John Olley

‘You are the salt of the earth… you are the light of the world’ - these two statements of Jesus of Nazareth are quoted often in discussions on Christian responsibility and influence in society. What clues do they give as to ways Christians should participate in Australian society in the early 21 st century? John Olley discusses the Sermon on the Mount and the values of the kingdom of God.

Do Christians have a different set of values and a different approach to society? Do they vote differently? Dr Philip Hughes shows that the voting patterns of Christians are very little different to that of the wider society. Yet there are some values which Christians have which are noticeably different, on some issues they do stand out, and there are reasons for this…

It is very common today for all kinds of organisations to nominate their ‘core values’. These values do not specify what the organisation does but rather express something of why it does these things and the way it will, or will not, undertake them. But what about an entire society? Can a society operate without some agreement on what is to be valued and what is not?

This article suggest that there are eight Christian values that are essential for society as a whole.

Christians in Politics - by Stuart Piggin

One can learn a lot about the present and the way the future should be by looking at the past. Australian church historian Stuart Piggin looks at how some Australian Christians have made a conrtibution to Australian national life through political involvement. They are a good example for the future.