The Arts

Twilight

Dr Justine Toh offers a Christian reflection on the popular Twilight book an film series

Patrick White didn’t win the ‘Lost’ Man Booker Prize (given to a novel published in 1970) when it was announced recently, but his novel, The Vivisector, is certainly worth celebrating. Greg Clarke gives his thoughts on why it is one of the unsung works of genius on the relationship between art and spirituality.

The life and faith of Patrick White

Twenty years ago, David Marr wrote the definitive biography of Nobel Prize winning Australian novelist Patrick White. In this interview at CPX Marr reflects on important aspects of White’s life and work.

Morris Gleitzman and Christian Mother Goose

Greg Clarke uses Morris Gleitzman's new novel Grace and Christian Mother Goose to consider what attitudes Christians should have with culture. Does Christianity needs to run away into its own cultural corner, or can it sit alongside other worldviews just being itself and letting the watching world make what it will of it?

Close encounters that make all the difference

French Director Philippe Lioret's new film Welcome is an examination of an unlikely friendship that springs up between a Frenchman and a young Kurdish refugee who is planning to swim the English Channel. Simon Smart found the film to be more than a political statement but rather a beautifully rendered story of courage, love and self-sacrifice.

Garth Nix and the appeal of fantasy

Renowned fiction writer Garth Nix talks with Greg Clarke about why the fantasy genre is so popular today. What does this tell us about our society and its longings?

The Longest Walk - Cormac McCarthy's The Road (Picador 2006)

Cormac McCarthy's novel The Road has been made into a major film. It's a harrowing story that nonetheless has much to say about human nature and God

Avatar

Justine Toh considers the spiritual beliefs present in James Cameron's latest blockbusting film Avatar.

The Bible and Reading Shakespeare

Laurel Moffatt discusses with Greg Clarke the importance of a knowledge of scripture in understanding one of Western Culture's greatest writers.

The Scream of the 21st Century

Peter Corney asks whether the sense of alienation expressed by writers, artists and filmmakers of the 20th Century has carried over in the 21st? Corney's view is that is has, but the angst is being expressed in different ways.

The Australian Jesus of Reg Mombassa

Greg Clarke writes about an Australian artistic legend, Reg Mombassa, of 'Mental as Anything' and Mambo fame. What should we make of Mombassa'a Australian Jesus?

Bono vs Nick Cave on Jesus

Greg Clarke examines the work of two legends of Rock and their very different takes on Jesus. One admires him, the other worships him.

Shakespeare and the Bible

Laurel Moffatt looks at the importance of a knowledge of scripture in understanding one of Western Culture's greatest writers. Might there be value in Biblical knowledge for truly appreciating the greats of English literature?

Reasons to Hope

Love in Action is a book just released telling the remarkable story of partnership between a wealthy Australian community and a city in Indonesia where poverty is an enormous challenge. Read about the difference this unlikely partnership has made in the lives of people in both communities.

The Lost Symbol

The latest Dan Brown novel again features the hero of The Da Vinci Code, Robert Langdon. Greg Clarke finds an interesting plot but mostly more of the same from Brown.

Finding God in Pop Culture

Author, filmmaker, and professor of Professor of communication, Craig Detweiler on God speaking through film, music and literature. Is the cinema the Cathedral of the 21st century