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DTSTART;TZID=Australia/Melbourne:20261031T090000
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SUMMARY:Freedom for Faith and ISCAST Melbourne 2026
DESCRIPTION:ISCAST and Freedom for Faith are inviting you to a conference on religious freedom in modern Australia. \nThis is not simply a conference about religious freedom in the abstract. \nIt is designed to equip Christians to understand the pressures already emerging around public debate\, online speech\, gender and sexuality\, religious expression and the law – and to think carefully about how we respond. \n  \nWe have an impressive group of speakers joining us. \nNick Spencer\, Senior Fellow at UK think tank Theos\, will examine how secularism and liberalism can be used to exclude religious voices from public debate – and how Christians can make the case for religious freedom in a genuinely plural society. \nMargaret Chambers\, Research Fellow at the Institute of Public Affairs\, will look at the proposed Digital Duty of Care and the risks it poses for lawful religious speech online. \nThe Hon Christopher Beale KC\, former Victorian Supreme Court justice\, will examine gender theory\, law and the challenges they present for Christians and Christian organisations. \nMark Sneddon\, lawyer and Freedom for Faith Board Member\, will look at growing legal restrictions on religious expression\, including conversion practices and vilification laws. \nMike Southon will give an update on the major religious freedom issues currently before us and opportunities for political engagement in Victoria ahead of the state election. \nThe day will conclude with a panel chaired by Dr Chris Mulherin of ISCAST. \n  \nThere is a lot here to wrestle with. \nOur hope is that people leave not simply more aware of the challenges\, but better equipped to respond – clearly\, faithfully and confidently. \n  \nEvent details\nTime/Date: 9am-5pm AEDT\, 31 October 2026 \nLocation: Thomas Carr Centre\, Catholic Theological College\, 278 Victoria Parade\, East Melbourne VIC 3002 \nLive stream and in-person tickets available \nGet Tickets\nISCASTISCAST is a network of people\, from students to distinguished academics\, exploring the interface of the sciences\, technology\, and Christianity. We are committed to Jesus Christ and we are convinced that Christian faith has much to say in engagement with the sciences. We are concerned that so many people\, both outside and some within the Christian church\, think that there is a destructive conflict between faith and science.
URL:https://vox.divinity.edu.au/event/freedom-for-faith-and-iscast-melbourne-2026/
LOCATION:Catholic Theological College\, 278 Victoria Parade\, East Melbourne\, VIC\, 3002\, Australia
CATEGORIES:Catholic Theological College,Conference,Hybrid (Online and In-person)
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://vox.divinity.edu.au/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/Freedom-for-Faith-x-ISCAST-Vox.jpg
ORGANIZER;CN="ISCAST":MAILTO:contact@iscast.org
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