Link highlights | May 2017

Sunday, 4 June 2017 | Ethos editor

Link highlights – May 2017

Below is a selection of links to online news and opinion pieces from 1st May to 4th June 2017. To keep up-to-date with our posts, ‘like’ us on Facebook and/or follow us on Twitter.

The articles below are selected by the editor, Armen Gakavian, at his discretion. Neither the editor nor Ethos necessarily endorse the views expressed in these articles.

Abortion

A Greens bill to decriminalise abortion is voted down in New South Wales Parliament, with 14 votes for and 25 votes against.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-05-11/nsw-parliament-votes-no-on-abortion-bill/8517566

The same reason we turn a blind eye to abortion, even when football “stars” coerce their girlfriends, is the same reason we ignore the plight of starving children, writes Lyle Shelton.

http://www.acl.org.au/what_will_it_take_for_us_to_be_truly_pro_life

To provide a persuasive alternative to abortion, the church must offer holistic, long-term support, writes Kelly Rosati.

http://www.christianitytoday.com/women/2017/may/how-to-counter-economic-argument-for-abortion.html

It is inexcusable that the extension of women's rights has been indissolubly linked with the erosion of the right to life of our unborn children. This is not progress, freedom or equality – quite the opposite, writes Dawn McAvoy.

https://www.christiantoday.com/article/why.most.women.are.not.happy.with.the.status.quo.on.abortion.and.why.this.matters/109419.htm

Visiting a clinic privately and in peace should be a basic right, and governments have the power to stop the harassment and vilification of women entering clinics, writes Philip Goldstone.

http://www.smh.com.au/comment/ive-seen-first-hand-why-we-need-safe-access-zones-around-abortion-clinics-20170525-gwcwyx.html

Conservative Christians have hailed two defeats of abortion bills this year, but the issue will not go away and factors other than the vigorous campaign may have been significant, writes John Sandeman.

https://www.eternitynews.com.au/australia/polls-reveal-a-twist-to-the-abortion-story/

Aid & development

Our budget is a moral document, writes Lyle Shelton, and we are putting aside precious little for our neighbours in our global community who are suffering.

http://www.acl.org.au/how_our_budget_continues_to_fail_the_world_s_poor

A range of Christian groups have campaigned for years to maintain Australia’s aid budget, with sadly negative results. Tess Holgate asks why.

https://www.eternitynews.com.au/australia/foreign-aid-budget-slashed/

Anzac Day

It's ironic that the very commentators who constantly rail against political correctness are apoplectic about a woman being politically incorrect, writes Rohan Salmond.

http://www.eurekastreet.com.au/article.aspx?aeid=51273

Arts

Professor Thomas Crow shows us how artwork that seems devoid of religion - whether it’s a still life of a white tablecloth, or an Andy Warhol-inspired anti-war poster - can point towards something sacred.

https://publicchristianity.org/library/the-missing-theology-of-art

Fuller Texas professor of theology and culture David O. Taylor interviews Bono about how much the Psalms have influenced him.

https://fullerstudio.fuller.edu/bono-and-david-taylor-beyond-the-psalms/

Asylum seekers, refugees and migration

Friday 5 May is the 25th birthday of the introduction of mandatory detention - a sombre reminder of how control, power and political vilification can be used for political ends, writes Kerry Murphy.

https://www.eurekastreet.com.au/article.aspx?aeid=51304#.WQvrs7yGOu4

On a tiny island off the coast of Manus, a local family offers asylum seekers kindness and some respite from their ordeal. By Behrouz Boochani.

https://www.thesaturdaypaper.com.au/2017/05/06/island-manus/14939928004582

Finding affordable housing in expensive inner Sydney is just one of the ways Bankstown District Uniting Church is helping newcomers from the Middle East settle into Australian life, writes Anne Lim.

https://www.eternitynews.com.au/australia/refugees-dont-want-a-handout-they-want-friends/

Belief

According to a new report by Barna and Summit Ministries, in addition to their Christian beliefs, many practicing Christians have embraced beliefs from other ideologies.

http://www.christianitytoday.com/gleanings/2017/may/many-practicing-christians-agree-marxism-worldviews-barna.html

Bioethics

As robots become increasingly independent in making decisions, what are the philosophical, ethical and theological issues? To what extent, for instance, can robots become conscious moral agents operating an ethical code?

https://www.licc.org.uk/resources/ai-revolution/

The artificial womb may one day assist premature human babies. But, like all tools, it can be used in good or bad, writes Kate Galloway.

https://www.eurekastreet.com.au/article.aspx?aeid=51310#.WRJrzLyGOu4

While there may be beneficial effects of artificial gestation in the short term, for many people this technology represents an early step toward something different entirely, writes Alastair Roberts.

https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/sex-scandal-drive-to-abolish-male-female-childbearing

It seems that, apart from a small number of women who will benefit from egg-freezing, it is mostly a marketing ‘false fact’ designed to play on women’s guilt, writes Amanda Jackson.

https://amandaadvocates.blog/2017/05/22/false-fears/

Blasphemy

Why Stephen Fry should be allowed to blaspheme as much as he wants. By Mark Woods

http://www.christiantoday.com/article/why.stephen.fry.should.be.allowed.to.blaspheme.as.much.as.he.wants/108611.htm

"Far from being sensitive souls who can’t bear to hear our God spoken badly of, Christians know that Jesus showed his love and greatness not by the avoidance of humiliation, but precisely through being humiliated", writes Michael Frost.

http://mikefrost.net/go-ahead-stephen-fry-take-best-blaspheming-shot/

"Irish Christians, on the whole, barely noticed Fry’s comments, never mind expressed outrage at them. Irish Christians are concerned about how asylum seekers are being treated under the direct provision system. Prosecuting blasphemy is not the topic of recent Papal encyclicals but environmental justice and economic inequality is. Putting blasphemers in the dock is not mentioned in the New Testament, but providing for the hungry and the poor, the prisoner and the immigrant is a recurring preoccupation", writes Kevin Hargaden.

http://www.irishtimes.com/opinion/don-t-blame-christians-for-the-stephen-fry-blasphemy-nonsense-1.3079537

Budget (Federal)

Our budget is a moral document, writes Lyle Shelton, and we are putting aside precious little for our neighbours in our global community who are suffering.

http://www.acl.org.au/how_our_budget_continues_to_fail_the_world_s_poor

Disguising inequality as a personal failure instead of a market failure is a convenient frame. Punishing people won’t achieve anything, writes Kasy Chambers of Anglicare.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com.au/kasy-chambers/budgets-forget-that-were-all-in-this-together/

