The conflict between Israelis and Palestinians seems to have gone on longer than many can remember and with each new news report it escalates and gets worse. It seems to be a complicated conflict rooted in significant historical events, one of the most recent being the resettlement of Jewish people in 'Israel' following the holocaust of WWII.
I feel largely unqualified to speak on such a topic as this but as i sit there and watch the news reports of Israel's conflict with the West Bank and now it's all out war on the Gaza strip, I can't help but wonder what both sides are hoping to achieve. I mean come on, fighting for peace is the ultimate oxymoron so peace can't be the goal.
It's interesting the sorts of images and statements that make our headlines. We get the picture that the Palestinians are the bad guys and Israel are the powerful nation with the big weapons seemingly with the support of some of the most powerful countries. USA sits in the background egging them on (let's hope that changes when Obama takes office) while most other remain silent. There's a school yard name calling match between Middle Eastern leaders playing the blame game and talking up who has the bigger gun, while innocent civilians on both sides become the casualties of war.
What we don't see in the news in the efforts of peacemakers in these regions. The ones who condemn fighting altogether and advocate for a better way to acknowledge the pain of the past and to move forward together. There are some wrongs that will never be righted so it seems because we are now into a 3rd generation of Israels settlement in Palestinian land. Some leaders may never say sorry in our lifetime (God know it took Australian leaders a couple of generations to say it after the fact). But there is at least one Palestinian, Arab, Christian leader who is bringing a light of hope to the region. He grew up in Galilee during the time of the 2nd World War and underwent the suffering of take over and resettlement as a child. He lives in Israel as a peacemaker, surrounded by conflict, a voice of hope and a voice of reason. He is the Archbishop of Galilee, his name is Elias Chacour.
I met Elias earlier this year at a conference. He was the keynote speaker. He is an amazing man with an amazing alternative to offer the region. In the school he started in Galilee Israelis & Palestinians; Christian, Muslims & Jews all sit side by side in the classroom, learning together and appreciating one another. His hope is that they will be the future leaders of the region. Elias Chacour is doing so many things to bring peace to the region so I encourage you to pray for him and his community as they become a force of great influence and bring an alternative solution to the violence and bloodshed. Pray also for the UN and other influential world leaders because they still don't seem to get it.
I have been reading Elias Chacour's book 'Blood Brothers: the unforgettable story of a Palestinian Christian working for peace in Israel'. It's an autobiography with a powerful message. I strongly recommend it, it will change you.
A summary on the history of the conflict you may find helpful can be found by clicking this BBC link.
Shalom
Mark
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Sponsor a Child, it's not a scam
Recently I heard about a documentary that was screened on TV that painted a fairly dark picture of World Vision child sponsorship. My understanding of the documentary is sketchy since i didn't see it but I certainly had a few concerned members of my congregation tell me all about it.
A brief summary is someone who was sponsoring a child through World Vision for a couple of years thought they would go and visit the child in whatever country they were living in. The person was surprised and disappointed that their child wasn't excelling as much as they had expected and from my understanding was considering pulling their sponsorship as a result. I've heard other stories like this where people have told me they are going to cease sponsorship because the organization they sponsor through either spends it all on administration or doesn't do what the sponsor expects they are going to do with it.
I want to say clearly from the start, particularly for those who have come to me with concerns, do not pull your support, it's not some scam. And for those who are not sponsoring a child or community I hope this post will encourage you to do so. My previous post is a part response to this so check the tags below to find other posts.
Not only do I do some volunteer work with World vision but I also work with other similar organizations who are doing as much as they can to alleviate the crisis of poverty half our world faces. Verity and I not only give financially through sponsorship and other means but we have also seen with our very eyes the changes that can come about in communities because of our support.
In our western way of thinking we do something like sponsor a child so we can have a personal connection with an individual. because the problem of poverty is so big we think we can focus our attention on just one person and see that one be lifted up, fed, immunized and educated. What we don't understand is that the rest of the world don't think like us. You see they have a greater understanding of community well being and equal distribution of wealth than we do. I have learnt a lot from my work with Africans in particular, they just do life differently and there is something valuable we can learn from this.
For instance it would be unethical for me to expect that the child I sponsor would get a better life than his or her neighbour or class mate just because they have a sponsor and other don't. While my sponsor child will get the basics they need (that they wouldn't otherwise if I were not a sponsor) some of the money I give will also go into the community to make it a better place for all, not just one person. It's hard for westerners to understand because we are used to looking out for number one. Do we really care about our neighbours? In many communities that these organizations support, one individual in the community cannot sit by and watch another suffer. It's just the way they are geared. If they are to benefit from something then it's a natural response for them to share the wealth.
Verity and I sponsored an individual (and still do) in Bangkok. We later found out from the organization that that individual was giving everything to the people in his community before himself. I got a buzz out of knowing that we now support an entire community. We also gave a significant donation to a project in this community. I have no idea how the project went or if the money even went to that project. When I bought a goat through the TEAR gift cards I found out that my money might not actually buy a goat but it will go towards some kind of sustainable living project TEAR are involved with in that community.
The point of my giving is not for my own gratification, or so I can get constant reports to see what they are doing with 'my money'. No that's not the point, first of all the attitude we must have to money we earn and give is, it's not mine in belongs to God from the start. secondly I give in faith, it doesn't matter where it goes, I trust these organizations to do what they need to do to empower these communities.
I do not speak of behalf of World Vision in this post but I speak as an individual who wants to re butt the complaints and encourage everyone to sponsor a child or a community. The more children that are sponsored in a community, the better off the children will be and the better off that community will be. I hope that clears up any doubt people have about this issue. These organizations are not stockpiling your money so their staff can get rich, they really are changing the world.
Shalom
Mark
A brief summary is someone who was sponsoring a child through World Vision for a couple of years thought they would go and visit the child in whatever country they were living in. The person was surprised and disappointed that their child wasn't excelling as much as they had expected and from my understanding was considering pulling their sponsorship as a result. I've heard other stories like this where people have told me they are going to cease sponsorship because the organization they sponsor through either spends it all on administration or doesn't do what the sponsor expects they are going to do with it.
I want to say clearly from the start, particularly for those who have come to me with concerns, do not pull your support, it's not some scam. And for those who are not sponsoring a child or community I hope this post will encourage you to do so. My previous post is a part response to this so check the tags below to find other posts.
Not only do I do some volunteer work with World vision but I also work with other similar organizations who are doing as much as they can to alleviate the crisis of poverty half our world faces. Verity and I not only give financially through sponsorship and other means but we have also seen with our very eyes the changes that can come about in communities because of our support.
In our western way of thinking we do something like sponsor a child so we can have a personal connection with an individual. because the problem of poverty is so big we think we can focus our attention on just one person and see that one be lifted up, fed, immunized and educated. What we don't understand is that the rest of the world don't think like us. You see they have a greater understanding of community well being and equal distribution of wealth than we do. I have learnt a lot from my work with Africans in particular, they just do life differently and there is something valuable we can learn from this.
