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Number 103, June 2019 ISSN 1837-8447
Brought to you by the Bible Society
Teaching churches to party
Fields of Gold
Image: Wes Selwood
Living in the land of Israel Using your phone to give
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Obadiah Slope
NEXT MORNING: It was such a good line Obadiah used it out the front at church the next day. No matter your political views, we should ALL believe miracles happen. OLD WORSHIP: In the hidden “Roman Houses” near Rome’s Colosseum, said to be the home of two saints, Obadiah spied this picture of a woman with arms raised in worship. Fourthcentury Pentecostalism for sure. SUGGESTED SLOGAN: One of those annoying pop-up ads obscured Obadiah’s phone screen. It said “WEC.” And the tagline “World Engineers.” It turned out not to be Christian group WEC (Worldwide Evangelisation for Christ) But the “World Engineering Conference.”
Tasmania celebrates 200 years of Bible influence
News 2,3 In Depth 5-13
ALAN HARRIS The link between Van Diemen’s Land (as it was then named by European settlers) and the Bible extends back to the turn of the 19th century. The Bible Society’s first presence in Australia began there in 1807 – just three years after the British and Foreign Bible Society (BFBS) was formed in the UK. But it wasn’t until May 8, 1819, that Lt. Governor William Sorell chaired a public meeting at which the Van Diemen’s Land Auxiliary of the BFBS was formed in Hobart Town. It is likely the formation of the Tasmanian Auxiliary Bible Society was strongly encouraged by the Governorin-Chief, Lachlan Macquarie, who, at the encouragement of his wife Elizabeth, had overseen the establishment of the NSW Auxiliary Bible Society two years earlier in 1817. While Bible Society Australia’s 200th birthday was celebrated in 2017, the Tasmanian arm marks its bicentenary this year. When he advised Governor Macquarie of the steps taken to form the Tasmanian Auxiliary Bible Society, Lt. Governor Sorell seemed almost apologetic that it had taken so long and attributed the delay to the pressing problem of bushrangers. The meeting that established
Bible Society 15 Opinion 16 - 20
Wikimedia / Daniel Julie
GOD’S ELECT?: “I have always believed in miracles,” the Prime Minister said on election night, as he claimed victory. “I am standing with the three biggest miracles in my life,” he added. “And tonight we have been delivered another one.” These were the words of our Pentecostal PM who had heard his faith mocked or disparaged during the campaign. Was he: • reaffirming his faith? • smiling broadly, rejoicing in his win, which is largely down to him? • or simply using a good line, being the marketer that he is? Most likely all three.
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Launceston Holy Trinity Anglican church in Tasmania Bible Society Tasmania was only the second public meeting of its nature held in the colony. The new Bible venture was the first religious society to be formed in Tasmania; and it was also the first time that “Inhabitants and Settlers” were invited to join with “Magistrates and Officers” in forming a society for the common good. As Tasmania was a penal colony, providing Scriptures for convicts was a significant part of Bible Society’s ministry in the state in the early years, beginning with the first grant of Bibles to Tasmania by the BFBS in 1807. Besides making regular grants to the prisoner population in jail, those on farms and in camps were not neglected. From the town of
Longford, it was reported in 1840 that, “on many farms where the prisoner population were wont to spend their evenings in the vice of idleness or in active crime … they now meet after the duties of the day to hear the word of God read to them by one of their own number – perhaps the only one among them who is able to do so.” Chaplains on board the ships taking convicts to Tasmania were supplied with Bibles by the BFBS. By the time the convict ship Theresa berthed in Hobart in 1847, every illiterate prisoner had learned to read during the voyage. Many were reading the Bible for themselves. Leg irons had not been needed. Each prisoner arrived with a Bible provided by BFBS.
Greg Clarke “Australians have voted in their current Prime Minister at least partially because of perceptions around religious freedom.” Page 20
Photo: a mother and child wait to receive food in drought-affected northern Kenya.
to a world in need Please give generously and together, let’s be ready to show God’s love to people in need. Donate today:
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NEWS
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Gladys Staines’ shocking story BEN MCEACHEN “I’m getting a bit tired but, apart from that, I’m OK.” Gladys Staines does sound worn out. The wife of Australian missionary Graham Staines, who was murdered in India in 1999, Gladys is evidently struggling with the spotlight upon her, due to the release of The Least of These. A major movie revolving around the killing of Gladys’s husband and two sons, Philip (10) and Timothy (6) when the Staines worked with people affected by leprosy, The Least of These was made in consultation with Gladys. But her humble support for the film is taking its toll. Facing days of interviews, as well as attending various premieres around Australia, Gladys doesn’t pretend this media stuff is easy or glamorous. She has a real life going on outside the movie’s release yet her intimate involvement with what’s on screen has drawn her into its orbit. While that should come as no surprise to you, Gladys has often shocked the world with her response to how Hindu extremists burned alive her sons and husband – a missionary who worked at a leprosy home in Baripada, in the northern Indian state of Odisha. You can probably imagine how people from all over are flabbergasted that she hasn’t ditched her Christian faith. “When people ask me why I haven’t left my faith – why would I leave Jesus
Shari Rigby plays Gladys Staines in new movie The Least of These. Christ, who has been my helper and sustainer? It’s not about walking away from your faith because it’s just not,” says Gladys, who met Graham in India and also served people affected by leprosy. Holding tight to Jesus for the past 20 years is one thing. Another was Gladys’s shocking display in the immediate aftermath of the tragedy that took place on January
22, 1999, when Graham and their boys were set upon in the middle of the night by a mob who torched the jeep they were sleeping in. The Staines men were attending a Christian camp in a village several hours from their Baripada home. Gladys and daughter Esther had not accompanied them. In the first 24 hours after the murders, Gladys faced a media
Jesus transformed Stephen Lungu from a bomber to a believer. Your gift will help change more lives like his during African Enterprise’s missions to North and Sub-Saharan Africa!
onslaught in which she said how she already had forgiven the people who did it (their identities were unknown at that point; Indian man Dara Singh was later convicted of the murders). “As the news broke across India and the media came to my doorstep, the journalists were surprised when I stated that I had forgiven them. “Journalists asked me, how could I forgive? I told them Jesus has forgiven me from my sins, he taught us to forgive others, and he enabled me to forgive. “Within 24 hours, I was also asked: ‘What is your message to the people of India?’ I wanted people to know that Jesus forgives, that God loves them, and he wants them to know him. This message did not stay in India but made its way to Australia and all around the world.” The Least of These presents something of what Graham did and why he did it. Gladys believes his legacy resides within the hope he revealed to people – irrespective of their standing in society. “Through the results of his death, many hundreds and maybe thousands of people have come to a knowledge of who Jesus Christ is as their own personal saviour. Even within India, I know there were many people who were challenged by Graham having come from Australia to India to tell them about Jesus.” Visit theleastofthesemovie.com. au for more information.
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Greg Clarke steps down KALEY PAYNE After nine years at the helm of Australia’s oldest continuous organisation, Dr Greg Clarke has stepped down from his position as CEO of Bible Society Australia. Clarke told staff and supporters he felt his role at BSA was one he had “prepared for my whole life. “I remember taking my Bible with me to my first meeting [at Bible Society] – the Bible my mum and dad gave me when I was seven. It has sat on my shelf here the whole time. I’m one of the privileged ones who has known the word of God from a very early time,” Clarke said. “This organisation is all about making that kind of experience with God’s word possible for anyone, anywhere on the planet.” Clarke became CEO of Bible Society Australia in 2010, the first CEO of the newly amalgamated national organisation, which was previously a state-based structure. He said it felt like “the right time to leave,” following the organisation’s celebration of 200 years and an intense period of planning “for the next 200 as we look to the next era of our mission.” BSA’s chair Anne Robinson said it was “with a mix of gratitude, sadness and faith for the future the board accepts the resignation.” Clarke will leave BSA at the end of this month and is seeking God’s guidance for his next steps.
WHY INVEST IN MISSION IN AFRICA? Mission has the greatest impact when the Gospel is carried forward to people in their own culture and language.
AE coordinates thousands of pastors and volunteers each year to evangelise African to African with the support of people like you. It is one of the reason we see tens of thousands committing to follow Jesus in any given country, with over a million people each year provided an opportunity to respond.
Visit
africanenterprise.com.au to find out more today!
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Taking the Gospel to the World Moore College is an extraordinary community, where men and women are equipped to take the gospel of Jesus Christ to Australia and the world. The desire of the College is that people from all nations might hear of the forgiveness of sins that can only be found through Jesus Christ. We praise God for our latest cohort of 107 men and women who graduated, equipped to take the gospel to the ends of the earth. Our prayer for these graduates is that they will teach and equip others as disciples of Christ (Matt 28:19-20a): Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. We pray for a rich abounding harvest and that many will accept Jesus as their Lord and savior! This has been the story of Moore for 163 years! Under God, we’ve been equipping and sending men and women into the world as bible translators, pastors, missionaries, evangelists, scripture teachers, chaplains, church planters, bible college teachers, and leaders of Biblebased ministries around the world. We thank our many partners in this gospel work who support us in prayer, financial giving, and ministry in their own communities, workplaces and homes. As believers and followers of Jesus, we are all part of this work, as we
Moore College graduate teaching the bible to a child in East Africa witness lives changed through the faithful teaching of God’s word. As a young 31-year-old man, I was converted from atheism through the teaching of God’s word. I know full well how God
by his Spirit, through his word, can take someone from death to life! Ephesians 2:1-10 mirrors my experience of God’s mercy and kindness to sinners: As for you, you were dead in
your transgressions and sins, 2 in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. 3 All of
us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath. 4 But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. (Eph 2:1-5). All our courses at Moore College seek to prepare men and women for mission. To take the good news to people who are in the same situation that I was in. Dead in their sin, but who can be made alive in Christ through the teaching and power of God’s word. This mission training can be done in community through on-campus courses, and we have also seen the Preliminary Theological Certificate reaching many thousands globally, taught in partnerships around the world. In recent times, our Moore College Foundation has become able to provide some financial support to our most needy brothers and sisters in far flung and difficult places. Places without access to gospel resources that we can easily reach. Will you support us in our mission as a theological college? We hope to be able to teach and equip many who minister in challenging locations. Contact me if you’d like to know more by either by email (trevor. cairney@moore.edu.au) or phone (+61 (0) 2 9577 9900).
