Open House Interviews

By Hope Media

Religion & Spirituality Spirituality Christianity

What's Open House Interviews about?

"Looks at life through the lens of faith and points to hope”. Open House is a podcast that ran between 2007 and 2019, with hosts Sheridan Voysey, Leigh Hatcher, Dwayne Jeffries and Stephen O’Doherty, looking at local and world events, news, current affairs and spirituality from a Christian perspective.

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Open House Interviews episodes:

07.17.2019
Walking on the Moon with Charlie Duke – Open House Interview with Sheridan Voysey
Charlie Duke, 10th astronaut to walk on the Moon, speaks to Sheridan Voysey House about his experiences in space, and his Christian faith.
03.18.2019
Leather-Clad Preacher to Outlaws: John Smith (1942-2019)
John Smith, legendary Australian minister, commentator, activist and founder of the God’s Squad Motorcycle Club has died after a long battle with cancer.
12.21.2018
You Will Believe This Story Because It Has A Picture
People are more likely to believe a true or false claim if it is paired with a photograph, a researcher from The Australian National University (ANU) has found. Dr Eryn Newman, from the ANU Research School of Psychology, has been finding...
12.21.2018
No Road? No Problem! The 'Go Anywhere' Christians
Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF) are one of the busiest airlines in the world. A Christian registered charity they go where others, quite literally, fear to tread. Ian McDougall from MAF Australia Group told Open House about the incredible work the...
12.21.2018
Oh What A Year in the Canberra Bubble!
What a wild and crazy year in politics! The "Canberra bubble" has outdone itself. Rev Tim Costello, is a Baptist Minister and Ambassador at Large for World Vision Australia. He is also head of Christian justice and poverty action group group, Micah Australia....
12.21.2018
The Golden Thread Woven Into Every Life
Do you feel like you are barely holding on? Let the golden thread of God's presence be the calm on the other side of chaos. It could be that He is weaving a brilliant new beginning in the middle of...
12.21.2018
"Organ Tourism" Exposed In Shocking Report
Listen: Kevin Andrews in conversation with Stephen O’Doherty. A parliamentary inquiry has recommended that more be done to deter organ trafficking in Australia …
12.21.2018
The Simple Idea Saving Sick Babies In Nigeria
Oxygen is expensive and a scarce resource for health facilities in the developing world. By training staff in identifying the sick children who need oxygen the most, a Melbourne doctor has helped Nigerian hospitals halve the number of children dying...
12.21.2018
Soil Is So Very Much More Than Dirt
120 of the world’s best soil, health and agricultural scientists met recently in Sydney at a Global Soil Security conference. The scientists looked at how we can secure our soil for the centuries ahead while still feeding the billions of...
12.21.2018
Paris Riots, Brexit Angst; Welcome To 'New Europe'
Professor Tormey, from the University of Sydney, is an expert on European politics and populism. On Open House, he took us through the troubles facing French President, Emmanuel Macron, the bitter EU - UK divorce and why voters believe the...
12.21.2018
Blue Whale Songs Are Changing. It's Not Good News.
The songs of Blue Whales are changing and that is not good news. Scientists think the change is yet another sign of the impact of climate change on our environment. Researcher Dr Emmannelle Leroy explains why on Open House.
12.21.2018
We Need To Talk About Adoption
Adoption raises many sensitivities and concerns but it's time to talk about it. There are changes coming to adoption law in New South Wales and moves to make state laws more consistent across Australia. Two of Anglicare NSW's most experienced staff,...
12.20.2018
Dust Storms Another Sign Of Drought
After getting hit by a huge dust storm Open House got to wondering where all that soil actually came from. Emeritus Academic in soil science from ANU, Dr Richard Green told us it is another sign the drought is very...
12.20.2018
Researchers Worried About The Survival Of The Platypus
A national risk assessment has suggested platypus declines of up to 30% across its range since European settlement, with localised declines and extinctions increasingly reported. “We have great concerns about the future survival of this unique species,” says project leader...
12.20.2018
SRE Helps Children Understand Themselves And Othes
Professor Susan Rutland, Emeritus Professor of Religion from the University of Sydney spoke on Open House about her research on SRE. She says SRE is an import mechanism for children to find their identity and that to remove religion is...
12.20.2018
Sometimes The Good Guys Win
Caritas Australia ended the year on a high note with a win for civil society and Australian democracy. They have proved that 'sometimes the good guys win' with the success of a campaign they spearheaded to change the provisions of...
