Marius Barnard

The Gospel as Ballast – How the Message of the Cross Keeps us Low

If there’s one thing social media companies have learned, it is that moral outrage is good for business. In fact, some sociologists have even begun to speak of the “Outrage Industry”.[1] We live in the age of the perpetually offended and these companies ensure that our feeds are always littered…

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October 13, 2023
Marius Barnard / Parable

The Parables of the Mustard Seed and the Leaven

In recent weeks we’ve been considering the parables of Jesus found in Matthew 13. These are often referred to as Jesus’ kingdom parables because all of these serve to illustrate what the kingdom of heaven is like. Before we look at the parable of the mustard seed and the parable…

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August 26, 2022
Marius Barnard / Parable

The Parable of the Tares and the Wheat

If there’s one thing, we as human beings are good at, it’s being spiteful. Your neighbour asks you to turn down the volume on your TV – so you turn the volume up even higher. The car behind you is driving just centimetres from your rear bumper, forcing you to…

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August 10, 2022