Loving God, we know that both your tender compassion and your fierce anger are aroused by what is occurring today in Syria, Iraq, Israel, Gaza, and other parts of the world where people are wounded and displaced by political violence. Our hearts long for peace, that full-bodied peace pictured in...
The New Bigotry
Celebration and sorrow. Two keys to a life well lived
All we have are the fingerprints of an elusive God
Should we stop reading the New Testament letters for a while?
Living inside a Peter Allen song
Prayers to Allah, the Tears of Slaves, and the Playground of Superstars. Day 2 in Turkey
Istanbul is a heady mix of the ancient and modern, of the religious and the secular. My day began with a visit to the famous Blue Mosque. Four hundred years old it is a very impressive structure. Massive columns support a multiply domed roof that is designed to evoke a sense of the greatness of the...
The biggest threat to our democracy is not asylum seekers but the Minister responsible for them
According to this year’s Lowy Poll 48% of Australians see asylum seekers arriving by boat as a critical threat to Australia’s national interest. It is somewhat ironic then, that the greatest threat currently comes not from refugees but the Minister who oversees the refugee program, the...
Con Jobs, Breathtaking Buildings and Apple Tea. Day 1 in Turkey
Perhaps the Coldest Thing I’ve Ever Heard from a Politician
I know politicians can be cold and calculated, but footage of Immigration Minister Scott Morrison addressing asylum seekers detained on Manus Island and Nauru is chilling. With sombre, determined tones he advises asylum seekers that they are where they are because “you entered Australia...