Link highlights | August 2017

Monday, 4 September 2017 | Ethos editor

Link highlights – August 2017

Below is a selection of links to online news and opinion pieces from August 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.

Asylum seekers

The Turnbull-Trump tapes took one back to the Watergate Tapes and the innocent years of Richard Nixon, or even back to the primitive and unenlightened world of Abraham. We see two men bargaining, but with little dignity. Here no universal moral order is in place. There are only local political imperatives. There is no consideration of value, only of control and expediency. There is no appeal to truth, only of the need to maintain appearances. Andrew Hamilton writes.

https://www.eurekastreet.com.au/article.aspx?aeid=52725

The Australian Churches Refugee Taskforce applauds Liberal backbench MP Russell Broadbent for speaking in parliament about the need to resolve the situation on Nauru and Manus.

“It is time to end attempts to abrogate Australia’s responsibility to care for and process those seeking our protection. Working within the region to create sustainable solutions and focusing on community based care arrangements, is the only way to uphold the safety and dignity of each person requesting protection.”

http://www.acrt.com.au/category/media/press-releases/

Bioethics

Sociologist Alex Thomas of East London University believes that transhumanism will further enforce a societal obsession with “progress” and “efficiency” at the expense of social justice and environmental sustainability. He argues that, rather than assisting humanity, these technologies could potentially lead to a “mechanisation” of humanity and facilitate a subtle form of authoritarian control. Xavier Symons writes.

https://www.bioedge.org/bioethics/the-risk-of-a-transhumanist-future/12371

Iceland has virtually eliminated Down Syndrome through its program of foetal screening and abortion. In coming years the sick, the halt, the lame and the blind will no longer considered to be the truly oppressed; no longer considered to be those in primary need of protection by mediating institutions or the state. They will be cannon fodder for the type of society the rest of us wish to live in, writes Stephen McAlpine.

https://stephenmcalpine.com/2017/08/17/icelands-future-clear-bright-and-cold/

Iceland is NOT systematically eradicating Down syndrome. Pregnant women are offered a pre-natal screening, but are not pressured to have it. Roughly 85% of women choose to have the optional pre-natal screening, while 15-20% choose not to have the screening.

http://icelandmag.visir.is/article/fact-check-no-iceland-not-systematically-eradicating-down-syndrome

Child sexual abuse & the confessional seal

We rightly use phrases such as 'radical Islam' or extremist Islamic terrorists'. So why not 'Catholic extremism', to describe child sexual abuse within the Catholic Church? Kristina Keneally writes.

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/jun/13/lets-call-child-sexual-abuse-in-the-church-what-it-is-catholic-extremism

Keneally’s analysis suffers from several critical defects, which prove fatal to her argument. Radical Islamic terrorists explicitly justify their actions by releasing written tracts replete with references to the Koran and the example of Mohammed. By contrast, there are no biblical texts, church traditions, theological commentaries, sermons, homilies or papal encyclicals justifying child sexual abuse or enjoining the faithful to engage in it, writes Scott Buchanan.

https://scottlbuchanan.wordpress.com/2017/08/02/progressive-pieties-islamist-terrorism-and-the-catholic-church-a-study-in-false-equivalence/

The archbishop of the archdiocese of Melbourne, Denis Hart, said he would risk going to jail rather than report allegations of child sexual abuse raised during confession, and that the sacredness of communication with God during confession should be above the law. Melissa Davey writes.

https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2017/aug/15/melbourne-archbishop-says-hed-rather-go-to-jail-than-report-child-abuse-heard-in-confession

In public, the Catholic Church has made promises of compassion to survivors of child sexual assault for decades. Privately, however, it empowered lawyers to "strenuously" defend every Common Law claim brought against the institution, writes Paul Kennedy.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-08-06/churchs-words-ring-hollow-in-light-of-merciless-legal-tactics/8763302

The Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse’s report on criminal justice has powerfully reasserted the rights of survivors to pursue and obtain a criminal justice response, touching on the confessional, police response, criminal justice culture and processes and improving continuity and communication. Michael Salter writes.

http://theconversation.com/royal-commission-provides-a-vital-blueprint-for-justice-for-sex-abuse-victims-now-its-time-to-act-82491

“One of the essential requirements for confession is that a penitent is truly sorry, and genuinely intends not to commit their sin again. If a priest hears a confession of child abuse (or domestic violence, or murder), he is perfectly at liberty to strongly recommend that an individual seeks help, or talks to the authorities. A sincere penitent should be receptive to that suggestion. But – as Hitchcock understood – the buck stops in that box. It always has, and it always will.”

As a Catholic, I fear the call to criminalise priests violates a safe space that embodies the fundamental Christian belief that we can all be forgiven, writes Joanna Moorhead.

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/aug/16/child-abusers-confessional-sacrosanct-catholic-royal-commission-australia

I wish the priest had reported what I’d told him to my school, parents or the police, because I’d have been far less harmed. What happened to me after that time has had lifelong consequences. I was a child who had a child. The Catholic church is not above the law and confession is vulnerable to corruption, like any human activity. We can’t afford to let Archbishop Hart and his colleagues make judgements about what is and isn’t revealed, writes Mary-Rose MacColl.

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/aug/18/when-i-was-16-i-went-to-confession-i-wish-the-priest-had-reported-what-id-told-him

‘After being forgiven 1500 times for his regular criminal offending in face-to-face confessions with his fellow 30 priests, he was told to “go home and pray”. The confessional forgiveness gave him a clean slate that allowed him, within the week, to reoffend - a cycle that lasted for several decades.’

If the confessional seal prevails over the demand for child protection by civil authorities, what precedent is being set when mandatory reporting of child sex crimes cannot be enforced because of a foreign sovereign state’s (the Vatican) religious law? The Catholic Church priesthood says confession is sacrosanct. I say the bodies of children are sacrosanct. Chrissie Foster writes.

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/opinion/evil-hid-behind-handy-seal-of-confession/news-story/abc1cf167f34b79554f6a32052798be2

Unsealing the Confessional: The Duty of Society Versus the Salvation of Souls

Unsealing the Confessional: The Duty of Society Versus the Salvation of SoulsWhen society substantially pierces the veil of confidentiality that surrounds the confessional, a number of priests will choose, as a matter of conscience, to go to gaol rather than uphold that law, writes Simon Longstaff.

http://www.abc.net.au/religion/articles/2017/08/15/4719033.htm

The Sacrament of Reconciliation Must be Safeguarded: A Response to Simon Longstaff

Experiencing God's forgiveness channelled by a priest does not take us out of the world of caring human relationships. Reparation and restitution are part and parcel of the sacrament, writes Hayden Ramsay.

http://www.abc.net.au/religion/articles/2017/08/17/4719750.htm

Citizenship

Citizenship as an institution is rotting away at its core. The Trump phenomenon both reflects and accelerates the trend. The erosion of citizenship solidarities poses one of the great challenges of our time. By Peter J. Spiro.

http://www.abc.net.au/religion/articles/2017/08/01/4711492.htm

Consumerism

“Conscious consumerism is a lie”, I told the audience. “Small steps taken by thoughtful consumers—to recycle, to eat locally, to buy a blouse made of organic cotton instead of polyester—will not change the world.” Auden Wicker writes.

https://qz.com/920561/conscious-consumerism-is-a-lie-heres-a-better-way-to-help-save-the-world/

Corruption

Craig Greenfeld writes: The Bible is clear that integrity will bring stability to society while corruption brings destruction (Prov. 29:4). So, corruption is an issue of injustice, that we as followers of Jesus, are called to battle against with all our wisdom and strength. You might find it strange then, that I would confess to having a double standard when it comes to corruption. I act differently from how I expect others to act.

http://www.craiggreenfield.com/blog/corruptiondoublestandard

Criminal justice

John Tasioulas writes: Punishment can spark in the offender the remorseful recognition of his wrongdoing that leads him to undergo his punishment as a penance, enabling him to make a forceful apology to his victim and the wider community.

http://www.abc.net.au/religion/articles/2017/08/30/4726700.htm

Disability and mental illness

Rebecca Beirne writes: A spate of recent TV shows feature protagonists whose mental health condition gives them special skills. But these are often accessed by rejecting medication.

https://theconversation.com/friday-essay-tvs-troubling-storylines-for-characters-with-a-mental-illness-81456

Domestic violence

As a society we have created a class of powerful men who are above the law. They will almost always prevail against all accusations because they are shielded by glamor, public trust and access to the best legal representation, writes Martha C. Nussbaum.

http://www.abc.net.au/religion/articles/2017/08/03/4712590.htm

As the responses poured in to the ABC’s story on domestic violence in evangelical churches, I was reminded of the discomfort Saint Augustine showed, in The Confessions, towards his father beating his mother. Yet he had no idea what to do about it, and endorsed behaviour that made it worse. Sean Lau writes.

https://www.eurekastreet.com.au/article.aspx?aeid=52808&#.WX_piNOGOu4

Experts say some men are using their religion, and are distorting biblical texts, to justify domestic violence, and to intimidate their spouses. With Fran Kelly.

https://radio.abc.net.au/programitem/pgKVDlDkyV?play=true

Church leaders in Australia say they abhor abuse of any kind. But advocates say the church is not just failing to sufficiently address domestic violence, it is both enabling and concealing it. Julia Baird and Paige MacKenzie report.

http://www.abc.net.au/7.30/content/2017/s4704681.htm

Mediawatch examines criticism that the ABC is accused of waging war against Christians, with a report on domestic violence now under scrutiny.

http://www.abc.net.au/mediawatch/transcripts/s4707054.htm

How to navigate the research on domestic violence and Christian churches: A few frequently asked questions, by Julia Baird And Hayley Gleeson

http://mobile.abc.net.au/news/2017-07-24/how-to-navigate-the-research-on-domestic-violence/8738738?pfmredir=sm

A wideranging report out today names evangelical Christian men who “attend church sporadically” as the most likely group of men to abuse their wives — quoting verses from the Bible about obeying to your husband as justification. Wendy Truohy writes.

