Signs of the Times - December 2018

DECEMBER 2018

ARE YOU BEING

WATCHED? CLEAR YOUR NAME FROM SHAME

UPSIDE-DOWN CHRISTMAS

A CHRISTIAN PERSPECTIVE ON THE WORLD TODAY

IN THIS ISSUE

DECEMBER 2018

ARE YOU BEING WATCHED? PAGE 32 The unblinking eye of mass surveillance.

20 CURRENT

WHAT IN THE WORLD THE NATIONAL SCHOOL CHAPLAINCY PROGRAM What’s the big deal?

12 THE HAPPIEST PLACE Why so many Christians adopt 32 ARE YOU BEING WATCHED? Your private chats might not be quite so private 38 STREET SIGNS A surveillance state: the public speaks out 4 6

58 CULTURE

FAITH

46 YOUR LIFE, COURTESY

26 A FATHER’S LOVE

WELLBEING

58 UPSIDE-DOWN

OF STAR WARS Valuable lessons about heroes and mentors 52 TO THE GLORY OF GOD ALONE The story behind Handel’s “Messiah”

18 GO HEALTHY FOR GOOD News snippets for

every body 20 PROSTATE PROBLEMS Separating myth from fact 56 RECIPE—BANANA AND FRESH DATE PUDDING

FIND US ON SOCIAL MEDIA 2

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/SIGNSOFTHETIMES

Discipline might be tough sometimes, but it’s necessary 40 4 WAYS TO CLEAR YOUR NAME FROM SHAME Feeling guilty? Read some helpful tips

FUN

CHRISTMAS Authentic Aussie and Kiwi ways to celebrate the season of giving 62 CROSSWORD & SUDOKU

FROM THE EDITOR

H

e sees you when you’re sleeping; he knows when you’re awake. . .” Sounds a bit creepy to me! Santa Claus the home invader is one thing—I don’t mind the trespassing so long as he leaves presents!—but an old dude peeking into children’s bedroom windows at night? That’s crossing a line, Santa!

As a society we’ve become much more protective of our children, and that’s a positive impulse. But while they might not be playing unsupervised in the street so much anymore—or down at the park or the creek— sometimes we parents are a little too relaxed about what our kids are doing online, who’s interacting with them and who could be watching them or tracking their every keystroke.

Web-enabled devices seem to be ever-present these days—cybersecurity is something that should concern all of us. If we don’t take precautions, everything from our children’s safety, to our credit card details, to the integrity of our democracies could be at risk. Assistant editor Daniel Kuberek explores the issue in this month’s cover story (page 32).

There’s always room for family, fun and celebration though! You’ll find a few Christmassy hidden gems in this edition of Signs as well as some uplifting articles that explore the power of that most challenging of disciplines, forgiveness (page 40) and reveal the “happiest place on earth” (page 12).

From all the team, have a wonderfilled and blessed Christmas!

Kent KENT KINGSTON Editor

VOL 133 NO 12 ISSN 1038-9733 EXECUTIVE PUBLISHER Brad Kemp EDITOR Kent Kingston ASSISTANT EDITOR Daniel Kuberek COPYEDITOR Tracey Bridcutt GRAPHIC DESIGN Theodora Amuimuia Nerise McQuillan PHONE +61 2 9847 2222 EMAIL info@signsofthetimes.org.au WEBSITE signsofthetimes.org.au ADDRESS Adventist Media PO Box 1115, Wahroonga New South Wales 2076 SUBSCRIPTIONS Kelli Geelan PHONE +61 3 5965 6300 Australia, $A26; New Zealand, $NZ26; South Pacific countries, $A41; Other countries $A51 Published since 1886, Signs of the Times is printed 11 times a year by the Seventh-day Adventist Church and is registered as a periodical.

Seventh-day Adventist Church (SPD) Limited ABN 59 093 117 689 NOTE The inclusion of a person or their image within does not imply their endorsement of the Seventh-day Adventist Church or its beliefs.

Unless otherwise stated, Bible verses are from the Holy Bible, New International Version®.

Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by Biblica, Inc®. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved worldwide.

COVER PHOTO: metamorworks—Getty Images

@Kent_SignsMag DECEMBER 2018 • SIGNS OF THE TIMES

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WHAT IN THE WORLD

HI THERE, DEATH

NEW ZEALAND

Kiwis buying from Coca-Cola vending machines have been greeted with unexpected signage that translates to “Hi there, death”. Some machines carry the inscription “Kia Ora, mate”. Kia ora, the traditional Maori greeting, has been paired with “mate” intended to be read in English. Unfortunately, in Maori, mate, loosely translated, means “death”. Kiwis have taken to social media to lament the unfortunate mix-up. But, considering Coke’s high sugar content, perhaps it’s a timely warning!—@waikatoreo, Twitter

POORLY ORGAN-ISED

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PUBLIC DOMAIN, PIXABAY, WIKIMEDIA, FREEPIK

INDONESIA

Thousands of Indonesians frustrated with the lack of a government kidney transplant list are turning to an unlikely source—Facebook.

The social media site has unwittingly hosted illegal black market accounts facilitating the sale and purchase of kidneys for up to $A32,000. Up to 15,000 people in the country are suffering from kidney failure.—ABC

@

RO-BOOTED

DATA

USA

Plans for a robot brothel in Houston, USA have run aground after opposition from the local mayor.

The plans included allowing patrons to pay $60 for a private session with one of the responsive silicone “KinkySdollS”, valued at between $2000 and $5000.

Devised by Yuval Gavriel, proposals for other robot brothels are already gaining traction around the US, with plans for 10 establishments by 2020.

—The Guardian

ONLY 38% of Australians feel they are in control of

THEIR OWN DATA.

79% of Australians say

PHONE CALL TAPPING

by outside agencies is a

BREACH OF PRIVACY.

78% want to know how

social media companies such as Facebook, Twitter and Insta ARE USING

their personal data.

DISAPPEARING ACT USA

Three hikers in Arizona claim to have seen Jesus Christ in the distance while walking up Dreamy Draw Mountain in Phoenix.

The figure was described as “a man with long hair wearing a robe”, who promptly disappeared without a trace.

In his place, he left a letter with an inspirational message and $300.

—Dailystar

However, 57% believe governments collecting personal data for ANTITERRORISM purposes is

JUSTIFIABLE.

Nevertheless, 80% said they’d like to stay informed on IF AND HOW their information is being accessed and

USED.

Source: University of Sydney DECEMBER 2018 • SIGNS OF THE TIMES

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THE NATIONAL SCHOOL CHAPLAINCY PROGRAM What’s all the fuss about?

D

iane, 47, works part-time at a state primary school in regional New South Wales. An articulate and friendly evangelical Christian with a Bachelor of Education degree, she is one of about 2500 people across Australia providing pastoral care services through the federal government’s National School Chap– laincy Program (NSCP).

On the day I spoke to her, Diane enthused about the program in general and her job in particular.

“Fantastic!” was one of the words she used.

Diane said a pretty typical chaplain’s day might include: following up a local family whose children had been absent from school for an extended period; discussing with staff

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the wellbeing of another family and the charitable services that might be arranged for them; consoling a staff member having trouble “switching off” at home; and making arrangements for an upcoming anger management program to be conducted at the school.

All in a (modestly-paid) day’s work. And—let it be noted—no mention of religion.

The NSCP has been a legal and political football since its inception in 2006. It has attracted impassioned criticism from radical secularists, and equally impassioned justification from mostly Christian voices. There was an online petition in 2014 opposing the NSCP signed by more than 180,000 people; and in May

JOHNNYGREIG—GETTY IMAGES

BY ROY WILLIAMS

the Australian Education Union complained that the funds allocated to the program in the Budget (about $20,000 per school per annum) could be better spent elsewhere.

So are the NCSP’s supporters exaggerating the program’s inherent importance? There are several enduring myths concerning school chaplaincy that ought to be dispelled.

key facts

The first thing to understand about chaplains engaged under the NSCP is that they are not really chaplains at all.

As High Court justice Dyson Heydon pointed out in 2012, during the first of two legal challenges to the constitutionality of the program, in

ordinary speech a “chaplain” is the priest, clergyman or minister of a chapel; or a clergyman who conducts religious services in the private chapel of an institution or household. So-called chaplains under the NSCP fit neither description.

It is true that all NSCP chaplains must be “religious” people; atheists and agnostics need not apply—a condition re-imposed by the Abbott Government in 2014, after Labor (in 2011) had permitted the employment of “secular student wellbeing officers”. Nevertheless, like the title “chaplain” itself, this condition of hiring is apt to mislead.

A chaplain’s role under the NSCP is to provide pastoral care; “social, emotional and spiritual support”, DECEMBER 2018 • SIGNS OF THE TIMES

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either through “structured programs” or “pastoral care conversations”. Such support may be provided to students, parents or teachers, but only on a voluntary basis; that is, if they ask for it.

Crucially, NSCP chaplains are forbidden from “proselytising”; they must not attempt to convert anyone to their own religious beliefs. True, caring for a student’s “spiritual” wellbeing is part of their role, but only if the student first raises such a matter.