MOORE COLLEGE’S MISSION TO THE WORLD You then, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable people who will also be qualified to teach others. (2 Tim 2:1-2)
Moore College prepares men and women to carry the gospel of salvation to the ends of the Earth. Will you partner with us in this great mission?
moore.edu.au/donate
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The Aussie who is helping churches to party
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After Folau 3 page special
Water balloon volleyball in London – outside the house where Marty and Jenny were living. ANNE LIM Until he became a Christian, the best day of Marty Woods’ life was when his entire class of 35 kids from Yass Primary School in NSW came to his tenth birthday party and he organised all the games. “I think I’ve always been someone who loves bringing people together,” he muses. Marty became a Christian two years later as a boarder at The King’s School at Parramatta, western Sydney, under the mentorship of his housemaster, Rod West, who “just showed me who Jesus was.” The 12-year-old felt so freed of shame and guilt that he couldn’t keep quiet about what Jesus had done for him. In his boarding house 20 others came to faith by his last year of school. “When I was four, I was sexually abused and basically I lost my childhood,” he says. “A guy across the road – a teenager – abused me. I blamed myself, felt shame and guilt but I never felt I could talk to anyone about it. And when Rod showed me Jesus, and I met him for myself, I realised that Jesus had been there all along and he understood this incredible bewilderment and pain. “I felt free for the first time … I just knew that I wasn’t alone and I ran into Jesus’s arms. When I found him I could never be the same again.” Fifty years later, Marty is still pursuing his twin passions of telling people about Jesus and bringing people together to celebrate the kingdom of God – with the inexhaustible stamina of the Energiser bunny. He lives currently in Japan, with his wife Jenny, working with local churches to prepare for the Rugby World Cup in September and next
year’s Olympic Games by running community festivals in 500 communities across Japan. The goal is to reach one million Japanese people with the love of God through these community festivals over the next 18 months. Beyond that initial contact, the goal is to ensure that every single person has the opportunity to continue a connection with a local Christian community. This is part of the broader vision of Keishi Ikeda, pastor of Hongodai Christ Church in Yokohama. He hopes to use the momentum of the Rugby World Cup, Olympics and Paralympics as a catalyst towards a goal of seeing 10 million people attending church in Japan by 2024. With only 1.2 per cent of its 120 million people being Christian, Japan has been described as the second-largest unreached people group in the world (after Bangladesh). Achieving the goal set by Ikeda would mean the Japanese church had grown by a factor of 10. So, who is this Marty Woods, and why does he think he is the man to lead a profound movement in the life of the Japanese church? A former English and history teacher, Marty responded to a call from God at age 30 to give away all his money – after six years of teaching – so that he could achieve his dream to reach the world. “I did and it was the most freeing thing because God just said ‘I’m calling you to this radical life of faith and I want you to trust me.’ And 32 years later he still provides for us. I think if we’re going to reach the world, we’ve got to give it everything,” says the irrepressibly enthusiastic evangelist. Back in the 1980s, Marty joined an Australian Christian youth and community group called Fusion which aimed to reach Australia
with the gospel by helping the church be in the community. “Festivals began in the Tasmanian local shows because we realised people weren’t coming to church, but 90 per cent of Tasmanians go to the local show, so if we can do work at local shows and do festivals there, we could contact 90 per cent of Tasmanians,” Marty explains. “Our mantra was ‘the church has left the building.’ How do we meet people? We all want people to come to church but if we’re not out meeting them how can we move forward? We just began to develop this simple model. We called it an Open Crowd Festival as we wanted to welcome everyone to it.” Over the next 15 years, Fusion worked with churches to run festivals in 500 communities across Australia through the Awakening movement. “I remember in the ’90s in Frenchs Forest [Sydney], we helped support local churches work together to run a community festival on Anzac Day. It won Community Event of the Year and it continued to grow. It culminated with the opening night of the [Sydney] Olympics, we had 25,000 people turn up to the festival. [Former rugby union player] Nick Farr-Jones was the MC. It was organised by 25 different churches and it was fantastic. “It was a profound moment for me because I thought ‘this is where the church needs to be.’ Ever since I met Jesus, I thought ‘why don’t people know about him? We’ve got to tell them all about him, but they’re not listening. If we could just do something that showed people what the kingdom is really like.’ “So the Olympics was the catalyst to take us to a whole new level because we had a quarter of
a million people turn up to 120 festivals.” Although Fusion worked hard at church unity, some people queried why there was no evangelism or preaching at the festivals. “We’d just say ‘how about we meet people first? How about we get to know them? Let’s build a bridge so that Jesus can walk from our heart to theirs. Let’s make it a connecting point.’” Nevertheless, they soon realised having a next step after the festival was key – holding a messy church in the park the next day, or inviting people to a kids’ club, mums’ group or holiday programme. After helping to put the church at the heart of the 2000 Sydney Olympics, Fusion worked with the church in Greece for the Athens Olympics in 2004, “and there are churches planted from where we ran festivals.” After working with churches in Albania, Marty and his wife Jenny went to Germany, where they witnessed Germans throwing off 60 years of guilt and celebrating the World Cup in 2006. Four years later, they were invited to London to prepare for the 2012 Olympics, which took the festival movement to a whole new level. “We just crisscrossed the country and we trained and built teams. During the Olympics, 600,000 people turned up to festivals and it was incredible. Again, just seeing churches who had never connected with the community having a go and God just blessing them.” It was in Sydney that Fusion first connected with global sports movement ReadySetGo – a network of people who love God and love sports – which has allowed these Open Crowd festivals to grow exponentially. Marty says they are currently running festivals in 81 countries with a goal
of attracting 100 million people to community festivals by the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. Now working on their sixth Olympics, Marty and Jenny are again teaming up with ReadySetGo which has made all the resources available here. They are helping to support and resource churches across Japan to take initiatives in sports ministry such as festivals and sports clinics – “like disciples who make disciples who make disciples.” Marty believes the “fairy dust” that makes the festivals work is helping people to have a free spirit and “they then are able to be creative, to create a warm, safe place” that allows even Japanese men to sing and dance! “I think the church should be the party people,” he says. Marty is putting out a call for Australian Christians to come over and help. He has teams of volunteers coming from many rugby nations for the Rugby World Cup but so far none from Australia. “What we would love to do – we would train people online – training on how to run festivals and how to do other things that the Japanese church would like them to do,” he says. Marty stresses that you don’t need to speak Japanese; he has translators for when he does training. When running the festivals, they use the language of love – face-painting, juggling, singing, dancing … and plenty of smiles. “What we want to say is ‘don’t just come for a year, but commit for the next four years. Bring teams over and get your church to be praying for Japan. Let’s commit to it.’ The Japanese church really needs a hand.” If you are interested email Marty on mart.woods@gmail.com
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After Folau: In his own words ISRAEL FOLAU Folau preached this sermon at the Truth of Jesus Christ Church, Sydney, ahead of Rugby Australia’s decison about his contract. I’ve been playing professional sport now for 12, 13 years and I’ve been blessed by Jesus Christ with the gift and talent to be able to play the sport that, I guess, that I really love and enjoy. I’ve been fortunate enough to be able to have the opportunity to play three different sports here in Australia. And most of my life I would say God has blessed me with a lot of things. And one of those things has been finances. And I’ve got to say most of my life, in that part of my life, I’ve always been comfortable. And for the first time, as most of you know probably, reading in the paper in the media with what’s happening to myself of late, I got stood down obviously by posting up what I did on social media. And we’re at a stage … it’s not finished yet – the outcome is yet to be known. But, potentially, I could get terminated. Which means there’s no more playing contract, and therefore, no more finances, or money coming in. And the one thing I can take out of what’s happening right now, in terms of all the materialistic things
I’ve been able to have over the past number of years and is slowly being taken away from me, is that it reminded me of a passage of the Bible that I wanted to share that comes from Luke chapter 4 verses 5 to 8. And this passage talks about, after Jesus fasted forty days and forty nights, Satan came along to tempt him in the wilderness. There’s been many opportunities to be able to potentially make the situation a little bit easier, in a sense that I could probably go back and be able to play the game, and to get everything back the way my life used to be. But it’s encouraging to read Mark 8, verse 36. “For what shall it profit a man if he shall gain the whole world and loses his soul.” Another verse that encouraged me always and I believe is the key to anything that we’re able to do in this life is Matthew 6.33 “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” And that’s the most important thing to be, is keeping God first. One hundred per cent no matter how difficult or challenging a situation you might find yourself in, continue to trust in God.
we are all
We’ve got to continue to stand firm and to pray for one another and to love one another and continue to love those around us and to continue to go out there and share the gospel which is what Jesus Christ invited us to go out there and do. I love you all very much and may God continue to be with you all and bless you all. These things I leave with you in the mighty name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, Amen.
HOPE
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Flickr / davidmolloyphotography
Working with the rainbow NATHAN CAMPBELL At the same time that Israel Folau was launching a public controversy by shooting a meme into orbit, a university Christian group in Brisbane organised a campus event where a celibate, gay, Christian shared his story about life following Jesus. What was instructive about this event is that the narrative playing out in our media – whether social or traditional – doesn’t always represent real life. Perhaps one lesson here is that modern dialogue about being human does not require memes, but real world conversations between real people. Remarkably, the Christian group had included the university’s Rainbow Society in planning the event; the leader of this group helped fill out a risk assessment for the event, and was in attendance at the event, with other members of
the group. They stayed afterwards to continue the conversation. My friend had explained what it means for him to pursue life with Jesus as his ultimate love, and source of ultimate good; and he was heard. He was not shouted down, or booted off campus. He did not lose his job (disclosure: he is my trainee). It’d be easy to sensationalise the Israel Folau imbroglio; countless words have been written dialing the culture war narrative up to eleven, but I’d be careful to jump to too many conclusions about modern gospel conversations – public, or private – from a particular episode involving a meme so reductionist it distorted the message of the gospel (John 3:18, for example, suggests that God’s judgment awaits all those people who reject Jesus, for rejecting Jesus). This isn’t to say there aren’t issues surrounding how equipped our world is to grapple with religious issues, but Folau’s meme was so deficient that we should be careful when extrapolating from it to principles for evangelism. Folau’s meme condemning “homosexuals” flattened out the experience of people like my friend, who submits his sexuality to the Lordship of Jesus. My friend’s sharing of his story meant he proclaimed the gospel without being “hated” or excluded. Perhaps in response to the Folau story
EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST
SMBC PRINCIPAL Sydney Missionary and Bible College (SMBC) is a vibrant interdenominational Bible College in Australia (at seminary level) and enjoys a reputation for sound biblical and theological tertiary education. The key focus of the College is to train students for Christian ministry within multicultural Australia and overseas. The College was established in April 1916 by a returned missionary of the China Inland Mission, Reverend C. Benson Barnett.
the growing debate
Located in Sydney’s inner west, SMBC offers students a flexible approach by teaching a wide range of accredited degrees and diplomas up to PhD level with full-time and parttime study options. Approximately half the student body live on campus and an online capability is offered to our postgraduate cross-cultural workers in the field. Expressions of interest are sought for the position of Principal, commencing January 2020.
