CPX in the Media

Resource Library

Big Questions

- Atheism [59]
- Miracles [5]
- Suffering and Evil [24]
- Violence [22]
- World Views [15]

World Religions

- Buddhism [6]
- Christianity [206]
- Hinduism [3]
- Islam [11]
- Judaism [6]

Science & Faith

Ethics

- Business [6]
- Medical [6]
- Sexual [15]

Society & Politics

- Belief [96]
- Contemporary Society [196]
- Economics [19]
- Education [5]
- Environment [9]
- Justice [64]
- Politics [40]

History

The Arts

- Film & TV [42]
- Literature [22]
- Other [18]
- Visual Arts [9]

Lives of Faith

Count your blessings: a religious America
ABC The Drum

May 2013

In the US, where almost everyone believes in God, you truly see the best and worst of Christianity. But Rodney Stark's work suggests the impact of this religiosity is overwhelmingly positive, writes Simon Smart for The Drum.

A Believable God?
ABC Sunday Nights

May 2013

Simon Smart was featured on ABC Sunday Nights with John Cleary on the program "A Believable God?"

Utilitarianism and drugs in sport
Online Opinion

May 2013

Simon Smarts writes for Online Opinion on the way the drugs in sport scandal reveals the limits of utilitarian thinking.

The mysterious victory of the cross over evil
The Drum

March 2013

Simon Smart writes for The Drum on how Christ's self-sacrifice offers hope for overcoming the problem of evil.

Revenge is not so sweet
The Drum

March 2013

Writing for The Drum, Justine Toh critiques the way that Zero Dark Thirty and Django Unchained glorify revenge.

Q&A
ABC Q&A

March 2013

John Dickson was a panelist on Q&A with Tanya Plibersek, Minister for Health; Greg Hunt MP, Shadow Minister for Climate Action; Professor Lawrence M. Krauss, Theoretical Physicist & Cosmologist; and Dr Cindy Pan, Medical Commentator & Author.

Believer or not, Christmas has a message for all of us
The Punch

January 2013

Christmas is all about the divine response to the human propensity to make a mess of everything.

Embodying grace: Les Miserables and the meaning of Christmas
ABC Religion and Ethics

December 2012

Les Miserables and Christmas have a lot in common. Justine Toh writes for ABC Religion and Ethics on the power of embodied grace.

A fight they can’t win: The irreligious assault on the historicity of Jesus
ABC Religion and Ethics

December 2012

It is time for the evangelists of unbelief to give up the nonsense that the figure at the heart of Christianity may have never even lived.

Rants, reason and the religious right in US politics
The Drum

November 2012

Does being a Christian automatically mean being Republican? Simon Smart tracks the rise of the New Evangelicals: Christians for whom economic justice, poverty relief, immigration reform and environmental issues make up the political agenda.

Liquid love laid bare
The Drum

October 2012

Justine Toh examines Jesse Fink's memoir Laid Bare and ponders the nature of love and sex in the modern world.

Turning the other cheek amid the political gender wars
ABC Religion & Ethics

October 2012

Reflecting on the recent gender wars playing out in parliament, Justine Toh says that turning the other cheek is what's needed to stem the politics of outrage that currently powers the political machine.

The survival of the sexiest
ABC Religion & Ethics

October 2012

UTS Economics lecturer and CPX Fellow Gordon Menzies argues at ABC Religion & Ethics that sexual ethics and practice today apes the excesses of the free market.

The Wife of Christ? No way!
ABC Religion and Ethics

September 2012

John Dickson on how the 'Gospel of Jesus' Wife' tells us a lot about how the media works but nothing about the man from Nazareth.

Reason has its place, but the human heart yearns for awe
The Australian

September 2012

Brian Rosner on whether the atheist worldview can adequately account for the human heart. (This article is in The Australian's members section.)

Fifty shades of selfish desire in the twilight of fantasy
The Punch

September 2012

What do Fifty Shades of Grey and Twilight have in common? They are both 'romance porn' writes Justine Toh in The Punch.

A Christian take on Porn
Daily Life

August 2012

Justine Toh in The Sydney Morning Herald's Daily Life section on media stereotypes of Christians.

It’s out with the old as Christian values fall away
The Sydney Morning Herald

July 2012

John Dickson in The Sydney Morning Herald arguing decline in Christianity combined with ageing population could signal a social storm.

Daring to hope in spite of death’s grim reality
ABC Drum Unleashed

July 2012

Justine Toh writes for The Drum on two documentaries that examine how we approach death and dying.

2000 years of shaping the West
Online Opinion

July 2012

Simon Smart reviews Geoffrey Blainey's A short history of Christianity, which explores the growth and impact of the Christian faith.

