Life & Faith

The question of Australia's Christian heritage has been raised in recent media debates. Simon Smart and Justine Toh speak to Stuart Piggin, an associate professor at Macquarie University and director of the Centre for the History of Christian Thought and Experience, and John Dickson about whether Australia has a Christian heritage.

The latest science-fiction blockbuster to hit cinemas is Divergent. Larissa Aldridge, who has read the books and seen the film, joins Simon Smart and Natasha Moore on Life and Faith to discuss the film.

The blockbuster film Noah is one that people may find both familiar and unfamiliar when they compare it to the Bible story. Justine Toh saw the film and sat down with Simon Smart to discuss it.

Greg Lake is a former Immigration Department leader who managed a number of immigration detention centres, including Nauru, Christmas Island and Curtin. He also worked in policy and management roles in Canberra under the Rudd/Gillard governments. Greg resigned from Immigration in April 2013 after examining whether his role in managing detention centres was something that aligned with his Christian faith. He spoke Life and Faith about his experiences working in detention centres.

Justine Toh and Simon Smart discuss how two recent films, 12 Years a Slave and The Wolf of Wall Street, provide insight into the way that women are viewed as commodities in our market society.

The new documentary The Armstrong Lie is a fascinating character study, a cautionary tale and a mildly disturbing piece of social commentary. Simon Smart and Justine Toh discuss the film and the questions it raises about truth and moral relativism.

The Immigration Department has a slogan on its website that declares "No Way. They will not make Australia home." The slogan is aimed at deterring asylum-seekers from fleeing to Australia to establish a new life for themselves. Life and Faith spoke to Jarrod McKenna who is co-founder of First Home Project, which welcomes refugees and new arrivals to the country to live with Jarrod and his wife for a year so they can get established. Simon Smart also discusses the appeal that home holds for us.

Life and Faith reflects on our relationship with technology. Justine Toh and Simon Smart consider whether technology is ours to use as we will or whether our tools shape us? They also spoke to Mark Stephens about the new film Her and what it has to say about our humanity and technology.

Do we need more or less religion in schools? Life and Faith spoke to Zosia Ericksson the School Chaplaincy Executive Office for Genr8 Ministries and Greg Clarke the CEO of Bible Society Australia about whether there is a place for God in schools.

Christians face harassment and oppression in 139 nations and four out of five acts of religious discrimination in the world today are directed against Christians. Barney Zwartz, the former religion editor at The Age, and Elizabeth Kendal, a religious liberty analyst at the Canberra based Christian Faith and Freedom centre, joined Life and Faith to discuss the severity of this persecution and why we are not hearing about it in the media.

The first Life and Faith for 2014 is an examination of forgiveness. Justine Toh and Simon Smart discuss the recent film The Railway Man and a remarkable story from Malcolm Gladwell's most recent book.

Greg Clarke's new book The Great Bible Swindle, argues that you cannot claim to be educated without a knowledge of the Bible. He came into Life and Faith to explain how the Bible has shaped our culture in profound ways and why it is therefore critical to understand the Bible to understand our literature, music, history, art and more.

Tim Winton is the best selling author of a number books including Cloudstreet, Dirt Music and The Turning. He spoke to Simon Smart about a number of topics including his new novel Eyrie and matters of faith.

The second part of Simon Smart's interview with Peter Hitchens in which he discusses his turn from atheism to Christianity.

Peter Hitchens is a conservative coloumnist and occasional foreign correspondent in the UK. He is the author of The Rage against God: How atheism led me to faith. CPX caught up with Peter at the Festival of Dangerous Ideas to discuss belief, morality and the way things are heading in the West