Eternity - November 2017 - Issue 86

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Number 86, November 2017 ISSN 1837-8447

Brought to you by the Bible Society

The one word sermon that challenged our Nation Hope for our frontline troops

What the Mormons got right

How Julie saved 16 babies

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NEWS

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NOVEMBER 2017

Obadiah Slope A CHALLENGE FROM AN ATHEIST: Bart Campolo, son of the famous Christian academic, Tony Campolo, sees progressive Christianity as a path that leads people like him out of faith. He told the Holy Heretics blog, “What I know is if there’s 1000 people at Wild Goose [a progressive Christian festival in the US] today, then in 10 years from now three or four hundred of those people won’t be in the game anymore.”

MISSION ACOMPLISHED: Discussing the Aboriginal movement for justice that emerged in the middle of last century with someone who actually knows this stuff, Obadiah found that every leader we could think of grew up on a mission.

STILL WEIRD: Sydney’s “White Rabbit” gallery has contemporary Chinese art collections turning over every six months. The current exhibition “Spiritual Ritual” captures a China trying to make sense of consumerism and religion.

On the top floor Cheng Ran and Item Idem’s video “Joss” shows consumer items from luxe-branded handbags to McDonald’s explode in flames to a backing track of “Ave Maria.” Great sermon illustration: who/what do we worship?

HMMMM: “We are delighted that the property is going to another nonprofit, faith-based educational institution,” said California Lutheran University President Chris Kimball, announcing the sale of the site of a former seminary to the Muslim Zaytuna College.

News 2-3 In Depth 5-9 Bible Society 19 Charity Feature 20 Opinion 21-28

Quotable Fully submerged: The waterproof New Testament being tested, under water.

Australian Defence Force gets a waterproof Bible KALEY PAYNE A new, waterproof New Testament has been created by Bible Society Australia, one for each of the three arms of the Australian Defence Force.

Air Commodore Kevin Russell, the director-general of Chaplaincy Air Force said the New Testament for the Royal Australian Air Force matches the Air Force’s new general purpose uniform, and has been created for use in any situation. The Air Force version is the first of the three versions to be launched. All versions include the

New Testament, as well as Psalms and Proverbs.

“To have a New Testament that matches [the new uniform], that fits in pockets and is waterproof, makes it very durable and we can take it anywhere,” Air Commodore Russell told guests at a launch event in Canberra.

“The main point of having this [Bible] is that it gives access to the Scriptures to our people, and they can take it.”

Air Commodore Russell said the duty of an Air Force chaplain to share the word of God was a “great and heavy privilege.”

Bible Society Australia’s CEO Dr Greg Clarke said it was a “delight” to provide Bibles to Defence Force personnel.

“We are thrilled that people will be able to take this Bible with them wherever they go, whatever circumstances they’re in, whatever challenges they face – some of those challenges are ones I can’t even imagine.”

The waterproof Bible will be used by Air Force chaplains both in Australia and those deployed overseas. A version of the waterproof Bible for the Army and the Navy is also in progress.

Michael Jensen “From that deep sense of being kept safe in the loving arms of God, we are free to act with good grace and humour for the sake of those who persecute or deride us.”

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NEWS

NOVEMBER 2017

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Victorians may get a right to die KALEY PAYNE It may not be long before doctors are allowed to help their patients die in Victoria.

A bill to allow medically-assisted death for terminally ill people passed through the Victorian Lower House last month. At time of printing, speculation is rife on whether the bill will pass the Upper House in early November, with some commentators suggesting voting numbers are tight. Christian leaders have been gearing up for a fight in Victoria on the issue.

In August, church leaders including Melbourne’s Catholic Archbishop, Denis Hart, and Anglican Archbishop, Philip Freier, signed a joint letter opposing plans to introduce the assisted dying legislation to parliament.

“Human dignity is honoured in living life, not in taking it,” the letter read. “It is right to seek to eliminate pain, but never right to eliminate people. Euthanasia and assisted suicide represent the abandonment of those who are in greatest need of our care and support.”

Australian Christian Lobby’s Victorian director, Dan Flynn, said he was disappointed that the bill had progressed so far.

“The Victorian MPs who voted to progress assisted suicide and euthanasia must realise that some people will be killed when they don’t want to be: by coercion, pressure or mistake,” he said in

Quiet Times and Euthanasia Attitudes to euthanasia by devotional practice Strongly agree/agree Neutral / Unsure Strongly disagree/disagree

Everyday / most days Once a week / a few times a week

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a media release. The bill states that terminally ill people with less than 12 months to live, whose suffering “cannot be relieved in a manner that the person considers tolerable,” will be able to request lethal medication. The drugs to be used are yet to be determined.

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Occasionally Hardly ever / never

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“Supporting euthanasia feels like straightforward compassion when you’re thinking of your own beloved Grandma, but not when you spare a thought for the less-loved Grandmas who, subtly, can be made to feel like a burden,” wrote John Dickson, founder of the

Centre for Public Christianity, on Facebook after news broke that the bill had made it through Victoria’s Legislative Assembly.

Medical ethicist Denise Cooper-Clarke told Eternity that safeguards in the Victorian bill were inadequate.

“One of the safeguards in the bill that disturbs me most is the limit that you must be likely to die within 12 months. It’s just not that predictable.”

“No one can say ‘you will be dead within 12 months’ with any real accuracy. It’s only ever statistical and it’s a long period of time. It’s double the amount of time compared to somewhere like Oregon.” In the US state of Oregon, a person must have less than six months to live to request assisted dying.”

Denise says improving palliative care in Victoria is a “more compassionate” way to address “bad deaths.” “It’s has been demonstrated that access to good quality palliative care decreases requests for assistance in dying,” she said.

During the past 12 months, euthanasia bills have been introduced in South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria and New South Wales parliaments.

In SA, the bill was rejected for the 15th time. In Tasmania, the laws were introduced and defeated for a third time.

Western Australia is currently conducting an inquiry into “end of life choices.”

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News briefs THE BILLY CAN: The Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (BGEA) wants 1000 Australian churches to partner with them for their “My Hope Easter 2018” campaign.

My Hope is based around a 30-minute video The Cross, produced by BGEA. The video features Billy Graham who turned 99 on November 7.

Billygraham.org.au/my-hope NO MORE CHAINS: “I really believe we can end slavery,” says Caroly Houmes, the new CEO of International Justice Mission in Australia. The new CEO has worked for almost a decade with the global organisation dedicated to eradicating exploitation.

MIGHTY WIDOWS: The National Australia Bank’s charitable giving index, which tracks donations made electronically, shows those donating the biggest share of their income tend to come from suburbs with modest incomes, Matt Wade of The Age reports.

WASHINGTON’S NEW MONUMENT: Museum of the Bible opens its doors on November 17, just three blocks from the Capitol building in Washington DC. The massive museum spreads over eight floors, covering 40,000 square metres.

Visitors are encouraged to engage with the Bible through its extensive collection of rare tablets, scrolls, manuscripts and printed books. It’s been estimated that it would take 72 hours to read every placard, see every artefact and experience every activity.

NOVEMBER 2017

E RIDLEY COLLEGE SPONSORED PAGE 4

Virtual classes, authentic relationships

Is it possible to form meaningful relationships in an online classroom?

Relationships formed at Bible college become some of the most significant in a person’s life and ministry. Peer relationships help a person grow while they are at college and can sustain a person throughout their ministry. But what happens when you aren’t in a classroom with other students? Is it possible to form such significant relationships when you only have a digital platform through which to engage?

One of the unexpected benefits of Ridley Online has been the quality and depth of relationships that students develop in the virtual classroom. ‘Real relationships can develop online’, says Diane Hockridge, Educational Designer at Ridley College, who is completing doctoral research on Formation in Online Learning.

‘We are designing our online programs to encourage peer interaction around the course material, which helps students consolidate their learning. My research is finding that students report the value of interacting with peers online not only for their learning but also for their Christian formation.’

Two students, Sharon Kirk in New England, NSW and Katelyn Vercoe in Bendigo, Victoria struck up such a relationship. ‘Katelyn and I shared a number of online units together between 2012 and 2015,’ says Sharon.

Katelyn Vercoe and Sharon Kirk became friends when studing through Ridley Online.

‘After doing a couple of online subjects, I started to notice ‘Sharon Kirk’ on the forum,’ says Katelyn. ‘At the start names on forums were pretty abstract concepts, but I found myself warming to Sharon personally, as she often articulated what I was thinking much better than I could.

In case you’re wondering, you do identify people you gel with, and others you’d rather not engage with so much, just like in a regular classroom’.

Once they had noticed each other, Sharon and Katelyn’s friendship grew.

‘We were sparring partners really’, says Sharon. ‘I would ask questions and she would answer; she would ask and I would answer.

Like our tutor, we were fellow pedants, sharing our newfound love of New Testament Greek.

‘As a regional student, there was no one in my daily life who had the slightest interest in the intricacies of Greek, which I found so fascinating’, says Katelyn. ‘So it was a real pleasure to receive messages from Sharon and to spend time writing replies. It was encouraging to find a ‘kindred spirit’ as well as someone I was

quickly developing respect for.’

Their friendship flourished as Sharon and Katelyn developed a mutual care for each other. ‘Offline we began to share our ups and downs with study, rejoicing in finished essays and exams and commiserating when we thought an exam was difficult’, recalls Sharon.

A true friendship was forged online. ‘Our communication broadened as we shared life, ministry and family ups and downs, and prayed for one another through all of this’, says Sharon.

When Katelyn graduated at Ridley,

Sharon travelled to celebrate with her friend and meet her face-toface for the very first time. ‘It was an incredible joy to share this special occasion with my fellow student, sister in Christ and friend, and a wonderful reminder of the unity we have in the gospel’, says Sharon.

‘The whole Graduation was extremely and unexpectedly emotional for me,’ says Katelyn.

‘I was blown away to see Sharon at my graduation. I found myself overwhelmed to be on campus, surrounded by so many others, and also so very overwhelmed by the goodness of God to have reached the point of being awarded the Master of Divinity.’

Hundreds of students from every corner of the country, and indeed, from across the world are making new friendships as they study and learn God’s word through Ridley Online. It is common for students to meet up face to face when travelling, or to agree to take an intensive unit on campus in Melbourne so they can meet face to face. They organize to take future units together and support each other inside and outside the virtual classroom.

It is a surprise, but Ridley’s online community is, in its own way, as rich and robust as the on campus community.

Find out more: ridley.edu.au/ online

NOVEMBER 2017

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IN DEPTH

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The true story of Mr Eternity

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Scripture Union’s David Claydon by Ernest Crocker

COURTESY WARREN CARDWELL, ETERNITY PRODUCTION AND DESIGN. PHOTO BY COLIN KIRTON - WORLDWIDE PHOTOS.

Australia’s message to the world for the year 2000: Eternity BOOK EXCERPT : MR ETERNITY BY ROY WILLIAMS AND ELIZABETH MYERS As night fell on 31 December 1999, five million Sydneysiders looked forward to hours of splendid celebration. It was the eve of the twenty-first century; the eve of the third millennium. A feast of live entertainment was planned, much of it on Sydney’s majestic, incomparable harbour.

