were confronted with a series of theological and relational challenges that ultimately split the congregation in two. It took three subsequent Pastors and many years for the Church to heal from this division. I still recall the sadness, anger, and disillusionment that followed—the sense of confusion—the lingering weight of unanswered questions. Through that experience, I realised two things—that I knew very little about why I believed; and second, that whatever I did know wasn’t truly my own.

My Latest Commentary

Trevor Strange Trevor Strange

Conflict is not a Bad Word

This paper arose from a meeting about relationships in the Church. The subject was “How we can communicate in a manner that improves the character and vitality of relationships as a whole”. Generally, this doesn’t come up for discussion unless there’s a desire to improve that which already exists, good or bad? It seems to me that simply talking about communication is somewhat academic without the benefit of an appropriate disagreement. I want to examine the matter of “Resolving conflict in a way that brings respect to disagreement”. The reason for addressing this area specifically is because it appears to me that the majority of communication issues in the church, stem from conflict. This isn’t an exhaustive examination, but food for thought and I purposefully speak in general terms when referring to the church. I don’t claim to have academic qualifications in the area of conflict resolution but I do have considerable experience with resolving conflict in the governance of schools, and the local Church. Both organizations experience times of severe disagreement, however, conflict itself isn’t really the problem. It’s the process we follow that brings respect to the conflict, and determines the degree of biblical resolution we experience.

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