Eternity - September 2014 - Edition 51

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NUMBER 51, SEPTEMBER 2014 ISSN 1837-8447

Bringing comfort to the country Can Catholics learn from Protestants?

Michael Jensen on why we need solitude

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SEPTEMBER 2014

SEPTEMBER 2014

NEWS

NEWS

Obadiah Slope You are all cynics: Candidate for the most disbelieved article on Eternity’s daily news page (biblesociety.org. au)? The one we posted saying that the church in London is growing in numbers. But it is true.

For we all eat: South Yarra Baptist is Australia’s most unusual Baptist church – for example they wrote their own prayer book. (Obadiah does not need to be a prophet to make that judgment). And now they have their own communion bread. It is made of: -Buckwheat flour (commonly found in Europe and northern Asia) -Rice flour (Asia) -Cassava flour – also known as tapioca flour (South America and Africa) -Ground maize – also known as polenta (North and Central America) -Coconut flour (Oceania) Wonderfully inclusive and apparently gluten free but what about the food miles?

Having the cake: Talking of food, SBS scored well among Christian writers by sending them a mini wedding cake to publicise “Living with the enemy”, a reality TV show which went to air at the beginning of September. Yes, the show was about gay marriage, with a gay couple living with the Anglican Rev David Ould’s family in the first episode of the series. The cakes had Christians tweeting about the show within minutes (publicity goals kicked swiftly). Obadiah understands David did not get a cake, which only goes to show “you can’t eat your cake and go on the TV show.”

I know you hate the show but: Asked the most difficult question of all – “where is God in the Holocaust?” on Q&A, visiting Professor John Stackhouse gave a stunning answer: “I’m not sure I have the mental or the moral capacity to be able to judge whether God is doing a good job in the world. I think he is not doing a very good job often, but I’m not sure I’m capable to judge that. But if he wants my allegiance, he jolly well better give me a very good reason to trust him anyway and for the Christian, that answer is Jesus.

“That answer is looking at this figure, whom Christians believe is the very face of God. So if God is like that, then I can trust this hidden god who seems to be making a mess of the world. And if he is not like that, then I am really in a much more difficult situation.

“So, Tony, for me, as a Christian who looks at the world like anybody else does, if I don’t have Jesus, I frankly am going to be an atheist because, like my Jewish friends post-Holocaust, God actually doesn’t seem to be doing a very good job running things.” See the whole answer at biblesociety.org.au/news/ wheres-god-evil

How Chan changed my life Greg Lake I have a confession to make. When I heard that Francis Chan was coming to Sydney, I got a little bit excited. And by a little bit, I mean a lot.

I first stumbled across Francis Chan in about 2011 when I was running Immigration Detention Centres. The job had taken me all over Australia and the world – from Christmas Island to Weipa (Cape York) to Derby (WA) to the Detention Centre on Nauru.

I was thirsty for meaty, stimulating preaching that might help me navigate some of the demands of my fairly hectic job and I found Chan’s sermons on YouTube. See, at the time, working as a Christian in such a politically sensitive area was isolating. I couldn’t easily talk to those at the local church about the challenges in my workplace. There also weren’t that many Christians in the Immigration Department and none of my Christian friends back home really understood what I was doing.

I was also confronting some very challenging incidents in my day-to-day work life – from riots to self-harm to lip sewing to boat crashes – not to mention harrowing stories of persecution that the asylum seekers themselves told.

By 2011, the asylum seeker policy of the then Labor government was changing fast. Having won government in 2007 promising to be more welcoming and “humane” to asylum seekers, the government was facing a massive increase in the number of boats arriving. In response, it moved towards a policy of “deterrence” – making conditions for those people worse than if they’d never come to Australia.

In practice, that meant constructing an environment of hopelessness. We would tell asylum seekers that they would probably be in detention for 5 years, possibly longer. We would deny access to information and legal support and replace that information with advice on how they could return to the very place they were fleeing. The result was that asylum seekers – men, women and children, most of whom were genuine asylum seekers, many of them Christian and all of them broken and vulnerable – would simply run out of hope.

I found the teaching of Francis Chan to be both a breath of fresh air and a massive challenge. His radical approach to the invitation of Jesus to devote ourselves to him helped me think through the importance of submitting everything – including my work – to him. That meant asking how my job aligned with Jesus’ call (in Luke 9:23ff ) to take up my cross and lead a radical life following him. I was making a good living in the public service, but

BUSH CHURCH AID SOCIETY OF AUSTRALIA

Tim Costello

Francis Chan was I selling my soul? I found passages like Matthew 25:31-40 impossible to reconcile with my job – what will Jesus say to me on judgement day when he looks at how I was treating the least among us?

In early 2013, while I was the director of the Nauru Detention Centre, I got my hands on Chan’s best-selling book, Crazy Love. In it, he challenges his readers to ask the question “is this what I want to be doing when Jesus comes back?”

My answer was a resounding “NO!” The last thing I wanted to be doing when Jesus returned was holding the world’s most vulnerable people in detention and strategically and deliberately removing hope from them.

My resignation from the Immigration Department took effect in April 2013.

Having had such a radical impact on my thinking – both through his book and his online sermons – I knew that meeting Francis Chan in person would be a big deal.

During his time in Sydney, I heard Chan speak four or five times at various events. I also spent a couple of hours listening to him answer the questions of a group of 15 or 20 young leaders.

As it turns out, I was wrong about him being a big deal. The Francis Chan you watch or read is the same Francis Chan you meet in real life. He is just as devoted to scripture, just as passionate about discipleship, just as humbled by the love of God and just as enthusiastic about mission as he seems to be online.

As he spoke, he kept pointing back to God’s outrageous love for us and how it leaves us with no option but to respond radically to him. If we reject him, it’s a radical (and dangerous) response to the all-powerful God of the universe. If we choose to follow him, our lives will be counter-cultural lives of devotion to a good God. Either way, life will never be “normal” again.

Even though my story makes it sound like I’ve made some radical decisions, the decision to resign from a job that compromised my faith is nothing on the decision to follow Jesus authentically.

Francis Chan’s ability to focus people on the person of Jesus is a far greater challenge.

2014 Bush Church Aid Spring Lunches:

Hear BCA supported Andy Goodacre, Launceston Church Planter and University Outreach Worker speak on,

Greg Lake previously wrote in Eternity about his decision to leave his job running immigration detention centres.

Oct 31st - Nov 2nd 2014

Let me tell you about a man called Russell. While he could have done anything in life, Russell chose to teach at the same school for 37 years.

Turning down any promotion or job offer that came his way, Russell loved his job. He also loved his wife Anne, and together they were founding members of their local church.

While Russell was never quoted in the newspaper, or had many opportunities to speak publicly of his beliefs, he has left a legacy – for his own three children and the thousands of young men he taught over the years. I know this to be true because Russell is my father.

During the many hours I spent driving to and from school with Dad, he taught me about life. And he taught me about the importance of using my voice to speak up on behalf of those who have no voice. His advice has helped to shape my life; first as a lawyer, then as a minister and now as CEO of World Vision Australia.

As Christians, our heavenly Father has left us this same legacy. History shows that the most successful social justice movements are those that are faith-based.

Faith gives ordinary people like you and me the courage to do extraordinary things. Over 200 years ago, the faith of William Wilberforce compelled him and others to start a movement to abolish the British slave trade.

Faith compelled Dietrich Bonhoeffer and the Confessing Church to risk their lives and speak out against Hitler’s atrocities. Faith inspired Martin Luther King and was central to the movement that finally brought apartheid in South Africa to an end.

For me, the thing that characterised these social movements is that they embodied hope. They went beyond just protesting. They offered an alternative that placed the dignity of each human being at the forefront.

On Abolitionist Sunday, 23 November, Christians across Australia will come together to raise awareness and take action against the injustice of human trafficking and slavery, which continues to affect millions in our world today. When people are exploited for profit, rather than being valued as children of God, as followers of Jesus we must model our lives on the example he set and use our voices to speak out.

This is our legacy.

To find out more about Abolitionist Sunday, visit worldvision.com.au/ abolitionistsunday.

Great Bible teaching over a weekend in rural Victoria. www.bibleinthebush.org.au Phone: 03 5024 2521 admin@bibleinthebush.org.au

FamousLast Words

Monday 29 September at Glen Waverley Anglican Church, 800 Waverley Rd, Glen Waverley Tuesday 30 September at St Luke’s, Frankston East, 72 McMahon’s Rd, Frankston East Wednesday 1 October at St Alban’s Hamlyn Heights, 277 Church St, Herne Hill

RSVP Friday 19 September 2014 – Phone: 03 9457 7556 Email: victoria@bushchurchaid.com.au

Is this what I want to be doing when Jesus comes back?