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/rendezview/christians-are-not-immune-from-domestic-violence/news-story/16e767aa7b6e0996e85bd0e1d2af7a3a

What did the rush to redirect to incorrect reporting, bias, errors in statistics and vilifying Baird really achieve? It buried all the stories of women who had been abused by their husbands under the incorrect application of scriptural submission, writes Phil Lowe.

https://oneweekinaugust.com/2017/07/24/church-domestic-violence-love-your-statistics-sorry-neighbour-as-yourself/

Two US experts whose research was relied on by an ABC 7.30 television report claiming “sporadic” Christian church-goers are the worst wife-beaters say they were misrepresented, and the real message is that regular church attendance discourages domestic violence, writes Ean Higgins.

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/media/broadcast/abc-church-report-misrepresented-us-say-experts/news-story/9a85dadfc0388351f6c6a4b201392434

The ABC report by Julia Baird and Hayley Gleeson on religion and domestic violence has come under heavy fire, because it is illogical, unfair and quite possibly inaccurate, writes W. Bradford Wilcox.

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/opinion/facts-go-missing-in-abc-report-on-violent-christians/news-story/8ad713b8e7b71c51fb28b0e56c78e5b3

The ABC article was not attack on Christianity. In conducting their research, the authors surveyed numerous Christians and positively cited a wide variety of Christian clergy and ministry leaders. They specifically stated, "unlike the Koran, there are no verses in the Bible that may be read as overtly condoning abuse”, writes Steven Tracy.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-07-28/not-an-attack-on-christianity-to-call-out-domestic-violence/8751856

The Church has a credibility problem due to its past failures to believe victims of sexual abuse and take the necessary action to protect vulnerable people. Only as the Church’s culture changes so that a woman’s testimony is considered equal to a man’s can the church regain its public credibility, writes Geoff Broughton.

http://www.fixinghereyes.org/single-post/2017/07/21/Christianity-and-the-Credibility-of-Womens-Testimony

There is no possible way that violence or abusive, controlling behaviours are justifiable from the Bible. And, where abuse is happening, our church and its leaders will use our strength to stand between victim and abuser. It will not be the victim who is pressured to leave our community. We will not coerce a victim to remain in a situation of abuse for the sake of their abuser. We will report allegations of domestic violence to the police. We also believe that abuse is a form of desertion or abandonment … and so is grounds for divorce on the basis of Paul’s words in 1 Corinthians 7. By the team at Creek Road Presbyterian Church.

http://creekroad.org.au/domestic-violence-in-the-church/

Jesus said the leadership his followers exercise is about serving others. Never, ever lording it over others. So don't be defensive. We can learn from others as we join in shining a light on domestic abuse, writes Sandy Grant.

http://www.smh.com.au/comment/for-christians-who-missed-the-memo-the-bible-abhors-all-domestic-abuse-20150303-13tlwn.html

Critics of Julia Baird’s ABC report are missing the point. Nathan Campbell responds to seven common objections to the report.

http://st-eutychus.com/2017/once-more-on-the-domestic-violence-in-church-thing-answering-some-common-objections-to-the-abcs-coverage/

The story of a woman who was abused and raped by her husband – a priest.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-07-20/raped-controlled-by-my-husband-domestic-violence/8651384

A senior female Anglican leader has expressed “disappointment” that her “positive” story in fighting domestic violence was ignored by the ABC in its controversial TV program claiming Christian men who go to church occasionally are the worst abusers of women. Ean Higgins wites.

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/media/broadcast/abc-ignored-churchs-positive-story/news-story/3e301d4f813b4eafa182d730b64c95d0

I affirm much of the ABC’s reporting into domestic violence, and find some of the defensive responses to that report by members of the church disturbing. However, Unfortunately, the ABC reporters are choosing to draw links and make strong insinuations where the threads are tenuous, writes Murray Campbell.

https://murraycampbell.net/2017/07/22/abc-domestic-violence-and-churches/

Have you ever wondered what does spiritual abuse look like? Erica Hamence names some of the typical ways bible texts, doctrines and church life can be manipulated for violence.

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

My personal experiences as an Anglican pastor resonated with much that Baird reported. She made valuable points about the impact of particular Christian teachings and Bible verses on some women. However, the evidence on which the report was based contradicts Baird’s core thesis that Christian teachings can make domestic violence worse. Indeed, a careful examination of the chain of evidence reveals a ‘Chinese whispers’ effect in the way research findings have been distorted, writes Mark Durie.

https://www.spectator.com.au/2017/08/chinese-whispers-at-the-abc/

The research on which the ABC report was based destroys the feminist narrative that what Baird calls “patriarchy” is responsible for violence against women. In fact, research shows it to be the best for women, writes Mark Powell.

https://www.spectator.com.au/2017/08/faith-family-violence-and-the-abcs-smears/

Gordon Preece speaks with Vision 2020’s Neil Johnson on the ABC report on domestic violence in the church.

http://mediapoint.org.au/podcasts/0001132926.mp3

The stories of 20 women and men who want their tales of suffering abuse in Christian communities — many at the hands of pastors and pillars of their parish - told for the first time. By Julia Baird and Hayley Gleeson.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-08-18/shattering-silence-surviving-domestic-violence-in-church/8788902

Julia Baird writes: All around our city, determined, compassionate church leaders have been trying over the past few weeks to understand the dynamics of domestic violence, and how they can better respond to it; it has been the whisperings of a quiet revolution. While some people – most notably, agnostics – shook fists at the ABC alleging it was waging a "war on Christianity", not the telling of untold stories of desperate and vulnerable people sitting quietly in church pews, others immediately sat up and scanned their congregations.

https://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/opinion/domestic-violence-in-church-communities-the-male-clergy-who-are-ready-to-listen-20170811-gxtye0.html

C. Brian Smith writes: As a society, we’ve worked hard to have systemic responses to domestic violence But while incidents of domestic violence have dropped more than 50 percent since the 1994 Violence Against Women Act was passed, violence against males has remained steady.

https://melmagazine.com/what-domestic-violence-against-men-looks-like-74ce9500ab8d

The research doesn't show that men who go to church more often are less likely to abuse their wives, write Naomi Priest and Nicholas Biddle. We urgently need local data to help women who have experienced trauma.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-08-21/the-verdict-on-domestic-violence-data-and-the-church-believe/8804790

Diversity

People living in more diverse suburbs are less likely to express or experience Islamophobia, according to new RMIT research. The study confirms the suggestion of the ‘contact theory’: that direct social interaction with minority groups leads to the diminishing of prejudice against them”.

https://www.rmit.edu.au/content/dam/rmit/documents/research/centres/centre-for-global-research/Report-Religious%20visibility,%20disadvantage%20and%20bridging%20social%20capital-9-Aug-2017-Final.pdf

Economics & inequality

“There is a strong overlap between the investment principles of biblically responsible funds and those outlined by mainstream ethical investment funds”, writes Tony Kaye. So what is the difference?

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/wealth/faithbased-investing-hits-a-new-level-with-the-arrival-of-etfs/news-story/f47582e3af02d4d0db1bb49110d45ed1

Is it inequality itself, or the perception of inequality, that fuels so much of the contemporary mistrust of politicians and political systems? Eva Cox writes.

https://probonoaustralia.com.au/news/2017/08/theres-far-fair-go-just-economics/

The rise of the machines has given humanity a wonderful opportunity to finally be free of the curse of a life of endless labour. Yet the end of labour also presents a crisis for capitalism, writes Thomas Wells.

http://www.abc.net.au/religion/articles/2017/08/10/4716320.htm

Cometh the hour, cometh the third murderer. So now inequality is in the spotlight and is being booed off the stage. It is blamed for the rise of populist politics, and more fundamentally for economic stagnation. The economic neo-liberal orthodoxy, that so implausibly claimed that economic competition unfettered by government regulation would benefit all of the citizens, has produced the gross inequality that hinders economic growth, writes Andrew Hamilton.

https://www.eurekastreet.com.au/article.aspx?aeid=52766

Like Jacob, Joseph, and the rest, we too struggle against God’s economy, and every day we make choices about which economy we live in. Embodying God’s economy means learning to critique the economy we live in, and making different choices; it takes creativity and cooperation and courage. By Alison Sampson.

https://sanctuarybaptist.wordpress.com/2017/08/13/imperial-economics-and-the-economy-of-god/

End of life

Current approaches to dying maintain the cleanliness, nutrition and medical care of patients, but the medical industry are not sufficient to address the existential questions that matter to so many patients. In this regard, we have much to learn from the ars moriendi (Latin for “art of dying”) tradition with its focus on the lifelong preparation for death. Interview with Lydia S. Dugdale.

https://www.bioedge.org/indepth/view/interview-lydia-s.-dugdale-on-death-and-dying/12370

They say no one on their deathbed ever regrets not spending more time at the office. Which is not to say we don't have other regrets, nor that we have to wait until we're drawing our last breath to have them. Ross Gittins writes.

http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/business/what-youll-regret-most-at-the-end-of-your-life-20170729-gxlflo.html

Touched by the drama of Michel Cadotte case, Quebec legislators are considering a change in legislation to allow people to make binding advance directives for euthanasia before they slip into dementia. But Dr Catherine Ferrier, the president of the Physicians’ Alliance against Euthanasia, says proper care for caregivers, not the broadening of euthanasia laws, is the answer. Michael Cook reports.

https://www.bioedge.org/bioethics/a-quebec-mercy-killing-prompts-a-rethink-on-euthanasia-law/12387

Toby Hall writes: Dying is something that has become hidden away and to be desperately resisted at all costs. Many terminally ill patients in Australian hospitals are provided with unnecessary, unwanted and sometimes futile treatment.