And even in those circumstances, at least in New South Wales, the chaplain must “respect”—and, more than that, “accept”—the student’s own beliefs.

Thus, as Diane puts it, she would never say anything to a student about Christianity in terms suggesting that they “should” believe what she does.

If, for instance, she was dealing with a student from a Catholic family, she would be careful to conduct the conversation on the student’s terms—and quite possibly redirect the inquiry to a local priest. Likewise if the student was from, say, a Hindu or Muslim background.

I suspect that much of the heat generated by the debate over the NSCP results from confusion.

Critics and supporters alike assume, or pretend, that NSCP chaplains are fully-fledged chaplains according to the usual sense of the word when, in fact, they are nothing of the kind.

critics’ arguments

Around the time of the federal

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government’s funding announcement in May, there was a brief flurry of articles about the NSCP in the mainstream media. Most contained harsh criticisms of the program, and quite a few fired-up readers followed suit in letters to the editor or online comments. Yet most of their arguments were, and are, bogus.

THE NSCP FLOUTS THE PRINCIPLE OF SEPARATION OF CHURCH AND STATE

This is a much-misunderstood concept. It certainly does not entail that Australians have a legal right to freedom from religion; that is, that religious voices should be heard only in places of worship and private homes, and otherwise be banished from the public square. Australians enjoy freedom of religion.

There is an old argument that, properly interpreted, section 116 of the Commonwealth Constitution (the “no-establishment of religion” clause) prohibits the federal government from funding church schools per se. This claim was categorically rejected by the High Court way back in 1981 (the DOGS case). Some hardline secularists have never gotten over this defeat.

THE NSCP IS ILLEGAL

It is true that twice, in 2012 and 2014, the High Court held that legislation setting out the funding arrangements for the NSCP (as then constituted) was not supported by a head of power in the Commonwealth Constitution. However, those problems have since been rectified.

Critically, in 2012, the High

Court held by a 7:0 majority that the NSCP was not invalid by reason of section 116. That argument did not get past first base: NSCP chaplains do not hold office under the Commonwealth.

THE NSCP IS UNWANTED BY THE “SILENT MAJORITY”

JOHNNYGREIG—GETTY IMAGES

All legal, statistical and anecdotal evidence is to the contrary.

For a start, participation by any school in the NSCP is voluntary.

Schools decide, after consultation with the school community, whether to utilise a chaplain’s services.

An independent report by Kantar Public found, among other things, that 91 per cent of parents supported chaplaincy services and activities in schools. Eight in 10 principals considered the NSCP to be “extremely effective” in dealing with students’ sense of purpose, self-esteem, peer relationships, social inclusion and self-image.

Most tellingly, perhaps, the main complaint of principals was that chaplains could not work more days or longer hours.

CHAPLAINS TOO OFTEN BREACH THE RULE AGAINST “PROSELYTISING”

No doubt breaches occur occasionally. But the evidence suggests that overt proselytising is rare. In

2013 there was only one official complaint on that score across Australia. Moreover, when complaints are made, they are acted upon.

RELIGION DOES NOT BELONG IN STATE SCHOOLS

Here we are getting closer to the critics’ core agenda. What they really

want is for students in state schools to never be exposed to religious content—or at least any information that might cast religion in a favourable light. But their position is based on some dubious and dangerous assumptions.

The Melbourne Declaration on Education Goals for Young Australians (2008), released conjointly by all federal, state and territory ministers for education, lays down as a central objective that students develop “intellectually, physically, DECEMBER 2018 • SIGNS OF THE TIMES

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the program. socially, emotionally, spiritually and The first is this: “[B]ecause chapaesthetically”. To assert that state schools should be entirely secular is lains have a personal faith connection to disregard that objective. How can they are able to better relate to and a student develop spiritually if he or support students who come from she is taught nothing about religion? a personal or cultural faith backEven more fundamentally, a ground—which is still more than 70 school environment in which per cent of the population.” students are never (or rarely) exposed Regrettably, this argument is to information with a religious flawed. content is not neutral. It amounts to The 70 per cent-plus figure is very advocacy by default misleading. Going of irreligion. by the 2016 census, Despite the the true figure is 60 How can Melbourne Declaraper cent and, in fact, only 7 or 8 per cent tion, and the NSCP, a student of Australians attend this is effectively develop church on a regular what happens today basis. Even fewer read in Australian state spiritually the Bible systematischools. It has been so for decades. cally. if he or she The desirable It may be, then, is taught position in state that an irreligious schools is pluralism. chaplain is better nothing According to the Euplaced to “relate to” the majority of ropean Commission about students, in the sense on Human Rights, a religion? of empathising with pluralist approach to their existing worldreligion is one that “encourages respect view. for all world views rather than a The NSCA’s second argument preference for one”. is this: “[A] key distinctive of the program is that the role expressly supports the. . . spiritual wellbeing Christian arguments for the NSCP of students. . . . A secular program It is one thing to refute the would lack that spiritual dimension.” militant secularists’ arguments; it is This is true, but only up to a another to justify the NSCP on a point, considering the very few opcoherent Christian basis.

The National School Chaplaincy portunities chaplains have to utilise Association (NCSA) has offered two their religious expertise. Diane told “Christian” arguments in defence of me that “a very small percentage” of 10

SIGNSOFTHETIMES.ORG.AU • DECEMBER 2018

the problems raised with her concern spirituality.

where does the truth lie?

In my opinion, the institution of the NSCP in 2006 was a good example of former prime minister John Howard’s hard-nosed political nous. The program was intrinsically worthy. But it also had the key virtue, for the Coalition, of appealing to the “Christian vote”, but in a manner that was defensible in secular terms.

From a Christian perspective, the most that can be said about the NSCP is that, on fairly rare occasions, a chaplain may help to embolden or reassure a student who already has some kind of meaningful religious faith. On even rarer occasions a chaplain may get a chance to answer questions from a student who is a genuine religious “seeker”. And perhaps there is the possibility of an individual chaplain performing their pastoral role so selflessly—so lovingly—that onlookers are impressed, and ask themselves, or the chaplain: “Why? What is your motivation?”

Such opportunities are precious.

But the frequency of their occurrence should not be exaggerated. And cold legal realities should not be evaded.

Opponents of the NSCP in its present form have a single decent point. Why must all chaplains be religiously-affiliated? By reinstituting that requirement in 2014, and doubling down on it this year, the federal government has put the legality and credibility of the program at risk.

Sooner or later a non-religious person, otherwise well-qualified, will apply for a job as a NSCP chaplain and be knocked back. A test case will follow.

There was good sense in the situation that existed between 2011 and 2014. Schools had the option of engaging a “religious” or a “secular” chaplain. As it happened, most opted for the former: the ratio was about 5:1. But the program became less controversial and less vulnerable to valid legal and rhetorical attack.

I have a humble suggestion for opposition leader Bill Shorten. Well before the next federal election, he should confirm proudly and publicly that Labor will maintain the NSCP and match—better still, increase!— the Coalition’s promised funding.

It is a popular program, entirely consistent with core Labor values of helping the underdog. But Shorten should also announce that Labor will restore the option for schools to engage a “secular” chaplain if they wish. According to my sources, Labor’s intentions on that score have already been conveyed privately to the Australian chaplaincy community.

It would be a good compromise.

That way, those interested can focus on the vital issues. What’s more, great chaplains like Diane will keep their jobs and keep helping people— even if they don’t save many souls in the process.

Roy Williams is a Sydney-based author and lawyer, whose books include Post-God Nation? In this piece Diane’s full name has been withheld to protect the privacy of the people she serves.

DECEMBER 2018 • SIGNS OF THE TIMES

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THE

Happiest PLACE

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Why do so many Christian couples adopt?

WONRY—GETTY IMAGES

BY JAMES STANDISH

DECEMBER 2018 • SIGNS OF THE TIMES

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D

isneyland claims to be the happiest place on earth. It’s not.

To find the happiest place on earth you need to travel to Guangzhou in southern China. Happiness isn’t found, however, in Guangzhou’s legendary fake watch market with its miles of shiny replica Rolex, Gucci and Cartier timepieces. Nor is it found in Guangzhou’s gleaming glass towers that mint the city’s millionaires. It is not even found in the city’s amazing food—though gastronomical delight certainly is on hand in abundance. No, to find the epicentre of happiness on earth, you must go to a generic office building surrounded by a big black metal fence, where officials sit behind bullet-proof glass and talk to you through a microphone.

It’s a rather unusual setting to produce so much joy. And yet, I can attest from personal experience, this plain-looking place in Guangzhou’s business district has generated more happiness than just about any equivalent-sized location on the face of the earth.

This is the US Consulate in Guangzhou. And all 81,162 Chinese children adopted to date by American families had their adoptions finalised right here in this stark office space.

I know the room well because I was sitting in it just two days ago as I write. My wife and I flew down from Lanzhou to Guangzhou with our son-to-be, and were so keen we were client No. 1 on the day our little boy

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became not only an American, but became our son. And now that he is legally our son, he will also receive Australian citizenship, which we also hold. So, from being an orphan who was abandoned at birth in one of the poorer regions of China, he now has a family who love him with all our hearts and access to literally a world of opportunity.