BIBLE IN THE BUSH

“Being God’s Missionary People” 11.30am for a noon start. Finish by 2.00pm.

Kids welcome. $20.00 per person (for lunch)

Honouring our legacy

with Bishop

Trevor Edwards

St Mark’s Anglican Church

Infographic: How our church leaders voted

Can Catholics learn from Protestants?

John Sandeman

If 2014 turns out to be the year of Christian conferences, Proclaim, on behalf of the Australian Catholic Bishops may turn out to be one of the most significant ones in a crowded field. Proclaim is “about helping Catholics respond to the call to the new evangelisation, helping to build our parishes as faith communities full of disciples and missionary in outlook”.

“Evangelisation” is Catholic speak for evangelism. “New” indicates that this is a recent movement - dating back a couple of Popes to John Paul II. Proclaim 2014, held late last month shows a desire to learn from what the conference refers to as “sister churches”.

Guest speakers, Michael White and Tom Corcoran, told the story of rebuilding their Catholic parish in Baltimore. Their message: turn your parishioners from consumers into disciplemakers. In their book Rebuilt White and Corcoran candidly confess they did not know what they were doing. “We were overwhelmed with the demands of our consumers and ignorant of our real mission. Until the trip to Rick Warren’s church, we never even thought about it.”

Rebuilt reads in part like the Sydney Anglican book Trellis and the Vine with its insistance of the priority of disciple making, and a Hillsong manual with a lot of “how to” advice.

But the local flavor came from a keynote session run by Dr Ruth Powell of the National Christian Life Survey (the five-yearly church census).

She pointed out some similarities. 15 per cent of Catholic mass attenders

actively look for opportunities to share their faith, compared to 18 per cent of Protestant church attenders.

Some differences provide a real upside for Catholics: the rate of newcomers in Catholic parishes is only 3.4 per cent, below the Anglicans at 8 per cent and Pentecostals at 11 per cent.

Powell introduced a panel of local Protestants. Ed Vaughan, from Darlinghurst Anglican said during his time as a Church of Ireland minister he saw in the Catholics a “loss of missional imagination”. In his tough parish, his church positions itself as “a people of freedom and a presence of blessing” in an area where people often experience the slavery of addiction.

Greta Wells, who teaches evangelism at the Pentecostal AC College said that while there is still an urgency to get people saved with altar call services, in the last five years there has been a growing desire to connect with communities. This has been achieved by meeting the felt needs of each community through food banks and playgroups. “We need to make the gospel tangibly relevant to everyone”, she said.

Baptist Peter Davies saw a shift from evangelistic crusades and the Sunday night evangelistic service. “I don’t know why you could not get saved during daylight hours”, he said mocking Baptist traditions. He expressed his fear that “[Baptists] may be better connected but we are saying less... We need to be radically weird for Jesus, we’re not meant to fit blandly into this society. God builds the Church, our job is to make disciples.”

Source: 2011 NCLS Leader Survey Versions A, B, C and D (n=2,034) | www.ncls.org.au/default.aspx?sitemapid=7194

Books of the year from BSA

2015 APPLICATIONS ARE NOW OPEN!

We are here to serve all Christians who are keen to be equipped to serve God and others

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Due date for applications: 30 November 2014 (An administration fee of $250 applies after due date)

Study our undergraduate Bachelor of Theology and Bachelor of Divinity courses full-time on campus. These courses are based on personal relationships, Christian fellowship and strong community life as students live and learn together.

Diploma courses and part-time options are also available.

02 9577 9928 | registrar@moore.edu.au | moore.edu.au/apply

OPEN DAY

Saturday 27 September 9:30am – 2:30pm 15 King St, Newtown Come along to check out the College. The day will include a sample lecture, lunch, a campus tour and plenty of opportunities for questions.

moore.edu.au/open openevents@moore.edu.au

John Sandeman A book that is not aimed at Christians has won the Australian Christian Book of the Year for 2014. The Great Bible Swindle is a book designed for Christians to give to “Uncle Fred”, a relative or friend who expresses curiosity about the Bible.

It leads the reader gently into an understanding of the wonder of the Bible.

It was written by Greg Clarke, CEO of Bible Society Australia, who in the wake of a long love affair with the Bible, has a passion to share his love of the book and the big story within it.

The “swindle” in the title is the loss caused to a rising generation whose ignorance of the Bible cuts them off from a full understanding of our culture.

“I am delighted and extremely hon-

oured to receive this award,” Clarke told Eternity. “I do so on behalf of those who are labouring to ensure that the Bible has its proper place in our society. For believers, this means the front-and-centre of our faith, guiding our knowledge of God and his world. But for absolutely everyone living in a culture touched

by Judaism and Christianity, it means being properly educated about the numerous ways in which the Bible has shape our world.”

“As songwriter Paul Kelly once said, ‘the Bible has it all—Fellini and Tarantino don’t come close’”.

Clarke’s prize money will go to promoting Bible literacy in Australia.

The runner up was a second Bible Society title, In God They Trust? by Roy Williams, which provides a guide to the religious beliefs of our Prime Ministers.

SCHOOL OF THEOLOGY

FACE TO FACE WITH THE MESSAGE OF MATTHEW

Wednesday 10th and Thursday 11th September Moore College, Knox Lecture Theatre 15 King Street, Newtown NSW 02 9577 9911 moore.edu.au/sot

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SEPTEMBER 2014

SEPTEMBER 2014

TESTIMONY

TESTIMONY

Choosing faith, hope and love Lea Carswell

#1 CH R GAP Y ISTIAN SCHO EAR FOR OL LE SINCE AVERS 2006

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I don’t know what will happen in my life but I know that God is in charge.

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Shane Strong It is widely acknowledged that Christian men find it difficult to engage with their mates about their faith.

How do you do it without sounding “churchy” or worse still being pushy and risk losing a valuable friendship or becoming an outcast at work or in the local club that you’re affiliated with?

Typically Aussie males are not prone to sharing feelings or letting others know when they are in need of help. If they do it tends to be whilst they are engaged in practical activities such as fishing, building a pergola, watching sport or sitting at the pub!

Andrew Fisher from Jesus Racing picks up on this issue, “One of the lost opportunities for most Christian men to share with their mates is that they don’t go to the pub. Now I am not saying that Christian men should be at the pub every Friday night but the question is, if we are not there, then when are we finding the opportunity to get into a deeper conversation in a nonthreatening environment?” asks Fisher.

Jesus Racing was established several years ago to challenge the thinking of everyday Aussies in terms of their understanding of Jesus and the

Christian church.

Racing at close to 300km/h at the highest level of Australian Motorsport provides race driver Andrew “Fishtail” Fisher with the platform and street cred to cut through the noise of society and engage in the conversation in a positive and constructive way.

Fisher says, “Men are scared to ask a mate to a church based event because they might find it boring, too girly or think that someone is going to ‘preach’ at them when they are just there to discover that hanging out with Christian blokes isn’t that bad! There is always that niggling thought in the back of your head that you might only get one opportunity and if THEY stuff it up then you won’t get another chance, so you just don’t make the invite.”

This is why Jesus Racing stages its annual men’s event, which this year will be held at Sydney Motorsport Park Eastern Creek on 19th November.

This event is aimed at not yet Christian blokes and the challenge is for Christian men to bring a mate, work colleague, brother-in-law or neighbour (or better still one of each) along to the event. The team has hired part of the racetrack for this year’s event and will provide live on-track racing

GET YOUR CHURCH INVOLVED For this event to be a success it needs you there with your un-churched friends. We need Men’s Group Leaders from Churches across NSW to promote this event and to add it to the 2014 calendar.

Jesus Racing has the venue, the passion, the excitement , the entertainment and the challenge covered - all that is needed is for you to bring your mates!

Are you up to the challenge?

This event is aimed at not yet Christian blokes and the challenge is for Christian men to bring a mate.

Image: www.jesusracing.com.au

them over to him.

I have hope because I understand that I have someone who is powerful. I don’t know what will happen in my life but I know that God is in charge.

This is all new to Addy but I have brought him to every fellowship meeting and talk to him about what I am learning. I have given him a book about how to be a family in Jesus and he is happy to read it.

I would love to see him choose to live a Christian life and I think he will soon. We are hoping to have a baby and our baby will be raised as a child of God as well.

Addy said that he has noticed positive changes in me since I asked Jesus to be my Lord. I was worried about jobs and visas but he has seen my attitude change now that I have more peace.

I want to visit my family and tell them what I have chosen as an adult, and to ask them to think about Jesus.

It has to be step by step – not all at once. When I came here my father gave me a very valuable tiny Buddha statue – I will give it back to him when I see him and I will explain that my faith is in Jesus.

I love Jesus, my Lord, and I want to do everything he asks me to do. God is with me and I know that is why he brought me to Australia. If I hold his hand, I know that he will guide me and help me to tell others about him.

