Category Archives: Politics and Human Rights

Human rights and wrongs

By Brian Edgar | Published: May 28, 2010

By Brian Edgar

In recent times the concept of human rights has become increasingly important. It is now very common for people to seek to resolve everything from the most serious to the most trivial via human rights. The first ‘dilemma’ is deciding what is meant by ‘human rights’.  Issues include: religious liberty; torture; the use of landmines; the right to self-determination; corporal punishment; dowries; the Northern Territory intervention; gay marriage; vilification laws; single sex private clubs; construction industry unionists; bikie gangs; Read More »

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Torture: From the Gulag Archipelago to Guantanamo Bay

By Brian Edgar | Published: April 30, 2010

By Brian Edgar

Is it ever right to do wrong in the name of the common good? Does the end justify the means? Can it be argued that torture is sometimes a necessary evil which is really morally good? Read More »

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Don’t mention politics! politics and the pulpit.

By Brian Edgar | Published: December 19, 2009

By Brian Edgar

Let me suggest the top five reasons preachers give for avoiding any significant reference to politics in their preaching, along with a response as to why they aren’t really convincing.

1. ‘It’s too political an issue and therefore too controversial. To many people ‘political’ means ‘controversial’ and ‘divisive’. Therefore it is best to leave such issues alone in order to allow individuals to make up their own minds about them. It’s safer that way.’
The trouble is that the gospel affects the whole of life. Read More »

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Industrial relations and the Free Market

By Brian Edgar | Published: December 16, 2009

By Brian Edgar

What are the moral and theological implications of government policy on industrial relations in a free-market context?  Questions about industrial relations cannot be dealt with separately from a consideration of the free market system of which it is a part.  Despite some claims to the contrary, this system is neither morally neutral nor unrelated to Christian principles. Read More »

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Christians and Australian politics 2004-2007

By Brian Edgar | Published: December 14, 2009

By Brian Edgar

The 2007 Australian Federal election was a watershed in terms of there being an open discussion of the relationship of faith and politics. In this article I discuss the changes which took place from the 2004 election through to the 2007 election. At that time I was Director of Public Theology for the Australian Evangelical Alliance. Read More »

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Christianity and politics – Clark

By Brian Edgar | Published: November 26, 2009

By BrianEdgar

The book Tales of Two Cities comprises seven contributions on aspects of the relationship of Christian faith with contemporary, secular, pluralist politics. The papers were originally presented at a conference organised by Affinity, a network of approximately 1,200 churches throughout Great Britain and Ireland.

The papers vary considerably in length and style. Field’s discussion of Rutherford is particularly lengthy. There is a strong historical leaning with the writers generally seeking to find wisdom for the present from writers of the past. Read More »

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Why politics needs religion – Sweetman

By Brian Edgar | Published: November 23, 2009

By Brian Edgar

It has long been argued that most secularist attempts to remove or restrict religious dialogue from the public arena are based on a misunderstanding of the true nature of a ‘secular’ society.   But in Why Politics Needs Religion Brendan Sweetman, Professor of Philosophy at Rockhurst University in Kansas City, Missouri, argues that these anti-religious sentiments are not so much a misunderstanding of the concept of secularism as an essential dimension of it. Read More »

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