HELL
PRIMARY OBJECTIVES The Principal is responsible for the effective preparation of people for Christian service in local, cross-cultural and international vocational and non-vocational ministries through:1 oversight of all SMBC courses and programmes ensuring Bible-centredness, theological depth and educational rigour; 2 fostering the strong missions focus that underpins all aspects of the students’ learning and College life; 3 pastoral leadership of the SMBC community (faculty, staff and students) in their worship of God and encouragement of one another; 4 the determination to maintain the interdenominational character of the College; 5 strategic and visionary planning for growth (in conjunction with the Board) with the effective use of human and other resources in managing and promoting the College.
FEATURING
Rev Dr Robin Parry
This is a challenging and unique role for a servant-hearted, cross culturally missionminded Christian leader.
author of The Evangelical Universalist
July 20th
A case for universal salvation
The Principal will be able to demonstrate and model a lifestyle consistent with Christian standards of holiness, be an outstanding Christian leader and be held in high esteem for preaching and teaching across the Christian community.
July 27th
Implications of universal salvation
Wesley Conference Centre, 220 Pitt St, Sydney gospelconversations.com
Please initiate Expressions of Interest and any questions to the Chairman of SMBC, Geoff Deane via mobile +61 418 272 589 or by email on grdeane@gmail.com Potential candidates need to follow the instructions at smbc.edu.au/jobs to make application for the position. Applications close 30 June 2019 or when the position is filled. Gospel Conversations
www.smbc.edu.au
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living in the land of Israel we might redouble our efforts to proclaim the gospel in actual relationships built on love and listening? Perhaps we should rediscover Marshall McLuhan’s maxim “the medium is the message” in our proclamation; such that we avoid memes that inherently reduce and distort the gospel, and instead proclaim it as embodied people living lives that express the truth, beauty, and goodness of Jesus; proclaiming the better story about the full human life found in him. Nathan Cambell is a campus minister of Living Church, Brisbane.
What I wish I could have told lzzy DOMINIC STEELE
Civility should be a modern-day fruit of the Spirit! CHRISTIE BUCKINGHAM
people nowadays may more often be described as rude, arrogant, threatening (think road rage) or, worse still, totally ignore them as if they are persona non grata (think not responding to messages – “unfriending” etc.). Where are the days of speaking with people in a cordial way? I believe it’s time for us who consider ourselves Christians to have a serious rethink. To always be prepared to hold out the olive branch. Be ready to show the possibility of redemption and to endeavour to find a way of peace especially with those that we differ with. The Scripture tells us that we will recognise those that are believers by their fruit. Is my fruit in line with the fruit of the Spirit? Or is it another type of fruit? Am I grafted into the true vine in such a way that I can only bear the fruit of the Spirit or am I more regularly reaching towards something or someone else? Do I respond defensively to others or in a contemplative and responsive way that seeks to understand? Reflecting on James 1:1927, am I quick to listen and slow to speak and become angry? We are warned that human anger does not “produce the
righteousness that God desires.” In fact, it produces very little except for us to realise that there is something we need to pay attention to in ourselves. Do we allow our anger to cause us to sin or to investigate how we can grow and mature? We also must understand and take responsibility for what our words can do to others. They can heal or they can hurt. Is what we are saying
bringing others closer to or casting them further away from God? When I think about areas in my life that have been lovingly corrected by others used by God, I can see the hallmark of kindness – it is God’s kindness that leads us to repentance. Our words should convey kindness not harshness if we are to be ambassadors for God’s kingdom. Christie Buckingham pastors Bayside Church, Melbourne. Flickr / davidmolloyphotography
Dominic Steele from Village Church in inner-city Sydney wishes Folau had seen the grace in those verses he referenced online. Oh, Izzy. We need to show the world grace. When the Apostle Paul wrote 1 Corinthians 6:9-11, he was reminding the Corinthian church they were sinners before our almighty God. But Paul immediately, spectacularly points his readers to the wonderful generous grace that’s ours in Jesus. See that at the start of verse 11, “some of you used to be like this.”
That’s me. I was one of those. I did a number of those things. I suspect it’s you too. So I cling to the beautiful, wonderful, fantastic next sentence, “But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.” Izzy, please, be like Paul. Remind and reassure any confused and insecure Christians of the mercy of God, and call on the rest of the world to join us in putting trust in the forgiveness that is available in Jesus. Pray with me ... Lord God, I admit I have failed you and rebelled against you. I confess I can see myself in this list in 1 Corinthians of sexual immorality, idolatry, adultery, people who have had homosexual sex, stealing, greed, drunkeness, abuse and swindling. Thank you that in Jesus Christ’s death and resurrection, you have washed me, sanctified me and justified me. Please help me to trust you in this. Amen.
How we speak to people and of
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FAITH, HOPE AND LOVE
Unchanging Virtues for a Changing World
2019
NEW COLLEGE LECTURES 7:30PM 24-26 SEPTEMBER ARCHBISHOP GLENN DAVIES THE ANGLICAN ARCHBISHOP OF SYDNEY
ARCHBISHOP ANTHONY FISHER OP THE CATHOLIC ARCHBISHOP OF SYDNEY
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After Folau
from page 17
What the Coalition promised In the election the Morrison government promised it will enact laws to protect Australians from religious discrimination and add a religious freedom commissioner.
The net says: JOHN SANDEMAN
A threat to freedom MARTYN ILES Australian Christian Lobby managing director’s response. The decision to fire Israel Folau for posting a paraphrased Bible verse is madness. ACL has been consistently warning that religious freedom in Australia is under threat and this latest development makes our concerns abundantly clear. Rugby Australia’s announcement not only marginalises and silences a large portion of Australians who hold to the same belief as Folau, but all Christian rugby players are now being told their beliefs are incompatible with the sport they play. Israel Folau’s conduct amounts to mere speech – he has done nothing criminal, he has not publicly disgraced himself, and he has not mistreated anyone. Rugby Australia’s penalty is high handed, inconsistent, and anti-Christian.
Israel Folau and the Bible TOM RICHARDS Israel Folau’s provocative Instagram post has caused polarised reactions. For some Christians, it was refreshing, boldly calling the world to repentance. For others, it lacked grace in both its tone and in that it did not clearly offer forgiveness to the lost. An IG post is fundamentally a picture. In this instance, it was a meme, presented as a warning sign that listed sins that roughly correspond to 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 or Galatians 5:19-21, along with the statements, “Hell awaits you. Repent! Only Jesus Saves.” Instagram text is secondary but serves to explain and give context to the visual. Folau’s contained three Bible passages and his own comments which included: “Jesus loves you and is giving you time to turn away from your sin and come to him.” So, grace was there if we know how to join the dots, but you had to dig to get to it. In fairness, Folau had actually already joined the dots when he wrote for PlayersVoice, where he identified as a fellow sinner and said, “If you choose to believe in him, repent and be baptised in the name of Jesus Christ for the removal of your sins, you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. That will enable you to live the life that God called us to live.” Here we see that Folau focuses on the outworking of belief in repentance expressed as a changed
life. This repentance was more clearly defined as a process when he said via Twitter (18/01/18), “To be born again you MUST, repent of your sins, be baptised in the name of Jesus Christ and then prayed upon asking God to receive the Holy Spirit. If you’ve done it a different way from this then you aren’t born again” (his capitals). Folau is doing more than calling sinners to repentance; he is calling all people to his particular theology of salvation – one in which we are saved through these specific steps which he finds in Acts: 2:37-38. Folau’s Truth about Jesus Christ Church teaches, based on James 2:14, 17-19 that faith alone is dead faith. They argue that works negated by passages such as Ephesians 2:8-9 are dead works but we are saved through righteous deeds including repentance, water baptism in Jesus’ name and Holy Spirit baptism. We would do well to be reminded that Jesus did call us to repentance, saying, “Repent and believe the good news!” (Mark 1:15). Repentance is linked to faith and is a natural result
of believing that God’s kingdom has arrived with its king, Jesus. It is the action of turning from the world or rival gods to the true God (Acts 3:19). So, we can take note of what Izzy is saying in so far as it calls us to examine ourselves: have we repented? Do we live as if Jesus is our Lord? We should also have a deep respect for Folau’s courage in standing for his convictions. Wherever he is theologically, he has a level of integrity that most of us lack. While Israel Folau rightly highlights the problem of sin and our need to repent of it, his offer of grace was secondary and buried more deeply than many would have been willing to dig. More than that, he is calling people to a form of repentance that is at odds with a gospel that is offered by grace and through faith. Tom Richards is a Westminster Presbyterian Minister and missionary. He left the more complicated topic of Folau and the Trinity for later.
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“HE’S NOT BEING FIRED FOR HIS BELIEFS. HE IS BEING FIRED FOR VIOLATIONS OF HIS EMPLOYMENT CONTRACT.” Probably the most common pro-Rugby-Australia comment. A similar thing can be said of the young teacher fired by a Christian school for being unmarried, not willing to get married straight away, and pregnant. Her dismissal was lawful, because she had violated her employment contract. It could be difficult to oppose Folau’s sacking and not the teacher. “A CHRISTIAN COMMUNITY THAT HAPPENS TO EDUCATE CHILDREN”: One school principal’s explanation of why schools might be different. “KIDS ARE KILLING THEMSELVES”: Ex-rugby-player Ian Roberts’ tweet. This is the strongest argument against the conservative Christian view – or rather the idea that loud anti-gay comments are what is required. Can we combine gentleness, grace and truth? “I DON’T BELIEVE PEOPLE GO
TO HELL FOR BEING GAY.” Scott Morrison, possibly drawing a distinction between orientation and gay sex. “WHEN WE ARE NEXT ASKED, ‘DO YOU BELIEVE GAYS WILL GO TO HELL?’ HOW WILL YOU ANSWER?” Melbourne Baptist blogger Murray Campbell. “HATING ON THE LGBTI+ COMMUNITY WILL ONE DAY BE REMEMBERED AS RACISM.” Unpopularity lies ahead for traditional Christian belief. “Jesus promises us that the world will be against us.” Another way of saying the same thing?