While the budget contains commitments that seek to create a more equitable Australia, it again vilifies welfare recipients, writes Julie Edwards.

https://www.eurekastreet.com.au/article.aspx?aeid=52334#.WRPSZxOGOu5

We longed for a carefully considered vision in this budget but we were served a buffet of tactics. We yearned for hope, but young people, along with older people who have been pushed out, have been given yet another serve of deliberate humiliation, writes John Falzon.

https://www.eurekastreet.com.au/article.aspx?aeid=52335#.WROthBOGOu4

Has Malcolm got his Mojo back? It certainly looks that way, at least when it comes to domestic policy. We may even be seeing glimmers of the Scott Morrison who entered Parliament a small liberal and humanitarian. Internationalism? I wouldn’t hold my breath, writes Scott Higgins.

http://scottjhiggins.com/has-malcolm-got-his-mojo-back-reflections-on-the-2017-federal-budget/

Treasurer Morrison's omission of climate change in the federal budget has set a tone of ignorance to improving energy policy in a meaningful way, write Francine Crimmins.

https://www.eurekastreet.com.au/article.aspx?aeid=52337#.WRUhhBOGOu4

Civil society

Have we lost the art of disagreeing well? Is it recoverable? Laments over the incivility of our public square seem to appear almost daily now, and the genre is not an optimistic one, writes Natasha Moore.

https://www.eternitynews.com.au/opinion/four-tips-for-dealing-with-media-meltdowns/

Sarah Pulliam Bailey from The Washington Post, and Barney Zwartz, formerly of The Age, share their wisdom on how to have good - or at least civil - conversations on social media.

https://publicchristianity.org/library/not-in-polite-company

Corporate ethics

It is suggested that where the expenditure of money or restriction on business activities has no reasonable connection with the business of the company, the directors have breached their duties and have not acted for a proper purpose as required by the Corporation Act, writes Robin Speed.

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/legal-affairs/directors-cant-expend-public-company-money-for-just-any-purpose/news-story/d20ec93024e36d413671a6cd416673ff

Economics & inequality

With support and guidance from multiple experts, the Millennium Alliance for Humanity and Biosphere has compiled a list of resources and organizations relevant to the discussions of why a new economic system is needed, what might the system look like, and how do we make the necessary transition.

https://mahb.stanford.edu/blog/moving-away-progrowth/

Disguising inequality as a personal failure instead of a market failure is a convenient frame. Punishing people won’t achieve anything, writes Kasy Chambers of Anglicare.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com.au/kasy-chambers/budgets-forget-that-were-all-in-this-together/

Robert Reich explains why President Trump’s proposed corporate tax cuts will be a huge windfall for corporations and a huge burden on ordinary Americans.

https://www.socialeurope.eu/2017/05/five-reasons-trumps-corporate-tax-cut-appallingly-dumb/

And, in Australia:

"At best the tax cut may somewhat reduce the burden on smaller Australian companies, albeit at a significant cost to the budget, without impacting the largest Australian and foreign multinationals", write Brett Govendir and Roman Lanis.

https://theconversation.com/the-governments-company-tax-cut-win-a-triumph-of-politics-over-economics-75464

End of life

Elder abuse is a very real problem, and about half of all abuse is perpetuated by family members. If family members can stoop so low as to abuse their weak and vulnerable ‘loved ones’, then it doesn’t take much imagination to see how euthanasia laws could be exploited in a way that would be undetectable, writes Mark Brown.

http://www.acl.org.au/listen_to_voiceless_in_euthanasia_debate

Two views on the announcement by the Belgian region of the Catholic Brothers of Charity that its hospitals would offer euthanasia to non-terminally-ill psychiatric patients who request it, going against the teachings of the Catholic Church.

Brother René Stockman, the superior general of the Brothers of Charity, responds to this decision.

https://www.bioedge.org/indepth/view/head-of-belgian-order-explains-shock-move-on-euthanasia/12291

The chairman of the board of the Brothers of Charity in Belgium, Raf De Rycke, explains the point of view of the dissidents.

https://www.bioedge.org/indepth/view/belgian-catholic-group-explains-switch-on-euthanasia/12284

Euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide are not the panacea for improving end-of-life care. Instead, we need to focus on improving the care of most of the patients who are dying and need optimal symptom management at home, writes Ezekiel Emanuel.

https://www.mja.com.au/journal/2017/206/8/euthanasia-and-physician-assisted-suicide-focus-data

Just 1% of terminally ill patients want to die in hospital, and yet more than a third do so – with good reason, writes Ranjana Srivastava.

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/may/01/dying-at-home-terminally-ill-hospital

FactCheck Q&A: do 80% of Australians and up to 70% of Catholics and Anglicans support euthanasia laws?

https://theconversation.com/factcheck-qanda-do-80-of-australians-and-up-to-70-of-catholics-and-anglicans-support-euthanasia-laws-76079

In Victoria, as has happened elsewhere, there are moves to extend euthanasia laws soon after they had been passed, writes Paul Russell.

http://www.onlineopinion.com.au/view.asp?article=19022&page=0

Euthanasia would put our community on a slippery slope: changing the law sends a mixed message about suicide, writes Mark Brown.

http://www.themercury.com.au/news/opinion/talking-point-euthanasia-would-put-our-community-on-a-slippery-slope/news-story/4188b16022c453a3b4da135f52fb14e6

Right to die will ease needless pain. People should have the right to end their lives in the face of unbearable suffering, writes Cassy O'Connor.

http://www.themercury.com.au/news/opinion/talking-point-right-to-die-will-ease-needless-pain/news-story/d959131529d62eeb9aa1fd802ceb67c1

The Victorian Ministerial Advisory Panel charged by Premier Daniel Andrews with the task of developing a safe way to kill people and to help them to suicide, released its interim report yesterday, writes Paul Russell.

http://www.onlineopinion.com.au/view.asp?article=19043

Although thinking about dying can cause considerable angst, new research suggests that the actual emotional experiences of the dying are both more positive than people expect.

https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2017-06/afps-eeb060117.php

‘Yet we die as we live: in society, bound by rules, enmeshed in politics. Let's talk it all through. It's the biggest social justice issue of your life.’

