A reformed drug addict says our churches must do more to reach the fringes of society.

Mission agencies say the looming split in world Anglicanism is hurting the Great Commission.

Bruce Ballantine-Jones is retiring from the front line of some major battles, but to Geoff Robson he was always his pastor and friend.

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From surfers on the coast to ‘Grey Nomads‘ in the outback, Boomers will lead a retirement revolution right across the nation, reports JEREMY HALCROW and MADELEINE COLLINS. So will our family-focused churches be washed away by a grey-haired ministry tsunami?

Con Campbell shatters the stereotype of an academic holed up in his ivory tower. But his love of jazz is rivalled by his passion for ancient Greek, finds MADELEINE COLLINS.

The day will come when ‘the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover the sea’ (Isa 11:9; cf. Hab 2:14). What an astonishing prospect that is! It will be a very different world from the one in which we find ourselves today, where knowledge of God is rare.

How God is working in our lives.

Read this month's letters to the editor.

British minister Richard Coekin will join the Dean of Sydney, Phillip Jensen, for a ‘proclamation and protest’ seminar at St Andrew’s Cathedral next month.

Parishes will allocate 20 minutes out of one regular church service this month to take part in the National Church Life Survey. People over the age of 15 will fill out information about their experiences of church life for the five-yearly survey.

How does Jesus help in facing temptation? JOSEPH SMITH talks to one teenager who speaks from experience.

Persecution watchdog Barnabas Fund has expressed its concerns for wounded Christians who were caught in the crossfire of the Israel-Hezbollah conflict. Tens of thousands of Lebanese Christians have taken refuge in Syria where the most urgent need is milk and food for babies, say local doctors.

The symbolic leader of world Anglicanism, Archbishop Rowan Williams, has asked key group of American bishops to meet in New York next month to patch up the looming split in the US church over homosexuality.

Voice of the Martyrs in Ethiopia report a severe persecution – including the burning of Christians’ crops and church buildings – in the Muslim regions near Sudan. In the worst case, a convert from Islam named Shek Hamed Adem was beaten and hung on a cross.

KAMAL WEERAKOON is combining full-time study at Moore College with ministry at St Anne’s, Strathfield. He shares his trials and joys as a trainee minister.

Each month Southern Cross reports on the major decisions of the diocesan Standing Committee.

New research into the beliefs of Australia’s young people offers a fresh challenge to churches, report JEREMY HALCROW and JOSEPH SMITH.

Has Christian theology anything to say to those trapped in the downward cycle of despair? asks MARK THOMPSON.

A broken relationship with a parent is just like the way we treat our creator, says DOMINIC STEELE.

There are a growing number of filmmakers and actors for whom movie-making is becoming an ethical and a moral exercise. Some use their influence to support various causes, be it Susan Sarandon’s anti-war stance or Angelina Jolie’s role with the UN. But it’s the transmitting of social issues into the format of film that is most interesting. From the environment and global warming to corruption in the oil business, mainstream cinema is taking on some the most important issues facing modern civilisation.

Is it a boy or a girl? This is the first question that is asked on the birth of a new baby and the start of a gender identity minefield, writes ANN BENTON.

Unaccountably the Standing Committee and synod of this diocese have failed to consult me. Again. This time it is over the decision to change the word ‘priest’ to ‘presbyter’ on some internal church documents.

The Ugandan-born Archbishop of York, who has a fine eye for the use of symbols, gained much media attention when he shaved his head and spent seven days in a tent in York Minster. He aimed to show solidarity with those caught up in the Middle East conflict. When he ended his seven-day fast, Archbishop Sentamu said that every country had to create an inclusive society that did not breed rejection or extremism.

In a few decades when the retiree population reaches 20 percent, evangelism among older adults will be a priority. How will such huge numbers of older adults reshape our churches?

The bad news is that Gen Y Christians are moving away from involvement in church; the question is, how will we develop the sort of intergenerational bible fellowships that might appeal?

Asking someone how they were converted suggests there are two classes of Christian – the converted and unconverted. But is it the right question to ask in the first place?

During his vice-presidency and bid for election, Al Gore was frequently depicted as staid and passionless. Compared to the flamboyant and charming (if utterly immoral) Bill Clinton, Gore seemed colourless. It’s a characterisation at odds with the Al Gore of An Inconvenient Truth. The man once dubbed “Al Bore” by the media is anything but dull in this compelling documentary.

With more than two million viewers each Tuesday, Border Security is now Australia’s most watched television show. It’s a winning formula because it allows us to turn our lounges into legal benches.

The statistics are hard to ignore. Basically, smoking kills. Yet über spin doctor Nick Naylor (Aaron Eckhart) from Thank You for Smoking would have you believe differently.