And in the vacuum created by our disconnection from dying, we have allowed fear, misinformation and myth to flourish. Death is portrayed by an ill-informed media as inherently painful, undignified and traumatic – a depiction, incidentally, that is completely at odds with the experience of the vast majority of the people we care for in our palliative care services.

We need to properly resource palliative care; we need a systematic and sustained public education program to encourage a community conversation about dying; and we need to increase support for Advance Care Planning.

http://www.smh.com.au/comment/most-australians-are-rubbish-at-dying-20170823-gy2a6m

Christians can, in good faith and for good theological reasons, land on either side of this debate. And while the Christian community has no right to monopolise the conversation, its long tradition of compassionate care for both the dying and the dead means it brings some wisdom and experience to this issue. Robyn J. Whitaker and Jason Goroncy write.

https://theconversation.com/voluntary-assisted-dying-is-not-a-black-and-white-issue-for-christians-they-can-in-good-faith-support-it-81671

Are the only reasons to oppose euthanasia religious ones? Barney Zwartz, in his monthly faith column for The Age, offers a secular case for not legalising assisted dying.

http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/faith-20170727-gxjyrt.html

Environment

We are blessed with a wealth of nature and a wealth of language. So let’s find better ways of describing nature than the cold and alienating words that we often use, and better ways of describing our relationship with it, so we can better defend it, writes George Montbiot.

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/aug/09/forget-the-environment-new-words-lifes-wonders-language

Our core ecological problem is not climate change. It is overshoot, of which global warming is a symptom, writes Richard Heinberg.

http://www.postcarbon.org/why-climate-change-isnt-our-biggest-environmental-problem-and-why-technology-wont-save-us/

Epistemology

It's not what you think you know, but how you can justify your knowledge that is most important, writes Peter Ellerton.

https://theconversation.com/how-do-you-know-that-what-you-know-is-true-thats-epistemology-63884

While “big issue” documentaries do a great job raising awareness and developing attitudes on important issues, they often don’t go far enough in inspiring a “call to action” – especially one that leads to long-term behaviour change. Gore’s first film did inspire short-term action on climate change, but the effects soon faded. By Kim Borg and Bradley Jorgensen.

https://theconversation.com/the-truth-about-inconvenient-truths-big-issue-documentaries-dont-always-change-our-behaviour-82376

While some researches affirm the universal stance considering morality to be embedded in the evolutionary roots, some consider it to be influenced by factors unique to the individual. Saniya Bedi presents research and my views in favour and against morality being universal or otherwise.

https://medium.com/a-little-bit-of-me/morality-universal-or-relative-4eb3f6cc85f9

Everyday living

In our current epistemological crisis, where we are bombarded by a glut of content and information but have so little wisdom, I think we need guidance on healthier habits of knowledge intake. We need a wisdom pyramid. We need to think about what sorts of “knowledge groups”, and in what proportion, feed a healthy life of true wisdom and true joy, writes Brett McCracken.

https://www.brettmccracken.com/blog/2017/8/3/the-wisdom-pyramid

Gender

Men are often seen as problems these days. But fathers benefit kids in many ways, writes Peter West.

http://www.onlineopinion.com.au/view.asp?article=19259

Money & finance

Hundreds of years ago, moneylenders moderated their behaviour in response to theological debates about how to apply the Bible’s teachings to an increasingly complex economy. So just when and how did most bankers stop seeing their work in moral terms? Alex Mayyasi writes.

https://aeon.co/essays/how-did-usury-stop-being-a-sin-and-become-respectable-finance

Stephen McAlpine writes: The kind of prosperity we should all be looking for is a prosperity built on a confidence in the reign of God’s king over and about the various reigns of kings and cultures – the prosperity experienced by Daniel at the end of Daniel ch.6.

https://stephenmcalpine.com/2017/08/25/prosperity-now/

How does the ‘prosperity gospel’ require us to express biblical truth more clearly and compellingly, and what are the promises of the gospel for the materially poor? Kwabena Asamoah-Gyadu writes.

https://www.lausanne.org/content/did-jesus-wear-designer-robes

Ron Sider writes: The Lausanne “Wealth Creation Manifesto” is important and helpful, but woefully one-sided as it doesn’t address structural oppression, wealth distribution, environmental destruction, abuse of workers and the astonishing concentration of wealth in the hands of elites.

http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2017/august-web-only/holy-calling-of-wealth-creation-isnt-so-simple.html

Homelessness & housing

Of Australia’s 105,000 homeless people, less than one in ten live on the streets. Most people are couch surfing, sleeping on the lounge room floor of a family member or friend, in a garage, caravan or boarding house. Some would not even call themselves homeless because they have a roof over their head, writes Graeme Cole of Wesley Mission.

https://www.eternitynews.com.au/opinion/homelessness-is-a-bigger-problem-than-you-think/

While quick fixes that remove the uncomfortable reality of homelessness may be tempting, we need to let go of the idea that they have any hope of working. Lucy Adams writes.

http://www.abc.net.au/religion/articles/2017/08/08/4715107.htm

Peter Moskowitz writes: The most frequently proposed solution to the housing crisis in the US has been to build more housing. But what is really needed is a rejiggering of government priorities: instead of selling off land whenever possible, governments could theoretically keep it, and develop it into affordable housing.

It might be politically unfeasible to take over land and housing owned by the rich in the US right now, but many other developed capitalist economies have realised that government control over housing and land is the best way to reduce housing costs.

https://theoutline.com/post/2153/evict-the-rich

Indigenous affairs

Where are the votes in black fellas? They are 3 per cent of the Australian population, the most impoverished and imprisoned people in our nation. The anger is understandable; the pessimism warranted, but the issues are not going away. When the anger subsides the hard work of diplomacy will remain: to build a bridge across troubled political waters and coaxing Australia's leaders across and hoping the Australian people follow. Not easy business; no, as Dr Yunupingu the true leader here reminds us: serious business, writes Stan Grant.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-08-05/stan-grant-garma-a-chance-for-final-settlement/8777350

Americans are tearing down the Confederate monuments to hate, but we remain oblivious to ours. A Captain Cook statue in Sydney, for example, still stands to terra nullius and a legacy of pain and suffering that endures today, writes Stan Grant.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-08-18/america-tears-down-its-racist-history-we-ignore-ours-stan-grant/8821662

Stan Grant: “Who would have thought the mere suggestion that Captain Cook did not in fact discover Australia would be so controversial? It seems to have taken some people by surprise, the idea that people were here for more than 60,000 years before the Endeavour dropped anchor. What were we doing all that time, just waiting for white people to find us?”

http://thenewdaily.com.au/news/national/2017/08/23/stan-grant-captain-cook-discovered-australia/

Freya Higgins-Desbiolles: "Many of our public commemorations honour people and incidents that brought great harm to others. We need to look at what that says about us, and how we build more inclusive public memorials."

https://theconversation.com/the-politics-of-public-monuments-its-time-australians-looked-at-what-and-whom-we-commemorate-82751

Change the Narrative, Don't Remove the Monument: As we consider removing statues and changing national days, we must remember the lessons of the past. What is needed is radical change in our national narratives and unequivocal leadership, write Rachelle Gilmour and Lucie Breingan.

http://www.abc.net.au/religion/articles/2017/08/31/4726926.htm

Rachel Eddie writes: Aboriginal singer-songwriter Dan Sultan has schooled a panel of politicians with a simple answer to the heated Australia Day debate: listen to Indigenous voices.

“It’s a complicated issue but also very simple as well. Does it include everyone or doesn’t it? No, it doesn’t.”

http://thenewdaily.com.au/entertainment/tv/2017/08/29/dan-sultan-australia-day-qanda/

Geoffrey Blainey writes: Stan Grant laments that indigenous people are “a postscript to Australian history” and that the “belief in the superiority of white Christendom … devastated indigenous people everywhere”. While many are still suffering deeply, in many ways Aboriginal Australians have gained from events since 1788. And this sequence of events since the invasion in 1788 has sometimes been magnified by the rewriting of indigenous history in recent years, falsely depicting a peaceful paradise that flourished in the millennia before Europeans arrived.

So, instead of complaining about the statue and status of Captain Cook, Aborigines need to celebrate more effectively their own contribution to early Australian history, by erecting a striking monument or memorial in honour of their distinguished heroes, the unknown discoverers of this continent.