I think if we love people, then we want them to know the truth about Jesus and I want to be able to share what he has shown me.

Only men need apply

Image: www.stockvault.com

Like most Thai people, Chintana Phankohlerng, who is in her 30s, is known by a nickname here: Aom (pronounced Om). Married to Addy (Sumate Ruengwetehaiehana), Aom is part of the Melbourne Christian Thai Fellowship that regularly meets in Hawthorn for bicultural worship and Bible study. The group was started in 2012 by the Rev. Andrew Dircks and his wife, Amy, who was born in Thailand and worked in Christian ministry there. Aom was baptised there on Easter Day 2014.

I first heard about Jesus Christ when I was 15. My cousin taught me about him and I believed that God loved us all so much, but my family was not happy.

They said, “We are a Buddhist family not a Christian family.”

I wanted to pray but I didn’t really know how and my feeling about Jesus went away. Then, eight years ago, I came to Australia to study English and to work in the hospitality industry.

When I got here I wanted to work for an Australian company instead of a Thai company so that I could learn English properly.

Working at the Grand Hyatt in Melbourne about two years ago, I made a friend, Lourdes, who was from the Philippines. She was very involved in the Western Baptist Community and we talked about Christian things. I told her, “I think I have Jesus in my heart, but very deep, deep down.”

I went with her to church and I met her friends. We spoke English and I felt very happy being part of their group. I

was getting closer to God, wanting to know more.

Around the same time there were lots of problems happening in my life and I felt really tired. I needed someone that I could trust and lean on, who would really understand me. I wanted to come back to God. I had the feeling that only God could help me to find a way past all the chaos around me.

I started reading the Bible but I found that it was very hard for me to understand it in English. I told Addy that I needed someone to help me understand it in Thai. I was praying that God would help me. He answered my prayer with Amy. I learned that my friend, a Thai man named Boy, is part of the Melbourne Christian Thai Fellowship. He spoke to Amy, who sent me a text message.

It turned out that we lived very close to each other and Amy and Boy came over to see me very soon after. Amy had also been praying for a chance to meet more Thais who wanted to hear about Jesus. We answered each other’s prayer.

With Amy I started to study the Bible in Thai, learning about how to live as a child of Christ. I came closer to God and wanted to serve him in my life. I became very sure that I wanted to be baptised as a Christian, in front of my friends. Andrew and Amy were very kind to me and Andrew baptised me in church on Easter Day. I am joyful to know that I am a child of God. He has forgiven me all the parts of my life that don’t belong and I can ask him for help each day. I think I am less angry because when things happen that are not good I can hand

demonstrations in front of the main grandstand.

There will also be an exotic car display, a display of the Jesus Racing transporter and racecars, entertainment such as racing car simulators and great food. Fisher will be there to do a Q&A and will challenge the guys about where they gain their satisfaction from.

“This provides the opportunity for men to invite a mate to an event that is as good as any secular event you could think of, at a race track – watching race

2014 Can’t get no satisfaction Sydney Motorsport Park-Eastern Creek Wed 19th November 6.30 - 10.00PM Men Only (over the age of 14)

cars in action, enjoying the car displays, eating good food and enjoying great entertainment, it doesn’t get any better than that.

“It doesn’t matter if you like cars, racing, or are a vegetarian this opportunity is not about you, it is about who you know that might be interested in coming along with you”, says Fisher.

Jesus Racing has done the hard work... it may not be the pub but it will allow you the opportunity to start the conversation!

For more, jesusracing.com.au

- on-track demonstrations by Andrew Fishtail Fisher - Jesus Racing cars display - exotic car display - get up close and personal with the Jesus Racing team - inspirational challenge from Andrew Fishtail Fisher - entertainment - food and drinks

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Tickets available at www.jesusracing.com.au/ life-in-the-fastlane-2014/

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SEPTEMBER 2014

SEPTEMBER 2014

SPONSORED PAGE

IN DEPTH

SMBC

Making a difference Those first few years after finishing school are a critical and foundational time. What you do in those years can make a huge difference in your life, and thereby prepare you to make a difference in others’ lives too.

It’s a great time to have the world of missions opened up to you; to dig deeper than ever before into God’s word; to see new and challenging parts of the world; to forge new relationships across cultures; to equip yourself with life-long skills and experiences.

Sydney Missionary & Bible College (SMBC) is launching a new Bible-based, missions-focussed gap year which aims to help 18-21 year olds to do just that - make a difference – in their lives and others’. It’s called The Bridge. Whilst it is a completely new and separate SMBC programme, it carries the rich heritage and strengths of SMBC – Bible teaching and cross-cultural mission expertise.

“We’re planning to make the programme holistic,” says programme director, Tim Silberman. “The course will involve some lectures, with classes in Old Testament, New Testament and missions. But it’s not just heads in books. Students will also be visiting diverse parts of Sydney to experience cross-cultural mission. A wide range of activities will help to develop valuable life and ministry skills.”

“We want the year to be fun. It is still a gap year, so we want to give people something that’s not just a university experience. Some of the activities will include first aid certification, defensive driver training, catering for large groups, budgeting, communication skills, conflict resolution skills and barista

A topic too hot to touch

We are primarily committed to spiritual formation - seeing people grow in godliness.

SMBC’S BIBLE-CENTRED MISSIONS-FOCUSSED GAP YEAR PROGRAMME FOR 18-21s ALL WELCOME TO OUR INFO SESSIONS: 15 SEPTEMBER AT 7.00PM 1 NOVEMBER AT 9.30AM 140 CROYDON AVE, CROYDON PARK, NSW ENQUIRIES TO 02 9747 4780 OR THEBRIDGE@SMBC.COM.AU

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training.

“However, we are primarily committed to spiritual formation seeing people grow in godliness as they are equipped and challenged,” says Tim. The programme will include a crosscultural mission trip in the middle of the year. “We will be going to a country in South East Asia where English is not spoken and the church is less than 2% of the population,” says Tim. “We want students to come home with a deep sense of the needs and opportunities,

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but also the challenges, of crosscultural ministry.”

There will also be the option to study at different levels - for credit towards a Diploma of Theology or certificate, or to simply listen and learn (audit).

The programme will run two to three days a week, so students will also have the opportunity to do part-time work or get involved in part-time ministry.

Commencing in February 2015, The Bridge applications are now open. thebridge.smbc.com.au

The discussion about same sex marriage has created tension across our community and within the church.

Much of the Christian community and especially the evangelical church has sought to take a stand which seeks to maintain marriage as it is presently practised and legislated. And parts of the church have been significantly criticised for their position.

What is surprising is that there are many in the evangelical wing of the church in Australia who are taking the view that they should be silent on this issue and even to affirm and support the push to legalise same sex marriage. It is helpful to ask... why has this occurred? Why go silent? Why not take a biblical view of marriage? What is the problem here? This is a complex question and seeking to respond to it has the possibility of generalisations which are unhelpful. Yet there seem to be at least three themes that have created this tension.

The first is the focus of the church over the past 25 years on the love of God. This has morphed into a general focus on love as the highest and supreme virtue of the church and theology. The popularity and content of Philip Yancey’s book What’s So Amazing About Grace? is illustrative of this movement.

For many, the focus on love and grace seems in conflict to the judgment of God, a focus of the past generation.

God is love and extends grace and acceptance to all people. Into this new theological focus came the gay lobby, talking of the love of their relationships.

They refuse to accept any redefinition of love. Those sectors of the church who

Karl Faase

have focused on love have been caught out. They feel like they are denying love, the very heart of their theology and message. If they were to reject someone’s “love”, it would be a greater sin than the physical expression of same sex attraction.

Secondly, for a generation the church has grown in its commitment to, and focus on, justice. This has been a strong, positive and affirming move. This is the heart of God for the poor and powerless in our local and global community. The key activity of the church, in following the teachings of Jesus, is to stand for justice. The greatest sin would be to condone injustice.

The gay lobby uses the term “marriage equality” for its push for recognition of same sex marriage. The lobby makes it clear it believes anyone seeking to stand against it is being unjust and discriminatory. Supporters believe justice is being denied to them and, as with the problem of love above all else, the church is caught out yet again. To be charged with lacking justice is the worst accusation that can be made. When sexual ethics are reframed as a justice issue rather than a moral issue, we are in trouble.

Finally, there is the problem of seeking to be contemporary. Church leaders are very aware of being referred to as out of date or out of touch. In music, communication, arts and style, the church is striving to be

When sexual ethics are reframed as a justice issue rather than a moral issue, we are in trouble.

Karl Faase is the CEO of Olive Tree Media and the presenter of Towards Belief

contemporary. Into this set of values is the accusation of “being on the wrong side of history”.

This concern about being out of touch and unpopular is a little more nuanced.