For instance it would be unethical for me to expect that the child I sponsor would get a better life than his or her neighbour or class mate just because they have a sponsor and other don't. While my sponsor child will get the basics they need (that they wouldn't otherwise if I were not a sponsor) some of the money I give will also go into the community to make it a better place for all, not just one person. It's hard for westerners to understand because we are used to looking out for number one. Do we really care about our neighbours? In many communities that these organizations support, one individual in the community cannot sit by and watch another suffer. It's just the way they are geared. If they are to benefit from something then it's a natural response for them to share the wealth.
Verity and I sponsored an individual (and still do) in Bangkok. We later found out from the organization that that individual was giving everything to the people in his community before himself. I got a buzz out of knowing that we now support an entire community. We also gave a significant donation to a project in this community. I have no idea how the project went or if the money even went to that project. When I bought a goat through the TEAR gift cards I found out that my money might not actually buy a goat but it will go towards some kind of sustainable living project TEAR are involved with in that community.
The point of my giving is not for my own gratification, or so I can get constant reports to see what they are doing with 'my money'. No that's not the point, first of all the attitude we must have to money we earn and give is, it's not mine in belongs to God from the start. secondly I give in faith, it doesn't matter where it goes, I trust these organizations to do what they need to do to empower these communities.
I do not speak of behalf of World Vision in this post but I speak as an individual who wants to re butt the complaints and encourage everyone to sponsor a child or a community. The more children that are sponsored in a community, the better off the children will be and the better off that community will be. I hope that clears up any doubt people have about this issue. These organizations are not stockpiling your money so their staff can get rich, they really are changing the world.
Shalom
Mark
It's all relative
Well, tonight Paris Hilton will appear at the much talked about New Year Eve party in Sydney. I'm not sure what disturbs me the most, the amount she is being paid to appear at the party, or the shallow entertainment news reports of her visit, anticipating how the night will unfold.
But the news item that seems to have caught the public eye this past 24 hours is Paris' $5000 spending spree on clothes in Melbourne yesterday. It was significant enough to attract comment from Tim Costello on how else that money could be spent. Many people say 'get over it, it's her money let her do what she likes'. Yet it's that attitude exactly that keeps the world stuck in this impoverished cycle of the rich who continue to be out of touch and acknowledge no real responsibility towards the poor whose choices are limited to basic survival.
You might say, 'well it's all relative', $5000 is nothing to a rich girl like Paris, but for someone whose income is less than $5000 a year and has to feed and look after a family, it's everything. So Paris' excuse is, she already does her fair share of charity work, but I say it's obviously not enough while people are still homeless, starving and dying preventable deaths from disease.
This is where community living back in the days of the newly established nation of Israel had great benefit for all. Those who earned more gave more and in theory, no-one was in need. It's called the equal distribution of wealth. Call me an idealist, but I don't think we are going to see poverty become history in our lifetime while we continue to idolize selfish brats with too much money than they know what to do with.
I heard Tim Costello comment on the world financial crisis recently and he said it's not a financial crisis, it's an ethical crisis. I agree. The greed of the greedy reached tipping point and this is the result of too many people trying to make an easy buck. Seriously we need to ask ourselves, whether we are investors, consumers, developers, whatever...are the financial choices I make ethical choices. For the everyday consumer go to www.ethical.org and test it out. When you invest or make a purchase are you asking yourself the right questions like, how does my choice affect the person at the other end of the line? The producer, the grower, the maker. My wife Verity has written a song in response to this ethical consumerism dilemma. Visit her website www.verityskye.com and if the song isn't already added, ask her to add it. It's powerful.
In response to Paris Hilton's spending spree Tim Costello reminded people that $5000 would be enough to help sustain an entire village! Verity and I support a slum community in Bangkok through UNOH. In the new year we are extending our financial focus to supporting communities in Africa. For the past few of years we've been making conscious ethical and fairtrade choices about every product we buy. We don't earn millions of dollars but we know we reside comfortably in within the richest 10% of people in the world. Our wealth can be distributed and help so many if only we are willing. It's all relative I guess.
It's not about 'doing our bit for charity', so I can sneak through life without a guilty conscience. it's about having a heart for the suffering people of our world and believing against all the odds and negativity that I too can contribute what I can to make a difference so that all the people of the world may enjoy life, not just me. Verity and I and both our families got a real buzz out of giving all kinds of gifts to each other from TEAR, Wolrd Vision, Oxfam and COCOA this year knowing that our gift was a life changing gift for someone in an impoverished community. I bought my Nana a card from Oxfam that had this title on the front, 'More power to granny'. My gift helps financially resource a group of indigenous Australian women elders provide support, education and encouragement to the indigenous youth so they might learn their customs and language and become future leaders in Australia.
This new year forget the self indulgent new years resolutions, make a commitment to change the world. You'll feel so much better for it and make a difference at the same time.
Shalom
Mark
But the news item that seems to have caught the public eye this past 24 hours is Paris' $5000 spending spree on clothes in Melbourne yesterday. It was significant enough to attract comment from Tim Costello on how else that money could be spent. Many people say 'get over it, it's her money let her do what she likes'. Yet it's that attitude exactly that keeps the world stuck in this impoverished cycle of the rich who continue to be out of touch and acknowledge no real responsibility towards the poor whose choices are limited to basic survival.
You might say, 'well it's all relative', $5000 is nothing to a rich girl like Paris, but for someone whose income is less than $5000 a year and has to feed and look after a family, it's everything. So Paris' excuse is, she already does her fair share of charity work, but I say it's obviously not enough while people are still homeless, starving and dying preventable deaths from disease.
This is where community living back in the days of the newly established nation of Israel had great benefit for all. Those who earned more gave more and in theory, no-one was in need. It's called the equal distribution of wealth. Call me an idealist, but I don't think we are going to see poverty become history in our lifetime while we continue to idolize selfish brats with too much money than they know what to do with.
I heard Tim Costello comment on the world financial crisis recently and he said it's not a financial crisis, it's an ethical crisis. I agree. The greed of the greedy reached tipping point and this is the result of too many people trying to make an easy buck. Seriously we need to ask ourselves, whether we are investors, consumers, developers, whatever...are the financial choices I make ethical choices. For the everyday consumer go to www.ethical.org and test it out. When you invest or make a purchase are you asking yourself the right questions like, how does my choice affect the person at the other end of the line? The producer, the grower, the maker. My wife Verity has written a song in response to this ethical consumerism dilemma. Visit her website www.verityskye.com and if the song isn't already added, ask her to add it. It's powerful.
In response to Paris Hilton's spending spree Tim Costello reminded people that $5000 would be enough to help sustain an entire village! Verity and I support a slum community in Bangkok through UNOH. In the new year we are extending our financial focus to supporting communities in Africa. For the past few of years we've been making conscious ethical and fairtrade choices about every product we buy. We don't earn millions of dollars but we know we reside comfortably in within the richest 10% of people in the world. Our wealth can be distributed and help so many if only we are willing. It's all relative I guess.
It's not about 'doing our bit for charity', so I can sneak through life without a guilty conscience. it's about having a heart for the suffering people of our world and believing against all the odds and negativity that I too can contribute what I can to make a difference so that all the people of the world may enjoy life, not just me. Verity and I and both our families got a real buzz out of giving all kinds of gifts to each other from TEAR, Wolrd Vision, Oxfam and COCOA this year knowing that our gift was a life changing gift for someone in an impoverished community. I bought my Nana a card from Oxfam that had this title on the front, 'More power to granny'. My gift helps financially resource a group of indigenous Australian women elders provide support, education and encouragement to the indigenous youth so they might learn their customs and language and become future leaders in Australia.
