Kym Bills is our presenter for the first Progressive Christianity Forum for 2025, which has a theme for the year of ‘Challenges, Questions and Values we face in engaging with the Church and the World’.

Kym's topic is How can we live in a time of poly-crisis and hyper-connectivity? Insights from Brian McLaren and Systems Thinking

‘Poly-crisis’ is a label for the simultaneous major and potentially existential threats we face as a result, among other things, of: global warming and climate change; pollution, environmental degradation; pandemics; the rise of autocrats; wars and weapons of mass destruction; population growth; rising inequality and lack of access to food, water and shelter; and misuse of artificial intelligence and robotics.

‘Hyper-connectivity’ is a label that emphasises the close linkages between crisis-causing factors and many others including nationalism, ideology, consumerism, and religious fundamentalism and extremism. This is magnified by the internet, and both traditional and social media that promote alt-truth and alt-facts.

Systems Thinking is necessary but not sufficient to address the wicked combination. Poly-crisis and hyper-connectivity cannot be wished away, so the question arises as to how we can and perhaps should live in such a perilous time. Acclaimed Progressive Christian writer Brian McLaren offers some important recent insights for our consideration led by Kym Bills.

Kym Bills, B.A. (Hons), B.Ec., B.Litt., M.Sc., M.Min., is the former head of the Australian Transport Safety Bureau and a former CEO of a CSIRO-led Perth-based research joint venture. He is currently completing a PhD on aviation accident investigation analysis methodologies that involves Systems Thinking. Kym and his wife Anne are members of Christ Church, Wayville where Kym is on the worship leading and preaching rosters. Kym is a member of the PCNet SA Task Group and his three most recent book reviews are relevant to the 6 February topic, see: https://pcnetsa.org/book-reviews/

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See the full year's Progressive Christianity Forum program here.

How can we live in a time of poly-crisis and hyper-connectivity?

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