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 …
Selective compassion: How would Jesus respond?
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 …
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The problem with Judeo-Christian values
By Rod Benson Is there such a thing as Judeo-Christian values”? The term “Judeo-Christian” is a relatively modern expression. Judaism and Christianity are distinct religious traditions, and political appeals to “Judeo-Christian values” may obscure their differences or distinguish supposedly authentic members of Western society from outsiders. Yet it does not follow that Judaism and Christianity …
Christian faith and the common good
Algernon Talmage RA, "The Founding of Australia. By Capt. Arthur Phillip R.N. Sydney Cove, Jan. 26th 1788," State Library, New South Wales. By Rod Benson If “Judeo-Christian values” inadequately describes a single religious tradition, it is more problematic as a definition of Australian national identity. Australia has unquestionably been shaped by Christianity, which carries an …
Why bring climate change into Christian worship?
"They Said No." Acrylic on canvas by Lisle Gwynn Garrity. Inspired by Exodus 1:8-22. If Christians can support climate action on ordinary moral grounds, why do priests, pastors and ministers bring climate change into sermons, prayers, hymns and liturgies at all? Why not leave climate policy to scientists, governments, journalists and citizens, and allow public …
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