This new year forget the self indulgent new years resolutions, make a commitment to change the world. You'll feel so much better for it and make a difference at the same time.
Shalom
Mark
Friday, November 21, 2008
A weary traveller
Hi everyone, miss me? I can't believe it's been 3 months since I posted a blog. I did spend a couple of months travelling around Europe so that explains my absence. It's taken me a while to get back into the swing of things. I ended up posting my Europe updates on Facebook but now I thought I'd reflect on the journey through Italy, France, Ireland and UK here on my blog. I'll be including photos and maybe some video to keep it interesting. So if you're interested, that's mainly what I'll be posting for the rest of the year. I'll also post on some current events here and there as well, like the 'Walk against Slavery' I'll be participating in tomorrow.
Stay tuned
Mark
Stay tuned
Mark
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Nooma - a just voice for the feminine
I love the Nooma DVD presentations featuring Rob Bell. Since I've been on Facebook I have signed up to be a 'fan' of Nooma which means I am invited to watch the premieres of each new video they release. They usually have them available to watch for free for 2 days then they take it off and the only way you can see it is to buy the DVD.
The latest Nooma DVD is called 'She'. It's hard to say which is my favorite Nooma but this one certainly grabbed my attention. I think it actually gives a welcome and liberating voice to the women of this world who have suffered marginalization and oppression at the hands of the church (dominated by men in leadership). I am grateful for Rob's voice of justice and I know many women (and men) who would welcome this message. Sadly I know many women and men who would not welcome this and i hope they would be open to dialogue and teaching on this issue.
Rob Bell speaks of a number of feminine images and metaphors use in the bible to describe God that may come as welcome relief to those who feel alienated by the dominant masculine images we have of God. Is that attributed to the male dominated leadership we have had over the centuries? We have only been taught a half truth about who God is and now our language and our songs refer to God in the masculine where in fact much reference to God in scripture is gender neutral language or as Rob says, 'God transcends and yet includes what we know as male and female'. He talks about how in the Genesis 'poem' created man in the image of God and female in the image of God. There is a masculine dimension to God and there is a feminine dimension to God.
I think it's a shame due to the constant oppression of women in all levels of church leadership that we have in a sense being robbed of much teaching and pastoral ministry expressing the fullness of the nature of God. What's worse is that the bible in which we find so much Good News about the equality of gender and the diversity of the gifts, has been used against women to shut them down and hold them in a lower class when it comes to authority on scripture, teaching and expressions of ministry as gifted by the Spirit of God.
And what about women in leadership? If you get a chance in the next 12 hours to view the screening of this presentation 'She', have a look at how Rob describes women as integral to the leadership of the early Christ movement. And if you think the Apostle Paul is against women in leadership i encourage you to not only read your bibles again but take some time to learn about the context into which he is speaking and the culture. We do great injustice to scripture when we can't be bothered even with a little exegetical work. Rob Bell even argues that Paul was the first person in history to argue for the equality of the sexes when he writes to the Galatian Church stating that 'in Christ there is neither male or female.'
Rob says, 'if you don't have her perspective, if you don't have her wisdom, if you don't have her leadership, you're not just missing her, you're missing out of something central to who God is'. He goes on to apologize to women who have been made to feel second class by the church. Good on ya Rob, we need more voices like yours.
If you are female and reading this and can relate, I want to encourage you. We desperately need more women taking up ministry with the church. We need more women preachers, teachers and pastors. I look forward to experiencing something more of the fullness of the expression of who God is through God's people.
Shalom
Mark
The latest Nooma DVD is called 'She'. It's hard to say which is my favorite Nooma but this one certainly grabbed my attention. I think it actually gives a welcome and liberating voice to the women of this world who have suffered marginalization and oppression at the hands of the church (dominated by men in leadership). I am grateful for Rob's voice of justice and I know many women (and men) who would welcome this message. Sadly I know many women and men who would not welcome this and i hope they would be open to dialogue and teaching on this issue.
Rob Bell speaks of a number of feminine images and metaphors use in the bible to describe God that may come as welcome relief to those who feel alienated by the dominant masculine images we have of God. Is that attributed to the male dominated leadership we have had over the centuries? We have only been taught a half truth about who God is and now our language and our songs refer to God in the masculine where in fact much reference to God in scripture is gender neutral language or as Rob says, 'God transcends and yet includes what we know as male and female'. He talks about how in the Genesis 'poem' created man in the image of God and female in the image of God. There is a masculine dimension to God and there is a feminine dimension to God.
I think it's a shame due to the constant oppression of women in all levels of church leadership that we have in a sense being robbed of much teaching and pastoral ministry expressing the fullness of the nature of God. What's worse is that the bible in which we find so much Good News about the equality of gender and the diversity of the gifts, has been used against women to shut them down and hold them in a lower class when it comes to authority on scripture, teaching and expressions of ministry as gifted by the Spirit of God.
And what about women in leadership? If you get a chance in the next 12 hours to view the screening of this presentation 'She', have a look at how Rob describes women as integral to the leadership of the early Christ movement. And if you think the Apostle Paul is against women in leadership i encourage you to not only read your bibles again but take some time to learn about the context into which he is speaking and the culture. We do great injustice to scripture when we can't be bothered even with a little exegetical work. Rob Bell even argues that Paul was the first person in history to argue for the equality of the sexes when he writes to the Galatian Church stating that 'in Christ there is neither male or female.'
Rob says, 'if you don't have her perspective, if you don't have her wisdom, if you don't have her leadership, you're not just missing her, you're missing out of something central to who God is'. He goes on to apologize to women who have been made to feel second class by the church. Good on ya Rob, we need more voices like yours.
If you are female and reading this and can relate, I want to encourage you. We desperately need more women taking up ministry with the church. We need more women preachers, teachers and pastors. I look forward to experiencing something more of the fullness of the expression of who God is through God's people.
Shalom
Mark
Healer - exposed or misunderstood?
I don't normally buy into scandalous stories that come out of failure's of the Christian church, but this one has caused quite a stir not only in the media but among my friends and colleagues. I've even had a friend from new york email me wondering if i can confirm the rumors they are hearing in the USA about Michael Guglielmucci.
In responding to this story I am aware that I have as much trust in the integrity of the media to report a true story as much as I do trust in the integrity of the mega church culture in Australia. I am suspicious of both and their practises concern me.
For the story and the video Hillsong apparently don't want you to see, click on this link
So is the story true? (this was the question posed by my friend in USA). I can only assume at this stage that it is given the stir among my friends. It's interesting that when you go to YouTube to take a look at this infamous video of Michael Guglielmucci singing the song 'Healer' at Hillsong Church in Sydney, with an oxygen tube strapped under his nose, you get this message:
"This video is no longer available due to a copyright claim by Hillsong Publishing"
I have friends and acquaintances who like to bag Hillsong at every opportunity but I don't think they need any help this time. So why have they taken it off air? What don't Hillsong want you to see? Are they trying to protect their faithful believers from being misled or hurt? Most will have seen the video already so why rip it off? Why is it so hard for the Christian church (in general) to let their 'dirty laundry' air, show that yes we too can have egg on our face, we're prepared to be held accountable for it and yes we will journey with the untidiness, uncomfortable exposure and hurt together. It's all just a bit much to ask I guess. As the story allegedly exposes, we Christians like to create our own alter realities that we can control. We don't really want to deal with the cold hard facts. It becomes a political game of avoiding truth and we construct our own version of it.