At ten seconds to midnight the countdown began. Then, as the new millennium arrived, there came a massive fireworks display – perhaps the most spectacular ever seen in Australia – that lasted 24 minutes. The focal points were Sydney’s two matchless icons of engineering: the Harbour Bridge

and the Opera House. At the end, a fiery cascade erupted downwards from the Bridge’s deck. The bells of a dozen churches pealed loudly.

And then, as the smoke cleared, it came into view – emblazoned in gold letters just below the apex of the Bridge’s towering arch.

The first written word of the third millennium, in distinctive copperplate script: Eternity The crowds cheered with gusto.

This was a word deeply and affectionately associated with the history of Sydney – and with one man in particular. He was not the first person to write “eternity” around the streets of Sydney, but he was certainly the most prolific.

He did it using chalk or crayon every day for almost 35 years, perhaps half a million times in all.

His name was Arthur Malcolm Stace. He had died 32 years before, but was far from forgotten.

The Great Depression had produced human misery in Australia on a scale not seen before or since and, as was the case for countless others, Arthur’s fortunes had reached rock bottom. Three incidents from this time remained seared in his memory in later life.

First, Arthur checked himself into a psychiatric clinic, Broughton Hall at Rozelle, which specialised in the treatment of World War I veterans of modest means who were suffering from mental illness of some sort, but not certifiably insane. In Arthur’s case, the treatment was to no avail. Not even the frightening prospect of committal to the asylum next door, Callan Park, cured him of his

destructive ways. But at least he escaped the fate of his father, who had died in a mental asylum.

The second incident was an appearance at Central Police Court on yet another charge of drunk and disorderly conduct. Arthur had spent the night before in a holding cell, and, in light of his dire record, the magistrate tried a threat: “Don’t you know I have the power to put you in Long Bay Jail or the power to set you free?” Arthur replied meekly: “Yes, sir.” He was let off lightly that time and released back into the community.

Despite his lenient treatment from the magistrate, Arthur felt no joy or relief. “He knew he needed something which the magistrate didn’t have the power to give – power to stop drinking, power to overcome a vile heredity,

power to throw off the effects of a slum environment.” In despair, possibly straight after leaving the court, Arthur trudged to the police station at Regent Street, Broadway, and asked to be locked up.

“I said to the sergeant, ‘Sergeant, put me away. I’m no good and I haven’t been sober for eight years.

Give me a chance and put me away.’

The sergeant sniffed and said, ‘You stink of metho. Get out!’”

Arthur thought to himself: “When I don’t want them to put me in, they do it; now, when I want them to put me in, they shut me out.”

It was winter by then, a dismal one for many people in the depressed and divided Sydney of 1930. Thousands of families had been evicted from their homes continued page 6

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Mr Eternity From page 5 and several shanty settlements had formed. Among the few bright spots for all Sydneysiders was the ongoing construction of the Harbour Bridge. The two mighty half-arches were first joined in the centre during August 1930 and, coincidentally, that was also the month in which Arthur’s life was transformed.

The vital day was 6 August 1930, a Wednesday. This may have been the very day that Arthur was sent packing by the sergeant at Regent Street police station. At any rate, on the evening of 6 August, he fronted up with a few of his derelict mates to one of R.B.S. Hammond’s weekly Men’s Meetings at St Barnabas’ on Broadway. The attraction? It had nothing to do with “religion.” Rather, word had got around that after these meetings, every man got a cup of tea and a rock cake. As Arthur told the story years later: In those days you had to know when things like that were on to stay alive. At St Barnabas’ Church we went around the back to the School Hall where Archdeacon Hammond used to preach for about an hour before the cuppa tea came on.

There were 300 of us down and outs in the hall, and six people on the front seat, all decent and clean and dressed properly.

I said to the bloke next to me, “Who are they?”

He said, “They’re Christians.”

I said: “Well, look at them and look at us. I’m having a go at what they’ve got.”

It seems, then, that Arthur was inclined to give Christianity “a go” even before Hammond began speaking. There is no record of the subject of the talk that night, but it is fair to assume that Hammond preached the gospel in his usual way – compellingly and winsomely.

He was an orator of world class, a burly and avuncular figure with “a natural gift of incisive, compelling and arresting speech.” He also knew how to pitch his message to suit a given audience.

Seated before him that evening were many down-and-outs and ne’er-do-wells, perhaps 300 in all. Some, like Arthur, would have known little or nothing about Christianity. Hammond truly loved needy men such as these. They were his reason for being.

No doubt Hammond got their attention quickly with a couple of pithy anecdotes from contemporary life. His serious message, one imagines, would have been simple and direct. However low your station, however big your handicaps, however bad the things you have done, God loves you. But you are a sinner. On your own you are helpless – and doomed. God sent Jesus to Earth to show you the way of salvation. Thanks to Jesus’ death on the Cross, if you ask God for mercy with a penitent heart then all your sins will be forgiven – never counted against you again, in this life or the next.

According to one of Arthur’s closest friends, Hammond’s plea that night was this: “If any of you men are sick of the lives you are living, there is One who loves you who will set you free and His name is Jesus.”

One can imagine Arthur’s reaction. He was desperate. He was ashamed of his dark past and his dire present. He knew he needed love and forgiveness. He knew he needed the power to change.

But he did not go forward at the meeting itself.

The moment of conversion – the taking of “the Leap” – is ineffable and mysterious.

Sometimes it is not consciously appreciated by the convert. Christians believe that it is God – the Holy Spirit – who brings it about.

Arthur later said that he “came under strong conviction of sin” and desired “to be delivered from its bondage.” He also “realised that Christ was stronger than strong drink.” After drinking his tea and eating his rock cake, he left the hall alone, crossed Broadway, and walked into Victoria Park (adjacent to Sydney University). There, under a large fig tree, in the dark and out of sight, he knelt down and wept. Then he cried out a simple prayer: “God, God be merciful to me a sinner!” The choice of words suggests strongly that, at some stage during the evening, Hammond had expounded the prayer of the repentant publican: “And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner” (Luke 18:13).

Arthur always insisted that

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from that night onward, he never touched a drop of alcohol. “God really heard my cry that night!” he once declared. “God really met me that night in the park! … The desire to drink was taken away!

I was a changed man!” Although successful “cold turkey” recoveries from addiction have always been rare, there is no good reason to doubt him. His famous catchcry – repeated countless times over the next 37 years – was that he “went into the meeting for a rock cake and came out with the Rock of Ages.” Peace had come to his troubled soul.

Within a short time, quite possibly the very next day, Arthur returned to St Barnabas’ and introduced himself to the Rev. Hammond. One imagines that Hammond greeted him warmly, elicited the basics of his story and encouraged him to attend Sunday services and Wednesday night Men’s Meetings on a regular basis. No doubt, also, Hammond offered some immediate practical help – a few solid meals, a fresh set of clothes, a warm place to sleep.

Arthur made rapid progress.

Truly, he was born again.

According to his friend Lisle Thompson, “in a little while after his conversion, [he] learnt what he call[ed] the two secrets of success in the Christian life.” These for him were prayer and obedience.

Arthur Stace rises early to read the Bible and pray simple, sincere prayers. At midday hour he prays again and when evening falls prayer arises again, for cleansing and help. Much prayer, says, Arthur Stace, keeps the channel clean, keeps us in touch with God …

For Arthur, the clearest outward sign of his new life in Christ was the ability to give up the grog.

He also stopped smoking and gambling, and refrained from swearing or blaspheming. And, in what seems to have been a conscious attempt to imitate the respectable-looking Christian men who had so impressed him at Hammond’s Wednesday night meeting, he began dressing and grooming himself neatly.

Thereafter he always wore a suit and tie, Homberg hat and shiny shoes.

Understandably, Arthur was excited – perhaps a little proud.

Around this time he visited Darlinghurst police station, one of the places at which he had often spent the night in a holding cell during his previous life. He told the sergeant that he had become a Christian and sworn off alcohol for good. They would never need to lock him up again! The sergeant scoffed: “Knowing you, this will just be a short-term change. You’ll soon be back in the gutter again – you’ll see.”

But Arthur was never back in the gutter. A few months later he was still on the straight and narrow and could not resist another visit to the sergeant. That time, the man was impressed.

Mr Eternity is available from Koorong.com

IN DEPTH

NOVEMBER 2017

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The Christian leader who had no name BOOK EXCERPT : WHEN OCEANS ROAR BY ERNEST F. CROCKER When Oceans Roar by Ernest F. Crocker is a collection of remarkable testimonies, such as David and Robyn Claydon’s.

As Scripture Union turns 150, Eternity is pleased to feature David, who was the former SU National Director.

The front door was guarded by the largest and most beautiful cymbidium orchid that I had ever seen. Bracts of luminescent ivory blooms swayed in the cool morning breeze.

“We keep giving them away,” said Robyn, “but they just keep growing.”

The orchid was symbolic of this couple’s life. It was rare, exotic, and beautiful. David and Robyn had given themselves unselfishly to others over a lifetime, but the more they gave away the more they thrived.

It seems that David had been delivered from near-certain death at the hands of Congolese soldiers during his time as a missionary in Africa. I needed to check details.

We settled into comfy chairs armed with strong brewed coffee and Robyn’s specialty, a lemon lime slice.

“The story is remarkable,” he began. “But that was not the first time that God rescued me and please understand, my life to that point had not been easy.”

David was born in Bethlehem sometime in 1936 by his reckoning.

His parents, British citizens, had been killed in crossfire between the Zionists, British and Palestinians and all records regarding his birth, family and citizenship had been destroyed by bombing. A fairskinned boy with red hair he had no name, no birth date and no family. He was totally without identity and as such became a ward of the Bethlehem Orphanage on the road between Bethlehem and Jerusalem. Arabic became his first language.

With the coming of war, the German matron was interned and the orphanage closed. Lora Claydon, an Australian social worker, was assigned the duty of finding homes for the children.

Suffering from measles and pneumonia, and without proper medical care, young David lapsed into a coma. Lora wrapped him in a blanket and took him by taxi to the Church Mission to the Jews Hospital on the Street of the Prophets. Here the two doctors with Lora and her friends prayed fervently for his recovery. He remained in a coma for two weeks but by the grace of God recovered without deficit.

“A man would come in on Sundays to show us glass lantern slides,” he said. “One image was of Jesus with a lamb across His shoulders.

“I thought if Jesus cared that much about a lost lamb, He must care about me. So . . . I belong to Jesus.” He was four-and-a-half years old. When David was fully recovered, Lora decided to take care of him.

But this was not an easy transition for either party. At four years of age he spoke only Arabic with the occasional Arabic swear word!

When Lora suggested that he should learn English, he responded that she should learn Arabic. She recalled that when she gave him an

order he climbed up onto the table where they were sitting and slapped her squarely across the face. But it was through Lora that David developed a deep sense of trust in God’s presence and provision that would stay with him through life. It was at this stage that he took the name of David, which seemed appropriate for one born in Bethlehem.

He still had no family name.

Within twelve months Lora accepted an assignment in Ethiopia teaching English to the children of Emperor Haile Selassie, Amha and Princess Tenagnework. She left David in Jerusalem in the care of the Christian doctor who had nursed him through the coma.

Eventually Lora returned from Eritrea and once again took over David’s care.