We are all in the social media gutter looking at the stars
The Punch

June 2012

Do Facebook and social media isolate us in our own private worlds and from each other? Sounds like hell, according to Justine Toh.

Mormon belief and the USA Presidential election
Sunday Nights

May 2012

John Dickson was on John Cleary’s show on ABC 702 discussing Mormonism and US Presidential politics.

We need more religion but we don’t need its zeal
The Punch

April 2012

Justine Toh writes for The Punch on the need for more, not less religion.

Faith in the infallibility of the mind is the atheist’s delusion
The Sydney Morning Herald

April 2012

Simon Smart write for The Sydney Morning Herald on how atheism removes the ground of rationality on which it claims to stand.

Looking beyond ourselves to remain true to one’s self
The Age

April 2012

Brian Rosner writes for The Age on being known by God in an age where 'being true to yourself' is all the rage.

The strange victory in being prepared to lose
Eternity

April 2012

Taking her cue from the film The Tree of Life, Justine Toh argues for the importance of following 'the way of grace' rather than 'the way of nature' when responding to non-believers on matters of faith.

Nativity Naivete: Andrew Bolt tries his hand at Biblical Criticism
ABC Religion and Ethics`

March 2012

John Dickson takes Andrew Bolt to task over Bolt's attempt at Biblical criticism.

Sex and Shame: Why hell is getting what you want
ABC Religion and Ethics

February 2012

In an era where sexual license is an unquestioned good, Justine Toh argues that Steve McQueen's latest film Shame is brave enough to consider its costs.

Science no match for angels at our tables
The Sydney Morning Herald

February 2012

What can feasting tell us about what it means to be human? And can it reveal the limits of science? Simon Smart digs in.

Melancholia, and the meaning of life
ABC Religion and Ethics

January 2012

Justine Toh considers Lars von Trier's latest film, an unforgettable, if profoundly discomfiting, viewing experience - one that leaves the audience wondering what kind of universe we inhabit.

A solo Christmas is not necessarily a sad thing
The Punch

December 2011

Justine Toh on the value of spending Christmas with others.

Believer or not, hope sustains all
The Sydney Morning Herald

December 2011

Simon Smart responds to the claim that the Christmas-story is nothing more than wish-fulfilment, arguing that something can be both a wish and reality at the same time and that disbelief can be wish-fulfilment just as much as belief.

Maybe Steve Job’s life wasn’t so wonderful after all
ABC Religion and Ethics

December 2011

Justine Toh on It's a Wonderful Life's George Bailey and why maybe Steve Jobs' life mightn't have been so 'wonderful'

Twilight reflection of our ‘amortal’ lives
The Drum Opinion

November 2011

Justine Toh on how Twilight's cast of undying beautiful people strangely ape the 'amortal' hopes and dreams of our culture.

Feminism struggling beneath the burden of beauty
ABC Religion and Ethics

November 2011

Justine Toh on the work that being a woman involves.

How Christian Humility upended the World
ABC Religion and Ethics

October 2011

John Dickson argues that Christianity is the reason the West considers humility a virtue.

Chinese Good Samaritan gives hope amid indifference to dying toddler
ABC Religion and Ethics

October 2011

Justine Toh on why Chinese hit-and-run toddler Wang Yue was left to die and why her "Good Samaritan" gives hope.

‘Tis the season to discuss wealth redistribution
ABC Unleashed

October 2011

For 2011 Anti-Poverty Week, Simon Smart examines the inequities in wealth distribution and asks if anything can be done about it.

The gambling beast is greedy and shows no mercy
The Punch

October 2011

CPX Fellow Michael Bird on the serious problems caused by gambling and why the anti-pokie laws are not 'unAustralian' but instead show concern for the vulnerable.

School Chaplains: the real issue isn’t separation of Church and State
ABC Religion and Ethics

October 2011

CPX Fellow Michael Bird asks if separation of church and state is the real issue at stake in the controversy surrounding school chaplains, then why isn't there a comparable protest against chaplains in the military, prisons, hospitals and police force?

Living like tomorrow never ends
The Sydney Morning Herald

October 2011

Simon Smart on the quest for amortality, growing older but never growing up, and how it excises the natural rhythms of ageing.

American Grace: How the U.S. solved the problem of pluralism
ABC Religion and Ethics

September 2011

Simon Smart reviews Harvard University Professor Robert Putnam's new book American Grace, which is an examination of religious life in today's America.

The tit for tat war of ‘us’ v ‘them
ABC The Drum Unleashed

September 2011

10 years after September 11 is it possible to embrace rather than exclude our enemies?

