The story of Tarore, an indigenous Maori girl, is consistent with the history of mission. Time and again, the Gospel has spread not through missionary preaching but through indigenous proclamation.

There is a deep relationship between inner conviction and outer pragmatism in the context of contemporary Australian power and politically conservative Pentecostalism. But this dynamic is not limited to right-leaning Pentecostals such as Scott Morrison.

Much has been written about relating Christian faith to daily work. But we need a theology of work that is relevant to everyone - labourers, tradies, professionals, homemakers, students and CEOs - and that recognises and addresses people’s diverse experiences. We also need strong pastoral and peer support for workers.

In today's world, being busy is a status symbol. But this comes at a cost to myself and others. Without good, healthy margins, we will struggle to stop and observe what God is doing around us and to participate in his mission in the world.

This New Year, how can we go beyond quick-fix resolutions and superficial comparisons of ‘success’ (such as the #10yearchallenge), to embracing internal changes that create long-lasting fruit? Aristotle, St Benedict’s ‘Rule’ and ultimately Jesus show us how we can celebrate the beauty and power that can come from a virtuous life.

In a recent blog post on Nauru, the Australian Christian Lobby’s Martyn Iles claimed that Christ’s commands to compassion do not apply to government. But things are not so simple - Christian ethics are not just individual, but also communal and eschatological, in nature.

If God is eternal - outside of time - can he relate to us and comfort us in our suffering? Far from rendering God distant, his eternality makes him much more present than any other temporal being ever could be.

What would it take for those not in the church to think of the church as ‘our local community church’? In Melbourne’s outer suburb of Diamond Creek, a church is encouraging its members to nominate a local business to connect with.

Michael Jensen's recent piece, Why Animals?, was a reflection on the non-human creation and our responsibility for it. But the fundamental distinction in Christian theology is between creator and creation, and not between humans and the rest of creation. So what makes humans unique?

The Bible provides an ethical framework for a robust understanding of work and the dignity of the worker. Christians must watch the future of work closely and prepare strategies to mitigate the dangers, enhance the dignity of our work and protect the soul of the worker.