Social Issues

Addressing social issues is a vital part of living out our Christian faith. The Bible calls us to act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with our God (Micah 6:8). As followers of Christ, we are called to be advocates for justice, peace, and compassion in our communities and the world. This section examines various social issues from a Christian perspective, providing biblical insights and practical guidance on how we can make a positive impact and reflect God's love in our actions and advocacy.

Los Desaparecidos: Mothers of the disappeared

Like the Los Desaparecidos, Mothers throughout human history have fought hard to protect those they love. What can this “mother-love” teach us about God?

Passive Vaping — It's time we see it like secondhand smoke

Though debate continues about vaping, its safety and efficacy as a quitting aid, we cannot wait for years, to see the full effects of passive vaping.

Why Justice?

A religion true to its nature must also be concerned about man’s social conditions. Navigating social issues as a Christian is important because justice is an essential component of who God is.

Wake-up!

Global risks and social issues of the environmental kind are difficult to diminish because it is difficult to ascertain and apportion blame for our common problems.

Competition vs cooperation in a crisis

The natural human impulse is to bunker down and look out for Number One when times get tough. But is that actually the most effective response?

Is Your Child a Bully?

Can you recognise the signs of favour and fear transmitted by children? Devyani Borade looks at what really happens on the playground.

The Assent of Degeneration

Violence fuelled by alcohol is rising in Australia, but Geoff Youlden believes the media plays an equal part in the demise of values and virtues.

The Truth About Getting Drunk

So often seen as a normal part of the lives of young people, binge drinking is increasingly putting those lives at risk. Victor Parachin reports.

Better Than Hyper-Reality

Dive into the depths of hyper-consumerism and virtual identities as Mark Sayers unveils the effects of media culture on our daily lives.

A World of Poverty

Making poverty a thing of the past is a noble and achievable goal. Whether or not it happens, suggests Signs editor Nathan Brown, is up to us.

A School for Refugees

This March marked the fifth year of the Syrian crisis, which has displaced half of the country’s population. Here’s what one agency is doing to help the suffering population.

Neighbours to the World

George and Joan Eiszele of Tasmania understand what being a true neighbour means. Carole Stanton looks at this extraordinary couple.

From the Ashes

Just days after devastating fires ripped through rural Victoria, Adele Nash spoke with one family who'd lost everything. Almost.

The Dark Side of Onlyfans

The subscriber-only website is best known for its amateur pornography content. But, as people sell their naked photos for large sums of money, they’re also selling themselves short.

SUPER duper POWER

Which is worse, tyranny or anarchy? It's a question central to the conduct of human affairs in the context of global terrorism. Robert Wolfgramm takes a look at the options.

Violence: Will it ever end?

The 20th century was the most violent in history and the 21st promises to be just as bad. But the Bible holds out hope for a better future.

Church Prepares For Religious Freedom Roundtable

The debate over religious freedom has become an ideological battleground. The natural temptation is to raise the drawbridge and prepare for siege warfare. But it’s the wrong response.

Joy Amid Poverty

Oceans separate them, but they share the same hope.

Our Times: December 2005

A study conducted by the British Cheese Board claims that eating cheese before you go to bed will help you have a good night's sleep.

Tandem Ride Raises Funds for Teen Girls

. . . we even went into the local pub shaking our tin. When we got home we had $1500 just from the pub. It was an amazing feeling—people were so friendly

Wealth

Recent times have been marked with tumultuous financial happenings. Daniel Reynaud considers the implications.

Fears and Phobias

Where do you get your strength? Glenis Lindley discusses the thoughts that plague many of us.

Seeing Red or Blue

Which side are you on?

Right on Track

In an environment marred by alcohol and crime, a group of Aboriginal children are getting a shot at life.

Public fame, private shame

Should we judge public figures by their private behaviour? And, asks Mark Hadley, what does this dissection of others’ misdemeanours reveal about the darkness in our own hearts?

Rags to Riches

Living more with Darren Morton

Saving my assassin

“I should be dead,” says Virginia Prodan, “buried in an unmarked grave in Romania. Obviously, I am not. God had other plans.”

Looking for Hope

In different ways, all Australians have been affected by drought. Daniel Reynaud ponders the meaning of hope amid the dry.

Christians Unite Against Perseuction

Church groups in Australia are joining forces in an effort to raise awareness of the plight of Christians in the Middle East.