“Most of the time we were desperately hungry,” he said, “and there were times when we nearly starved, but God always provided.

One day with no money to buy bread we went out to find food.

‘Lora,’ I said, ‘we have no money.’ “‘God will provide. Pray, David,’ she said. As we approached the market gate a raven overhead dropped a silver coin just in front of me.

“I dived on it. That coin paid for bread and eggs that morning.”

Lora was appointed warden of the Garden Tomb in Jerusalem where many believed Jesus had been buried. One day, as they sat praying for food in the garden, David heard the postman.

“Lora,” he said, “there is something in the letterbox.” It was a Palestinian £10 note in a letter from a Christian bank manager.

After the second battle of El Alamein and Rommel’s recall to Germany, Lora decided it was high time to return home to Australia with her charge. The protectorate government advised that if she could make it to Cairo with David, then there may be room on a troop ship back to Australia. But David would need a passport and, indeed, a surname. On the advice of a British official she signed an affidavit stating that David was her nephew and he adopted her name of Claydon.

At the military HQ in Cairo, David and Lora were assigned to a small ship which was to transport officers back to Australia. The battle against Japan was imminent and the government needed to repatriate these men from the Middle East without delay, for reassignment.

The captain took a zigzag course across the Indian Ocean towards Australia on constant watch for U-boats and enemy planes. After stopping briefly in Fremantle, they entered the Great Australian Bight heading east for Melbourne, only to learn that rogue U-boat 862 had sunk allied shipping in Port Phillip bay.

“That U-boat will pass you in the night on its return journey,” they were told, “and will no doubt torpedo you.”

That night officers met in the saloon and prayed for protection.

Depth charges and anti-aircraft guns were made ready, but no attack came. As they finally sailed into Port Phillip Bay, David saw the masts of the many sunken ships that had been torpedoed.

“As I stepped onto Australian

soil,” he said, “I recalled all the things that had happened to me and I thanked God that I was alive. I dedicated my life to God and told Him that I would serve Him. I was eight years old.”

God’s hand of protection was clearly upon David. He had saved him from crossfire, from starvation, illness, drowning at sea, aerial bombing and U-boat 862. He had rescued this small nameless boy without even a birth date from a coma, which I suspect may have been an expression of measles encephalitis, and brought him to the other side of the world to fulfil a purpose and a destiny that only He could have designed.

So, you might ask with expectation, what plan and purpose did God hold for this young man just eight years of age?

Arriving in Australia, David and Lora first settled in Sydney where David attended Knox College using monies provided by the Palestinian government. But when funds were exhausted they moved to the Blue Mountains, west of Sydney, where he attended Katoomba High, taking on casual work after school to help pay for food and lodging.

David later went on to study economics, education and theology and eventually became the National Director of Scripture Union Australia, training youth workers throughout East Asia and establishing Scripture Union ministry in the South Pacific Islands. He served as Rector of St Matthew’s Anglican Church, West Pennant Hills for six years and then headed up the Church Missionary Society of Australia, also serving as president of the United Mission to Nepal. But if you were to ask David what had been the most joyous and productive event of his life, he would no doubt refer to meeting and marrying Robyn. Together they find identity and purpose in God’s leading and provision.

Clearly David’s heart remains in the Middle East. “I often come across people who have come to Christ through a vision,” he said.

“Some of these visions are quite amazing, not at all straightforward.

“As an example, there was a Muslim man in Pakistan who was fishing and had a vision of Jesus walking to him across the water.

Jesus showed him a picture of another man standing in front of a shop in Hyderabad. He recognized the street and the shop but not the man’s face. “‘If this is for real,’ he thought, ‘and Jesus really wants me, I’d better go and see what this is all about.’

“Catching the next bus to Hyderabad he walked down Jacob Road to the shop that he had seen in the vision. And there was that man standing outside. It was the Bishop of Hyderabad. “‘Jesus told me to come and see you.’ “‘Yes, I’ve been waiting for you,’ said the bishop, who took him to his home and later led him to the

Lord.

“When the man’s father heard that his son had converted, he sent dacoits to kill his son.

The man invited the dacoits into his home, sat them down, fed them and told them how Jesus had called him across the water and why he had become a Christian.

“The dacoits did not feel that they could kill this man and returned to the father who was furious and sent them back to complete their mission.

“But this time they could not find him and eventually gave up.

“Christian friends took the man into care for his own protection.

“He met a Christian girl and they were married. For safety, CMS sent them to Bible school in Singapore.

Eventually they returned to Pakistan where the man became principal of a Bible college. He wrote later to say that he had had discussions with his father, who had also now converted.

“One of the big problems in the Arab world is honour killing,” said David. “When there is a conversion there is honour killing, and it is difficult to get a flow on of conversions. These people need to be relocated.”

David has arranged for many converts whose lives are at risk in the Middle East to come to Australia on humanitarian visas, and is currently bringing Christians from Syria and Iraq in association with the Minister for Immigration and the Barnabas Fund. “So tell me about the Congolese soldiers,” I said.

“Well, I was in Africa with CMS at the time. With a MAF pilot and a senior missionary, I had flown into a small dirt airstrip in Zaire to meet with the local bishop. But the bishop happened to be in another town and to our dismay the airstrip was bristling with Congolese soldiers. One approached our plane. “‘Give me your passport!’ “‘But I’m in transit, I am not alighting from this plane.’ “‘Get out . . . now!’”

The Congolese soldier was armed and meant business.

Having no option, David climbed down from the plane to be led across the tarmac to a small tin shed where other soldiers sat laughing and carousing. Some lay sprawled on the ground, clearly inebriated.

It was blisteringly hot and not a good scene. David tried to explain his presence but within fifteen minutes his schoolboy French was exhausted and he had made no progress.

“You shouldn’t be on this tarmac,” said the soldier, “I’m going to lock you up until a senior officer comes from Kinshasa to interrogate you.”

David knew that such a man would be unlikely to travel nearly two thousand miles across the second largest country in Africa to interview him, and he began to fear for his life. The heat was oppressive.

He moved to the door for a breath of fresh air.

And then he saw him. Across the tarmac walked a tall local man immaculately dressed in suit and tie, carrying a bundle of mail under his arm. The man approached the MAF plane, opened the door and placed the mail under David’s seat.

“Can you help me?” David called.

The man replied in fluent English.

David explained his dilemma.

“Wait here,” said the man. “I’ll deal with it.”

He addressed the soldiers in perfect French, returning in minutes.

“All’s well. You’ve done nothing wrong, but for his loss of face, apologize to the soldier and he’ll give you back your passport.”

David apologized as instructed, then turned to find that the man in the suit was nowhere to be seen.

“Where’s your man?” he quizzed the pilot, “where’s the other guy who helped me? He disappeared while I was apologizing. There are no cars. It’s an open field. He couldn’t just disappear.”

“I don’t have a MAF representative here,” said the pilot.

“But you do. He put mail on the plane. I saw it.” “But we don’t take mail from here.”

There was no mail in the plane!

Back in Nairobi David wrote to the senior missionary who had been with them on the plane.

“Who was that guy? I want to thank him.”

Her reply: “No such man exists.”

As we made our way back to the car the orchid, now shaded, continued to exhibit grace and beauty. I was tempted to ask for a bloom but thought better of it.

I recalled how David had received a silver coin from a raven when he was hungry and without money for food and was reminded of how the ravens had fed Elijah by the brook when he was near to starvation.

And later, when the brook dried up altogether, a widow used the last of her flour and oil to bake bread for Elijah at great personal cost. Each time the flour and oil were used they were replenished

by God. And I saw that David and Robyn were that flour and oil. They will continue as such, until the rains come.

When Oceans Roar is available at Koorong.com

NOVEMBER 2017

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Love in action

We live in interesting times. On one hand we’re experiencing unprecedented convenience – cars with cameras, TV on demand, unlimited internet.

And on the other hand – our world is in turmoil. We’re living during a time of devastating crises.

The scale of the famine in Africa is on a scale so large that the United Nations is calling it the worst humanitarian crisis since 1945.

More than 20 million people are facing starvation and famine.

Imagine, almost the entire population of Australia facing starvation.

Across several African countries, drought has a choking grip on peoples’ lives and futures.

In many of these places, families rely on farming as a way of life.

People farm their land to grow food for their family but also to sell produce to create income.

Families use this money to pay for school fees, purchase equipment or farming supplies for their land, and importantly plan for the future.

But consecutive failed rainy seasons, combined with changing weather patterns, means millions are facing failed crops and this results in no money to purchase what they need to survive.

These children in Ethiopia are caught in the devastating famine.

Their school has no water; so each student must bring three litres of water to ensure the school has enough for the day.

Sharing this reality isn’t meant

Children in Ethiopia hold up water containers they bring to school each day to ensure there will be enough water. to make you feel hopeless; it’s simply a real perspective into the experiences of people living through incredibly difficult times.

As you can imagine, aid and humanitarian agencies around the world are responding to this huge crisis.

But CBM’s response is unique.

We look for those who are

hidden or forgotten.

People with disabilities.

People just like Regina from Zimbabwe. Regina has a physical impairment that makes it difficult to walk long distances.

She, and her two children, were caught in a severe food crisis.

Regina had relied on her farm to produce food for her family and to help with income. But after three years of drought, she was left with

nothing.

Regina was forced to travel five kilometres to get water to use.

It’s hard to put yourself in that situation – not being able to turn the tap on and have water run freely.

Instead you have to pack up a bucket, travel five kilometres, fill your bucket up, and then travel back. Anytime you needed more water; day after day.

Now, think of Regina, who must complete this long journey with her physical impairment. But CBM’s response is ready.

CBM is positioned, across Africa, to reach children most in danger – those with chronic hunger, disability, or from a family with a parent who has a disability.

Our partners are busy providing survival support to meet people’s basic needs. Support which can include rice, cooking oil and medical screening.

CBM’s work is motivated by love. We are moved to action by the words of our founder, Ernst Christoffel, who dedicated his life to serve others.

He said, “The deed of love is the sermon that everyone can understand”.

It is this simple principle that drives us to reach out to those most vulnerable in times of emergency.

While the situation is sobering and the facts hard to comprehend; the good news is that we can be part of the solution.

You can be part of CBM’s emergency response – your action can generate love, and give people who are living in desperate need the hope that they are not forgotten.

Be part of love in action and share the sermon that everyone understands.

Visit cbm.org.au/ActNow/donate for more information or call our team on 131 226.

Famine crisis in Africa:

20 million risk starvation Niger

Nigeria

Sudan

South Sudan

Ethiopia

Kenya

Somalia

Malawi

With your help today, CBM will find children in the most famine-devastated places, like Niger. Our long-standing teams there will provide vulnerable families with an Emergency Package containing items like:  25 kilograms rice 10 kilograms cow pea (a local bean) 5 litres of oil.

Donate Now 131 226 cbm.org.au/ActNow/donate 1,2 page.indd 1

23/10/2017 10:39:42 AM

IN DEPTH

NOVEMBER 2017

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Pro-life campaigner has saved many babies ANNE LIM Julie James has been cautioned by police, had a giant cup of cola poured over her head and even been threatened with death.

But this Sydney mother of ten is unapologetic about demonstrating outside abortion clinics.

