Life & Faith

As flawed people in a flawed world, we face breakdowns in relationship all the time. What happens when we are wronged by someone else - or when we’ve wronged them? What are the possibilities for justice - or forgiveness - or even restoration? Dr Geoff Broughton talks to Simon Smart and Natasha Moore about his work on the streets and in inner-city churches, his new book Restorative Christ: Jesus, Justice, and Discipleship, and why he thinks faith and justice are deeply connected. 

For International Women’s Day in 2013, Justine Toh interviewed Captain Melanie-Anne Holland, who manages a Salvation Army women’s refuge, and Dr Lynne M. Baker, author of the book Counselling Christian Women on How to Deal with Domestic Violence, about the effects of domestic abuse and the relevance of this issue to faith communities in particular. Two years on, the interview is if anything even more relevant: domestic violence affects up to 1 in 6 Australian women, and - with Rosie Batty being made Australian of the Year, and recent stories about domestic abuse in Christian marriages in particular - there is a growing momentum behind efforts to tackle this issue head-on.

We all struggle with the conflict between our desire for autonomy on the one hand, and our desire to be part of a community on the other. Social commentator Hugh Mackay’s latest book, The Art of Belonging: It’s not where you live, it’s how you live, weighs up the question "Who am I?" against the even bigger question, "Who are we?" He talks to Simon Smart about the drought of belonging in contemporary Australia, the appeal of “village” living, and how real community can be cultivated in the places we actually live in.

Citizenfour, Rosewater, and The Interview are three very different movies - but they all make a strong case for the importance of free speech. Simon Smart and Natasha Moore discuss the threats to people’s right to speak freely that these films warn against, and what Christian faith has to contribute to debates about whether and when to limit freedom of speech.

From sci-fi thrillers to the final instalment of The Hobbit, it promises to be a rich summer of movie-going. Natasha Moore and Simon Smart discuss a few of the films on offer: the new Bible epic Exodus, directed by Ridley Scott; Russell Crowe’s WWI saga The Water Diviner; and the star-studded space odyssey Interstellar.

The Bible continues to be the world's bestselling book - but it isn’t the easiest book to just dive into. John Dickson’s forthcoming book A Doubter’s Guide to the Bible: Inside History’s Bestseller for Believers and Skeptics wants to make it easier for everyone - whether Christians or curious doubters - to find their way around the Bible. Part III considers the New Testament, from the Christmas story to the book of Revelation’s account of where everything is headed, and how it relates to the overarching story of the Bible.

The Bible continues to be the world's bestselling book - but it isn’t the easiest book to just dive into. John Dickson’s forthcoming book A Doubter’s Guide to the Bible: Inside History’s Bestseller for Believers and Skeptics wants to make it easier for everyone - whether Christians or curious doubters - to find their way around the Bible. Part II takes us on a whirlwind tour of the whole of the Old Testament - Abraham’s promises, Moses’ laws, Joshua’s wars - and offers a few key concepts for understanding it as a unified story.

The Bible continues to be the world's bestselling book - but it isn’t the easiest book to just dive into. John Dickson’s forthcoming book A Doubter’s Guide to the Bible: Inside History’s Bestseller for Believers and Skeptics wants to make it easier for everyone - whether Christians or curious doubters - to find their way around the Bible. Part I tackles the Bible's controversial opening chapters - creation, the “fall”, and how they explain the world in which we find ourselves.

There is an abundance of evidence that children do best in stable families with two biological parents, and that the casualisation of families is one of the leading factors entrenching disadvantage for kids. Bettina Arndt has been a sex therapist, author, and clinical psychologist, and after decades of talking to the Australian public about sex has become an advocate for that most old-fashioned of institutions: marriage. Talking about the importance of marriage in ensuring good outcomes for children across our society, however, has proven very unpopular. Life and Faith asks Bettina about the evidence, and why people don’t want to hear it.

Halloween is becoming more popular in Australia every year - but not everyone is happy about it. Some complain that it’s an American tradition; others, usually on religious grounds, object to the way it makes light of evil. Are there good reasons to celebrate this once pagan festival that (like Christmas) has been Christianised - then again secularised - and now very much commercialised? Life and Faith asked John Dickson for his thoughts on the meaning of Halloween - and the relationship of Christian believers to secular culture more generally.