It seems that it’s actually about which issues you are unpopular on. This year, Christian leaders have been holding “pray-ins” at the offices of federal politicians to draw the community’s attention to children held in detention and decisions made by the Abbott government on asylum seekers.

The last election and opinion polls have demonstrated that the majority of Australians are, rightly or wrongly, comfortable with the government’s position and approach.

This doesn’t mean that these leaders should not protest as is their right.

But it is instructive that they are comfortable with being unpopular with the Abbott government and perhaps the majority of the community on the asylum seeker debate but are not willing to be unpopular in the debate on same sex marriage. It can only be concluded then that being unpopular is not the problem. It is which section of the community you are unpopular with.

Church leaders have supported the pray-ins, believing their actions are positive, yet many criticise a stance against same sex marriage. How would they respond to a group of Christians holding a pray-in at the offices of a gay marriage lobbyist? Would they be congratulated there as well?

These issues won’t go away quickly and church leaders have to decide if they are willing to stand up for clear biblical values that enable and enhance people flourishing in public debate.

SU Chaplain Sacked On Sunday Aug 3, chaplain Scripture Union Tasmania (SU TAS) chaplain, Troy Williams posted an image on Facebook, a quote challenging the “born this way” idea of homosexuality, from Camille Paglia, a well-known lesbian author. He was suspended from his position, for for inappropriate use of the Internet “that made it hard for him to do his job”.

According to SU TAS Chair Tony Wilson, if Williams had distanced himself from the comment by saying something like “It is interesting that there is a debate within the gay community about this”, things may have been all right.

But a few days later, Williams reiterated his belief that homosexuality is a choice, in a comment on a conservative blog run by Bill Muehlenberg. At that point SU TAS terminated his position. The school in which he was Chaplain had also told SU he was no longer welcome. Full story at biblesociety.org.au/troy

8

SEPTEMBER 2014

9

SEPTEMBER 2014

TESTIMONY Sophie Timothy When Steve Weickhardt first heard someone say aloud the name of the town he moved to three and a half years ago, he thought they had a speech impediment.

He says he and his family didn’t so much decide to move to Strathfieldsaye (pronounced Strathfield-say), as were led there, when during his ordination process three people independently suggested he should consider working in the Bendigo Diocese.

A small town in the Victorian countryside, Strathfieldsaye is home to just under 5,000 people.

Not one to ignore the counsel of three friends, it didn’t take long before he found himself in the Bishop’s office being offered a job as the minister of a yet-to-be-combined Anglican and Uniting Church in Strathfieldsaye.

It was a big gig for a newly ordained minister who’d cut his teeth working with youth in a “cushy suburban church” in Melbourne’s east. But he decided to take on the challenge.

At first glance, the posting seemed like something of a poisoned chalice.

Strathfieldsaye was home to two dying churches: an Anglican church which was averaging 15 to 20 people on a good week, and a Uniting church which was going to close due to only 4 or 5 people attending each Sunday.

The Bishop’s plan was to draft up a memorandum of understanding between the churches and establish a combined service in partnership with Bush Church Aid, in the hope it would ensure the survival of the church in the area. There were also rumblings of starting another congregation to reach the growing number of young families moving into the town.

“So there I was, a newly ordained minister, just out of Bible college, running a combined Anglican-Uniting operation, expected to plant a whole

With all the country comforts new church operating over two sites, as well as being an assistant minister in the biggest Anglican parish outside of Melbourne, and working as a field staffer with Bush Church Aid,” Steve reflects.

Thankfully, country life wasn’t entirely foreign to the Weickhardts.

Prior to ordination, Steve had worked as a youth officer in Bacchus Marsh, a country town 45 minutes west of Melbourne. Despite being so close to a big city, moving from a fast-paced “gospel-centred, strategic city church” to a country parish came with some culture shock and sacrifice. “People were even reluctant to drive across the West Gate Bridge to visit us,” Steve says.

Despite the difficulties, Steve felt they were meant to be there. “I just knew I was called out to the west,” says Steve. “The families I was meeting, and

the gifts and skills that I could offer, it all just worked. It was good and right to be there and I know I would’ve been disobeying God if I hadn’t.”

But compared to Bacchus Marsh, Strathfieldsaye was completely different. For starters, Steve was no longer the youth pastor; he was the pastor. But with the support of Bush Church Aid and a love of the country lifestyle, Steve says they’ve settled in well.

“I look back to life and ministry in Melbourne and I think, ‘I never realised how easy I had it.’ But on the other hand, the country life just matches my wife Vanessa and me. We are loving it. I love space, the clean air and the ease of lifestyle.

“I can go out to a farm and just walk in through the front door and sit down and be offered a cuppa and a scone, and have a chat and a pray. You walk away

and you go, ‘you know what Lord? You love that person so dearly. Thank you that I’m allowed to minister to them in this way.’ It’s pretty special.”

There are also the benefits of ministering in a tight-knit community, like running into kids from the local school at the supermarket who’ve been taught Christian religion class by Steve.

“A lot of my informal ministry happens at the supermarket or the local cafe.

People know when I’m going to be there,” he says.

Of course it’s not all scones and cups of tea. Country folk still get sick, driving long distances has its challenges, and there’s the added difficulty of ministering to men with depression who have access to guns.

“There’s still rubbish and brokenness like that.”

For Steve, he’s had to adjust to ministering alongside people who sit

View from Scottsdale

at very different ends of a theological spectrum. “The good thing is, the Bendigo Diocese has deep divisions, but a huge amount of love,” he says.

So what does the church in Strathfieldsaye look like now, nearly four years on from his arrival? With a town full of young families, the combined Anglican-Uniting church started a Saturday night family service which began running monthly, then fortnightly, and now weekly this year.

Every four weeks they have a social night.

“We had a bonfire last Saturday.

Thirty people stayed for around three hours and it was a great time of relationship building,” says Steve.

There are a number of “seekers” coming along to the service, as well as some families who are rediscovering their faith. Then there’s the 9am Sunday crowd. “Against the trend, the congregation is actually growing. It was expected to die off, but it’s actually growing, which is really encouraging.”

In a world where inner-city churches get all the attention, and young pastors with designer haircuts are the heroes, what keeps Steve in Strathfieldsaye?

“The deep sense of peace I having being up here,” he answers without hesitation.

“In the midst of all the pressures of ministry and everything else, I’ve had people ask me if I’m going to move somewhere else, but I’ve said I have no desire to. I’ve been asked to consider other places, but I have no desire to even consider it.

“There are times of discouragement... tough pastoral situations and conflict and so on and so forth, but every time I drive into Strathfieldsaye I get a contented feeling that I’m home and I’m here to do the work that’s set before me. I’m able to go to bed and know that I don’t want to be anywhere else, that this is where I want to be, where I’m supposed to be.”

When ABC Radio’s Background Briefing featured Scottsdale in north east Tasmania as a case study on rural decline, Eternity asked local Presbyterian minister Greg Munro how it felt.

I was surprised at the overall accuracy of the report. Yes, they did get it pretty much right. Others I have asked for comment have said that perhaps it was a little too negative. However, it is certainly true that employment and the local economy are not exactly buoyant at the moment.

Historically, Dorset [where Scottsdale is located] is no stranger to large employers leaving the area or closing down, but the recent mill closures have had a worse effect than losing the Simplot factory ten years ago. When Simplot closed, about 130 jobs were lost, representing 30 local families, but somehow almost all managed to stay in the area and find other employment.

This has not been the case with the recent mill closures.

It was strange listening to the report and recognising every voice on it, including some in the background that were unnamed. There is no anonymity in ministering in a country town. On the radio program, the young man helping out with the Dorset Community House who has just moved back to the area because it’s cheaper to live here, did the plastering in our house renovations. Jan Hughes, proprietor of Beulah Heritage B&B and Rhu Bru, who was one of the main interviewees through the piece, uses our church hall to run a photo exhibition and competition each year for the Dorset Rotary Arts and Crafts festival, and has had me along to Rotary to speak about

“In the midst of all the pressures of ministry and everything else, I’ve had people ask me if I’m going to move somewhere else, but I’ve said I have no desire to.”

my time in Bangladesh with Wycliffe last year.

Country ministry is an immersed, incarnational ministry. You cannot be merely an unknown stranger as the pastor of a local church, like you can in the city when you visit your local suburban shopping centre.

How does the economic situation impact the churches? There is a Catholic Church and seven Protestant Churches in Scottsdale, a town of 2,000 people. So although regular church attenders probably make up 10 to 15 per cent of the population (higher than the national average), Christians are spread pretty thin across denominations. No one church has all the gifts it needs.

