Once a week, a member of the CPX team "thinks out loud" in public - offering not conclusions, but launching-off points for conversation about what's going on in the news right now, or in our cultural "moment".
As with everything CPX does, the goal is to reframe things - to edge our way together towards a more expansive public imagination when it comes to Christian faith and the contribution it has to make to our shared life.
Here's a collection of these columns. They are usually posted each Tuesday on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Justine Toh ponders: What is pleasure? Is it just about desire? Or are there deeper pleasures to be found in the normal gifts of life?
After the EURO 2020 final, Simon Smart ponders the “religious transformation” taking place in football (and elsewhere) in the UK.
Mark Stephens on the human craving for narrative, the importance of storytellers, and the Bible’s focus on story.
Tim Costello reflects on the experience of shame – regarding COVID19, Australian history, and the banking royal commission.
Justine Toh explores envy – with reference to Elena Ferrante’s novel My Brilliant Friend, the film Amadeus, and the story of Cain and Abel.
After a surfing weekend, Simon Smart ponders those moments where our breath is taken away by the sheer awe of life and existence.
Barney Zwartz writes on how Adem Somyurek’s sacking highlights the importance of our words – something explored in the Bible’s book of James.
Anna Grummitt on how George Floyd’s last words sound like a mantra for 2020 – and what it means for the God with wounds to know human pain.
Richard Shumack reflects on his experience of racism – and how racism is fundamentally a heart problem that only a miracle can solve.
Mark Stephens ponders the fake crowd noise in sporting matches, and how, as C.S. Lewis puts it, “we delight to praise what we enjoy”.
Natasha Moore on being overwhelmed with human pain and human evil – as well as human ingenuity, resilience, and curiosity.
This Reconciliation Week, Tim Costello reflects on George Floyd, injustice, and reconciliation in the Bible.
Justine Toh on how women have borne the brunt of COVID-19, having to balance paid work with housework, parenting, and home-schooling.
Reflecting on the new series The Last Dance, Simon Smart writes on what Michael Jordan might have lost in his pursuit of success.
