This week the government announced significant changes to Australia’s immigration policy.

Immigration minister Chris Evans says he “rejects the notion that dehumanising and punishing unauthorised arrivals with long-term detention is an effective or civilised response.”

As such, unauthorised arrivals will now be allowed to live in communities as their claims are processed, rather than be placed in detention. Mr Evans says the detention of unlawful arrivals should be the last option, rather that the first option – and that they will be detained, only if they are deemed a security risk.

What do you think about this shift? Is it about time? Do you think it’s taken too long for this to happen? Are you ashamed that thousands of people – who were later found to be genuine refugees – have been locked up in detention centres across Australia unnecessarily? Should these changes have been introduced much much earlier?

Mr Evans says “"Enormous damage has been done to our international reputation." Do you think this new policy will change that?

On the other hand, are you concerned, that national security could in some way be compromised through this new policy?

Chris is the CEO of a small publishing business, and to keep the business profitable, he needs to sack a staff member.

It just so happens that Chris is friends with everyone in the organisation, and counts the person who needs to be dismissed as a friend.

They've worked together for the last five years, and have lunch together from time to time (outside of work).

However he's in a role that Chris sees as dispensable when it comes to cutting costs in the business.

• Is it a question of business versus friendship? What comes first?
• If Chris does go down the path of sacking his friend, how should he break it to him?
• Will he start to resent the friendship if he keeps him on?
• Are there ways to avoid sacking someone when times are tough?

R.T Kendall says no matter where you are in life, God can still use you, even if you think you've stuffed up beyond all redemption. He'll join The Open House to discuss how God gives second chances.

Plus, is the era of food in super abundance coming to an end? Author Paul Roberts will share his thoughts on why he believes the world food industry is facing an imminent crisis.

Sadly, after producing tens and tens of quality Open House shows, our producer Kirsty is leaving us. So we're looking for someone passionate and talented to help Sheridan put together Australia’s leading Christian radio program on life, faith and culture.

You’ll be passionate about the intersection of Christian faith with everyday life and will have a background in journalism, radio producing, or significant media experience. You’ll need an ear for a good story, an eye for detail and the ability to think creatively.

The position is based in Sydney and is 30 hours per week.

If that’s you, then rush your resume to John O’Donnell asap!

Eric is being pressured by his family to move back home to Malaysia to work in the family business.

But he wants to stay in Australia and work when he finishes his university course in June next year. Here’s what he says:

“I have always wanted to live in Australia and find a job and live the life that I want. My parents on the other hand want me to work for the family business back in my hometown in Malaysia. I [originally] told mom that I wasn’t interested and she said that was ok. But recently, under dad's influence, mom is pressuring me to go back by constantly reminding me that working for the family business is the best option I have."

He says he is confused and not sure what to do. He wants to be happy on the one hand, but doesn't want to disappoint his family on the other. Should he do what his parents want him to do? Or forge his own career and stay in Australia?

Are you following the Olympics this year? Did you see the Opening Ceremony? The fireworks, drummers and floating Olympic rings? Are you excited about the Games? Did you see Stephanie Rice win gold? Did it make you feel proud to be Australian?

Or have this year’s games been tainted for you by the dissent that’s been levelled against China, because of its lack of regard for human rights?

A couple of days before the Games started, US President George Bush said in a speech in Bangkok that "America stands in firm opposition to China's detention of political dissidents, human rights advocates and religious activists.” But he also said he was in China for the sport, and not for politics.

What are this year’s Olympics about for you?

Where in the World is Osama  Bin Laden? (M)

Reviewer: Barry  Gittins

This quaint, often hilarious  little travelogue reminds us that Morgan Spurlock is a very funny guy who is  willing to do all sorts of things to himself (remember the McDonald’s-loving  doco Supersize Me?) to get his point across. 

Self-disclosure is again  the catalyst for Spurlock’s movie: his wife falls pregnant and the world as he  knows it—complete with al-Qaeda supremo, terrorist yet hero to some Muslims,  Osama Bin Laden—is not a safe place.  

In 1996, against his  wife’s better judgement, Spurlock trained up and got his injections before  whooshing around the world to track down Bin Laden to make the world a safer  place for the new bub. The ensuing phone conversations with ‘the missus’ back  home keep a sense of balance to Spurlock’s musings, and lend an emotional  authenticity to his stunts and visual treats.  

And the treats keep on  coming: apart from some fancy dress and the odd camel ride, Where in the  World offers video/computer games (you will gain a new respect for facial  hair), baseball card rankings of the baddies, and—the ultimate universal  deterrent to villains—country music.  

‘When you’re dealing  with something that is as incredibly heavy and dense as terrorism and bin  Laden,’ Spurlock opined about the film’s treatment of the subject matter, ‘I  think you need to take the gravity out of the situation. We see all the sadness  on the news every day. Is there a way where people can be entertained and still  get some information out there?  

‘I tried to make it fun  while at the same time trying to demystify this person that so many people look  up to. I really think if you can make someone laugh you can make someone  listen.’  

