In early May NSW Attorney General John Hatzistergos introduced the Miscellaneous Acts Amendment (Same Sex Relationships) Bill 2008 into the Legislative Council of the NSW parliament. (This NSW State Bill is not to be confused with a recent Federal Bill introduced by the Federal Attorney General, Senator Robert McClelland; see link below.) John Hatzistergos described how the Amendment Bill is a further step in a long process of NSW legislative reform.

The Queen's celebration of sixty years of marriage is bound to become increasingly unusual as people marry later and as more marriages dissolve in separation and divorce, despite increasing life-spans.

It is difficult to obtain good measures of the extent of domestic violence. Violence between intimate partners and other family members was (and sometimes still is) regarded in many countries and cultures as a normal and acceptable part of life that should not be disclosed outside the family.

International Law states that all people have the right to seek asylum in ‘a safe country’ in order to flee persecution. Asylum seekers are people who are in the midst of that process. Refugees are those who have been granted asylum in another country, having been found to be genuinely seeking protection from persecution.

Our previous briefing made some legal, philosophical and theological observations about ‘free speech’ as part of an ongoing ‘work in progress’ on the subject. This briefing will continue trying to unravel free speech theologically, by summarising the argument of The Revd Prof. Oliver O’Donovan, as found in The Desire of the Nations

‘Freedom’ is notoriously frustrating to do business with. When it is missing, we really notice its absence; but when we have it, we enjoy it often without even noticing. Nobody doesn’t want freedom, yet when we talk about it and celebrate it we can find, to our dismay, that entirely different kinds of freedom are being spoken of.

Grief’ is a complex collection of emotions that people experience when they lose anything or anyone they care deeply about. It is not limited to death or bereavement. An amputee who loses a leg or arm goes through grief. Grief travels with anyone who loads all their belongings into a van and kisses their family goodbye. A boy or girl may grieve when a romance breaks up, and husband or wife may grieve when a marriage breaks up. Grief may touch a worker who retires from a long-held position, or parents when a son or daughter leaves home for university or enlistment. It is the human response to the loss of what is good.

Next fight you’re having about the origins of ‘Boxing Day’ (boxing of presents? or decorations? or just punching each other after all that Christmas-time family tension?), do spare a thought for the loved one of the famous Christmas carol. Because come Boxing Day (which is the carol’s ‘first day of Christmas’), this person’s troubles are just beginning.

Why are Christians so into 'family'? Was Jesus an enemy of family? What about the dark side of family?

Our culture rewards attractiveness over plainness, and rates fashion and body image over most things, which leaves the Christian in a difficult position.

Journalist Malcolm Gladwell recently carried out a survey on about half of the CEOs of U.S. Fortune 500 companies. He found that the average CEO is about three inches taller than the average American man – who stands 5 foot nine. In addition, 30 per cent of the CEOs are at least 6 foot 2; the corresponding percentage for American adult men overall is only 3.9 per cent.

Amir Mesrinejad is from Iran. He is currently being held in Villawood IDC, where he has been for over 4 years. Since being in detention, Amir has become a Christian, but he may soon be deported.

It is hard to form a Christian position on war, because what the Bible has to say about the matter is complex indeed. It is even harder to make a pronouncement about the possible war with Iraq, since we know few of the facts, and our knowledge changes daily. What follows is offered to assist Christians to think theologically about the matter. PAMPHLET.pdf To see a pdf version of the paper click here.