Forrest Ministries

God’s Knowledge, Human Freedom, and the Commands to Joshua

info@trevorforrester.au (Trevor Forrester) — Fri, 05 Dec 2025 03:43:33 GMT

The Book of Joshua opens with a command that still confronts me every time I read it: “Be strong and courageous… go in to possess the land” (Joshua 1:6). It is a stirring beginning, but the next chapters carry a moral weight that cannot be ignored. Israel is told not only to enter the land but to cleanse it—to remove what would corrupt their worship and fracture their life with God.

“You Shall Not Murder”: A Study of the Sixth Commandment as the Moral Plumb Line for War

info@trevorforrester.au (Trevor Forrester) — Mon, 24 Nov 2025 11:14:00 GMT

In my earlier essay, The Pre-1900 Just War Tradition (for the workshop, the paddock, and the pulpit). A Personal Reflection, I traced the lane markers that Christian teaching has laid down across the centuries—Scripture, Augustine and Aquinas, Salamanca and the law of nations, the pastoral manuals that speak plainly to ordinary people, and the moral ballast supplied by Edwards and sharpened by modern historians of war.1 That essay was written for people who live by their hands as much as their heads: measure twice; do only what must be done; keep faith with your word; stop the moment the danger is past. If you’d like that foundation at hand, you can open it here: The Pre-1900 Just War Tradition (for the workshop, the paddock, and the pulpit). A Personal Reflection.

Who am I and why do I exist? Reading Psalm 8 in the light of Christ.

info@trevorforrester.au (Trevor Forrester) — Tue, 21 Oct 2025 06:13:00 GMT

By Trevor Forrester Chaplain. Psalm 8 humbles us under the night sky and honours us under God’s Word: the human creature is finite yet crowned by grace for delegated stewardship that returns to praise.

When Blessing Sounds Hollow: A Pastoral-Theological Response.

info@trevorforrester.au (Trevor Forrester) — Sun, 12 Oct 2025 23:07:00 GMT

Facing suffering, especially children’s deaths, critics say Christian blessing is hollow, God does nothing, Scripture sanctifies violence, and faith stifles reason. The Christian reply begins with lament, not denial. Blessing invokes God’s steadfast presence. God acts in Christ’s cross and resurrection, entering pain and pledging restoration. Scripture locates death’s reign with the devil; Christ breaks it. Hard texts like 1 Samuel 15 are contextual and read under Jesus’ enemy-love. Faith renews the mind, seeks understanding, and repents of ignorance. Practically, we lament, accompany the grieving, defend the vulnerable, and hope in resurrection. Blessing promises companionship until tears are wiped away.

Pastoral Rubric (Perinatal Loss & End-of-Life Vigils)

info@trevorforrester.au (Trevor Forrester) — Thu, 09 Oct 2025 09:07:00 GMT

Purpose. A pocket guide for compassionate, Scripture-anchored ministry in hospital and home contexts. Adapt language to tradition and context. Protect confidentiality.

Finding Truth in a post Truth World.

info@trevorforrester.au (Trevor Forrester) — Sat, 24 Feb 2018 10:09:00 GMT

We are increasingly living in a world where the word truth has started to lose some of its meaning. President Donald Trump of the United States of America has coined the phrase fake news and applies it as he sees fit. News papers everywhere are only covering stories that will sell more more newspapers. Reporters, are reporting stories increasingly from their own perspective and agenda’s.

Welcome to this new feature of our website.

info@trevorforrester.au (Trevor Forrester) — Fri, 23 Feb 2018 10:07:00 GMT

This website has been present on the web in one form or another since about 1998. Many of the articles that you will find on the site were originally written while I was studying for a combined Bachelor Of Ministries/Advanced Diploma of Theology at Morling College in Sydney between 1994 and 1998.
Quite a number of the articles have been updated since that time and I am in the process of updating others.