Thoughts on faith, culture, and public life.
By Rod Benson This article responds to Andrew Gawthorpe’s fine analysis of the 2026 US midterm elections. It considers the risks of military escalation and the effects of declining US foreign aid. It focuses on development assistance, the Australian context, and the Christian obligation of solidarity with the poor in the face of cuts to …
Continue reading "Beyond the battlefield: Foreign aid and the duty of solidarity"
Trump, Iran and the limits of American power By Rod Benson This article responds to Andrew Gawthorpe’s fine analysis of the 2026 US midterm elections. It considers the risk of renewed US escalation against Iran and the scope for democratic restraint. A second article will examine cuts to foreign assistance and the responsibilities of Australia …
Continue reading "A humiliated president and the danger of war"
Flags of the nations outside the United Nations Building in New York City. If you’re like me, you will often read the moral teaching of Jesus in the Gospels and apply it to your personal circumstances, or your immediate social relationships. Occasionally, we might reflect on biblical teaching as it informs our democratic vote, as …
Continue reading "The Jesus model of international relations"
Francis Hoyland, The Life of Christ 71: Christ foretells the destruction of the Temple The case for ecumenical collaboration and engagement By Rod Benson Public theology has a future wherever Christians take responsibility for the public consequences of their faith. Its task is to bring theological convictions into critical conversation with the institutions, practices and …
Ed Sheeran By Rod Benson The controversy surrounding Macklemore’s removal from Ed Sheeran’s tour eventually reaches a question deeper than celebrity politics: can compassion remain morally credible when it becomes selective? Public culture is saturated with the language of kindness, inclusion, empathy and love. Yet those virtues are tested not when they are universally applauded …
Continue reading "Selective compassion: How would Jesus respond?"