Our son, completely underwhelmed by the occasion, played in a corner with other happy children on a little plastic playset thoughtfully provided by the consulate staff. Is he happy to be coming home with us?

Ecstatic would be a better word. The smile has barely left his face since he realised that, after almost five years of life, he finally has a mum and a dad to call his own. A lot of our friends have commented on what a lucky boy he is. In many ways I suppose he is. But no-one feels more fortunate than my wife and I do to have this wonderful boy as part of our family.

common ground

With us in the consulate on the big day were another 12 families.

Some we had gotten to know well during the adoption process; many we were meeting for the first time.

Talking with them as we waited, however, I realised something very curious. Although we were meeting for the first time, we had something very deep in common: we are all Christians.

Not Christian as a vague inherited family identity, but Christians who

are actively involved in our churches, pray daily, read the Bible and take the entire Christian life seriously.

One of the families proudly showed the Chinese Bible they had bought their new child. Another talked about the support her church community back home had provided in the adoption. Another said this would be their family’s fourth and final adoption, “unless the

waters for more than a year—that’s how long the process takes from start to finish—and I’ve met many Christians from a wide range of denominations—Catholics, evangelicals and my own faith community, Adventists—who are in the process of adopting. My conclusion from talking with them? Their motiva-

SUPPLIED

The author with his new son.

Lord has other plans for us”.

And it’s not just the families.

Overwhelmingly the agencies facilitating adoptions are Christian-based, as are the entities providing grants to help people defray the daunting costs of international adoption.

But why are Christians so involved in adoption? I’ve now swum in the international adoption

A big sister of his very own.

tions are very similar to mine.

First, we have loving families and want to share that love with children who don’t have families. It’s that simple. Second, we recognise we’ve been blessed with enormous opportunities and we want to share them with children who would, otherwise, have very little opportunity.

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That, of course, isn’t enough for the cynics who see evil in everything Christians do. New York journalist Kathryn Joyce, who has made a career of lambasting “the Christian adoption movement” has three main complaints.

First, she paints situations where children who were not “real” orphans were adopted by naive American Christians as typical cases. They’re not. We know, because while there are nations where war, corruption and dire poverty may have contributed to adoptions that should not have occurred, those incidents are very far from representative. The bulk of the international adoptions to American families have come from the nations of the former Soviet Union and China—neither of which are subject to claims of abuse of process. Further, even though cases of dubious adoption do exist, surely the answer to this problem isn’t to discourage families giving children without parents a mum and a dad.

Instead, the solution is to work diligently to ensure a clean, transparent, error-free process.

Second, Joyce and other critics claim people should focus on helping the communities and extended families of neglected children, rather than adopting them. But of course, there is no reason why people can’t do both. Many of the Christians we’ve met during this sojourn are great supporters of Christian aid and development organisations like 16

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World Vision, the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA), Church World Service, and the many other Christian aid and development agencies that bring health, education and development assistance to many of the most impoverished populations on earth.

Adopting children in need of families hardly negates helping in other ways. Christians can do both—and do.

Thirdly, Joyce intimates that Christians are adopting children as part of an evangelistic conversion conspiracy.

While it’s certainly true that many adopted children will embrace their new family’s religion for themselves, is this really the most efficient method of recruiting new believers?

No. It’s a lot easier and a lot less expensive to have your own kids than to adopt an orphan in need of parents.

If people simply wanted to grow their church community’s numbers, having large families the old-fashioned way or doing all the regular revival activities is a lot easier and makes a lot more sense. International adoption? It’s time consuming, cripplingly expensive—mortgage deposit on a new home kind of expensive—and altogether an inefficient strategy. No rational person looking for church

MEGAFLOPP—GETTY IMAGES

enter the critics

“

love. . . the more we give away, the more we have.

growth would choose international adoption as the route.

beyond priceless

As I chatted with another new dad in the consulate office, he casually stated something I’ve experienced myself, “I think God just puts the desire to adopt in our hearts.” My own adoption journey began when, as a young man, I visited an orphanage in Vietnam with my father—he was working with ADRA at the time, which was sponsoring a nutrition program in the orphanage. Even as a young guy, seeing those beautiful kids so desirous of adult attention melted my heart.

So here I am, all these years later, with a life full of experiences that have led my wife and me to the

happiest place on earth. Not just physically, but emotionally and spiritually. Because love is the one thing that the more we give away, the more we have. The smile of my new son’s face just melts my heart. Taking his tiny hand in mine and hearing him call me “Poppa”—it’s beyond priceless. And yes, the exuberant welcome I get every day is so much better than anything Walt Disney ever dreamed up. That’s the kind of happiness you won’t find in a hundred years of theme parks.

James Standish is a human rights lawyer, writer and doting father-of- three based in the Washington DC area. Visit signsofthetimes.org.au to see a video of James’ son greeting him at the end of a Chinese language class.

DECEMBER 2018 • SIGNS OF THE TIMES

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ELL B EING

GO HEALTHY for good WITH

DR NERIDA MCKIBBEN

SLEEP WELL

Insufficient sleep is a significant factor in early childhood obesity. A New Zealand study followed the progress of 800 babies from birth to age 5.

The control group received standard Well Baby care. Parents in three other groups got extra guidance on infant nutrition and activity, or sleep, or all three. Parents in the sleep group learned about infant sleep patterns, signs of tiredness and how to encourage their baby to settle themselves to sleep. By age 2, the sleep-group were half as likely to be obese as the others. This persisted to age 5.—American Journal of Clinical Nutrition

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LEMANNA, BYAKKAYA, NAUMOID, ANDRESR, ONEINCHPUNCH—GETTY IMAGES

FRUIT & FERTILITY

Women who eat more fruit and less fast food conceive quicker and are less likely to experience infertility. A new study involving women from Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom found that those who ate fewer than three fruit portions a month took 20 per cent longer to get pregnant than women who ate three or more fruit portions per day. Women who avoided fast food conceived quicker and had a 41 per cent reduced risk of infertility than those who ate fast food four or more times a week.—Integrated Blood Pressure Control

BABIES AT RISK National guidelines in Australia recommend no alcohol consumption during pregnancy or breastfeeding.

But researchers have found almost half of Australian women drink while pregnant—one of the highest rates among OECD countries. Alcohol exposure in pregnancy increases the risk of miscarriage, stillbirth and Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD), which is known to be associated with mental illness, less education, higher rates of unemployment and more contact with the justice system.—AHHA

MONKEY SEE. . .

The best video games to buy for Christmas are those with no violence. Analysis of 24 studies involving 17,000 children and teens found that playing violent video games, either frequently or infrequently, increased the risk of aggressive behaviour. Kids who played violent video games were twice as likely to be caught fighting at school and were at greater risk of hitting a non-family member.—USA Today/National Academy of Sciences

LIVING LONGER

HEADING Merc

Australia is now sixth on the World Life Expectancy rankings. In 2016, Aussie women had a life expectancy of 85.5 years and men 81.5 years­­—one year longer than in 2010. UK women and men have dipped in life expectancy (82.7 and 79 years). American women and men now live an average of 81.4 and 76.4 years respectively. WHO data on life expectancy in New Zealand is 84 years for women and 80.5 years for men, giving NZ a World Life Expectancy ranking of 15.—New Daily Dr Nerida McKibben, a New Zealand-born obstetrician and gynaecological surgeon, passionately enables people to achieve their greatest health potential. Wanting everyone to live life to the fullest, she integrates wholistic principles into medical treatments and procedures. For more, go to www.hop.ec/gohealthyforgood DECEMBER 2018 • SIGNS OF THE TIMES

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ELL B EING

PROSTATE PROBLEMS

It’s hard to know if a man should be more vigilant or more relaxed when it comes to the threat of prostate cancer.

BY SUVI MAHONEN

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DOBOK—GETTY IMAGES

I

was an interloper. A woman. With no prostate—obviously. And yet here I was, sitting in a support group for men with prostate cancer, having been invited along by my septuagenarian neighbour.

Mind you, I wasn’t the only female in the room.

“He gets no sympathy from me,” the woman on my left said, nodding at her husband with feigned indignation. “Six months on hormone therapy and he couldn’t even handle the hot flashes. Now he knows what I’ve had to deal with for these past 10 years!”

The man opposite me leaned forward in his chair. In his mid-60s, he was tall with a silver-streaked beard.

“When I told my wife the treatment meant I couldn’t get an erection anymore, the first thing she said was, ‘Thank goodness.’”

There was ironic laughter, with looks of familiar empathy passing between the men.

Erectile dysfunction and anorgasmia (inability to have an orgasm) are common side-effects of prostate cancer treatment. The incidence varies depending on the man’s age and sexual function, but long-term erectile dysfunction is estimated to affect anywhere from 20 to 70 per cent of men following nerve-sparing prostatectomies or pelvic radiotherapy.

The side-effects of androgen deprivation therapy—which is often required if the cancer has spread beyond the prostate—are even more profound. In addition to sexual DECEMBER 2018 • SIGNS OF THE TIMES

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to screen or not to screen?

