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Insights
@insightsmag.bsky.social
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Insights - the magazine of the Uniting Church offers daily news and views on culture and theology, aiming to inform, engage, and build community. Find out more at insights.uca.org.au
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insightsmag.bsky.social
For Christians, the Bible isn’t merely a sacred text among others. It’s the inspired witness to God’s self-revelation in Jesus Christ: the Word through whom all words find their meaning.

Read On: www.insights.uca.org.au/how-the-bibl...
How the Bible Shapes Christian Discipleship and Spirituality
There are few things more radical than believing that the living God speaks: still, now, through words on a page. Compared with the views of our age, it’s an astonishing conviction to believe that the...
www.insights.uca.org.au
November 24, 2025 at 11:52 PM
insightsmag.bsky.social
Episode four ‘Please Carol’ pushes Carol (Rhea Seehorn) further into her interrogation of the hive-mind now that she has confirmed they cannot lie.

Read Our Recap of Episode 4 of Plur1bus: www.insights.uca.org.au/plur1bus-epi...
Plur1bus Episode 4: The Cost of Truth
Episode four ‘Please Carol’ pushes Carol (Rhea Seehorn) further into her interrogation of the hive-mind now that she has confirmed they cannot lie. A calm conversation with Larry, one of the hive’s re...
www.insights.uca.org.au
November 24, 2025 at 11:49 PM
insightsmag.bsky.social
A24’s film Eternity places you in a world that asks questions about life, love, and what lasts beyond death. The story follows Joan (Elizabeth Olsen), who arrives in the afterlife to discover she has one week to decide where to spend eternity.

Read On: www.insights.uca.org.au/choosing-for...
Choosing Forever: Faith and Love in the New A24 Film Eternity
A24’s film Eternity places you in a world that asks questions about life, love, and what lasts beyond death. Directed by David Freyne, the story follows Joan (Elizabeth Olsen), who arrives in the afte...
www.insights.uca.org.au
November 24, 2025 at 11:47 PM
insightsmag.bsky.social
The Bible is a pretty hot property at the moment with the character-based drama of The Chosen, the fantasy stylings of House of David, and the modern-day dystopian take of Acts in Testament.

Read On: www.insights.uca.org.au/the-promised...
“The Promised Land” Finds Holy Humour in the Wilderness of Faith
The Bible is a pretty hot property at the moment with the character-based drama of The Chosen, the fantasy stylings of House of David, and the modern-day dystopian take of Acts in Testament.  They all...
www.insights.uca.org.au
November 21, 2025 at 11:19 PM
insightsmag.bsky.social
Episode 3 of Plur1bus titled “Grenade” opens by deepening the isolation of Carol Sturka (Rhea Seehorn) who remains the un-joined individual in a world now subsumed by the hive-mind.

Read On: www.insights.uca.org.au/plur1bus-epi...
Plur1bus Episode 3 Turns Loneliness into Defiance
Note: This commentary contains spoilers for Episode 3 of Plur1bus Episode 3 of Plur1bus titled “Grenade” opens by deepening the isolation of Carol Sturka (Rhea Seehorn) who remains the un-joined indiv...
www.insights.uca.org.au
November 21, 2025 at 11:18 PM
insightsmag.bsky.social
That is a serious milestone. 1 billion Bibles, downloaded on digital devices around the world. Hebrews 4:12 says, ‘Indeed, the word of God is living and active…’, and that is exactly what was celebrated at this ‘Beyond a Billion’ event.

Read On: www.insights.uca.org.au/one-of-bigge...
One of Biggest Global Christian Events Ever Happened This Week
At noon. On a Tuesday. The reason? Well, a mobile app hit a milestone.Okay, you may think, ‘well that doesn’t seem like a good enough reason to create a global Christian event!’ But actually, it is. T...
www.insights.uca.org.au
November 21, 2025 at 11:17 PM
insightsmag.bsky.social
Sitting across from Dr Daniel Widdowson, it becomes clear that reconnecting is not just the first step of our conversation, but one of the very actions his new book encourages.

Read On: www.insights.uca.org.au/humanity-isn...
Humanity Isn’t Dead: A Conversation with Dr Daniel Widdowson
Sitting across from Dr Daniel Widdowson, it becomes clear that reconnecting is not just the first step of our conversation, but one of the very actions his new book encourages. It has been years since...
www.insights.uca.org.au
November 17, 2025 at 10:04 PM
insightsmag.bsky.social
If you have heard any of the rhetoric that has come out of the manosphere, one of the common threads is the idea that women in the 1950’s were real women.

Read On: www.insights.uca.org.au/should-we-id...
Should We Idolise the Fifties?
Note: This analysis contains spoilers for Lessons in Chemistry and The Marvelous Mrs Maisel. It also raises issues of sexism, misogyny and assault. If you have heard any of the rhetoric that has come ...
www.insights.uca.org.au
November 17, 2025 at 6:35 AM
insightsmag.bsky.social
Apple TV’s Plur1bus begins with an unnerving paradox: a world unified in perfect happiness, and one woman left outside that joy.