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Get set for one-touch donations Fundraising in the palm of your hand REBECCA ABBOTT Rock legend Bono does it. Former US President Barack Obama did it. Oxfam and UNICEF definitely still do it. And many other charities across the world and now here in Australia are tapping into one of the newest fundraising channels: text giving. The main selling point for giving by text is convenience. Rather than having to dig out a credit card, premium SMS giving allows donors to simply text a keyword on their mobile (such as give, gift or hope) – following the charity’s prompt – and a set donation amount is charged to their mobile phone bill. This donation is then passed on in full to the charity - and even might be tax-deductible - while donors are sent an instant thankyou message. The ease of this fundraising method is drawing younger donors, particularly those in the 25-34 age bracket, who are among the most devoted users out of Australia’s 30 million mobile subscribers. “It is a simple way for donors to respond to the causes that move them and charities to reach new donors and raise additional funds,” said Melina Rookes, programme coordinator of Telco Together Foundation – a charity that is driving the introduction of this
fundraising method in Australia through its new Text Giving website. While donation amounts are small, the immediacy of text giving means that smart charities can harness the pull of the moment (as well as celebrity endorsement) to urge thousands of donors to do their bit to help the cause. Rookes explained: “The donation amount is set at $5 per SMS – similar platforms overseas typically use a $5 or $10 donation tariff because the donation is added to a phone bill rather than charged directly to a credit card. This seems to be a sweet spot for donors, charities and the telco carriers, and there is the opportunity for donors and charities to continue the journey through regular giving programs.” Telco Together launched its Australian Text Giving platform at the end of 2018, with the support of Telstra, Vodafone and IT company Ansible. This followed a two-year pilot of the programme (from 2015 to 2017) involving 20 charities, such as Oxfam Australia, The Salvation Army, Bible Society Australia and Cancer Council. The trial showed there is an appetite for premium SMS giving here, both among charities and donors. “Donors have been overwhelmingly positive about Text
Giving,” said Rookes. “In a survey conducted by Telco Together during the pilot, donors said they chose to give via text because it was the easiest way to give.” Most of those surveyed said they did not have any difficulties in using the Text Giving platform, and charities received very few complaints. In other good news for charities, text givers seem more willing to become regular givers than those who give through more traditional fundraising channels. “Around 8 per cent [of those surveyed] said they had become regular givers,” said Rookes. While fundraising via premium SMS has only been used in Australia for a few years, notfor-profits have been using it successfully in the US, UK, Canada and South Africa over the past decade. Three shining examples of continued page 10
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One-touch from page 9
the potential of this high-tech fundraising channel are the SMS campaign launched by Barack Obama, calling for donations to the Red Cross as Hurricane Gustav approached New Orleans in 2008. On the back of this, the American Red Cross ran the most successful text-giving campaign yet, raising US $32 million from over three million donors for disaster relief in Haiti, following the 2010 earthquake. In the UK, UNICEF raised UK £2.5 million during the opening ceremony of the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow through a global text giving campaign – with half a million UK viewers donating by text in the first hour. On a somewhat smaller scale, Australia’s Salvation Army used a text giving campaign during the 2016 Carols in the Domain event, as part of the Text Giving platform trial. Broadcast on national TV, the campaign received good plugs from hosts of the event, including the Sunrise program’s “Kochie” (David Koch). “It was a pretty good first pilot. We raised about $20,000 from that. It was quite a significant response,” said the Salvation Army’s head of community fundraising, Andrew Hill. One key finding from this campaign, Hill notes, is the importance of “buy-in” from the campaign promoters to urge enough people to act, so that their small donations add up to a significant total. “I call it the Bono moment –
where Bono gets everyone to hold up their phone and make an action as a huge group. If you don’t get that moment, then you don’t really get a good response,” said Hill. Another issue that has prevented the Salvos from fully utilising premium SMS giving is the fact that not all major mobile networks – including Optus – are yet on board the Text Giving platform in Australia. This means clients of these networks can’t access premium SMS giving, so instead
of simply entering a keyword and having the donation added to their phone bill, they are sent a link to enter in credit card details. Rookes is hopeful this will change in the near future as premium SMS giving becomes more popular in Australia, especially as Optus is already part of the Telco Together Foundation. “As the Text Giving platform develops, we hope to extend the service out through other network carriers,” she said.
Tap and Go ANNE LIM Andrew’s Anglican Cathedral in Sydney is the latest Australian church to adopt Tap and go machines for electronic donations, with a preset amount of $5. Lisa Wilmshurst, cathedral administrator, says the three machines displayed in prominent positions are designed as another way of collecting donations for maintenance of the building. “It has the benefit that less and less people carry cash so having a method of accepting donations through credit card is wonderful. It also has a benefit for us in that tourists give an Australian
currency donation rather than foreign coins and notes.” St Andrew’s has decided not to offer this method of giving for regular giving by its congregations and turns the machines off during services. This contrasts with the system at St Paul’s Anglican Cathedral in Melbourne, which pioneered the use of tap and go machines and even passes around tap and go collection plates. Hannah Hornsby, an administrative staff member at St Paul’s, says a lot of its members are using this as their primary method of offering, which coincides with a decline in regular planned giving.
JUNE 2019
Working at gen BEN MCEACHEN Mitch Hammond is lead pastor at C3’s new church in Sydney’s inner suburb of Rozelle – it kicked off on Easter Sunday – as well as being Australia’s representative for YouVersion, the Bible app. Put that another way: he’s a multi-jobbed guy who is eager to do charitable. “I’ve always felt the need to do something that is specifically and directly related to meeting people’s needs and working to help society,” explains Hammond. “I think that can be done in whatever career you do but, personally, I feel a burden to be on the front line of that.” Hammond has “pretty much since day one” felt like that, after he became a Christian at 15. Hearing about someone like Hammond can make us feel guilty or inferior, as if he’s ‘that Christian’ who thinks they’re better than everyone else for doing what they do. “I definitely do not think that,” Hammond chuckles modestly before giving a shout out to those who don’t work in the same space he does. “[Christian] organisations need people out in the workforce doing other things and representing Christ. I think we need each other. Both parts are equally important.” At his church, Hammond wants everyone to be about serving others, not themselves. He points to C3 Cares, a mission initiative across Sydney locations that involves food banks, clothing shops
and outreach to new arrivals and refugees. Those programmes are demonstrations of what Hammond thinks must be in any Christian enterprise. “Charity is really, in essence, about generosity and compassion and service. Any organisation that is doing anything in the name of Christ should have that spirit behind it. “I think that is what Christ represented; he came to bring mercy and justice and compassion, salvation and restoration. Whether it’s a church or Christian charity organisation, it has to have that hallmark on it. If it doesn’t, I don’t think it’s fully doing justice to what Christ gave us.” As YouVersion’s Australian representative, Hammond meets with Christian churches, leaders, writers and individuals about how Australian content can be part of YouVersion’s repertoire. Add them up, then, and Hammond’s jobs might not instantly cry “charity work.” But Hammond easily sees how so much of what he gets to do is directly aligned with helping others. “YouVersion’s goal, essentially, is to make the Bible accessible to people all around the world. And I think that’s pretty crucial in this – we have to be careful in charity. It’s a bit of a pendulum where some times we do so many works that the word that initially motivated the works gets diluted or lost.
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IN DEPTH – CHARITIES
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nerosity
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Mitch Hammond
“The ultimate charity or generosity we can bring to people is the word of God and the promises of God. “Jesus met physical needs … with care and shelter and community; he created those things. But at the end of the day, they were all bridges to meet our deeper need – which is the level YouVersion comes in at – to bring that word to people.”
There has been a lot of recent interest in the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission’s ability to revoke a charity’s tax exempt status if it engages in political advocacy. For religious charities, the power of the State to levy an impost on criticism takes a particular poignancy. The very idea of individual freedom and its protection in modern liberal democracies owes its origin to the vocal defence of religion against encroachments by the State. A law that can be first wielded against the environmental movement and then provoke an investigation into Catholic Education Melbourne has almost unlimited entertainment potential. A law that can unite both Tony Abbott and Bill Shorten in outrage holds decidedly unique prospect for reform. Further, the issue of charitable advocacy was made an election issue last month, with the Labor Party committing to amend the Charities Act to formally recognise the public benefits of advocacy by charities. That specific reform will not now take place, however if reform is to be contemplated on this issue, there is much to be learnt from international experience. In my view the debate could benefit from a small dose of
reason, perspective and clarity. First, reason. The reason why the law is in place is to stop the politicisation, and thus the delegitimisation, of charities. To allow groups with mere political motive to take charitable form would undermine confidence in the independence of the sector as a whole – our deconstructionist proclivities may have borne some fruit after all. Second, perspective. If one accepts the correlation between charity and pure motive, then a boundary line between charity and partisan politics must be maintained. However, the threat of the loss of tax exemption can have a distinctly sobering effect on free speech. As charities exist to promote public benefit, precisely where the line is drawn can then have significant impacts on civil society freedom. Adopting an international perspective, a review of the law of Anglophone democracies reveals just how contentious this boundary line can be. During the height of World War One in Bowman v Secular Society, Lord Parker handed down the seminal English dictum that a charitable “trust for the attainment of political objects has always been held invalid… because the court has no means of judging whether a proposed change in the law will or will not be
for the public benefit”. Although imbibing the English common law, our revolutionary dissenting friends across the Atlantic have taken a vastly differing position, choosing to disqualify mere activity. In the US section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code provides that charities must “not participate in, or intervene in… any political campaign on behalf of… any candidate”. In the lead judgement Branch Ministries v Rossotti a church lost its tax exemption for placing two newspaper advertisements critiquing Bill Clinton’s policy on, amongst other things, homosexuality, abortion and contraceptives use. US law thus imposes a strict activity test, which renders even individual acts of critique liable to disqualification. Not having the numbers in the Congress to amend the law, last year President Trump signed an executive order prohibiting Treasury from taking “adverse action” against charities. How curious that the nation born of the revolution against non-representative state autocracy, what Tocqueville called the “most democratic country on earth”, should limit its civil society through such a blunt mechanism. The contagion of contention has also spread to Canada, where last continued page 12
It’s becoming increasingly difficult for young people to live for Jesus in our society – many are being led off track by worldly ideas that run directly counter to the gospel. By the time they leave home, 40% of young people within our churches are walking away from their faith. Your tax-deductible gift by June 30 is so important to help ensure every church with youth and children is as effective as possible at teaching the gospel, modelling Christian living, and enabling discipleship. Without your investment, fewer and fewer young people may follow Jesus into adulthood.
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The bounds of religious charitable speech MARK FOWLER
Charity is really, in essence, about generosity and compassion and service.”
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Building faith and trust in Christian organisations STEPHEN KERR “We’re doing this because we want to send a message to our members that we’re not perfect, but we care about governance. We want to show we are doing things right.” I was talking to a representative of one of our applicants about what was driving his organisation to become accredited. Some of our applicants do it to become more effective, some to send a message to their donors and other stakeholders, and some to send a message to the world at large about Christian organisations. This applicant was a representative body for more than 100 Christian organisations that wanted to live out the exhortations of 1 Peter to show the world our honourable behaviour, so that the world will honour God. This sort of feedback buoys us during a busy year for the CMA Standards Council, which aims to build faith and trust in Christian organisations. In addition to our core work of helping charities, churches and schools become accredited, we have seen needs and opportunities in other areas. The CMA Standards Council now has 13 accredited partners, with another 16 applications in process. It is a great joy to us to be able to assist them to meet our standards to the extent necessary.