The pros and cons of prostate cancer screening are a contentious issue within the medical community, with long-standing concerns regarding potential over-diagnosis and over-treatment of early and slow-growing prostate cancer cases.

In 2016 the Cancer Council of Australia released a new set of guidelines that recommended against routine screening for prostate cancer for most men. Somewhat confusingly these guidelines, which were endorsed by both the Urological Society of Australia and New Zealand and the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners, still left the onus about deciding whether 22

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to undergo screening on each individual man.

Given that men have traditionally been urged to be more proactive about their health, these conservative and somewhat ambiguous guidelines have left many men feeling confused about what they should do.

“Most men still want screening to be done, but it is a very controversial thing,” Surfers Paradise general practitioner Dr Mark Jeffery told me.

He acknowledged the concern about unnecessary prostate biopsies, but is reluctant to recommend against screening due to his own clinical experience.

Breast cancer receives more attention, and twice as much federal research funding compared to prostate cancer, yet prostate cancer is actually a bigger cause of mortality in Australia. It is the most common cancer diagnosed in Australia, with more than 17,000 new cases per annum, and the third most common cause of cancer death— approximately 3500 per year.

TUPUNGATO—GETTY IMAGES

dysfunction the hormone injections can cause loss of muscle, reduced body hair, hot flashes, gynaecomastia (breast enlargement) and genital shrinkage.

Studies have shown that sexual dysfunction can negatively impact a man’s quality of life, causing reduced self-esteem, embarrassment and depression and, in some cases, even increase the risk of suicide.

But the men at the support group I attended needed no studies to tell them this.

Over the following hour, as I listened to them discuss a number of issues, it was clear that the fear and reality of impaired sexual function was an overwhelming concern for most of them.

cancer is a disease of older men but we do see a younger cohort of patients as well,” she told me.

“Eighty-five per cent of patients can be cured if their prostate cancer is picked up early, so we always encourage men to make sure they listen to their bodies and look out for symptoms like persistent back pain or weight loss.”

The cause of prostate cancer is unknown and likely multifactorial. Age is the main risk factor, with diagnosis steadily rising in men in their 60s and 70s, eventually affecting one in six men if they reach the age of 85.

Genetics also plays an important part as does ethnicity, obesity, diet, smoking and possibly multivitamin use, which may actually increase rates.

Recently a potential link has even been identified between acne and prostate cancer. “If a man suffered severe acne in late adolescence he is six times more likely to develop prostate cancer as he gets older,” says Gold Coast-based dermatologist Dr Michael Freeman, who advises middle-aged men with acne scars to have prostate cancer screening.

Dr Aneta Suder, medical oncologist at the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital and senior lect­ urer at the University of Queensland, advises men to be proactive. “There is that misconception that prostate

lucky escape

This was the case for communications manager Steve McKee, who had a routine blood test that revealed elevated Prostate-Specific Antigen (PSA) levels. The then-43-year-old underwent a prostate biopsy, which came back negative for cancer. But because of his blood test results he was advised by his urologist to have a second biopsy. McKee initially declined.

“I knew prostate cancer was an old man’s disease and usually slow growing, so I chose to have yearly PSA-level blood tests to monitor it and deal with the problem later,” he told me.

When a further blood test showed that his PSA levels had risen, he agreed to another biopsy. This revealed locally advanced prostate cancer, which required radical surgery—removal of the prostate.

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there’s hope

Sydney Adventist Hospital-based urological surgeon Professor Henry Woo says there are things that can be done to minimise sexual dysfunction following prostatic surgery. These include pelvic floor exercises, penile rehabilitation, medications to aid with erections as well as therapeutic treatments like penile massage and sexual therapy.

“We have an ageing population and the general fitness level of an 24

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average 70-year-old is the same as a 60-year-old’s was 20 years ago,” says Woo. “So it’s not surprising that, as we get fitter, any impact on sexual function is going to be of greater concern than it would have been to the previous generation.”

Despite the new guidelines Woo believes that men should have their first PSA blood test when they are in their 40s. “The PSA blood test is a very useful risk assessment tool,” he said. “If a man’s PSA is below the median for his age group, that positions him in a low-risk group for getting prostate cancer, and you could actually quite reasonably not check him again for another 10 years.

“Once upon a time we used to treat all men diagnosed with prostate cancer but we now know that that is wrong,” he continued. “Many men diagnosed with prostate cancer

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have dealt with quickly and easily,” McKee, now 47, said.

The father-of-two considers himself lucky to have escaped urinary incontinence and erectile dysfunction following his surgery. He admits, however, that sex is no longer as satisfying due to the prostate being removed, resulting in a lack of prostatic fluid within the semen.

will die with the disease, rather than from it, and some of the low-grade prostate cancers do not have to be treated at all. We can manage them via active surveillance and find the right balance between avoiding the over-treatment of prostate cancer, yet at the same time not losing the opportunity later to treat a more significant prostate cancer.”

watch and wait

One of Woo’s patients is Qantas international pilot Justin Carter, 56, who was diagnosed a year ago with localised prostate cancer.

Carter, whose own father died of prostate cancer, is comfortable with his specialist’s plan to monitor his cancer with alternating MRI scans and biopsies every six months to look for changes, rather than undergoing a prostatectomy.

“I consider myself incredibly fortunate that my cancer was found early and that I didn’t actually have to have more radical treatment,” he told me. “I’m confident enough that if I do need treatment at some stage, that it won’t be too late because they’re watching me.”

common for older men

Prostate cancer is not the only condition affecting the prostate gland that can result in sexual dysfunction.

Prostate enlargement causes difficulty in urination and is estimated to affect 50 per cent of men over the age of 50, and 90 per cent of men over 80.

Medications used for its treatment

can cause loss of libido, erectile dysfunction and gynaecomastia. If medications are unsuccessful, surgery is often required. Approximately 20 per cent of men who undergo surgery will experience erectile dysfunction and 75 per cent will experience ejaculation problems.

An alternative to surgery, called Rezum, which appears to preserve sexual function, has just become available in Australia. In this procedure a tube is inserted into the urethra and small volumes of sterile steam are injected into the prostate, causing shrinkage of the tissue.

Rezum isn’t suitable for treatment of prostate cancer however, something I thought about as the support group concluded at midday. A hot bright sun outside shimmered off the Nerang River as my elderly neighbour and I walked slowly back to his car for the drive home.

“At my age, I’m just grateful for the life I’ve had,” he said, easing himself in behind the wheel. He has metastatic prostate cancer and is careful with his bones.

He chuckled as we pulled out onto the road. “Maybe women were right all along,” he said. “Hugging is underrated. Even though I can’t be sexually active any more I still enjoy having my wife lying in bed next to me.”

Suvi Mahonen is a freelance writer and former News Corp journalist based in Surfers Paradise, Qld. This article first appeared in The Australian. Used with permission of the author.

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FA IT H

A FATHER’S LOVE If you’re a parent, you’ve probably caught a glimpse of how God’s insistence on justice is just as important as His love.

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BY BJORN KARLMAN

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I

was furious. I was about eight years old and had acted up a little more than usual. I don’t even remember what I’d done, but it was clear that I was in trouble, because my father had used some unusually strong words to knock some sense into me.

I was shocked because my father usually spoke only encouraging words when he talked to my sister and me. He was a loving, kind dad, and it stung to be told off by him.

Unable to see past the pain from the scolding, I was mad at him all morning. When he came home from work to eat lunch with the family I still didn’t want to talk to him.

Today, almost 30 years later, I look back at that day with some perspective. My dad is still the soft-spoken, wise and gentle person he was then, but I’ve had some time to mature. I see why my father had to put his foot down from time to time. And now comes the irony: I have a toddler of my own, and it’s my turn to administer discipline.

Unsurprisingly, my daughter doesn’t like my corrections one bit.

It kills me to punish her, but I know I have to enforce certain rules and boundaries no matter how upset she gets. I know that if I don’t correct her, I’m doing her and society a disservice; I’m setting her up for pain, failure and dysfunction in the future. It’s crystal clear to me now that letting bad behaviour slide is not an act of love, but one of parental irresponsibility and neglect. Because I love my daughter, I have to correct her.

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The perspective that I now have as a parent about love and correction is by far the clearest picture I have of how another parental relationship works. The Bible speaks of God as our heavenly Father and all of us, regardless of our age, as His children.

And just as with human parenting, there are painful times when God has to set us straight because, in addition to being a God of love, He’s a God of justice.

Bible examples

We see God’s justice at work several times in the Bible. It’s clear from the start of the human story that God needs complete obedience from His human children. It was, after all, God who warned our first parents, Adam and Eve, of the consequence of something as seemingly innocent as eating fruit from a tree.

The Bible is clear that “the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23). It’s the harshest of realities. Seen without a larger perspective, death for eating a piece of fruit can seem like an unduly tough penalty.

Another glimpse of the God of justice comes when He strikes priests Nadab and Abihu dead for the seemingly innocent act of using their own fire in the tabernacle (Leviticus 10:1, 2; 16:12). It can be really tough emotionally to reconcile the record of a God who strikes people dead for seemingly small infractions with the idea of a loving heavenly Father.