Read Our (spoliery) Commentary on Eps 1 & 2: www.insights.uca.org.au/out-of-many-...
Out of Many, One: Faith and Disconnection in Plur1bus
Note: This commentary on the first two episodes of Plur1bus contains spoilers. Apple TV’s Plur1bus begins with an unnerving paradox: a world unified in perfect happiness, and one woman left outside th...
www.insights.uca.org.au
November 17, 2025 at 6:23 AM
insightsmag.bsky.social
The masculinity movement is now an entire industry with books, seminars, and speakers. The movement has grown up around notions of “biblical manhood,” but in reality, it reinforces worldly ideas of masculinity and femininity.

Read On: www.insights.uca.org.au/lets-stop-ta...
Let’s Stop Talking about Masculinity and Start Talking about Discipleship
The masculinity movement is now an entire industry with books, seminars, and speakers. The movement has grown up around notions of “biblical manhood,” but in reality, it reinforces worldly ideas of ma...
www.insights.uca.org.au
November 17, 2025 at 6:22 AM
insightsmag.bsky.social
Hospitality is not presented as an optional extra for those who enjoy entertaining. It is a core practice of Christian witness. To open your home, your table, and your heart is to reflect something of God’s welcome.

Read On: www.insights.uca.org.au/hospitality-...
Hospitality as a Form of Witness
When Paul wrote to the church in Rome, he gave a list of simple but profound instructions for Christian living. Among them was this command: “Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hos...
www.insights.uca.org.au
November 10, 2025 at 2:06 AM
insightsmag.bsky.social
Based on a true story, Roofman (2025) brings together Channing Tatum and Kirsten Dunst in a quietly gripping drama about crime, isolation, and unexpected grace.

Read our review of Roofman: www.insights.uca.org.au/a-story-of-g...
A Story of Grace Beneath the Rubble
Based on a true story, Roofman (2025) brings together Channing Tatum and Kirsten Dunst in a quietly gripping drama about crime, isolation, and unexpected grace. Directed by Derek Cianfrance (Blue Vale...
www.insights.uca.org.au
November 10, 2025 at 2:03 AM
insightsmag.bsky.social
Zohran Mamdani didn’t just defeat former Governor Andrew Cuomo by 180,000 votes but he also made history as the first Indian-American, Ugandan-American, Muslim, millennial, second democratic socialist, and youngest mayor since 1892 to hold office in NYC.

www.insights.uca.org.au/zohran-mamda...
The Making of New York City’s Youngest and Most Diverse Mayor
If you’ve scrolled through social media in the past few days, you’re no stranger to the name Zohran Mamdani. And rightly so as he made global headlines by being chosen to be the newly elected Mayor of...
www.insights.uca.org.au
November 6, 2025 at 11:16 PM
insightsmag.bsky.social
Maybe I have just been living under a rock, but in the last few years I have been appalled to realise just how common it is to use the word “alien” to describe immigrants.

Read On: www.insights.uca.org.au/immigration-...
Immigration, Conspiracy and Fractured Culture in Yorgos Lanthimos’ Bugonia
Maybe I have just been living under a rock, but in the last few years I have been appalled to realise just how common it is to use the word “alien” to describe immigrants. It is such an explicitly deh...
www.insights.uca.org.au
November 5, 2025 at 11:23 PM
insightsmag.bsky.social
Resident Alien is a comedic exploration of how an alien, tasked with killing all human life, crash lands on earth and has to disguise himself as a human to fulfil his mission. The alien becomes the local small-town doctor, Harry Vanderspeigle.

Read On: www.insights.uca.org.au/reflecting-o...
Reflecting on Humanity with Resident Alien
Note: This analysis contains spoilers for Resident Alien. Resident Alien is a comedic exploration of how an alien, tasked with killing all human life, crash lands on earth and has to disguise himself ...
www.insights.uca.org.au
November 5, 2025 at 11:22 PM
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makenakelly.bsky.social
Zohran Mamdani's Campaign Figured Out How to Channel Fandom

The Zohran Mamdani campaign ran a competent social media program, yes. But it's the fandom it fostered that transformed Mamdani into a digital (and IRL!) phenomenon.

More here:

www.wired.com/story/zohran...
Zohran Mamdani's Campaign Figured Out How to Channel Fandom
Much of the content about Mamdani online hasn't come from his campaign, or the dozens of political influencers invited to cover it. It's also come from fans.
www.wired.com
November 5, 2025 at 6:25 PM
insightsmag.bsky.social
Derrickson is also perhaps one of the busiest directors at the moment with the sequel to his hit Black Phone out now in cinemas and his effects driven action blockbuster The Gorge on Apple TV.

