Rod Benson is an ethicist and social justice advocate based in the Blue Mountains west of Sydney, Australia. He previously was ethicist and public theologian at the Tinsley Institute based at Morling College, a Baptist college in Sydney.
Rod’s articles that have appeared on EthicsDaily.com are available here, and his interview at the 2012 Baptist World Alliance gathering is available here.
1. Where did you grow up?
Wollongong, a small multicultural beachside city in the Australian state of New South Wales.
2. What is your favorite Bible verse, book or story? Why?
The book of Genesis (for its emphasis on ethics and personhood) and Romans 12:18 (for its applicability to every problem and issue I face).
3. What is your favorite movie? Why?
I have many favorite movies but among them would be “Slumdog Millionaire.”
Its strong narrative unity and gritty realism, the clash of modern and traditional cultures in India, and the way in which ordinary people make a way for themselves despite overwhelming odds.
4. Who are three of the people you admire?
John Saunders (pioneer 19th-century Baptist pastor in Sydney), Alastair Macintyre (moral philosopher) and Gough Whitlam (reformist Australian prime minister in the 1970s).
5. What is one little known fact about yourself?
I’m in my happy place when I’m cooking fine food for good friends.