Andrew Denton and Virginia Trioli on ‘end of life choices’ at the 2017 Joan Kirner Social Justice Oration.

https://www.communitiesincontrol.com.au/cic/speeches/?speechId=7202

The right to die will ease needless pain, and public support is overwhelming for voluntary assisted dying, writes Lara Giddings.

http://www.themercury.com.au/news/opinion/talking-point-right-to-die-will-ease-needless-pain/news-story/654f43e83355c9912054f9fd69dd67a6

Proposals for voluntary assisted dying do not do enough to protect the most vulnerable in our society, writes Julian Porteous.

http://www.themercury.com.au/news/opinion/safeguards-not-strong-enough-to-protect-the-most-vulnerable/news-story/82eb070ed86597b31759bdf7e3703fe0

Lyle Shelton speaks with Stewart Migdon, Executive Producer of the film Voiceless about the pro-life message of the film.

http://www.acl.org.au/pro_life_film_voiceless

“How life ends: Death is inevitable. A bad death is not” was on the cover of The Economist last month, yet the story said nothing about how religion shapes our view of death, writes Martin E. Marty.

https://divinity.uchicago.edu/sightings/how-life-should-end

It is feasible that euthanasia could form part of government planning for service provision for people nearing end-of-life – a chilling thought, writes Rochelle Galloway.

http://www.examiner.com.au/story/4681006/assisted-dying-bill-needs-to-be-analysed/?cs=97

Environment

I’m a climate alarmist because there is no morally responsible way to downplay the dangers that negligent policies – expected to accelerate human-caused climate change – pose to humankind.

There can be no greater crime against humanity than the foreseeable, and methodical, destruction of conditions that make human life possible – hindsight isn’t necessary, writes Lawrence Torcello.

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/apr/29/climate-alarmist-global-warming-crime-humanity

We continue to plan for the future as if climate scientists don’t exist. The greatest shame is the absence of a sense of tragedy, writes Clive Hamilton.

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/may/05/the-great-climate-silence-we-are-on-the-edge-of-the-abyss-but-we-ignore-it

Christian efforts to care for our common home are gathering momentum, particularly through divestment, writes Neil Thorns.

https://www.christiantoday.com/article/christians.are.putting.their.money.where.their.morals.are.on.climate.change/108797.htm

Treasurer Morrison's omission of climate change in the federal budget has set a tone of ignorance to improving energy policy in a meaningful way, write Francine Crimmins.

https://www.eurekastreet.com.au/article.aspx?aeid=52337#.WRUhhBOGOu4

We need to grow in biblically shaped wisdom, humility and knowledge of how creation and culture function and interrelate, writes Mick Pope.

https://www.academia.edu/32914561/God_and_growth

What does God have to do with climate change? A lot, if you want to engage with communities in the Pacific Islands, where almost everyone goes to church and religious leaders are hugely influential, writes Patrick D. Nunn.

http://theconversation.com/sidelining-god-why-secular-climate-projects-in-the-pacific-islands-are-failing-77623

The urge to recycle and reuse is natural. It was sent off course about 30 years ago by an invasion of cheap imports that made it far cheaper to buy new than to repair, writes Richard Glover.

http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/comment/the-very-recent-stupidity-of-our-wasteful-ways-20170523-gwbflv.html

Mottainai attempts to communicate the inherent value in a thing and encourage using objects fully or all the way to the end of their lifespan, writes Kevin Taylor.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-05-30/mottainai-can-we-reduce-waste-with-ancient-japanese-philosophy/8553928

The Anglican church in Australia’s largest coalmining region, including the site of Adani’s proposed Carmichael mine, has vowed to renounce interests in fossil fuels.

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/jun/02/anglican-church-queensland-carmichael-mine-heartland-divest-fossil-fuels-australia-adani

Evil

Where was God in Manchester? Dark times produce glimmerings of courageous light. It's a beginning. But eradicating evil takes time, writes Rabbi Raymond Apple.

http://www.abc.net.au/religion/articles/2017/05/26/4675992.htm

Gender

At the recent Equip women’s conference, the idea was put forward that there is something rebellious about long hair for men and short hair for women. Anne Lim writes – and the comments are worth reading, too.

https://www.eternitynews.com.au/culture/when-cutting-your-hair-can-be-an-ungodly-act/

Hospitality

If hospitality is a model for discipleship, then we need both open doors and clear boundaries, writes Karen Swallow Prior.

http://www.christianitytoday.com/women/2017/may/how-to-love-your-ideological-enemy.html

Indigenous affairs

Constitutional recognition for Aborigines is a necessity, but this won’t quickly change the disadvantage that lingers 229 years after European settlement, writes Michael Madigan.

http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/opinion/opinion-constitutional-recognition-for-aborigines-needs-to-be-meaningful-not-tokenism/news-story/afd7fcbbcd98dcd684f0d2d38fcec35b

Don't call them disadvantaged: Redefining what it is to be Indigenous: Identity framed around misery can be a self-fulfilling prophecy, and poverty need not be permanent, nor suffering a life sentence, writes Stan Grant.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-05-05/dont-call-them-disadvantaged/8501744

The Indigenous Health May Day 2017 conference is 'an opportunity to take action and use our voice, to represent ourselves, to build our future in “the state of being so self – represented", writes Lynore Geia.

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/may/17/indigenous-voices-are-re-emerging-we-are-representing-ourselves-once-again

In 1967 Australia voted in a landmark referendum to finally include Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders in its census. But, as Paul Daley reports, the fight for genuine equality for the country’s first people is far from over.

https://www.theguardian.com/inequality/2017/may/18/50-years-since-indigenous-australians-first-counted-why-has-so-little-changed-1967-referendum

Fifty years after the Constitutional Referendum, the way in which a dominating western culture moved toward recognising the rights of another culture it had oppressed was quite remarkable, and offers lessons for us today, writes Dani Larkin.

https://www.eurekastreet.com.au/article.aspx?aeid=52368

Here is what leaders and politicians think of the historic 1967 referendum that recognised Aboriginal Australians in the census.

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/breaking-news/1967-referendum-indigenous-leaders-views/news-story/ca4a96634fa78bc141cf644cf7703683

At Uluru, Indigenous representatives from across Australia will aim to reach consensus on what constitutional recognition means to them, writes Harry Hobbs.

https://theconversation.com/explainer-why-300-indigenous-leaders-are-meeting-at-uluru-this-week-77955

Half a century after the 1967 referendum promised so very much but resulted in so pitifully little, Paul Daley explains why this week’s constitutional recognition conference will not reach consensus.