This premise allows for  a multitude of bizarre interviews and experiences (including a frenzied,  ramped-up ‘How to survive assault and abduction’ course) with folks in  Afghanistan, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Morocco, Pakistan, Palestine, Saudi Arabia  and the US.  

This reviewer found the  sentimental nature of the film, which could have been off-putting, actually  ingratiates itself to filmgoers because Spurlock is genuinely interested in the  lives and opinions of people he meets along the way.  

It’s as if Spurlock  wants to revisit the 1980s homily of singer/songwriter Sting; the Muslims, just  like the Russians during the Cold War, ‘love their children, too’.  

Mind you, there is no  lack of gravitas when called for: the movie’s most poignant scene comes when  Spurlock visits a bombed-out schoolroom a half-hour or so after the  attack.  

Spurlock, a very  charming man and shrewd filmmaker and documentarian, portrays himself as an  innocent hick abroad: sort of a ‘Mark Twain’ (two bob) short of a cunning  jihadi-hunter. 

His theme can be summed  up by the Elvis Costello track he deploys to great effect: What’s so funny about  peace, love and understanding? 

Rated M for conflict  themes and coarse language, Where In The World is a timely reminder that  the underlying problems of terrorism and hatred will not be resolved with the  death or capture of a single zealot. Barry Gittins

Highlight: Morgan  Spurlock’s much-shown capacity to find a common humanity with other  nationalities.

Red flag: A predictable  but somewhat lame end to the chase.

 
Open House film reviewer Barry Gittins is editor of On Fire magazine, and a regular reviewer for the Salvos' Warcry magazine: www.salvationarmy.org.au/warcry

The beliefs of Muslim extremists are well known, but what about other Muslims? Between 2001 and 2007 the Gallup Organisation conducted the largest survey of Muslims ever, incorporating tens of thousands of interviews across 35 countries. Who are the extremists? Where are the moderates? What do Muslims think of the West, and what do Muslim women want? We’ll get answers from the world’s leading expert on the Islamic world.

Plus the abandoned child who now leads one of the world’s best-known pro-family organisations—an inspiring story indeed.

“Our Longing for Intimacy”
Review of Sexuality and Holy Longing, Lisa Graham McMinn,

Kara Martin

There is so much talk about sexuality in our society; and so much concern about the impact of a more open attitude to sex. Lisa Graham McMinn is a Christian sociologist who opens up the topic of sexuality for honest and frank examination. She starts by widening the definition of sexuality to include anything that impacts on us as women and men. Ultimately, she believes sexuality is a longing God has placed in us for intimacy, for belonging. A longing can only be fulfilled by union with God.

She then talks about the brokenness in our society: the increasing availability of porn, unwanted pregnancies, the prevalence of sexually transmitted diseases, the attitudes to beauty that enslave women, the consumer attitudes toward desire that leads us to want instant gratification, and all the issues around infertility.

To illustrate her material, McMinn draws on anonymous responses from the students she has taught as a lecturer at Wheaton College and George Fox University in the United States. These sometimes painfully honest stories provide colour, and allow us to examine our own lives in their light.

Her main concern is the need for a healthy view of sexuality in our society; and this requires an understanding of ourselves as created by God, in God’s image. She points out that because of sin we will never have the “perfect” marriage; others will never meet totally our needs for intimacy; we may be prevented from feeling fulfilled sexually... Yet God can redeem the deeper needs for intimacy and belonging that lie underneath.

Part of this redemption involves taking our disappointments and frustrations to God. Another part is the actions of our faith communities in providing safe places to find healing and help. McMinn admits that it takes courage for churches to tackle issues of sexuality publicly; but that they are the best places for teaching about healthy relationships.

Her comments on celibacy are very helpful, focusing NOT on the negatives but on the positives. Celibacy helps us to focus on our calling, and enabling us to develop deep and meaningful relationships with both genders, and frees us to love widely and serve lavishly and focus on the needs of others, and frees us to use touch to nurture and affirm friends without compromising integrity.

She also warns churches to beware over-emphasising marriage, thereby marginalizing the increasing number of singles in our society and congregations. Churches may also focus too much on children, causing much hurt to those struggling with issues of infertility. What is needed is openness to all the ways we struggle with broken sexuality.

In her writing Lisa Graham McMinn is honest and forthright, yet sensitive and affirming. She combines the research of an academic with the insights of a theologian and the compassion of a mother. Her goal is to encourage us to be authentic and vulnerable in our search for intimacy, recognizing that ultimately our desire is to be one with God; but in the meantime we can still experience the limited abundance of what it means to be created women and men, and catch a glimpse of the fulfillment yet to come.

Open House book reviewer KARA MARTIN is a lecturer with Macquarie Christian Studies Institute (www.mcsi.edu.au), and an avid reader and book group attendee.

Sharon is 31 and has just had her first baby, a little girl called Jessica.  Jessica is now 3 months old and has been showered with gifts from all Sharon’s friends and relatives, not to mention her parent’s friends and even her husband’s work colleagues. 

Sharon really appreciates all the attention, but she’s wondering what to do with all the presents.  Jessica already has more teddy’s than she could ever need, and more baby clothes than she can wear.