God’s truth, believers are nicer
The Sydney Morning Herald

September 2011

Simon Smart considers the findings of Robert Putnam, that religious people make better citizens and neighbours.

Unbuilding a fitting 9/11 memorial
ABC Religion and Ethics

September 2011

Justine Toh asks what would be a fitting memorial to 9/11

Does a belief in God hold back students?
The Sydney Morning Herald

August 2011

CPX Fellow Brian Rosner responds to Peter FitzSimons' claim that belief in God is "entirely inimical to educational principles".

Nile’s bully boy tactics do Christians no favours
ABC The Drum Unleashed

August 2011

Simon Smart on Fred Nile's attempts to block the Ethics classes in NSW Public Schools.

Genesis created science: a reply to Tamas Pataki
ABC Religion and Ethics

July 2011

John Dickson responds to Tamas Pataki's claim that it was the ancient Greeks, not Jews and Christians, who established the Western intellectual tradition of testing for truth.

Art of persuasion not so simple
The Sydney Morning Herald

July 2011

John Dickson looks into why people believe what they believe and what it takes to change someones mind.

Pitting Historical Facts against Atheist Schoolyard Delusions
ABC Religion and Ethics

June 2011

John Dickson examines the historical claims made by Dr Tamas Pataki in a recent ABC Religion and Ethics article

Loving our neighbour in Pornland
ABC Religion and Ethics

June 2011

Justine Toh asks if it's possible to love our neighbour by not watching pornography.

God must be beautiful - it runs in the famliy
The Sydney Morning Herald

April 2011

Justine Toh examines how images of Jesus as beautiful serve to make him less challenging to the status quo.

A sombre spiritual journey from Anzac Cove to Calvary
The Australian

April 2011

Simon Smart examines how the story of sacrifice links Easter and Anzac Day.

Does religion unite or divide us?
The Sydney Morning Herald

April 2011

John Dickson provides some thoughts about whether religion is a uniting or divisive force.

Faith still comforts in times of turmoil
The Sydney Morning Herald

February 2011

Simon Smart examines the disappearance of faith language from public discourse.

A source of hope
The Drum Opinion

December 2010

Simon Smart examines the message of hope at the heart of the Christmas story.

Eating is earthly, but feasting together is divine
ABC Religion and Ethics

December 2010

Justine Toh explores the way that feasting with others can bring out a spiritual appetite.

Pantera is not just a heavy metal band
The Punch

December 2010

At Christmas, Greg Clarke looks at the story of the virgin birth and God's outrageous preference for sinners.

Oprah, Masterchef and the good life
The Drum Opinion

December 2010

Justine Toh considers what the Oprah's visit to Australia reveals about the aspirational lifestyle.

Wendy Sharpe and the poetry of Genesis
ABC Religion and Ethics

December 2010

Bronwen Hanna reflects on what art and Genesis have to communicate about what it means to be human.

Collaboratively consuming a new way of living
The Drum Opinion

December 2010

Simon Smart reviews What's mine is yours, which examines major changes in the way people are consuming.

Harry Potter’s Critique of Western Extravagance
The Drum Opinion

November 2010

Justine Toh examines the way the Harry Potter series critiques consumerism.

Ignorance more concerning than religion
The Punch

November 2010

Responding to Brendan Brown (Why an atheist Prime Minister is better The Punch Nov 10), Simon Smart examines so of the realities of history and philosophy that the writer seems unaware of.

The big merino. The big prawn. Why no big Jesus?
The Punch

November 2010

Greg Clarke asks if Australia needs a 'big sign' of the significance of Jesus?

Eastern Philosophy and Western Indulgence
ABC Religion and Ethics

October 2010

Justine Toh examines some underlying messages of Eat Pray Love.

Saints be praised
The Punch

October 2010

Writing around the cannonisation of Mary MacKillop, Greg Clarke considers what it is to be a saint.

Book-burners are rattled by weapons of mass instruction
The Punch

September 2010

Greg Clarke considers what people who burn books are seeking to achieve.

Finding the way home
ABC Religion and Ethics

September 2010

Simon Smart reviews Home Truth and reflects on the what the idea of home means to people today.

The Pakistan floods and the mystery of suffering
ABC Religion and Ethics

September 2010

Richard Shumack explores the different ways the Muslims and Christians respond to the question of suffering.

Blaming God for the Pakistani floods
The Punch

September 2010

Greg Clarke examines how religious people can understand the tragedy of events like the Pakistani floods.

Sir Frank Kermode - outsider to the end
ABC Religion and Ethics

August 2010

Greg Clarke reflects on the life and writing of literary critic Sir Frank Kermode.

Anne Rice - Christian no more
The Drum Opinion

August 2010

Greg Clarke and John Dickson consider Anne Rice's announcement she is giving up on Christianity.

