By Anne RinaudoTuesday 7 Aug 2018Open House InterviewsFaithReading Time: 3 minutes
Listen: Greg Sheridan in conversation with Stephen O’Doherty.
We live in an age where Christian belief has been marginalised and faith relegated to the ‘back burner’ of life – if it is considered at all. Accompanying this is the rise of ‘celebrity’ atheists who are feted for their clever anti-religious analysis. ‘
Christianity in the ‘post-truth’ age
‘God is Good for You’ a new book by journalist, and respected Christian commentator, Greg Sheridan, carries a vital torch for Christianity at a time when it feels like Christianity is considered in a very negative way by secular society.
In a wide ranging conversation, Greg Sheridan, and Open House host, Stephen O’Doherty, discuss Christianity in the ‘post-truth’ age, politics and faith, and consider the contribution Christianity has made to the fundamental institutions of Western society.
The foundation of Western Society
At a time of crisis for Christianity in the West, ‘God is Good for You’ shows just why we need faith in our world. The Judeo-Christian tradition has created and underpinned the moral and legal fabric of Western civilisation for more than 2000 years.
However, we now seem to have reached a point where Christianity is no longer seen as a mainstream belief. It’s a situation that’s fraught both for Christians and our wider society, where the moral certainties that were the foundation of our institutions and laws are no longer held by the majority.
Why we believe
At this point of crisis for faith, ‘God is Good for You’ shows us why Christianity is so vital for our personal and social well-being, and how modern Christians have never worked so hard to make the world a better place at a time when their faith has never been less valued.
Greg Sheridan makes the case for God, examines the unfolding Christian ideas and suggests a way forward. He also offers an interesting series of conversations with prominent Australian politicians who reveal why they believe. The book has been widely praised for the depth of knowledge and soundness of argument between it’s covers.
Doubters impressed
Even those who don’t believe are impressed by the erudite analysis of Greg Sheridan. Bob Carr says of the book “No one could have read more of the literature or werestled longer with it. Nor treated the other side – us stubborn doubters – with more courtesy.”
Naturally enough, the book found an enthusiastic fan in Anthony Fisher, Catholic Archbishop of Sydney who urges “Anyone concerned about the depletion of God from the Western imagination should read Greg Sheridan’s ‘God is Good For You’.”
Seekers may find
George Weigel, author of ‘Witness to Hope’ says the book has something for everyone. “Believers will find their faith strengthened; unbelievers will discover some stereotypes challenged; sceptics may think a bit harder; and seekers just may find.”
To listen to the podcast of this conversation click the red play button at the top of the page, or you can subscribe to Open House podcasts in iTunes and they will appear in your feed.