Whats God got to do with it? 10 outspoken Australian Christians live together for a week in social experiment Christians Like Us

 

In new SBS documentary Christians Like Us, 10 Australian Christians with vastly different
beliefs live under one roof for a week to confront the controversial topics of
their faith. They will grapple with what makes a good Christian, and the role
religion plays in modern life. It follows the critically acclaimed Muslims Like Us, which aired on SBS in
2018.

 

It’s a week of shocking revelations, emotional
outbursts and surprising insights as they tackle sexual abuse in the church,
abortion, gay conversion therapy and women as priests.

 

SBS Director
of TV and Online Content Marshall Heald said: “Christians
Like Us explores what it means to be Christian in Australia in 2019. The 10
participants showcase a diverse range of views, and are each deeply passionate
and opinionated about their faith. Through debate and discussion, the series
invites Australians to engage with the complex elements of Christianity and the
issues currently facing the faith.”

 

The housemates range from fundamentalist to
ultra-progressive, charismatic to controversial. Some live their lives by the
word of the Bible and others take a more modern interpretation of their
faith.  

 

Chris is revealed to be a gay
man who underwent years of conversion therapy at the hands of the church, while
Marty believes homosexuality is
wrong and it is possible to teach gay people to change their gender identity. Reverend Tiffany is an Anglican priest
at a progressive church in Brisbane, who is immediately put at odds with Assumpta who, although also Anglican,
is very opposed to women as priests and believes women should not be in a
position of authority over men.

 

Daniel is a strict Coptic
Catholic who is saving himself for marriage, whereas Jo is a theology teacher and progressive Catholic, who has no issue
with sex before marriage. There is also Hannah,
who the other housemates are shocked to discover is a Mormon. Most of them
don’t even consider Mormonism as a Christian faith, so her mission is to prove them
wrong.

 

Christians
Like Us reveals
topical and charged conversations, emotional debate and at times, conflict in
the house. Ultimately, the participants are wrestling with the hardest question
of all — in the face of rapidly declining numbers, how can they bring
Australians back to the Christian faith?

 

Christians
Like Us is
produced by CJZ for SBS. 

 

Christians Like Us airs over two nights at 8.35pm, Wednesday April 3 and 10 on SBS

 

Join the
conversation: #ChristiansLikeUs

Preview
screeners and downloadable images available at www.sbs.com.au/mediacentre  

 

*Australian Bureau of Statistics: 2016 Census
(Religion data)

 

NOTES TO
EDITORS

 

PARTICIPANT
BIOS

 

Reverend
Tiffany

Reverend Tiffany is a progressive priest from an
Anglican church in Brisbane. She is part of “A Progressive Christian Voice” who
advocates for LGBTIQ+ rights and promotes discussions within the church on same
sex marriage. She is a strong advocate for women in leadership roles in the
church, and believes in change in the Church.

 

Steve S

Steve is Agnostic, from a devoutly Anglican family.
Steve was abused by an Anglican priest from the age of 10 to 15, and spent most
of his adult life seeking justice for this. For many years he was very anti
church and called himself an atheist, but is now at a place where he is
searching for a faith.

 

Assumpta

Assumpta was raised a Hindu in a secular Indian
family. At 16 she experienced a crisis of faith and abandoned her Hindu
beliefs, eventually converting to Christianity at the age of 23. Assumpta is
conservative, and believes in celibacy before marriage but is struggling to
find someone who holds these same beliefs. She does not believe in abortion or
same sex marriage.

 

 

 

Steve C

Steve is an Evangelical Christian and founder of
the RICE movement – Renewal and InterChurch Evangelism — geared towards Asian
youth.  RICE holds annual rallies in
Australia and New Zealand, where thousands of young, mainly Asian worshippers
congregate to praise Jesus. Famous American evangelical preacher Billy Graham
is Steve’s hero.

 

Jo

Jo is a theology teacher at a high school in
Sydney, and considers herself to be a progressive Catholic. She is married with
four children, and attends a Jesuit Parish. She thinks the Catholic Church
should accept homosexuality as a natural thing, and allow same sex marriage as
soon as possible. Unlike many Catholics, Jo is also fine with sex before
marriage.

 

Marty

Marty describes himself as an outrageous lover of
God, and an outrageous lover of people. Marty’s worship is charismatic and
Pentecostal, led by music and a very informal sermon. He believes in speaking
in tongues and faith healing. He believes homosexuality is wrong and it is
possible to “teach” gays how to behave. Marty thinks abortion is
murder, but he would never protest outside an abortion centre.

 

Carol

Carol
is an obstetrician, gynaecologist and maternal foetal medicine specialist at a
private practice in Brisbane. Carol has been married for 22 years, and is an
Elder in the Uniting Church, giving pastoral care to the congregation. In her
role as a gynaecologist, Carol has been performing abortions for many years and
believes God is the only one that can judge her actions

 

Daniel

Daniel
is a 27 year old Coptic Catholic, a faith renowned for their long mass and
conservative views. He is saving himself for marriage, and will not watch porn
or certain TV programs. He voted no in the same sex marriage vote, and does not
approve of female priests.

 

Hannah

Hannah is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-day Saints, and very passionate about her faith. She lived in the
Philippines for 18 months as part of her Mormon missionary, and feels very
strongly about being a Christian. She has felt marginalised her entire life by
other Christians who don’t consider Mormons to be real Christians. She is
conservative in her views, thinking abortion is murder, sex before marriage is
taboo and she refrains from alcohol, coffee and drugs.

 

Chris

Chris is a gay Christian, who has always
believed in God, but stopped going to church two years ago, when the same sex
marriage debate caused a huge rift in the Christian community. Chris was
opposed to the scare-mongering carried out by the Christians involved in the No
Vote campaign.