Justice and punishment are not easy pills to swallow.

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Some argue that this tough, seemingly uncompromising God of justice appears only in the Old Testament, not in the Christian era.

However, all one has to do is look at the New Testament story of Ananias and Sapphira in Acts 5:1–11 to see that God never abandons His high standard. This husband and wife were struck dead after they sought to deceive the early church by not delivering the entirety of the proceeds from a sale of land that they had promised to give to God’s work. Verse 11, perhaps unsurprisingly, says that following this incident “great fear seized the whole church and all who heard about these events”.

If we focus exclusively on these examples, and others, of God punishing people, we can get a distorted view of our heavenly Father; a harsh, brutal God whom we must fear. But thankfully, there is more to the story.

Just as one way human parents express their love for their children is by holding up a high standard and punishing missteps, so God the Father—on an infinitely grander scale—loves those whom He corrects. He demonstrates His ultimate love for us humans by showing zero tolerance for sin. He does this because sin not only hurts us and our human relationships, it creates separation between Him and us

(Isaiah 59:2). Thankfully, the reality is that, above all else, He is a God of love and wants to have a beautiful relationship of reconciliation with His children.

Jesus’ love

This reconciliation is made possible because of the sacrifice of God’s Son, Jesus. The Bible makes it clear that the love Jesus showed in dying

for us is the same love that God the Father has for us. Jesus said that anyone who has seen Him has seen God (John 14:8, 9). Through His death on the cross, Jesus showed us God’s profound love for the human beings He created.

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universe when He allowed His only Son, Jesus, to take on the penalty for our sins by sacrificing Himself through this harshest fate of all: an unjust, agonising death on the cross.

The intense love God has for us as His children is obvious as we remember that He endured the absolute agony of witnessing Jesus take this punishment for our wrongdoings (Isaiah 53:5, 6, 12; 1 Peter 2:24; 2 Corinthians 5:21).

an illustration of God’s love

If you’ve ever struggled with ideas of a harsh God whose sole function is to punish wrongs, I suggest that you remember that behind His need for justice is a God of love. The wellknown story of the prodigal son can teach us a lot about how God sees us when we fall short.

In this story the son takes his father’s love for granted, demands an early inheritance and then squanders it on wild living. He doesn’t see the error of his ways until he reaps the consequences of his poor decisions and hits rock bottom. He’s left friendless, penniless and homeless; forced to take a job feeding pigs.

But when he decides to return to his father and beg for a job as a hired hand, the story takes a beautiful turn. Luke 15:20 says that “while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him”. Not only did the father show forgiveness; he treated his erring son 30

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with undeserved love, putting a ring on his finger, sending a servant to fetch the family’s best clothing and throwing a party in celebration.

Just as the father of the prodigal son is delighted to embrace his son when he sees the error of his ways and returns home, so God the Father stands eagerly inviting us to accept His great gift of Jesus for the forgiveness of our sins (John 3:16). It brings Him no pleasure to see us hit rock bottom and have to endure the pain and suffering that accompany sin. More than anything, He wants us to experience a loving relationship with Him. On that day when the eight-yearold me seethed at being punished, it took my father suggesting we make peace for me to see the light.

It wasn’t until after he took the first step to restore our relationship that I was able to get over my hurt pride and reconcile with him.

The Bible says that “God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). He did this willingly so that we would see the love of God for us and receive forgiveness as well as everlasting life as a part of His heavenly family.

God the Father stands ready with this open invitation. All we have to do is accept.

Bjorn Karlman is an Adventist freelance writer who travels the world as a “digital nomad”, living in 2–3 countries per year with his wife and toddler.

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R RENT

ARE YOU BEING WATCHED?

Your electronic devices are your window to the world. But who’s looking back?

BY DANIEL KUBEREK

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completing a survey. Against Facebook’s intention, the app was then also able to gather the information of all users’ mutual friends, creating a database eventually totalling in the tens of millions.

To make matters worse, the compromised personal data was confirmed to have been used for political marketing campaigns, including 34

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Donald Trump’s 2016 election run.

“To what extent can anyone online access my information?” was the general outcry from the public. The debate around online privacy forced Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg to apologise for the scandal before United States Congress on April 10.

The debate around privacy has a long and chequered history. Leaks of private information are sometimes justified by pointing out that the person surrendered their information willingly in the first place. When this information is used to tailor advertising in political campaigns, most people will cry foul. But when the government justifies spying on its citizens to stop terrorism and keep the public safe, drawing the line is more difficult. “The government has no right to know my private online information,” some say. “But,” others counter, “I’ve got nothing to hide—I’m not interesting enough.

And if it stops a terror attack, I don’t see any problem.”

Mark Zuckerberg doesn’t trust the internet. Eagle-eyed users noticed a background detail in his June 21 2016 social media post: the camera on his computer was covered by a sticker, ostensibly to prevent anyone from hacking his computer or watching him.

This behaviour comes from a public figure who has unprecedented access to the data of 2.23 billion people on the planet, and counting.

And many people believe there’s good reason for it.

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O

n March 17, the world felt naked thanks to social media giant Facebook.

It was confirmed that 87 million users’ personal information had been shared through an app developed by British consulting firm Cambridge Analytica. The software asked hundreds of thousands of users to voluntarily share basic information from their Facebook accounts before

All smiles, but is that a sticker over Zucks’ webcam?

the facts

In 2013, the world woke up to news of National Security Agency (NSA) leaks and claims the US government agency was spying on the public. Sub-contractor Edward Snowden had borne witness to these mass surveillance programs and forwarded the information to the press. Phone lines were being tapped, emails were being read remotely and personal data was being mined from the records of large internet firms, including Facebook and Google.

Among the codenames were “Prism” and “XKeyscore”: programs that allow for complete surveillance of any individual on the planet.

Snowden, in an interview with German news organisation NDR, said of XKeyscore: “You can read anyone’s email in the world. Anybody you’ve got an email address for, any website you can watch traffic

to and from, any computer that an individual sits at, you can watch it.

Any laptop you’re tracking you can follow it as it moves from place to place throughout the world. It’s a one-stop shop for access to the NSA’s information.”

The parallels with George Orwell’s post-World War II era novel, 1984, are both stark and chilling. My first reading of the masterpiece came after I’d turned 21. Having heard about it since high school, I decided to see how well the book held up. To my surprise, 1984 accurately predicts the world we live in today—from the mass surveillance of citizens, the rise of political correctness, to minutiae such as the use of poker machines.

It’s no surprise that the world we live in has been described as “Orwellian”.

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prophecy fulfilled

Without delving into conspiracies, of which there are many, it’s fair to say that our world is headed for a dystopian future. The Bible tells us in detail about the closing chapters of earth’s history and our destiny. For those who accept Christ and follow Him, the ancient Scriptures predict a time when believers will not only be watched, but also persecuted.

When Jesus was sitting with His disciples on the Mount of Olives, He foretold a time of difficulty in response to a question about “. . . the sign of [His] coming and the end of the age. . .” (Matthew 24:3). His first prophecies detail the rise of false messiahs, wars and natural disasters.

Thereafter, He said that God’s people will be “. . . handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me” (verse 9). It’s scary to consider that there will be a time when nearly everyone will be deceived and will look to hunt down God’s people.

Jesus added that they will have to “flee to the mountains” (verse 16) as a matter of urgency.

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glimpse into the future

While the Bible predicts that almost the entire population of the planet will be persecuting God’s people, it’s conceivable to foresee that every possible asset will be used against them. In an age where our activities can be so easily tracked and recorded by corporations and governments, one can only imagine what the future will hold in the time before Jesus’ return.

But there is hope for enduring this final test. While all of the signs are described as being merely the “beginning of birth pains” (verse 8), Jesus also said “the one who stands firm to the end will be saved” (verse 13). What is the reward for continuing on God’s side?

“Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven,” said Jesus. “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven” (Matthew 5:10–12).

Is there any value in researching conspiracy theories about internet tracking and government programs?

These preoccupations can distract us from the greater goal of maintaining

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safety on Facebook’s limited privacy settings, but is there a greater spiritual war factoring into this?

our personal relationship with God. At the end of the day, knowledge of end-time signs will not save us—only a personal connection with the Father will.

But to be naïve is also unwise; the Bible does say that Jesus will “. . . come like a thief! Blessed is the one who stays awake and remains clothed, so not as to go naked and be shamefully exposed” (Revelation 16:15).

This doesn’t necessarily mean we should deactivate our social media accounts and seclude ourselves from society in readiness for the impending crisis.

Does the Bible hint that online technologies will help share the gospel in the end time? The gospel that will be “. . . preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come” (Matthew 24:14).

Never has there been a time as interconnected as our current internet age, when sharing God’s Word online can have such massive reach.

But to assume that we are in control is false—there’s a spiritual battle going on behind the scenes; we only get glimpses. It’s encouraging to know, however, that ultimately God is the Victor and Saviour of His people.

Daniel Kuberek spends way too much time on social media, both in his personal life and as assistant editor of Signs of the Times.