Her dilemma is this:  instead of using all the clothes and toys once or twice, would it be better to keep the labels on some of them and give them away new, either to friends or to charities?  Or is it better to use them, and then pass them on when they’re no longer needed?   It seems like a waste for one child to have so much, but then, you don’t want to offend the gift giver who may have put a lot of thought and love into choosing that gift.  What would you do?

• Is it OK to give away a gift that someone has given you?
• Do you think it’s better to give the goods to charity while they’re still in new condition rather than waiting until they’re worn out?
• How would you feel if you were one of Sharon’s friends and you found out your present for Jessica ended up at The Smith Family or Vinnies?
  

We all know that smoking is bad for us, we’ve seen all the graphic images, we’ve heard it all before… but people keep smoking.  During the Olympics a new TV commercial is running in NSW, targeting hard-core smokers.  The ad uses the line, ‘Everybody knows’  (as in ‘yeah-yeah, we all know about this’) while showing really graphic images of the damage that smoking does.  Do these ads work?  If you’re a smoker, does it make you want to give up?  If you’re not a smoker, does it make you more determined not to take it up?  I’d particularly love to hear from you if you’ve given up smoking in the past.  How did you kick the habit?  Did these kinds of ads play any role in your decision?

80% of smokers take up smoking in their teenage years.  Did you smoke as a teenager?  Why is smoking so attractive to teenagers?  If you’re a teenager, is smoking still cool among your peers?

The dangers of smoking in pregnancy are well-known, but a new study has shown that smoking thoughout one pregnancy can have a follow-on effect on future babies - even if you give up smoking in the meantime.  How hard is it for pregnant women to give up smoking?  Have you had to give up smoking because of pregnancy?  Were you able to do it?

Is the universe inherently meaningful or meaningless? This week we journey through the principles of geometry, the periodic table and even Shakespeare’s plays to find an answer. According to Ben Wiker, our special guest this week, the simplest cell, great works of art and our ability to comprehend all makes this a most amazing world.

We’ll continue our crash-course in Christianity, and talk to the Harvard researchers who’ve found that good guys really do win in the end!

Wendy is a 36 year old occupational therapist.  She’s been going out with her boyfriend, Jonathon, for a year and a half.  They’re both Christians, and they enjoy spending time together.  All Wendy’s friends and family really like Jonathan and hope they will get married.  Jonathon is crazy about Wendy and wants to marry her, but Wendy is a bit unsure.  She cares about Jonathan and thinks he’s a really good guy, but she doesn’t have gushy romantic feelings for him.  Her heart doesn’t pound when they kiss, and she’s not thinking about him all the time.   Wendy’s question is this: do you need the ‘in love’ feelings to make a marriage work, or is a strong friendship more important?

• How reliable are those ‘in love’ feelings?  Some people fall in and out of love every second week?  Do those feelings really mean anything? 
• Being in love can help you to overlook a person’s faults or bad habits… is that a positive thing in a marriage, or does it lead to incompatible partnerships?
• Can the feelings of being ‘in love’ really last anyway, or do they fade over time?
• If you’re not in love with your husband or wife, would that leave you more vulnerable to falling in love with someone else?

Abortion is an issue that brings out heated emotion on both sides. But even some pro-choice advocates have recognised the inherent cruelty of late-term abortions. At the moment, it is possible for Medicare Funding to be used on late-term abortions, but Tasmanian Senator Guy Barnett wants to change that. His aim is to eliminate all Medicare Funding for abortions performed in the second trimester of pregnancy - from 14 to 26 weeks. 

Senator Barnett's move comes as the Victorian Parliament soon debates a bill to decriminalise abortion in Victoria. This bill actually makes it quite easy to access late term abortions. 

It’s a difficult topic to discuss and one that can be quite distressing, but it’s a conversation we need to have. 

What do you think about Medicare funding being used for late-term abortions?  Do you agree with Senator Barnett that tax-payer dollars should not be used for that purpose?  Or could there be some circumstances where it’s for the best?

Do you think we provide enough support for women experiencing unwanted pregnancies?  Would women make different choices if they had more support?

If you’ve experienced an unplanned pregnancy then you may have found yourself in this terrible position.  What decision did you make and how do you feel about it now?  If you had your time again, would you do the same?

Leave your comment below.

For Information on the Bills:

www.guybarnett.com
www.makeastand.org.au

Do you need help to deal with an unplanned pregnancy?

Options Plus Care, Pregnancy Counselling Service, Victoria
Ph: (03) 9794 8922 for 24 hour counselling.

Lilly House offers accommodation and assistance for women in Queensland
Ph: (07) 4954 9693

Mercy Ministries
www.mercyministries.com.au
1800 011 537

Do you need help dealing with post-abortion grief?

Rebecca’s Vineyard Retreat
www.rachelsvineyard.org.au
1800 063 510

For years Anne Rice was the queen of dark supernatural stories, the atheist behind Interview With A Vampire and other well-known books. So why, with 100 million books in print, is she now writing about Jesus? This week hear Anne Rice talk about career, creativity and conversion.

Plus, the reunion story that will move you deeply, and our crash-course in Christianity continued.