Against the backdrop of a series of horrifying and heartbreaking incidences of abuse against children, Mr O'Rourke has release his latest book 'Why Satan Hates Our Kids: How Children are Suffering and Why the Church Should Care'.
Mr O'Rourke claim that the society has become duplicitous in the way it treats children saying "As a society we are increasingly inconsistent, hypocritical and contradictory in our attitudes to children.
"Our supposed love for children has become largely conditional."
"We marvel at life-saving surgery almost routinely performed on babies in the womb and celebrate our increasing ability to keep premature newborns alive, yet allow and equally defend our right to abort children from conception to full term," he said.
Mr O'Rourke's extensive experience at the helm of one of the world's largest organisations devoted to the alleviation of poverty for children has allowed him to talk with authority on the church's response to the treatment of children.
"While the vilest forms of abuse regularly make front-page news, very little is written about the causes and, more importantly, the solutions."
"Consequently, we spend most of our time, money and talk on cure instead of prevention, symptoms instead of causes."
"There is no national children's commissioner looking out for the best interests of our kids; no coordinated national plan to address the injustices against children.
"Children have a serious image problem and are in urgent need of 'whale-like' modern marketing savvy and courageous advocacy to change attitudes and restore them to their rightful place in Australian society – at the centre of family life and culture where they are wanted, valued and nurtured, where they have a legitimate voice and know who they are, where they came from and why they are here."
"The first step is becoming aware of the spiritual forces being marshalled against our kids, and becoming so outraged we are compelled to act," said Mr O'Rourke.
In the book, Mr O'Rourke argues for a theology of children that the church must respond to in an organised and systematic way.
'Why Satan Hates Our Kids: How Children are Suffering and Why the Church Should Care', is available at Christian bookstores