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year the Ontario Superior Court ruled that a tax agency imposed advocacy cap of 10 per cent of resources unconstitutionally burdened free speech. In doing so, the court upheld a prohibition on partisan activities. So the perspective gained through an international lens can help us attain to the third value I think is needed in the debate – greater clarity. Although yet incomplete, in Australia a measure of clarity has been provided by the High Court. Perhaps exercising their own revolutionary spirit, in the 2010 Aid/Watch decision the court wielded the constitutionally protected “implied freedom of political communication” to overturn Lord Parker’s dictum. The result is that, in Australia charities can have a purpose of critiquing government policy, provided such is done in furtherance of a public benefitting charitable purpose. The Charities Act delineates the following disqualifying boundary line: a “purpose of promoting or opposing a political party or candidate”. Although a consistent narrative in activity may point to an independent political purpose that is not subservient to a charitable purpose in all respects, we can take comfort that one-off or incidental activities (like those in Branch Ministries) are unlikely to amount to a ‘purpose’. As international experience shows, there is a treacherous
boundary line to navigate here between inviting charities’ contribution on policy and protecting their legitimacy as independent, non-partisan players in a democratic polity. Tax exemption sends the message to charities that your contribution to our common weal is sought, so much so that we are willing to subsidise it. Conversely by tying exemption to a strict “no political comment condition” the State risks the allegation that not only does it not want the comment of charities as to what comprises the common good, it will wield the threat of financial impost against any such offering. US Chief Justice Marshall’s claim in the 1819 decision McCulloch v. Maryland that “the power to tax is the power to destroy” comes to mind, to the extent he might be channelling that quintessential American (and distinctly Bostonian) loathing of tea. The role of charities in pursuing their vision of the common good is fundamental to the great contest of ideas that characterises a flourishing democracy – this requires competing visions, and at times, challenges to the State, especially in the name of charitable good. Mark Fowler is an Adjunct Associate Professor at the University of Notre Dame School of Law Sydney and a practising lawyer. This is an extract of a speech given last month in conjunction with a lecture given by Australian Charities and Not-forprofits Commissioner Gary Johns at the University of New England.
JUNE 2019
Ministry Governance Conferences In Adelaide And Perth. In the context of recent royal commissions, the one consistent theme of the reports has been that where governance is not working well, it is only a matter of time before problems emerge. The organisations that apply to us for accreditation cover a broad range of churches, charities and educational institutions. The one common theme is that the governing bodies are conscious of their obligations to steward their resources and achieve excellence in how they operate. The CMA Standards Council is also broadening its services. Because we are now seeing a good cross-section of the Christian community, we can contribute to public debate on governance issues from the perspective of Christian organisations. We have had input
into the new External Conduct Standards tat will come into force in the second half of the year. We are also making representations regarding new whistleblower legislation that will affect Christian organisations structured as companies limited by guarantee. We hope to be able to have an increasing influence. In response to demand for good, cost-effective training for new and for experienced board members, we have committed to running Ministry Governance Training days in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth every year. Our affordable pricing gives many Christian organisations a chance to invest in their board leadership. For more information, see our website at www.cmasc.net.au
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Faith as big as a canola crop REBECCA ABBOTT
Cactus Jam Production.
In a drought-ravaged paddock in Central West NSW, 37-year-old farmer Jarrod Amery is witnessing a miracle. A luscious crop of green canola plants is bursting from the dry, dusty ground in which seeds were planted just over four weeks ago. It’s the only such crop in the local area. “We were standing out there last night and thinking this is a miracle; we’re standing in a miracle! I’m just so excited about this,” Amery laughs incredulously. “It is unbelievable, amazing, just incredible!” What’s even more remarkable is the supernatural way this crop came into being. Amery – who lives on a 6500-hectare farm 27 kilometres outside the town of Forbes with his wife Emma and their six kids – tells Eternity about this leap of faith. “This might sound a bit unusual, but I said to God, ‘I want to be more of a supernatural farmer. I want to do things that are just out there,’ … not to big-note my name but to show people that God is so real and he’s so incredible … ‘I’m begging you ... please pray for rain.’ Farmers need a listening ear while they wait for the rain “And six weeks ago I had this dream – I’ve never had anything like this happen before – I had this dream of this crop of canola and it looked unbelievable. I could see where I was. I knew which paddock I was in on the farm … “I was telling my wife about this and I was thinking about it, and we decided that this is what God put in my mind, this dream. So we went out and bought canola seed – it cost $36,000 for the seed – and we sowed it into dry dirt. We just sowed in faith … I said to God, ‘You know, God, this could turn real bad if you don’t do something here.’ ” He adds, sincerely, “This is one of the things that I’m learning about this drought, is just to trust God. We serve an extraordinary God who wants to do extraordinary things.” Amery is a fifth-generation farmer who has had to “work me butt off ” to purchase the large property where he runs 3000 sheep and also grows wheat, barley and, now, canola. He is the ultimate rural enthusiast. “I’m super-passionate about the country,” he says, noting that the life on the land is “really, really good” for teaching his kids a strong work ethic, as well as allowing
The Amery family is loving country life even more thanks to a recent miracle. some time for campfires, late-night tractor rides and “all kinds of farm things.” Not surprisingly, Amery is also a man of faith, having grown up in a Christian household and given his life to Christ at the age of eight. His family now attends the Pentecostal Generocity Church in Forbes. So another aspect of country life that Amery particularly enjoys is the way it connects him to God. “There’s a faith about owning a farm, about believing that God’s going to send the rain and just being grateful for all the good things that he sends our way on our land.” After a morning jog, Amery begins each day by spending “a bit of time reading my Bible and talking to God about all the good things that are happening on the farm and the things that aren’t so good … “I’ve got to do my part – I’ve got to work hard and do my bit and then God does his bit as well. We work in a partnership.” Amery’s faith has given him a
buffer against the full impact of the drought that still grips large parts of NSW and areas of other states. While he notes there have been worse droughts – in 1982 and 1944 – Amery admits this one is bad. His own business “has gone backwards” and they have spent the past couple of years in debt. “It affects people’s morale; people get pretty down, especially when you are feeding animals. Every farmer wants to look after the animals as best you can. We’re spending a thousand dollars a day feeding our animals, and other people might be spending five or ten thousand dollars a day without knowing when the rain’s going to come to enable them to stop feeding … “I often ring our neighbours just to check in and see how they’re going because everyone seems to go not too bad when things are good but when things get difficult, like they have been, especially when people don’t know God and don’t understand who God is, it gets pretty hard. Even when you do
know God we have big challenges at times.” The Amerys have also used other opportunities created by the drought to connect with people. In August last year they hosted a barbecue for all neighbours within a 15-kilometre radius and gave each family an Anglicare hamper filled with goods. “I gave a talk for about five minutes about positive things and things that are good for our mental health and our wellbeing. It was a really good thing to do … because our communities out here aren’t quite as tight-knit as they used to be,” Amery explains. He has also been able to pray with a neighbour in need, who was deeply touched by this care. For Amery personally, the drought has only served to strengthen his faith. “The times in my life when I’ve grown the most have been when the weather’s at its worst,” he says. “It’s surprised me how little you grow when the conditions, or the surroundings you are in, are good.
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When things get tough, you’re either going to grow more or you’re going to just sink into a hole. I can tell you that I’ve had some really tough times and shed a few tears at times but my biggest question is, ‘God, what do you want to show me?’ “It’s amazing what God shows you. It’s amazing that you don’t know sometimes what he’s asking until you get squeezed. I think … we get too comfortable. In difficult times on the farm, sometimes you get challenged to go about things a different way … “In every negative, there always seems to be something positive to get out of it, and it’s just a matter of looking for those things … Just to keep pressing in to God and keepin’ on keeping on going.” And so, as he looks to the future, Amery is anticipating “good times ahead. “I anticipate good profits, and giving some of those profits away because Emma and I love to bless others – being blessed to be a blessing.”
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Hope for Ukraine in the midst of war In 2014, explosions rocked the hillside of Slavyansk, Eastern Ukraine. Days later, a FEBC radio tower was completely destroyed and tragically, several volunteers were arrested and killed. The war between pro-Russian separatists and the Ukrainian government has now entered its fifth year and with more than two million people displaced, is considered among the worst humanitarian crises in the world. More than 10,000 people have lost their lives, including 2800 civilians. Today, FEBC is still a key part of the healing process in Eastern Ukraine. Their teams are partnering daily with local churches to care for refugees and those left devastated by the war. Rev Kevin Keegan, National Director of FEBC Australia shares, “This war does not discriminate. It has deeply affected thousands of Ukrainians on both sides of the front lines. Amidst the conflict, people rely on media to survive. FEBC is delivering life-giving and hope filled broadcasts not only to Eastern Ukraine but to the entire country. As well as sharing the Gospel, FEBC offers grief counselling and suicide prevention support for the people left here.” FEBC now has seven stations in operation in seven regions of Ukraine. With the use of powerful transmitters and high antennas, they are able to cover the larger cities and surrounding regions, especially those under rebel control in the conflicted zones.
Children attending FEBC summer camps receive deep physical and emotional healing. FEBC receives 1,000 listener responses a day from people who tune into their Russian and Ukrainian programs. One listener, Maksim shares: “My mother and brother live in the Luhansk region in controlled territory. I haven’t seen my family since the start of the war. Even when my mother was diagnosed with cancer, I couldn’t travel to see her. I’m scared of being detained at Ukraine checkpoints. I don’t see a future here but until the situation improves, leaving is out of the question. Listening to your programs brings real hope. Our people need your ministry.” What is most distressing is the children who have become
desensitized by what is happening around them. Sadly, the trauma of war has made many almost immune to their surroundings. Vladimir, FEBC missionary in Eastern Ukraine shares, “As the children were playing outside, we could hear the artillery fire from both sides of the conflict. The deadly sounds did not bother them at all.” Vladimir’s ministry is two-fold: to bring hope and help to disadvantaged children in the war zone, and to promote adoption and foster care of Ukrainian orphans. Vladimir and his wife Elena are the most selfless of ministers. Both were called by God at a young age to minister to troubled
and orphaned children. Today, they are parents to six children, four of them adopted. Each year they conduct summer camps serving more than 250 disadvantaged children in Ukraine. FEBC children’s ministry radio programs broadcast information about summer camps encouraging children to attend. Their stories are heartbreaking, but the results inspiring. Andrey, 13, shares: “When Dad starts drinking, my brother and I handle that - we have learnt to work around it. When our mother joins him, life becomes unbearable for days.” Andrey heard about the love of God at an FEBC summer camp for the first time, and
r a w f o s im t ic v h c a e R through FEBC
$74
send can help summer a child to camp
FEBC Australia (Far East Broadcasting Co.) PO Box 183 Caringbah NSW 1495 Phone: 1300 720 017 | office@febc.org.au | febc.org.au FEBC Australia, ABN: 68 000 509 517 FEBC Relief, ABN: 87 617 872 287
responded, almost immediately by giving his life to Jesus. For children in Ukraine, summer camp is the most awaited and exciting time of year. They make new friends, learn about Jesus and can forget their worries. Many live beneath the poverty line and arrive extremely hungry, excited just to eat the nutritious meals they are offered daily. “At a time when war has so deeply affected these children, at camp we see deep physical and emotional healing. Hope is restored, hearts softened and their love for God flourishes.” Victor Akhterov, FEBC Director Russia and Ukraine. FEBC supports children long after the camps conclude. Many regularly listen to broadcasts, eager to learn more about Jesus’ love. FEBC Ukraine is partnering with local churches to host at least five summer camps in the Donetsk, Luhansk and Lviv regions during the European summer for approximately 450 children. It costs just $74 to send a disadvantaged child to summer camp for an entire week. As June 30 and the end of financial year approaches, please consider giving a tax deductible gift to fund the life changing work of FEBC in Ukraine. Your donation will directly support the 2019 children’s summer camps, radio broadcasts and programs that are a lifeline for victims of war. Visit www.febc.org.au or call 1300 720 017.