She considers it a privilege that she has saved half a dozen babies by offering her love and support to women approaching abortion clinics – and another ten babies through telephone counselling.

“I found there were girls there who were looking for help but they hadn’t known how to get help – they hadn’t known about these pregnancy help centres,” she says.

Julie was speaking to Eternity in the wake of the first conviction of an anti-abortion protester for breaching Victoria’s “safe access zone” legislation. Kathleen Clubb, who attempted to give pamphlets to a couple entering a Melbourne clinic, and Julie James both belong to Helpers of God’s Precious Infants, whose members maintain vigils outside abortion clinics.

Tasmania is the only other state to have exclusion zone laws which require anti-abortion protesters to keep 150 metres away from clinics. Julie believes it’s important to resist moves to introduce these “bubble zones,” such as was included in a bill debated in NSW parliament earlier this year. The bill was defeated.

“I think it’s taking away people’s freedoms because there are three

people I’ve dealt with who have all said, ‘I wish there was somebody to stop me’ – my mother included.”

She quotes Jaya Taki, who earlier this year told the media that NRL star Tim Simona had forced her to have an abortion.

“The Right to Life people got her to speak to the NSW parliament when this bill was being debated.

She said, ‘you have got to allow people to be at these clinics because that would have saved my baby.’ She found no other support anywhere.”

While Julie knows that her behaviour is controversial, even among Christians, she believes she needs to speak up for those who have no voice.

“I mean, children are suffering all over the world, but somehow I feel there are voices for those children. There are a lot of NGOs looking after those children, but these little ones have no one to speak for them.”

That said, she does not agree with brandishing placards showing aborted foetuses or harassing women.

“I don’t think there should ever be any physical or verbal confrontation. It should always be done with respect for the person and just offering them love and support. And I don’t know anywhere [that protesters] do harassing of mums. I think the whole movement has become based on prayer.”

Anti-abortion campaigners are often criticised for being pro-life

but not pro-baby or pro-woman, but this pocket dynamo puts her money where her mouth is in helping women in difficult circumstances to continue their pregnancies. She has taken into her home several at-risk pregnant women – sometimes alcoholics and drug addicts – and even fostered a baby who had been saved from termination after his mother was deported to China.

“I had Derek till he was about three and then I felt his father had matured a lot. We worked with him slowly and eventually he said ‘I want to keep him full-time,’ ” she explains. “When you see those children, it makes up for all the abuse. My whole family grieved for little Derek because he brought so much happiness.”

At the moment, Julie is talking to a family who are thinking of aborting because they’ve been told their baby has a heart condition and might die after birth or be severely disabled.

“I said ‘I’m happy to look after the baby’ because sometimes there’s pressure on people from the doctors saying, ‘you’re not going to be able to look after this baby, it will be very expensive, very timeconsuming.’ This is just a young couple, they’re studying and they don’t really want to abort.”

Julie became involved in the pro-life movement soon after she became a Christian at age 16. She was influenced by a controversial video, The Silent Scream, which purports to show a 12-week-old

foetus on ultrasound opening its mouth wide while trying to avoid the cannula that sucked it out of the womb. Her horror deepened when she saw photographs of aborted foetuses that had been reassembled by nurses to ensure nothing had been left behind.

“The funny thing is, I didn’t find out until maybe 30 years after I started

working with Right to Life and trying to educate people that my own mother had two abortions, so I’ve lost two of my siblings,” Julie reveals.

“She was grieving until the end of her life ... Before I started doing my pregnancy counselling training I had no idea what women were going through – the grieving.”

As part of her counselling activities, Julie now helps women who have had abortions come to terms with their grief.

“I actually come home from counselling and I collapse for the rest of the day because it’s terribly draining emotionally, but I feel privileged in a way to be given that opportunity because so many people have come to me. The sad thing is there’s no government funding for this type of work and these are Australian children.”

Julie James has fought for the unborn for decades.

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Music nights, theatrical productions and cultural events

New College is a Christian residential community on-campus at the University of New South Wales, open to people of all faiths or none. It operates sister communities: New College, fully-catered for 250 students and New College Village, a mostly self-catered residence for 315 students.

Both communities provide pastoral care and Christian ministry through a strong team of supportive residential staff led by the Master and a live-in Dean in each residence. The College seeks to challenge residents to consider matters of faith through optional Bible studies, College services and Christian fellowship.

Inter-College Sport Exciting O’Week programs Safe communities in which to embark on new challenges

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Barnabas Fund – Aid agency for the persecuted Church | barnabasfund.org | Spring 2017

Hungry Christians praying before food distribution in Marsabit, Kenya funded by Barnabas

9.8 million meals for starving Christians in East Africa Suffering Christians in Kenya and Uganda are crying out for help to meet even their most basic needs of food and water. Barnabas Fund’s Project Joseph is responding Drought, famine and accelerated refugee flows have gripped the region.

After a long dry period there have been some erratic rains but nowhere near enough to make up for the failure of previous harvests and all the extra mouths to feed as a result of displaced people moving around seeking food and fleeing violence.

Barnabas Fund has answered the appeal of the churches in Uganda, Kenya and South Sudan. Its Project Joseph has provided 9.8 million meals over five months.

“We are being overwhelmed with refugees from South Sudan,” says Archbishop Stanley Ntagali of the Church

of Uganda. But Ugandan Christians do not complain; instead they work hard to provide for those who are fleeing from conflict in the world’s newest country, South Sudan.

Because of inadequate harvests, food prices are spiralling.

23c per person per day

Gladys from Chemolingot village, Kenya wrote to Barnabas Fund: “We are very grateful for your support during this prolonged drought that has caused the death of many livestock and many people who have starved with hunger since this drought started. People are now happy and rejoicing for your help. I don’t know how to express this happiness, but what I can say is: may God continue blessing you with that heart of kindness and generosity.”

It costs about $33 to feed a family for a month in East Africa. That is 23c per person for one day’s meal. We provide maize, beans, cooking oil, and sometimes powdered milk and salt.

The needs are now greater than ever. The number of Kenyans requiring emergency food has doubled in recent months and could soon reach four million.

“I don’t know how to express this happiness”

Will you help us feed the saints in East Africa, just as the early Christians gave aid to the saints in Jerusalem at a time of famine?

You can help our suffering brothers and sisters by donating at www.barnabasfund.org/donate Other ways to give can be found on page 13

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barnabasfund.org | HOPE & AID

We are providing

160,000 Food for more than 160,000 people

Aid to South Sudanese in their own country and refugee camps in Uganda Barnabas Fund is enabling vulnerable babies, children and mothers obtain the necessities of life

Mother’s heartbreaking struggle to feed and provide water for her nine young children

Training for farmers

Seed for new crops

A Barnabas Fund team recently visited food distribution centres in Kenya which are funded by Barnabas. One of the visitors describes what he saw I spoke with a mother of nine children who told me of her life and the constant struggle for food and especially water to look after her family and her fears for the bleak prospects of the next few months.

There are three church-run food distribution centres outside Isiolo in Northern Kenya. People come great distances through terrible conditions.

Dust storms are raging which make life almost unbearable. Dust and grime get caked to everyone’s skin and they have no water to wash.

It was humbling to see young mothers getting a measure of maize and beans and cooking oil knowing that was all they had until the next distribution.

We heard stories of people having to walk great distances to carry water. We realised that the simple act of survival to obtain just the basic necessities of

life like food and water would take most of the time of these mothers.

One of the main things that will stay with me after this visit to Kenya was seeing those who have nothing giving thanks. Saying grace before the food is distributed was very moving. We witnessed people who have nothing and have lost everything bow their heads and give thanks to God. I can only say that ‘saying grace’ will never be the same again for me.

There was for me such a strong message that we need to understand that all we have is through the grace of God. We have no claim on anything we possess. God wants us to be good stewards and one day we will have to give an account for the riches he has given us.

Water bore holes

Prayer changes things If you have recently given a gift please do not feel under pressure to give again, but please use this newspaper to pray that Barnabas Fund’s food aid will continue to save lives.

You can help our suffering brothers and sisters by donating at www.barnabasfund.org/donate Other ways to give can be found on page 13

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HOPE & AID | barnabasfund.org

An aid agency with a difference Barnabas sends aid: from Christians | through Christians | to Christians

Barnabas helps in many ways:

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barnabasfund.org | HOPE & AID

Barnabas food aid in pictures Barnabas Fund’s Project Joseph and our other feeding projects are making a difference to hundreds of thousands of people and saving many families from starvation and destitution

Aid in numbers

$33 can provide an East African family with maize, flour and beans for one month

33c

Arid conditions in drought-stricken Kenya

Three to four thousand people are supp

provides a day’s food for one person

1,000

tonnes of food in Kenya and Uganda over last four months

Rural church in Marsabit, Kenya where drought is severe

280

tonnes of food in Zimbabwe over last four months

1,200 tonnes of food to South Sudan

Great joy in Kenya at receiving food aid from Project Joseph

Beans, a source of protein, are part of the food aid distribution in East Africa

You can help our suffering brothers and sisters by donating at www.barnabasfund.org/donate Other ways to give can be found on page 13

HOPE & AID | barnabasfund.org

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plied at each Barnabas food distribution in Camp Rhino, Uganda. About 80,000 are helped altogether at the camp

“When they first came, you could see how hungry they were ... Now you can look at them and see how much better they are doing and nourished they are. Their faces and appearance have changed because of the food distribution. Children are now looking strong and happy.” Pastor Nason describes the difference that Barnabas Fund’s Project Joseph has made to South Sudanese refugees in Uganda like this young girl

You can help our suffering brothers and sisters by donating at www.barnabasfund.org/donate Other ways to give can be found on page 13

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barnabasfund.org | HOPE & AID

Hear their cry “We are being overwhelmed with refugees from South Sudan.”

Archbishop Stanley Ntagali Primate of the Church of Uganda.

“Their need is now urgent.

I do hope you will respond to this important need of our brothers and sisters.”

How food aid brings respect and well-being to refugees in Uganda A Barnabas Fund staff member describes his June visit to UN Camp Rhino in Uganda, where the Church of Uganda is feeding tens of thousands of refugees from South Sudan

Bishop Rod Thomas Bishop of Maidstone, UK

“I have derived much encouragement by the giving and support of Barnabas Fund over the years in times of dire need and crisis.”

Rev. Dr Aiah Foday-Khabenje General Secretary of the Association of Evangelicals in Africa

“We are appealing for food aid to help us against this ravaging drought ... Cattle, donkeys and camels have died before our own eyes.”

Pastor Christopher Chochoi East Pokot, Kenya

Women sing and dance in thanks before the Barnabas funded food distribution at Camp Rhino Camp Rhino’s commander says the biggest problem that keeps him awake at night is ensuring that refugees have enough food to survive till their next meal.

He urged Barnabas Fund – the biggest donor of food aid to the camp – to continue giving support.

The UN, he revealed, had taken the unusual step of offering a partnership in the camp to the Church of Uganda because of the effectiveness of Barnabas Fund’s food programme. Pastor Nason Baluku says the church is relying on help from Barnabas Fund to fulfil this partnership.