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/may/24/five-factors-that-will-shape-the-outcome-for-recognise-at-uluru

My friends, sorry doesn’t mean much if we do it again. Sorry doesn’t mean much if our voices as Aboriginal peoples continue to be ignored. By Brooke Prentis.

http://www.commongrace.org.au/may_26_national_sorry_day

The Constitution belongs to all Australians. If the state changes the citizenship status of one group of Australians, it, by definition, changes the citizenship status of all Australians. In principle and in practice, this is a recipe for conflict and disaster, writes Greg Sheridan.

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/opinion/columnists/greg-sheridan/misguided-squeamish-liberals-are-failing-aborigines/news-story/276729b5e8e0c206bb2ccced5dc9c570

A review of Colin Tatz's Australia’s Unthinkable Genocide, reviewed by Debra Jopson.

‘This book is a plea to read the distressing stories that support his case and to not just turn the page and forget. It is meant to disturb and disrupt. It is about history and also the present day.’

http://plus61j.net.au/panel-picks/genocide-scholars-treatise-aboriginal-suffering-pleads-turning-page-forgetting/

Historian Joanna Cruickshank reflects on the courage of Aboriginal Christian Leaders like Margaret Tucker and Pastor Frank Roberts in their role in the fight for the Referendum.

http://www.commongrace.org.au/christians_and_the_1967_referendum

Aboriginal leader Noel Pearson has backed the idea of voting down a referendum that gives only symbolic constitutional recognition of indigenous Australians, in a blow to supporters of a so-called “minimalist’’ change to the nation’s founding document.

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/indigenous/noel-pearson-backs-call-for-substance-over-symbols-in-indigenous-referendum/news-story/d06f07f58b2a4dbd225a65758ed065db

A group of delegates have walked out of the national First People’s summit, demanding a treaty, reports Claudianna Blanco.

http://www.sbs.com.au/nitv/nitv-news/article/2017/05/25/breaking-delegates-walk-out-constitutional-recognition-forum-protest

Indigenous Australians have issued a statement calling for constitutional reform that is substantive and meaningful, writes Harry Hobbs.

http://theconversation.com/listening-to-the-heart-what-now-for-indigenous-recognition-after-the-uluru-summit-77853

Unlike the current push for constitutional recognition, the 1967 referendum was the most successful outcome since Federation, because it came from the grassroots, writes Celeste Liddle.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-05-27/constitutional-recognition-push-is-no-1967-referendum/8349872

Following the first ever national Indigenous constitutional convention, a two-track strategy has emerged that hits the "sweet spot" between ambition and realism, between conservatism and liberalism.

http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/comment/the-idea-of-recognition-for-its-own-sake-has-been-blown-out-of-the-water-20170526-gwe1t5.html

Pastor Ray Minniecon brings the familiar story of the Good Samaritan to us, and leaves the story of our 1st Australians ringing in our ears, challenging us to ask what the story means for Australia.

https://www.facebook.com/commongraceaus/videos/858798647582458/

Australians want to see what indigenous recognition will look like in practice first, so let’s take time to get this right, writes Frank Brennan.

https://www.eurekastreet.com.au/article.aspx?aeid=52443#.WTBHqROGOu4

While some hoped for more, others will argue that the Uluru Statement is sensible pragmatism, that it is better to design a model that will win support and that some of something is better than more of nothing, writes Karen Middleton.

https://www.thesaturdaypaper.com.au/news/politics/2017/06/03/the-making-the-uluru-statement/14964120004739

How Australia votes in a referendum on constitutional recognition will speak volumes about how far we have, or have not, come since 1967, writes The Canberra Times.

http://www.canberratimes.com.au/comment/ct-editorial/would-90-per-cent-of-us-vote-yes-for-the-1967-referendum-if-it-was-held-now-20170526-gwe7rh.html

It’s been our failure to promptly honour the values of the Constitution that has been the problem, writes John Anderson.

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/indigenous/constitution-blamed-for-societys-mistakes-john-anderson-says/news-story/80437c6257bd84b3359f0f7a6c231b53

Even though Reconciliation might be an impossible dream, God provided you and I as the people who can make it come true. You and I are the building blocks to turn our dreams into reality, writes Brooke Prentis.

http://www.commongrace.org.au/we_cant_do_reconciliation_on_our_own

By putting a treaty on the table and giving it potentially more weight than the constitutional referendum, the indigenous leaders may have ruined any hope of the referendum’s success among a public that see it as divisive, writes Paul Kelly.

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/opinion/columnists/paul-kelly/uluru-statement-deserves-respect-but-treaty-would-backfire/news-story/a8a45aafc630371e28432f0b560eb478

Non-Indigenous Australians should resist the temptation to rush to know every single detail and have every question answered. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people travelled a long and painful journey to arrive at their message of unity and strength last Friday, write Sean Brennan and Gabrielle Appleby.

https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/commentisfree/2017/may/30/its-been-a-long-painful-journey-to-unity-at-uluru-lets-not-waste-this-opportunity

There is no place for race in the Australian constitution, and all Australians should have the same rights and should share the same responsibilities, write John Roskam and Simon Breheny of the Institute of Public Affairs.

http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/comment/indigenous-treaty-would-divide-australia-into-two-nations-according-to-race-20170530-gwgcjm.html

Our elected leaders are having trouble being relevant, but I believe the Australian public increasingly want to give our first people the recognition they seek. Now is the time to be inspiring, aspirational and excited about the good we all do and what we can achieve together, writes Jeff Kennett.

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/opinion/jeff-kennett-recognise-uphold-but-also-celebrate-indigenous-australians/news-story/a588f3088d50bfac2349a2a283642b1a

After decades of struggle, Indigenous sovereignty has arrived in full bloom as a global aspiration and force for human good

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/may/30/indigenous-sovereignty-growth-history-australia

It will require wisdom, imagination and courage to find what Noel Pearson calls the "noble compromise" between ambition and realism, conservatism and liberalism. We should not shirk or shrink from it.

http://www.smh.com.au/comment/smh-editorial/we-should-not-shrink-from-the-path-forward-for-indigenous-recognition-20170530-gwg7z7.html

After decades of struggle, Indigenous sovereignty has arrived in full bloom as a global aspiration and force for human good.

‘As humanity faces global crises of state and environment that demand new, creative and compassionate coalitions and ideas to rescue our planet and species from the precipice of disaster, the Indigenous century is just in time.’