One may have good preaching, another good musical resources, another good childrens’ work, or another people who are good with youth. But no one has everything. Fortunately we are all united on the fundamentals – we all agree the Bible is the complete Word of God, Jesus really did die for our sins and rise again to life on the third day, that he intercedes for us at God’s right hand and that he will return to judge the living and the dead, and so on. So we do as much as we can in cooperation, and have a strong ministers’ fraternal that tries to be part of the community as much as possible as a gospel presence.

One part of scripture I like to recall when I think about these things is Isaiah 42:3-4: “A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out. In faithfulness he will bring forth justice; he will not falter or be discouraged till he establishes justice on earth. In his law the islands will put their hope.”

Read more: biblesociety.org.au/rural

Bushrangers for Christ 300 of these books have been placed in the Libraries of every Gaol in Australia.

Thank you, Australia!

IS NED KELLY IN HEAVEN? Reduced to $9.95 & TEENAGE BUSHRANGER 3rd Edition $14.95 Already many broken men are discovering that they are not out of the bounds of God’s Grace.

Buy a copy, read it & give it to a needy friend

We praise God for your faithful support over the past 60 years.

BEER, BBQ & BUSHRANGERS Kerry Medway is available to speak at Churches, Men’s breakfasts, coffee desserts, Rotary, Probus, Zonta & Lions clubs, Men’s Sheds, etc. www.KerryMedway.org or phone 0423663301, P.O. Box 954, Port Macquarie 2444

Since 1954 Australian Churches and Christians have supported 740 Australians serving in Bible translation and support roles in 126 languages, worldwide.

Today almost 180 million people in 1,919 language groups still require Bible translation to begin, but praise God that work is already underway in a further 692 languages for which there is no known Scripture. Workers from the Wycliffe Global Alliance are active in the majority of these programs.

To support Australian members or projects please visit www.wycliffe.org.au.

DEGREES TO INSPIRE YOUR THINKING CHC.EDU.AU Diploma to Masters / on campus and external

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To celebrate Wycliffe Australia’s 60th Anniversary in your Church or small group please visit www.wycliffe.org. au/60th-anniversary/.

Vision: To see people from every language group living as disciples of Jesus Christ through the power of God’s Word in their Heart Language Member of Wycliffe Global Alliance Member of Bible Agencies Australia Member of Missions Interlink Wycliffe Bible Translators Australia 70 Graham Road Kangaroo Ground 3097 VIC ABN 22 004 705 953

Ministries

Statistics: www.wycliffe.net

wycliffe.org.au

60th Anniversary

SEPTEMBER 2014

t s u b o t s r le f f a b le ib B (or blow) your brain!

d n a d e t i c x Get E ! d o G t u Talk Abo

Many prophets during Old Testament times told the people about important future events, including some that would occur in the last days.

Although the prophets did not live in easy times, nor had messages the people wanted to hear, they would get excited about God and his plan for us and how we can put things right with God – i.e. following his commands and way.

Not all news was good news but Isaiah does speak of both the first and second coming of Jesus.

God gave Isaiah the prophecy about the coming Prince of Peace.

So who will speak?

List the names for the child to be born, mentioned in Isaiah 9:6 (CEV).

_________

_______

33 25 24 14 15 28 16 31 22

11

______ 23 19

15 30 15 28 24 11

______ 26 28 19 24 13 15

(See Isaiah 6:1, 8 CEV for help)

?

Who offered to take that role by saying “I’ll go,” I answered. “Send me!”?

___

17 18 30 35

_______

person – When God needed someone to be a spokes After this, I heard the Lord ask, e go for us?”

“Is there anyone I can send? Will someon

22

14 32 19 29 25 28

17 25 14

______ 16

__ 25 16

11 30 18 15 28

_____ 26 15

11

13 15

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36

To work out who the person is abet.

- write the letter before this one in the alph

According to Micah what does the Lord require of us?

Complete the maze to find the missing words.

______ J

T

B

J

B

I

MERCY

SHOES

HUMBLY

Amos’ message is that we receive help with our problems when we turn to the Lord and seek his counsel.

We must make good decisions – to follow God’s way.

If we want to live what must we do?

_______

IS DONE, LET _ _ _ _ _ BE YOUR FIRST CONCERN, AND

y H l o

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______

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hets m of different prop es m na e th nd Fi ament. in the Old Test

S A H X R S AMOS A M O B E J ON V I R BARUCH Y I N U R F CMQ B DANIEL M W A M M P P H E I S A I A EZEKIEL V Q V HM H L Z I E A EZRA Z E K I Z F H A E U J R X E L UK H KK P HABA C N V E T WA HAGGAI A F M P L V O A K M I A H HOSEA C N E H E JMO H X ISAIAH Q A N K I C H L M H Y K E A O JEREMIAH MH Z MU I G R X J P L B B JOEL m I I E T W JONAH H A G G A N B A E T F F R C O W A MALACHI D G U B I NMA K MICAH D E Q H A H O G K Z R C C NAHUM O H J H J E E A L O U B H U IA J M L HE B NE K R B Z X H H O IA N C AD K OB R K C K C V D I Z I OBED F S B B Z A H G G QO ZECHARIAH PMD A L E J Z L S E X I ZEPHANIAH H D A N U T H S K AW

T M

Using Amos 5:14-15 (CEV) to find the words that will fit into the following spaces.

R A D I A H Z Q Z O B

“SEE THAT

T I

THE LORD GOD HAS TOLD US WHAT IS RIGHT AND WHAT HE DEMANDS:

OBEY YOUR GOD.”

DRAWING JUSTICE

c

MICAH 6:8

G S F

Malachi came along at a time when the people were struggling to believe that God loved them.

Through Malachi, God told the people where they had fallen short of their promise with him.

If they hoped to see changes, they needed to take responsibility for their own actions and serve God faithfully.

Every child needs God’s Word.

Help children in China get a Bible!

Use this code to discover one of God’s promises spoken through Malachi.

BOOKS

Jesus as an “Aussie”? We need to talk...

The Songs of Jesse Adams

by Peter McKinnon

10 Conversations You Must Have With Your Son

by Dr Tim Hawkins

Published by Acorn Press

Published by Hachette Australia

Kara Martin I am cautious about reviewing Christian fiction titles. Partly this is because I think our standards are lower than secular audiences when it comes to Christian fiction, while, at the same time, our standards for Christian nonfiction are higher!

Another reason is that I have an unpublished manuscript in my desk drawer that no-one else has read, and I know the pain I went through to compile the manuscript and the potential humiliation I face by opening that drawer and sharing its contents.

It is very difficult to critique someone’s creative work. A poet I know compares writing to giving birth, and as a mother I would be really offended if someone told me my baby was ugly!

So I approached The Songs of Jesse Adams with trepidation. Not only is it a work of fiction, but the author has also chosen a highly difficult task: to imagine what it would be like if Jesus was not born 2,000 years ago in Palestine, but in the 1960s in Melbourne, Australia as Jesse Adams.

I can gladly say that this is a really good book. It is very well-written. Peter McKinnon is a psychologist and former business executive, and he brings that professionalism and experience to the task of composing this novel.

It is also fascinating to see how McKinnon reframes the Jesus story, and he has achieved some lovely twists and turns. For example, Jesse/Jesus is attended by Aboriginals rather than angels in the wilderness, and beer rather than water is turned into wine!

There is a very Australian take on what God is like: “God is the Keeper, the one who stands behind you. The safe hands, the soft and weathered leather that will never let anything run away and be lost, always there to catch you. Won’t drop you, won’t let you go.”

McKinnon’s Jesus is a rock star rather than merely a preacher, although it is a fair comparison. In the ancient world, crowds would gather to hear an interesting teacher, and each philosopher had their own following.

Music gives Jesse Adams the vehicle for his preaching.

McKinnon has done a good job of dealing with Jesus and celebrity, Jesus and the media, Jesus and the modern church.

This portrayal of Jesus will alienate some (just as the original did), as McKinnon’s most recent work

www.biblesociety.org.au

Ministry, not business.

Then the Lord All-Powerful said: We can’t take away your grief, but we can come and walk beside you.

Y __ _

E ____ __

_ M _, _ _ _

R _ __

____

_

C _ E, _ ______

__

C __ _ M_

____

S _ _ _ _, _ _ _ P _____ C _ _

____ C ____

__

__

__

G _____

C _ ______

P ___ E ___ _

D ____ ____

Malachi 3:17

C ___ L _. _

Looking for Bible-based, relevant, engaging lessons for kids aged 4-12 years?

GodSpace is the answer! www.godspace.org.au Make sure you check out

www.wildbible.org.au for the answers & more about the Bible!

11

Let us share with you and help you carry the load of arranging a loved one’s funeral.

For the team at Bethel, funerals are about ministry – not a business transaction.

