‘Dying with dignity’ reimagined: Reasons to reconsider voluntary assisted dying
‘Dying with dignity’ may sound noble, but we dignify patients best when we provide them with the most appropriate care, to make the most of their precious and fragile existence. *Benjamin Shuhyta writes
MODERN SLAVERY
Modern Slavery is a Gospel, Society and Culture resource paper that digs deep into a problem that impacts 40 million people worldwide and 15,000 in Australia. This is a comprehensive resource that will help all Christians to ‘see, think and act’.
Abortion back in focus
The US Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v Wade and give responsibility to the States, has triggered a worldwide response. If you’re looking for a Christian perspective on abortion, this Gospel Society and Culture paper answers many questions.
Religious Discimination Bills – how to make submissions and complete a survey
Urgent call to action: The Federal Government’s religious discrimination bill has been referred to not one but TWO parliamentary inquires. Both are accepting submissions from the public. Here are some guidelines to help you prepare a submission.
COVID vaccines for children – Q&A to help parents
COVID-19 vaccinations for children can cause parents concerns. NALINI PATHER answers questions to help you navigate the issue.
Masks not required – but should I wear one anyway?
Masks are no longer required in most situations, including in church. But as the pandemic surges again the mask issue is worth revisiting. Benjamin Shuhyta* prepared this Q&A earlier in the pandemic to help you work through the issues, especially regarding attendance at church.
COVID update – 5 videos to help you navigate key issues
Here are 5 G,S&C-produced videos and documents from the 2021 COVID update seminar, covering Health, Govt Engagement and more
COVID Pandemic survey – Part 4 of a special G,S&C report – church strategies are helpful and still needed
Here’s the fourth, final report on the survey conducted last month on how our church communities are coping during this pandemic.
COVID pandemic survey – Part 3 of a special G,S&C report – Children
It’s no surprise that we are concerned about our children during COVID. In this the third report from our survey, we dig deeper about what you think..
COVID pandemic survey – Part 2 of a special G,S&C report – Mental resilience
There are many reasons to feel anxious during COVID. The G,S&C survey reveals which issues have caused you the most – and least – concern
Covid pandemic survey – Part 1 of a special G,S&C report
Three quarters of respondents to the G,S&C survey did not think COVID was having a negative effect on their personal Christian life. That was the good news …
COVID index to help you find G,S&C resources
The G,S&C has produced a significant body of work since the beginning of 2020 to help Christians navigate the pandemic. Use this index to find relevant blogs ranging from theology to health and pastoral concerns.
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A response to The Ezekiel Declaration
This statement is presented by the Gospel, Society and Culture Committee of the Presbyterian Church in Australia in NSW and the ACT. It is the view of the Committee, not an official position of the Church. Click here for a PDF version of this response. In the last week, ministers, elders and members of the PCNSW have signed the Ezekiel...
A time to discern what is beautiful
A quick end to Covid is wishful thinking. But pandemics can also be catalysts to rebuild societies in new and creative ways, writes NALINI PATHER*. With the increased uptake of vaccines, as well as discussions about the road out of lockdowns and even vaccine certificates and passports (a discussion of its own), we might begin to think that the...
A lockdown birthday party
What’s a birthday without a party? Ben Shuhyta* reflects and rejoices. I hoped I could avoid it, but this year, I’m spending my birthday in lockdown. For more than a year, we citizens of regional NSW have been going about our lives with less restrictions than our metro cousins. Last birthday, I met with friends for a barbecue. The year before,...
Who are you to judge?
Who is the final divine authority in today's fractured world? KAMAL WEERAKOON* has the answer - and it's not atheism! “Religion poisons everything and causes wars.” When I was in my 20s, my peers took that statement for granted. Everybody ‘knew’ that belief in the supernatural was infantile. Everybody ‘knew’ that science had disproved the...
Book Review: Western Fundamentalism
LEWIS JONES* finds that Gordon Menzies' book, Western Fundamentalism, takes us on a journey worth taking Menzies, G., 2020. Western Fundamentalism: Democracy, Sex and the Liberation of Mankind. Sydney: Gordon Menzies. Available at Reformers Bookshop and other outlets. During World War II, Prime Minister Robert Gordon Menzies gave weekly...
My groans are many and my heart is faint
SANDY MCMILLAN* laments our loss of the ability to lament.In the very early days of the COVID-19 pandemic in Sydney, when the main talking point was panic buying, I was in the empty toilet roll aisle of the local supermarket, when I heard a woman asking a shelf stacker: “How long will this madness go on?” She had to repeat herself three times...
Nation’s culture the key to why we are Covid-anxious
LEWIS JONES* considers whether aspects of our socio-cultural formation play a part in the psychological impact of this ongoing Covid crisis. About two weeks into our COVID-19 timeline in Australia, typically taken as time since the 100th confirmed case, researchers began surveying Australians about mental health. Similar projects were...
Twists, turns and a long road to Covid recovery – new G,S&C series
In the first part of a new series on the impact of Covid-19 and variants, NALINI PATHER* says we must prepare for a long journey - and we should lean on our Gospel hope The third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic due to the Delta variant of the virus is sweeping across the globe. The Delta variant was first detected in India and has now spread to...
The Covid information inundation
In the first of two blogs, LEWIS JONES* looks at how Covid has distorted our sense of time and space - but he offers a path to recovery. At 7:07pm on the 26th of June 2021, it seemed like a good thing that you had booked a rental cabin where you were going to stay with in-laws and some family friends for the school holidays. At 7:08pm, it not...
The end of the diary … and more serious issues about the past, present and future
In the second in a series, LEWIS JONES* says that Covid tempts us to turn inward and look after ourselves in the face of uncertainty. But God tells us to look to Him. The ongoing Covid crisis has made the present so different from the past - even the recent past - in such significant ways, that it feels like the past has become irrelevant; a...
Needle-phobia and loving your neighbour
BEN GREIG* lives in regional NSW and has a fear of needles. He explains why overcoming his fear was important. I have a not-so-well-kept secret. I have a bit of a phobia of needles (trypanophobia). Even the mention of the things gives me an uncomfortable shiver down my spine. For most of my close friends and family it was a matter of if, not...
Covid, fate, fatalism, and confidence in Christ
Lewis Jones’s blogs about Covid’s impact on the way we think about the future, prompted KARINE WOLDHUIS* to reflect on her time in Ecuador, where discussions about plans often ended with “God willing”. Fatalistic or realistic? Read on One of the strange things I had to get used to in Ecuador was a lack of planning. Even organising to see a friend...