Even tough I don't live far from Edge South Church and I have friends who attend the church so deeply affected by this controversy I really don't know much about the whole situation. All i knew was that Danny's son Micheal was very sick and it was hard on the family and now this story comes out in today's paper. I guess more truth will be shed on the issue when Michael himself gives a statement to the media tomorrow.
However here is my reflection regardless of the outcome. The damage is done. not only does this story damage the reputation of the church, and it's ability to operate with integrity and transparency, but Michael's family must really be struggling right now as is his church. I agree with the spokesperson, Michael and the church really need our prayers. But I would broaden that out to the Church in general. It will take so much longer to restore trust in those who have been hurt by misleading claims and even harder for all christian communities to gain the trust of those who sit on the fringes a criticise. Yes it's easy to criticise the Church particularly those who have built themselves up on a culturally acceptable model of raising pastors and musicians into celebrities and making promises about the impossible them seemingly making it happen. And the critics will show no mercy now that the media has exposed one as (allegedly) lacking in integrity and falling from the pedestal on which one has constructed and the church around them has allowed them to construct.
My sadness extends far beyond this single story and towards the greater issue of the belief among some Christian Churches that they must build their own kingdoms and draw hordes of people towards it by any means possible. I've heard stories from friends who have been involved in some of the more well known mega churches that make me shiver and my skin crawl. Stories about method and theological reason behind some bizarre practises that seem to be counter Gospel.
The Jesus movement to me seems to be counter cultural as I read in my bible, yet there are Christian communities who seem to be confused and in doing everything to be 'relevant' and attract the crowds, they lose integrity in the message.
Last I checked, when a couple of disciples said to Jesus they wanted to have celebrity status and power he shut them down and said that if they want to be great they must be humble, they must be transparent in their motives, they must serve as a servant not be served, because the first will be last and the last will be first.
We have a lot to learn still about getting it right. It's not about making up dramatic stories to attract the sympathy of the masses, it's not even about getting people to come to 'church' (I have a whole other reflection about the church so stay tuned). And the foolishness of the Gospel is this; that we have integrity in presence and relationship with others, that our lives be transparent so that those who look at us with judgemental and criticising eyes will see ordinary broken people just like them, struggling along but at least struggling honestly, together. It's to not conform to the ways of the world but to live counter culturally as a transformed expression of the Spirit of God.
Shalom
Mark
In responding to this story I am aware that I have as much trust in the integrity of the media to report a true story as much as I do trust in the integrity of the mega church culture in Australia. I am suspicious of both and their practises concern me.
For the story and the video Hillsong apparently don't want you to see, click on this link
So is the story true? (this was the question posed by my friend in USA). I can only assume at this stage that it is given the stir among my friends. It's interesting that when you go to YouTube to take a look at this infamous video of Michael Guglielmucci singing the song 'Healer' at Hillsong Church in Sydney, with an oxygen tube strapped under his nose, you get this message:
"This video is no longer available due to a copyright claim by Hillsong Publishing"
I have friends and acquaintances who like to bag Hillsong at every opportunity but I don't think they need any help this time. So why have they taken it off air? What don't Hillsong want you to see? Are they trying to protect their faithful believers from being misled or hurt? Most will have seen the video already so why rip it off? Why is it so hard for the Christian church (in general) to let their 'dirty laundry' air, show that yes we too can have egg on our face, we're prepared to be held accountable for it and yes we will journey with the untidiness, uncomfortable exposure and hurt together. It's all just a bit much to ask I guess. As the story allegedly exposes, we Christians like to create our own alter realities that we can control. We don't really want to deal with the cold hard facts. It becomes a political game of avoiding truth and we construct our own version of it.
Even tough I don't live far from Edge South Church and I have friends who attend the church so deeply affected by this controversy I really don't know much about the whole situation. All i knew was that Danny's son Micheal was very sick and it was hard on the family and now this story comes out in today's paper. I guess more truth will be shed on the issue when Michael himself gives a statement to the media tomorrow.
However here is my reflection regardless of the outcome. The damage is done. not only does this story damage the reputation of the church, and it's ability to operate with integrity and transparency, but Michael's family must really be struggling right now as is his church. I agree with the spokesperson, Michael and the church really need our prayers. But I would broaden that out to the Church in general. It will take so much longer to restore trust in those who have been hurt by misleading claims and even harder for all christian communities to gain the trust of those who sit on the fringes a criticise. Yes it's easy to criticise the Church particularly those who have built themselves up on a culturally acceptable model of raising pastors and musicians into celebrities and making promises about the impossible them seemingly making it happen. And the critics will show no mercy now that the media has exposed one as (allegedly) lacking in integrity and falling from the pedestal on which one has constructed and the church around them has allowed them to construct.
My sadness extends far beyond this single story and towards the greater issue of the belief among some Christian Churches that they must build their own kingdoms and draw hordes of people towards it by any means possible. I've heard stories from friends who have been involved in some of the more well known mega churches that make me shiver and my skin crawl. Stories about method and theological reason behind some bizarre practises that seem to be counter Gospel.
The Jesus movement to me seems to be counter cultural as I read in my bible, yet there are Christian communities who seem to be confused and in doing everything to be 'relevant' and attract the crowds, they lose integrity in the message.
Last I checked, when a couple of disciples said to Jesus they wanted to have celebrity status and power he shut them down and said that if they want to be great they must be humble, they must be transparent in their motives, they must serve as a servant not be served, because the first will be last and the last will be first.
We have a lot to learn still about getting it right. It's not about making up dramatic stories to attract the sympathy of the masses, it's not even about getting people to come to 'church' (I have a whole other reflection about the church so stay tuned). And the foolishness of the Gospel is this; that we have integrity in presence and relationship with others, that our lives be transparent so that those who look at us with judgemental and criticising eyes will see ordinary broken people just like them, struggling along but at least struggling honestly, together. It's to not conform to the ways of the world but to live counter culturally as a transformed expression of the Spirit of God.
Shalom
Mark
Life is crazy
Hi all,
Did you miss me? Well I certainly missed blogging. Life just got crazy and I neglected my blog. Well I'm back! I've got so many blog posts just waiting to burst out of me so I'll attempt to throw some out now and wait for some responses to interact with.
Some of the extra curricula things that have kept me really busy lately have been the UNOH conference which was held last month. That rocked and I have a few reflections about that I wouldn't mind getting down. The other is the campaign I've been driving to get residency for my two friends Etienne & Adolphe (from the band Vox Congo). i have some updates on that I will blog as well.
But first I have some more pressing reflections bursting to come out so here goes...
Hope you enjoy my blogging and I look forward to your feedback. Oh and I just realized this is my 100th blog since I started blogging, woohoo is there some kind of prize for that like when an AFL player plays 100 games?
