The most significant thing that happened in federal politics last week was not the High Court’s decision on the citizenship seven, nor the political raid on the union offices, nor the revelations about the NBN. It was the government’s rejection of the Uluru Statement. Even our best media commentators missed its import: it failed to […]

In a recent broadcast of The 700 Club, the evangelist Pat Robertson welcomed President Trump’s announcement about moving the U.S. embassy in Israel to Jerusalem. “It’s absolutely crucial in terms of biblical prophecy,” Robertson said. While I know firsthand the harsh conditions imposed on Palestinians, my comments here focus on the claim that actions today by […]

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 […]