$46
can reach victims of war with h ope-filled broadcasts
JUNE 2019
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BIBLE @ WORK ANNE LIM Si Zhonghua is a young man from the West Lisu minority people group living in Nujiang Lisu Autonomous Prefecture in Yunnan province. This area of lofty mountains and roaring rivers in southwest China is bordered by Tibet in the north and Myanmar in the west. It is estimated that nearly one third of the 650,000 Lisu people in China are Christians. Zhonghua joined their number when he came to Christ two years ago. “I was asking myself what the purpose of my life on earth was. Then one day, a preacher came to my village and told us about Jesus giving us eternal life and that the word of God is more precious than money,” he says. Now, instead of loitering aimlessly on the streets like some of his peers, Zhonghua is devoting his time to learning to read the Bible in West Lisu script at a Scripture literacy class. He is eager to share his faith with others. “I want to learn the West Lisu script so that I can read the Lisu Bible, gain more Bible knowledge and be able to share the word of God with others,” he says. The conversion of the Lisu is one of the great stories of mission history. Six years after arriving in China, pioneering British missionary James Fraser, witnessed a breakthrough. Over a four-month period, 600 Lisu representing 129 families became Christians and followed Jesus, sparking an indigenous churchplanting movement. Lisu believers led scores of other Lisu villages and families to Christ and today, there are an estimated 201,500 Lisu Christians in China. When Fraser arrived in the early 1900s, there was no Lisu written script, so Fraser created an alphabet and later he and his team started translating the Lisu Bible. Today, the West Lisu script is usually taught at home and in churches, but there are still many who are unable to read in Lisu. “In order to continue the work of spreading the gospel, building and strengthening the spiritual life of believers and passing down the Lisu language and cultural heritage, Scripture literacy is important,” comments Yu Yong Guang, a member of the West Lisu Annotated Bible translation team. Another member of the Scripture literacy class, Bo Yuanmei, 19, says, “More than half of the believers in my church are elderly believers who do not know how to read the
To share the word with others
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creating the script and we are very glad that the script could help in the development of our society today.” The majority of Christians in China live in rural areas and a high percentage of them are illiterate or semi-literate. For 2020, the Provincial Christian Councils aim to reach a total of 41,000 people in several provinces, including Yunnan and Shandong and Jianggsu, through literacy classes. As well as classes for Han speakers – mainly elderly people and women – classes will also continue for West Lisu, East Lisu, Miao, Wa, Jingpo and Hei Yi minority groups.
“
We are grateful to Fraser for creating the script and we are very glad that the script could help in the development of our society today.”
Si Zhonghua, left, wants to share God’s word; Bo Yuanmei, right, wants to help people read the Bible in West Lisu. Lisu Bible. Increasingly, there are some Lisu parents who want their children to learn the Chinese language due to economic and practical reasons. After this class, I hope to be able to help other believers learn to read the Lisu Bible so that they can draw near
to God through reading his word. There are some non-believers who are keen to learn too.” In fact, non-believers who work in the Lisu language news media have been using the West Lisu Bible as their dictionary as it is the only written script offering a
wide range of vocabulary. “Since seven or eight years ago, Lisu language news reporters and radio broadcasters have sought the help of Christians and consulted the Lisu Bible in their writing and reporting,” shared Rev. Li Moxi. “We are grateful to Fraser for
Support for the literacy programme is one prong of Bible Society Australia’s China appeal this winter. Another aspect is the purchase of Bible paper to help meet the huge shortage of Bibles in China. The church in China is growing faster than we can possibly imagine. Up to a million people are estimated to come to faith every year. And these new believers long to have a Bible. Approval has been given to the church in China to print 3.34 million Bibles at Amity Printing Press in Nanjing. All that’s missing is funding for the paper. You can also help train pastors from poor backgrounds, so they can attend Bible college and lead rural churches. Nationally, on average, there’s just one ordained Protestant pastor for every 6700 Christians – and many churches only get a visit from their pastor a few times a year.
+ If you would like more details, visit biblesociety.org.au/chinaep
Your tax-deductible gift of $5 could help open up God’s word for a Christian in China. Text ‘CHINA’ to 199BIBLE (1992 4253) to donate $5 For more information visit biblesociety.org.au/chinaep
Charge $5.00 per SMS. Charity helpline 1300 783 035. Unavailable via pre-paid or Optus. Persons under 18 years must have parent/guardian permission to donate.
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Wikimedia / Rolfmueller, Wimre
OPINION
Pleasing God
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Tim Costello: Following St Paul Page 18
A monument to Eric Liddell on the grounds of the former Weihsien Internment Camp, Weifang, Shandong, China.
Michael Jensen on what we do I believe that God made me for a purpose, but he also made me fast. When I run, I feel his pleasure. The movie Chariots of Fire had the Scottish Olympian athlete and rugby international Eric Liddell say these words. Whether he did or not – and an evening using Google has been unable to clarify this for me – these words are so powerful that they have stuck with Liddell’s name ever since. They are not flippant or selfjustifying words – not at all. Neither were they just the result of his endorphins kicking in. Liddell was the man who refused to run on a Sunday at the Olympics in the 100 metres, an event he stood an even chance of winning; and was to give himself for missionary service in China where he would die in a labour camp. When he said “I feel his pleasure” – if indeed these were his words! – he was expressing what we would all like to believe is true: the Creator is deeply delighted when his creatures do what they are made to do, and do so in honour of him. But does the running of the runner please God, really? Does the playing of the saxophone please God, or is it just blowing his own trumpet? Does the art of the artist, or the work of the worker please him? Does what you do bring pleasure to God – do you know his delight? What can we offer to
God that will please him, after all? Some people are very hard to please, and God appears very much to be one of those. It isn’t like he hasn’t got everything already. What does he lack that I could presume to give him? It’s an ancient problem; and it’s why human beings have always offered sacrifices in the hope that God would be pleased – that he would look favourably on the offerer of the gift. The sacrifice is proof of the offerer’s devotion – and pretty much all cultures have had them. To offer sacrifices is an almost instinctual human action. Israel would be given a whole elaborate system of sacrifices by God himself, which was to govern their whole lives. But these sacrifices were reminders that the human problem was not only a matter of not knowing how to please God – it was knowing how to placate him. Human sinfulness meant that atonement needed to be made, not to please God but to appease him. So far are human beings from delighting the Creator. As if that wasn’t enough, the sacrifices themselves became a point of further complication for Israel. Merely performing acts of sacrifice as outward actions misunderstands who YHWH is. It treats him as a simpleton. Cheating on sacrifice by offering defective animals was not like you or I fudging our tax returns. You can’t cheat a God who sees into the human heart – he is pretty much unimpressed by outward performances; in fact they are a matter of deep offence. In the first place, it treats God as if he can be conned or manipulated, as if the right gift is an item in an exchange with God that he guarantees to honour, like some bank cheque. What’s more: it acts as if God is not already the owner and giver of all things. If all things are God’s, the point of offering sacrifice to him is not to give him something
he hasn’t already got, but to really please him by offering him the praise that is his due. It isn’t the aroma of burning meat that he enjoys; it is the sweet scent of the worship and obedience of his people. That’s what Cain did not grasp; nor many in Israel. Samuel says to Saul: Has the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to listen than the fat of rams. (1 Sam 15:22) It’s that sin problem again: the sacrifice is only pleasing to God if it is a true reflection of the heart. And yet the human heart is so wayward and devious – who could ever hope to please God? Not because God is too hard to please, but because we are incapable of turning our hearts to the business of worshipping him as he deserves. Our problem is still there: how can we please God? We know the answer to the question. What he wants from his creatures is their true worship – their heartfelt praise and their obedience to him. But we are unsure if anyone is clean-hearted enough to be placed to offer him this praise. As Israel found, you couldn’t stroke him under the chin to get him purring. He sees past all that, straight into the heart. And the human heart is where it all gets complicated. The naive dream that we humans have of feeling God’s pleasure as we do what we are created to do seems very distant. But there is one with whom he is well pleased indeed. That was what was declared from heaven when Jesus was baptised, and the Spirit of God descended on him like a dove. The Father is well pleased with the Son – he is pure in heart and obedient, submitting his will always to the Father’s will. Finally, we see a human being turned and tuned to its true purpose. And in Jesus we finally see a worthy sacrifice offered to God
– an atoning one, that takes away the sins of the world - sent to us from the loving heart of God. He was the worthy sacrifice and the worthy sacrificer, appearing once for all at the end of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of himself. We have in him a fragrant offering and sacrifice (Eph 5:2); finally and decisively an offering from the creature to the creator that is truly acceptable to him. Can we, then, please God? Is it now possible, if we are united to Christ by the Holy Spirit, if we are justified and adopted into the family of God – to delight the Father, as the Son delights him? There is a sense in which we have been so careful to assert you can’t earn your salvation through meriting it, we have forgotten how the New Testament writers talk about the Christian life: not as a moral duty, but as a way of seeking to please God. The good works of the New Testament are not good in and of themselves but because of who they please and praise. We know, as Paul puts it in Romans 8:8, that those controlled by the flesh cannot please God. But that is not what we are, if the Spirit lives in us. And so Christians ought to make their goal to please God, just like Paul did (2 Cor 5:9) – not because they win their salvation this way, but because it is what they were saved to do. It is then, not only possible, but imperative that we live to please God!