Mark
Did you miss me? Well I certainly missed blogging. Life just got crazy and I neglected my blog. Well I'm back! I've got so many blog posts just waiting to burst out of me so I'll attempt to throw some out now and wait for some responses to interact with.
Some of the extra curricula things that have kept me really busy lately have been the UNOH conference which was held last month. That rocked and I have a few reflections about that I wouldn't mind getting down. The other is the campaign I've been driving to get residency for my two friends Etienne & Adolphe (from the band Vox Congo). i have some updates on that I will blog as well.
But first I have some more pressing reflections bursting to come out so here goes...
Hope you enjoy my blogging and I look forward to your feedback. Oh and I just realized this is my 100th blog since I started blogging, woohoo is there some kind of prize for that like when an AFL player plays 100 games?
Mark
Friday, July 04, 2008
Win a Wii - name a church
Today I did one of those things that I do when I'm working hard all day and I miss lunch, I took a few minutes out mid afternoon and very naughtily sunk across to the fish & chips place across the road. i ordered a small bag of chips then sat on the bench and waited. As I sat there I noticed a pile of magazines (I love these trashy things always entertaining). So as I was flicking through the pages to see if there was anything interesting and this half page ad caught my eye with an intriguing title, "We want help naming a church..."
Yes I did double take on that one. And here's the punch line, offer a good name for a church and they give you a Nintendo Wii, no strings attached. Hey it got my attention! I'm interested in what people think about this one.
I must admit, it's a clever marketing campaign. Nowhere in the add is there mention of who this nameless group is or where they meet, just a couple of punchy statements about what they believe, which by the way, I was impressed by. No creeds or ancient churchy statements, just the facts. First up, they follow Jesus. Then there's a few statements about Jesus. He was radical, outrageous, hung out with trashy people, a non-conformist and a revolutionary, to sum it up. They then left a website at the bottom www.nameachurch.com.
I was curious enough to look up the website which is very simple and invites you to enter the competition. Thee are some subtle options like, 'would you like to know where we meet', so if you check the box they will contact you. But hey, the add go me in, not because I want a new game console but because I thought it was a daring way of coming up with a name for your church for one. It actually takes the ownership of the church's name away from the church (no member of the church is allowed to enter, the name is purely up to others). So I'm tempted to offer my suggestion and see how far this goes.
So is there an ethical dilemma here? Does Jesus need a marketing campaign? Or is it just us who need that? I wonder if our church needs a new name?
Mark
Yes I did double take on that one. And here's the punch line, offer a good name for a church and they give you a Nintendo Wii, no strings attached. Hey it got my attention! I'm interested in what people think about this one.
I must admit, it's a clever marketing campaign. Nowhere in the add is there mention of who this nameless group is or where they meet, just a couple of punchy statements about what they believe, which by the way, I was impressed by. No creeds or ancient churchy statements, just the facts. First up, they follow Jesus. Then there's a few statements about Jesus. He was radical, outrageous, hung out with trashy people, a non-conformist and a revolutionary, to sum it up. They then left a website at the bottom www.nameachurch.com.
I was curious enough to look up the website which is very simple and invites you to enter the competition. Thee are some subtle options like, 'would you like to know where we meet', so if you check the box they will contact you. But hey, the add go me in, not because I want a new game console but because I thought it was a daring way of coming up with a name for your church for one. It actually takes the ownership of the church's name away from the church (no member of the church is allowed to enter, the name is purely up to others). So I'm tempted to offer my suggestion and see how far this goes.
So is there an ethical dilemma here? Does Jesus need a marketing campaign? Or is it just us who need that? I wonder if our church needs a new name?
Mark
Dismiss or discern?
Just recently I heard a message from a speaker who visited Adelaide. While I couldn’t tell you everything he said, there was a profound challenge that stuck with me. He shared some stories in his message which were a bit beyond my scope of experience or understanding. They were stories that talked about the work of the Holy Spirit in some peoples lives, including his own. They were stories that for a reasonably conservative Churches of christ boy like me were difficult to take on board, process and reason with. Does God really work like that? Can that really happen? Can the Holy Spirit really give people visions and cause people to do things out of the ordinary?
The challenge he issued at end of his message was this. Try not to be so dismissive of everything thing you see or hear but be discerning of what might possibly be the work of the Holy Spirit. Once upon a time I would have given very little time to a thought or experience that was outside my accepted theological understanding or logical thinking. As I have matured I have learnt to listen and as I listened I heard this message, ‘be discerning rather than dismissive.’
This certainly doesn’t mean I have to believe everything that is thrown my way, but what is God is trying to break through to me in a new kind of way. Will I be open to meet God on God’s terms or will it always have to be on my terms? The classic default mode of approach for many young adults (from my experience of myself and my friends) is that of cynicism, sarcasm and ridicule. Maybe that is a protective defensive mechanism so as to not draw attention to one self so you don’t look like a fool (this behavior is not limited to young people). Yet sometimes as followers of Jesus, we are called to foolish behavior such as hope, love of the unlovable and faith. In fact it shouldn’t really surprise us that God would could be revealed to us in ways we do not expect.
Scripture is full of stories of people who when faced with evidence of the living God we serve, defaulted to dismissing the event or experience. Moses came up with a number of excuses not to respond to the experience he had of God in the burning bush. Thomas had a hard time believing that Jesus could live after being crucified and buried. And then there was the day the Spirit of God resided among the disciples on the day of Pentecost and everyone thought they were nuts.
Imagine just how much we would be missing out on regarding what God is doing among us and what God wants to do among us if we just dismissed everything that seemed abnormal or unexplainable. In my experience of the work of the Spirit of God, the revelation of the Spirit is always challenging, sometimes not welcome or expected, usually disturbing to our comfort zones and always moves us in love towards a concern for furthering the work of the kingdom of God.
So I rest this challenge with you. When the Spirit of God attempts to speak to you next will you dismiss it as something you don’t understand, or will to take time to discern just where God might want to take you.
Shalom Mark
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
My mum the fool
My mum just arrived back in Adelaide this morning from Africa. 5 weeks ago she set off on a journey to an orphanage in the north of Uganda...yes that's right, Uganda.
I must say it is great to have her home again, we did miss her and probably worried about her a bit while she was gone, but most of all I am proud of her and the example she is to all who might look on.
You see many would say she's just an ordinary woman. She's been married 35 years, mother of 3 (great) kids, has a part-time job as a pharmacy assistant and is actively involved in her church. However, I've always known her as an extraordinary woman. Not only did she see me through my teenage years (she deserves a medal for that!), but she is known as 'mum' to many many other people. She has always embraced the stranger, always cared for others with a huge heart and always dared to think beyond herself.
Hence when my dad suggested she go with 3 other South Australian ladies to visit and help an orphanage in Uganda, naturally she went. This is a move taken, not without it's anxieties but always with a heart and concern for the other and an obedience in faith to a God who calls us to do justice and love mercy.
So, was it a foolish move? Did she put herself in harms way unnecissarily? Many thought so and in their wisdom tried to convince her to stay here where it's safe. That kind of makes me laugh. Show me anywhere in scripture or in history where there is a guarentee that following Jesus is safe and I will stand corrected.
