When God is reduced to The Cosmic Therapist and we combat the culture wars' defeat of Christian conservatives with a middle-class moralism that prescribes being happy with oneself and nice to others, as Rod Dreher's The Benedict Option argues, we are bringing knives to a gunfight Review of The Benedict Option: A Strategy for Christians in a Post-Christian Nation by Rod Dreher Sentinel, 2017, 288 pages, $30.99 _______________________ Archbishop Eric D’Arcy, who retired as

Budget and its effects, May 19 Both main sides continue to debate the second budget of the Turnbull government, with the most interesting development being the view expressed by Albanese that Labor should welcome the Coalition’s budget measures! But there is no indication from most Commentators that initial views have changed and that an improvement in the Coalition’s polling is likely to occur. In fact, doubts about the achievement of estimated budget outcomes have increased

Love and Friendship. Adapted from Lady Susan, a novella by Jane Austen. Director: Whit Stillman Love and Friendship is based on a novella written by a 19-year-old Jane Austen. Financial security is definitely the theme that dominates Love and Friendship, for in Austen’s England if a single man in possession of a good fortune (is) in want of a wife than even more undoubtedly, a woman of no means is on a quest to secure herself a wealthy husband. ‘Lady Susan’, our anti-heroine,

... how high, how soon? Despite the RBA Governor’s recent frankness on a ‘normal’ level of interest rates, there is still conjecture about the extent and timing of the coming rate rises. Applying a ‘forward-looking Taylor Rule’ that takes account of targets and current expectations for inflation and unemployment strongly suggests that cash rates will rise by a further 1.5% to 6.25% and that we should expect cash rates at that level within 9 months. The RBA Governor has warned