Christianity and Christians cannot be neutral or disconnected from politics. Christianity is an incarnate faith. While it rightly gives central place to personal piety, Christianity is, at its roots, a way of life deeply immersed in the world for its justice, renewal and transformation. It is so because God, who took human likeness in Jesus, is prejudiced toward harmony and justice and therefore is on the side of the poor and needy, the downtrodden and voiceless. The divine agenda is nothing less than the transformation of human society into one where the first will be last and the last will be first. Christians pray: thy will be done, on earth, as it is in heaven. (more…)
George Browning
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Easter: A new thing
Before Pilate he was asked “what is truth”? All humanity must face the same question, but most of us are too afraid, or too self-absorbed. (more…)
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Apartheid state: the judgment of the world is turning against Israel
Amnesty International has accused Israel of apartheid, and the Jewish state’s actions against the Palestinians are attracting increasing criticism. (more…)
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Artists stand up for human rights: boycott of Sydney Festival was the only option
Performers are right to protest when their performance is compromised through association, in this case by a government that has initiated apartheid.
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Vale Desmond Tutu: a teacher of the powerful and voice of the downtrodden
The South African archbishop and activist, who has died at 90, treated both pauper and sovereign with equal dignity and honour.
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Finding meaning in Christmas for all Australians
The overriding emotion of Christmas should be awe and wonder — it’s a time to reflect and put life into perspective.
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The Israeli lobby and the disturbing SBS board appointment
The Morrison government ignored the mandated independent appointment process to choose its own candidate who brings an aggressive pro-Israel agenda. (more…)
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The Queen nails it at Glasgow, Scott Morrison does not
Scott Morrison could learn from the Queen’s speech at COP26 in Glasgow. This is the speech he should have given.
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Israel labels Palestinian civil society groups terrorists.
Israeli Defence Minister Benny Gantz last week signed an order declaring six civil society groups in the West Bank as terrorist organisations. (more…)
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The Nationals and their dangerous search for relevance
Every deputy covets their moment in the sun. This can usually be arranged without harm. In the case of Barnaby Joyce little appears to come without harm. (more…)
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With a five per cent vote the Nationals are holding us to ransom on climate change
What is the meaning of Australian democracy when a minor party, populated by extreme right-wing ideologists, can decide Australia’s position on arguably the most important policy issue of our time — climate change?
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Rights, law breakers, Scott Morrison, Sky News and the Covid lockdown
George Christensen and Craig Kelly, amongst others, have been spruiking false information about the pandemic, about vaccinations and about the lockdown, giving comfort to those who have proved more than a little capacity for anarchic behaviour. Given these exponents of controversy in service of self-promotion sit on government benches, one might have expected censure from the Prime Minister. There has been none. (more…)
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Israel, Apartheid, and why Albo is seriously wrong and seriously right
The zoom conducted by Mr Albanese, the leader of the Federal Opposition, with the Executive Council of Australian Jewry has received wide publicity and greatly angered the Palestinian diaspora in Australia. This is sad and ironic, given Mr Albanese has a long history of supporting Palestinian rights and helped found the federal parliamentary friends of Palestine. (more…)
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A response to the Prime Minister’s speech to the Australian Christians Conference
Dear Scott,
You have got yourself into a bit of strife from commentators who have found your speech at the Australian Christian Churches Conference to breach the convention of separation between Church and State; also, for your assertion that the devil is using the social media platform for evil. I, on the other hand, found much in your talk with which I could agree, my problem is that I see no evidence that what you said is taken at all seriously in your life as Prime Minister. (more…) -
Politics should be about transformational leadership
Our Prime Minister has shown he is incapable of anything other than transactional leadership.
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Seditious assault on Congress. Why is Christianity so grafted to corrupt politics?
The link between the Christian right and Trump has nothing to do with Christian discipleship. Trump provides the evangelical right with the closest thing they have found to a theocratic state and in return Trump gets a strong voting bloc. (more…)
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Prime Minister: Saying you no longer intend to cheat on climate change does not merit applause
The Prime Minister has brushed off his failure to gain a speaking role at the Glasgow global warming summit as inconsequential. But the reality is that the Prime Minister and his government continue to fail us.
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George Browning. Is the Anglican Church about to split?
‘The Conversation’ recently published an article co-authored by Dorothy Ann Lee and Muriel Porter under the heading “Is the Anglican Church about to split? It is facing the gravest threat to its unity in more than 200 years”. (more…)
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A Warrior Culture
The Prime Minister warned us that we would be in for some shocking reading as the report into Australian war crimes in Afghanistan was released. That there were 39 alleged murders, and 19 Australian soldiers involved, is indeed shocking. (more…)
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Military and Economic Deals aren’t ‘peace arrangements’ just because Trump says so (Canberra Times Sep 19, 2020)
‘Peace’ is not in the air, (Carlill, Canberra Times, 16/9). The deal done between Israel, Bahrain and the UAE, boastfully brokered by President Trump, has little to do with ‘peace’, but much with military hardware and hoped for economic gain.
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Bernard Collaery, East Timor and Governmental Duplicity
The extent of the outrage and the reason the government is desperate to keep hidden its unlawful behaviour through the prosecution of Bernard Collaery and Witness K has now had a little further light shone upon it.
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Do we share the same values as the US?
No, we most certainly do not (more…)
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GEORGE BROWNING. Trump vs Christianity
Just as Muslims worldwide have been expected to stand up against the appropriation of their religion by extremist ideologies that have expressed themselves in various forms of terror, so the Christian community must make it clear that Christ and the Gospel will not be sullied. (more…)
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GEORGE BROWNING. Australia’s two personalities-pandemic and climate change
In recent domestic policy and international engagement Australia is demonstrating two contrasting personalities. One is demonstrated through our response to COVID 19 and the other through our troubled inability to form responsible climate and energy policy. Why do we have two personalities? (more…)
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GEORGE BROWNING. The power of narrative: Nakba, annexation and antisemitism
Friday, 15 May, was Nakba Day, Nakba, (al-Nakbah, literally disaster, catastrophe, or cataclysm), is a commemoration of the events in 1948/1949 which saw approximately half the pre-war Palestinian Arab population driven from their homes. (more…)
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Australia turns its back on the rule of law
Australia’s efforts to block an International Criminal Court investigation into alleged war crimes in Palestine are inexplicable, given the court’s brief to investigate abuses from all sources, be they Hamas, Palestinian paramilitary, or Israel. (more…)
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GEORGE BROWNING. Trump’s definition of peace in Israel
The strong prevail – the rest submit -
GEORGE BROWNING. Change the date!
The reasons why the date for Australia Day are contentious will not go away. (more…)
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GEORGE BROWNING.CONSERVATISM, BEAUTY AND SIR ROGER SCRUTON
The philosopher, Sir Roger Scruton, the darling of contemporary conservative politics died on 12 January 2020 aged 75. Tony Abbott is reported to have said that if John Locke is the father of western political conservatism, Roger Scruton is its contemporary intellectual son. However, from their words and actions, it appears Tony Abbott and presumably his fellow right-wing fanatics never read, or perhaps understood, much that Scruton wrote or thought.
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GEORGE BROWNING.- How good are the fires?
The country clearly owes a debt of gratitude to the Prime Minister Scott Morrison and his government for their sterling leadership, their visionary approach in vastly changed and challenging circumstance and for their assurance that under their leadership all manner of things will be well. (more…)