12.20.2018
Loot Boxes – The Worrying Crossover of Gaming and Gambling
Listen: Dr Marcus Carter in conversation with Stephen O'Doherty. An expert in gaming research warns that the 'loot boxes' in popular games are …
12.19.2018
War, What Is It Good For? – How Should Christians Deal With War?
War is a difficult topic. As Christians, are we bound to participate in war? Is there such a thing as a just war? Does God encourage us to wage war? Indeed, can we claim He is on our …
12.19.2018
Do My Grams Look Fat In The New Kilo?
Hold on to your hats! From next year there will be a metric makeover and the kilo will be defined by a number derived from Planck's Constant. So how can a number define mass? It is, as they say, complicated....
12.17.2018
Rivers of Mercy Oceans of Tears; Real Climate Impact In The Pacific
Caritas Australia has released the State of the Environment for Oceania 2018 Report, Waters of life, Oceans of Mercy. The report contains dozens of first-person accounts and stories relating to the impact of climate change on communities from Papua New Guinea and...
12.17.2018
Gold Rushes Were The Beginning Of Globalism
We think of globalisation as something that came about fairly recently but a new book argues that it has been going on for generations having first started with the great gold rushes of the 19th century that saw millions of...
12.17.2018
Catholics Act On Domestic Violence
"Australians, and especially the Catholic community, are challenged to respond to domestic violence by reporting violence and not being a bystander, communicating zero tolerance for violence and full support for victims, promoting healthy relationships, developing the capacity to respond appropriately...
12.17.2018
We are made for bliss. We are made for inner peace; Stasi Eldredge's Defiant Joy
We are all spending a lot of energy reaching for happiness, but never quite able to hang on to it. Real life happens, and our circumstances take us on an emotional rollercoaster ride. So when we hear the call to...
12.17.2018
Report Finds Worsening Intolerance Towards Religious Minorities
A report on religious persecution finds many faiths are under threat around the globe. Even in a country like Australia the right to Religious Freedom can no longer be taken for granted. Catholic agency, Aid to the Church In Need...
12.13.2018
Birth Of First Genetically Edited Humans An Ethical Minefield
The revelation that a Chinese researcher has edited the genes of twin girls shocked and stunned the world. Margo Somerville, Professor of Bioethics at the university of Notre Dame Australia discussed the ethical minefield this development opens.
12.12.2018
Coroner Offers A Valued Support Service After Suicide
If you are dealing with the suicide of a loved one, it is important to find support to make sense of what has happened, deal with your grief and learn how to live with your loss. On 'Open House' Colleen Fitzpatrick spoke with...
12.12.2018
Theresa May's Brexit Lament – "It's Just So Hard To Break Up with EU"
UK Prime Minister, Theresa May has surprised many with her calm, clear and statesman like rhetoric on the exit of the UK from the European Union - the divisive 'Brexit'.
12.12.2018
Indigenous Youth Suicide – Faith, Culture Pillars Of Strength
Listen: Sabrina-Ann Stevens in conversation with Stephen O'Doherty. The National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Catholic Council (NATSICC) is …
12.11.2018
Science of 'Blah, Blah, Blah' Has Deadly Mosquito's Blueprint
QIMR Berghofer scientists in Brisbane have helped map the genome of the potentially deadly Aedes aegypti mosquito. Dr Gordana Rasic delightfully calls the difficult parts "blah, blah, blah" when explaining to non-scientists how it is done.
12.11.2018
Deluge and Drought: Australia's Water Security in a Changing Climate
The future is now - experts warn climate change impacts are here now and urgent action is needed to rapidly reduce greenhouse emissions. A new Climate Commission report has sobering news. Co-author, Professor Lesley Hughes, spoke to Open House about...
12.10.2018
Mental Health at Work is More than Yoga and Fruit Bowls
The Productivity Commission will investigate the impact of mental health on the Australian economy and identify the ways workplaces can better support people living with mental health conditions. Mental health advocate, Lucy Brogden, says it is about time workplaces recognised...
12.05.2018
Religious Freedom Vote Delayed Until Next Year
A vote this year is now unlikely on controversial changes to the Sex Discrimination Act that would remove the ability of faith-based schools to expel LGBTI students. It means no sudden changes but leaves both sides of the debate uncertain...
12.03.2018
Rushed Bill Aiming to Protect LGBTI Students, Has Been Put on Hold
A bill aiming to protect LGBTI students, which Christian leaders fear could jeopardise religious freedom, has been put on ice in the Senate today.
