Why do we listen to the voices of the other? Is it simply to increase knowledge or to better learn to love our neighbour? In learning about, from and with indigenous West Papuans, and engaging with their theologians, there are two things I have learned not to do.

Nostalgia can be harmless fun. But social nostalgia – the call for a return to a time when things were ‘simpler’ - can distort how we view the world, by idealising a time that never existed. While reminding us of our moral centre, it can impact our sense of justice and compassion, and even our vote.

The diversity of faces in the urban space invite us to marvel at the artistry and earthiness of the Creator. In every encounter I learn to pay attention and discover the beauty of God in the cities of man. I feel a joyful connection with, and surprising lessons from, the heavenly city to come.

We name them as helpless so that we don’t have to feel so helpless. But it is time to stop trying to rescue the world when I am really just trying to rescue me. It is time to sit in the dust with those who sit in the dust and just listen.

The experience of dementia, at times, can be quite frightening. We need people who will love us out of our fear. The role of Christians is to reveal the love of God and to ensure that that which is absent from current legislation is not absent from the lives of Jesus’ disciples.

The Morrison government’s proposed Ensuring Integrity Bill, while ostensibly safeguarding against union abuses, effectively denies the basis of their existence and provides a pathway for interfering in their internal workings. But the right to freely form associations of members around shared core values and concerns is fundamental to democracy.

This week is Anti-Poverty Week. Australia is a nation of opportunity, built on equality and a ‘fair go’, yet that’s not how things play out for everyone. How can the Church respond?

Rediscovering child-like wonder and the joy of play is essential for our spiritual health. Awe and wonder, imagination and curiosity connect us to the God who is present in every moment and everything in a way that nothing else can.

Even more dangerous than the overt, crass prosperity gospel of televangelists is a subtle form of prosperity gospel that sees material possessions, financial independence and travelling the world as indicators of a ‘good life’. But how can we be truly rich towards God?

Cricketer Steve Smith’s recent batting success has been described as his 'redemption'. But what does this claim reveal about modernity’s (mis)understanding of redemption – and its significance for humanity and the church?