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While COVID-19 continues to cause devastation and disruption around the globe, a new book brings nine writers together to explore and reflect on the pandemic and how Christians may address the tragedy with spiritual advice, prayers and questions suitable for group discussions. University of Queensland Senior Research Fellow Dr Paul Tyson reviews. This book of Christian responses to our COVID-19 ...

Whether he has been working to feed the poor, teach the underprivileged to read or assist those struggling with drug rehabilitation, pioneering social work has been at the forefront of Rev Bill Crews’ life. Now the prominent Uniting Church minister (and once labelled one of Australia’s 100 most influential people) has released a guide for better living for the secular ...

As part of National Reconciliation Week, Kym Korbe, reflects on her childhood and faith journey while highlighting what we can all do in order to help the reconciliation process. Ngari (hello). This year’s Reconciliation Week theme is, “More than a word. Reconciliation takes action!” As a young Aboriginal girl growing up in urbanised Meeanjin (Brisbane), I longed for the holidays ...

Tornadoes are considered in theological and meteorological terms in Peter Thuesen’s latest book Tornado God but the author also explores, more broadly, the role of God when natural disasters strike and bring misery to many around the world. Nick Mattiske reviews. Tornadoes have the fastest winds on Earth, and while hurricanes/cyclones have wider impact, tornadoes are the most destructive. They ...

Although it’s tempting to focus on the doom and gloom in terms of global social progress, there’s much to celebrate even if there’s still far to go. Similarly the church may face a range of challenges in the decades to come but Christ’s power to transform lives around the world for the better continues with inspiring results in Asia, Africa ...

Christianity, Rev Dr Bill Loader says, has all too often been a source of “death and harm”. His new book, What Can Love Hope For? explores what he says are often misunderstood parts of scripture. Insights magazine Jonathan Foye writes. Rev Dr Loader is Professor Emeritus of New Testament at Murdoch University and the author of several books, including Jesus in John’s ...

Former Queensland Synod Moderator Bryan Gilmour’s How My Life Expanded Beyond My Expectations is a grass roots story of Gilmour’s ministry in the life of the church in Queensland but as Dr John Harrison discovers it’s also a valuable manual for the hows and whys of effective ministry. Shortly after I became editor of the Queensland Synod newspaper in 1983, ...

James O’Callaghan meets a Gold Coast couple who have turned an idea of developing an easy way to find volunteering opportunities into reality. Volunteering is something most people think of doing from time to time. But in many instances, the time and effort required to find an organisation with a suitable opportunity means that volunteering gets thrown into the “too ...

Tom Wright and Rowan Williams are two of the most prominent British theologians, capable of both writing for a popular audience and getting into the midst of scholarly debate. Nick Mattiske reviews their recent books. Though their latest books—History and Eschatology and Christ the Heart of Creation—lie beyond their more populist work, Wright and Williams tackle, intriguingly and in their ...

Author Christopher Brown explores faith in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic and what might be a “renewed kingdom normal” for these times.  Stirrings People of faith are stirring. It is not that they have suddenly awakened from a nightmare filled with the horrors of a global pandemic. For many have remained fully conscious during this troubled time, seeking creative responses ...