11.30.2018
Indigenous Bible – "In our language, everything spiritual is opened.”
Imagine if you had never read or heard the message of the Bible in your own language? That is the reality for Australia’s Indigenous community. Although more than half of Indigenous people are Christians, very few have read or heard...
11.30.2018
Right Place, Right Time, For Beautiful Images Of Extreme Weather
Sometimes by accident, sometimes by design, professional and amateur shutterbugs vie each year for the honour of having their 'perfect storm' - or rainbow, cloud or wave - picked as a feature image on the annual Australian weather calendar. Meteorologist, Grace...
11.30.2018
Rohingya Repatriation Not the Great Idea You Might Think
Humanitarian and civil society agencies working in Rakhine State in Myanmar and in the Rohingya refugee camps in Bangladesh are deeply concerned about the planed repatriation of refugees back to Myanmar. Rohingya refugees have repeatedly expressed a great deal of...
11.30.2018
When The World Went To War, The Salvation Army Was There
In April 1915, at a little-known beach in Turkey named Gallipoli, two legends were created. The first was the courage of the Australian soldier: the second was the wartime service of the Salvation Army. On Open House Major Brett Gallager,...
11.29.2018
Hands of Homelessness
The charitable organisation Dignity is making a huge difference in preventing long term homeless for at risk individuals and families. Now 50 inspiring stories are told in a new book.
11.28.2018
How Issues of WWI Reverberate in Global Politics Today
Has the world changed a lot since WWI? Well, yes and no. Society, culture and technology have all advanced but some of the political issues that drove the world to the Great War are still apparent in global political tensions....
11.27.2018
What A Fine Mess Over Religious Freedom
Nothing short of principled leadership can now end the debacle that has become the debate over religious freedom rights in Australia, writes Open House host Stephen O'Doherty.
11.23.2018
George Francis WWII Veteran – "No Atheists In A Slit Trench"
George Francis enlisted for WWII at the age of nineteen and spent his twenty first birthday in New Guinea on the Owen Stanley Ranges. He talked on Open House about faith under fire and the importance of a positive approach...
11.15.2018
Flanders Poppies And The Evocative Power Of Simple Objects
Flanders poppies have a special connection with World War One. Imagine the surprise art restoration expert, Professor Robyn Sloggett, got when she opened a letter from a soldier on the Western Front and out fell dried and pressed poppies from...
11.15.2018
Tim Costello Has Never Seen America So Divided
Listen: Tim Costello in conversation with Stephen O'Doherty. Rev. Tim Costello has just returned from a visit to the United States. He told …
11.14.2018
A Forgotten Australian Response to the Horror of the 'Night of Broken Glass'
The heroism of William Cooper, a Yorta Yorta elder who protested Nazism, will be honoured as part of a massive multi-media commemoration on the 80th anniversary of Kristallnacht at the Australian Catholic University (ACU) in Fitzroy. Artistic and musical director...
11.14.2018
Creating a Habitat For Critters Is As Easy As "Adding Water"
AB Bishop has written a beautiful and practical guide to turning your garden into a habitat to attract native animals. She shares a wealth of advice and information in 'Habitat' including how to build places for all sorts of animals...
11.13.2018
Antisemitic Tone In New Testament Is Not The Message Of Jesus
Catholic theologian, Rev Dr Michael Trainor, warns Christians should understand the context of New Testament writings and that the anti semitic "Jews killed Jesus" tone arose from tensions between the Church and Synagogue when the stories were written down generations...
11.12.2018
Inspiring Young Pianist has music in his DNA
Arseny Tarasevich-Nikolaev made his public debut at nine and is an inspiring musical communicator. He is the grandson of famous Russian pianist Tatiana Nikolaeva who was a contemporary of Dmitri Shostakovich.
11.12.2018
Following US Killings, Jewish Leader Calls Out The Alt Right In Australia
Listen: Vic Alhadeff in conversation with Stephen O'Doherty. A shooting at the Pittsburgh Tree of Life synagogue left 12 dead and six injured, including …
11.11.2018
Brazil Elects the "Trump of the Tropics"
Brazil has just elected an extreme hardline conservative President who will take office on the 1st of January 2019. Dubbed the "Trump of the Tropics" Jair Bolsonaro is an ex-army captain who admires dictators, despises political correctness and has been...
11.10.2018
Australian Rushed To War In 1918 – An Impetuous Decision By Politicians In Election Mode
How did Australia decide to join what started as a far way European conflict? And why did they declare war on Germany 40 hours before Britain? Historian, Douglas Newton, told Open House that the offer of an expeditionary force...