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/may/30/indigenous-sovereignty-growth-history-australia

Warren Mundine proposes a decentralised approach that doesn’t need a constitutional amendment: that the government offer each First Nation a treaty recognising them as traditional owners of their land and sea and concluding any native title claims over those areas.

http://www.afr.com/opinion/columnists/we-dont-need-an-indigenous-treaty-we-need-lots-of-them-20170530-gwg27i

At every turn, conversations about race are downplayed, dismissed or booed into submission. It would appear that more effort in this country is spent on not looking racist than on not being racist, writes Chelsea Bond.

http://theconversation.com/fifty-years-on-from-the-1967-referendum-its-time-to-tell-the-truth-about-race-78403

After the Uluru Statement, it is now not possible to ignore substantive constitutional reform, or treaty, writes Kate Galloway.

https://www.eurekastreet.com.au/article.aspx?aeid=52436#.WTDCJhOGOu4

By imagining the 1967 referendum as an inclusive event, white Australia gave itself an alibi to see the nation as egalitarian while it negated the sovereign rights of Aboriginal and Torres Straight Islander peoples, writes Aileen Moreton-Robinson.

http://www.abc.net.au/religion/articles/2017/05/30/4677483.htm

After the 1967 referendum and 1992 Mabo decision, let's take the next steps .... which for some means constitutional recognition for indigenous Australians.

http://www.sbs.com.au/yourlanguage/gujarati/en/content/lets-take-next-steps

The misguided proposals of the Aboriginal leadership risk fracturing Australian society, and the Liberals must join Uluru rejection, writes Greg Sheridan.

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/opinion/columnists/greg-sheridan/liberals-must-join-barnaby-joyces-uluru-rejection/news-story/d6b357b8204ae4f260656adae10eb371

Indigenous demands in the Uluru Statement will divide Australians by their race rather than unite us as a single nation, writes Andrew Bolt.

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/opinion/andrew-bolt/andrew-bolt-this-new-racism-is-just-apartheid/news-story/764994b3c51665da3080b38aac2901a0

THE Aboriginal convention last weekend surprised everybody. After at least four years, and meetings throughout the nation, there was real agreement about constitutional recognition of indigenous people, writes Dean Jaensch.

http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/opinion/dean-jaensch-the-process-of-convincing-nonindigenous-australians-about-constitutional-recognition-has-to-start-again/news-story/efc31ad46c711e7f51e27c2eef8420f8

After Uluru, we must focus on a treaty ahead of constitutional recognition. Treaties have to be the foundation for constitutional recognition, not the reverse, writes Gaynor Macdonald.

http://theconversation.com/after-uluru-we-must-focus-on-a-treaty-ahead-of-constitutional-recognition-78474

The Australian Financial Review has illustrated just how ignorant white Australians are about the real state of indigenous outcomes, writes Bernard Keane.

https://www.crikey.com.au/2017/05/31/the-australian-financial-review-is-offensively-wrong-on-indigenous-australians/

Much of the Uluru statement consists of emotional - albeit noble - claims, motherhood statements and flowery language, writes Bob Gosford.

https://www.crikey.com.au/2017/05/31/calls-for-a-treaty-with-aboriginal-australia-have-a-long-and-troubled-history/

We can admit to decades of failure, but the Constitution already gives First Nations a say, so let’s not risk dividing Australians, writes James Paterson.

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/opinion/our-constitution-already-gives-first-nations-a-say/news-story/98441fe2279eaf6118bfec9a3353c81c

Indigenous leaders gathered at Uluru released a statement calling Australians to walk with them on a journey to a better future. It’s an invitation I accept, writes Scott Higgins.

http://scottjhiggins.com/to-our-first-nations-peoples-i-accept-your-invitation/

Law, human rights and free speech

It's ironic that the very commentators who constantly rail against political correctness are apoplectic about a woman being politically incorrect, writes Rohan Salmond.

http://www.eurekastreet.com.au/article.aspx?aeid=51273

Rights versus duties: Samuel Moyn joins Waleed Aly and Scott Stephens on The Minefield to discuss duties and the limits of human rights.

http://www.abc.net.au/religion/articles/2017/04/26/4659114.htm

Why Stephen Fry should be allowed to blaspheme as much as he wants. By Mark Woods

http://www.christiantoday.com/article/why.stephen.fry.should.be.allowed.to.blaspheme.as.much.as.he.wants/108611.htm

http://mikefrost.net/go-ahead-stephen-fry-take-best-blaspheming-shot/

Swiss researchers have proposed new human rights laws to prepare for advances in neurotechnology that put the “freedom of the mind” at risk. Michael Cook writes.

https://www.bioedge.org/bioethics/freedom-of-the-mind-under-threat-with-new-technology/12283

Rather than promote tolerance, religious vilification laws stress separateness, writes Augusto Zimmermann.

https://quadrant.org.au/opinion/qed/2017/05/section18c-defiles-democracy/

An awkwardness about engaging in religious debates leaves the country open to the rise of extremism, says John Safran – a topic his new book tackles head on.

https://www.theguardian.com/books/australia-books-blog/2017/may/16/john-safran-in-australia-we-dont-get-religion

Margaret Court's ‘fundamentalist defence of traditional marriage merits a collective eye-roll and a heavy sigh. But a blistering serve of group outrage to silence her has no place in a pluralistic society, writes Matt Holden.

http://www.theage.com.au/comment/you-dont-have-to-agree-with-margaret-court-but-she-shouldnt-be-silenced-20170527-gweh7q.html

Literature

Margaret Atwood’s popular dystopian novel begins when a fundamentalist Christian movement overthrows the American government and creates Gilead, a military dictatorship.

Published in 1985, the book deals with autocratic regimes, propaganda, religious extremism and gender discrimination. A recent surge in sales suggests that readers are finding these themes especially pertinent in 2017.