Support for refugees in Uganda has a long history. It goes back to the 1940s when Polish refugees were resettled in the country. I found that just after World War 2 Polish civilians were taken out of

the USSR and sent to a number of safe countries under British mandate, which at that time included Uganda and several other African countries.

The Ugandan government has long experience of dealing with refugees.

In some camps in the country refugees receive a plot of land for subsistence farming and a plot of land for housing.

This land is owned by the government and farming is to produce food on a subsistence basis.

I asked the commander if the camp is receiving enough food for refugees.

His answer was that there is never enough food. He told me that there are 90,000 refugees but the camp can accept about 250,000 people if called upon. But in those circumstances the refugee population would outweigh the host population (150,000) in surrounding countryside.

You can help our suffering brothers and sisters by donating at www.barnabasfund.org/donate Other ways to give can be found on page 13

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Show your support and stay up to date Find us on

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Youngsters eagerly awaiting food rations

“Without the Barnabas Fund we would not be able to manage the camp.

When people are hungry one cannot manage respect.”

twitter

instagram

youtube A child waiting in line for food at Camp Rhino

The host community is not worried about the large number of refugees nearby as the refugees receive their own small plots of land, to produce their own food - though a very limited amount.

On the day of our visit the annual UN Refugee Day celebration (June 20) was taking place in which members of both communities were participating.

At the end of the meeting the commander said, “Thank you very much for providing food for refugees, without which the refugees would go hungry.

Without the Barnabas Fund we would not be able to manage the camp. When people are hungry one cannot manage respect. You cannot tell people to take children to school, cook, clean utensils, build their houses and clean them up.

But when people have food they will listen. Thank you very much on behalf of the government.”

How food is distributed in Camp Rhino

The food distribution area is a large field with shrubs and trees growing around it.

It was the size of a football pitch. In one corner we noticed a pile of bags containing maize and beans and many people queuing.

At the other end of the field a group of women from the camp danced and sang. Within a short time a large crowd assembled around the dancing group, listening with interest. Afterwards we all moved towards the bags with food where shortly the distribution began. First the Barnabas Fund team was introduced to the assembled crowd, and prayers of thanks were said for the food about to be received.

Families in groups of ten receive food after they show their food cards which are issued every three months. Each person receives 3 kilograms of maize and 2 kilograms of beans. A typical group of ten

families will receive 3 bags of maize (50 kilograms/bag) and 1 bag of beans (100 kilograms/bag). The families themselves will then open the bags and distribute food to each family in the group of ten.

Since a large number of families receive food each day this method speeds up the process of distribution. On the day of our visit 3,170 people received food.

The other benefit of families sharing in this way is the way relationships are built between various tribes. The distribution is usually arranged so two tribes receive food together. It is the camp management who make decisions about the order in which families receive aid. This avoids any frictions in the relationships in the camp.

The food distributed in Camp Rhino is sponsored by two major donors: Barnabas Fund (60 per cent of the total aid) and the World Food Programme.

Stay up to date with the latest news about the persecuted Church and recieve regular prayer updates by signing up to our email list. Sign up at: bit.ly/Barnabas-email

We also produce a weekly podcast, you can find it on the following platforms:

You can help our suffering brothers and sisters by donating at www.barnabasfund.org/donate Other ways to give can be found on page 13

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barnabasfund.org | HOPE & AID

Saving the lives of farmers and pensioners in Zimbabwe

Pakistan: “Our prayers have been answered by

your monthly food parcels”

A million meals a month, or 70 tonnes of maize meal. This is what Barnabas Fund is giving to starving Zimbabweans through our Project Joseph feeding programme.

The worst drought in living memory hit Zimbabwe last year.

The crop failure of 2016 proved disastrous for Zimbabweans. Four-fifths of Zimbabweans live on the food they grow themselves. Many suffered 95 per cent or even 100 per cent crop failure. This left over four million people in critical danger of starvation.

• Many families reduced to one meal a day, sometimes less.

• Children unable to go to school as they are too weak with hunger.

• Unable to get jobs, hardly anyone with money to buy food.

It takes several years to recover from the ravages of such a drought. The rains this season were much better, but many people still had low yields from their crops.

Floods, elephants and drought-weakened livestock which struggled to plough were

Barnabas Fund provides monthly food support for Christians in Pakistan “God answered our prayers,” says Nasreen Baber, one of many Pakistani Christians who has received monthly food parcels from Barnabas Fund.

Her husband was unemployed, and paying the rent, bills and education expenses was becoming impossible. “We used to take groceries on credit and it would become very difficult to pay back the money. Even after all the bad days we kept our faith in God and He answered our prayers.”

some of the causes. Last year many hungry families were forced to eat their own seed and their livestock herds were decimated.

But Barnabas Fund is providing more than meals for a starving population. Project Joseph provides both seed and fertiliser so that families can sow their plots again.

As Violet, a farmer and mother of five puts it, “We were panicking. In Zimbabwe it is so hard, we have got nowhere to look.”

Life-saving food taken home in Zimbabwe thanks to support from Barnabas Fund

Feeding and caring for the victims of war and the widows in Syria and Iraq Thousands of lives have been saved in Syria and Iraq in the midst of the terrible conflict.

For more than five years, Barnabas Fund has been providing food to believers in Syria. We feed those who have fled Islamic State and other rebel groups, and those with no choice but to stay in the war zone.

Barnabas Fund fed over 105,000 Syrian Christians in 2016. Typical food parcels include rice, lentils, canned food, toiletries, tea and jam. Many Syrian Christians have left their homes and therefore lost their jobs and income due to the civil war.

In addition, we help Syrian Christians who have fled to neighbouring countries.

These exiled Christians are supported

With the assistance of a regular food parcel, Nasreen says her family has been transformed. “Our days got better and better. We could now pay the bill.”

Christians in Pakistan are a despised minority and discriminated against in employment and many areas of life. Many work as labourers in virtual slavery, tied sometimes to a single employer in an exploitative relationship. As a result they face grinding poverty. In particular, the ability of families to educate their children is one of the most significant ways out of the poverty trap for Pakistani Christians.

by church networks because Syrian and Iraqi Christians fear persecution in the refugee camps.

We also support 96 widows in Aleppo and their approximately 200 children.

Many of their husbands were murdered for their faith.

Widowed Maria and her son Jacob in Aleppo, assisted by Barnabas Fund

“Our days got better and better.

We could now pay the bill.”

A Barnabas Fund food parcel in Syria

Every month Barnabas Fund feeds 2,245 families, including families who have suffered outright persecution especially from the country’s notorious and oppressive “blasphemy laws.”

You can help our suffering brothers and sisters by donating at www.barnabasfund.org/donate Other ways to give can be found on page 13

NOVEMBER 2017

BIBLE @ WORK

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Egyptian Christians find freedom

ANNE LIM Despite being one of the earliest seats of civilisation, Egypt has one of the worst education systems in the world. This once-great power has been rated 145th out of 148 countries for the quality of available education by the World Economic Forum.

Large class sizes, underpaid teachers and a culture of learning by rote rather than by interaction mean many children leave school functionally illiterate – unable to apply basic reading and writing skills to everyday tasks such as reading a medicine label or filling out a job application.

On top of the 17 million Egyptians who are non-literate (about 18 per cent of the 93 million population), the proportion of Egyptians who are functionally illiterate is estimated at between

40 per cent and 60 per cent – a huge number of people with limited opportunities and high levels of dependence.

This is why a church-based Bible Society literacy project that encourages critical thinking and independent learning is having such great success, helping up to 20,000 students at a time to read well using Bible stories and Bible passages. Many are primary school children but others are adults who were forced by poverty to leave school early.

One is Mary Salama, aged 57, pictured, who left school in fourth grade because her parents couldn’t afford to send her any more. Now that

her three sons are married and in Christian ministry, she made time for herself to attend the classes.

She says: “My life has totally changed since I joined a year ago. Being able to read and write adds a lot of joy to my life because I can now open any material and I can read, especially the Bible. I have bought my own copies of the liturgy and Bible and I take them along to church ...

“I used to cry all the time. I was very frustrated and upset because I

didn’t know the meaning of the words when they bowed, knelt during church … I was like a blind person but now I can see!”

Living in a country where the church is under pressure, Mary used to be afraid whenever her three sons left the house. But now she draws comfort from her favourite Bible verse: “Don’t be afraid, for I am with you” (Is 41:10).

Faiza, 56, is another woman who missed out on education – she never went to school at all.

“Literate people don’t appreciate what they have. But I don’t know how to read and write so I’m like dry land. I need the Bible to comfort me when I struggle, when I’m in need, when I’m in trouble; I need to know the Bible to help me survive in this life,” she says.

“When I saw people open their Bibles and prayer books and able to read, I used to cry. It was

Will you teach Christians to read so they’ll shine a light in Egypt?

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really tough for me. And now, even though I’m not fluent, letter reading makes me very happy – it’s a kind of freedom.”

One of the class facilitators, Mariam, says her students are encouraged to use critical thinking.

“At school, they emphasise filling your head with information.

It doesn’t matter if it’s helpful or not or if you enjoy it ... But here our programme is to exchange information among each other and participate, and how we benefit from what we learn.”

“People are learning to read and write and integrate into society.

They are also getting to know the word of God, which is a source of encouragement and helps them to survive in this country.”

+ If you would like more details, visit biblesociety.org.au/egyptep or call 1300 Bibles (1300 242 537)

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CHARITY FEATURE

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NOVEMBER 2017

More people with disabilities are coming to church KALEY PAYNE Louise used to be invisible.

A member of Crossway Baptist Church, she is living with cerebral palsy and is non-verbal, but had an interest in becoming a member of the welcoming team.

The church had a sign made for Louise’s wheelchair to help her communicate.

“I have stood next to Louise on the welcome team and watched peoples’ eye gaze go past her and straight to me, and they will only acknowledge me,” said Dale Stephenson, Senior Pastor of the church.

“I can see it happening. So I regularly say, ‘This is Louise, she’s on our welcome team, too!’ and that helps break the awkwardness they may feel, leading to further hellos and greetings.”

Louise was baptised at Crossway, but full immersion which is typical of Baptist churches wasn’t medically possible for her. The church created a large metal tray with ramp access for the wheelchair, and waterproofed the wheelchair with ponchos. A volunteer spent time with Louise to help prepare her testimony, which was shared on the day.

“People were deeply moved and

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crying,” says Dale. “It’s a powerful thing when you do give people their dignity. As she was uniquely baptised, the place erupted in applause and cheers. It was a great moment for Louise, and a great moment for Crossway.”

There are more people with disabilities in church now than there were five years ago, according to new statistics from the National Church Life Survey. In 2011, eight per cent of church attendees had a disability. In 2016, that number rose to 15 per cent. In 2015, ABS reports 18.3 per cent of Australians live with a disability.

Rob Nicholls from CBM’s Luke14 initiative says the statistics are very good news.

“There’s an improvement here.

Something is going on within Australian churches. There’s a greater awareness [of the needs of disabled people in church]. There’s a bigger welcome mat out there.

And also, people with disabilities are expecting more - they want to be more involved in the life of their church community.”