So my mum did a foolish thing. An ordinary extraordinary humble middle aged woman from the Adelaide hills dared to join the jesus revolution, sadly one that far too many avoid, and went to the other side of the planet to bring hope to those who would otherwise be hopeless and be part of the story of what Christ ia already doing in Uganda. She was embrassed and educated as she learnt that she is part of a bigger story of the mission of God and now her journey with Christ is richer for it.
I'm proud of my mum for being foolish enough to step in to the zone where God needs us to be saying, 'here I am Lord, use me'. Good on ya mum!
May none of us be secure enough in our comforts, or to certian about who we think Jesus is. May our fears be over come with anticipation and our participation in the kingdom of God. May we never scoff at or talk down to those who would dare to walk the line with Jesus, rather may we have the courage to join in the life giving journey that matters.
Shaolm
Mark
I must say it is great to have her home again, we did miss her and probably worried about her a bit while she was gone, but most of all I am proud of her and the example she is to all who might look on.
You see many would say she's just an ordinary woman. She's been married 35 years, mother of 3 (great) kids, has a part-time job as a pharmacy assistant and is actively involved in her church. However, I've always known her as an extraordinary woman. Not only did she see me through my teenage years (she deserves a medal for that!), but she is known as 'mum' to many many other people. She has always embraced the stranger, always cared for others with a huge heart and always dared to think beyond herself.
Hence when my dad suggested she go with 3 other South Australian ladies to visit and help an orphanage in Uganda, naturally she went. This is a move taken, not without it's anxieties but always with a heart and concern for the other and an obedience in faith to a God who calls us to do justice and love mercy.
So, was it a foolish move? Did she put herself in harms way unnecissarily? Many thought so and in their wisdom tried to convince her to stay here where it's safe. That kind of makes me laugh. Show me anywhere in scripture or in history where there is a guarentee that following Jesus is safe and I will stand corrected.
So my mum did a foolish thing. An ordinary extraordinary humble middle aged woman from the Adelaide hills dared to join the jesus revolution, sadly one that far too many avoid, and went to the other side of the planet to bring hope to those who would otherwise be hopeless and be part of the story of what Christ ia already doing in Uganda. She was embrassed and educated as she learnt that she is part of a bigger story of the mission of God and now her journey with Christ is richer for it.
I'm proud of my mum for being foolish enough to step in to the zone where God needs us to be saying, 'here I am Lord, use me'. Good on ya mum!
May none of us be secure enough in our comforts, or to certian about who we think Jesus is. May our fears be over come with anticipation and our participation in the kingdom of God. May we never scoff at or talk down to those who would dare to walk the line with Jesus, rather may we have the courage to join in the life giving journey that matters.
Shaolm
Mark
Friday, June 13, 2008
What Matters Most
Hi friends,
It's been so long since I posted a blog (6 weeks in fact) I bet you've given up on me. A couple of my blog friends have hinted a few times that I haven't written anything lately. I had an extremely busy month through May ministry wise, then I got quite sick, then went on leave for a week at the end of May. On my return from leave both my work and home computer died within hours of each other, so there's my excuse. On computer fixed, still waiting on the other.
In the meantime I’ve had so many ideas fro blog posts that I can't keep up and now don't have the time to wrote them all. However you will see a few appear over the next few days.
Speaking of computers, isn't it amazing in this wonderful world of ours, how much computers have helped us and now how much we rely on them. Seriously, my computer now organizes my life, all my documents and address book and diary are on my computer and it sync's with my phone so I can take everything with me where ever I go. In fact I can pack so much into my day because my diary has every moment planned out. I cute little tone rings from my phone reminding me of what I have to do next or where I have to be. As long as there is an allotted space in my outlook diary I can say 'yes' to almost anything. That is of course until part of my technology breaks down and suddenly I find myself in a chaotic panic as has been my experience this past 2 weeks. However without my computer I've actually found more spaces. I don't have instant access to email for example therefore people don't have instant access to me and I find it has actually been more relaxing. In a way this imposition has forced me to say no to some things in order to say yes to more life giving things.
A colleague of mine I use to work with had a saying, ‘say no to the good to say yes to the best’. He said this too me as I first began my vocation in ministry and I didn’t quite get what it meant until I began to realize in my youth and enthusiasm, that I was saying yes to far too many things. I got a reputation in college as being an over committer, I was involved in too many ministries, on too many committees and could not give my best to any of them.
Rob Bell is a speaker I have come to enjoy. He is the minister of an alternative ‘emerging’ church in the USA and has become more famously known through his DVD series called Nooma. On these DVD’s Rob offers commentary on the everyday things of life out of which emerges a great hermeneutical reflection of how the Gospel might speak to us today. His latest DVD addition to the series is called ‘Shells’.
In ‘Shells’ he shares this story about a boy who was walking on the beach with his parents. As he walked he noticed all these beautiful shells, so he begins to pick them up. As he collects his prizes, his hands fill up with all these shells. Then, in the shallows of the water he spots the ultimate prize, a starfish floats waiting to be claimed. His parents encourage him to go after it so he does. He wades into the water then in utter frustration he turns around and comes back. This happens several times, he gets a little closer to the starfish then in frustration turns and comes back. His parents ask him, what’s wrong? Why won’t you pick up the starfish?’ The boy responds, ‘my hands are full of shells'.
I can relate to that! It’s so easy to pick up all those amazing and wonderful things either because you’re needed or because you’re passionate about it or, just because you can. But how often do you get to the point where your schedule is so full that you no longer have the time. No time for friends, no time for family, no time for life. The most common phrase that escapes your mouth is, ‘I’m just too busy!’ Are you really? Or are you just saying yes to the wrong things? There are plenty of things that demand our time that don’t really matter.
As we read the stories that unfold through the Gospels, we get the impression Jesus had an amazingly busy schedule yet there are times when you read, Jesus actually said no. There are times when Jesus says no to the crowd and turns them away so as to have time to pray, time to be with his Father. We look to Jesus as an example for living our lives, but how often do we see Jesus as the one who sometimes says no in order to say yes to the best?
It would seem very countercultural for many of us if we were to say no to something that most would expect you to say yes to, because you needed time to be, time to pray and reconnect with God. It almost seems abnormal to have big spaces in your week where your not committed. Let me ask you a question. What are the priority tasks and appointments you schedule in your diary? Work? Sport? Parties and celebrations? A favourite hobby? Time with the kids? Meetings for work, church or community groups? When was the last time you opened your diary to the coming week and you blacked out a section just to be in communion with God? Foolishness I know, but I reckon Jesus did it regularly, he knew he had to it's what gave meaning to his mission.
This all raises questions for me about what matters most? What takes priority in your life and how's that working out for you? One of my greatest offenses against my soul and being is opening my diary at the beginning of the month and making sure I have all my work meetings scheduled in. scheduling retreat time to be aware of God's presence sadly drops down the list some way. Being without my diary for a time has at least given me that opportunity to step back and contemplate what matters most.
May your hands not be too full. May you say yes to the things that give you life. May you be blessed with a balanced life.
Shalom Mark
It's been so long since I posted a blog (6 weeks in fact) I bet you've given up on me. A couple of my blog friends have hinted a few times that I haven't written anything lately. I had an extremely busy month through May ministry wise, then I got quite sick, then went on leave for a week at the end of May. On my return from leave both my work and home computer died within hours of each other, so there's my excuse. On computer fixed, still waiting on the other.
