Simon is Executive Director of the Centre for Public Christianity. A former English and History teacher, Simon has a Masters in Christian Studies from Regent College, Vancouver. He is the author of For God's Sake: An Atheist, a Jew, a Christian and a Muslim Debate Religion, editor of A Spectator's Guide to Worldviews, and was co-presenter and co-writer of the historical documentary For the Love of God: How the church is better and worse than you ever imagined. His writing has appeared in such places as The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age, the ABC, The Australian, and The Guardian. He also regularly appears on ABC’s The Drum. He lives on Sydney’s northern beaches and is an inept but enthusiastic surfer.
Justine Toh is Senior Research Fellow at the Centre for Public Christianity where she speaks and writes about the Christian faith in publications like The Sydney Morning Herald, The Australian, The Guardian, ABC Religion & Ethics, and The Canberra Times. She is also the author of the book Achievement Addiction, is presently writing a book about care, and has a PhD in Cultural Studies from Macquarie University in Sydney. Justine fumbles about in public via Instagram and appearances on ABC Radio and, yes, is a recovering achievement addict.
Natasha is a Senior Research Fellow at the Centre for Public Christianity. She has a PhD in English Literature from the University of Cambridge and is the author of For the Love of God: How the church is better and worse than you ever imagined and, most recently, The Pleasures of Pessimism. She has worked for CPX since 2014 and written on topics that include books, movies, politics, food, domestic violence, Scripture in schools, war, Thanksgiving, and freedom of speech.
Max is a Senior Research Fellow at CPX. A former lawyer and political & policy adviser, Max was educated at the Australian National University and the University of Oxford and is undertaking a PhD in Law. He has spoken in universities, political institutions and businesses including Samsung, Lego, Goldman Sachs and Amazon. His writing has appeared in The Guardian, The Sydney Morning Herald, The Canberra Times and ABC's Religion & Ethics Report. He enjoys movies, good wine with his wife Fiona and making his kids laugh.
Tim Costello AO a Senior Fellow at the Centre for Public Christianity. Tim is a Baptist minister, the former CEO of World Vision Australia, and currently the Executive Director of Micah Australia. Tim is a familiar face and voice to audiences around Australia for both his pastoral work with homeless and marginalised people, and for his anti-gambling advocacy. Tim writes regularly for media and has contributed to The Guardian, The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age, The Australian, and The Saturday Paper for CPX. He has also appeared for CPX on TV for shows like A Current Affair and the ABC’s Q&A.
Barney is a Senior Fellow at the Centre for Public Christianity and is based in Melbourne. Barney is a seasoned reporter having written for The Age for 32 years and spent the last 12 as Religion Editor. He continues to write for the media on faith and politics, as well as on classical music and opera. He also serves as media advisor to the Anglican Primate, Melbourne Archbishop Philip Freier.
Nate is the CPX Youth and Schools Co-ordinator. He has more than twenty years' experience working with teenagers as a chaplain, high school teacher and youth pastor. Nate is passionate about helping young people to discover a Christianity that engages with contemporary expressions of identity and culture in positive ways. He enjoys developing resources and training to facilitate healthy conversations around the sensitive topics that pop up in the youth space.
Kimmie is the Donor Care Representative at the Centre for Public Christianity. In her role, Kimmie cares for all aspects of donor relations and fundraising. Her background and study are in marketing and ministry. She loves connecting challenges with solutions, needs with provisions, and people with people, so that both individuals and communities are built up.
Allan is Business Manager & Media Director at the Centre for Public Christianity. An award-winning documentary maker, Allan has over 30 years experience in broadcast and digital media. He was Director and Executive Producer for CPX's most recent production For the Love of God, which screened in cinemas across Australia to critical acclaim. Allan produces CPX’s podcast Life & Faith. Allan is also a graduate of Sydney's Macquarie Graduate School of Management.
Clare is the Brand Manager for the Centre for Public Christianity. She has a BA in Art History, an Advanced Diploma in Graphic Design, and a Masters of Divinity.
Until recently, Mark was on staff at the Centre for Public Christianity as a Senior Research Fellow. He is currently a New Testament Lecturer at SMBC in Sydney. Mark has a PhD in Ancient History from Macquarie University and is the author of The End of Thinking? In his spare time he enjoys coffee, the humour of Monty Python, the music of Patty Griffin, and the sheer absurdity of being a Parramatta Eels supporter.
Emma Wilkins is a journalist and freelance writer. Topics of interest include friendship, parenting, literature, culture, ethics and faith. She serves on the AFES board of directors and is a member of Crossroads Presbyterian Church. She lives in Tasmania with her husband and their three children. She has a weakness for baking, exclamation marks, and fairy lights.
Gordon joined UTS as a Senior Lecturer in Economics in 2003, after a decade working as an economist at the RBA. From 2007 to 2016 he was the Deputy Director of the UTS Paul Woolley Centre for Capital Market Dysfunctionality. He contributed to the Murray Review of the financial system and has been a visiting scholar at the Political Economy of Financial Markets group at Oxford University. He is currently an Associate Professor and his main publications are in the areas of macroeconomics, trade and exchange rates. He is the author of Western Fundamentalism: Democracy, Sex and the Liberation of Mankind.
Richard is part-time Director of the Centre for the Study of Islam and Other Faiths at Melbourne School of Theology and teaches regularly on ministry in Muslim contexts in Australian colleges, universities, churches and schools. His publications include Jesus Through Muslim Eyes, Witnessing to Western Muslims and the philosophical apologetic The Wisdom of Islam and the Foolishness of Christianity.
Leisa has been a Clinical Psychologist for more than 20 years and currently works in private practice. She is completing a PhD in the Psychology of hope at the University of Sydney. Leisa is developing an interdisciplinary view of our experience of hope, especially exploring the links between philosophy, theology and psychology. She is researching Australians’ hopes not only for their own lives but also their hopes for humanity.
Stephen is a former lawyer and journalist, who pastors a church in the Blue Mountains just outside of Sydney. He has a PhD in New Testament Studies from the University of Sydney and has lectured both locally and overseas. He has written books and articles at an academic and popular level on topics such as the teaching of Jesus, the early church, ethics, popular culture, sport and travel.
Brian Rosner has a PhD from Cambridge University and is the principal of Ridley College in Melbourne. Previously he taught at the University of Aberdeen in Scotland and Moore Theological College in Sydney. He’s also been a school teacher and railway trainee manager. Brian has written and edited more than a dozen books, including Beyond Greed and Known by God: A Biblical Theology of Personal Identity. He is married to Natalie and has four children and two grandchildren.
