Towards Understanding

In July 2011 Gloria Anderson was abducted from her home in Melbourne by a boarder she had allowed to stay in a granny flat on her property. During this time, Gloria was mocked for her faith, and she endured severe physical torture while praying constantly. After escaping, she now dedicates herself to advocating for legal reform and helping others who have experienced similar traumatic events. She helps provide much needed practical items such as clothes, toiletries etc to those who have just gone through traumatic events. She head's up the organisation Thinking Of You - From One Survivor To Another.

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Dr. Amy Orr-Ewing is an international author, speaker and theologian who addresses the deep questions of our day with meaningful answers found in the Christian Faith. Amy chats with Clayton about why we can trust the Bible, where to start if you are exploring Christianity, where to start if you want to best share your Christian faith and why she is so passionate about female leadership in Christian conversations around faith.

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Petr Jašek, a Christian humanitarian worker and Czech national, spent 445 days in a Sudanese prison. After being falsely accused and convicted of espionage and treason, among other charges, he was sentenced to life in prison before eventually being pardoned by Sudan's president.  Petr tells his story of being in a jail cell with ISIS members who made his time hell on earth.  Petr is now the global ambassador for The Voice of the Martyrs.

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Rebecca McLaughlin is the author of Confronting Christianity: 12 Hard Questions for the Worlds largest religion. If Christianity is really true - it should be able to stand up to some tough questions.  Rebecca discusses some of the most common and curly questions of Christianity.

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Simon is Executive Director of the Centre for Public Christianity. A former English and History teacher, Simon has a Masters in Christian Studies.  He talks about whether it is the 'End of Men' in society and faith.  Simon provides a thought provoking and articulate argument to continue good healthy conversation around this topic.

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Since becoming Australia’s first MasterChef in 2009, Julie Goodwin has become a household name. She has had many roles since then including radio and tv host, writer and speaker and also advocate for conversations around mental health. Julie shares openly with Clayton about her journey with mental health and the opportunity she sees in sharing her story. Julie has recently released the book Your Time Starts Now.

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Based in Lebanon, Wissam Nasrallah is COO at Thimar – a partner of Baptist World Aid Australia, who is working with local communities and churches to help the poorest of the poor and the huge number of refugees coming into Lebanon. 

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Clare has worked for over a decade in Christian ministry, focusing on strategic leadership that enables churches to better serve their communities. As Compassion Australia CEO, she is excited to see churches and Christians around the world empowered to release children from poverty in Jesus’ name. In light of The International Day for the Eradication of Poverty this week, Clare chatted to Clayton about the role of the Church in justice and exploring how Christians can actively participate in addressing poverty and injustice.

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In Unfailing Love, Georgia Morris shares hard-won truths of her dependence on God to fight her battles. Those who have family members or friends suffering with mental illness or going through trying times in a family relationship will be encouraged by this story of a woman who learned that God was faithful to carry her through. Georgia's husband began exhibiting unusual symptoms of behaviour on their honeymoon. She shares how he controlled every aspect of her life, cut her off from her family and friend. Her coping mechanism became a total dependence on God as the mental and physical abuse escalated and her husband was diagnosed with manic depression at first, then schizophrenia, and was often hospitalized. 

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Melissa Lipsett is the CEO of Baptist World Aid. She believes leadership matters, and so does the call of God on our lives. She is an outspoken advocate for the poor, for inspiring not just international action but also local action. Melissa also holds dearly to the importance of hearing women’s voices and empowering them to use their God given gifts and graces for the sake of our world.

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