In the meantime I’ve had so many ideas fro blog posts that I can't keep up and now don't have the time to wrote them all. However you will see a few appear over the next few days.
Speaking of computers, isn't it amazing in this wonderful world of ours, how much computers have helped us and now how much we rely on them. Seriously, my computer now organizes my life, all my documents and address book and diary are on my computer and it sync's with my phone so I can take everything with me where ever I go. In fact I can pack so much into my day because my diary has every moment planned out. I cute little tone rings from my phone reminding me of what I have to do next or where I have to be. As long as there is an allotted space in my outlook diary I can say 'yes' to almost anything. That is of course until part of my technology breaks down and suddenly I find myself in a chaotic panic as has been my experience this past 2 weeks. However without my computer I've actually found more spaces. I don't have instant access to email for example therefore people don't have instant access to me and I find it has actually been more relaxing. In a way this imposition has forced me to say no to some things in order to say yes to more life giving things.
A colleague of mine I use to work with had a saying, ‘say no to the good to say yes to the best’. He said this too me as I first began my vocation in ministry and I didn’t quite get what it meant until I began to realize in my youth and enthusiasm, that I was saying yes to far too many things. I got a reputation in college as being an over committer, I was involved in too many ministries, on too many committees and could not give my best to any of them.
Rob Bell is a speaker I have come to enjoy. He is the minister of an alternative ‘emerging’ church in the USA and has become more famously known through his DVD series called Nooma. On these DVD’s Rob offers commentary on the everyday things of life out of which emerges a great hermeneutical reflection of how the Gospel might speak to us today. His latest DVD addition to the series is called ‘Shells’.
In ‘Shells’ he shares this story about a boy who was walking on the beach with his parents. As he walked he noticed all these beautiful shells, so he begins to pick them up. As he collects his prizes, his hands fill up with all these shells. Then, in the shallows of the water he spots the ultimate prize, a starfish floats waiting to be claimed. His parents encourage him to go after it so he does. He wades into the water then in utter frustration he turns around and comes back. This happens several times, he gets a little closer to the starfish then in frustration turns and comes back. His parents ask him, what’s wrong? Why won’t you pick up the starfish?’ The boy responds, ‘my hands are full of shells'.
I can relate to that! It’s so easy to pick up all those amazing and wonderful things either because you’re needed or because you’re passionate about it or, just because you can. But how often do you get to the point where your schedule is so full that you no longer have the time. No time for friends, no time for family, no time for life. The most common phrase that escapes your mouth is, ‘I’m just too busy!’ Are you really? Or are you just saying yes to the wrong things? There are plenty of things that demand our time that don’t really matter.
As we read the stories that unfold through the Gospels, we get the impression Jesus had an amazingly busy schedule yet there are times when you read, Jesus actually said no. There are times when Jesus says no to the crowd and turns them away so as to have time to pray, time to be with his Father. We look to Jesus as an example for living our lives, but how often do we see Jesus as the one who sometimes says no in order to say yes to the best?
It would seem very countercultural for many of us if we were to say no to something that most would expect you to say yes to, because you needed time to be, time to pray and reconnect with God. It almost seems abnormal to have big spaces in your week where your not committed. Let me ask you a question. What are the priority tasks and appointments you schedule in your diary? Work? Sport? Parties and celebrations? A favourite hobby? Time with the kids? Meetings for work, church or community groups? When was the last time you opened your diary to the coming week and you blacked out a section just to be in communion with God? Foolishness I know, but I reckon Jesus did it regularly, he knew he had to it's what gave meaning to his mission.
This all raises questions for me about what matters most? What takes priority in your life and how's that working out for you? One of my greatest offenses against my soul and being is opening my diary at the beginning of the month and making sure I have all my work meetings scheduled in. scheduling retreat time to be aware of God's presence sadly drops down the list some way. Being without my diary for a time has at least given me that opportunity to step back and contemplate what matters most.
May your hands not be too full. May you say yes to the things that give you life. May you be blessed with a balanced life.
Shalom Mark
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Trading lives...at what cost
It seems I'm struggling to find the time to blog of late but there's plenty of topics and thoughts flying around in my head as life rolls on. I'll get to sharing them some time I'm sure. In the meantime here's a reflection I wrote after attending a World Vision breakfast that stirred me.
As I sit here eating my eating my organic fair-trade chocolate from Bolivia and drinking my organic fair-trade coffee from Africa I am consciously reminded of the glimmer of hope that is emerging through an unjust industry which still largely dominates the market today. My heart sinks once more and I think of the many thousands of families who are not getting a ‘fair go’ and will not be able to afford to put food on the table tonight.
I attended a World Vision breakfast a couple of weeks ago where Tim Costello and David Batstone were the speakers. The purpose of the breakfast was to launch their new campaign ‘Don’t trade lives’ to compliment a USA campaign called ‘Not for sale’. I have always being a passionate advocate for fair-trade and the abolition of modern day slavery but attending this breakfast just reignited my passion for this cause all over again. It also highlighted for me some disturbing facts with new stories.
We reflected on the celebration of the 200th year since William Wilberforce, the most famous abolitionist, passed the bill in British parliament to finally abolish the slave trade and make it illegal. Yet we recognize today that there are now more people trade as slaves than in the entire history of the slave trade from the Africa's. In fact statistics put the number at 27 million people today are currently in slavery. That statistic has got to blow any one’s mind. More than two thirds of them are under the age of 18. Not only are they people who work in the coffee and coca farms, they are traded for slave labor in many other industries, one of the biggest is the sex industry. Human trafficking generates $31 billion annually and guess who the majority of the customers are? You guessed it, the middle class of the western world.
What brought this issue home to me even more so was hearing the story of slave trading happening right here in Adelaide. Not only are we buying the products from companies who have brought us globalization, but humans are being sold into slavery right here in our city and we don’t even know it. We heard of a restaurant in the CBD who used slaves to service their restaurant and when they weren’t required they were stored in the underground den. Fortunately the federal police discovered that one, but there are many more.
Those of us who attended the breakfast were very stirred to take action to combat this epidemic. I felt confident as I walked away that I was part of a Christian community that would have no problem getting on board with such a cause. The challenge was put to us to raise a ‘generation of justice seekers’ who will not be satisfied with the standards we put up with but would outrageously take the next step to end injustice. It compliments our vision as a church to do justice and love mercy.
So how do we respond? What can we do? The Don’t trade lives campaign has called Australians to 3 commitments.
1) be aware of what you buy and how it gets here. Ask questions.
2) Encourage your workplace to advocate for change in countries where they work. Check the products you buy for your tea room, where do they come from? What are the fair-trade alternatives?
3)Stay informed about human trafficking and take action by visiting www.donttradelives.com.au.
Verity and I go out of our way to buy fair-trade in our grocery shopping. It costs us a little more but if we didn’t, at what cost is it for those who provide the products we buy at bargain prices? You will be disturbed to find out with just a click of a button on the above website.
My prayer is that we will all aspire to be part of a generation of justice seekers. You will see elements of this campaign being promoted throughout winter especially as we hold special awareness events at this church. David Batstone’s book, ‘Not For Sale—The return of the Global Slave Trade and how we can fight it’ will be available in our resource centre shortly.