Read On: www.insights.uca.org.au/scott-derric...
Scott Derrickson: A Christian Director Quietly Reshaping Hollywood
Scott Derrickson is an odd fit for the tidy categories Hollywood likes to sell. He’s the man behind mainstream, effects-driven fare such as Doctor Strange (2016) and tough, intimate horror like The Ex...
www.insights.uca.org.au
November 5, 2025 at 11:20 PM
insightsmag.bsky.social
When Jesus said, “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you” (Matthew 5:44), he was calling his followers into a way of life that feels almost impossible. It is easy to love those who show kindness.

Read On: www.insights.uca.org.au/the-challeng...
The Challenge of Loving Difficult People
When Jesus said, “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you” (Matthew 5:44), he was calling his followers into a way of life that feels almost impossible. It is easy to love those who sho...
www.insights.uca.org.au
October 28, 2025 at 6:00 AM
insightsmag.bsky.social
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has announced that ChatGPT will soon allow adult-oriented content for verified users, describing the change as an effort to “treat adults like adults” while maintaining safeguards for minors.

Read On: www.insights.uca.org.au/altman-defen...
Altman Defends Plan to Introduce Adult Mode in ChatGPT, Sparking Debate Over AI Boundaries
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has announced that ChatGPT will soon allow adult-oriented content for verified users, describing the change as an effort to “treat adults like adults” while maintaining safeguard...
www.insights.uca.org.au
October 28, 2025 at 5:59 AM
insightsmag.bsky.social
In some corners of the church, empathy is treated with suspicion. Critics argue that it makes us vulnerable to manipulation or risks replacing truth with sentiment. They say that empathy can slide into permissiveness, blurring moral clarity.

Read On: www.insights.uca.org.au/the-wounds-t...
The Wounds That See: Empathy Shaped by the Cross
In some corners of the church, empathy is treated with suspicion. Critics argue that it makes us vulnerable to manipulation or risks replacing truth with sentiment. They say that empathy can slide int...
www.insights.uca.org.au
October 28, 2025 at 5:58 AM
insightsmag.bsky.social
Dry seasons in faith are real. They can be quiet, unsettling, and sometimes frightening. Prayer feels empty. Worship songs don’t move you.

Read On: www.insights.uca.org.au/trusting-god...
Trusting God in the Silent Seasons
Dry seasons in faith are real. They can be quiet, unsettling, and sometimes frightening. Prayer feels empty. Worship songs don’t move you. Reading the Bible feels like reading any other book. And yet,...
www.insights.uca.org.au
October 28, 2025 at 5:56 AM
insightsmag.bsky.social
Upload is a cutting and thought-provoking science fiction comedy, where in the near future, 2033, people can have their consciousness uploaded into a virtual, digital afterlife.

Read On: www.insights.uca.org.au/the-ethics-o...
The Ethics of a Digital Afterlife
Note: This analysis contains spoilers for Upload. Upload is a cutting and thought-provoking science fiction comedy, where in the near future, 2033, people can have their consciousness uploaded into a ...
www.insights.uca.org.au
October 28, 2025 at 5:53 AM
insightsmag.bsky.social
Seventeen years later, The Newsroom's core question feels more urgent than ever: what is the purpose of journalism in a world where outrage sells and truth is negotiable?

Read On: www.insights.uca.org.au/the-newsroom...
The Newsroom 17 Years On: Truth, and the Call to Integrity
When Aaron Sorkin’s The Newsroom first aired in 2012, it imagined a world where journalism could resist the pull of ratings and speak honestly to the public. Jeff Daniels’ Will McAvoy wasn’t chasing v...
www.insights.uca.org.au
October 14, 2025 at 5:38 AM
insightsmag.bsky.social
The question is urgent: how do we find the off-ramp? How do we step away from the cliff edge and turn toward life again?

Read On: www.insights.uca.org.au/pulling-back...
Pulling Back from the Brink: A Spiritual Path Beyond Toxic Politics
The air feels charged with anger. Outrage spreads like fire through our feeds. Families split across political lines, friends grow suspicious, neighbors draw the curtains. In many Western nations, dem...
www.insights.uca.org.au
October 14, 2025 at 5:36 AM
insightsmag.bsky.social
We hear people say they “know” what they believe. But the truth is, many of us live with questions, hesitations, and struggles that don’t always fit into neat answers. Doubt is part of the journey of faith, not the end of it.

Read On: www.insights.uca.org.au/the-role-of-...
The Role of Doubt in a Growing Faith
Faith is often spoken of as certainty. We hear people say they “know” what they believe. But the truth is, many of us live with questions, hesitations, and struggles that don’t always fit into neat an...
www.insights.uca.org.au
October 14, 2025 at 5:34 AM