There can be no โ€œholy warโ€

A Christian call for peace with justice His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew. The Ecumenical Patriarchโ€™s recent witness to peace raises profound theological and ethical questions for Christians everywhere. His rejection of the language of โ€œholy warโ€ is a welcome reaffirmation of a central conviction of the Christian faith. In an age marked by renewed militarisation, …

The problem with patriotism

Since the dramatic election result in South Australia last weekend, readers of news media, not least the Murdoch press, will have noticed a renewed emphasis on โ€œpatriotism.โ€ Former Liberal Party Opposition Leader Alexander Downer was even moved to write an opinion piece provocatively headlined, โ€œLiberals have forgotten patriotism. Now One Nation owns it.โ€[1] What is …

Being Australian, being Christian

A sermon by Rod Benson Matthew 22:15-22 โ€œAussie, Aussie, Aussie! Oi, oi, oi!โ€ Brothers and sisters of the Australian soil, I greet you. On Tuesday Australia celebrates its birthday, in recognition of that defining event of national history, the arrival of the First Fleet of British ships at Port Jackson, New South Wales, on 26 …