Like the best futurist literature, The Handmaid's Tale shouldn’t be dismissed as mere fantasy. But lest we confuse fundamentalism with the freeing fundamentals of Christian faith, a comparison with Marilynne Robinson's depiction in Gilead of humble Christ-like love and service is a good antidote. Will they turn Robinson's Gilead into a TV series?

I often feel very limited in my impact on society when I am confronted with the issues presented in The Handmaid’s Tale. But after reading Beauty Will Save the World I am reminded that it truly is the small moments focused on the love and care of Jesus that can make the difference. What if the greatest act of subversion was to care for others?

Highlights of links to online news and opinion pieces from July 2017.

Tolerance is a good thing, but it can end up meaning that nothing is sinful. Often, too, our ‘tolerance’ only extends to those within our own tribe - we tolerate what we agree with and hate everything else.

The message of Handmaid’s Tale is not that ‘this could happen’, but that ‘this is already happening’, albeit in subtle and insidious ways: the subjugation of women, unequal structures and the abuse of power and religion.

Far from being 'anti-Christian', The Handmaid’s Tale series warns against three key dangers for the church: graceless religion, tolerating abuse and engaging in moral hypocrisy. We would do well to heed its message.

‘How come I've got this dementia, and he hasn't!?’ Join the journey of despair, prayers and (mis)adventures of a patient diagnosed with a life-changing condition. 

Don Parham traces the spiritual transformation and ministry of one of Australia’s great Christian leaders - a left-wing ‘maddie’ called by God to speak to both the Church and the nation, like a modern day Amos.

We need to move beyond echo-chamber church discussions around ‘complementarianism’ and ‘egalitarianism’ that can distract us from noticing the deeper problem that pervades our society and that we desperately need to address: sexism.

More than just a love story, The Promise powerfully and accurately portrays one of the most gruesome yet forgotten episodes of modern history, the Armenian Genocide of WWI. But far from being someone else's history in a faraway land, the film's theme has a strong Australian connection.