In a bid to develop a ‘community of people thinking about moral and ethical issues which face Australian society’, the Centre for Christian Living (CCL) was launched at a special open night on February 14.

CCL Director, Andrew Cameron describes the new venture, which is being run through Moore Theological College, as an opportunity for the Christian community to ‘cross-pollinate’ and assist each other in living as Christians.

“[CCL] is another forum to share ideas for following Jesus Christ in a complicated world,” he said.

CCL will offer Christians the opportunity to come together with others to explore different issues which affect us all. The centre aims to equip and assist Christians by providing them with a framework around which they can think about how to live out their faith in the world around them; about how to follow the Lordship of Jesus Christ in a secular world.

Mr Cameron explains that the ministry of CCL is designed to complement the work and teaching of church pastors.

“It’s hard for pastors to cover all the issues,” he said. “It’s not possible to speak into everyone’s situation so CCL is here to help what pastors do. With the help of Moore College we want to offer scaffolding to assist people think about different ideas, and what it means to follow Jesus in everyday life.”

CCL will hold regular open nights throughout the year where topics such as work, marriage and singleness will be discussed, giving Christians the opportunity to engage with topics and issues which affect everyone.

As another way to assist Christians to interact with the world around them, CCL will be running a book group called ‘Read Club’. This is designed to assist people in being able to discuss difficult topics with Christians and non-Christians alike.

“[Read Club] is about giving you confidence so you feel equipped to speak clearly on tough issues,” said CCL researcher, Rebecca Belzer.

Read Club members will choose a Christian book on a topic that interests them. They will then be given the opportunity to discuss the ideas presented in the book in a small group. CCL hopes that these discussions will help Christians by giving them the skills and knowledge to articulately speak about different issues with confidence.

CCLs first open night will explore the issue of work and why we do what we do. It will be held on Monday March 21.