In the midst of such events, Rachel Smith asks: what can we as Christians do?

https://www.licc.org.uk/resources/lessons-dystopia/

A lack of passionate engagement pervades all aspects of society today: we avoid “staking everything” with a lover, with our vocations, with political change. It is little wonder that philosopher Slavoj Žižek calls for a return to monogamous love, writes Mark Manolopoulos.

https://independentaustralia.net/politics/politics-display/might-monogamy-be-the-real-sexual-revolution,10340

Media

John Cleary, creator of the original Religion Report and long-time presenter of Sunday Nights on networked local radio, was formally farewelled from the ABC late last week. Here is what he had to say about the highlights of his career at the ABC.

http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/religionandethicsreport/farewell-john-cleary,-goodbye-sunday-nights/8533454

Without religion reporting from people with specialist journalistic backgrounds, the ABC jeopardises its ability to fulfil its ongoing functions and responsibilities. Like it or not, religion still plays a huge part in public life in Australia, which affects the lives of everyone, writes Rohan Salmond.

https://www.eurekastreet.com.au/article.aspx?aeid=52448#.WTJlvBOGOu4

Mind

Swiss researchers have proposed new human rights laws to prepare for advances in neurotechnology that put the “freedom of the mind” at risk. Michael Cook writes.

https://www.bioedge.org/bioethics/freedom-of-the-mind-under-threat-with-new-technology/12283

Moral philosophy

In troubled times, is there any place left for wisdom and knowledge? Keith Burnett says we need a story, a personal narrative, more enduring than the changing weather of outrageous fortune. Something our success is for, like Service or Love.

http://www.abc.net.au/religion/articles/2017/05/05/4664580.htm

Are we capable of the sort of disagreement that could reasonably be expected to persuade others, or is public debate little more than a matter of signalling to one's tribe of the already-convinced? Mario Peucker and Scott Stephens write.

http://www.abc.net.au/religion/articles/2017/05/04/4663805.htm

Rights versus duties: Samuel Moyn joins Waleed Aly and Scott Stephens on The Minefield to discuss duties and the limits of human rights, writes James Robert Douglas.

http://www.abc.net.au/religion/articles/2017/04/26/4659114.htm

Does not the mantra of self-promotion motivate, not just the “selfie”, but also everything else from blogs to academia to tweets? Bruce C Wearne writes.

https://nurturingjustice.wordpress.com/2017/05/17/blogging-as-a-selfie/

These days, positive thinking, personal growth and the relentless pursuit of happiness are pretty much moral imperatives. But a counter-culture is emerging, writes Mira Adler-Gillies.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/health/2017-05-23/stand-firm-resisting-the-self-improvement-craze/8542118

Honesty may be the best policy, but scheming and dishonesty are part of what makes us human, writes Yudhijit Bhattacharjee.

http://www.nationalgeographic.com/magazine/2017/06/lying-hoax-false-fibs-science/

Patronising or Inciting? In a time of paranoia and anger, we need a nuanced, non-sloganistic discussion of the causes of terrorism, writes A. Dirk Moses.

http://www.abc.net.au/religion/articles/2017/06/02/4679400.htm

Simply put, the spreading of conspiracies are hurting our witness and making Christians look, yet again, foolish. And it’s time to repent, writes Ed Stetzer.

http://www.christianitytoday.com/edstetzer/2017/may/christians-repent-conspiracy-theory-fake-news.html

Morality

Recent surveys suggest that most Americans are concerned about moral decline in the country. However, many – particularly in younger generations – do not consider morality to be unchanging, writes Joseph Hartropp.

https://www.christiantoday.com/article/amoral.america.many.in.us.fear.its.moral.decline.but.say.right.and.wrong.are.relative/109321.htm

Music

There may be a surprising dark side to easy-listening and feel-good tracks, and angry music may in fact help soothe our angrier urges, writes Richard Gray.

http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20170210-why-happy-music-makes-you-do-bad-things

Nationalism, patriotism and extremism

It's ironic that the very commentators who constantly rail against political correctness are apoplectic about a woman being politically incorrect, writes Rohan Salmond.

http://www.eurekastreet.com.au/article.aspx?aeid=51273

Nation and Imagination: Benedict Anderson not only warned against the naive dismissal of nationalism, he helped us make sense of a world in which nations are real and really matter, writes Carig Calhoun.

http://www.abc.net.au/religion/articles/2017/05/09/4665722.htm

Nationalism and Australian values

There has been much talk recently about “Australian values”. The new citizenship test will require aspiring Australians to demonstrate they possess them, or can at least reproduce them under exam conditions. This raises the question of what these distinctly Australian values might be, writes Nick Haslam

https://theconversation.com/australian-values-are-hardly-unique-when-compared-to-other-cultures-76917

Our values are shaped more by the Renaissance and Enlightenment than by ‘Judeo-Christian principles’, writes Meg Perkins.

http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/opinion/opinion-dont-look-to-judeochristian-principles-for-our-values/news-story/b28adf829b6a9f0037b7ea98cf19ffec

Malcolm Turnbull's proposed changes to the citizenship laws tap into deep historical roots that extend throughout the white settler democracies of the Pacific rim, write Christopher Mayes and Michael Thompson.

http://www.abc.net.au/religion/articles/2017/05/12/4667872.htm

Politics, society & ideology

Refusing the False Choice between Marine Le Pen and Emmanuel Macron

Marine Le Pen is a threat, but if we throw all our support behind Emmanuel Macron, do we not get caught in the vicious circle of fighting the effect by supporting its cause? Slavoj Zizek writes.

http://www.abc.net.au/religion/articles/2017/05/05/4664338.htm

Emmanuel Macron's neo-liberal proposals, ignoring as they do the very losses they create, fuel the tribalism of Marine Le Pen, writes Marcia Pally.

http://www.abc.net.au/religion/articles/2017/05/10/4666565.htm

Global capitalism can no longer afford a positive vision of emancipated humanity. Liberal universalism failed because of its own inherent inconsistencies; populism is the symptom of this failure. Only a new universalism can save us from the New World Order, writes Slavoj Zizek.

http://www.abc.net.au/religion/articles/2017/05/11/4667236.htm

Nationalism is the form anti-liberalism is now taking. Instead of the citizenship of nowhere, with no values save monetary ones, we see an ugly, if understandable, retreat to atavistic identities, writes John Milibank.

http://www.abc.net.au/religion/articles/2017/05/18/4671365.htm

Because milestones reflect socially agreed upon value and invite some sort of social response, they blur any clear demarcation between the purely personal and the truly public, write Scott Stephens and Lisa A. Williams.

http://www.abc.net.au/religion/articles/2017/05/19/4672168.htm

In the wake of Brexit and US election, a number of prominent political theorists argued that voters ignorant of the issues at stake should be disqualified from taking part in democratic decisions, writes Mark Chou.

http://www.abc.net.au/religion/articles/2017/05/25/4675211.htm

Should Pope Francis be meeting the likes of Donald Trump? Do politicians owe journalists anything? And what makes the Uluru Statement a potential game-changer? With Eureka Street’s Fatima Measham and American Jesuit and screenwriter Jim McDermott.

https://www.eurekastreet.com.au/article.aspx?aeid=52442#.WTDCLxOGOu4

Racism

The fact that 'micro parties' with overtly racist agendas are influencing major party messages, such as in Labor's recent 'Employ Australians First' advertisement, is concerning because it points to these parties' success, writes Tseen Khoo. Is this level of bigotry and transparent anti-immigration and Islamaphobia our new national normal?

https://www.eurekastreet.com.au/article.aspx?aeid=52355#.WR0GyhOGN0s

Religion in Society

In the first of a series on the foundational beliefs that drive our federal politicians, Australia's first Muslim MP, Ed Husic, says that religion and politics do mix, and that he didn't enter politics to represent just one faith - he wants to represent people of all faiths. Alexandra Beech writes.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-05-01/husic-wants-to-represent-people-of-all-faiths/8461418

Margaret Atwood’s popular dystopian novel begins when a fundamentalist Christian movement overthrows the American government and creates Gilead, a military dictatorship.

