I’ve spent the last three months researching the experience of the Taylor Swift fandom through the lenses of philosopher Charles Taylor’s A Secular Age and affect theorist Lauren Berlant’s “intimate publics.” I have decided they’re two sides of the same coin. They describe the experience of transcendence from two different perspectives.
Author Archives: meganpdt
Responding to Tragedy with Community: Observations in the Aftermath of the Shooting of Charlie Kirk, by Nathan Campbell
Charlie Kirk’s death is a tragedy. It is particularly tragic that he was shot and killed in a place built for the free exchange of ideas, while promoting the idea that political difference should be approached through conversation.
My teenage daughter came home from school and asked me if I’d heard the news that “Charlie Kirk was killed.” I was taken aback that this tragedy was occupying the mind of a grade 8 girl in Brisbane. I myself had barely heard of Charlie Kirk. This article is not going to focus on him but rather on our responses to this tragedy.
I’ve been watching outpourings of grief for this man I didn’t know and had barely heard of, thinking through why so many Australians are so engaged with politics and violence a world away.
There is Racism in the Church by Michael Jensen
And the truth is this: if you ask a person of Indigenous or Asian background whether they have experienced racism in Australia, their answer will be pretty much yes. Sometimes even in church.
Australian Christian Book of the Year 2025 – excerpt from Made in Our Image: God, Artificial Intelligence and You by Stephen Driscoll
With gracious permission from the author Stephen Driscoll and the publisher Matthias Media, we are pleased to bring you an excerpt from the winning book of SparkLit’s Australian Christian Book of the Year Award for 2025. Our warmest congratulations to both! If you would like to buy the book, it is available from good bookshops and can be bought directly from the publisher here. The excerpt is from a chapter about how an understanding of sin relates to our understanding of AI.
World Humanitarian Day 2025: Dangerous Acts of Compassion by Theo Doraisamy
On 19 August 2003, 22 UN staff were killed by a suicide bombing attack, and every year since 2008, World Humanitarian Day has been observed on the 19 August to honour humanitarian workers who have been wounded or have lost their lives to violence – and served as a valuable opportunity to educate and inform people worldwide on the devastating casualties of war.
Paying Attention by Sam Wan
“Attention,” Catherine Lord considers in Mary Oliver’s poem, “is not for the faint-hearted,” for in lingering attention, one might be changed.
“Oh do you have time/to linger” your attention, Mary Oliver suggests, on small, 10-14cm sized goldfinches singing:
“believe us…
it is a serious thing
just to be alive”
Why I Took Part in the March for Humanity by David Starling
On Sunday August 3, I took part in the March for Humanity, walking across the Sydney Harbour Bridge in a protest with thousands of others. The March was organised by the Palestine Action Group. The official estimate of how many were in the protest was 90,000 people, but others suggest it may have been anywhere between 200,000 to 300,000 people. Here, in response to a request from the WADR team, are a few of the reasons I participated.
Her Voice Was Raised: The Evangelical Women in Academia Conference 2025 by Suzie Ray
This year’s “Evangelical Women in Academia” (EWA) conference, run by Ridley College, revealed the rising strength and lasting impact of this conference initiative. Its genesis was ten years ago when the late Dr Moyra Dale kicked off a piece of collaborative research into women’s participation rates in higher degree research in the Australian theological space. The research was published in 2018.One of those original collaborators, Rev Dr Jill Firth,* conceived in response an academic conference for evangelical women which would give them a platform, opportunities, experience and encouragement. This year, organised by Rev Dr Hannah Craven with the theme “Raising Her Voice,“ the conference drew nearly 100 women in person on each of the two days, drawn from around Australia, New Zealand and one woman from the Philippines, plus many more online. There were a range of denominations represented, with Anglican and Baptist women in the majority.
WADR Podcast Be Our Guest: The Compleat Set
In our ten seasons, we have been privileged to host 81 guest appearances on the With All Due Respect podcast. Here is the complete list, along with links to their episodes. We will update this list periodically. Listed alphabetically by surname. If you are wondering, we have done a gender count, as this is something we do keep an eye on. As of the end of our tenth season, 37 appearances have been by women, that’s 46%.
The Australian Anglican Primate Elect: In His Own Words
On 19 July 2025, the 18th Primate of the Anglican Church of Australia was elected. The Right Reverend Dr Mark Short, Bishop of the Diocese of Canberra and Goulburn, will serve as Primate alongside his current role. He takes up his new duties on 1 November 2025. Bishop Short graciously took some time to answer questions put to him by the WADR team to help people gain some insight into the new Primate. These answers are printed as given.
thewadrproject.com 