I often feel very limited in my impact on society when I am confronted with the issues presented in The Handmaid’s Tale. But after reading Beauty Will Save the World I am reminded that it truly is the small moments focused on the love and care of Jesus that can make the difference. What if the greatest act of subversion was to care for others?

Highlights of links to online news and opinion pieces from July 2017.

Tolerance is a good thing, but it can end up meaning that nothing is sinful. Often, too, our ‘tolerance’ only extends to those within our own tribe – we tolerate what we agree with and hate everything else.

Far from being ‘anti-Christian’, The Handmaid’s Tale series warns against three key dangers for the church: graceless religion, tolerating abuse and engaging in moral hypocrisy. We would do well to heed its message.

False alarm: What happens when your doctor tells you that you might have early dementia? Delve into the thoughts, fears, prayers and (mis)adventures courtesy of a medical misdiagnosis.

We need to move beyond echo-chamber church discussions around ‘complementarianism’ and ‘egalitarianism’ that can distract us from noticing the deeper problem that pervades our society and that we desperately need to address: sexism.

More than just a love story, The Promise powerfully and accurately portrays one of the most gruesome yet forgotten episodes of modern history, the Armenian Genocide of WWI. But far from being someone else’s history in a faraway land, the film’s theme has a strong Australian connection.

What distinguishes humans from animals is not emotions, tools, culture or even DNA, but the choice to love and an indomitable spirit. As humans, and especially as Christians, we have a responsibility to care for the earth, as an act of love towards humanity and God’s creation.