Meet the man who made national headlines with his controversial billboards on marriage equality and the treatment of asylum seekers.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Father Rod Bower, Rector of Gosford and Archdeacon of the Central Coast, shot to fame when he put up a sign in 2013, saying "Dear Christians, some people are gay. Get over it. Love God.".
He visited Wagga to speak about tackling the barriers to create a world that's inclusive and respectful of everyone.
"What moral imagination does, it causes us to make certain decisions within certain terms of reference and sometimes we have to reshape that," Father Bower said.
"This happens when we discover the moral imagination we have got, excludes some people."
One example is Father Bower's own birth.
"My mother was 17 and unmarried when she had me and society's moral imagination said that she couldn't keep me," he said.
"I was taken away from my mother at birth."
A more current example, he said, is the treatment of asylum seekers and refugees.
Father Bower has not been to shy to vocalise his opinions online, whether through a Tweet or an image of his famous billboard.
"I am interested in how I can contribute to a world that doesn't cause damage to others," he said.
"One of the first questions we have to ask ourselves is how we consider other human beings.
"We need to get people to imagine what it would be like and what they would do if they were in a similar situation."
Father Bower said the way Wagga had welcomed and embraced refugees has been an inspiration and is a model to the rest of Australia.
For information about his talk on April 13, click here.
While you're with us, did you know that you can now receive updates straight to you inbox each day at 6am from the Daily Advertiser? To make sure you're up to date with all the Wagga news sign up here.