CBM’s Luke14 initiative has been running for almost nine years and aims to help churches become places of welcome and belonging for people and families living with disability. Rob Nicholls and a team

“

People with disabilities are expecting more - they want to be more involved in the life of their church community.”

of CBM volunteers run workshops in churches to spark discussion and appropriate planning about disability inclusion, including mental illness. Luke14 also offers resources to support churches as they think through the issues.

Crossway Baptist Church is one example of a church creating more inclusive environments. “It’s not about starting a new programme,” says Stephenson. “It’s about inclusion in the environments you already have at church.”

For more information, email: rnicholls@cbm.org.au or call 03 8843 4488.

Louise, from Crossway Baptist Church, is a member of the welcoming team.

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23/10/2017 11:48:11 AM

NOVEMBER 2017

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21

OPINION

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Michael Jensen on The Book of Morman

Revelations about Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein’s secret life as a sexual predator has sparked a Twitter storm.

Thomas Hawk/Flickr (Modified)

‘He was my Bible study leader’

Christian women join the #MeToo protests and share stories of assaults Harvey Weinstein, Hollywood mogul. Roger Ailes, the Fox News guru. Silvio Berlusconi, Prime Minister of Italy. The list of alpha males who preyed on women on an industrial scale, using their power over vulnerable people to have sex with them, grows daily.

Australians should not take any comfort that these powerful sinful men are some sort of exotic species.

Sadly, it only takes this observer seconds to think of local cases.

The media organisation where top executives competed with each other to have sex with young female staffers. The football club with rampant group sex. And then there is Channel 7. #MeToo is a tagline for women who want to reject exploitative sexual approaches from men.

The Bible says, “But among you

there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality ... (Ephesians 5:3) … For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord (Eph 5:8) … Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them.”

When Eternity journalist Tess Holgate set out on social media to find whether Australian Christian women were also saying #MeToo, she quickly gathered 14 local stories. Because our Ephesian passage goes on, “It is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret. But everything exposed by the light becomes visible – and everything that is illuminated becomes a light” (Eph 5:12-13) we have been careful in what we report here .

We want to show the world a better way. John Sandeman

Tess Holgate hears from “#MeToo” women WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT Holly* He was my Bible study leader. We started talking online and soon things got too friendly. He said his wife wasn’t sexually fulfilling him

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and asked me to have sex with him.

I said no, but he wouldn’t take no for an answer and continued being inappropriate and pressuring me to give him sex. I ended up telling a minister in our church and he was stood down from leading but I got the blame for the whole thing and was an outcast.

Taylor* Under the guise of “teaching me to be a real woman,” from the age of six for several years, he began taking me on walks into the bush where we could talk and gradually perform more and more invasive sexual acts. First exposure, then light touch, arousal, penetration and then finally intercourse. At the end of each “lesson” he’d tell me how I’d done and I’d leave hopeful that I was growing in my ability to please. I knew as a Christian

I needed to learn to please God and grow to know how to be the woman God had created me to be, and so I thought this was what he, a Christian leader, was helping me do.

There were times it hurt, when I doubted that what happened was really right, but he was a trusted family friend and leader in his church, who was telling me this was going to help me.

So I continued to go with him to the “lessons” and maintained my silence because he said I would get in trouble for telling. The first time I threatened to talk to someone about the lessons, I was tied to a tree and the “lesson” proceeded while I was strapped there. At the end of the lesson, he left me there until it was dark. I was told that continued page 22

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NOVEMBER 2017

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# MeToo

nensuria_Freepik

From page 21 that’s what would happen when I did the wrong thing.

Catherine* When I was about 18, the elder in my church who was assigned to visit and check on my spiritual health repeatedly touched my breasts, using the excuse of outlining the picture on my jumper (it was a bulky, loose jumper, not a tight jumper – why do I even have to say that?). I felt so horrible about being touched, I couldn’t bear to ever wear my jumper again and I wondered if there was something sinful about it. I made excuses for this man to myself for years because he was supposed to be my spiritual guide. I’ve never told anyone what he did until now.

Stella* My friend’s dad (who is a Christian) would always ask for a hug and fully wrap his arms around me and hold me tight for longer than I felt comfortable. What’s being touched inappropriately? He never touched a “private area” but I had boobs and he would squeeze me chest to chest. My arms were held tight by his grip around me. I would tap him on the back and release and move away and he would hold me there. It felt ridiculously uncomfortable. But I guess it was “polite” to say “goodbye” that way.

Candace* I used to work for a large IT company. A Christian colleague sexually assaulted me by “helping me” stand up, from a kneeling position. I was about 21 years old and didn’t need the help. He was standing behind me, placed his

hands on my hips then slid his hands up to be able to reach the side of my breast. I was completely shocked, but all I managed was a very civil “don’t touch me please.”

Sylvia* The first time my breasts were felt by a male, it wasn’t by an awkward pimply faced teenager exploring sexuality, as I kind of wish it had been. It was by a male who was married to the senior lady who played the organ at our church. He was at least 18 years older than my father and he made it into a funny little joke. It didn’t happen just once; each time he implied it was my fault because, he’d say, “You’re so cheeky and smiley, of course you like the attention.” I always felt really really unwell, severely unwell, every time we had to go to church.

Jenny* During discussion of business at a church meeting, the other women in the group and I had been interrupted five or six times by an older male who was an elder of the church. He was regularly

contradicting and dismissing the input of the women.

At his next attempt to interrupt me, I said, “Excuse me, could you wait till I am finished speaking please?” He called me a “hot woman with a personality to match” while looking me up and down. None of the other people in the meeting pulled him up on his behaviour or his comments.

Jane* We met at church and his whole family were Christians. He was a Bible-quoting, tongue-speaking, street-evangelising Christian. It was a domestic violence marriage.

I was married to him for several years before I finally understood it to be sexual harassment and rape.

He would grope me, including in public and in front of family and I would ask him to stop repeatedly, but he believed a wife’s body was not her own. He would dirty talk even when I asked him to stop. He would force me to do sexual acts as it was a “husband’s right” and a “wife’s duty” and so if I didn’t do everything he wanted he would

DISTANCE EDUCATION

rage for days, punish me and then tell our Christian friends and family that I was denying him his marital rights.

Trudy* In my late teens a friend and I were at a Bible study together and he started following me home every week after Bible study. A while later, we went out for social drinks with some other friends from church. He bought me a few drinks and pretty quickly I was inebriated, so said I should go home. He offered me a lift, but drove me to an isolated location and molested me. I never spoke to him after that, and never told anyone else.

Gloria* I was manipulated by a Christian man 18 years my senior after entering into a relationship with him. He was dishonest about his marriage breakdown (it was more recent then what I was led to believe – he hadn’t even filed for divorce). He would explode at me regarding looking at/being in contact with other guys. Then he

developed a drinking problem and used to call me [while] drunk and verbally abuse me and threaten to take his life if I left him. I was asked to leave my church (of five years) because I was an adulteress.

(We weren’t even having sex at that point but for them, technically, he was still married, just separated.)

Cynthia* When I was a university student I was heavily involved in student ministry. As a student leader I interacted a lot with other student leaders. One of these leaders was Jon*. Jon always made me feel a little bit uncomfortable; he made many of the women in the group feel a little bit uncomfortable – he made awkward jokes about women and sexuality, and sat closer than he might have needed. I was 20 when Jon asked me to be his girlfriend and I said no. I tried to let him down gently because it’s always horrible when you express feelings and they aren’t returned.

After that Jon started sending me a lot of email and text messages. At one point he gave me money because he “just wanted to bless me” and then he told me that God had told him to be praying for me and therefore I needed to share how I was and my prayer points with him. I felt vulnerable and uncomfortable. I gave [the money] back because I felt like there were expectations that went along with it. But I also felt silly for feeling so uncomfortable, so vulnerable; all he wanted was to pray for me, and prayer is good, right? * Names have been changed.

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OPINION

NOVEMBER 2017

23

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Book of Mormon lessons Michael Jensen on what Mormans get right The musical smash hit The Book of Mormon has just rolled into town here in Sydney.

I’ve not been to see it yet, but friends of mine who should know say it is one of the funniest and well put together musical shows they’ve ever seen.

It tells the story of two Mormon missionaries, Elder Cunningham and Elder Price. Cunningham is chubby, insecure and annoying.

Price is more over the top – goodlooking and attractive, outgoing and confident. Much to their dismay, they are sent to Uganda on their mission.

There they encounter poverty and suffering, and resistance to their message. They also meet Elder McKinley, who has homosexual desires but represses them: When you start to get confused because of thoughts in your head, Don’t feel those feelings!

Hold them in instead Turn it off, like a light switch just go click!

It’s a cool little Mormon trick!

We do it all the time.

Price is pretty confident that he can convert the locals, and so he tells them about Joseph Smith, the “All-American Prophet,” and the discovery of The Book of Mormon: “Wow! So the Bible is actually a trilogy, and the Book of Mormon is Return of the Jedi?!”

Many of the songs in the musical are savagely satirical of the LDS church, although in the end the message is that religion is ok if it makes people kind (and doesn’t focus on the truth too much).

But how did the Church of the Latter-day Saints respond? Did they picket the theatres? Did they call it blasphemous and outrageous? Did they seek to bring

the power of the law down on the heads of the producers? Did they claim that the musical was triggering them?

Not at all.

When the musical opened on Broadway in 2011, they issued the following statement: “The production may attempt to entertain audiences for an evening, but the Book of Mormon as a volume of scripture will change people’s lives forever by bringing them closer to Christ.”

When it came to Los Angeles, the LDS Church bought ad space in the playbill and elsewhere which said things like “You’ve seen the play, now read the book,” and “the book is always better.”

This response has been repeated here in Australia, when the popular musical took to the stage in Melbourne.

In the United States this strategy has led to the conversion of Richard Marcus, the former mayor of California’s Culvert City, who sought out the actual Book of Mormon after attending the theatrical production. They’ve also been praised by public relations specialists for their clever response, taking advantage of a potential negative and turning it into a positive.

Now, don’t get me wrong.

Though I have a deep respect and affection for the Mormons I know, I am not a fan of Latter-day Saints theology. I think it is a false religion and that Joseph Smith was a false prophet.

But the response of the LDS church to this situation has been, in my view, complete genius. It throws the public – most of whom are completely ignorant of LDS teachings – off guard. Instead of reacting with defensiveness and self-protection, they instead took the opportunity to invite people to investigate their faith. They come out of the situation looking good-humoured, interesting and kind. It makes you wonder: what’s their secret, that they can, as a complete minority, act with such graciousness and openness even when their faith is being ridiculed from a public platform night after night?

The Mormons have been a model of the way we more orthodox Christians should go about doing public discourse. To our shame, we have often been more interested in defending our corner, and communicating our outrage, than actually finding ways to cut through with the gospel. So here are two lessons from the Church of the Latter Day Saints for the Christian churches of Australia.

First, if we really believe the truth of our message, then we don’t have grounds for fear. Now, I don’t know how that works for Mormons, but for orthodox Christians it works like this. We believe that God who called worlds into being from nothing, is the God who raised Jesus Christ from the dead. And that God – the Lord, the Father – gives life to our mortal bodies (Rom 4:17). We have

nothing that can condemn us, and nothing that can separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus.