In the midst of such events, Rachel Smith asks: what can we as Christians do?

https://www.licc.org.uk/resources/lessons-dystopia/

While it means little to me spiritually, I recognise the importance churches play in society, writes Zona Black.

http://www.examiner.com.au/story/4643625/what-do-church-closures-mean-for-the-future/?cs=97

The pie in the face of Qantas CEO Alan Joyce will simply confirm the image of grumpy Christians stomping a foot for not getting their own way, writes Stephen McAlpine.

https://stephenmcalpine.com/2017/05/10/would-you-be-willing-to-pie-for-jesus/

Three in four Aussies say that they are turned off investigating religion when they hear celebrities or public figures talk about their Christian faith, a new national study on religion and spirituality has found. By Tess Holgate.

https://www.eternitynews.com.au/australia/results-are-in-aussies-admire-people-who-live-out-a-genuine-faith/

The thing that actually triggers an interest in investigating spirituality and religion is seeing ordinary people live out a genuine faith. This should shape what we do, writes Mike Frost.

http://mikefrost.net/good-ship-no-worries-sinking/

In part two of his series on the church’s secularised identity, Bruce C Wearne asks: Has not Christianity in Australia, by and large, become just another expression of the prevailing “problem solving way of life”? Perhaps this is why we are perpetually on the back-foot, fighting a rear-guard action. And yet we have so much more to offer.

https://nurturingjustice.wordpress.com/2017/05/11/uncovering-the-hidden-dimensions-of-a-secularised-identity-part-two/

An awkwardness about engaging in religious debates leaves the country open to the rise of extremism, says John Safran – a topic his new book tackles head on.

https://www.theguardian.com/books/australia-books-blog/2017/may/16/john-safran-in-australia-we-dont-get-religion

In reflecting on the UK General Election, Angus Ritchie writes that it's in local action and solidarity that we find the Church's public witness, and a sign of hope in our political crisis. It's upon such actions that the wider Church must build to renew public life.

http://www.abc.net.au/religion/articles/2017/05/15/4669144.htm

The real question for Christians interested in influencing Washington is not whether they desire a seat at the table, but just how prominent a role they’ll want to play. With the whole world watching, spiritual advisers face new challenges, writes Linda Perkins.

http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2017/may-web-only/precarious-task-of-praying-with-presidents-in-media-age.html

The level of devotion one feels toward religious beliefs can predict how that person likely will interact with members of his own group or with members outside of the group, says Robert Lynch.

https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2017-05/uom-rda052417.php

The Ahok Affair in Indonesia is prompting young minority Indonesians either to withdraw from the public sphere or to try to dominate it. Both fall short of the Christian commitment to pluralism, writes Gray Sutanto.

http://www.abc.net.au/religion/articles/2017/05/24/4674648.htm

Australian political religion functions largely as an expression of a general cultural conservatism and institutional self-interest, rather than as an expression of personal religious faith, writes Geoffrey Robinson.

http://theconversation.com/christianity-does-not-play-a-significant-role-in-australian-politics-but-cultural-conservatism-does-78345

Must we have rational discussions with the irrational to stave off terrorism? Charles Wooley wrtes.

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/opinion/blind-faith-breeds-barbarity-in-islam-as-it-did-in-christianity/news-story/ea1ba9ab18bcf00414ca1abca5c6225e

Gone are the days when it is acceptable for a charity to use aid as a 'front' for evangelism. But what makes a Christian charity Christian? Abigail Frymann Rouch writes.

https://www.christiantoday.com/article/analysis.what.does.it.mean.for.a.charity.to.call.itself.christian/109694.htm

https://www.eurekastreet.com.au/article.aspx?aeid=52448#.WTJlvBOGOu4

https://www.eurekastreet.com.au/article.aspx?aeid=52442#.WTDCLxOGOu4

Sexism

We need to move beyond echo-chamber church discussions around ‘complementarianism’ and ‘egalitarianism’ and, instead, unite and come together to fight against what really matters, writes Karina Kreminski.

http://www.karinakreminski.com.au/2017/05/16/getting-rid-christian-labels-calling-sexism/

Yet another sexism scandal at Sydney University this week is a reminder that many men are growing up believing that mistreatment is their right, and the women who know them are growing up feeling unheard, unsafe and believing that they’re worthless, writes Cameron James.

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/jun/01/i-spent-one-night-at-st-pauls-college-i-didnt-sleep-because-i-was-genuinely-scared

Sexuality and same-sex marriage

The best approach to any child experiencing gender confusion is “watchful waiting”, says John Whitehall, because by international consensus up to 90 per cent of children who question their sexual identity will orientate to their natal sex by puberty.

https://www.eternitynews.com.au/in-depth/most-children-will-grow-out-of-gender-confusion-says-expert/

Notions of discrimination and equality are central to the call for ‘marriage equality’, but they are applied without an understanding of their context or of the history of marriage, writes Michael Quinlan.

http://www.newsweekly.com.au/article.php?id=57660

Alex Grancha writes about a gay man who was welcome at church but whose lifestyle wasn't.

http://www.onlineopinion.com.au/view.asp?article=19018

Penny Wong says marriage equality fight proves need for separation of church and state, criticising the Australian Christian Lobby for campaigning against Safe Schools anti-bullying program

Wong said that religious belief should not be applied to frame laws in a secular society because “in societies where church and state are constitutionally separate, as they are in Australia and the US, this leads not only to confusion but also to inequity”, writes Paul Karp.

https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2017/may/18/penny-wong-says-marriage-equality-fight-proves-need-for-separation-of-church-and-state

The ACL responds to Penny Wong’s comments, arguing that all Australians should have the freedom of speech to participate in the debates about redefining marriage and whether teaching children their gender is fluid is acceptable.

