Can any other economics guru claim to write the column in a daily newspaper that people turn to first? Or to pack the auditorium at a literary festival? Be it climate change, productivity, fairness, industrial relations, terrorism, media, the mining boom, the GFC, refugees and even economists themselves, every thorny topic under the sun is covered in sane and rational fashion. Gittins' Gospel collects the best of Ross's dispatches and explains almost everything you need to know about how Australia and the world works. And where it's going.

For forty years Ross Gittins has had a ringside seat as the Australian economy has gone through radical change. He's covered forty budgets and sixteen elections, he's watched thirteen treasurers and eight prime ministers wrestle with boom and recession, debts and deficits. Few economic journalists have earned such respect for their views from participants and readers alike. His even-handedness and his clarity of vision have left countless readers better informed about how the complexities and contradictions of the modern economy affect our daily lives. Thrown into the deep end as a cadet journalist, Ross covered his first mini-budget lockup in 1974, and was soon covering the financial roller coaster ridden by the Whitlam government. From then on, no government and no treasurer has escaped analysis - he anoints Keating, Costello, and Swan as his three best - and throughout the book he critiques without fear or favour the ministers and bureaucrats who have shaped our economic wellbeing. This son of a Salvation Army major and one-time accountant is an old school journo through and through. With four decades of printers' ink in his veins, he dissects the newspaper game, remembers the great editors and journalists who have sharpened our minds and his, and lays down some hard facts about a hard future. Honest, robust and intelligent, Gittins is as insightful and entertaining as the man himself.

Theology and the churches are often considered to be at the margins of contemporary culture, frequently struggling for identity and attention. In this important new book Martyn Percy argues that a rich form of practical theological engagement is needed if the churches are to comprehend their situation in the modern world, thereby enabling them to engage more confidently with society. Drawing on a range of perspectives in the religion-culture debate, and from case studies in the USA and Europe, the book explores the myriad of ways in which culture is now shaping contemporary Christianity, and how vital an appreciation of this dynamic is for the self-understanding of churches and theology. This book explores the crucial and continuing contribution that theology can make to public life, in an era that is often perceived to be dominated by consumerism and secularity. It will especially appeal to scholars of contemporary religion, practical theologians, and all those who are engaged in ministerial formation.

Can any other economics guru claim to write the column in a daily newspaper that people turn to first? Or to pack the auditorium at a literary festival? Be it climate change, productivity, fairness, industrial relations, terrorism, media, the mining boom, the GFC, refugees, or even economists themselves, every thorny topic under the sun is covered in sane and rational fashion. Gittins' Gospel collects the best of Ross's dispatches and explains almost everything you need to know about how Australia and the world works. And where it's going.