About 100,000 Australians are now classified as homeless, and the number is growing.
But the man charged by the Federal Government to help fix this massive human tragedy, social welfare expert Tony Nicholson, is confident that figure can be more than halved within a decade.
However he says the solution demands much more than extra beds.
A researcher argues that it is wrong to “demonise” private education as a source of social tension or divisiveness. Instead, Jennifer Buckingham argues, it is time to consider why some parents want to send their children to religious schools.
Most Muslims ‘desire democracy’.
The largest survey to date of Muslims worldwide suggests the vast majority want Western democracy and freedoms, but do not want them to be imposed.
The poll by Gallup of more than 50,000 Muslims in 35 nations found most wanted the West to instead focus on changing its negative view of Muslims and Islam.
The huge survey began following the 11 September 2001 attacks in the US.
The overwhelming majority of those asked condemned them and subsequent attacks, citing religious reasons.
The poll, which claims to represent the views of 90% the world’s 1.3 billion Muslims, is to be published next month as part of a book entitled Who Speaks For Islam? What A Billion Muslims Really Think.
A survey conducted by the Red Cross says busier lifestyles are behind a fall in the numbers of people volunteering to help disadvantaged people in their community .
More than 1,200 people took part in the online survey that aimed to gauge public perception about the elderly, people living with a mental illness and the homeless.
The survey revealed that volunteer figures were down compared to a decade ago.
It also found that almost half of the population think Australians are less compassionate towards vulnerable groups compared with 10 years ago.
A 29-page letter (pdf document) drafted by 138 prominent Muslim leaders to leaders of the world’s Christian churches has been met with enthusiasm and encouragement. (Steve G. recommends this report: CS Monitor) The historic Muslim document, entitled, “A Common Word Between Us and You,” received a warm embrace from leaders of the Yale Divinity School in the form of a response that has been cosigned by the Harvard and Princeton seminaries…
The lengthy response released yesterday by the Yale scholars, entitled Loving God and Neighbor Together: A Christian Response to A Common Word between Us and You says, “We receive A Common Word as a Muslim hand of conviviality and cooperation extended to Christians worldwide. In this response we extend our own Christian hand in return, so that together with all other human beings we may live in peace and justice as we seek to love God and our neighbors.â€
“Everyday technology has social ramifications,†says Ian Packer, the new Director of Public Theology at Australian Evangelical Alliance, as he explains the importance of face-to-face relationships in communicating how the Gospel transforms the lives of those who are spreading it.
Packer proposes that we give more attention to ‘everyday-technology’, those human-made devices–such as television, mobile phones, computers and the internet–used in our daily life, that often have ‘trade-offs’ of which we are unaware.
“I don’t think most people, including Christians, understand the trade-off that tends to happen when we are involved with a particular technology. Although some Christians might be critical of the amount of television some people watch or the content of certain programs, they tend to see television itself as a neutral medium. They tend not see the inherent problems that come with the introduction of television into our homes along with the benefits.â€
“Ratatouille,” “Bella” and “Amazing Grace” were among the top movies of 2007 named at a recent ceremony honoring films that increase people’s understanding and love of God.
The best 10 movies in the families and mature audiences categories were announced Tuesday at the 16th Annual Faith & Values Awards Gala, held at the Beverly Hills Hotel.
Winners were selected by Christian Film & Television Commission, which awards movies based on Biblical principles and positive family values. The event was introduced by the organization in 1992 and has since been likened to the “Christian Oscars.”
What will the Christian church look like in the next 1,000 years?
If a devout Christian from the year 1000 A.D. were to be dropped into a mid-morning service at a 21st century progressive church, the medieval Christian wouuld not recognize the Christian faith, says Kevin Kelly in the latest issue of Willow magazine – a publication of the influential Willow Creek Community Church.
So it’s “reasonable and responsible to expect tremendous change in the Christian church” in the next millennium, he writes.
Besides the end of the world happening in this lifetime, Kelly offers five other scenarios – or plausible stories – for what the church may look like in the year 3,000 A.D.
And he cautions, “If Christians don’t seize the future, then unbelievers will.”
Scenario One
The center of Christianity will continue to shift west. Since the time of Christ, the center of gravity for the global Christian church has steadily moved west from its epicenter in Jerusalem. It has shifted to Armenia, Greece, Rome, then into Europe, and further west into North and South America.
Many reports indicate that the center of Christianity is now in Asia and Africa where the Christian population is booming.
But Kelly says it won’t stop there.
Yesterday candles on the lawn of Parliament house in Canberra spelled out the message Sorry the first step as the Rudd government prepares its final wording of the long awaited apology to indigenous people over the Stolen Generation, where children were forcibly removed from Aboriginal parents as part of government policy.
The formal apology is a watershed moment in Australian history. The Uniting Church expressed its deep regret at damage done by the policy and gave a formal apology around ten years ago.
Reverend Shayne Blackman, National Administrator of the Aboriginal arm of the Uniting Church, the Uniting Aborigianl and Islander Christian Congress (UAICC), said the Church and the UAICC have had a longstanding view about the need for the Australian Government to say sorry.
“The proposed formal apology from the Government is greatly welcomed by UAICC members,†Rev. Blackman said.
“However, we believe that true repentance involves both an apology and a change of attitude and we hope the Government takes further action to clearly demonstrate its commitment to the apology, such as tailored Indigenous programs and opportunities for socio-economic equality.
The apology will be telecast on ABC TV live tomorrow morning at 8:55 am Easter Summer Time.Â
The New York times reports something that ought not be a surprise to most pet owners – that having a pet such as a dog has enormous health benefits. One study done in Melbourne suggests that pet owners had lower cholesterol, blood pressure and heart attack risk compared with people who didn’t have pets.
The church has St. Francis to thank for the blessing of the animals, as a celebration of the creatures that God has blessed us with – as assistants who raise our quality of life in a wide variety of ways. Dogs have long helped humans to see and hear, and the leading edge of research is examining their role in “sniffing out” hypoglycemic episodes before they happen, and even in the early detection of cancer.
As a dog lover, I give thanks for dogs and pets of all persuasions.