God Forbid

Pope Leo XIV has recently slammed the use of God's name to justify what he terms as the "absurd" pursuit of war, specifically challenging military leaders who describe operations in Iran as a holy war "in the name of Jesus Christ". 
Is a "holy war" antithetical to the teachings of Jesus Christ?  
Sister Brigid Arthur, Rev Tim Costello and Rev Michael Woolf certainly think so. 
All of them have been at the forefront of contemporary societal battles about some of the most pressing issues of our day: asylum seekers and refugees, gambling reform and homelessness.  
So, what can Christian leaders offer us in this context? Can they be holy warriors for our most pressing concerns? 
GUESTS:
Rev Tim Costello  is Chief Advocate for the Alliance for Gambling Reform, Member of the Order of Australia, Executive Director of Micah Australia.
Rev Dr Michael Woolf is Senior Minister of Lake Street Church of Evanston in the US state of Illinois and Co-Associate Regional Minister with the American Baptist Church, and author of Sanctuary and Subjectivity: Thinking Theologically about Whiteness and Sanctuary Movements 
Sister Brigid Arthur is a Brigidine sister who coordinates the Brigidine Asylum Seekers Project, which advocates for asylum seekers, and helps them out with practical needs like housing, rent and utilities, friendship.

Fairytales are among the oldest forms of human storytelling, with their roots in the oral traditions of pre-literate societies. 
Over centuries, these tales have been reworked to suit the religious, moral and political order of the day. They are instructive, entertaining and sometimes terrifying. 
Why is there this ongoing appeal – indeed a revival – of fairytales among young and old alike?  
Guests: 
Marguerite Johnson, classicist, historian and Honorary Professor at the University of Queensland.  
Tom Wright, theatre writer and Artistic Associate at Belvoir Street Theatre in Sydney  
Michelle Smith, Associate Professor in Literary Studies at Monash University  
This program first aired in March 2024

It’s Eastern Orthodox Easter this weekend, where the faithful will announce to each other Christos Anesti. Christ is Risen.
Also risen? The fortunes of Eastern Orthodoxy among men – though this is contested. Over the last 50 years, the numbers of people around the world identifying as religious have dropped. But the numbers of Christians seem to have stabilised, just in the last few years. Why?

It’s Eastern Orthodox Easter this weekend, where the faithful will announce to each other Christos Anesti. Christ is Risen.
Also risen? The fortunes of Eastern Orthodoxy among men – though this is contested. Over the last 50 years, the numbers of people around the world identifying as religious have dropped. But the numbers of Christians seem to have stabilised, just in the last few years. Why?

If you go to the movies, or turn on your TV, you’ll find it hard to avoid the medieval fantasy genre. With its castles and fortresses, cloaks and crowns, and even dungeons and dragons.
The stories are fantastical but of course, fictional in their portrayal of medieval Europe and the Islamic Golden Age.
But how can a better understanding of what actually happened, in a rapidly changing Europe and Middle East, 500 to 1,000 years ago, help us navigate complexities in the world today?
GUESTS:
Dr Michael Barbezat, Research Fellow in Medieval and Early Modern Studies at the Australian Catholic University.
Dr Miles Pattenden, Senior Research Fellow in Medieval Studies, also at ACU.
Dr Mahsheed Ansari, Senior Lecturer at the Centre for Islamic Studies and Civilisation, Charles Sturt University. 
This program was first broadcast in October 2023