From Triple J to Josephine Butler: What matters in 2025?

Scrolling through Instagram, I was surprised when a reel from the Triple J Hack account reported on the latest National Church Life Survey. Triple J is a program of the ABC and it ‘brings you the stories that matter to young people.’1

What interest does a secular broadcasting channel have in a church survey? Do church surveys really matter to Australia’s young people? Well, it has to do with this question, ‘Do you agree or disagree? The Christian religion is good for Australian society.’   

The findings indicate that 37% of Gen Z2 males agree or strongly agree. While only 17% of Gen Z females would say the same. That means, 83% of young women, around 4 in 5, aren’t sure, disagree, or strongly disagree that Christianity is good for Australian society. That’s a lot of young women!  

The survey didn’t ask participants to provide reasons for their response and my intention today is not to speculate as to why. But I would argue that Scripture reveals a God who is concerned with our wellbeing––individually and corporately. In a time when the rates of mental illness among young women are so high, it’s heartbreaking to know many of them don’t see or experience the good that Christianity offers to a hurting world.  

One woman who has proved Christianity’s good influence on society is Josephine Butler. I first heard about Butler in a lecture at Bible college a few years ago, but since then I’ve been hungry to know more. Last year I was so excited when Sarah C. Williams’ released, ‘When Courage Calls: Joesphine Butler and the Radical Pursuit of Justice for Women.’ (I highly recommend grabbing your own copy!) 

Butler, living in the Victorian Era, saw a huge discrepancy between the equality of genders as portrayed in the Bible and the lack of equality in the world she was living in. She devoted her life to making society a better place for women through securing equal rights for women before the law and addressing human trafficking. It’s said, ‘Butler did as much for women as William Wilberforce did for African slaves within the British Empire.’3  

One of the most notable aspects of Butler’s decades long campaign was that it was saturated in prayer. Her conviction that prayer is action sustained her and brought about change that many doubted was possible. The good news is that the God of Josephine Butler has not changed. He is still for women and for their wellbeing and I want to see more women know and experience this truth.  

If you would like to know more about practical ways to support young women, I invite you to our next spotlight, ‘Young Women and Mental Health.’ You can join in-person, online, or purchase the recording to watch later. It’s happening on March 24th, 2025, 7:30pm at Toongabbie Anglican Church. More details are below. 

I hope to see you there!