For the second year in a row, the NSW Presbyterian General Assembly (their church parliament) has been prevented from discussing a controversial issue due to government Worker Health Safety regulations. For the second year in a row, the annual General… Continue Reading
A press release from the Australian Federal Police reports an increase in trafficking statistics. Reports of human trafficking and slavery to the AFP have reached an all-time high, following a 12 per cent increase in the 2023-24 financial year revealed… Continue Reading
Two possible clues to the future: the Presbyterian Church in the USA (PCUSA) is on course to be the first denomination to make it compulsory for clergy to be affirming, while the Episcopal Church now has publically declared priests in… Continue Reading
An Obadiah Slope column Readers will probably think Obadiah is stating the perfectly obvious, but no score on a personality test is an excuse for constantly picking a fight. Here’s an example of a Christian minister who thinks differently. Over… Continue Reading
Australia’s Baptists sponsor 5,000 children in majority-world countries in Africa and Asia through Baptist World Aid Australia (BWAA), the largest branch of that global network of aid agencies. That is something for Australian Baptists to be proud of. But in… Continue Reading
Gifts to voluntary Bible classes in schools will remain tax deductible, with the federal government rejecting a Productivity Commission recommendation that would have stripped Religious/Ethics Education in Public Schools from DGR status. Deductible gift recipients (DGR) status means that organisations… Continue Reading
Just a week apart, two of Australia’s theological schools, the School Of Indigenous Studies based in Melbourne and Wontulp-Bi-Buya in Cairns, have been closed by their funding bodies. In a statement titled “Budget Adjustment Advice” about the finances of the… Continue Reading
Peter Bentley closely examines a Judge’s wording. During the last few years, I have been interested in hearing the delivery of judgments in certain major and, I believe, culturally significant cases in Australia. Of particular interest this year was the… Continue Reading
Dr Jereth Kok, a general practitioner from Melbourne, has been unable to care for his patients during a five-year suspension –which could be permanent, depending on a hearing before the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT) late this month. Kok… Continue Reading