Teaching of Jesus

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Unfair Gig Economy? Unexpected Generosity – Newcastle City Legal Breakfast event

You may have come across some shocking examples of worker exploitation in Australia’s “gig economy”, but you’ve probably never heard of an employer’s unexpected generosity causing resentment amongst their workers. Come along to Newcastle City Legal on Wed 3 Dec to hear Dave Moore reflect on how Jesus’ picture of the promised Kingdom of Heaven turns our expectations upside down!

If you are in or around Newcastle, join us at our next Newcastle City Legal event. This will be a breakfast seminar, run by the Newcastle Christian Lawyers Fellowship, in partnership with “City Legal”, Wednesday 3 December, 7:30 am- 8:30 am, in room X703, Nuspace Building, University of Newcastle, Cnr Hunter St and Auckland St, Newcastle. More details and registration here. Charge is $5 (and free coffee), or $10 for pastries with coffee. Everyone is welcome to come: lawyers, law students, or those just interested in the intersections between law and the Bible!

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The Snail in the Bottle and the Good Samaritan

As mentioned recently, I was invited to address a group of Christian lawyers and law students on a key tort case, the famous “snail in the bottle” case of Donoghue v Stevenson [1932] AC 562, and its connections to the Biblical parable of the Good Samaritan. The paper I presented can be downloaded here:

THE PAISLEY SNAIL- for blogDownload

One further comment: in the second half of the paper I address the question that Jesus was asked before telling the story of the Good Samaritan: “What must I do to inherit eternal life”? I was interested to see that the President of the United States seemed to be addressing this question recently in terms of a hope for heaven. For those interested in the answer to the question, I recommend not only my paper, but also this excellent recent comment by my friend Murray Campbell: “Will Donald Trump be welcomed into heaven?” (22 Aug 2025). Spoiler alert: President Trump may have the wrong approach! But Jesus can provide the answer.

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THE PAISLEY SNAIL- WHO IS MY NEIGHBOUR?

The classic formulation of the duty of care by Lord Atkin in Donoghue v Stevenson includes a reference to Jesus’ famous parable of the Good Samaritan. Lord Atkin wrote: ‘The rule that you are to love your neighbour becomes in law, you must not injure your neighbour; and the lawyer’s question, Who is my neighbour? Receives a restricted reply’. That’s the case in the legal realm. But what about in the rest of life? Can we so restrict Jesus’ words?

If you are in or around Newcastle, join us at our next Newcastle City Legal where I will be reflecting on this famous story that Jesus told, its impact on the law of negligence, and what it means for us today. This will be a breakfast seminar, run by the Newcastle Christian Lawyers Fellowship, in partnership with “City Legal”, Wednesday 20 August, 7:30 am- 8:30 am, in room X703, Nuspace Building, University of Newcastle, Cnr Hunter St and Auckland St, Newcastle. More details and registration here. Charge is $5 (and free coffee), or $10 for pastries with coffee. Everyone is welcome to come: lawyers, law students, or those just interested in the law and the Bible!

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THE BAREFOOT INVESTOR MEETS JESUS

Our next  Newcastle City Legal seminar will explore the question: “How to be a Truly Wise Money Manager”. What would you do if you lost your job? According to a report published just before Covid, ‘a consistent trend towards greater insecurity of work overall is observable’ – and things have only got worse. Dave Moore unpacks the surprising story Jesus told of a shrewd manager facing the sack, and the way to be a truly wise money manager.

This will be a breakfast seminar, run by the Newcastle Christian Lawyers Fellowship, in partnership with “City Legal”, Wednesday 4 June, 7:30 am- 8:30 am, in room X703, Nuspace Building, University of Newcastle, Cnr Hunter St and Auckland St, Newcastle.

More information here and registration on that page is open now! Charge is $5 (and free coffee), or $10 for pastries with coffee. Everyone is welcome to come: lawyers, law students, or those just interested!