“Word magic, ratchets, crybullies and deportment: a Christian field guide for public engagement”

This is the topic that John Steenhof, Managing Director and Principal Lawyer at the Human Rights Law Alliance, will be exploring at the Church and State Conference in Launceston, being held on 12 and 13 April 2024.

Drawing on real religious freedom court cases, John will provide some practical tips for Christians about how to engage faithfully and wisely in an increasingly anti-Christian culture. He will lay bare some of the dynamics that are currently operating in our culture in an effort to assist Christians navigate an increasingly hostile public square. 

John will discuss the gradual expansion of radical movements which often start as reasonable propositions (e.g. decriminalisation) but end up requiring celebration and even employing coercion. These movements rely on the fashioning of victim narratives and using victimhood as a cudgel against ideological opponents. 

In the wake of the Tasmanian election held last month, the conference will provide Christians with an opportunity to gather and ask themselves what they can do to make a positive contribution to the public square and policies which may hurt or help their neighbour.

Following on from the successful Church and State Summit held in Brisbane in March 2024, subsequent conferences in major cities being held around Australia will build on these discussions and the pressing issues facing Christians today.

John’s address at the Church and State Brisbane Summit 2024 can now be viewed online, as well as many other presentations from national and international speakers. The Brisbane talks can be accessed here, and registrations for the Launceston conference are open here.