Australia's humanity is the casualty of repugnant asylum politics Article written by: Tim Costello chief executive of World Vision Australia. The Australian philosopher Peter Singer asks students to consider whether a person wearing new shoes and a suit has a responsibility to wade into a nearby pond, thus ruining their clothes, if they see a child … Continue reading Some thoughts on the current Asylum Seeker Issue (by Tim Costello)
Tax Blues on the Increase in Australia
Is Australia becoming a nation of whiners? The third survey of opinions on tax - for 2012 by Per Capita shows more of us believe we pay too much tax in a system that is less fair. Per Capita says Australia has the fifth lowest tax burden of the 34 OECD countries, only higher than … Continue reading Tax Blues on the Increase in Australia
What Americans think of Islam
Barna Report: In the aftermath of the Boston marathon bombings, the attention of the media and the American public quickly turned toward the faith and political background of Dzhokhar and Tamerlan Tsarnaev. Reporters honed in on Tamerlan’s apparently deep Muslim faith, especially analyzing if that faith had become radicalized in the last few years. Fair … Continue reading What Americans think of Islam
Finger-Pointing and the Impulse to Judge (by Greg Boyd)
A well-written article by Greg Boyd, worth re-posting: To no one’s surprise, yet to the sadness of many of us, several Christian spokespeople, including James Dobson, Mike Huckabee and Bryan Fischer, are blaming the shootings in Newtown, Conn, on abortion and gay marriage. This is sadly reminiscent of Jerry Falwell’s hurtful response to 9/11 when he divined that “the … Continue reading Finger-Pointing and the Impulse to Judge (by Greg Boyd)
Heretic Hunting?
It always concerns me the amount of so-called ‘Christians’ who spend their time throwing mud at other Christian ministries, claiming that so-and-so is a false prophet or spreading heresy. Jesus does call us to discern ministries (by their fruit) but to go beyond this and place a judgment on a person is something we are … Continue reading Heretic Hunting?
2012 American Election Day Preview (Barna Group)
The following article is the from the Barna Group web site ... November 5, 2012 – Compared to the days leading up to 2008, when Barack Obama was a frontrunner and poised to make inroads among Christian voters, the 2012 presidential race remains without a clear leader. Yet most voters place a high urgency on … Continue reading 2012 American Election Day Preview (Barna Group)
The Tragedy of Halloween
[A guest post by Rev Canon J.John - www.philotrust.com] The bizarre preoccupation with Halloween shows no sign of abating. Indeed, the enthusiasm with which some shops are marketing this celebration of evil, death and the occult suggests that their owners are banking on huge sales of pumpkins, masks and witches’ hats.. Many concerns have been raised concerning Halloween over the years and the two most … Continue reading The Tragedy of Halloween
Justice Trumps Spices (Pt.3)
Practicing Justice Let's take this first important matter that Jesus mentions: justice. How can we move from believing in justice to actually living it out in practice? It requires as to ACT and that involves three things: Awareness - Ignorance is not bliss. Sticking our head in the sand until the storm blows over is bot … Continue reading Justice Trumps Spices (Pt.3)
Justice Trumps Spices (Pt.2)
Weightier Matters In the Pentateuch, there was as many as 613 different laws or commandments that God’s people were meant to keep - 248 affirmative commands and 365 negative commands. Debates and discussions often occurred as to which were the more important ones. One teacher of the law even asked Jesus this question: “What is … Continue reading Justice Trumps Spices (Pt.2)
Justice Trumps Spices (Pt.1)
In Matthew 23, we have a record of Jesus’ strong condemnation of the religious leaders of his day, who had not led the people faithfully and who had become hypocritical and legalistic. Here is one of the seven “woe’s” he gave them: “What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For … Continue reading Justice Trumps Spices (Pt.1)
Abolitionist Sunday
The International Day for the Abolition of Slavery will be recognised by many churches around the country by holding an Abolitionist Sunday on November 20th this year. Although the fight to end slavery is a year round activity, Abolitionist Sunday provides an annual focus for churches to unite in action against this injustice. Tim Costello … Continue reading Abolitionist Sunday
Australian 2011 Census
This coming Tuesday, August 9th, is national census day here in Australia for all residents. The census seeks to give a clear snapshot of our nation and is conducted every five years. Participation is mandatory for all households. The census can be completed via a paper form or on-line. For full details about the census click … Continue reading Australian 2011 Census
Good Friday (2011)
Over this weekend, Christians all around the world will celebrate the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Tomorrow is called ‘Good Friday’, a time to remember the suffering and death of Jesus Christ. What’s so good about Friday? Firstly, Good Friday reminds us that God is a loving God. He loved us so much … Continue reading Good Friday (2011)
Prime Minister Julia Gillard meets with Christian Leaders
This last Monday, I was privileged to be a part of a group of Christian leaders who spent an hour with Prime Minister Julia Gillard at Parliament House in Canberra. It was a very profitable time as we interacted and discussed a variety of issues, including religious freedom, persecution of Christians in Islamic countries, euthanasia … Continue reading Prime Minister Julia Gillard meets with Christian Leaders
International Women’s Day
Today is the centenary of International Women's Day - a day of global celebration for women each year on March 8th. Read more about it here. Women are a wonderful part of God's creation - something he called "very good." Some people say that man was created first, so males are superior. Other's say that after creating … Continue reading International Women’s Day