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/inquirer/australia-day-debate-reclaim-history-instead-of-distorting-it/news-story/ba2bd6c850c8d95b9bfef14306f8e516

Dirk Moses writes: By dismissing Aboriginal commentators who seek to correct the public record with facts vouchsafed by historians, conservatives are repressing an ugly colonial past celebrated by monuments to men who massacred and enslaved.

http://www.abc.net.au/religion/articles/2017/09/01/4727499.htm

Nick Spencer writes: You can see why so many Americans get angry about statues to those fought so hard for the slaveholding states of the South. Yet our public space is invariably littered with sinful heroes. Our belief that we are in a position to sift the historical wheat from the chaff is worrying, ignoring the tortuous vicissitudes of history and somehow imagining we are sufficiently detached and ethically superior (not to mention culturally homogenous) to pass judgment. Pulling down statues because we no longer (wholly) agree with the person they commemorate (assuming ‘we’ ever did) is simplistic and, in its own way, manipulative. And perhaps such statues, as well as urging virtue through their commendable qualities, can also serve us though their less estimable ones.

http://www.theosthinktank.co.uk/comment/2017/08/24/misplacing-statues

Law, human rights and free speech

Google has fired the author of a controversial diversity memo. It would have been better to create more forums for discussion. Akshaya Kamalnath writes.

http://theconversation.com/a-memo-to-google-firing-employees-with-conservative-views-is-anti-diversity-82318

In assessing Google’s action in firing Damore, it isn’t necessary to decide which side is right, but only whether Damore’s view is one that a Google employee should be permitted to express. In firing Damore, Google has created a workplace culture in which those with opinions like Damore’s will be intimidated into remaining silent, writes Peter Singer.

http://www.nydailynews.com/opinion/google-wrong-article-1.3399750

Peter Hartcher writes: Campaigning for equal rights for all is fundamental to a successful, fair, modern society. But the Left, while claiming to champion equal rights, actually seems hellbent on asserting superior rights for its favoured minorities. It overplays identity politics at its peril, including the peril of being trumped. Because the Right can play just as hard, and even harder. Just ask Hillary Clinton. And it can happen here.

http://www.smh.com.au/comment/overplay-identity-politics-and-you-risk-being-trumped-20170825-gy4eai.html

David James writes: The push for politically correct language may be well intentioned enough, but its consequences are often appalling. It can rob us of one of the most important of all human freedoms: the right to use words to mean what we want them to mean.

https://www.eurekastreet.com.au/article.aspx?aeid=52937

Mental health

Rebecca Beirne writes: A spate of recent TV shows feature protagonists whose mental health condition gives them special skills. But these are often accessed by rejecting medication.

https://theconversation.com/friday-essay-tvs-troubling-storylines-for-characters-with-a-mental-illness-81456

Mind

Human beings are not primarily rational creatures. We are social and emotional. Our judgments on how we will act and what is right and wrong are more based on automatic processes – our moral intuitions – than on conscious reasoning, writes Simone Richardson.

https://www.eternitynews.com.au/opinion/why-it-is-so-hard-to-change-our-minds/

Nationalism, patriotism and extremism

http://thenewdaily.com.au/news/national/2017/08/23/stan-grant-captain-cook-discovered-australia/

https://theconversation.com/the-politics-of-public-monuments-its-time-australians-looked-at-what-and-whom-we-commemorate-82751

Rachel Eddie writes: Aboriginal singer-songwriter Dan Sultan has schooled a panel of politicians with a simple answer to the heated Australia Day debate: listen to Indigenous voices.

“It’s a complicated issue but also very simple as well. Does it include everyone or doesn’t it? No, it doesn’t.”

http://thenewdaily.com.au/entertainment/tv/2017/08/29/dan-sultan-australia-day-qanda/

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/inquirer/australia-day-debate-reclaim-history-instead-of-distorting-it/news-story/ba2bd6c850c8d95b9bfef14306f8e516

http://www.abc.net.au/religion/articles/2017/09/01/4727499.htm

http://www.theosthinktank.co.uk/comment/2017/08/24/misplacing-statues

Natural disasters

While Australian media has been saturated with coverage of the disastrous flooding in the US town of Houston, a far more damaging and unfolding deadly humanitarian catastrophe is taking place. Farrah Plummer writes:

http://thenewdaily.com.au/news/world/2017/09/02/south-asia-floods-catastrophe

Politics, society & ideology

“In this relativist age it is much more comfortable just to dismiss something as extreme, that is, too far away from current mainstream or fashionable beliefs, than actually to call it wrong and justify that claim in some rational and objective way”, writes Will Jones.

https://faith-and-politics.com/2017/08/08/is-it-wrong-to-be-an-extremist/

A day after the brawling and racist brutality and deaths in Virginia, Governor Terry McAuliffe asked, ‘How did we get to this place?’ The more relevant question after Charlottesville – and other deadly episodes in Ferguson, Charleston, Dallas, St. Paul, Baltimore, Baton Rouge, and Alexandria – is where the United States is headed. How fragile is the Union, a country that has long been considered the world’s most stable democracy? By Robin Wright.

http://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/is-america-headed-for-a-new-kind-of-civil-war

A religious worldview cannot expect the same kinds of tolerance as racial, gender, or sexual identities. Here’s why, writes Paul Russell.

https://aeon.co/essays/why-religious-identities-are-not-immune-to-robust-criticism

Prosperity gospel

https://stephenmcalpine.com/2017/08/25/prosperity-now/

How does the ‘prosperity gospel’ require us to express biblical truth more clearly and compellingly, and what are the promises of the gospel for the materially poor? Kwabena Asamoah-Gyadu writes.

https://www.lausanne.org/content/did-jesus-wear-designer-robes

Racism

The church can’t presume to lecture its society about racism until it shows it is working hard and intentionally on fostering greater ethnic diversity within congregations and denominations, writes Michael Frost.

http://mikefrost.net/can-really-condemn-racism-church-one-color/

http://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/is-america-headed-for-a-new-kind-of-civil-war

Religion in politics

Jonathan D. James writes: In a nation labelled secular, many of our elected representatives have strong religious ties, and this affects they way they the country is run.

https://theconversation.com/as-australia-becomes-less-religious-our-parliament-becomes-more-so-80456

Luke Beck starts: Sectarian official prayers are inconsistent with the religious diversity of the Australian community MPs are elected to represent. They are also open to challenge in the High Court for breaching the Constitution’s separation of religion and state provision.

https://theconversation.com/official-prayers-in-federal-parliament-are-divisive-and-unconstitutional-and-should-be-scrapped-81673

Religion in schools

Emma Rowe: Religion in schools has always been contentious and especially so in Australia, where there is a commitment to secular principles. While we may be secular on paper, government policy takes a largely empathetic approach to religion in schools, with a stronger preference for Christianity.

https://theconversation.com/religion-in-australian-schools-an-historical-and-contemporary-debate-82439

Renae Barker writes: Religious education offered in Australian state schools has variations in the quality of delivery and limited provisions for the students who opt out.

https://theconversation.com/religious-classes-in-schools-must-adapt-to-fit-a-changing-australia-81484

Religion in Society

“The sort of champion God requires is not a strong, worldly, leader. It’s not the Andrew Bolts of this world we should be pinning our hopes on; or the people Bolt would have us stand behind… those who respond to secular Goliaths with equally strong and robust arguments. We don’t need a baptised Goliath to take down Goliath.” Nathan Campbell writes.

http://st-eutychus.com/2017/the-persecution-complex-why-jesus-not-andrew-bolt-is-the-leader-the-church-needs/

The theology that goes along with most ministry training in the field today is often derisory: mere anti-intellectual shavings from the table of university theological discourse, writes Sarah Coakley.

http://www.abc.net.au/religion/articles/2017/07/24/4706747.htm

The trend for people to switch to "no religion" in Western nations like Australia is likely to continue, mostly at the expense of traditional Christian denominations. But that won't be nearly enough to offset population growth in places where people are still happy to be affiliated with a religious faith, writes Matt Wade.

http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/comment/australia-might-be-losing-its-religion-but-the-world-isnt-20170811-gxucrs.html

A religious worldview cannot expect the same kinds of tolerance as racial, gender, or sexual identities. Here’s why, writes Paul Russell.

https://aeon.co/essays/why-religious-identities-are-not-immune-to-robust-criticism

https://theconversation.com/religion-in-australian-schools-an-historical-and-contemporary-debate-82439

Renae Barker writes: Religious education offered in Australian state schools has variations in the quality of delivery and limited provisions for the students who opt out.

https://theconversation.com/religious-classes-in-schools-must-adapt-to-fit-a-changing-australia-81484

http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/comment/australia-might-be-losing-its-religion-but-the-world-isnt-20170811-gxucrs.html

Greg Sheridan writes: In abandoning God, we are about to embark on one of the most radical social experiments in Western history. It is nothing short of the reordering of human nature. Short of war, nothing is as consequential. And our culture, our people, not to mention our poor and our sick, will miss Christianity more than they can possibly know.

