Features

As the federal government moves forward with plans to cut $1.2 billion in funding for aged care health over four years, what does this really mean for elderly people on the receiving end? Ben Rogers investigates. During the 2016–17 Budget announcement in May, the federal government signalled $1.2 billion worth of cuts to the Aged Care Funding Instrument (ACFI)—a resource ...

Abortion can be a notoriously difficult topic to discuss in the faith community, but proposals to reform abortion laws introduced to the Queensland Parliament this year have once again put it under the spotlight. Ashley Thompson meets four women who share their personal encounters with pregnancy, abortion and faith, and examines where the Uniting Church in Queensland stands on the ...

Journey talks with Iven about his faith, his lifelong journey with maintaining fitness and what advice he has for others keen to stay active and healthy. While some people entering retirement may be keen to embark on a leisurely cruise or simply put their feet up, Iven Hewett is still going strong. Literally. The 70-year-old retired Chinchilla Uniting Church pastor ...

Most Australians will either experience disability themselves or have direct contact with someone who has, but are churches equipped to be an inclusive environment for everyone? Sue Hutchinson examines disability, faith and what churches can do to be welcoming to all. According to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, around one in five people in Australia have a disability ...

Sunday-best clothes, church, roast lunches and lazy afternoons are Sunday memories for many older Christians. Dianne Jensen explores whatever happened to the Sabbath. For most Australians, the measured pace of Sunday has given way to the frenetic demand for unlimited access to entertainment, sport and commercial services. We are willing participants, giving way to the insidious tug to constantly check ...

Behind the jaw dropping feel-good anthem of the 2016 Rio Paralympics is local Brisbane musician Tony Dee: Queensland Baptist client service officer by day, superhuman singer by night. Ashley Thompson talks to Tony about faith, music and disability inclusiveness. Launched in July, United Kingdom broadcaster Channel 4’s promotional trailer for the September 2016 Paralympics “We’re the superhumans” has reached extraordinary ...

The alarming incarceration rate of First Peoples highlights the long and painful path towards reconciliation and justice for many Australians. Journey explores the issue and speaks to the prison chaplains on the frontline. Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull may have recently declared the incarceration rates of young Indigenous people a “top priority” in light of alarming revelations of prisoner abuse in ...

Someone new walks into church. You’re torn between maintaining a polite distance and asking them around for lunch and afternoon Bible study. Dianne Jensen talks to two quite different Uniting Churches about welcoming newcomers. Stepping through the church door can be a scary business. The jargon and rituals are unnerving—and that’s before someone is invited to stand up and sing! ...

When it comes to divisive Australian Christians, they don’t get much bigger than Ken Ham. Ben Rogers interviews the Queensland creationist who is grabbing news headlines for his $100 million Noah’s ark replica. The recent public unveiling of Ken’s Ark Encounter attraction in Kentucky, North America, brought the kind of media attention you’d expect from building a faith-themed mega-structure 155 ...

Dianne Jensen talks to Val Webb about keeping the faith in a challenging world. If Uniting Church theologian Dr Val Webb has one message for Christians, it’s that asking questions is good for your faith. “There are so many people who think there’s only one way to think theologically, and if they can’t stomach that particular doctrinal package they have ...