LOCKING DOWN YOUR PRIVACY Five steps to securing your information online.

1. You have control over what you choose to share about yourself on the internet. If you don’t want it to be used against you either remove it or don’t post it in the first place.

2. Make your Facebook posts only accessible to those on your friend list—go to facebook.com/settings, click on the privacy tab and select “friends only”.

3. Facebook has software that can recognise your face in any of its photos and videos. To change this, go to facebook.com/settings, click on “Face Recognition” and switch it to “no”.

4. Make sure you have an active internet protection system. Windows 10 and the latest MacOS systems already have inbuilt anti-virus software, but third-party software is recommended as an extra level of protection.

5. Your webcam is a highly useful tool for work meetings or catching up with family, but like anything on your online devices, it is susceptible to hacking. To protect yourself, use webcam covers and sliders. They sell on eBay for as little as $1. A small piece of electrical tape or a sticky note works just as well.

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S T R E E T S I G N S

How do you feel about being watched?

“It’s a violation of our privacy, but it’s inevitable. The Bible tells us it’s going to happen. There’s nothing we can do to stop it. And at some point in the future, we’re going to have to make a stand.”

—Terry

“I think it’s been going on longer than it’s been out in the media. I think Facebook’s been selling data for a long, long time. . . Because [the government] can read those documents, it can become similar to those old Communist countries where they were reading letters and tracking down Christians and other people they didn’t want. It’ll be the same, but with emails.”—Jesse

“People seem to be largely oblivious to the fact that they’re handing over huge amounts of data, and they don’t even care.

My grandma is so protective about every single part of her privacy, yet she hands over almost everything about our lives to companies that we don’t know.”—Claudia

“In the wrong hands [someone] could search up my online activity from back in the day and throw it in my face—“You’re a gospel singer? What’s this on your computer? What’s this search back in 1999?”. . . I think my relationship with God is good enough that it would be a shallow judgement compared to what God’s is. He knows a lot more than that one snapshot of me.”—Gavin

“I have a lot of friends in Hollywood . . . there’s this movie with Will Smith coming out. It’s all about surveillance. What my [Hollywood] buddy told me is, anything you see in Hollywood has probably already been taking place for about two to three years. . .

I have a feeling that whatever I’m looking at right now, they probably know already.”

—Michael

IMAGES BY DANIEL KUBEREK

“I use Duck Duck Go, a search engine that’s built around not collecting your data. [I suggest] just being incredibly careful with user licence agreements, seeing where your data is going. If you’re not comfortable with something, don’t do it, even though it might be convenient.”—Mitchell

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FA IT H

4

WAYS TO CLEAR YOUR NAME FROM SHAME We all mess up and hurt others. But what we do next is crucially important.

BY KIM PECKHAM

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L

ook, I’m not saying you’re a bad person. You’re not like those horrible people on the front page of today’s newspaper. But we all make mistakes, right? They may not be big, axe-murderer kinds of mistakes, but they still nag at us.

Maybe the worst part is knowing that there are people out there who remember those blunders and have passed judgement on us. So what do we do about them?

There are four time-tested ways of dealing with guilt and shame—or, to use a more old-fashioned word, our sins. See which one works best for you.

1. Deny it ever happened

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This is the preferred method of criminals, slippery corporate types and politicians who have made famous lines such as “I am not a crook”, “I believe that nicotine is not addictive”, and “I did not have sexual relations with that woman.”

To be 100 per cent successful, this method requires that you fool all of the people all of the time, which we’ve been told is impossible.

So it will come as no surprise that denial can never completely clear

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your shame. There always seems to be some hotel employee or overly bright accountant who knows the truth about what you did. Most importantly, the person you hurt is not going to forget your sin.

On the other hand, you can always fool some of the people.

Your favourite aunt will believe your story—until the DNA evidence comes in. The most intriguing possibility is that you might come to be convinced of your own innocence.

The human mind is more flexible than airline pricing—we can believe what we want to believe. While this may ease our own pangs of guilt, it does nothing for the feelings of

people who’ve suffered the effects of our sins.

2. Deny it matters

“I put my hand on her back, to reassure her that her work was okay,” explained Garrison Keillor, “and my hand slid up inside the blouse a few inches and touched her bare shoulder.” The star of public radio in America had just lost his position after allegations of sexual harassment in the workplace. Instead of stating that nothing had happened, he claimed that almost nothing had happened.

This reigns as the favourite way of dealing with accusations of wrongdoing. It reminds me of the time we were at a nice restaurant with friends. I left the table for a moment and when I returned my wife reported that the waiter had snatched away the candle in the centre of the table because our 11-year-old son had tried to start a fire with it.

My son immediately countered the accusation. “No. No. No. It was a controlled fire,” he protested.

We always have an excuse or an extenuating circumstance that can salve our sense

of shame. When the momentum of the #MeToo movement triggered accusations against Don Burke, presenter of the iconic Australian Burke’s Backyard TV show, of hideous behaviour toward women, he explained that he was a perfectionist and that the complaints came from people who bore him a grudge after they had been fired for not meeting his high standards. He also pointed out that these accusations would hamper his “extensive charity work”.

While Burke’s declarations may confirm his innocence in his own mind, they cannot remove the hurt and humiliation suffered by the 50 people who told reporters about his crude conduct. The injured party is the only one who knows the extent of the injury.

We are poor judges of our own behaviour. We become like used car salesmen who value the same vehicle at different prices depending on whether they are buying it or selling it. We all need a higher authority to tell us whether we have caused harm or not. This is why we need the biblical idea of a divine judgement. The God who sees all can cut through denial and excuses. He can also declare innocence.

“Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait until the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of the heart” (1 Corinthians 4:5).

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“

God restores Himself to us first through Jesus and then He restores us to each other.

I’m not seriously suggesting you do this, but one way to clear your name is to get rid of the witnesses.

The same method that a mafia boss uses to beat a murder charge should theoretically work to remove the person who saw you at the beach after you called in sick at work. It’s drastic, but effective.

Even if you don’t rub out your accusers today, you can know that—given enough time—they will pass away, along with their memories of your sins. Their witness to your failings will be silenced. In fact, your own memories of wrongdoing will end with your own death. There is no shame in the sleep of death.

Maybe this is part of the biblical idea that death is the end point of sin. “The wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23). Death is a kind of firewall that stops the spread of 44

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cruelty, abuse and hate. It brings an end to every sin, large and small.

Perhaps one of the most sublime teachings in the Bible is that it doesn’t have to be our own death that ends our guilt. In some mysterious way, Jesus absorbed all the sins of the world through His death on the cross. “He himself bore our sins in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness” (1 Peter 2:24).

4. Ask for forgiveness

The most beautiful remedy for sin and guilt is forgiveness. It doesn’t happen all the time and it doesn’t happen easily. It came to Andrew Collins at a city park. A man approached him and asked if he remembered him. They started to shake hands and the man, who said his name was Jameel McGee, wouldn’t let go. “I knew it wasn’t

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3. Dispose of the witnesses

going to be a good run-in,” recalls Collins.

McGee’s expression changed. He glanced at the young boy who stood beside him and said, “I want you to explain to my son why his dad hasn’t been in his whole life.”

Collins knew that his past was catching up with him. It was widely known that he had lost his job as a police officer after being convicted of sending men to prison on false charges. McGee had done four years on drug charges cooked up by Collins.

Collins offered his apology. He had turned from his life as a dirty cop and had found redemption as a Christian. The men separated.

Four years later, chance brought the men together again. A jobs program had assigned Collins as a mentor to McGee. When they met again, Collins started apologising and McGee told him to stop.

“We’ve already had that discussion. It’s forgotten,” McGee said.

Collins remembers that they started talking about how God restores Himself to us first through Jesus and then He restores us to each other.

Collins told the radio show This American Life that he considers it his

duty to apologise as much as he can.

“It kinda sucks the anger right out of somebody when the offender is standing in front of them and saying, ‘You’re right.’ No justification. No minimising.”

But forgiveness is not guaranteed.

Robert Walker got a felony conviction from Collins. Even though he only spent a couple of days in jail, he’s not ready to let it go. “It don’t help me that you want to change,” he said while talking to a radio producer about Collins. “He’s a dirty cop, he is, and that forgiveness **** is overrated.”

So what happens if people are unable or unwilling to forgive you? Fortunately, there is a higher authority to Whom you can appeal.

The Bible says: “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). Being forgiven by God is like being pardoned by the High Court.

No accusation against you can stand.

Maybe you are haunted by your past. Or perhaps you should be haunted by a past that has been spackled over by your selective memory. Either way, you can clear your guilt. “Whoever believes in him is not condemned,” says the book of John (3:18). Or to put it another way: “Anyone who believes in him will never be put to shame” (Romans 10:11). And if there’s one thing we could all live without, it’s shame.

Kim Peckham is a freelance writer/producer from Lincoln, Nebraska.

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YOUR LIFE, COURTESY OF

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The direction of your life can be set by the people you choose to surround yourself with.

Take Han Solo, for example . . .

DANIEL-CHEUNG—UNSPLASH

BY MARK HADLEY

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A

re you a science fiction fan?

