Past Programs
Health - 2008
2008 | 2007 | 2006 | 2004 | 2003 | 2001 | 2000 | 1999
Faith and the Fix
23/11/2008
'Faith and the Fix' dives deeply into the painful world of drug and alcohol addiction. Far from being 'tough on drugs', Encounter discovers many within the mainstream churches have embraced the 'harm minimisation' strategies of needle exchanges, residential rehabs and even injecting centres where people can shoot up without fear of death by overdose. Disagreement and conflict remain, however, particularly over naltrexone implants— a controversial new treatment for heroin addicts. Ray Moynihan investigates.
Unlikely Catholics: Addiction, Conversion and Poetry in the Lives of Mary Karr and Franz Wright.
22/06/2008
Encounter this week meets two award-winning American poets, Mary Karr and Franz Wright, who surmounted long battles with addiction and depression largely through their spiritual conversions.
Faith and Depression
11/05/2008
Are you allowed to be depressed while you're sitting in church? What might happen to someone's depression as they sit in church? Is there a possibility that religious faith could help people who are depressed, or does religion only make people more depressed? Sharmini Kumar presents an Encounter exploring themes of faith, depression, and the interaction between the two.
The Two Fionas
30/03/2008
Encounter this week explores how concepts of social justice, equality and inclusiveness helped shape the values of two remarkable medical workers -- pediatrician and health researcher Professor Fiona Stanley and burns surgeon and Clinical Professor Fiona Wood.
Building Hope, One Brick at a Time
17/02/2008
In 2007, 48 volunteer building teams from Australia went to Uganda to help build group homes and school facilities in villages designed to care for AIDS orphans, some of whom are HIV positive. The villages are run by the Kampala-based Watoto Child Care Ministries and represent a model of care being picked up across Africa.