Alcohol Addiction

It is said that a glass of red wine a day is good for one's health. Clark Carr explores the truth behind the health myths of alcohol.

Review: God on My Side - Andrew Denton

In his first cinematic documentary excursion, God on My Side, Andrew Denton tackles a big topic

Violence in Schools

Debbie Cosier argues that society itself is to blame for the increasing occurrence of violent acts by children.

Honouring Those Who Served

"War is all hell," said US General William Tecumseh Sherman after the American Civil War, a battle which, less than 100 years after America's birth, threatened to rip the nation asunder.

No longer silent

In a country where women have to fight doubly hard for gender equality, Jacqueline Joseph, no longer silent, is trying to change the very fabric of society.

What Kind of Freedom

This poverty has many dimensions—low levels of education, lack of family planning, insufficient nutrition, inadequate housing, unsustainable agricultural approaches—each compounded by the devastation of natural disaster.

A Good Reason to Serve

Discover the biblical secret to raising well-adjusted children with Gary Hopkins' exploration of service as a strategy for preventing high-risk behaviors in youth, inspired by the teachings of Jesus.

Facing Facts: Understanding Domestic Violence

Adventist Record assistant editor Kent Kingston unpacks a few common beliefs about domestic violence.

No More Gaps

Have you ever felt alienated? Robert Wolfgramm explores the chasms that separate us.

How Attitudes Have Changed!

Pope Benedict's visit to Australia suggests a clear shift in thinking. Historian Arthur Patrick explains.

Workaholism

Is someone you know a workaholic? Could it be your boss, your spouse or even yourself? Sheila O'Connor explains how to deal with the situation.

Clean Water for Uma Tolu

What if you had to walk three kilometres just for a clean water drink?

Sudanese Refugees

In Melbourne's migrant zone, young people impact the lives of refugees.

Perfect Unemployment

It may come as a surprise, but the world's economy just might collapse if everyone was perfect.

Our Times: March 2006

In an attempt to get Austrian men to do a fairer portion of housework, one-day courses have been set up across the nation.

Do Justice

But what is “justice” and why compile a book about it?

The Church in the Attic

Harold Harker tells the story of a museum in Amsterdam that graphically portrays the tension between Catholics and Protestants in the Reformation era.

Segregated

Take a look at Australian history and delve into its racial prejudice and segregation.

How to Deal with the Fear of Terrorism

Fears have been running high for several months that jihadists returning from conflicts in Syria and Iraq would stage attacks at home.

Tonga Wrestles With Change

How does a calm pacific nation of Tonga break out into chaos? Robert Wolfgramm considers the cause to find peace.

Perfect One Day, Precarious The Next

Regardless of where they live, "getting by" on these Pacific islands is a struggle.

Something For Nothing

Loron Wade ponders the various forms of stealing that people participate in and how it affects the character.

Overheard: July 2016

Overheard a worthy food-for-thought quote? Share it at info@signsofthetimes.org.au.

Uncorked! Book Review

Uncorked! has stirred me to realise I have probably neglected my duty of care.

The feet of clay: European disUNION

Disunity again threatens the European Union (EU).

A Bed for the Homeless

From sewing miniature swags to winning prestigious awards, Jean Madden's journey reflects a deep commitment to the homeless, emphasizing community responsibility and sustainable charity initiatives

Our Times: May 2006

Long before government legislation to the effect, Signs has spoke in favour of a smoke-free lifestyle.

Keeping Hope Alive

Alison Atkinson-Phillips tries to find the truth and silver lining of hope behind the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Naked and Unashamed

We’ve seen people and marriages healed by the power of testimony and a willingness to be open—struck by the realisation they don’t need to struggle and suffer alone

Obsession about possessions

Consumerism threatens to destroy us and our world, warns Brendan Pratt. Here’s what we can do about it.

Balancing Rights

We are now seeing played out in the United States and Canada a triumphalist approach to the imposition of LGBT rights in which there are winners and losers, with the religious community being the obvious losers. Is Australia next?

The Pilgrims

The Pilgrims have over one million direct descendants in the United States. Harold Harker recalls their origins.

The Arab Revolt

Eric Webster looks at the current Arab revolt and discovers some lessons for all of us.

Our Times: October 2007

While Signs has been communicating with the world for more than 120 years, God has been doing so for thousands of years.

Overheard: August 2016

Overheard a worthy food-for-thought quote? Share it at info@signsofthetimes.org.au.

You can bet on it!

Problem gambling is becoming a problem for the whole society.