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/inquirer/is-god-dead-western-has-much-to-lose-in-banishing-christianity/news-story/b1dcbeabbd5776307debc9ddcb845539

Biblical fundamentalism found its origin in early scientific thought i.e. it is an outcome of modernity and it is a stranger to the Church. We think that we can read the Bible without the tutelage of the Church because we are all still enamoured by the idea of throwing off all external authority and thinking for ourselves. We are dominated by ideas of the sufficiency of the common man and of egalitarianism. It is enough, we think, for the common man to sit alone and read the Bible. Hauerwas tells us that this idea must be attacked. Peter Sellick writes.

http://www.onlineopinion.com.au/view.asp?article=19216

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/inquirer/is-god-dead-western-has-much-to-lose-in-banishing-christianity/news-story/b1dcbeabbd5776307debc9ddcb845539

Science

To celebrate National Science Week, Life & Faith invited astrophysicist Dr Luke Barnes on the show to talk about science, belief, wonder and the wonders of the night sky.

https://publicchristianity.org/library/look-at-the-stars

Sexual abuse / sexual violence

http://www.abc.net.au/religion/articles/2017/08/03/4712590.htm

When we look at the statistics of male violence towards women, we realise it isn’t a few bad apples. It is so widespread that abusive behaviour towards women is normalised. So what can be done? Megan Powell du Toit writes.

http://www.fixinghereyes.org/single-post/2017/07/27/Raising-Boys-II-Men

Sexuality and same-sex marriage – Christian perspectives

The drafters of the latest same-sex marriage proposals are to be commended for correctly recognising the need to protect religious freedom. But their proposed protections are far too narrow and apply in far too few areas.

https://lawandreligionaustralia.blog/2017/08/06/religious-freedom-protections-in-new-same-sex-marriage-proposals-too-few-too-narrow/#more-6198

I could not imagine two people of the same gender getting married, I had seen no model of it and I had limited experience of LGBTI people. I am now a supporter of marriage equality, not despite my faith but precisely because my Christian faith demands that I treat others with compassion, justice, and love. So what changed my mind? Robyn Whitaker writes.

http://www.smh.com.au/comment/why-i-changed-my-mind-on-marriage-equality-20170808-gxrshz.html

“For me, same sex marriage has not been the issue. I think it will be enacted and I can live with it. I don’t think the roof will cave in if it does. The house will not collapse if same sex marriage is allowed.

The house will collapse because refusing to celebrate the pointy end of the sexual revolution publicly; to hold a dissenting view on it within the public square or the corporate office, will result in censure at the very least, and prosecution at the worst. All the signs point to that, there’s just too much evidence from overseas that this will happen.”

Regardless of what your view is about same sex marriage, the moment it is enacted - or at least after the confetti has settled and the party is over - is the moment we see if our religious freedom laws are strong enough to ensure that dissenting voices can continue to dissent publicly without fear of retribution on the other side of the marriage decision, writes Stephen McAlpine.

https://stephenmcalpine.com/2017/08/12/this-is-not-about-the-postal-vote/

I would not be lying if I call a male “Sally”, because naming may have a certain ambiguity and arbitrariness to it. But the language of he and she and the use of bathrooms and hotel rooms does not. And I will draw a line and say, I will not call he “she.” I will not call she “he”, says John Piper.

http://www.desiringgod.org/interviews/he-or-she-how-should-i-refer-to-transgender-friends

Calls for religious freedom remain strangely vague. We never see a neat list of them, not like freedom of speech, freedom of assembly, freedom of movement. Freedom isn’t the word. What’s wanted is protection against “retaliation” plus a vast extension of religious exemptions exposing the LGTBI community to the Old Testament wrath of the hard battalions of Islam, Judaism and Christianity. That’s privilege, writes David Marr.

https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2017/aug/14/marriage-equality-paul-kelly-churches-lgbti-rights-david-marr

“If only Christians fought like this for refugees. Imagine if the Coalition’s big men of faith threatened to tear down their own government unless it brings home the wretches we’ve imprisoned in the Pacific.”

It isn’t ‘freedom’ that the former prime minister and the bishops uphold – it’s their power to dictate the laws of marriage to the rest of us, writes David Marr.

https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2017/aug/09/abbotts-obstruction-of-gay-marriage-is-a-defence-of-privilege-and-the-power-of-shame-david-marr

I’ll be pleased when marriage equality is recognised by Australian law. But we need to consider practical religious freedom questions and give institutions time to adapt. It’s no longer good enough to treat the non-derogable right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion simply as an exemption to non-discrimination laws, writes Frank Brennan.

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/aug/17/religious-freedom-is-an-important-right-once-same-sex-marriage-is-legal-it-must-be-protected

I hold to what’s called ‘a classical Christian view of marriage’. It might seem logical, then, that I would vote ‘no’ on legalising same-sex marriage in the upcoming plebiscite. However, I believe there are six reasons why a Christian who holds such a view of marriage might vote ‘yes’, writes Susan Davis.

http://www.ethos.org.au/online-resources/Engage-Mail/six-reasons-to-vote-yes

http://www.ethos.org.au/online-resources/Engage-Mail/this-is-not-about-the-postal-vote

As Australia’s politicians again teeter on the edge of deciding to decide about marriage equality, there are those who will want to give the impression that Christians are all (or mostly) singing from the same hymn sheet on this. We are not, writes Keith Mascord.

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/aug/07/you-dont-speak-for-me-christian-support-for-marriage-equality-is-growing

LAST month, the Tasmanian Anti-Discrimination Commissioner accepted a complaint made against my church. There’s no doubt that the Commission would have to call Jesus Christ himself to account, if he taught in our streets today, writes Campbell Markham.

http://www.themercury.com.au/news/opinion/we-are-all-losers-when-the-right-to-free-expression-is-muzzled/news-story/da33da4483b51dfdebc3951a96196fd2

There is no principled argument as to why this one issue should not be resolved by parliament, which has managed to legislate a whole series of changes to marriage and divorce over the past 50 years. But the greatest problem with a plebiscite is that it is not, in itself, binding, writes Dennis Altman.

https://theconversation.com/conservatives-prevail-to-hold-back-the-tide-on-same-sex-marriage-82151

The emphasis in the Genesis 2 story is not upon the “distinctive orientation of marriage towards the bearing and nurture of children” nor upon the biological duality (or any other duality) of men and women. Rather, the reason for marriage is that we find another who is just like us (ie human) with whom we can share life and its tasks, writes Scott Higgins.

http://scottjhiggins.com/the-meaning-of-marriage/

The same sex marriage postal plebiscite will be as intense as most referendum and election campaigns. Indeed, the special characteristics of this subject, advanced by the government as the reason for going beyond parliamentary means to resolve the issue, mean that the campaign may be more intense than most referendums have been, writes John Warhurst.

https://www.eurekastreet.com.au/article.aspx?aeid=52897

“I am not arguing for special protections, but am simply making the point that the evidence is already here, and it is already being played out in Canada, the UK, and elsewhere; changing the marriage law will change society and it will impact religious freedoms for millions of Australians. Yes, religious organisations enjoy certain privileges in society, and we ought not assume them; but do we want Australia to be the kind of nation that interferes with peoples religious freedoms? Murray Campbell writes.

https://murraycampbell.net/2017/08/15/why-david-marr-is-wrong-about-religious-freedom/

Marriage equality will throw up questions about religious freedom, but they will not be new questions, nor are they particularly exacerbated by the recognition of marriage equality. Religious freedom is one of the core freedoms of humankind and I suspect it will be a good decade or two, or even more, before we strike the right balance as a community, writes Scott Higgins.

http://scottjhiggins.com/dont-fall-fear-mongering-freedom-religion-important-issue-pluralist-society-not-crisis-created-marriage-equality/

Neil James Foster: ‘It is misleading to speak as if this change were simply a matter of implementing an internationally recognised “human right”. There is no such human right. The matter must be resolved by a careful consideration of the nature of the institution of marriage and the implications of change. It cannot be resolved simply by an appeal to “equality” or “human rights”.’

https://lawandreligionaustralia.blog/2016/08/07/is-same-sex-marriage-a-human-right/

Andrew Jakubowicz writes: Social conservatism among many ethnic communities will be a key factor in deciding the result of the upcoming same-sex marriage survey. Within these communities, and especially among overseas-born Christians, the “No” campaigners only need to convince those undecided not to vote. So, voting “Yes” becomes an increasingly “brave” act, and one that may be experienced as a serious breach of community norms.

https://theconversation.com/ethnic-religious-communities-may-be-the-no-campaigns-secret-weapon-in-same-sex-marriage-fight-82429

Tess Holgate writes: While most Christian churches allow individual ministers and parishioners to dissent on almost any issue, here is a guide to the official position of most Australian Christian Church Denominations on same-sex marriage.

https://www.eternitynews.com.au/in-depth/fact-check-what-do-christian-churches-really-think-about-same-sex-marriage/

Paul James writes: The same-sex marriage debate has become a proxy for something else. It has become a culture war, ugly and unproductive. Two conflicting ontologies - modern rights versus cosmological rites – have been conflated, and the difference cannot be resolved by giving one precedence over the other. We need to get beyond hyperbole and half-truths from those both for and against marriage equality, and go back to basics.

https://theconversation.com/hypocrisy-reigns-on-both-sides-of-the-same-sex-marriage-debate-82816

Mark Latham writes: I’m a supporter of same-sex marriage and would like to vote Yes in a plebiscite. But clearly Labor and Liberals have in mind a far broader definition of marriage. It won’t be restricted to heterosexuals and homosexuals.

http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/opinion/mark-latham-samesex-yes-vote-will-open-a-can-of-worms/news-story/248eb22253826ed116f51eb08c353a48

Stephen Chavura writes: To those sympathetic with same-sex marriage but scandalized by the spoiled-brat behaviour of its most vocal advocates, don’t worry, a ‘No’ vote will not kill the same-sex marriage movement. It could, however, end its arrogance and toxicity.

https://www.spectator.com.au/2017/08/same-sex-marriage-brigade-need-to-be-humbled/

As a leader in a church community, and someone with a little bit of a say in how our denomination engages in the public sphere, I don’t want to be telling people how to vote on much at all or doing anything that appears coercive, writes Nathan Campbell.