24Hr 7 Day Service Melbourne Metro Mornington Peninsula Brisbane

03 9873 8866 03 5975 1955 07 3219 9333

with World Vision comes out in the distinctly social justice flavour of Jesse Adams’ work. The book is also less clear in referencing God, with the metaphor of “falling light” in song and speech usually preferred to the term “God”, which has “too many bad associations, too limiting”. Jesse also sums up his teaching as “love wins”, which may or may not be a reference to Rob Bell.

However, there are some real delights as we are led deeper into imagining what it would have been like for Jesus, the expectations of him: “Flailing limbs, desperate voices, clambering and calling out… the woman with the shattered spirit would stop him with her tears or the young bloke with polio legs would fall about him on the pavement. And he would stop and empty himself once more and leave them changed and wondering, then escape again, drained and worried if anyone, even those closest to him, really understood.”

I was challenged by some of the company Jesse kept: pimps, gamblers, sex offenders, crook business people… then realised that is actually what Jesus did!

The translation into 60s’ motifs works well: “Here and there Jesse would stop and talk about how to live and how to love and when to give way and when to stand up. About all the colours of heaven and earth and the angels that kept and the dragons that haunted. About what was broken and how it could mend, and how the music was sweet but didn’t last, but love was wine and did.”

I loved Jesse’s intimate relationships with men and women, passionate and pure. In the end there is a very modern twist, as his innocent welcome of children is turned against him.

This is a great read, and Acorn should be congratulated for taking on the risk of their first fiction publication.

This is a book that could be used as a discussion starter in book groups, and is an easy gift for a friend to start a conversation about the real Jesus and what he did.

Kara Martin is the Associate Dean of the Marketplace Institute, Ridley Melbourne, has been a lecturer with Wesley Institute and is an avid reader and book group attendee. Kara does regular book reviews for Eternity.

For more book reviews go to biblesociety.org.au/book-reviews

This is a book that could be used as a discussion starter in book groups, and is an easy gift for a friend.

Dominic Steele and Tim Hawkes Dr Tim Hawkes, principal of the Kings School in Sydney, has written a book called Ten Conversations you must have with your son. Here he speaks with pastor and Sydney radio host for 2CH, Dominic Steele.

Tim, “Ten conversations you must have with your son”. You’ve got my attention.

And ten, I mean, really you should be having tens of thousands, each delicately nuanced to be relevant to the time.

But I guess that’s the thing. You’re talking about establishing a genre that you are talking lots about all sorts of things with your boys.

Well, that’s right. And of course it’s also important not to talk, it’s also very, very important at times to listen. And indeed to have conversations which are trivial enough to form the bedrock of authenticity, so that when you are wanting to get a heavy topic discussed, you’ve established a good and strong relational bridge, and that takes time. ...You do need to have enough of the trivial and the fun on which you can build that which is serious later on. There are some times that we can come in, as parents, with something that is very heavy and we haven’t won the right to speak, sometimes. It’s particularly bad if it’s a “you just wait till your father gets home” and that sort of thing, where you get this father who comes in like the caped crusader trying to fix whatever the problem is at home.

And we sometimes need to spend a bit more time with our sons to build up the relationship so they’re going to hear us.

Now, some of the big conversations you must have with your sons—what are they?

Well I think one of the most important things that a son’s got to hear is that he is loved. And although sons can play up like a second-hand lawn mower from time to time, and can be seriously bovine in their behaviours, they must recognise that the love they’re going to get from mum and dad is unconditional.

It is going to be there. And in this world swamp, where nature is red in tooth and claw, and in the world outside where love and acceptance is very conditional, to have a home where love is unconditional where a boy is adored, is absolutely vital.

For it gives him, I think, the strength and the courage and capacity to move out into that world knowing that there is a firm island in this world from which he can take his bearings. So yes, I think

our sons need to know that they’re loved, and I think that’s a very important message.

Now, let me put you on the spot. It seems to me, from my perspective, I think I am, in the Christian ministry that I do, reasonably good at having difficult conversations with all sorts of people but how do you have the conversation about pornography with your teenage boy? How do you have the conversation about masturbation with your teenage boy? Help!

Yes, well I think firstly that it’s probably good that there is established within the home, a sort of habit of chatting. So the setting up of informal conversation pits, if you like, becomes a really good idea. The kitchen bench is a fabulous conversation pit, augmented by food and mum’s cooking and sometimes dad’s cooking as well, why not?

The dining room table, the idea of dining together becomes really important. Don’t allow children to have their meals taken to them in their bedroom, let them come down—and I know my son, who I was just chatting with the other day, and he with his son (because I’m a granddad now), and my granddaughter as well, they share high points and low points of the day. And that’s great. In the car as well. ...Look, I think those difficult conversations that you mentioned, you know, conversations about sex and intimacy, clearly they have greater relevancy when they arrive naturally.

It might be that you’ve seen a film or something like that.

Well, for us, we started to do it reading through the Book of Genesis. The Book of Genesis just has got every messy incident that you can possibly imagine, and issue after issue came up.

Well, that’s great, absolutely. And you know, “therefore a man shall leave his parents and cleave to a wife”, I mean, what does it mean? And what does marriage mean? Or union? The lovely thing is that the Bible can give such a solid foundation and illustration and anecdote for just about every single human failing you can possibly think of.

For the full transcript of Dominic Steele’s interview with Dr Tim Hawkes, visit biblesociety.org. au/10conversations Eternity publishes a book review every week on biblesociety.org.au. Make sure you check it out, or sign up to our weekly newsletter with Bible Society to get our latest news, book reviews and special offers: biblesociety.org.au/geteternity

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SEPTEMBER 2014

SEPTEMBER 2014

CULTURE

BIBLE AT WORK

“Christians slow to respond”

Centenarian’s gift of literacy

Suzanne Schokman

To die for

Ben McEachen

Photo Credit -Getty Images

Your Facebook page may bear the WeAreN symbol in solidarity with Iraq’s persecuted Christians. You may have donated to aid work in Iraq, or earlier this year, to Syria. But Christian leaders in the region perceive that the Church has been slow to respond to what’s happening in the Bible lands.

Dr Mike Bassous, General Secretary of Bible Society Lebanon (which oversees work in Iraq and Syria) was interviewed recently on Hope 103.2’s Open House programme. He says church leaders have expressed disappointment with reaction from the West, but not in terms of sending aid. “We’ve heard about countries wanting to contribute in response to the humanitarian issue,” he says. “But here we’re talking about basic human rights being violated daily. Christians are being uprooted from hometowns where they’ve existed for 2,000 years.

The UN has not done anything significant to stop the crisis. There has to be a Christian response to what’s going on in this part of the world.”

Each week brings new reports of atrocities committed by Islamic State militants in Iraq and Syria. Added to the destruction, forced conversions and executions, the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Iraq has received reports that Iraqi civilians (Christians and other minority groups) are being subjected to sexual violence.

It’s said that up to 1,500 may have been forced into sexual slavery.

Eternity asked Dr Bassous what Christians could do specifically to meet expectations of the church in Iraq and Syria. “We ask for prayers, support—be it financial, gifts in kind, moral, political— and awareness about the vast Christian exodus from these lands. In the New Testament, we see the church as one, helping brothers and sisters in times of trouble and persecution. Even the Apostle Paul was raising money for the persecuted church in Jerusalem.

Somehow, the church and Christians need to rise above political interests and coalitions and become the voice of conscience about the atrocities currently taking place.”

Alastair Redfern, Anglican Bishop of Derby (UK) recently made this call: “The forced and bloody exodus

13

The symbol on social media showing support for Iraqi Christians

The church needs to rise above political interests and become the voice of conscience about atrocities taking place.

of Christians and other religious minorities from... the heart of Christian civilisation in the Nineveh region... underlines in very clear terms the appalling inhumanity of the perpetrators of these crimes. We should not allow, however, the magnitude of the crimes we are witnessing to paralyse us from responding prayerfully with Christ-like love and compassion, or from pressing the international community to accelerate and intensify their own humanitarian and diplomatic efforts.”

Christian voices, speaking out separately and in unison, are what Christians in Iraq and the region need now. “It’s out of the question for us to be bystanders while we see hundreds of families flowing in daily to Erbil (in the Kurdish sector),” says Mike Bassous.

Here’s what we are encouraged to do: • Pray for God’s protection over our brothers and sisters in Iraq and Syria • Stay informed, and spread the word through social media and our personal networks • Write to our MPs, urging the government to increase its humanitarian response • Donate generously to NGOs including Bible Society (registered as an NGO in Erbil) which has an established network in Iraq and which works with local churches to distribute aid packages including the Scriptures Bible Society Australia is committed

to supporting Christians in Iraq and in Syria. Its emergency online appeal for the Christians of Nineveh reached people quickly, and they are grateful for the response. The need in these traumatised areas, however, will persist long after the headlines die down.

Update on Christians in Iraq: • From 1.5 million ten years ago, there are now only 400,000 left.