We please God in two ways: by exalting his name in praise, and by sacrificing ourselves for the good of others. Have a look at Hebrews 13:15-16: Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise – the fruit of lips that confess his name. And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased. Firstly, God delights in the praises of his people. It is a sacrifice we are now, in Jesus, free to give him – “through Jesus.” This praise is a verbal activity, emanating from the mouth, and involving confession of his name. Making great the name of Jesus makes great the name of God. Exalt Jesus, and God is pleased. Praise is not just evangelism, though it surely includes the proclamation of the good news in the world. I think God is genuinely delighted by the words and songs and prayers we address to him – not just because others are overhearing them but because they are directed to him. He is not needy for it, but he revels in it. Secondly, in Jesus we are finally free to do what we are made to do as creatures: to please God in our acts of self-sacrifice for the good of others. We offer our bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God – and it is hard not to think that Paul has in mind here the possibility of our suffering on behalf of others in an echo of Jesus’ death. Not that our self-sacrifice atones for sin, but it does serve others and please God. We bear with one another, carrying each other’s burdens, as he did. Through Christ, our self-sacrifices make a sweet smell in God’s nose. So: make an offering of your whole self to God, because it pleases God. Michael Jensen is the rector of St Mark’s Anglican Church in Darling Point, Sydney, and the author of several books.
OPINION
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The Trinity, marriage and Kevin Giles Penny Mulvey on an Aussie influencer Let’s try a list of Australian exports to world Christianity that have made a difference. There’s the Sydney Anglican influence bolstering conservative Anglicans in the GAFCON movement, Hillsong, C3 and the Christian Revival Crusade among the Pentecostals, Moore College’s export of “biblical theology,” Michael Youssef, satellite evangelist to the Middle East, and perhaps less well known, Aussie theologians in the Seventh Day Adventist church. And to that very incomplete list, you might think about adding Kevin Giles. It is not often that someone can be said to have affected the arguments used by people on both sides of a hard-fought debate. But Giles, a strong debater in favour of women in leadership and against male headship in the home, can be seen to have done just that. A few years ago – if you were involved – you might have heard arguments about how relationships within the Trinity, between Father, Son and Holy Spirit, should influence how we thought of the family. “The eternal subordination of the Son” is how many used a popular argument – that Jesus was somehow subordinate, not just as a human on earth, but forever. (As in all things trinitarian in this piece,
this is far too brief a statement to do justice to a complex subject. There is an “order” within the Trinity but the language of “hierarchy” should be avoided.) It came to a head at the 2016 Evangelical Theological Society – a large-scale conference held in San Antonio, USA – where evangelical egalitarian Giles and University of Portland Professor of Theology, Millard Erickson debated complementarians Dr Bruce Ware and Dr Wayne Grudem. In his most recent book, What the Bible Actually Teaches on Women, Giles describes 2016 as the year a seismic shift in complementarian thinking began. The key statement Giles made was, “For the authors of the Nicene Creed, and virtually all orthodox theologians, the primary basis for distinguishing and differentiating the Father and the Son is that the Father eternally begets the Son, and the Son is begotten of the Father.” Giles recalls stating categorically that the doctrine of the eternal generation of the Son is not about the eternal subordination of the Son, but instead teaches the eternal coequality of God the Father and God the Son. Reflecting back on it, Giles said Ware rose to speak after his presentation and started by saying “I have now changed my mind (on the doctrine of the eternal generation of the Son).” Ware and Grudem had downplayed the doctrine of the eternal generation of the Son, and maintained that an
order in marriage and the church should reflect a pattern of order in the Trinity. Ware and Grudem remain complementarians. The 2016 engagement removed a needless distraction and prompted conservatives to be far more circumspect (if not hesitant) when employing a trinitarian argument to discuss gender distinctions. The upshot is arguing for a view of marriage or who should lead churches on the basis of authority within the Trinity is much less common than it used to be. Kevin Giles’ theological journey began in 1964 as a fresh-faced, eager first-year student beginning his ministry training at Moore College, the Anglican Diocese of Sydney’s theological training institution. Giles studied alongside other called men. Many are now
revered in Sydney evangelical circles. He completed his degree in 1968 with first-class honours. After Giles had spent four years in parish ministry, Dr Broughton Knox, the then principal of Moore College, awarded him a scholarship to do postgraduate study in England. Looking back, he describes his theological position as fully complementarian, although there was no such word then. “I would have described that as believing in the Bible; it was a biblical evangelical point of view,” Giles explains. “I was convinced that men should be the ‘head of the home’ and women should not be in church leadership.” Giles’ conversion to an egalitarian view of Scripture occurred soon after his return to Australia late in 1974 to become the university chaplain at Armidale University. At that time, the ordination of women was a hot issue in the church. The then
principal of Melbourne’s Ridley College, Dr Leon Morris, was the lead author of a newly released booklet on the ordination of women. The principal of Moore College, Broughton Knox, was opposed. Dr Morris and Dr John Gaden (chaplain to Monash University) were supportive. Gaden led the first Australian campaign for the ordination of women as priests in 1976. The soon-to-be-held Armidale synod planned to discuss the question of ordination of women. Giles recounts that it was a request from the Bishop of Armidale, Clive Kerle, that was to seismically change his theological direction. The Bishop told him two Moore College graduates wanted to give a joint paper in opposition to the ordination of women at the synod. “Bishop Kerle said to me, ‘I’ve no idea what you believe, Kevin, but I’m sure you’ll provide a little bit of a balance, so could you prepare a paper and we’ll have the morning in synod with the two papers presented.’ I went off naively thinking, ‘I am just preparing a study on what the Bible says on women, no big deal.’ ” As Giles researched what the Bible actually said, he began to change his mind. “I came to the conclusion that everything in the Bible was incredibly positive except Timothy. So I stood up in synod and said creation is actually about women’s subordination being the consequence of the fall. The Old continued page 18
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OPINION
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JUNE 2019
In the steps of St Paul
My wife Merridie and I left our shores in April, along with 44 other Australians, to lead a “Steps of St Paul” tour of significant sites in Greece and Turkey. It was the first time we had seen the places
Kevin Giles
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Testament is about life in the fallen world and Jesus has the most revolutionary ideas about women... Paul’s got the Spirit rushing around giving leadership gifts to men and women.” So, what does it mean to be a complementarian and why has it caused such division within evangelical churches? The Equal But Different website run by
Jesus there is a new humanity – the true humanity – called to reflect in praise the image of God and find true vocation as stewards of this earth. This dethroning of idols speaks to our captivity to the idols of sex, money and power today. We visited the seven churches addressed by John the Evangelist in Revelation. Some of these ancient cities are largely unexcavated. But in places such as Pergamum, Laodicea and Ephesus, there is evidence of house churches and even early church buildings. It brings to life those letters and the context of persecution the believers were facing. It was also wonderful to visit the Patmos cave from which it is believed these letters in Revelation where dictated in exile. A highlight was hearing the testimony of two Iranian Christians in Istanbul. They shared stories of meeting Christ while
Australian complementarians affirms “the absolute equality of men and women in [God’s] purposes with respect to status, honour and dignity” but includes some differences: “that God’s purposes for humanity include complementary relationships between the genders; that men are called to loving, self-denying, humble leadership, and women to intelligent, willing submission within marriage... Within the church, this complementarity is expressed through suitably gifted
and appointed men assuming responsibility for authoritative teaching and pastoral oversight.” A number of Christian denominations in Australia and around the world support complementarianism. The Anglican Diocese of Sydney, most Presbyterian Churches, the Roman Catholic Church and some Pentecostal Churches are complementarian in their theology. Reflecting on his alma mater, Giles stands strongly opposed to what he describes as the dogmatic
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Tim Costello has left the country
that brought to life treasured Scriptures. I thought it was only theology that mattered and had never paid much attention to geography. But context is everything and, given Paul walked at least 10,000 miles to preach the gospel, I marvelled at how the Acts of the Apostles came alive. Paul preached to Jews that their Messiah – the Christ – had come. A crucified Messiah who had ended exile through forgiveness of sins and, with a final Passover meal, inaugurated a new exodus. He preached to the Roman world that Jesus, not Caesar, is Lord. He disturbed the peace by declaring they were giving over their independence to powers that cripple and distort human life. He named the multiple gods of GrecoRoman worship as idols. Most radically, he declared in
Ancient ruins in Ephesus, Turkey, offer insights into biblical times. refugees in Turkey. They now lead training for new pastors of the many churches springing up both in Turkey and in Iran. The group Elam Ministries oversees this wonderful work. They asked us to pray for them and remember the churches facing persecution today – like those we were reading about in Acts, the Epistles and Revelation. And the Iranian church is the world’s fastest growing church in new
believers who embrace the Good News. Great fellowship happened naturally among our 44 travellers, ranging in age from 29 to 86. Community through shared meals, daily devotions and listening to our guides in both countries, as well as the humour on the bus, was the glue that made the tour a feast for the mind and spirit. Faith creates deep community which is a gift of grace.
complementarian teaching of the Anglican Diocese of Sydney and its theological college. However, he affirms the many strengths of them, as well as the rigorous theological training of which he is a direct beneficiary. He attributes his clarity of thought, comprehensive knowledge of the Scriptures and ability to argue theologically to his Moore College training. He says, “Sydney Diocese is committed to evangelism, encourages good preaching, stresses the importance of youth ministry in parishes and prioritises ministry among university students.” Nevertheless, he notes that it is among young people, especially at university, that the doctrine of “male headship” finds its greatest acceptance. “To be told that God has appointed men to lead is tremendously appealing.” Giles’ extensive work analysing and refuting the theological and biblical arguments presented by key complementarian scholars largely has been ignored by most evangelical theologians in Australia or dismissed as a denial of “what the Bible teaches.” He is angry about the divisive nature of the complementarian argument. “I think it is disgraceful, and I believe it undermines the Christian faith, which is about setting people free,” Giles says. “Evangelicals should openly and honestly interact with other evangelicals when what the Bible
teaches on any matter is disputed.” As in some other church disputes, perceptions can differ. Eternity understands that leading figures on the “other side” are convinced they have interacted with Giles at length. Another contention Giles makes is that a church where male headship is not held up as the biblical model has beneficial effects into the home and community. “The church is happier and healthier when women are affirmed. Marriages are better when men and women are equal.” Complementarians think it is more complicated, pointing, for instance, to the “Nordic paradox” where egalitarian societies have relatively high levels of domestic abuse. The research featured in the debate on churchgoers’ marriages started by Julia Baird’s ABC reporting, which also is complex. Sporadic church attenders had more violent marriages. But regular church attending men were 72 per cent less likely to abuse their partners. Evangelical Protestant husbands were the least likely to be engaged in abusive behaviour. But as this article is about Giles, he can have the final word: “We are philosophically an egalitarian culture. Virtually everybody thinks that treating women as equals is a good thing. Complementarians have lost the biblical argument. They can’t make any answer to a coherent egalitarian presentation. They simply cannot answer it.”