http://www.acl.org.au/why_penny_wong_is_wrong_to_exclude_christians

The new Australia some people are trying to create excludes a Christian worldview from the public square. If we speak up we can make a difference. While ever we have a democracy, we should, writes Lyle Shelton.

http://www.acl.org.au/why_we_need_to_speak_up_while_we_can

http://www.theage.com.au/comment/you-dont-have-to-agree-with-margaret-court-but-she-shouldnt-be-silenced-20170527-gweh7q.html

The same-sex marriage controversy is the most personal of all the political issues on the table in Australia, more so than school funding, the bank tax, the national disability insurance scheme, and even Indigenous constitutional recognition and representation. All these political controversies can be illustrated by the personal stories of those affected, some more convincingly than others. That is how modern campaigning is conducted through the media, which delights in the personal stories at the centre of campaigns, writes John Warhurst.

http://www.smh.com.au/comment/samesex-marriage-politics-gets-deeply-personal-20170530-gwgbz6.html

It's incumbent on us to be responsible with our language and to avoid being inflammatory, such as using the word ‘Nazi’ to describe gay activists, writes Andy Walton.

https://www.christiantoday.com/article/christians.for.the.love.of.god.stop.calling.gay.activists.nazis/109692.htm

Was Margaret Court bullied? Eternity News explores reactions to the tennis star’s comments about sexuality.

https://www.eternitynews.com.au/australia/i-am-being-bullied-says-margaret-court/

Margaret Court’s interview with The Project is at https://tenplay.com.au/channel-ten/the-project/extra/season-8/margaret-court.

In the mainstream media game, the voice you don’t hear is that of same-sex attracted Christians who have given over their “rights” to their sexuality, writes David Bennett.

https://www.eternitynews.com.au/opinion/david-bennett/

Sexuality - Safe Schools Program

A group of celebrities have written to the Federal government calling for a revised Safe Schools program framed around 'mutual respect and tolerance' rather than 'acceptance'.

http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/celebrities-lobby-malcolm-turnbull-for-safe-schools-20--without-the-ideology-20170501-gvw6nw.html

A celebrity-endorsed campaign for a slimmed down Safe Schools anti-bullying programme, stripped of its ideology, has crashed after less than two days.

https://www.eternitynews.com.au/australia/safe-schools-2-0-plan-crashes/

Once we were described as a tolerant bunch, but now we find out that the idea of simply tolerating someone or something is actually abhorrent, writes Stephen McAlpine.

https://stephenmcalpine.com/2017/05/05/tolerating-acceptance-or-accepting-tolerance/

Do parents have the primary responsibility for raising their children? Not according to the founders of the so-called ‘Safe Schools’ program, writes Mark Brown.

http://www.acl.org.au/read_the_fine_print_safe_schools

A plan by Catholic schools to combat homophobic bullying is praised by education experts as showing messages of the Safe Schools program are compatible with religious education, writes Calla Wahlquist.

https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2017/jun/01/catholic-plan-to-combat-homophobic-bullying-praised-by-education-experts

Social justice

‘Social justice’ is best seen as an aspiration, something we will never achieve, and best avoided unless you are chanting, writes Don Aitkin.

http://www.onlineopinion.com.au/view.asp?article=19037

Technology

Technology is never ‘value-neutral’. And for a company to deliberately design a product for sleep deprivation, and worse, skite about it, shows blatant disregard for their customers, writes Sarah Balogh.

http://akosbalogh.com/2017/05/08/what-every-christian-should-know-about-netflix/

Terrorism

The purpose of terrorism is to demoralise the people at whom it is aimed, to erode and degrade their humanity. The question is: how should we respond? George Monbiot writes.

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/may/23/psychopathic-murderers-manchester-attack-terrorists

As Christians and Muslims who have both renounced the way of violence, we know the best chance of that happening is for us to stand together and say: ‘Not in my name!’, writes Mike Frost.

http://mikefrost.net/open-letter-moderate-peace-loving-muslims/

No-one thinks a great big Kumbaya love-in is the answer. But neither are wholesale expressions of hate, abuse, distrust, and marginalision of a group, a faith, writes Karen Brooks.

http://www.couriermail.com.au/rendezview/love-is-not-the-answer-but-neither-is-hate/news-story/9f1b7bb471b76006fd6d2b98027cdbe3

War, peace & nonviolence

A 'Fully Human Solution' to War: Pope Francis called Merton a "man of dialogue" who provides for us a model of how to exist in the world. For Merton, it is through dialogue that we can come to know both our adversary and ourselves, writes Gregory Hillis.

http://www.abc.net.au/religion/articles/2017/05/22/4673126.htm

Welfare

Gone are the days when it is acceptable for a charity to use aid as a 'front' for evangelism. But what makes a Christian charity Christian? Abigail Frymann Rouch writes.

https://www.christiantoday.com/article/analysis.what.does.it.mean.for.a.charity.to.call.itself.christian/109694.htm

War & peace

If we belong to God’s eternal City, we don’t need to fear or despair, with the threat of war around us, for the day will come when Christ will reign, and we with Him.

https://australia.thegospelcoalition.org/article/time-to-build-a-bomb-shelter

Peace-making is an important practice in our increasingly polarised world, writes Karina Kreminski.

http://www.karinakreminski.com.au/2017/05/05/practicing-peace-making-conversations-polarised-world/

Women

http://www.karinakreminski.com.au/2017/05/16/getting-rid-christian-labels-calling-sexism/

“These are prickly issues, for certain. But like acupuncture, inserting needles of color to rebalance and release new energy into our discipleship may be just what the Great Physician ordered to bring true and lasting healing to the body of Christ.”

Helen Lee presents a vision for bringing racial equity to the spiritual training of women.

http://www.christianitytoday.com/women/2017/june/why-white-centered-discipleship-hurts-us-all.html

Work

Beyond a certain level of security, working more hours doesn't bring a guarantee of happiness. What impacts more on our sense of happiness and satisfaction at work is who we work with and the support and flexibility we experience.

http://www.theage.com.au/comment/the-age-editorial/debate-on-future-of-work-needs-a-focus-on-happiness-20170430-gvvo63.html

"Young Australians believe that business has the power to make a difference. And they want to make the world a better place through their work", writes Rachel Kurzyp.

http://www.eurekastreet.com.au/article.aspx?aeid=52331

Work as a system that translates our efforts into capital stymies other ways of thinking about work, writes Susan Leong.

https://www.eurekastreet.com.au/article.aspx?aeid=52352#.WSIyhBOGOu4