Opinions expressed in these blogs are the views of the author, not necessarily those of the Presbyterian Church in NSW or of the Gospel, Society, and Culture Committee.
GOSPEL HOPE IN AN UNCERTAIN WORLD: Sign up now for a free online seminar
New, free online Christianity Everyday seminar on May 26. Register now The COVID-19 pandemic continues to taunt us – a reminder for God’s people that the gospel of Jesus is the one thing of which we can be certain. With the continuing challenges the world faces, the...
Left, Right, Left, Right … marching to the wrong beat. There’s another way
JOHN McCLEAN* reflects on the polarisation of our world and why Christians must seek a different way I remember when it felt that the major political parties in Australia were much the same. Both sides seemed to converge on the same policy platforms and operate with a...
COVID-19: The big questions answered
Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength ... Love your neighbor as yourself. As the world reeled from the impact of COVID-19, scientists around the world began searching for a vaccine. The...
THE COMMON GOOD: How should we then live?
Our world is working out how to respond to the COVID-19 crisis. As we restrict our contact with one another, in order to stop the spread of the virus, what does it mean for Christians to seek the “common good” in our world? Our Committee Convener, John McClean,...
Coping with anxiety and fear
Anxiety and fear will be common reactions as cases of Covid-19 increase in coming days and weeks. This Gospel, Society and Culture article describes how our brains respond to crises and strategies to care for ourselves and others.
COVID-19: HELP IS AT HAND
8 CHALLENGES - 8 RESOURCES COVID-19 has triggered a series of challenges for all of us. Biblical counsellor JEREMY WARD has produced a series of resources aimed at helping Christians navigate these extraordinary times. Each resource includes a short video and two-page...
SHOULD WE OBJECT TO AND BOYCOTT VACCINES CREATED USING TISSUE FROM ABORTED FETUSES?
PART 4 in a series of blogs navigating the issues around vaccinations. In late August this year, the Catholic Archbishop of Sydney, Anglican Archbishop of Sydney, and Greek Orthodox Archbishop of Australia raised ethical concerns about the origin of a potential...
VACCINES: INFORMED CONSENT, MANDATES AND EXPLOITATION
Blog 6 in a series of blogs navigating the issues around vaccinationsSignificant good has come from vaccine development, as we've seen in previous posts in this series. Christians should be advocates for development that is ethical and without moral compromise. Most...
VACCINATIONS: HEALTH DISPARITY AND SOCIAL JUSTICE
PART 5 in a series of blogs navigating the issues around vaccinations.All around the world - in countries with both high and low incomes - we’ve seen significant progress in health care, quality of life and life expectancy. Vaccines have played a substantial part in...
VACCINES: IS THERE A PROBLEM?
PART 3 in a series of blogs navigating the issues around vaccinations.Over the last few decades, more and more people around the world have become nervous about vaccinations. In her recent book Stuck: How Vaccine Rumors Start—and Why They Don’t Go Away (Oxford...
INNATE MECHANISM OF IMMUNITY, HISTORY OF VACCINES AND COMMON GRACE
Part 2 in a series of 6 blogs navigating the issues around vaccinationsHuman bodies are fearfully and wonderfully made, the truly awesome handiwork of our sovereign creator God. They are beautiful in their complexity and design. Of all the ‘systems’ in the human body,...
HERD IMMUNITY AND THE COMMON GOOD
Part 1 in a series of 6 blogs navigating the issues around vaccinationsChristians are committed to health! Of course, we live with the reality of sickness and death, but healing was central to Christ’s ministry. His healings showed that the kingdom which he was...
Health Disparity and Social Justice
Part 4 in the series navigating the issues around vaccinationsAll around the world - in countries with both high and low incomes - we’ve seen significant progress in health care, quality of life and life expectancy. Vaccines have played a substantial part in this. Yet...
CHRISTIANITY EVERYDAY SEMINARS – VIDEOS, PRESENTATIONS FROM THE VIRTUAL CONFERENCE
Here is a selection of resources from three Christianity Everyday Online seminars held in June and July JUNE 10 COVID-19 VIDEO EXPLAINER GS&C Christianity Everyday presenter PROFESSOR NALINI PATHER has produced this video to help us understand...
Prayer During The Pandemic
JOHN McCLEAN writes that prayer is a great way to love our world and care for friends.If you are like me, you have probably felt a bit helpless in the last few weeks. You may be feeling overwhelmed by the scale of the current pandemic, by the constant disturbing news...
Church and Meeting
Are we a church if we aren’t meeting? In the strange time of the COVID 19 pandemic, churches have suddenly stopped meeting, and are facing that as a continued pattern in the medium term. This raises a question with practical implications. JOHN McCLEAN writes. Are we a...
What homeschooling has taught me about kids and God
As parents around Australia consider the practicalities of what it could mean for schools to close and their children's education to continue under their own roofs, AMY BUTLER paused to reflect on the thing she treasures most about having her kids around...
The Hidden Crisis: COVID-19 and Modern Slavery
Modern slavery is growing because of Covid-19. But it’s not just a developing world problem – it’s also here. KARINE WOLDHUIS* writes.COVID has had a devastating impact all around the world. While Australia moves into the next phase of easing restrictions, the crisis...
Marriage, Work and Covid-19
SHERYL SARKOEZY, the researcher and writer for GSC, is married to STEVE. Here are her reflections on working and living together in COVID ‘lockdown’. Steve has contributed to the reflections, as well as the experience! Like most couples we spend much of our week...
MEDIA – HOW TO NAVIGATE TREACHEROUS WATERS
Covid-19, last year's bushfires, floods and the compelling US elections have put media into high relief. Criticism of new and old media has intensified as the big issues continue to unfold. Distrust of media has always existed, sometimes justified but often not....