In the political realm, birds of a feather don’t necessarily flock together
The Sydney Morning Herald

July 2010

John Dickson explores the 'Christian Vote' and suggests that concern for others should guide Christians' political choices.

Do Christians need a Christian Prime Minister?
The Drum Online

July 2010

Greg Clarke argues that Christians too often approach politics with an Old Testament mindset.

The place of the bible in modern society
The Punch

July 2010

Greg Clarke reflects on a recent display of Australia's historic Bibles.

God at the World Cup
The Drum Opinion

July 2010

Greg Clarke examines how God and sport get mixed up.

Divided by God, United by Truth
The Sydney Morning Herald

May 2010

Simon Smart writes about atheist Christopher Hitchens and his Christian brother, Peter.

Morris Gleitzman and Christian Mother Goose
The Punch

May 2010

Greg Clarke uses two very different books to explore how Christians interact with culture.

What art can teach us about God
The Drum Opinion

May 2010

Greg Clarke writes for ABC Unleashed on Patrick White's great novel, The Vivisector.

School ethics debate testing the patience of Job
The Punch

April 2010

Greg Clarke examines the recent ethics and scripture debate, considering whether schools need more Bible literacy.

The truth about dying
The Drum Online

February 2010

Palliative care doctor and ethicist, Megan Best, writes about some easily misunderstood aspects of the euthanasia debate, and argues that issues surrounding death require more than a medical answer.

The Australian Jesus of Reg Mombassa
The Punch

January 2010

Greg Clarke examines an Australian artistic legend.

Despite the sceptics, there is real truth in the story of Christmas
The Sydney Morning Herald

December 2009

John Dickson gives historical support to the traditional account of Jesus' birth.

Christianity’s fragile vision
ABC Unleashed

December 2009

Simon Smart reviews David Bentley Hart's book Atheist Delusions - The Christian Revolution and its Fashionable Enemies

Connecting the Faithful - From Bondi to the Bohdi Tree
Online Opinion

December 2009

Simon Smart discusses his visit to the Parliament of World Religions and compares that to a trip to Bondi.

Nietzsche and Simon Le Bon: Do they know its Christmas
The Punch

December 2009

Greg Clarke gives some thoughts on The Atheist's Guide to Christmas.

God given rights
ABC Unleashed

October 2009

As the consultation committee hands in its report to the government on a human rights charter, CPX directors insist that while there is no specifically Christian view on the question of the necessity of a charter, the principle of self sacrifice should take precedence over self interest

A Bible for every occasion
The Punch

September 2009

John Dickson and Greg Clarke comment on the release of the Poverty and Justice Bible

Heaven help us if Churches don’t speak about politics
The Punch

July 2009

Greg Clarke argues that churches should take the time to speak out on political issues.

Islam and the West: facing conflict for mutual gain?
ABC Online Opinion

July 2009

Richard Shumack argues for the benefit of facing up to the 'mindset differences' between Islam and the West. This is a vital ingredient in the search for positive co-existence.

Is it better to know death is coming for you?
The Punch

June 2009

Three significant deaths in one day raise questions of mortality for Greg Clarke writing for The Punch.

Year One: a parody of biblical proportions
The Punch

June 2009

Greg Clarke reviewed the Jack Black comedy Year One for The Punch.

Youth and the Churches
ABC Radio

May 2009

Greg Clarke and CPX Fellow Justine Toh featured on a panel examining the relationship of youth to religion.

‘Religious violence’ a small part of the story
ABC Online Opinion

May 2009

John Dickson examines the claim that religion leads to violence.

From Instrument of Brutality to Symbol of Love
Sydney Morning Herald

April 2009

John Dickson's Sydney Morning Herald article from Good Friday focused on the symbol of the cross - what it meant in the 1st century; what it means today.

A Ruse on Easter from Darwin’s lapdog
ABC Online

April 2009

Greg Clarke examines Michael Ruse's position on faith and science.

Self Improvement Wednesday
ABC Sydney

April 2009

John Dickson featured on Richard Glover's Self Improvement Wednesday to talking about crucifixion with special reference to the crucifixion of Jesus.

The World Today
ABC Local Radio

April 2009

John Dickson was on The World Today discussing a survey commissioned by CPX about Jesus.

Australians not so sceptical about Jesus, survey finds
The Age

April 2009

CPX commissioned a survey to discover what Australians think about Jesus. You can read about the surprising results in The Age here or The Sydney Morning Herald here.

The Historical Jesus
Radio National Sunday Nights

April 2009

John Dickson was interviewed by John Cleary for Radio National on his latest book Jesus - A Short Life.