Fight Obesity in Kids

Obesity in childhood strongly predisposes to obesity in adulthood. Yet many parents are oblivious to the fact that their child is carrying around more than just puppy fat and they assume their child will simply grow out of it.

Be Fruitful and Multiply

Unpack the implications of a rapidly growing population on water resources, the resulting geopolitical tensions, and the biblical prophecies that frame these end-time signs.

A Different Plan

When I was a little girl, I would go stay at my grandmother’s house just to be away from home. My parents didn’t love one another.

A Pirates Life – Not for me

"Pirates who sail the seas aren't so different from the ones who slouch in front of screens. Both break the law and destroy lives . . ."

When Three's a Crowd

Lifeguide with counsellor Deanna Pitchford

The Terrorism Solution

Can techniques of nonviolence bring peace?

Our Times: March 2005

Apparently one kiss burns about three calories, while the saliva produced reduces plaque.

Godless nation?

More Aussies than ever say they’re not religious, but the evidence doesn’t show they’re hardcore atheists either, says Bruce Manners.

History Is What We Make It

Robert Wolfgramm reflects on the bicentennary of the abolition of slavery, which was marked by memorial services earlier this year.

The trouble with alcohol

When it comes to celebrating, we need less drinking and more thinking.

They are not alone

Women and girls are facing violence in Papua New Guinea. But, says Maritza Brunt, there’s hope . . .

Is Wine Fine?

To drink or not to drink? The answer is not as simple as one might think.

Along the Kokoda Track

From the heart of Kokoda's past, read how Seventh-day Adventist missionaries transformed a culture of warriors into one of loyalty and love, culminating in the heroic acts of the Papuan 'angels' in wartime.

The Battle Among Us

Is there an objective standard of right and wrong? Are the Bible's teachings on morality and ethics outdated and out of touch with the world of today?

Honesty

In a survey of Australian university students, more than eight out of 10 admitted cheating and copying the work of others.

Satisfaction in Action

A disaster can bring out the best in us, but it is sad that it often takes one to do so.

Giving Hope

Hope Stayz, a three-day program for disadvantaged women and their children hosted by Adventist Women Greater Sydney Conference.

The Spiritual Wounds of Abuse

More than 10 years of sexual abuse—at the hands of a "good Christian man", no less—is more than enough to distort one's picture of God. “I know God is good," says *Rachel. "I just haven't seen any of it."

WW-U-D

Jesus didn’t build ministry around the temple— He went to the people. Jesus was a friend of sinners. (Matt 11:19)

Hillary Clinton: Speaking up for Religious Freedom

The USA was founded, in part, as a place where there is freedom to worship as one pleased. The possible candidate for the US presidency asks, have attitudes changed?

Building the Future

Discovering what life is really like in Lebanon.

Our Times: April 2006

Current research has indicated that men and women are not as different as we may have thought.

How to cope with Christmas

With today's sometimes irregular family structures, the family Christmas isn't always ideal. Rita Mitios looks at what you can do to compensate.

Waiting for the doomsday disease

In light of Jesus’ statement that pestilences will be one of the signs that His return is near, where do epidemics fit in?

Teens and Alcohol

Helping young people make better choices for their lives

Belonging to a Family

Nihilism is the ultimate in despair, in which there is no hope, no future, no meaning, no values, no purpose, no God.

Buying a better world

They say money can’t buy happiness, but even a little has the potential to help thousands and address the inequalities of the world.

Help for those stuck in poverty

A community-based project is helping to improve the livelihoods of villagers in Myanmar.

ISIL and Christianity: not that different?

Terrorists see themselves as a prophetic movement that will bring on the apocalypse. Could they be right?

Living Her Dream

What do you do when family and society expect you to forgo an education to marry and bear children? One girl broke that tradition.

When drought hits home

Ashley Eisele reports on the impact that a shortage of food and water is having on one family in Africa—and what ADRA is doing to help.

Taking the Humbug out of Christmas Finances

Ebenezer Scrooge's three spirits of Christmas still live on if you let them. Gordon Botting suggests three ways to save money without losing spirit.

Escape from Nicaragua

This is the story of Freddy Zeledon, an Adventist refugee who fled Nicaragua.

Prayer, prostitutes and the power of love

"Women are built to be loved, especially through sex, and to have no love and just cold sex is very empty."

Remember

As nations commemorate their fallen soldiers in the wars of old, the world forgets a remembrance of a different kind.