The mere mention of the genre might send a shiver down your spine, conjuring visions of two-dimensional characters with ray-guns where their brains should be. Alternatively, you might be the sort of person who has given serious consideration to whether or not they could get away with naming their daughter after The Hunger Games’ Katniss Everdeen. Wherever you land on the spectrum, though, it’s fair to say that Star Wars has a hero waiting for you. Its creators have assembled a pantheon of good guys, in every hue and shade, from the reformed villain to villainous reformers. Yet when you set aside the hairstyles, and off-load the droids, you discover storylines not terribly different from your own.

Star Wars has transcended the limits of a mere movie series to become a cultural icon. It is the second-highest-grossing media franchise of all time. George Lucas, the father of this phenomenon, makes no secret of the secret to his success.

As a young man, Lucas had been significantly influenced by Columbia University-trained mythologist Joseph Campbell. Campbell is the author of The Hero With A Thousand Faces, a book which mapped the common story-pattern that provides the foundation for all of the world’s great religious and ethical stories. Lucas would become great friends with Campbell and refer to him as his “Yoda” when it came to storytelling.

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Campbell’s “hero’s journey” structure has been reflected in 10 Star Wars storylines to date, explaining why they have achieved such universal appeal amongst people who have neither language nor culture in common. Some audience members celebrate the classic adventures of the farm-boy-made-good, Luke Skywalker. Others are drawn to the more complex appeal of the abandoned Rey, living off a junk heap while she waits for her parents. With each film release, we see still more hero-types emerge. It’s all part of an attempt by Star Wars storytellers to help you find yourself in that galaxy far, far away.

Take Solo: A Star Wars Story, as an example. Yes, it bombed at the box office earlier this year, but if you’re prepared to give it another chance it’s now out on DVD. Han Solo is the much-loved rogue of the Star Wars universe. His obvious faults—pride, foolhardiness, over-confidence—cloak a hero with a heart of gold. Rolling Stone magazine named this smug swashbuckler as number one on its 50 Best Star Wars Characters of All Time, and the original trilogy’s most vital asset: “The Correllian smuggler’s own conflicts make him the saga’s most complex character. Starry-eyed Luke instantly embraces the Force and the urgent drama of the Rebellion. Han Solo takes some convincing, just as we do.”

And 2018’s offering, Solo: A Star Wars Story, reveals that’s not all we have in common with Han.

Han: And what’s that?

Qi’ra: A good person.

Yet another point of reflection on our personal journey, is the day Han realises his purpose in life. The young Solo knows he is a skilled driver and flier, but it takes his introduction to the seedy underbelly of the galaxy to help him find his place. When he finally meets the Millennium Falcon—a ship so significant in his life, it qualifies as both friend and home—the transition to rogue is complete. Outwardly, he will become a smuggler, but inwardly he has embraced his independence.

He chooses to exist outside of the system, and because of that Han will always side with those who choose to do the same.

Assemble the Star Wars films end to end, though, and what follows is a DECEMBER 2018 • SIGNS OF THE TIMES

SUPPLIED

Han may have arrived in the Star Wars franchise as a cynical flyboy who is, “… just in it for the money!” Yet his prequel, Solo, shows Han shared our more optimistic youth.

The young Han, played

by Alden Ehrenreich (pictured, right), grew up as an indentured thief in the Correllian shipyards.

Despite the deprivation, though, he manages to retain a positive outlook.

“I’m going to be a pilot,” he tells an Imperial Recruiter. “Best in the galaxy!” Turning Han’s signature catchphrase on its head, he tells Chewbacca, “I have a good feeling about this!”

Also like us, Han sets about adding a list of “true companions” to his life. Campbell’s heroic story template sees these as more than just friends, but the family who will see us through anything. Solo introduces us to Chewbacca, the towering wookie who will become his friendly co-pilot and contrast for life. We also witness the entrance of Lando Calrissian (Donald Glover), a smuggler who is a flamboyant reflection of Han’s own high-stakes character. And then comes Qi’ra (Emilia Clarke), Han’s first love-interest, for whom he will risk everything. She’s also the character who understands him best: Qi’ra: I might be the only person who knows what you really are.

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more depressing collection of our life experiences. Han loses the first love of his life and suffers repeated betrayals and business failures. His near constant refrain becomes “It’s not my fault!” though his own determination to live a high-risk life is at least partly to blame. In the process, he earns the enmity of endless people. By the time he enters Tatooine’s Mos Eisley cantina in the original 1977 Star Wars movie, he is the sceptical, calculating captain of a battered freighter who is struggling under a deathly pile of debts. When Greedo confronts him, of course Han shoots first. Subsequent films show our hero finding some redemption in a good cause and managing to start a family.

However, The Force Awakens reveals even that joy has been soured by the loss of a child and the separation that follows. Harrison Ford’s much older Han is wiser, but with many regrets to look back on.

As you look back on that assembled storyline, it’s clear to see that Han’s life has hinged on one critical meeting—what Campbell calls the “meeting with the mentor”: “The first encounter of the hero journey is with a protective figure (often a little old crone or old man) who provides the adventurer with amulets against the dragon forces he is about to pass.”

In Solo, Han crosses paths with Tobias Beckett, an ageing con-man played by Woody Harrelson. What captures the young Han’s eye is this scoundrel’s flashy fighting style and SIGNSOFTHETIMES.ORG.AU • DECEMBER 2018

his seeming control over the chaos around him. The older man warns Han that if he comes with him, “You’re in this life for good.” His first gift to Solo is his signature blaster for the battle ahead, and his second is a piece of advice that proves distressingly true: “Assume everyone will betray you.

And you will never be disappointed.”

It’s not the first time Star Wars has used the “meeting of the mentor” trope to set a character on their life’s journey. Luke meets Obi Wan Kenobi and receives his father’s light sabre. On a darker note, Anakin meets Emperor Palpatine and ultimately receives Darth Vader’s helmet.

Recalling those scenes, I can’t help but reflect on the powerful difference mentors make. We don’t have to try hard to accept their influence for

good or evil; most of us have had mentors of our own. Personally, my life was profoundly shaped by an elderly gentleman who took the time to knock the rough edges off a clueless young producer. But then friends of mine have met Becketts of their own, whose seductive air of cool has set their feet on paths they lived to regret. Just like Han, we have to be careful of the mentors we choose, a truth the Bible is keenly concerned with: “Walk with the wise and become wise, for a companion of fools suffers harm” (Proverbs 13:20).

And if that proverb isn’t warning enough, the Bible follows up with real­-life examples. On the negative side of the ledger, the young king Rehoboam chooses inexperienced counsellors who appeal to his vanity—he

loses his kingdom. Jezebel mentors King Ahab in wickedness and he loses his life. More alarming still, Judas lends an ear to Satan, betrays Jesus and loses his soul. However, the Bible also describes the best advisors.

Consider Paul, who calls young Timothy alongside, and leads him into a lifetime of ministry. Or Barnabas, who won’t give up on young Mark, and ultimately schools a Gospel writer. Then of course there’s Jesus, who takes the most unlikely disciples and sets their feet on the path to a lifetime of service. But my favourite has to be His encounter with the woman at the well. (Read the story in John 4.) Here is a Samaritan outcast who isn’t even looking for a mentor. Yet Jesus’ patience, insight and preparedness to cut through tradition and her resistance leads her to personal transformation.

No wonder she finishes the encounter by telling her village: “Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Messiah?” (verse 29).

Han Solo might have assured Luke Skywalker, “Hokey religions and ancient weapons are no match for a good blaster at your side, kid,” but in this, he was sadly mistaken.

What did Jesus leave the Samaritan woman with? Nothing less than the water of eternal life. And the best news: His offer to mentor your life is not a device designed to sell a cinema seat. It comes free of any ticket.

Mark Hadley is a film critic and cultural commentator.

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To the glory of

GOD ALONE You’ve probably heard the Hallelujah chorus, or perhaps even the whole of Handel’s Messiah. But what’s the story behind the music?

BY ALETA KING

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PD-ART—WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

I

vividly remember my mother waking me and tugging me up off the floor to stand with 5600 other people. It was well past my bedtime, but I shuffled to my feet. I was overwhelmed by the sound of the choir and the orchestra. “Hallelujah!

For the Lord God Omnipotent reigneth!”

We had the cheapest seats in the Sydney Opera House, perched at the back of the stage high above the choir stalls. I found them the best seats because I could see the conductor. He was expressing the music through his arms and face and hair and coat tails. I felt like I was in the middle of it all and in that moment I thought, I want to do that!

George Frideric Handel said of writing the “Hallelujah” chorus, “I did think I did see all heaven before me, and the great God Himself.” The controversial and wealthy theologian Charles Jennens had commissioned the celebrated composer to set the story of Jesus in the new oratorio style.

Handel took Jennens’ libretto and in just 24 days in the summer of 1741 wrote 259 pages of music score, working day and night, barely touching the meals his servant brought him and not leaving his house. A friend who visited found him sobbing with the intensity of his task. Quoting the apostle Paul, he later remarked, “Whether I was in the body or out of my body when I wrote it I know not.”

