Not Helpful

Truth is a two-edged sword. When embraced, it is transformative. However, where advantage and privilege are fiercely protected, as is often the case in the day-to-day minutiae of politics, truth is almost always an unhelpful intrusion, threatening self-interest and power.

Not Helpful is a series of essays in which, from his Christian faith, George Browning addresses some timely questions, not limited to: Is capitalism destined to be a pariah in the 21st century as communism was in the 20th century? Can Israel and Palestine become the Middle East’s bi-cultural powerhouse? Will individualism become the catastrophic destroyer of the Common Good?

Not Helpful is rendered through anecdotes, covering Browning’s engagement with senior politicians and public servants while a bishop in Brisbane and during his 15 years as the Bishop of Canberra. Browning’s book commences with biographical detail illustrating how the author was formed and shaped to live a life at the centre of the institutional Church and yet always on the edge as a champion of the vulnerable and voiceless.