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Keywords: History

  • ARTS AND CULTURE

    T.S. Eliot and the weight of a world-ending whimper

    • Warwick McFadyen
    • 16 January 2025

      As the world turns into 2025, echoes of 1925 linger: T.S. Eliot's The Hollow Men introduced us to a 'whimper' of despair, while Hitler's Mein Kampf foreshadowed catastrophe. What do these works from a century ago say about the fragility of human progress?

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  • INTERNATIONAL

    When disaster becomes routine in L.A.

    • Jim McDermott
    • 16 January 2025

    In Los Angeles, wildfires blur the line between disaster and daily life. Evacuation alerts, smoke-filled horizons, and neighborhoods turned to ash coexist with packed restaurants and holiday plans. As the fires rage on, one question persists: is this the new normal? 

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  • ARTS AND CULTURE

    The Lemon Squeezer and other holy marvels

    • Gillian Bouras
    • 16 January 2025

    Sacred spaces reflect their times, from Baroque splendor to Brutalist minimalism. A visit to Warsaw’s Temple of Divine Providence highlights how churches, beyond their doctrines, become vessels of national identity, architectural evolution, and historical memory.

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  • RELIGION

    On 'getting' the synod

    • Richard Lennan
    • 19 December 2024

    Is the synod a parliament, a shareholder meeting, or something wholly unique? How we frame it shapes our understanding of its purpose and outcomes. Beyond analogies, could the true essence of synodality lie in embracing grace and discernment, re-centering the church on its divine mission?

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  • ARTS AND CULTURE

    Silent Night, from hymn to hype

    • Simon Smart
    • 19 December 2024

    Modern advertisements blend artistry and manipulation, tugging our heartstrings while selling us things we didn’t think we needed. Take the Austrian financial giant Erste’s annual Christmas ad, which this year chronicles the history of 'Silent Night.' It's breathtaking — until its message makes a baffling twist.

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  • ARTS AND CULTURE

    Books, screens, and holiday dreams

    • Juliette Hughes
    • 18 December 2024

    In a year defined by uneven cultural offerings, books stood tall while cinema faltered and television treaded water. From Alexander Armstrong’s enchanting Evenfall to Patricia Briggs’ mystical Winter Lost, the literary landscape offered gems aplenty. Meanwhile, Netflix’s Mary proved a thunderous flop, and Barbie charmed in pink. Let the debates begin.

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  • ARTS AND CULTURE

    Evangelicals, exiles, and other tall tales

    • Ken Haley
    • 12 December 2024

      Lech Blaine’s Australian Gospel is a quintessentially Australian tale of faith, family, and identity. Blaine explores the fractures of belief and belonging in an effervescent and vivid work of creative nonfiction. But where does the ‘non-’ stop and the ‘fiction’ begin?

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  • AUSTRALIA

    The horror of synagogue burning

    • Andrew Hamilton
    • 12 December 2024

    The firebombing of Melbourne's Adass Israel Synagogue is a profound tragedy, reflecting the weight of historical hatred and contemporary tensions. Amid global grief and anger, this act of antisemitism compels us to reflect on the shared humanity of all people and the urgent need for peace, understanding, and ethical leadership.

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  • RELIGION

    A controversial graduation address

    • Bill Uren
    • 11 December 2024

    A contentious graduation speech at Australian Catholic University laid bare divisions between traditional Catholic values and modern sensibilities. The backlash, marked by audience walkouts, underscores broader challenges facing the Church.

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  • AUSTRALIA

    What should we make of the social media ban?

    • David Halliday
    • 11 December 2024

    The global media fracas around a government daring to impose restrictions on children using social media was dramatic, but not unexpected. Reactions were predictably divisive and steeped in the sort of performative outrage that social media tends to encourage.

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  • AUSTRALIA

    How the male crisis is killing women

    • Sarah Klenbort
    • 10 December 2024

    From playground shrugs to a growing male crisis, outdated ideas about masculinity fuel violence, isolation, and despair. Addressing these challenges starts with how we raise boys — teaching compassion, accountability, and the courage to truly connect.

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  • INTERNATIONAL

    Is peace possible?

    • Justin Glyn
    • 10 December 2024

    Peace is hard to define, harder to achieve, and almost impossible to sustain. In a world obsessed with profit, simplistic narratives, and selective outrage, peace feels like a lofty ideal rather than a realistic goal. But what would it take to make peace more than a buzzword—and a true global reality?

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