Australia’s Largest Christian News Site

At the Aspire conference, speakers urged Australians to rediscover the Christian foundations of Western freedom, warning that courage, moral clarity, and faith are essential to preserving a cohesive society.

“Britain is a Christian country. But if the people of Britain don’t start acting like it, it will soon become an Islamic one.”

These are the words of excommunicated British theologian Aaron Edwards.

For those new to his story, Edwards was booted from his bible college for stating biblical truth back in 2023.

His alleged faux pas was using social media to criticise the Anglican church’s move towards blessing same sex “marriages”.

Edwards is on the other end of the cancel culture stick.

As a father of five, he knows firsthand the cost of courage in the face of being told, “The Spirit of Truth is no longer welcome here.”

So, when he writes something like, “Semi-skimmed decaf Christianity won’t cut it anymore. It never did,” I think the entire Western world should listen.

Rediscovering the Christian Roots of Western Freedom

Edwards would fit in well with Aspire.

The 700-strong Australian conference is FORM Australia’s latest project.

It has the support of John Anderson’s Media group and just platformed some of the country’s best “culture war” conscripts.

Edwards would applaud conscripts such as Sall Grover, who is being forced to fight for her rights because they’ve been squashed by yet another LGBTrans inclusion inquisition.

Our British friend would no doubt also applaud Human Rights Law Alliance’s John Steenhof.

Steenhof spoke intently about reawakening the Western consciousness to the Christian roots of Western traditions.

A cohesive, free society can only thrive under the government of Christ the Saviour, he effectively said.

Westerners, Steenhof seemed to argue, need to remember the reasons our forebears put God over government.

They understood the regression that comes from viewing the government as god.

For example, Steenhof said,

“Like the prodigal son in the Biblical Parable, Australia has taken the father’s inheritance, rejected the Father and partied in a far-off country, and it’s about to run out of money.”

Australia has forgotten that the uniqueness of Christianity gave Western societies the foundation for human dignity, freedom, and the “spiritual vigour” to live it out loudly.

Connected here is the judicial system, which governs relationships. This is founded on God’s created order, received through God’s objective Word, and lit up by God’s objective morality.

Courage in a Culture of Cancellation

For Steenhof, savagery will not be solved by surrendering to safetyism.

Safetyism cannot save social cohesion.

Cohesion requires moral clarity and the shared continuity of Christian community passed on carefully between generations.

The glue holding the Western tradition together isn’t globalism, “it’s the democratic and Christian tradition.”

Steenhof then called those in attendance to embrace this rich inheritance boldly because, as the great Bob Dylan said, “you’ve gotta serve somebody.”

This year’s Aspire speakers included dignitaries such as climate realist Steve Koonin, Peter Costello, theologian Os Guinness, Sir Niall Ferguson, and Tony Abbott.

Offering further insight, Binary spokeswoman Kirralie Smith said Aspire gathered over 200 young Australians.

The two-day conference covered the intersection between faith and politics, civics and culture, freedom and law.

Steenhof’s call to courage in the face of a culture hellbent on deconstructing itself into oblivion was one of many.

“There were many calls to speak up, be courageous and hold the line,” Smith wrote in an email reviewing the event.

“As I listened and connected with other attendees,” she said, “I felt greatly encouraged.

“Not so much by the speakers, but by the ordinary, everyday Aussie who is engaged and already has their boots on the ground.”

“When you share information, raise awareness, stand up in your workplace, raise resilient children, serve your community, you are doing exactly what it takes to turn this country around.”

This, Smith reflected, “fills me with great hope!”

“Sometimes I feel very alone, as I know many of you do as well,” she added.

“But we are not.”

“More and more Australians are waking up every day to these threats and are drawing a line in the sand.”

To paraphrase Aaron Edwards, whose words precisely align with Aspire’s Steenhof speech,

Only “Christian virtue, law, and culture as an outworking of genuine Christian faith, will make Australia exceedingly great again.”