• Those camped in Iraqi Kurdistan may survive just another 1-1.5 months in the open, if not helped Update on Christians in Syria: • Half of Syria’s two million Christians have been displaced.

• Many have gone to Lebanon because of family and church ties. In Lebanese refugee camps, a whole generation is being born minus essential services— there’s only food to survive.

Bible Society Australia is working to ensure the long term presence of critical Bible Societies throughout the troubled areas of the Middle East. So it has broadened its appeal to ensure that other Christian communities in the Middle East continue to receive the scriptures, and that Christian witness in the region is maintained.

Please respond to the call from the church in the Bible lands. Be the voice of conscience speaking up on behalf of Christians in the region, and help in any way you can.

Donate to Iraq at biblesociety.org. au/nineveh or to the broader Middle East at biblesociety.org.au/mideast

If there’s one thing that Millicent Prescott loves, it’s helping others learn.

A teacher for 82 years - including 14 as a principal - Millicent wished for only one gift on her 100th birthday recently. She asked friends and family to donate instead to Bible Society’s women’s literacy project in Pakistan.

“I’m a teacher and I wanted the gift to be something for literacy,” says the Tasmanian resident who still teaches Bible study off and on.

Millicent’s link to Pakistan goes back a long way. She was born there, while her parents served as missionaries at a college in Peshawar from 1914-1924.

Her father, P.W. Stephenson, was later Bible Society’s first Commonwealth Secretary. That planted the seed for Millicent’s lifetime support of Bible Society work. She and her late husband Alwyn helped promote Bible Society throughout their ministry in many NSW and Tasmanian churches.

In May, Millicent met Anthony Lamuel, General Secretary of Bible Society Pakistan when he visited Hobart to promote the literacy project.

That’s when she hit on the idea about the birthday money. “The chance of a Pakistani woman from a lower class getting an education is nil,” she says, obviously not thrilled with the social stratification. “I was very impressed with the project... and the idea of using the Urdu NT as the reader is brilliant.”

Bible Society thanks Millicent for a lifetime of sharing God’s word. And as we observe International Literacy Day on 8 September, it’s the perfect time to thank her on behalf of those who’ll receive her life-changing gift.

Sin City. An upfront movie title about what’s in store for viewers. Sex, violence and appalling behaviour did flow in Sin City. Spewed throughout the all-star, visually ground-breaking movie, released ten years ago.

Blending comic-book excess with big-screen clarity, Sin City turned heads – and stomachs.

Because one trip wasn’t enough, Sin City 2: A Dame To Kill For, is now showing at cinemas. “Sin City is where you go in with your eyes open. Or you don’t come out at all,” explains Johnny (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), one of Sin City 2’s hardboiled characters.

But can a Christian even go in to Sin City 2? Deciding whether to watch a movie is a constant debate of pop-culture intake. When you’re a Christian, the stakes rise.

Many followers of Jesus would instantly flee such a movie. Their choice could only be strengthened when learning Sin City 2 projects the vengeful schemes of thieves, thugs and strippers.

What difference does it make, though, if Sin City 2 proves to be 2014’s most inventive example of cinematic storytelling? Or that it swirls around justice, and punishment of crime?

Are these valid reasons to watch it?

Or, mere justification?

Sin City 2 is a vivid illustration of Christian decision-making, about movies. As with all areas of life, making right choices involves weighing up varied factors from the one foundation (being a follower of Jesus).

To help Christians decide what to

Deciding whether to watch a movie is a constant debate of pop-culture intake.

When you’re a Christian, the stakes rise. watch, here are five brief tips. They’re not intended to be the final word.

Consider them a starting point.

1. Be Biblical: God’s Word is a powerful resource for Spirit-powered people. Christian life is shaped by it, including entertainment time. Seek to live out the full picture of Christianity – not just the Bible bits that suit your movie preferences.

For example, compare “Christ has liberated us to be free” (Galatians 5:1) with Jesus’ warning about good and bad eyes (Matthew 6:22-23). How do they affect your movie selections?

2. Be Engaged: Like it or not, we

don’t “switch off ” our minds when we watch movies. Even when we say we’re relaxing and not thinking about what’s on. Our minds are always on. Doesn’t mean we must obsess over every detail, or never watch a goofball comedy. But be aware – of being aware.

3. Be Discerning: Remember how your mind is always on? Use it. Don’t just soak up everything you watch.

Filter it, with your “renewed mind” (Romans 12:2). Be a spiritual person and evaluate everything, with “the mind of Christ” (1 Corinthians 2:15-16).

4. Be Pro-active: Movies have messages, themes and ideas. Respond

to them, by contrasting Christian truths and teachings. What do you agree/disagree with? Apply Christianity to the movie’s scenarios.

How different would they be, with Jesus? Discuss the movie with others.

5. Be Honest: Why are you really watching that movie? Christians have great freedom (Galatians 5:1). They also are called to glorify God in their body (1 Corinthians 6:20). Doing so might involve freely admitting we picked a movie – with wrong motives.

Glorify God, then, by not watching it. Even if it means stopping half-way through.

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14

SEPTEMBER 2014

SEPTEMBER 2014

OPINION

The Christian alone Michael Jensen

right: a truly spiritual life is not properly enriched by simply removing the body from the difficulties of the world.

However, the very shape of the Christian life encourages us to seek an inwardness that solitude certainly helps.

Solitude does not make a Christian; but a Christian tends to seek solitude, since to be Christian is to be one who listens to the Word of God. As Martin Luther wrote: “the ears alone are the organ of a Christian”. And the practice of listening to the life-giving and nourishing Word of God takes an effort to still all distractions and complications of ordinary life.

That is what faith is, after all – not simply hearing but listening to the Word of God, and then accepting it as true. This may be marked outwardly, by baptism for example, but believing is an activity of the inner person. And it will involve study of the Scriptures, so that the individual can be confronted by the Word of God which judges and changes a person from the inside.

To pray is also an activity that promotes an inwardness. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus encouraged the practice of private prayer: “…whenever you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you” (Matt 6:6).

This is a contrast to the self-promoting publicness of pagan prayer. What Jesus allows us to understand here is that the Father “sees in secret”: which is to say that Father knows us not only outwardly, but inwardly. Unsurprisingly, Jesus himself sought opportunities to pray in solitude.

Indeed, this is one of the great themes of the Sermon on the Mount. It means that God knows us in private as well as in public. He sees our intentions as well as our actions. He knows our motivations and our longings. This is a perspective that means that true prayer can only be honest, since God sees into our hearts. He is not bluffed by our rhetoric, nor by our piety.

And since repenting of sin is so deeply woven into the Christian life, this

This is what faith is, after all – not simply hearing but listening to the Word of God, and then accepting it as true.

Michael Jensen is rector of St Marks Anglican, Darling Point

Image: www.stockvault.com

Is aloneness part of the Christian life?

The Puritan Daniel Defoe’s 1719 novel Robinson Crusoe narrates the story of a truly lonely human being. Stranded on a tropical island, with none but his own thoughts for company, his solitude is at first a torture to him, and he verges on madness and depression.

As he recovers, he sits and contemplates his situation. If God was the maker and ruler of all things, then “Why has God done this to me?”

But then his conscience speaks up, almost like a conversation partner, “like a voice”: what about his own wayward life? Taking up his Bible (and some tobacco!), he then finds himself falling to his knees: “I did what I never had done in all my life, I kneeled down and prayed to God.” Robinson Crusoe’s solitary existence proves to be a blessing to him. His loneliness becomes a solitude through which he is given the opportunity to reflect on his spiritual condition. He comes to know God because he is removed from the hubbub of ordinary life, with its constant distractions and intrusions. His stillness then enables him to enjoy true Christian fellowship when he discovers his companion, the converted cannibal Friday.

Defoe would write later: “the business is to get a retired soul” – by which he meant that the Christian ought to aim to find an inner isolation in which to cultivate an openness to the voice of God in Scripture and to pray. But Robinson Crusoe was not intended to encourage Christians to isolate themselves in a physical sense, as many early Christians did. For Defoe, the idea of a hermit like existence in a mountain cave or in a monkish cell was a denial of the Christian’s duty to others, and a misunderstanding of the purpose of Christian solitude. If anything, the purpose of seeking isolation was for the purpose of better serving in the midst of the whirl of everyday life.

We struggle to find a command in Scripture for Christians to seek solitude. Much spiritual writing which encourages solitude as a vital component of the Christian life flirts with a terrible legalism. It also promotes the establishment of a spiritual elite, which has the time and the resources and the immense self-discipline for a largely solitary existence. Defoe is

privateness is again something we will find ourselves seeking, so as to make an honest account of ourselves to the God of mercy. We cannot be honest with God about our sins if we cannot ever find time and space to examine ourselves and to speak to him about them.

