Author Archives: The Briefing

When does life begin? The archbishop’s fiat

Life

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We have recently witnessed the interesting spectacle of someone trying to justify a moral position purely on the basis of science, without reference to ethics or religion. Finding ‘viability’ to be a dubious basis for defining human life, Kristina Kerscher Keneally attempts a moral critique of embryonic stem-cell research, but without standing on traditional moral platforms:

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Self-esteem and God’s esteem

Life

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Why is a woman’s self-esteem often so low? How does knowing God help with this issue?

On her bestselling CD, Kasey Chambers sings: “Am I not pretty enough? Is my heart too broken? Do I cry too much? Am I too outspoken?” From the song’s popularity, she seems to have struck a chord with most women (probably a few men, too). We spend our whole lives thinking, “Am I acceptable? Why do people look right through me?”

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Make the elephant visible

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I recently read with interest an article in The Sydney Morning Herald Good Weekend Magazine, entitled ‘Through Islamic Eyes’ (1 Dec 2001). It was a very enlightening article, but not in the way intended by the author. In fact, it shed little light on the nature of Islam but spoke volumes about life in today’s Australia.

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The cross and Islam: An evangelistic starting point

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In the slightly terrified new world after September 11, many of us have found that the time is ripe for Islamic evangelism—but not so much with Muslims as with our secular neighbours. The new prominence (and infamy) of Islam has brought the topic of religion and truth once again into everyday conversation with our friends and neighbours. Once again people are asking the big questions: Are all religions really the same? What do Muslims really believe? Are Islamic beliefs really consistent with our vision of a tolerant multicultural society? Is religion the real cause of war and conflict? And so on.

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