Sight Special: 2008 - A Year in Review

Take a look at some of the features, interviews and essays we published in 2008. Just follow the link...  | more...|

FEATURED ARCHIVE: THE INTERVIEW - DAVID BATSTONE

This year, the world celebrates 200 years since the abolition of the legal slave trade in England. Why should we mark this anniversary?
“For two important reasons we should mark the abolition of the Trans-Atlantic slave trade 200 years ago. First, we should celebrate the occasion of a monumental achievement in our history. Secondly, in the midst of recounting our history, we can learn lessons that can be applied to our present social crisis of slavery of another kind. for instance, it helps us to understand how abolitionists used trade practices around sugar to use economic leverage.”

How extensive is the problem of slavery in the world today?
“I was first shocked to learn that the problem of slavery was so profound in my own country. The US government estimates that as many as 17,500 new slaves are transported into the usa each year. The total number of slaves in the US could be as many 200,000. Then I traveled to five continents and learned that more than 27 million individuals worldwide were in bondage and forced into labor. No country in the world is immune to human trafficking and forced labor, yet law enforcement and justice systems have not acted to challenge and undermine trafficking rings.”

Professor of Ethics at the University of San Francisco in the United States, David Batstone is the president of the slavery abolitionist group, the Not for Sale Campaign. Following a visit to Australia earlier this year, the world-renowned author, social commentator and activist spoke with DAVID ADAMS...  | more...|

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SIGHT SPECIAL - 2007 - A YEAR IN REVIEW

Click here to see some of the stories, people and issues that made Sight's 2007...

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SIGHT SPECIAL - 2006: A YEAR IN REVIEW. Click here to take a look at some of the people and issues Sight covered in 2006...

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SIGHT SPECIAL - 2005: A YEAR IN REVIEW: Take a look at some of the issues and people that we reported on during the past year... | more...|

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2003, click here

"(Within the church) I don’t think there’s an apathy in trying to work hard or build something or make something work but I think that when it comes to really trusting Jesus, for some reason we have just kind of subtly fallen into the belief that Christ alone is not sufficient; that we need Christ plus other things to help us or we’re not going to get it done; that God alone is not going to be enough to reach this culture. I’m in my forties but I’m finding guys younger than me are really trying to find some kind of method or program or strategy that will help them become the next Hillsong or something like that. God’s not always trying to build a Hillsong or a Times Square church, sometimes He wants the church to be 200 people that are really serving the community faithfully and reaching prisoners or homeless kids. God is very creative and has different callings on different lives."

    Gary Wilkerson, 47, is the son of renowned evangelist David Wilkerson (co-author of The Cross and the Switchblade, founder of Teen Challenge, pastor of New York's Times Square Church - the list goes on). In Australia to preach at a series of conferences with his father, Gary spoke with DAVID ADAMS...  | more...|

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'APPALLING' COST OF CONFLICT IN AFRICA EXPOSED IN OXFAM REPORT
The African economy is drained of as much as $US18 billion very year thanks to armed conflicts with as much as $US284 billion lost over the 15 years to 2005, according to new research released by Oxfam this week.
      The report - Africa’s Missing Billions - found that, on average, a war, civil war or insurgency shrinks an African economy by 15 per cent.
      “Armed violence is one of the greatest threats to development in Africa,” said Irungu Houghton, African policy advisor at Oxfam, who conducted the research with the backing of non-government organisations International Action Network on Small Arms and Saferworld. “The costs are shocking”.
       DAVID ADAMS reports... | more... |

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WHAT WAS THE HIGHLIGHT OF THE JESUS PRO-AM?

9th May, 2005

Pete Hunt is the media contact for the Christian Surfers competition, the Jesus Pro Am.

"There were many highlights of this year’s Jesus Pro Am: the incredible surfing, the great weather and waves that God blessed the event with (despite the forecast), the inspiring work of all the Christian Surfers crew and local church members, and more. However, probably the biggest highlight of the Jesus Pro Am for me was witnessing the name of Jesus proclaimed so boldly at my local beach, Cronulla. Cronulla is a very secular place at the best of times and to see even the ‘Jesus Pro Am’ banner or the Christian Surfers logos on the many tents at the event is a great thing. But the event went further. There was the win-a-surfboard competition, where entrants had to look up various verses from the Surfers Bible and then answer important questions about who the Bible says Jesus is and then who they thought he is. There were also the event commentators, who on regular occasions during their commentary explained to all within reach of the loud speakers who Jesus is and what He means to us as Christians. There was also the church service in the park behind the beach held on the Sunday by the Beachside Vineyard Christian Fellowship. And finally there was the Gospel presentation given by ‘Mousey’ during the presentation at the conclusion of the event, where the strong crowd of locals and competitors heard who Jesus is and what He has done for them through His death and resurrection. The Jesus Pro Am was truly a blessing for Cronulla."

Click here for an image gallery from the Jesus Pro Am...

For more information on Christian Surfers or the Jesus Pro Am, visit www.christiansurfers.org.au.

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