“We've had a sad and terrible event,” read the brief, stark email from Bishop Pie Ntukamazina of the Episcopal Church of Burundi to friends around the world in the wake of last month's massacre of 159 Congolese refugees sleeping in a border camp in Burundi by rebel forces. Five pastors were among the dead, according to reports.

“Our world is ruined by the sinfulness of man. [The drought is] a powerful reminder that we're not in control.” So believes the Deputy Prime Minister, John Anderson. The farmer and Christian joined a chorus of prayers for drenching rain last month. “This drought is as serious as we've ever had in Australia…there is enormous social stress,” he told a crowd of hundreds at St Andrew's Cathedral.

Community leaders have paid tribute to Canon Howard Dillon after retiring last month as Executive Director of Anglicare. It is a position he has held since 1996.

Church authorities in Western Australia have temporarily lifted a ban on primary school scripture material from Sydney's Anglican Youthworks. The turnaround follows a review last month that found many teachers are unhappy with the approved syllabus, Religion in Life, and want to keep using the Youthworks Connect resource in the classroom.

Controversial new guidelines that will keep known sex offenders within church congregations were revealed by Sydney Diocese's Professional Standards Unit Director, Philip Gerber, at a meeting hosted by the NSW Provincial Media Commission last month.

Federal Minister for Education Brendan Nelson admits he does not read his Bible regularly, mainly doing so when times are tough, and regrets that others do not as well.

It was a cold Monday, the night of August 9, and the clock had just struck 10pm. It was the end of an exhaustive debate at a special meeting of Sydney's Standing Committee, and a consensus had finally been reached. No law would be introduced at Synod allowing lay people the right to administer the Lord's Supper.

The Marriage Amendment Bill 2004 was passed in the Senate on 13 August by a vote of 38 to six, nine days after the Great Hall at Canberra's Parliament House overflowed with more than 1000 Christians, politicians, academics and concerned community members who gathered to express their support for ‘traditional' marriage.