For the early Christians and for Christians down the centuries that has meant that even persecution can be resisted. We can face persecution and even pray for those who persecute us. We do not enter into conflict to win by worldly tactics – whether that be by exerting power over others or by proving we are the bigger victim so that we will garner the most sympathy or legal help.

We have another tactic which starts from a fundamental security in God. And, from that deep sense of being kept safe in the loving arms of God, we are free to act with good grace and humour for the sake of those who persecute or deride us. We can respond to criticism and satire and mocking not with outrage or offence but with unexpected grace.

Why are we not known for our good-humoured and unexpected and even witty responses to public criticism? Why have we become a byword for pompous self-protection? Why are we seen by so many as hanging on to our social privilege by our fingernails, desperately hoping that we will remain authoritative while our credibility lies in tatters?

If only we had the ability to be as innovative and as interesting as the Mormons! If only we were able to laugh at ourselves! If only we had the lightness of touch that they showed!

The second thing that the LDS Church has to teach us is that the main thing is mission. What’s our task? What are we here for?

We are here to hold out the word of life to the people who are our fellow citizens. The LDS brilliantly turned a possible public relations disaster into an opportunity for presenting their faith.

The main thing – Jesus Christ

– is still the main thing. But in the current climate of public discourse around Christianity, you could be forgiven for thinking otherwise.

You could be forgiven for thinking that we are really more interested in protecting our shrinking corner.

The example of the LDS should spur us on to be more evangelistically innovative and daring. Why have there been no coordinated interdenominational mission efforts since 2009?

Couldn’t the Bible Society, the publisher of Eternity, be the catalyst or host for such an effort going forward? Where do we see the rapid investment of church funds going to at the moment?

Or, to put it more positively: let’s seize the initiative, now that the wearying campaign about marriage is over, to use everything we have to present Christ to our nation. We’ve copped a pounding in the media lately. How are we going to respond?

Are we going to be what everyone thinks we are? Or are we going to be surprisingly different, for the sake of Christ’s name?

Many Australians have decided that the Christian story is no longer compelling because they find Christians and churches not compelling and even often abhorrent. With the absence of a source of meaning, though, they are in a state of moral and spiritual confusion. I talk to secular parents in my local area who are deeply concerned for the current generation of young people who don’t seem to have any framework for living a meaningful human life.

And yet, they can’t see that this is exactly what Christ offers them, because we haven’t been able to break through their impression that the church is the last place you’d look.

What do they need to hear? The gospel of Jesus Christ!

We have news that is utterly absorbing and totally convincing.

It’s far more compelling (with respect) than The Book of Mormon!

All we have to do is communicate Jesus like we actually believe in him, as if he actually gives shape to our lives. So let’s get on with it.

Michael Jensen is the rector of St Mark’s Anglican Church in Darling Point, Sydney, and the author of several books.

If you would like to receive a daily devotional from Michael Jensen, email him at michael. jensen@stmarksdp.org

NOVEMBER 2017

E FEBC AUSTRALIA SPONSORED PAGE 24

The gift of a friendly voice on radio

If you’re ready to reach out and go further this Christmas, consider giving a gift of a $30 FEBC radio to an unreached person across the globe. By giving an FEBC radio you are: • Going into more than 50 countries • Multiplying hope for 2500+ hours each day • Reaching two billion people who have not heard the Good News in their heart language • Speaking in 130 different languages • Involving yourself in FEBC’s social programs across the globe that are changing lives Recall the person who introduced you to Jesus, and think about how they shared the Good News.

You had to be able to hear it, in a language you understood, to accept it in your heart. FEBC’s ethnic language broadcasters and programmers are a friendly Christian voice reaching out via radio in a listener’s heart language.

The voice of the Bible by radio in Malawi Rev. Amos Siyabu Phiri leads the FEBC ministry in Malawi.

He translates and records the Bible in his small, home studio, ready to take to the hard-to-reach Yao Muslim people group in the north of the country via radio and speaker boxes. Almost weekly he shares stories with FEBC’s Australian office about baptisms and church growth, like this one: “At FEBA Malawi we are

FEBC’s friendly voice, Rev. Amos Siyabu Phiri, baptises a new believer from the radio ministry in Malawi. celebrating the seven Yao Muslims women and men who were baptised last Sunday at Lungwena listeners club (Lake Malawi).

Please continue praying with us so that many Yao Muslims should come to Salvation through the use of media.”

There are over 850 FEBC listener clubs throughout Malawi, each with between 15-30 people in each group. Most of the leaders are pastors and there are great

partnerships and synergies with all the churches of various denominations.

The radio voice preventing sex trafficking India is home to the largest number of unreached people in the world: 2201 unreached people groups. 1,652 languages and dialects are spoken; FEBC is now reaching eight of these languages.

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languages is vital to successful outreach in India, particularly when it comes to overcoming the numbers of women and children falling prey to sex trafficking, being forced into child marriage or female foeticide.

Illiteracy contributes Using radio to reach people – in their ethnic language – is a vital part of raising awareness and effecting change. Give thanks for a teacher who listened to FEBC’s radio program on sex trafficking awareness. When he heard it, he suspected it was happening in his area, as many women and children were leaving to find work and never coming back or making contact again. He formed a group amongst other leaders.

Now any child or woman leaving to seek work has to provide their employer’s details and I.D. cards are provided. This provides greater security and safety.

A voice of hope during humanitarian crisis FEBC’s ethnic programming also reaches refugees. How wonderful FEBC can reach these displaced souls and deliver Jesus’ nourishment via a small, solarpowered/wind-up radio or internet app that brings a voice speaking hope in their own language.

Refugees in Indonesia like Zand*, fleeing Iran, who capsized twice in an overcrowded boat, witness to many drownings and desperately seeking hope. Betrayed by those he thought he could trust, he

heard a friendly voice in his own (Farsi) language on FEBC radio and turned to Christ.

FEBC’s Farsi translations and programs, via radio and internet streaming, reach: • Iranian refugees in Indonesia, Germany, Turkey, Iran, Afghanistan, Thailand, Malaysia and Northern Australia • Persecuted Christians in Iran where, in churches, all Farsi speaking services are banned or shut down to prevent the Gospel from spreading • The unreached: the message of Jesus is spreading throughout Iran. There are more Muslims converting to Christianity today than ever before Similarly, through other crisis, such as the recent floods in North India, a voice on the radio reaches out. One listener to FEBC in North India said: “We don’t have any media to communicate to anybody except radio. We appreciate your love and concern for us, shown through your radio program in this situation.”

Please consider giving a FEBC $30 radio to someone in need of a friendly voice – either for yourself or on behalf of a friend or family member. You can also order gift cards that explain, with an infographic (pictured below), how the gift of a radio delivers joy to the world this Christmas time.

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OPINION

NOVEMBER 2017

25

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The unbearable lightness of self-creation

Until recently, Rebecca Tuvel was a junior academic, unknown outside her field, teaching philosophy in a small university in the United States. However, her publication earlier this year of a journal article that spelt out a technical argument in support of trans-racialism (identifying with a race that doesn’t align with one’s ancestry) changed all that. It triggered an extraordinary and extraordinarily intense attack on her work and the publishing journal by fellow academics that spilled into the public imagination via The New York Times.

Tuvel’s alleged crime? Primarily,

“

It triggered an extraordinary and intense attack on Rebecca Tuvel’s work.”

Richard Schumack on the publication of an article about trans-racialism by US academic Tuvel (right). but the searing prophet of the contemporary view was Friedrich Nietzsche. In Thus Spoke Zarathustra he laments the spiritual heaviness of a transcendent morality: Man is difficult to discover, and to himself most difficult of all … He, however, has discovered himself who says: This is my good and evil.

It is the “mole” and the “dwarf,” he explains scornfully, who claim that what is good is good for all, what is evil is evil for all. Nietzsche relentlessly pursued his conviction of an ultimately meaningless universe without objective norms

Rhodes College

Richard Shumack on the trouble with inventing yourself

perpetrating “many harms” to various marginalised groups by not properly adopting the language these groups use to self-identify.

I’ll leave it to the reader to reflect on the merits of Tuvel’s arguments (while ultimately I disagreed, I liked them philosophically), and those of her critics (to me, wildly overblown). Instead, what to many might seem simply a storm in a campus coffee cup, has led me to personally reflect on the much larger philosophical ground shift that has been brewing for more than a century: Just how free are we to create our individual identities and meanings?

For most of human history, most people simply assumed that our identity was objectively and normatively laid out for us, usually within a religious framework. All our usual identity markers, like species, gender, familial and social roles and responsibilities were taken to be both metaphysically essential to being human and ethically purposeful for both individuals and society to flourish.

The modern world, however, has seismically shifted to the polar opposite view. We are now in the place where appeals to any objective identity norms are viewed as an extraordinary burden.

Indeed, it is a burden that is not merely crushing in terms of moral responsibility, but one that leads away from human flourishing rather than toward it.

How we got here philosophically is a long and involved story,

– free from what he calls “the spirit of gravity.” And make no mistake, Tuvel adopts this sort of foundation. She explicitly grounds her thinking in the replacement of metaphysics and objective morality with the almost total freedom of individual humans to create their own identity – with one concession: harm no one.

But it is not at all clear that the lightness promised by this contemporary ethic of selfdetermination is any more bearable than the alternatives it is fleeing. Inherent and unresolved tensions between individual rights and social responsibilities remain.

And they raise fundamental questions about whether this habit of self-creation can truly make sense of the human experience.

Indeed, it is just these tensions that are being fleshed out in Tuvel’s experience. The vitriol directed at her attempts to be true to her academic self is a strong clue that the ethic is too thin to cope with conflicts between two selfdetermining agents heading in different directions. What do I do if my self-determination necessarily “harms” someone else’s?

Nietzsche, of course, recognised the problem. He displayed extraordinary honesty in wrestling with the existential implications involved, reaching the brutal conclusion that, for the ethic to be truly coherent, all social concessions must succumb to the individual’s self-creation.

He saw clearly that the natural implication of this battle of the self-creators was one of survival of

the fittest: victory would belong to an ubermensch (superman). In this sort of world, only the superman escapes the “spirit of gravity.”

Choosing our own identities turns out to be less democratic than anticipated.

There’s another way that treating self-creation as ultimate turns out to be devastatingly and achingly heavy. This thin ethic offers no promise of any help. If the only social obligation is to do no harm, and if my right to autonomy can override even that, then ultimately and eternally we are alone. There is no guarantee we can rely on anybody else. I must find all the necessary resources within myself.

It is no accident that Jesus, too, couched his call in terms of existential heaviness: Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

For my yoke is easy and my burden is light. (Matt. 11:28-30) This promise is deeply oldfashioned. It is a call to find identity and purpose precisely in something other than yourself.

Freedom is found in a bond of the service of the other; strength is found in resisting the desire to be “super” in favour of embracing humility; life is gained through sacrificially dying to self; and ultimately this makes sense because there really is a big picture story of the universe.

Rebecca Tuvel’s story shows this sort of thinking is out of fashion.

But just a little reflection reveals Jesus’ wisdom.

As the old song goes: He ain’t heavy, he’s my brother.

If I’m laden at all, I’m laden with sadness that everyone’s heart isn’t filled with the gladness of love for one another.