OPINION
JUNE 2019
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On being human, and being inconsistent Natasha Moore on which truth is real
pexels / bruce mars
“Never believe anybody unless there’s some contradiction in what they say,” I’ve heard it said. That’s counter-intuitive but potentially profound. After all, reality is complex. There’s something fishy about the toosimple explanation or the toopat story. Still, when it comes to figuring out what truth is, inconsistency is more often an alarm bell than a confirmation we’re on the right track. As the fault-lines between our various truth commitments yawn wider, something’s gotta give. Becoming aware of those tensions can be an uncomfortable experience, but it’s also one of our most reliable routes to new knowledge. If both things can’t be true, where have I gone wrong? Which one is closer to reality? This is increasingly the situation for a key question of our time: what does it mean to be human? In February, the magazine New Philosopher published a joint edition with the New York Times, on the theme “Being Human: All About Us.” It features articles with such titles as “Doing Away With Death” and “Defining Ourselves.” The blurb for the issue reads: “What makes us fully human is the ability, and the willingness, to walk a mile in another’s shoes. We may be born Homo sapiens … but we must become a human being – an ongoing task that requires effort, education, and empathy.” That sounds all rather nice, apart from the fact that it’s a simple assertion. Who says that humanness is something we grow
into? How do we know? The definition of humanity in 21stcentury cultures is malleable, up for grabs. And few questions have more serious ramifications for our life together than this one. Secular Westerners live with two competing pictures of themselves. One is the deep moral intuition that every person has value and dignity, which historians trace back to the Judeo-Christian conviction that we are all created in the image of God: loved, purposefully made, deserving of respect – regardless. The other gives primacy to our existence as semi-autonomous collections of atoms, machines optimised for survival and reproduction. In this picture, the non-material elements of our lives
– our consciousness, our loves, our yearning for transcendence – are a bit suspect, maybe even illusory. Utility and pleasure become the key measures of human life. As a society, we try to force these two puzzle pieces together, and refuse to notice they’re quite different shapes. As we navigate questions like surrogacy, abortion, euthanasia and transhumanism, the inconsistencies between the two pictures will become harder to ignore. We will have to choose. When moral intuitions and moral reasoning clash, interesting things happen. Last year, we at CPX interviewed an earlymodern historian, Sarah IrvingStonebraker, for our Life & Faith podcast. Now at Western Sydney University, Sarah studied at
BCA for Kids & Dusty Boots Coordinator
Snowy Mountains Ministry Commencing as soon as practical, BCA and the Experimental Ministries Unit of the Anglican Diocese of Canberra & Goulburn, seek a church planter for a new ministry in Jindabyne NSW. Jindabyne is a thriving town and a major gateway for both summer and winter sports in southern Monaro. Applicants must be in priest’s orders and be able to be licensed by the Bishop of Canberra & Goulburn. Proven experience in leading a parish is essential and experience in church planting is highly desirable. Applicants need to meet all the requirements for Working with Children & Safe Ministry for the Diocese of Canberra & Goulburn and BCA.
eternitynews.com.au
Cambridge and then secured a fellowship at Oxford. Her life was going exactly to plan – but she says she found her success unsatisfying. While at Oxford, Sarah decided to hear atheist philosopher Peter Singer, who was speaking on ethics and the duty we owe to other people, and whether human lives have any intrinsic value. “I went to these lectures really excited,” Sarah explains, “and I was expecting that, as an atheist, I’d be hearing exactly the sort of ethics that I subscribed to. But actually, what I heard floored me.” Sarah was deeply committed to a humanist ethic, to a bedrock moral intuition about the inalienability of human value. Singer, who takes widely accepted positions on human life and morality and
BCA are seeking a part-time coordinator (two days per week) for our children’s and youth progams – BCA for Kids and Dusty Boots. This is a new and exciting role for a creative and innovative person with significant potential for growth. Reporting to the NSW/ACT Regional Officer the successful candidate will have experience in youth and children’s ministry, theological training to at least diploma level, and experience in our schools’ systems. A current WWCC and Safe Ministry Training are essential. The role will commence in October 2019.
For more information contact Larissa Simpkins on (02) 9262 5017 or larissa@bushchurchaid.com.au
For more information contact Larissa Simpkins on (02) 9262 5017 or larissa@bushchurchaid.com.au
Reaching Australia for Christ since 1919
Reaching Australia for Christ since 1919
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reasons them through to their logical conclusions, has argued for ideas such as “post-birth abortion” – there is no meaningful difference, for some time, between a baby in the womb and one outside of it, so why treat them differently? – which almost all defenders of current abortion practices find repugnant. Ironically, it was her encounter with Singer’s ideas that kickstarted Sarah’s journey from atheism to Christian faith. Over a period of reflection and searching, she came to the conclusion that her atheism could not sustain her moral beliefs, and those beliefs led her to conclude that the Christian picture of reality was the accurate one. If she’s right – if the Bible is telling the truth about God and humanity, and how life is meant to be lived – then there will always be what the apologist Os Guinness calls an “inescapable tension and dynamic conflict inherent in unbelief.” We humans can never entirely get away from God’s truth: either we will have to live in ways inconsistent with our stated beliefs (such as treating human lives as always valuable while denying the basis for that value), or we will act in line with our beliefs and results will be ultimately unacceptable. Of course, Christians are plenty inconsistent too. In an interview with CPX in 2017, the Catholic philosopher Charles Taylor, when asked about secular humanism and the problem of grounding human value absent a belief in God, offered a poignant personal reflection. “From a Christian point of view,” he mused, “it’s a great gift to be able to see the humanity in every human being. I remember once a film I saw about Mother Teresa and people [ask], ‘ These people, they’re dirty and they’re sick and they’re lousy, and how can you go and help them?!’ And she said, ‘They’re made in the image of God.’ And then I realised: I could have given that answer. But the difference is she really feels that… wow. That is a tremendous gift.” Given a healthy dose of humility, it’s in that tension between what we say we believe and how we live – and in the tension between our beliefs and beliefs of those around us – that we will find room for honest conversation, and growth. Natasha Moore is a Research Fellow at the Centre for Public Christianity. For more, visit publicchristianity.org
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OPINION
20
JUNE 2019
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Using my religion
It’s a little frustrating. People are using Christianity, my religion, to build their personal brands. I was first alerted to it in 2015 when someone showed me a photo from Kim Kardashian’s ‘socials’ where her daughter was carrying a pink Bible-themed sticker book. Why go out in public with that book, I wondered? What is being communicated by the queen of social media? Perhaps having a portable Sunday School lesson is a sign of being a good mother? Christian virtue signalling? I really don’t know. While I’ve been writing this, I’ve also discovered that Kardashian and husband Kanye West have just welcomed a fourth child born by a surrogate and have “gone biblical,” according to the press, and named her ‘Psalm West’. Maybe the biblical connection goes deeper. I really don’t know. Lord help us, it’s
to 2020. Religion is returning, but in an unpredictable manner. While 30 per cent of Australians recently described themselves in the census as having no religion. when questions are asked about spirituality the answers are more confusing. Generation Y, now hitting their 30s, perceive spirituality as an important aspect of mental health and wellbeing. According to McCrindle Research’s 2017 Faith and Belief in Australia Report, younger generations are more likely to talk about spirituality, Jesus and Christian faith than their parents or grandparents. No topic is taboo anymore, and that includes spiritual things. Australians have voted in their current Prime Minister at least partially because of perceptions around religious freedom. And this is not the old folk; it is better correlated with lower-income groups (which includes young people) and multicultural sectors. In other words, younger people want to keep spirituality on the agenda. It’s part of being a wellrounded, healthy diverse human being. So religion is everywhere. But it’s getting used to build people’s ‘personal brands’, and this is bugging me. I feel so passionate about the deep, eternal value of Christian faith that seeing it become a marketing accoutrement
wikimedia / Eva Rinaldi
Greg Clarke feels used
really hard to tell these days. Celebrity culture is one thing; rugby is another. People are quoting Bible verses, getting sacked for it, praying on the pitch, and pointing to the heavens after they score. Then there’s politics. Prime ministers are citing theological beliefs in their victory speeches after debating hell during their election campaigns. Even dead politicians who described themselves as profoundly agnostic are being commemorated with Scripture. “The golden bowl is broken,” wrote Blanche d’Alpuget in her statement on her husband Bob Hawke’s death, quoting from Ecclesiastes. I do hope she did so deliberately, to invoke that wonderful passage about remembering your Creator in the day of your youth (something Hawke did before losing faith). Stanley Fish, the literary critic, was asked in the late ’90s what theme would define the 21st century. To everyone’s surprise, his immediate reply was “religion”. He has been right thus far. From September 11, 2001, when extreme Islamic beliefs led to the epochmaking events of that day, religion has occupied centre stage in world affairs. But at that time, religion was being seen as the problem. It poisoned everything. We’d be better off without it, was the cry. Something has changed as we head
The golden bowl is broken.” Blanche d’Alpuget
is hard to take. It’s on all sides, too. So the right wing are aligning Christianity with Western culture, claiming that biblical thinking undergirds the success of the West. Jordan Peterson is the stand-out here. And the left wing are aligning Christianity with “love equals love,” as if that were a biblical concept. It’s annoying. And while I’m complaining, I’ve always found it a bit galling, too, that Christmas and Easter get enjoyed by the very people who bag them out. Someone will laugh at the idea of God incarnate, but happily sing “Veiled in flesh the Godhead see” on Christmas Eve. And take the ‘holy-days’ whenever they are offered. And talk about peace on earth, as if that were possible without serious divine intervention. Sheesh. My gills are showing, so I’ll pull back. Fine, great, let’s embrace the new religious sensibility. Let’s see Bible quotes and cross necklaces and prayer vigils and pink biblical sticker bags. But can I ask for a few things to go along with the spiritual fashion items?
You are free to use my religion, as long as you promise to: • Read a Gospel and think about how serious following Jesus really is • Build into the school curriculum enough detailed study of the Bible such that students emerge at age 18 with an understanding of the shape of the Christian story, from the Creation to God’s promises to Israel, their fulfilment in Jesus, and the nature of living in the resurrection age. Get biblically educated. • At the same time, now-adults have to take a remedial course in the same curriculum so they stop making inane, uninformed statements about Christianity. This course is made obligatory for anyone in the media or another position of social influence. • Pray directly to God at least once, recognising that you might not be the centre of the universe, asking for wisdom, insight and mercy. That hands the matter to Him, and I’m quite relaxed about that. • Join a Christian community (a church) at least once a month and think about ways to encourage the people there and receive encouragement yourself. See Christianity with its sleeves rolled up (to use a Tim Winton phrase) if you are going to wear it on your sleeve. Or bicep. Greg Clarke is CEO of Bible Society Australia.
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