What would it take for those not in the church to think of the church as ‘our local community church’? In Melbourne’s outer suburb of Diamond Creek, a church is encouraging its members to nominate a local business to connect with.

Michael Jensen's recent piece, Why Animals?, was a reflection on the non-human creation and our responsibility for it. But the fundamental distinction in Christian theology is between creator and creation, and not between humans and the rest of creation. So what makes humans unique?

The Bible provides an ethical framework for a robust understanding of work and the dignity of the worker. Christians must watch the future of work closely and prepare strategies to mitigate the dangers, enhance the dignity of our work and protect the soul of the worker.

Ian Hore-Lacy suggests that only nuclear can give Australia the reliable, low cost power that will help reduce CO2. However, there are a number of unresolved problems around nuclear power, including cost compared to the alternatives in 2018, and it is doubtful that nuclear energy can scale quickly enough to solve our climate change problem.

Displacement and migrancy have become the dominant themes of our age. The biblical narratives also feature people on the move, and in the New Testament the iconic migration is the incarnation. Indeed, we can call the God of the Bible a Migrant God, the One who journeys with us.

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.