http://st-eutychus.com/2017/10-reasons-why-i-wont-be-voting-in-the-postal-plebiscite-or-telling-people-in-my-congregation-how-to-vote/

Robyn Whitaker writes: Many on the No side are prone to citing the Bible or appealing to "biblical values". But what does the Bible actually say about human sexuality and homosexuality in particular? This article provides a summary of critical biblical scholarship on the issue.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-08-23/same-sex-marriage-what-bible-has-to-say-robyn-whitaker/8831826

Drawing on a theology of exile, Michael Bird proposes (in 2012) we adopt a European model on civil unions and marriage.

http://www.patheos.com/blogs/euangelion/2012/05/my-solution-to-the-same-sex-marriage-debate-with-an-ecclesiology-of-exile/

Increasingly, Australians have been led to believe that same-sex marriage is the great inevitable. The legal definition of marriage may well change in 2017, but the case for change has been less about cogent reasoning, and much to do with emotive stories and slick slogans. Yet, stories alone should not dictate Australian law, writes Murray Campbell.

https://murraycampbell.net/2017/08/09/a-case-for-heterosexual-only-marriage/

Same-sex marriage does not threaten the Lordship of Jesus, but how you act as a follower will reflect his Lordship to the world, writes writes Tom French.

http://blog.tomfrench.com.au/2017/08/10/hey-christians-watch-plebiscite/

If homosexuality is not a dysfunction of personhood, but an expression of one's being and identity in God, then withholding from the LGBTI community the most commonly accepted expression of loving, covenant relationship is wrong. It is because I am a Christian, not in spite of it, that I'll be voting 'yes' in the upcoming plebiscite on same-sex marriage.

https://simoncareyholt.wordpress.com/2017/08/15/yes/

James Garth presents a summary of the best arguments for and against same-sex marriage.

https://medium.com/@jgarth22/on-the-primacy-of-conscience-15f96b3358cc

Nathan Lee Jones writes: If you’re a hurt person who opposes same-sex marriage, you should probably go ahead and vote ‘no’. Stand your ground and voice your fears… Your heart is most likely healing from a deep, personal wound that I will never fully understand. … However, as someone who has kept my heart tightly closed for most of my life, I want to offer out an invitation. Feel free to take it or leave it. I invite you to consciously move beyond your fear … to love.

https://medium.com/@NathLJones/i-understand-if-you-vote-no-against-same-sex-marriage-9536bb1c1d4e

Archbishop Denis Hart’s pastoral letter on same-sex marriage calls for Catholics to vote in good faith according to the demands of their consciences, in accordance with the traditional Catholic understanding of marriage as between man and woman. At the same time, “in all our conversations and encounters, let us imitate Pope Francis, who asks us to be humble and never judgemental”.

http://melbournecatholic.org.au/News/archbishop-hart-releases-pastoral-letter-on-same-sex-marriage

Beth Barnett summarises 28 Christian responses to same sex marriage.

https://multivocality.wordpress.com/2015/06/01/same-sex-marriage-the-simple-a-z-biblical-response-2/

Michael Frost writes: Because No advocates are required to construct their arguments for broad public consumption in a contest about human flourishing and the common good in a secular society, the Christians among them know they can’t resort to biblical interpretations or appeals to religious tradition. And once you knock out those two arguments, what’s left for the Christian case against SSM? Phrases like “sexed twoness” and grave warnings about changing nomenclature? Anecdotes from the unhappy adult children of gay couples?

http://mikefrost.net/repulsed-nonplussed-problem-no-campaign/

Bill Muehlenberg responds to Susan Adams’ articles outlining her reasons why a Christian with a classical view of marriage might vote ‘yes’ in the plebiscite.

https://billmuehlenberg.com/2017/08/21/no-not-representing-christ-biblical-truth/

Peter Sellick writes: A public issue like gay marriage evokes a storm of protests from many groups all proclaiming themselves to represent the Christian view.

http://www.onlineopinion.com.au/view.asp?article=19242

Robyn Whitaker writes: The Bible offers a wide variety of marriage arrangements, many of which we no longer condone. It never condemns same-sex marriage, partly because it simply does not address the issue directly. It does, however, give us an ethic to guide how we treat one another: an ethic based upon God’s generous love and a profound concern for justice.

https://theconversation.com/to-christians-arguing-no-on-marriage-equality-the-bible-is-not-decisive-82498

Robyn Whitaker has argued that the Bible affirm a wide variety of marriage arrangements. Lionel Windsor responds, arguing that William Loader’s scholarly article, whom Whitaker cites to support her case, directly contradicts the claims made by Whitaker.

http://thinkingofgod.org/2017/08/marriage-redefinition-romans-126-27-really-say/

A Response to Robyn Whitaker and Amy-Jill Levine: Despite claims sometimes made, the question for Christians is not really "What does the Bible really say?" That's reasonably clear. Rather, it is: "What are we going to do with what the Bible says?", writes Lionel Windsor.

http://www.abc.net.au/religion/articles/2017/08/28/4725591.htm

Sean Winter writes: Concerning gender, slavery and same-sex orientation, it is possible to be true to Paul's big idea in ways that Paul himself never envisaged. Our hermeneutical task is to be more Pauline than Paul. Unless we are wedded to an understanding of the Bible that requires it to be beyond ethical judgement, we are free to consider the possibility that Paul was wrong about whatever same-sex orientation meant in his world.

http://www.abc.net.au/religion/articles/2017/08/30/4726720.htm

With the announcement of a postal vote to be held on the issue of same-sex marriage in Australia, John Dickson spoke with Stephen O'Doherty on Open House about the historical and Biblical reasons to uphold heterosexual marriage, but also about the need to conduct the present debate with sensitivity and grace.

https://hope1032.com.au/stories/life/news/2017/history-society-religion-regard-marriage-as-heterosexual-john-dickson/

Michael Quinlan writes: Religious freedom in Australia can be a source of division with examples of respect for and of government interference with that freedom.

To the extent to which we enjoy religious freedom, it is more by the good sense of everyday Australians than by the law. As a result, freedom of conscience and belief is not treated with the importance our history and international law call for and state and territory laws regularly override religious freedom. Our laws can do a better job of accommodating people of faith.

https://theconversation.com/the-great-divide-where-religious-beliefs-and-the-law-meet-81180

Carol Johnson and Marion Maddox write: In the marriage equality debate, those who once fought against protections for religious freedom are suddenly all for it. But religious organisations will remain free to refuse same-sex marriage if it is eventually introduced. Meanwhile, another group’s religious freedom seldom gets a mention. 40% of Australian same-sex couples identify as Christian. And for those clergy stand ready to officiate, their religious freedom to adequately pastor their LGBT congregants is currently constrained.

https://theconversation.com/talk-of-same-sex-marriage-impinging-on-religious-freedom-is-misconceived-heres-why-82435

Institute for Civil Society executive director Mark Sneddon has been quoted by Paul Kelly in The Australian as saying: “I am extremely concerned about the lack of legal protection across this country in terms of freedom of conscience, belief and religion for people who support traditional marriage”. Read more here.

http://www.i4cs.com.au/deficient-legal-protections-for-supporters-of-traditional-marriage/

A "no" vote in the postal plebiscite is crucial for bringing back the radicalism of lesbians and gays not so eager to reflect back to heterosexuals their own image tediously magnified, writes Caroline Norma.

http://www.abc.net.au/religion/articles/2017/08/16/4719165.htm

There’s a lot of commentary on the proposed Marriage Amendment Bill proposed by Senator Dean Smith, and it seems few commentators have had a chance to read it. So as a service to discussion, Eternity is publishing it, with brief comments by those arguing for and against the Bill.

https://www.eternitynews.com.au/australia/fyi-what-the-same-sex-marriage-bill-actually-says/

The full version of the Bill can be found here: https://www.scribd.com/document/355646076/Marriage-Amendment-Definition-and-Religious-Freedoms-Bill-2017

Covering the same-sex marriage debate presents the media with an acute ethical dilemma: how to give effect to people’s right of free speech while taking into account truth-telling, offensiveness and the risk of doing harm. Denis Muller writes.

https://www.eternitynews.com.au/culture/same-sex-marriage-on-a-knife-edge/

So what’s my response to the prospect of Same Sex Marriage? I won’t be joining any demonstrations at the Scottish parliament. I will however be promoting Christian marriage by looking at my own marriage and repenting of any attitudes and actions on my part which don’t demonstrate the Kingdom of God, writes James Petticrew.

https://abrahamsfootsteps.wordpress.com/2012/07/27/gay-marriage-christian-marriage-the-kingdom-of-god-conformity-or-contrast/

You could be forgiven for thinking if marriage equality is supported, it will be against the wishes of Christians who are supposedly overwhelmingly against the idea. But the truth is that Marriage Equality has been strongly supported for years by an increasing number of people of faith, writes Gordon Ramsay.

https://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/opinion/not-all-christians-opposed-to-marriage-equality-20170821-gy0lx3.html

Deciding whether to legalize same-sex marriage involves dealing with a clash between adults' claims and children's rights, writes Margaret Somerville.

http://www.abc.net.au/religion/articles/2017/08/15/4718836.htm

John Power writes: The Catholic Church has taken its own vow of silence on two elite Catholic schools defying its authority and appearing to endorse same-sex marriage. While church leaders are keeping quiet on the rebellion within their ranks, St Ignatius’ College on Wednesday reiterated calls for Catholics to acknowledge the humanity of LGBTI Australians as well as its teachings on marriage.

