About

This blog, and the website that sits behind it, is aimed at helping followers of Jesus work through issues associated with living in this complex 21st century world. (If you have chanced upon this website and are not a believer, and want to consider the reasons to believe, may I recommend my other website Is there a god.)

Why?

I have spent almost 50 years as a “christian” (a word with too many connotations for me these days), and I seem to have not stopped learning and changing in that time. Sometimes it is a struggle to work out ways forward, even more of a struggle to live as I ought. I remain committed to the truth of who Jesus was, and is, and to following him in life – I just want to “keep up with the Spirit” (Galatians 5:25) and maintain a cutting edge.

In recent years I have met, mostly on the web but also in person, many believers who struggle with some aspects of their faith that they feel no longer seems right. They don’t  have significant doubts about Jesus, but they do have doubts about some of what they have been taught.

The world is changing (it’s always changing, but it seems faster and more drastic these days) and we may need to keep adapting. But how does our belief adapt? Which bits are not negotiable and which bits are flexible?

So what?

I doubt anyone has more than a handful of answers, but together we probably have many helpful ideas. But the way? is my attempt to address some of these issues and seek comment and input, in the hope that together we may “see him more clearly, love him more dearly and follow him more nearly” in this 21st century. Ideas will appear first in blog posts, then be consolidated into the background website for future reference.

I will be covering topics like:

• How do we know what we believe is true? (How we know)
• How should we present our beliefs to non-believers? (The Core)
• What are non-believers thinking about? (The World), and
• A practical approach to christian belief (What to believe).

About me

My name is Eric Hatfield, I live in Sydney, Australia, and I have been following Jesus (imperfectly) for almost 50 years. I once studied, and obtained a degree in, theology, but I think my main qualification for writing this blog is an enquiring and honest mind, a willingness to change from any belief I conclude is wrong, and a fair amount of reading. I have no official role in any church, or any other organisation for that matter.

The last word

One more thing. I am not interested in argument, but discussion. All and any viewpoints are welcome as long as you are being friendly and constructive. With that encouragement, welcome, please come back, and please offer your ideas.