At the end of his manuscript,

Handel wrote the initials “SDG”.

Handel’s Lutheran family had taught him the great Reformation tenets of Sola Scriptura, Sola Fide, Sola Gratia, Sola Christus and Soli Deo Gloria (hence the initials). Centuries later these truths still capture the essence of the everlasting gospel: Scripture alone; faith alone; grace alone; Christ alone. For the glory of God alone.

But many criticised Messiah from its first performance. The new oratorio form had descended from popular opera (minus the colourful costumes and dramatic acting). Some found the new genre altogether too secular and frivolous for sacred truths.

Yet Handel and Jennens were careful to avoid the possible sacrilege of depicting Christ on stage and were especially respectful of the cross.

Rather than having Jesus speak in scenes from the Gospels, they described His death using predictions from the Old Testament and John the Baptist. “Behold the Lamb of God, that taketh away the sin of the world” (John 1:29). “All they that see Him laugh Him to scorn” (Psalm 22:7). “Thy rebuke hath broken His heart” (Psalm 69:20). “Behold, and see if there be any sorrow like unto His sorrow” (Lamentation 1:12).

“For He was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of His people was he stricken” (Isaiah 53:8).

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“I have read my Bible very well and will choose for myself.”

Messiah was first performed for charity. Handel’s father, a surgeon, told Handel to study law, fearing a career in music would not provide financial reliability. This seemed an accurate prediction, as Handel often teetered on the edge of bankruptcy early in life. After Messiah, however, Handel had great success. He donated the proceeds from the oratorio to hospitals and charities that freed people from debtors’ prisons, in which Handel had earlier almost found himself.

What a practical depiction of the gospel. One biographer observed, “Messiah has fed the hungry, clothed the naked, fostered the orphan . . . more than any other single musical production.”

Aleta King is director of the Conservatorium of Music at Avondale College of Higher Education, north of Sydney. This article was first published in Avondale’s TK newsletter. Used with permission of the author.

HIOB—GETTY IMAGES

but many were horrified the Holy Bible in the authorised version would be cheapened by performance in a common music hall or theatre with secular vocalists and instrumentalists.

London newspapers criticised Handel, as did many preachers, including John Newton, composer of “Amazing Grace”. In no less than 50 sermons, Newton expressed the fear that Handel’s ornamental music would distract people from the sacred word, and that audiences came for only “fashionable amusement”, yet Newton took the opportunity to thoroughly explain all the texts used in Messiah.

Martin Luther would probably have understood Handel better than most, sensing that popular music could enhance worship, even if its use required a certain fluidity in one’s understanding of sacred and secular.

In Handel’s view, Messiah clearly transcended the sacred and the secular realms. After one confrontation from an archbishop, Handel replied,

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R E CI P E

PREP TIME: 8 mins COOKING TIME: 50 mins SERVES: 6 INGREDIENTS

30g margarine 8 slices fruit bread (toast thickness) 3 bananas, thinly sliced 6 fresh dates, seeded and chopped 2 cups vanilla flavoured Sanitarium So Good soy milk 3 eggs ½ teaspoon cinnamon 1 tablespoon brown sugar

METHOD

1. Spread margarine on both sides of bread and cut off crusts. Cut bread slices in half.

2. Place one layer of bread in a 20cm base, square, ovenproof dish and arrange half banana over the top.

3. Sprinkle with dates. Repeat layer of bread and banana.

4. Combine So Good, eggs and cinnamon in a jug.

5. Pour milk mixture over bread.

6. Sprinkle with brown sugar.

7. Bake in moderate oven, 180C, for 40–45 minutes. Serve with grilled pineapple.

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Recipe courtesy of Sanitarium Health & Wellbeing. Visit sanitarium.com.au or sanitarium.co.nz and subscribe to Recipe of the Week for a delicious plant-powered recipe in your inbox each week.

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SIGNSOFTHETIMES.ORG.AU • DECEMBER 2018

Caramelised Banana and Fresh Date Pudding Feeling festive? Mark the date with this delicious pudding—it’s sure to be a hit at any Christmas dinner party!

TIP

p is a Maple syru ative rn te al od go top. It on r ga for su the ts en em compl s! na na ba

DECEMBER 2018 • SIGNS OF THE TIMES

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FUN

UPSIDE-DOWN

CHRISTMAS

KONART—GETTY IMAGES

Celebrate the festive season in a unique Aussie or Kiwi way.

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TREE CHANGE If snowflakes and fir trees don’t seem quite right for a Southern Hemisphere Christmas, how can you spruce things up for your family? Visit local nurseries and see what kinds of native conifers might make a good traditionally shaped Christmas tree; branch out with native species that flower in December, such as New Zealand’s much-loved pohutukawa; or get busy in the shed and knock up a Chrissy tree out of recycled pallet timber, driftwood or even cardboard (check Pinterest for inspiration). Next step: how are you going to decorate it?

BONCHAN, XXMMXX—GETTY IMAGES, PIXABAY

FESTIVE FLAVOURS For many of us, Christmas dinner is marinated in tradition; you’ll provoke a riot if you skip the family’s favourite dishes. But since you’re making a special effort, why not incorporate some native foods into the menu? Imagine the zest finger limes or bush tomatoes would add to an Aussie feast. Or in New Zealand, there’s native watercress, spinach and other delicious peppery greens. Just remember to start your hunting and gathering early; these foods are not always in the big supermarkets.

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OUTDOOR FUN The great thing about Christmas in our part of the world is that the weather’s usually fantastic! Plenty of families are out there camping near a beach or river, or in the bush. Southern or alpine parts of the country are a lot warmer—it’s the perfect time of year for picnics, hiking, mountain bike rides or canoeing. And if you really need to escape the heat, there’s always caving. Whatever the activity, remember to bring enough water and to tell someone where you’re going and when you’ll be back.

DISOBEYART, PIXDELUXE, DGLIMAGES—GETTY IMAGES

HIT THE BEACH Nothing says Christmas holidays more than a game of beach cricket with all the aunties and uncles and cousins. Or maybe for your family it’s beach volley­ ball or just frolicking in the waves.

Swim between the flags, “slip slop slap” and bring enough drinking water. If it’s blazing hot, organise your beach outing for early in the morning or late in the afternoon, when it’s cooler.

SLEDDING If you really have a hankering for those northern winter habits, visit an ice-skating rink! But the southern alternative is sand dune sledding. All you need is dunes of sufficient height and steepness and something to sit on while you slide down. Your sled or board will need an upturned nose and a slick underside. A boogie board or sheet of cardboard might even do the trick. There are a number of commercial operations nearby suitable dunes around Australia and New Zealand that offer board/toboggan hire.

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FAMVELD—GETTY IMAGES, TIM SABO—WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

FRUITS OF YOUR LABOUR Cherries and stonefruits are surely the most Christmassy of fruits Down Under, not to mention sweet, juicy mangoes from North Queensland! Apples, berries, figs, lychees and rambutans are also in season this time of year. Do a little web-searching and see if you can find orchards in your area that offer “pick-your-own” services to the public. It’s a surprisingly fun family outing and a good opportunity to teach kids where their food comes from— not to mention that they’re more likely to eat food that they’ve picked and prepared themselves.

CAROLS BY CANDLELIGHT The story goes that Norman Banks, a sports commentator from Melbourne’s 3KZ, was walking home late on Christmas Eve, 1937, when he spotted an old lady through her window, sitting up in bed and singing along with “Away in a Manger” on the radio.

That glimpse sparked an idea and the next Christmas Banks hosted what was probably the world’s first outdoor Carols by Candlelight event. Every year, all over Australia and New Zealand, the public is invited to similar celebrations held in cities and small country towns. It’s a fun night out for all ages, a community bonding event and an alltoo-rare opportunity for Aussies and Kiwis to be reminded of the miracle of the Baby born in a farm shed.

DECEMBER 2018 • SIGNS OF THE TIMES

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CROSSWORD How closely have you been reading?

Each keyword in this puzzle is also contained within this edition of Signs of the Times. Happy digging!

EDUCATION.COM 62

SIGNSOFTHETIMES.ORG.AU • DECEMBER 2018

CLUE: 9 ACROSS

CROSSWORD CLUES

ACROSS 5 The enlargement of male breast gland tissue 8 A movement away from Roman Catholicism in the 16th Century 9 Record holder for most Academy Award wins 11 A surveillance program that allows complete online tracking of individuals 13 Author of classic dystopian novel 1984 DOWN 1 Composer of classic hymn “Amazing Grace” 2 Han Solo’s sidekick in Star Wars 3 Queen in the Bible; daughter to Ithobaal I 4 States that were part of the British empire 6 A port city northwest of Hong Kong 7 Pristine, natural land 10 2010 movie that coined the phrase, “dream within a dream” 12 A hashtag in response to sexual abuse against women 14 Adam’s partner in the Garden of Eden

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HOW WILL YOUR FUTURE UNFOLD? BROADEN YOUR HORIZONS WITH EFFORT AND BALANCE YOUR NURTURED POTENTIAL CAN BE TRANSFORMED.

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