Tagpolitics

Why and how we should criticise politicians

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In the last few months, the Minister for Immigration, Scott Morrison, has come under heavy attack. I myself have written a number of pieces in which I challenge the morality of policies Mr Morrison has introduced. I’ve noticed however that alongside questions of policy, people I know have started asking questions about his personal motivations and the authenticity of his faith. In my...

Pursing the Common Good. Where Christians are Getting It Wrong and How They Can Get it Right

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In the last few years I’ve noticed a shift in the language of politically engaged Christians. Increasingly rare is talk of Australia as a “Christian” nation whose heritage must be preserved and increasingly common is talk of “the common good”, with Christians asking how they can contribute to it This is a welcome change. I don’t think it’s possible for a...

How Would Jesus Vote? #2

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At the end of a 3000 year old document I found the the advice that will shape how I vote in the upcoming Federal election. The words are attributed to the mother of a king named Lemuel. The sayings of King Lemuel—an inspired utterance his mother taught him. 2 Listen, my son! Listen, son of my womb! Listen, my son, the answer to my prayers! 3 Do not spend your strength on women, your vigor on...

How Would Jesus Vote? #1

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So, we’re up for a Federal election on September 7. Which gets me wondering, in the spirit of those WWJD wristbands, how would Jesus vote? Ridiculous question really, because I have no idea how Jesus would vote. He lived under a dictatorship and never offered commentary on democratic voting. So the real question is, how should I vote as someone who is a follower of Jesus? Some Christians...

Dear Kevin

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Dear Kevin, The first time you were PM you inspired me. You ramped up foreign aid and focussed it on helping poorer countries achieve the Millennium Development Goals; gave us a more humane asylum seeker policy; delivered that spine-tingling apology to the Stolen Generation; and declared climate change the greatest moral challenge of our time. You took a courageous leap into the political and...

Comparing Policies on Refugees and Asylum Seekers

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As we move toward a Federal election I will post comparisons of some key policy areas held by Labor, the Coalition and the Greens. In this post I look at refugee policy. The world faces a global refugee crisis. Over 15 million people have been forced to flee their country due to a well-founded fear of persecution. That is, if they return to their home country they will face unfair imprisonment...

How Would Jesus Vote? #2

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At the end of a 3000 year old document I found the the advice that will shape how I vote in the upcoming Federal election. The words are attributed to the mother of a king named Lemuel. The sayings of King Lemuel—an inspired utterance his mother taught him. 2 Listen, my son! Listen, son of my womb! Listen, my son, the answer to my prayers! 3 Do not spend your strength on women, your vigor on...

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