Energy policy in Australia is highly politicised, and the government has failed in its role of ensuring that the basic needs of its citizens are met. This is a concern for us, as Christians, as we try to be good stewards and ensure justice for the vulnerable. What is the practical way forward?

In Genesis, our personhood is closely tied to the vocation assigned to us as Image Bearers: co-regents under God, carefully tending to God’s good creation, both as care-givers and care-receivers. We find it easy to be care-givers; but acknowledging our need for care is more challenging. Yet there is dignity in fragility.

Millennials understand friendship, caring for creation, inequality, white privilege and our collective responsibility for the future. Millennials could be the generation to realise Reconciliation in their lifetime because, unlike previous generations, they continue to show me that saying sorry is the rule, not the exception.

The question of truth versus propaganda is a major issue for people living in former communist East European countries. But it is also a critical one for us all in our contemporary world saturated with commercial and political propaganda. How should we, as Christians, respond to the challenge to ‘live in the truth’?

Eating is not just life-sustaining, but also relational and celebrative. It is an act of worship. Eating together is a reminder of our connectedness to God, the earth and each other, and calls us to radical hospitality. Most fundamentally, eating points us to the Lamb of God slain for the sins of the whole world.

Australia has the dubious honour of having lost the world’s first mammal to climate change. For the Christian, mourning is an appropriate response to species extinction. We need liturgies of lament - and Remembrance Day for Lost Species on November 30 is a place to start. We can also start with an act of repentance on Earth Day.

The book of Job tells us that, despite our hubristic claims, we are not in control, we do not fully understand how things work. Human sin has released chaos in the form of climate change, which requires a biblically informed ethical response that does not lapse into mere technological fixes that can’t deliver and that led to the current crisis.

For those worried about disaffected and angry young men, a perceived sidelining of Christianity and the excesses of the alt right, Jordan Peterson’s message may seem like the right antidote. But can we as Christians really embrace what he has to say? Or is there a better way forward?

For many, Jordan Peterson is either the pre-eminent saint or sinner. But what would a more nuanced response look like? 12 Rules for Life is certainly not a silver bullet. But, read alongside the corpus of Peterson’s other works, it provides pointers or pathways for self-understanding.

The majority of today’s slaves are women and children trafficked for sex. Stronger laws are needed, but we must address the problem at its root by confronting the commodification of the flesh and reducing demand for paid sex. NSW's proposed Modern Slavery Act is part of the solution, but it does not address demand. Here is one strategy to disrupt demand.