What's Open House Interviews about?

Download our free app to listen on your phone

Open House Interviews episodes:

Walking on the Moon with Charlie Duke – Open House Interview with Sheridan Voysey

Leather-Clad Preacher to Outlaws: John Smith (1942-2019)

You Will Believe This Story Because It Has A Picture

No Road? No Problem! The 'Go Anywhere' Christians

Oh What A Year in the Canberra Bubble!

The Golden Thread Woven Into Every Life

"Organ Tourism" Exposed In Shocking Report

The Simple Idea Saving Sick Babies In Nigeria

Soil Is So Very Much More Than Dirt

Paris Riots, Brexit Angst; Welcome To 'New Europe'

Blue Whale Songs Are Changing. It's Not Good News.

We Need To Talk About Adoption

Dust Storms Another Sign Of Drought

Researchers Worried About The Survival Of The Platypus

SRE Helps Children Understand Themselves And Othes

Sometimes The Good Guys Win

Loot Boxes – The Worrying Crossover of Gaming and Gambling

War, What Is It Good For? – How Should Christians Deal With War?

Do My Grams Look Fat In The New Kilo?

Rivers of Mercy Oceans of Tears; Real Climate Impact In The Pacific

Gold Rushes Were The Beginning Of Globalism

Catholics Act On Domestic Violence

We are made for bliss. We are made for inner peace; Stasi Eldredge's Defiant Joy

Report Finds Worsening Intolerance Towards Religious Minorities

Birth Of First Genetically Edited Humans An Ethical Minefield

Coroner Offers A Valued Support Service After Suicide

Theresa May's Brexit Lament – "It's Just So Hard To Break Up with EU"

Indigenous Youth Suicide – Faith, Culture Pillars Of Strength

Science of 'Blah, Blah, Blah' Has Deadly Mosquito's Blueprint

Deluge and Drought: Australia's Water Security in a Changing Climate

Mental Health at Work is More than Yoga and Fruit Bowls

Religious Freedom Vote Delayed Until Next Year

Rushed Bill Aiming to Protect LGBTI Students, Has Been Put on Hold

Indigenous Bible – "In our language, everything spiritual is opened.”

Right Place, Right Time, For Beautiful Images Of Extreme Weather

Rohingya Repatriation Not the Great Idea You Might Think

When The World Went To War, The Salvation Army Was There

Hands of Homelessness

How Issues of WWI Reverberate in Global Politics Today

What A Fine Mess Over Religious Freedom

George Francis WWII Veteran – "No Atheists In A Slit Trench"

Flanders Poppies And The Evocative Power Of Simple Objects

Tim Costello Has Never Seen America So Divided

A Forgotten Australian Response to the Horror of the 'Night of Broken Glass'

Creating a Habitat For Critters Is As Easy As "Adding Water"

Antisemitic Tone In New Testament Is Not The Message Of Jesus

Inspiring Young Pianist has music in his DNA

Following US Killings, Jewish Leader Calls Out The Alt Right In Australia

Brazil Elects the "Trump of the Tropics"

Australian Rushed To War In 1918 – An Impetuous Decision By Politicians In Election Mode