Category: Society & Culture

May 16, 2023
5 Reasons You Did Not and Cannot Reinvent Yourself

Brian Rosner looks at recent research that examines our human quest for individualism. The results point to our relationships with others. "You are not the product of your own conscious deliberations and choices. When it comes to forming your identity, your subconscious does the bulk of the work."  "You and I might like to think […]

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May 15, 2023
Cultural Renewal through Faithful Work

Tim Keller, from Redeemer Church and Ministries, addresses the question, “Should Christians be involved in shaping culture?”, explaining that it is vital to keep God and his grace central in culture. Looking at history, Keller illustrates the problems that will arise if this is not the case. "...when Christians work in the world, they will […]

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April 24, 2023
Who's Afraid of Critical Theory

Living as a human in the world is complex. In this 30 minute podcast from the Centre of Public Christianity Life and Faith series, Simon Smart and Natasha Moore discuss with Christopher Watkins how the biblical lens can help in our human quest to understand culture. “That’s the origin of cultural critique, isn’t it? It […]

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April 4, 2023
Was Violence Against the Canaanites a Matter of Racial Prejudice?

The authors warn that a careful theological understanding of the Old Testament book, Joshua, is vital in reading the accounts of warfare between the Israelites and the Canaanites, particularly as one reflects on more recent history and present day experience of racial prejudices. "It is impossible to ignore what is routinely viewed as the grave […]

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March 13, 2023
The Myth of the Public Square

Read or listen to Tony Payne's piece on the challenges of proclaiming faith in a world that appears to restrain freedom of speech. "Perhaps the reason that Western Christians today lament their lack of access to or influence within the ‘public square’ is that once, within our race memory, we were among the powerful who […]

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March 6, 2023
Remote Working Has Made Developing Relationships With Colleagues Harder --Here's What Workers and Bosses Need Right Now

The authors note the changes that the global pandemic has brought to the workplace, and observe that hybrid working environments have created challenges for employee culture, career paths, mentoring and general wellbeing. From their research they bring useful pointers to help orientate organisations to new demographics and workplace relationships. "How should leaders relate to, and […]

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February 22, 2023
Who Needs Church When We've Got AI Jesus?

How will church adapt as society encompasses technological advances such as artificial intelligence? "A new app that lets you chat with as many as 20,000 notable people from the past is the latest AI offering to come out of the tech sphere. From legendary American baseball player Babe Ruth to US President Abraham Lincoln, Historical […]

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February 22, 2023
ChatGPT and the Apocalypse

A thought provoking piece considering a technological development that affects us all... "The world of AI is here, and vistas of immense and exciting possibility lie before us. That much is certain.  But I must admit, my initial amazement at first encountering ChatGPT quickly gave way to unease and a sense that something essential could […]

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December 20, 2022
A Gentle Christmas and a Realistic New Year

Sam Wan looks at the human need for memory -- how it is particularly poignant at Christmas. He reminds us to reach out to others at Christmas, particularly with the assurance that we are never forgotten by God. "We have all had some experience of isolation over the last few years. But for many of […]

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December 20, 2022
Is it the season to be jolly? The negatives and positives of Christmas

This helpful discussion between Tony Payne and Phillip Jensen reflects on present day attitudes to Christmas. Whilst as Christians we may feel that the gospel is somewhat lost in the commercial overtones of the festive season, the podcast and transcript suggest ways in which the good news of God coming as man to save humanity […]

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November 23, 2022
Churches Urged to Fill the Mental health Gap

Anne Lim reports on the presentation of senior clinical psychologist Gavin Brown, at a recent online mental health summit. "Brown was one of a panel of church leaders, mental health practitioners, lived-experience advisers, and theologians who led over 100 participants from across the country in a conversation about how churches can respond to Australia’s mental […]

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November 8, 2022
The Clash of Civilisations

Videos The current crisis in Ukraine may be half a world away, but is it more relevant to us than it might first appear? More than just a foreign war, the Russia-Ukraine war represents a clash of ideals that underpin the way humankind sees itself. While this isn't the first war of its kind, it […]

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