It is no secret that former Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott is a fan of Western values. On more than one occasion he has lamented what he calls “the great Australian silence” – the neglect of “the Western canon, the literature, the poetry, the music, the history and above all the faith without which our […]

Some serious soul-searching reflections by my friend Dr. Paul Tyson. Director of the Emmanuel Centre for the Study of Science, Religion and Society (Emmanuel College, UQ) As I write a horrifying humanitarian disaster, entirely made by successive Australian governments, is looming on Manus Island. As a child I came into political awareness in the 1970s. […]

The Crucifixion of the Warrior God and the Myth of Redemptive Violence This is part four of a series I have been doing on Greg Boyd’s Crucifixion of the Warrior God. Here are links to the other parts: Part1, Part2, Part3. Greg has also responded to these. Volume I of Greg’s book lays out the […]

This post is part 3 in a series reviewing Greg Boyd’s The Crucifixion of the Warrior God. In Part1 I cited lots of quotes from the book that I liked. In Part2 I respond to Greg’s critique of me (which I did not like). In this post I would like to offer a theological and […]

As some of you know, I’ve been digging into Greg Boyd’s new book, Crucifixion of the Warrior God As some of you have pointed out to me, he liberally cites my work in Disarming Scripture. So naturally, I hold a particular interest in Boyd’s most recent thoughts on the subject, both because the topic is […]

I’m reading through Greg Boyd’s new 2-volume work Crucifixion of the Warrior God: Interpreting the Old Testament’s Violent Portraits of God in Light of the Cross. I naturally don’t want to make any final assessments until I have read it all the way through, but I thought it may be of interest to share what […]

The most important new book on evangelicals in many years is called “The Evangelicals: The Struggle to Shape America.” Everyone who cares about religion in America must read it. I will be moderating a conversation with the author on Wednesday night (April 12) at the Atlanta History Center. Reading this book during the Lenten season, […]

COMMON HUMANITY AND THE COMMUNITY OF NATIONS Raymond Gaita ABC Religion and Ethics – 25 Jan 2017 How can we prevent love of country from degenerating into jingoism, and what kind of road can we build on which jingoism might finds its way back to love? Racism is again on the rise in many parts […]

The geopolitical system that gave rise to the current world power structure based on colonialism and built with the sweat of slave labour is crumbling before our eyes. That system is morally, ethically and economically bankrupt. It has been from the beginning and feedback loops are finally coming home to roost with a vengeance. Geoeconomics […]

By Stuart Rees – posted Tuesday, 21 February 2017 Foreign Minister Julie Bishop has invited the Israeli Prime Minister to visit Australia because of ‘our absolute and enduring commitment to the State of Israel and our friendship.’ It could be argued that principles of freedom of speech justify the invitation. If that’s the case, Palestinian […]

White Evangelical Christians helped secure the election of President Trump. Many said that his views on abortion were decisive, overriding concerns they had on other matters. But to be Evangelical is not one thing, even on abortion. This conversation about Christianity and politics with three generations of Evangelical leaders — Shane Claiborne, Greg Boyd, and […]

Science is discovering what religion has always known: forgiveness is good for us. But that doesn’t make it any easier. Amy Westervelt In the cleanest college library I’ve ever seen, women of various ages and ethnicities were seated around a long wooden table. A few were chatting, but most were nervously shuffling notebooks and pens […]