It is true that not every human culture has understood the individual as Western Europeans have. In many other cultures, the individual is more like a cog in a system. This inwardness – the way we are used to speaking to or about this thing called “the self” - is not prized, or even recognised, in every culture.

But if Western civilisation was more interested in the establishment of “the self” than in other civilisations

we are probably right to see this a result of Christianity’s influence.

The development of the science of psychology, which tries to understand and rehabilitate the self, and the rise of that most inward of literary forms, the novel, with its inner conversations, are both heavily indebted to the charting of the territory of the soul that followed the Reformation. For Puritans like Defoe and John Bunyan (the author of Pilgrim’s Progress) detailed self-analysis was what the Christian life simply seemed to demand: not as an indulgent exercise in self-obsession, but as part of bringing the self under the mastery of Christ. It is actually necessary for the individual to find this inwardness,

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One reader gave it as a gift to his mother on her 100th birthday. He said: “It was a wonderful, happy occasion.

When we played Blessed Assurance her eyes lit up, her finger and hand started tapping on her knee and she started to sing along. Afterwards she told us she used to sing it in church about 90 years ago.” Another MemoryLink has been given for a 107th birthday! Age is no barrier!

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The great fall Thankyou you to Michael Jensen for his exposition on sin (July 2014) The definition of sin as “vandalism of shalom” or “things not the way it is supposed to be” (Plantinga), is helpful in identifying the results of our sin but not necessarily a help in owning our own personal source of the sin.

The definition may invoke feelings of guilt for a corporate vandalism and may even result in a try harder approach within our environmental and personal systems. However I fear the admonishment of a nonbeliever “Christians sin, ask forgiveness and go back to doing the same thing.”

I wonder whether a concentration on growing to maturity in Christ (see Ephesians 4:13) is a concept that would

be meaningful to our population and answer the criticism of the HPtFTU definition of sin (Spulford). For the Christian, maturity in Christ means “loving God and loving your neighbour as yourself.” The great revivals confronted people on their behaviour and on their desire for a better self.

I have found 1 Corinthians 13 to be a good guide for the times I need to love myself more. Am I truly loving myself when I am quick to anger, jealous, taking offence, unkind, boastful, self-seeking? Are these not signs that I need to discipline myself more and make some choices: To be more assertive (respecting my rights while respecting the rights of others), To accept criticism as a gift from another of their perception and knowledge, To be honest with myself?

We are all Humpty Dumpties who sit on a wall. Because of limits in our self knowledge, our relationship skills, our time, or our energy, we fall off the wall. We cannot be put together to be the same way. We can choose to be defensive, more boastful, more helpless, or more self-seeking or we can choose to be a better person with new skills, increased self knowledge and a new experience of grace. God’s grace saves us to rise again and sit on the wall a little more mature in Christ.

One cannot love oneself too much in the sense of nurture and discipline.

This approach leads to a will to love others in the same way and at the same time as we love ourselves (See Love and Will by Rollo May, 1969). Who would not love a God and a church that forgives and lifts us up each time we fall off the wall.

Lillith Collins, Cheltenham Vic

In the last Eternity, we broke a rule. We ran a cover with only a small mention of the story inside. It was a last minute change.

As we went to press, thousands of Christians were changing their Facebook and other social media profile images to the Arabic letter “n” in solidarity with Iraqi Christians fleeing Mosul (and later other places) in northern Iraq under threat of death. The letter “n” spraypainted on Christian’s houses stands for Nasara or Nazarenes, an Arabic word for Christians.

So we changed our cover. We hope you got the message.

John Sandeman

HEART FOR ALL NATIONS 2014 APPEAL www.smbc.com.au

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[from page 14] this quietude, that he or she may be prepared for Christian fellowship.

This was one of Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s themes in his remarkable and muchloved book Life Together. Like his other early work Discipleship, Bonhoeffer would later say that he was much too intense in his vision of the Christian life in ways that are not always conducive to understanding grace. But he wrote profoundly of the role that solitude plays in the Christian life: “if you refuse to be alone you are rejecting Christ’s call to you, and you can have no part in the community of those who are called.” By this he means that the Christian cannot simply outsource the Christian life, with its dying to self and rising to new life, to someone else.

But Bonhoeffer – who would spend so many of his final months of life on his own in prison – would also say: “Let him who is not in community beware of being alone.” Christian solitude is never alone, since the Christian life is always a matter of sharing and bearing with others. As Bonhoeffer went on: “if you scorn the fellowship of the brethren, you reject the call of Jesus Christ, and thus your solitude can only be hurtful to you.”

The burning question for contemporary Christians then has to be: how can I find the solitude I need to live the Christian life in the midst of all the frantic activity of modern life, with its chirping phones and blinking screens, with our constant craving for connectedness, and with our need to fill every waking hour with activity and sound? Or what about the parent of a young child, who has no time to herself at all, and is frankly just happy to make it through the day?

The answer is not to be found in a set of bullet points, or tips. It lies rather in our fellowship with one another, as we recognise that the shape of the Christian life asks for silence as well as speaking, time apart as well as time together, and space to speak to the God who is in secret. This could be your gift to another Christian – to enable them to find quiet, so that they can really engage with God, and thus be equipped and empowered to serve the saints.

And the answer lies in grasping how rich is the treasure in store for us when we seek to know our Father in heaven.

What we are enabled to discover in our solitude is the astounding love of God for us which is in Christ Jesus – a love which then overflows to the community of believers. If a fruit of our solitude is to know the love of God more richly, then why would we not pursue it, for the sake of the people God has given us to love?

15

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16

SEPTEMBER 2014

Life on the verandah Greg Clarke

recent persecution of Iraqi believers: these are members of our household under attack.

But the New Testament at the same time emphasises the mission of Christianity. The merciful love of God shown to us in Jesus Christ is too good to keep in-house. It has to get to the verandah, and down the front path to the street. We will always want to get the Word out of the House. And when we are sitting on the verandah, we always face outwards, to the world in need, rather than inwards, towards the safety of the House. Or at least, that’s the direction we should face.

The verandah is the place from which Christians reach out. It connects us with the wider world, but does so from a position of safety – it’s shaded, protected, and you can easily go back inside if things get too hot. It provides you a safe haven from which to engage the world out there. On the verandah, you are “safe in the shadow of the Lord”.

Lest I sound a bit wimpy here (I can see an image of a lazy Christian reclining in a rocking chair, halfasleep, murmuring about getting up and doing something one of these days…), we have to recognise the enormous energy and confidence that such safety should give us. You’re safe; be bold. God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but of power, love and selfdiscipline, Paul taught Timothy (2 Tim

Verandahdwellers have one foot in the house, and one foot outside it.

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As a wedding present many moons ago, one of our friends gave us a book

by Australian architectural historian, Philip Drew, called Verandah. I wasn’t sure what to make of it at the time; we didn’t own a house, so I couldn’t even think about acting on its contents.

Working in publishing in those days, I also had to wonder how many people wanted to get their hands on a book about verandahs.

But that was before I read it.

This book was about the idea of the verandah, and that was fascinating.

The verandah sits on the edge of the house, back or front (sometimes side, too). It sticks out into the wider world, letting those who find themselves ensconced on it experience the breeze, hear the sounds of passing traffic (city) or wildlife (country) and enjoy its cover from the worst of the elements. It’s a safe, in-between kind of place.

Verandah-dwellers have one foot in the house, and one foot outside it.

They are still at home, but they are also aware of the world, able to participate in it, and are also likely to be affected by it. They are on the edge of two things: their own place, and everyone else’s. (The academics have a fancy word for this space; they call it the “liminal”.)

Perhaps the verandah is a good image for where a Christian should spend most of his or her time. It’s still part of the house, and Christians belong in the House, the church.

The Bible clearly prioritises other Christians as the “first community” to which we belong (e.g. Galatians 6:10). I think that is one reason why the outcry has been so loud from Christians around the world at the

1:7). Make that verandah do some work.

You can invite anyone up onto the verandah to share in the cool air, relax on your banana lounges and “taste and see that the Lord is good”.

And you should. Ask them up to talk about the world, about faith, about different worldviews. Get them into a comfortable chair and wrestle with the issues of the world, holding out Christ as the key. Give them a drink, enjoy the afternoon atmosphere, but make the most of the opportunity. Even people you think you will never get on with may see things differently from the shade of the verandah.

The safety of the verandah is not just a lounging pad, but a launching pad.

I suspect the verandah is a better image than some of the ones we use for the way Christians engage with the world.

We fall into military metaphors attacking our enemies, winning the air war, guarding the frontiers - and these set a certain tone for the way we interact with anyone who is not already in the House with us.

If we do end up in fisticuffs, let’s at least do it on the verandah rather than out on the street, where all the neighbours are watching. On the verandah, we have a better hope of understanding our differences, and making up with a decent cup of tea after the fighting dies down.