Articles

ACC&C Submission on Religious Freedom

23 Feb 2018  |  Author: Stephen Pickard  | Theme: Civil society and politics; Religions and dialogue

This letter constitutes my submission, as an Anglican bishop and theology professor, in my capacity as Executive Director of the Australian Centre for Christianity and Culture (ACC&C). This ecumenical Centre was established adjacent to the Parliamentary triangle in 1998 by agreement between Charles Sturt University and the Anglican diocese of Canberra and Goulburn. We foster wisdom for the common good, working with other religious traditions, Government, civil society, NGOs, the indigenous community, and not-for-profit groups.
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Saints and Stirrers Book Review

30 Jan 2018  |  Author: Doug Hynd  | Theme: Civil society and politics; Public theology and ethics

In Saints and Stirrers: Christianity, conflict and peacemaking in New Zealand, 1814-1945 Geoffrey Troughton has assembled a collection of essays by New Zealand scholars that chart an engaging historical arc of Christian peacemaking and resistance to war from the early days of European conflict in New Zealand through to the close of World War Two. An anthology that covers the period from World War Two up to the present is due for publication in 2018. The editor Geoffrey Troughton devotes the introductory chapter to surveying the historical relationship between Christianity and New Zealand peace traditions, locating each of the essays against that historical background. The central theme of this anthology is the commitment to peace as a non-negotiable element of Christian witness. The contributing authors, mostly historians, are generally surefooted in engaging with the theological and ecclesiological issues that emerge in the course of their examination of the historical evidence.
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Facebook is ripping society apart, and other reasons to abandon social media

15 Dec 2017  |  Author: Toni Hassan  | Theme: Civil society and politics; Leadership and institutions

When Chamath Palihapitiya joined Facebook in 2007, it had 50 million users. By the time he left after four years, it had 800 million. He was its vice-president for user growth. These days, he feels tremendously guilty. "I think we all knew in the back of our minds, even though we feigned this whole line that there probably aren't any bad consequences, I think in the deep recesses of our minds we kind of knew something bad could happen," he told the Stanford Business School last month and reported for the first time this week.
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New Zealand Great War peacemaking history has Trans-Tasman relevance

08 Dec 2017  |  Author: Dr Douglas Hynd  | Theme: Civil society and politics; Public theology and ethics

Douglas Hynd reviews Saints and Stirrers: Christianity, Conflict and Peacemaking in New Zealand, 1814-1945, edited by Geoffrey Troughton. Contemporary critiques of Christianity, whether as institution or ideology, commonly involve pointing to it as an unquestionable source of violence. Such critiques usually fail to note the recurring traditions of Christian dissent that have claimed peacemaking and abstention from violence as being at its heart. A minority report certainly, but one with a long history.
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Schoolies, booze and the industry's battle to get teens addicted to drink

22 Nov 2017  |  Author: Toni Hassan  | Theme: Civil society and politics; Leadership and institutions

It's schoolies week season. Not taking any risks, an acquaintance with a 17-year old daughter booked a trip for her and her friend to a tropical island, each with their father. Anything to avoid an underage booze-up. It's that time of year when there's a rash of parties that provide alcohol to children. The school formals are (meant to be) alcohol-free but the pre and post-formal parties are not.
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