http://thenewdaily.com.au/news/national/2017/08/30/church-silence-schools-same-sex-marriage/

Andrew Hamilton writes: The argument is that Catholic organisations must uphold the teaching of the church, and that upholding church teaching implies living in a way consistent with it. Whatever the abstract merits of this argument and its applicability to dismissal in limit cases, its general use belongs to a past age.

https://www.eurekastreet.com.au/article.aspx?aeid=52963

Peter Ould writes: LGB folk do, on average, suffer from minority stress like many other minorities do and we should take that very seriously in our pastoral response. However, the research seems to suggest that, rather than being at blame for that minority stress, non-affirming churches may actually help to relieve it.

https://www.psephizo.com/sexuality-2/church-teaching-and-lgb-mental-health/

Michael Cook writes: A former state president of the Australian Medical Association is among a group of doctors urging the AMA to retract its “fatally flawed” position statement on marriage equality, which endorses same-sex marriage.

https://www.mercatornet.com/conjugality/view/doctors-accuse-australian-medical-association-of-misleading-public-on-marri/20211

Neil James Foster writes: A number of lawyers around Australia, myself included, were concerned that this statement was not made after consultation with members of the various organisations, and in fact was misleading precisely at the point where one would expect a statement from lawyers to be accurate, in its statements about the law.

https://lawandreligionaustralia.blog/2017/09/01/press-release-of-the-wilberforce-foundation-full-text/

Joel Harrison writes: Can we have good disagreement over same-sex relationships? The Anglican Church in New Zealand provides an example of the willingness to take time, and a desire to remain together that refines arguments beyond competing forms of rights claims.

http://www.abc.net.au/religion/articles/2015/08/03/4285880.htm

I want my LGBTI friends to understand that, when it comes to social equality, a fair go for everyone, irrespective of race, gender, ethnicity, and sexual orientation, I can proudly walk with you in the way. But when it comes to same-sex marriage, we have come to a fork in the road, and I cannot join in your journey. For in the precincts of my own conscience, I am not able to affirm same-sex marriage for the reasons given above. Michael Bird writes.

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

Should Christians ‘force their views’ onto other people, especially a vulnerable minority like LGBTI? Is opposing the redefinition of marriage contrary to what Jesus would do? Is it unloving? Akos Balogh explores how Christians ought to engage politically, especially on a topic like SSM. He argues that we should vote say ‘no’ to anything that weakens God’s good design of marriage and that will have (often) unintended negative consequences.

Part 1: http://akosbalogh.com/2017/08/16/how-should-christians-engage-the-ssm-debate-part-1-political-theology-101/

Part 2: http://akosbalogh.com/2017/08/31/engaging-with-the-ssm-debate-part-2-when-christians-should-say-yes/

Frank Brennan writes: Marriage is between a man and a woman, but this has to be separated from civil marriage, which was the question before the Australian people. Same-sex marriage should be legalised for the "common good", one of Australia's leading Catholic thinkers has urged, arguing civil marriage cannot be seen as an instrument of the church. And any concerns about religious freedom should be set aside until after a successful "yes" vote in the postal survey.

https://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/politics/federal/legalise-samesex-marriage-for-the-common-good-says-catholic-priest-frank-brennan-20170901-gy8njv.html

Scott Cowdell writes: If "traditional marriage" has been watered down, is voting "no" the answer? Is it right that the line in the sand be drawn across the bodies of same-sex couples? For Christians, is it godly to blame and effectively to scapegoat same-sex couples for a shift in heterosexual habits and morals?

Indeed, many same-sex couples are looking not just for freedom and marriage equality but for the public recognition, social support and long-term fruitfulness that traditional marriage offers. If we accept that this is the case, could same-sex marriage be regarded as a friend rather than an enemy of traditional marriage?”

http://www.abc.net.au/religion/articles/2017/08/24/4723712.htm

While calls to redefine marriage so as to include same-sex partnerships and polygamy may be motivated to remove discrimination, every law makes distinctions about right and wrong. So the question is whether discrimination in favour of male-female marriage is a justifiable action. By David d'Lima.

http://www.fava.org.au/publications-access-notice/891

A plebiscite or even a binding referendum is a good idea. The losing side will not be able to blame politicians or “elites” for making the decision. They cannot feel disenfranchised. If the parliament were to pass a same-sex marriage bill that would settle the issue politically permanently, but at the grassroots level the result could be a toxic bitterness that would make the decision much harder to accept, much like the supporters of same-sex marriage simply refused to accept it every time they lost in parliament, writes Steve Chavura.

https://www.spectator.com.au/2017/08/in-defense-of-the-same-sex-marriage-plebiscite-or-the-next-best-option/

The ‘No’ campaign against marriage equality in Australia’s upcoming plebiscite is a poisoned chalice for conservative Christians. The ‘No’ campaigners have misunderstood what this poll is about and they have misjudged the mood of the very people on whom their future depends. This is not a plebiscite about our personal views on marriage – it is a plebiscite about the kind of society we want to live in. Brett Parris writes.

https://www.epektasis.com.au/2017/08/24/christians-vote-marriage-equality/

The equality that is being asked for shifts the debate from a requirement for legal protections for same-sex couples to a state-endorsed validation of the relationship. In other words, the current call for “marriage equality” is actually a push for the state to enshrine in law the notion that there is no essential difference between a homosexual and heterosexual relationship. And the “yes” campaign gives every indication of spreading an equality of justification by coercion. But our understanding of our own equality before God does not depend on State recognition and so we need not be anxious, writes David Ould.

http://thinkingofgod.org/2017/08/not-equality-equal/

The ‘yes’ and the ‘no’ camp are locked in a fierce deadlock where it appears both sides feel that the other side present no coherent argument to aide their position. Yet I wonder if some of the passionate rhetoric and arguments would die down when we answer an often unarticulated prior question: what exactly is marriage for? Robert Martin writes.

https://citybibleforum.org/city/melbourne/blog/marriage-has-become-meaningless

Same-sex marriage is a logical extension of the acceptance of homosexuality; conversely, the denial of marriage rites is an indication of failure to accept homosexuality, writes Gary D. Bouma.

http://www.abc.net.au/religion/articles/2017/08/16/4719454.htm

This series of five articles, written by Mark Thompson, is written to help Christians see just what are the issues in the debate, why it is so heated and why it cannot be avoided.

http://markdthompson.blogspot.com.au/

Sexuality and same-sex marriage – non-Christian perspectives

If Australia proceeds with a plebiscite, the vote will have nothing to do with free speech, religious freedom or “political correctness”. And it will not set us on a slippery slope. It is about ending the discrimination, and nothing else, writes Paul Syvret.

http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/opinion/opinion-the-antimarriage-equality-false-witnesses-spread-the-poison/news-story/1be31c907d5e8f2c356651804b64edb0

We believe in protecting the fundamental freedoms that permit civil debate. Which is why we would encourage people to vote in a plebiscite. Let's have a great conversation. And let's have it with the tone set by [Sen. Penny Wong] in 2010. To make our case, without dehumanising our opponents, writes Michael Kellahan.

http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/comment/why-marriage-should-be-between-a-man-and-a-woman-20170810-gxt87w.html

Some are boycotting because they don't want to legitimise what they see as an illegitimate vote, while others say boycott plays into hands of 'no' vote. Either way, this isn't make or break for same-sex marriage.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-08-10/why-are-some-marriage-equality-campaigners-boycotting-this-vote/8792090

“If you're wanting to vote 'no', for any reason, I'm reaching out to you today with a suggestion: let's see each other as humans, and tolerate one another. I don't subscribe to religious dogmas, but I would never vote against your right to practice your religion. It doesn't affect me in the least if you go to church every Sunday or not. And it doesn't affect you in the least if my partner and I get married or not. This issue is about people. This issue is about me.

I'm not suggesting you vote 'yes' to something you don't believe in... If you're opposed to same-sex marriage, abstain from this vote, and let's make this country a more tolerant and happy place for all of us.” Holden Sheppard writes.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com.au/holden-sheppard/a-note-to-anyone-thinking-of-voting-no-to-same-sex-marriage_a_23079913/

We might be moving away from marriage, but it’s clear that young Australians aren’t strangers to commitment. Ring or no ring, love is still valid, and who are we to judge what brings two people closer together? Alisha Brown writes.

http://honisoit.com/2017/08/aisle-be-damned/

The ‘no’ camp will try to contort this issue into anything other than what it is: should adults be able to marry the person they love? Lenore Taylor writes.

https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2017/aug/12/we-wont-be-giving-equal-time-to-spurious-arguments-against-marriage-equality

Multiple studies show children with LGBTI parents are no worse off than those with heterosexual parents, leaving opponents of same-sex marriage on shaky ground, writes Nick Evershed.

https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2017/aug/17/think-of-the-kids-why-marriage-equality-opponents-are-wrong-on-parenting

Gender and sexuality are no longer binary and rigid concepts like they once were. Meet these four Canberrans, who bravely tell their stories about coming out. By Kimberley Le Lievre.

http://www.canberratimes.com.au/act-news/four-canberrans-on-what-its-like-being-gender-and-sexually-diverse-20170809-gxsk60.html

Pro same-sex marriage campaigners will have a better chance if they persuade, not vilify, the other side We all have something to gain by conducting this debate with respect and in good faith. If the goal is a freer and more stable society, for once there can be winners all around, writes Parnell McGuinness.

http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/opinion/parnell-mcguinness-ssm-yes-campaign-could-lose-if-mismanaged/news-story/636a4e662e4bf697afd64466b131c167

When it comes to same-sex marriage, not all views deserve respect. Your ideas are not immune to criticism just because you express them with sincerity: people are worthy of respect, ideas are not. Peter Ellerton writes.

http://theconversation.com/when-it-comes-to-same-sex-marriage-not-all-views-deserve-respect-82433

While the flawed postal vote plebiscite has provoked furious rival responses, the pivotal problem is just emerging — the failure in any draft bill by Coalition or Labor MPs to fully protect religious freedoms once same-sex marriage is legislated, writes Paul Kelly.