Simply doing no harm may well be a lesser burden than loving sacrificially. But I suspect that intuitively we all long to bear and be borne by the heaviness of the richest ethic of love that’s available to us as humans.

Richard Shumack is a Research Fellow at the Centre for Public Christianity and Director of the Arthur Jeffery Centre for the Study of Islam at Melbourne School of Theology. The Centre for Public Christianity offers a Christian perspective on contemporary life. Browse its articles, videos, and podcasts at www. publicchristianity.org

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Feeding starving Christians in East Africa “The conditions were incredibly hard … dust storms were raging which made life almost unbearable … there was no escaping the dust and grime which caked and was stuck to their skins and in their eyes and ears. It was humbling to see people getting a measure of maize and beans and cooking oil for a certain period of time and to realise that that was the only food they would have available until the next distribution.”

Rudolf van Noppen, Barnabas Fund’s Western Australia Coordinator, visited the East Africa in June to see the desperate needs and what Barnabas Fund’s Project Joseph is doing to help.

In places like Marsabit in Kenya – where Barnabas Fund has come to the aid of 4,000 families – the meals provided through Project Joseph are all that stand between Christians and starvation. “People came from great distances … at the last [centre] we visited they had been waiting since 9.00am, we arrived at 5.00pm … Many people, if not all,” Rudolf recalls, “would spend all their time just to obtain the basic necessities like food and water.”

A struggle to survive For many people, a desert is a mythical, imaginary place, but Australians have no trouble picturing an arid landscape of sun-bleached dirt – the legendary Outback serves as a unique national reminder of a place where just surviving is a challenge.

choice to eat what we like and have plenty.” Before each food distribution, Christian refugees gathered to say grace. Rudolf was deeply touched: “To witness people who have nothing and have lost everything bow their heads and give thanks to God for the food they are about to receive and being genuinely thankful for it was an experience I will not easily forget.

I can say that ‘saying grace’ will never be the same again for me.”

Across East Africa, drought and famine have brought Christian families to the brink of starvation.

Across East Africa, green has turned brown and farmland and pastures have disintegrated to dust, as the region endures probably the worst drought and famine in living memory. Our Christian brothers and sisters face a daily struggle to survive.

Thankful for the bare minimum The effect of famine across the region has been catastrophic,

creating an exodus of the hungry, as families – many of whom become separated – desperately seek food and shelter. There are 90,000 refugees in Camp Rhino in north-east Uganda at the time of writing, almost all Christians from South Sudan. United Nations’ agencies have been supplying the camp with food, but in May, the U.N. World Food Programme cut their ration in half. The food

supplied by Project Joseph, distributed by the Church of Uganda, is needed to meet the refugees’ most basic needs – 60% of the camp’s food is provided by Barnabas Fund.

Rudolf met the Ugandan commander at the camp who pointed out, “There is no essential difference between us and the people in the camps other than that we have the means and the

Church leaders appeal for food gifts until Christmas Barnabas Fund has provided 12 million meals (and counting) to believers in East Africa since March 2017, thanks to the incredible generosity of Christians around the world. But church leaders in Uganda, Kenya and South Sudan launched a further desperate appeal last month for food aid to keep refugees and churchgoers alive until Christmas.

More than 300 a day are still arriving from South Sudan into Camp Rhino – the number of refugees at the camp (currently 90,000) is predicted to rise to 150,000 within six months.

Just 23 cents will provide a day’s food for one person and $32.60 can provide an East African family with maize, flour and beans for one month.

For more information on Barnabas Fund, Project Joseph and how you can help, please visit www.barnabasfund.org/projectjoseph

YOU CAN HELP SAVE CHRISTIAN LIVES IN AFRICA A brutal famine is afflicting parts of South Sudan, Kenya and Uganda. Many have left their land and homes in search of food, creating an exodus of the hungry.

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OPINION

NOVEMBER 2017

27

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Generosity plus You are all politicians too

Tim Costello on living to give Lou is a rare creature – a truly generous man who joyfully gives away most of his time, energy and money.

He believes everything he owns has been given to him by God and that it is an honour to give away his good fortune.

He means it literally. The retired accountant and his wife Susie have donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to charitable causes, including World Vision. Now on a part pension, they live simply and give away 80 per cent of everything they earn.

“It’s a matter of trust,” Lou told me recently. “We trust that God will provide all we need and believe that giving should be part of all people who call themselves Christians.” The Bible says in Proverbs 11:25, “A generous person will prosper; whoever refreshes others will be refreshed.”

Lou knows the truth of that.

Over the years he found that the more money he gave, the more he would receive. And so, his giving increased dramatically.

After he retired. Lou had a nest egg of around $100,000.

He said, “I felt guilty that I had that nest egg because it meant I didn’t trust that God would provide for me. I had to get rid of the money and say ‘I trust in the Lord.’

I never looked back.”

Lou’s passion is providing clean water for the world’s poor. Susie’s passion is child protection.

“Every day, I realise that, because we give, there are thousands of people out there who have fresh water in their lives,” said Lou. “It’s greater than going on a world trip or having a nice new car.

Knowing that joy of being able to give and remembering to love my neighbours – even those I do not know – makes me elated.”

Trust is a major quality among the most generous people I’ve met.

As Lou states: “You can have faith but can’t go forward without trust in God.” Lou and Susie are an inspiration at a time when a renewed spirit of generosity is so sorely needed.

They understand God’s gracious provision for the world. They have an image of the way our planet should be, and strive to help achieve that end.

Tim Costello is chief advocate of World Vision Australia.

Lucy Gichuhi calls for action Many politicians today are seen as seeking power for power’s sake and political correctness has become the order of the day.

Perhaps because most Christians have forgotten that they are the politicians and public leaders of the kingdom. Jesus Christ is our example of how we should lead life here on Earth. He led a very public political life. Politics is in our homes, our churches and our communities and our work places.

Where one or two are gathered, there is politics. Christians cannot escape politics. It is their mandate and it surrounds them.

The question that should always be in the mind of a politician or a Christian is, What is my role in this situation? Why am I in this position? Am I here just to fight to keep position and power? Am I just attending to the wishes of my electorate, my constituents or my

church members just to keep the status quo and just to avoid rocking the boat?

We must constantly be aware that as ambassadors of our Lord, our first responsibility is to influence circumstances and events to help people get what they need in the right way – which is the freedom to seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness.

In the Senate we always start by reading the Lord’s Prayer. I take this to mean that as a nation we are founded on the kingdom’s values.

Just before the Lord’s Prayer is read, this prayer is also read: Almighty God, we humbly beseech Thee to vouchsafe Thy special blessing upon this Parliament, and that Thou wouldst be pleased to direct and prosper the work of Thy servants to the advancement of Thy glory, and to the true welfare of the people of Australia.

Christians – especially politicians – should guard themselves against covetousness and greedy ways. A satisfying and passionate life does not consist of - and is not derived from – seeking power or possessing excessive things that go over and above what we actually need!

It is made up of intelligent service to others in a lifestyle which has good boundaries (to preserve the goose that lays the golden egg). You must serve according to what talents God has given you.

The man who had received five bags of gold brought the other five.

“Master,” he said, “you entrusted me with five bags of gold. See, I have gained five more.” His master replied, “Well done, good and faithful servant!” (Matt 25:20-21) The Christian politician needs to look into their own mind and heart and ponder the real needs and deepest desires of humankind in order to serve.

In fact, it is Christians who lead by good example who sow the seeds of a culture free from these problems. This shows again that all Christians are politicians. They cannot escape the calling to lead by example like Jesus. Proverbs 19:21 reveals “Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the LORD’s purpose that prevails.”

It is not a quick fix. It is a cultural shift that takes time to develop. It is a lifestyle. It is the kingdom’s way of serving God and others.

Yes, it is possible, but not easy for a Christian to be a politician.

Without the example of our Lord Jesus and his empowerment it would be much harder to be a politician. Yet in some ways we are all politicians called to shape and influence the affairs of the city with our time, treasure and talents for the advancement of his glory and the true welfare of the people of Australia.

Lucy Gichuhi is the independent senator for SA.

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OPINION

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Stenting the heart for the sake of good manners

Greg Clarke on how to be good My wife is always the first to see these things. “What the world needs at the moment is finishing schools, courses in manners, learning some basic respect,” she says after watching some dross on TV. She’s no prude, and it’s not politeness she is on about. It’s manners.

William Wilberforce had beaten her to it, of course, with his Society for the Reformation of Manners in 1787. But Wilberforce’s focus was on suppressing vice and reforming British society by force (such as by sending minor offenders to Australia). Today we would offer something different.

Force isn’t the way to go about it, least of all for Christians.

Bible Stat

Legislating morality doesn’t change society (even though it does minimise harm). It doesn’t get to the heart of the issue, which is the issue of the heart. But the heart does need support – stents, perhaps – if it is to deal with its own weaknesses.

Not long ago, these stents were provided in the form of manners.

I have in front of me a lovely little book from the 1960s titled, The Christian Gentleman: A Book of Courtesy and Social Guidance for Boys. It’s hard to imagine such a book for Australia today. But buried within some antiquated views of gender roles and table-setting there is a golden rule: have “a kindly regard for the comfort and happiness of others.”

This really is the heart of manners and it’s what my wife was getting at: people don’t think of others before themselves. It’s not about showing off your social graces, because you know which fork to pick up first or how to address a member of the royal family. It’s not about being “seen not heard,” as some Christian traditions have interpreted our

behavioural requirements. It’s about knowing the manner in which to behave.

There are some very basic manners that are obviously not being taught now. “Do not force a woman to have sex with you,” seems to be one, judging by the tidal wave of “Me too” reports about sexual harassment and assault in the wake of the Harvey Weinstein revelations. Others include “don’t post online about things when you are ignorant,” “be kind,” “care for those in need,” “realise you are not the centre of the universe.”

Society’s focus on the individual as the ultimate good has pushed the concept of manners into the background. Manners are by nature focused on relationships, not you, you, you. You can’t just say whatever you want to, whenever you feel like it, if you are concerned about the impact of your words on others. It can’t all be about personal fulfilment, following your dreams and being a winner.

Although we might not imagine a book of manners being written today, perhaps we do need to state more clearly examples of good

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Aft er Sorry you manners of behaviour, in order that people have some models to draw upon. It is not as if presidents, politicians or even (God help us) some church authorities are necessarily providing what we need. More clear examples of ways to turn the other cheek, speak the truth in love, think of others before ourselves, and caring for the needy – more stories of good manners, please.

Manners are the shoes of virtue.

Or the stents of the heart. They are the point at which your inner convictions about what is good turn into actions and words. They are also habits; the more you practise manners, the more they become reflexive to you. There’s nothing inauthentic about that; it’s something you have committed to

do because it is good. You are not relying on your heart alone. You have your stent in place.

It’s about treating other people well. This is by far the key emphasis in the New Testament’s teaching about Christian behaviour. In fact, Jesus says that loving your neighbour as yourself, along with loving God, really does sum up all of the laws and prophetic teachings of Scripture. As ever, Jesus is the model. If you haven’t spent much time reading his books (the Gospels), there is no better place to go.

It’s actually pretty simple. Think of others as if they were you: that’s what having good manners should mean to a Christian.

Greg Clarke is CEO of Bible Society Australia.

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