Community engagement and the unwinding of Christendom

THE EARLY CHURCH’S TEACHING on charity, David Bentley Hart reminds us, “raised the care of widows, orphans, the sick, the imprisoned, and the poor to the level of the highest religious obligation.” The duties of the bishop in the third century included taking...

Welcoming the stranger: resources for the churches

IF THE GOVERNMENT of the United Kingdom decides to follow the Australian policy of offshore processing refugees offshore, a strong theological response will be needed to underpin sustained practical resistance to such a policy.  Fortunately, churches don’t have to...

Offshoring refugees: lessons from Australia

THE UK GOVERNMENT is reported to be wanting to move refugees and asylum seekers offshore. Following the Australian model apparently. So, do you want to know what the Australian model of offshore detention looks like? Let’s start with the annual financial costs of the...

Review: ‘How to Have an Enemy’

How to Have an Enemy: Righteous Anger & the Work of Peace by Melissa Florer-Bixler, Herald Press, 2021 (ISBN 978-1-5138-0813-0). At least in the English-speaking world, the Christian churches are undergoing a series of rolling internal conflicts over their...