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/inquirer/clash-of-rights-looms-insamesex-marriage-debate/news-story/e3ab746122ca9f5d8fa5788b6f765c52

Greg Walsh writes: The right to equality is a broad right that protects a range of different grounds including the grounds of religion and political opinion.

http://www.onlineopinion.com.au/view.asp?article=19233

The burqa isn’t going to be banned in Australia, and nor should it be. We can’t curtail religious freedom for Muslims without doing the same for all other religions, writes Miranda Devine.

http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/rendezview/the-burqa-shouldnt-be-banned-for-the-same-reason-ssm-shouldnt-be-legalised-religious-freedom/news-story/711478f4d703f6127e757303fb297127

Carl Rhodes writes: Research shows that companies will back ethical causes only if they know they will benefit from the stance. Companies aren’t being altruistic when they back causes like marriage equality.

Yet there is little evidence that social responsibility initiatives necessarily result in positive outcomes for businesses. In fact, it may result in worse outcomes for society as a whole, as businesses put their resources behind causes that are already popular and ignore pressing issues such as inequality and stagnating wage growth.

https://theconversation.com/the-market-for-virtue-why-companies-like-qantas-are-campaigning-for-marriage-equality-82905

Francisco Perales writes: “HILDA data reveal an overwhelming tide of support toward the rights of same-sex couples within Australian society. However, certain population groups are clearly lagging behind in their support. This includes male, older, and religious Australians, and those from non-English-speaking backgrounds.”

https://theconversation.com/revealed-who-supports-marriage-equality-in-australia-and-who-doesnt-82988

Jo Robinson, Eleanor Bailey and Pat McGorry write: Same-sex attracted people have poorer mental health than their heterosexual peers, but in jurisdictions that have legalised same-sex marriage, the gap between the two is much smaller.

https://theconversation.com/legalising-same-sex-marriage-will-help-reduce-high-rates-of-suicide-among-young-people-in-australia-82917

Ryan Anderson writes: There are considerable mental health and wellbeing benefits conferred on those in the fortunate position of being able to marry legally. And there are associated deleterious impacts of being denied this opportunity. Although it would be irresponsible to suggest the research is unanimous, the majority is either noncommittal (unclear conclusions) or demonstrates the benefits of same-sex marriage.

https://theconversation.com/evidence-is-clear-on-the-benefits-of-legalising-same-sex-marriage-82428

Greg Brown writes: Five former state presidents of the Australian Medical Association are among almost 400 doctors who have signed a petition asking the nation’s peak medical body to retract its support for same-sex marriage.

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/expresidents-demand-ama-retracts-support-for-gay-marriage/news-story/740a6e219806015508c4c4186225602b

The Jolly Swagmen spoke with Monica Doumit, spokesperson for the Coalition for Marriage, to find out the best arguments against changing the Marriage Act.

https://thejollyswagmen.com/new-blog/2017/8/30/xvii-the-two-reasons-why-gays-shouldnt-marry-according-to-the-coalition-for-marriage-monica-doumit

Slavery & trafficking

Civil rights lawyer and CEO & Founder of International Justice Mission, Gary Haugen, speaks on modern slavery and 'the dignity of responsibility'.

https://willowcreek.tv/sermons/south-barrington/2017/05/dignity-of-responsibility/#message

Civil rights lawyer and CEO & Founder of International Justice Mission, Gary Haugen, talks about the real reasons behind global poverty.

https://www.ted.com/talks/gary_haugen_the_hidden_reason_for_poverty_the_world_needs_to_address_now

Businesses can use their purchasing power to change the actions of their suppliers and help to eradicate slavery - both in Australia and across the world. Julia Benkert writes.

http://theconversation.com/what-businesses-can-do-to-stamp-out-slavery-in-their-supply-chains-82640

Women and men from all parts of the world gathered in India in June to discuss what Women’s Commissions can do to stop the terrible trafficking in human lives that has trapped 48 million girls and boys, women and men. It’s a horrifying number that only hints at the exploitation, the emotional cost and the huge amounts of money that are involved in this global “industry”, writes Amanda Jackson.

http://worldea.org/news/4793

“Can You See Me?” is a campaign that aims to bring awareness about the millions of men, women, and children who are currently trapped in slavery across the world.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2mGENaiaumw

The slave trade is said to have been abolished, but forced servitude and human trafficking still affect thousands in Australia. Faith groups are at the forefront in the fight against modern slavery, writes Siobhan Hegarty.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-08-23/breaking-the-bonds-of-modern-day-slavery-through-faith/8832008

Social media & civil engagement

“I have just completed a social media fast. The effects have been significant; enough to prove I need to do it again. My time offline left me more energised, clearer in thought, and less annoyed, depressed and jealous. Here’s what I learned and why I think it’s worth scheduling a periodic social media fast into your calendar too”, writes Sheridan Voysey.

http://sheridanvoysey.com/Four-Reasons-to-Try-a-Social-Media-Fast

With all this gassing on in the name of free speech, it is easy to forget that one of our most precious liberties is the right to say: “I’m sorry, I don’t know”, writes Lara Prendergast.

https://www.spectator.co.uk/2017/07/why-must-i-have-a-strong-opinion-about-everything/

Research from the University of Arizona has found that those who are highly tolerant to incivility much more likely to engage in behaviors such as commenting on political news stories online, engaging in online political discussions, expressing support on social media for political candidates or issues, and even donating money to a candidate's campaign.

https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2017-08/uoa-htf081417.php

Kun Zhao and Luke Smillie write: Recent research suggests that our tendency to be “nice” can be separated into two related but distinct personality traits: politeness and compassion. We see these differences play out in social decision making, where politeness is linked to being fair and compassion to helping others.

https://theconversation.com/the-science-of-being-nice-how-politeness-is-different-from-compassion-81819

Technology

Today’s highly technological era amazes us with possibilities for human growth and innovation, but in our amazement we often forget to tackle various pitfalls. Arguably, the biggest risk is the emerging military technology, about which there are many unanswered questions. We are faced with many uncertainties: security risks due to loss of competitiveness, potential control over advanced weapons by terrorists and, most importantly, reduced comprehension by the wider society - let alone any participation in the decision making process, as the frenzied pace of technological development increases. Todor Shindarov writes.

https://www.eurekastreet.com.au/article.aspx?aeid=52819

We live in a world where technology is accelerating. It changes our lives far more rapidly than it has ever done before. Is there room for what professor Margaret Somerville calls the "yuck" factor to help us make ethical decisions? And what about military technology? James Carleton talks to Margaret Somerville, James Garth and others.

http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/godforbid/the-tangles-of-technology/8793780

And some follow-up comments by James Garth:

https://medium.com/@jgarth22/the-tangles-of-technology-e211b6d9493

War, peace & nonviolence

The possession of nuclear weapons is grossly evil and morally wrong. It should be a stated goal of all Christian leaders to see the total abolition of all nuclear weapons throughout the world. Why has much of the church fallen silent on this issue? Michael Frost writes.

http://mikefrost.net/morally-wrong-possess-nuclear-weapons-christians-say/

Trump’s apocalyptic threat is a reminder that we need to revive the moral argument for disarmament and against militarism, writes Daniel José Camacho.

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/aug/11/trump-apocalyptic-threats-moral-case-disarmament

Bottom of Form

Welfare

Tony Thompson writes: I believe that Mother Teresa was in the business of restoring civil rights. Martin Luther King was planning a ‘poor people’s march’ on Washington when he died. Gandhi called poverty the ‘worst form of violence’. Mother Teresa was on a similar journey. Oppression comes in many forms. Poverty is one of them.

https://www.eurekastreet.com.au/article.aspx?aeid=52942#.WaZ1XpMjGu7

Work

One of the most striking findings of our study was that every generation perceived that the other generations are only in it for the money, don’t work as hard, and do not care about meaning. Stereotypes like these likely cause conflict among generational cohorts, which may affect performance, commitment, and job satisfaction, writes Kelly Pledger Weeks.

https://hbr.org/2017/07/every-generation-wants-meaningful-work-but-thinks-other-age-groups-are-in-it-for-the-money

http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/business/what-youll-regret-most-at-the-end-of-your-life-20170729-gxlflo.html

Young people

How have Australian youth, throughout history, helped to define Australian culture? How do they see their future and how will they shape it? Paul Barclay speaks to a panel of young Australians at the National Museum of Australia.

http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/bigideas/the-millennial-generation/8750002

https://hbr.org/2017/07/every-generation-wants-meaningful-work-but-thinks-other-age-groups-are-in-it-for-the-money

"Well, my mind's blown. Firstly, because there's a new generation – Generation Z – some of whom are already 20 years old (!) and secondly, judging by the research about them, they are completely different from me and my fellow Gen Ys." Claire Thurstans writes.

http://www.smh.com.au/comment/just-like-that-my-generation-is-out-of-date-20170804-gxp9ec

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Link highlights | August 2017

Monday, 4 September 2017 | Ethos editor

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