Shalom Mark
As I sit here eating my eating my organic fair-trade chocolate from Bolivia and drinking my organic fair-trade coffee from Africa I am consciously reminded of the glimmer of hope that is emerging through an unjust industry which still largely dominates the market today. My heart sinks once more and I think of the many thousands of families who are not getting a ‘fair go’ and will not be able to afford to put food on the table tonight.
I attended a World Vision breakfast a couple of weeks ago where Tim Costello and David Batstone were the speakers. The purpose of the breakfast was to launch their new campaign ‘Don’t trade lives’ to compliment a USA campaign called ‘Not for sale’. I have always being a passionate advocate for fair-trade and the abolition of modern day slavery but attending this breakfast just reignited my passion for this cause all over again. It also highlighted for me some disturbing facts with new stories.
We reflected on the celebration of the 200th year since William Wilberforce, the most famous abolitionist, passed the bill in British parliament to finally abolish the slave trade and make it illegal. Yet we recognize today that there are now more people trade as slaves than in the entire history of the slave trade from the Africa's. In fact statistics put the number at 27 million people today are currently in slavery. That statistic has got to blow any one’s mind. More than two thirds of them are under the age of 18. Not only are they people who work in the coffee and coca farms, they are traded for slave labor in many other industries, one of the biggest is the sex industry. Human trafficking generates $31 billion annually and guess who the majority of the customers are? You guessed it, the middle class of the western world.
What brought this issue home to me even more so was hearing the story of slave trading happening right here in Adelaide. Not only are we buying the products from companies who have brought us globalization, but humans are being sold into slavery right here in our city and we don’t even know it. We heard of a restaurant in the CBD who used slaves to service their restaurant and when they weren’t required they were stored in the underground den. Fortunately the federal police discovered that one, but there are many more.
Those of us who attended the breakfast were very stirred to take action to combat this epidemic. I felt confident as I walked away that I was part of a Christian community that would have no problem getting on board with such a cause. The challenge was put to us to raise a ‘generation of justice seekers’ who will not be satisfied with the standards we put up with but would outrageously take the next step to end injustice. It compliments our vision as a church to do justice and love mercy.
So how do we respond? What can we do? The Don’t trade lives campaign has called Australians to 3 commitments.
1) be aware of what you buy and how it gets here. Ask questions.
2) Encourage your workplace to advocate for change in countries where they work. Check the products you buy for your tea room, where do they come from? What are the fair-trade alternatives?
3)Stay informed about human trafficking and take action by visiting www.donttradelives.com.au.
Verity and I go out of our way to buy fair-trade in our grocery shopping. It costs us a little more but if we didn’t, at what cost is it for those who provide the products we buy at bargain prices? You will be disturbed to find out with just a click of a button on the above website.
My prayer is that we will all aspire to be part of a generation of justice seekers. You will see elements of this campaign being promoted throughout winter especially as we hold special awareness events at this church. David Batstone’s book, ‘Not For Sale—The return of the Global Slave Trade and how we can fight it’ will be available in our resource centre shortly.
Shalom Mark
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
A bit of a laugh or cause for concern?
Is anyone else as disturbed by this as I am? Do Christian ministers get any more ignorant than this? From Ninemsn news
Mark"Small church lands itself in big controversy
Tuesday Apr 22 21:00 AEST
By ninemsn staff
A church in a small US town has landed itself in big political trouble with a sign that suggests a link between Barack Obama and Osama bin Laden.The Jonesville Church of God's pastor Roger Byrd has plastered the controversial message across a billboard.
"Obama Osama humm are they brothers," the sign asks passers-by.
But the pastor of the church said the message was "never intended to hurt feelings or to offend anybody".
"It's simply to cause people to realize and to see what possibly could happen if we were to get someone in there that does not believe in Jesus Christ."
Pastor Byrd said he hoped Obama — a committed Christian — was not a Muslim.
Byrd said his small congregation had decided to keep the sign up, and he would not take it down despite the stir it had caused among locals — and now the world's media."
Friday, April 11, 2008
Zimbabwe on a knife's edge
I know it's been a while since I've posted on my blog. I try to be disciplined to post at least once a week but Easter was busy and I've been snowed under ever since.
I've got a stack of things I'd love to write about but time does not permit right now. The election in Zimbabwe has been on my radar for some time as we hang in the balance waiting to hear and see how Mugabe responds. Here's the latest from a group I subscribe to. I hope this serves as a valuable source of information for your prayers and advocacy.
May you never cease to foolishly go where no-one but a Jesus follower dares to go. Longing for Shalom
Mark
Zimbabwe is on a knife's edge between democracy and chaos. Results still have not been released from the 29 March elections--and each day, more signals emerge that Mugabe will resort to violence and fraud to hold on to power.
Mugabe is unlikely to listen to the world's outcry--but he might listen to his old friend and powerful neighbour Thabo Mbeki, president of South Africa. Click below to add your name to a petition calling for the results to be released, verified, and peacefully honored, and we will do all we can to deliver it to Mbeki--through diplomatic channels, over the radio, and in a public event when Mbeki travels to New York for a United Nations meeting next week.
The more of us sign the petition, the powerful the message that South Africa's reputation as a world leader is on the line.
Click here to add your name, and then forward this email to friends and family: http://www.avaaz.org/en/democracy_for_zimbabwe/7.php?cl=74697854
South African president Thabo Mbeki said on Monday that "it's time to wait" on Zimbabwe. But the more time passes, the greater the danger grows that the will of Zimbabwe's people will be ignored. Avaaz launched this petition earlier in the week to its African members, and thousands signed on; now, we need people around the world to add their voices in solidarity and take the pressure to the next level.
In a crisis like this, a petition is just a small step--but it's something all of us can do, to raise our voices and call for what's right. And as history shows, international solidarity can be a powerful thing.
With hope,Ben, Graziela, Ricken, Galit, Paul, Iain, Pascal, Milena, and Esra'a--the Avaaz.org team
PS: Here's what to expect this week:
I've got a stack of things I'd love to write about but time does not permit right now. The election in Zimbabwe has been on my radar for some time as we hang in the balance waiting to hear and see how Mugabe responds. Here's the latest from a group I subscribe to. I hope this serves as a valuable source of information for your prayers and advocacy.
May you never cease to foolishly go where no-one but a Jesus follower dares to go. Longing for Shalom
Mark
Zimbabwe is on a knife's edge between democracy and chaos. Results still have not been released from the 29 March elections--and each day, more signals emerge that Mugabe will resort to violence and fraud to hold on to power.
Mugabe is unlikely to listen to the world's outcry--but he might listen to his old friend and powerful neighbour Thabo Mbeki, president of South Africa. Click below to add your name to a petition calling for the results to be released, verified, and peacefully honored, and we will do all we can to deliver it to Mbeki--through diplomatic channels, over the radio, and in a public event when Mbeki travels to New York for a United Nations meeting next week.
The more of us sign the petition, the powerful the message that South Africa's reputation as a world leader is on the line.
Click here to add your name, and then forward this email to friends and family: http://www.avaaz.org/en/democracy_for_zimbabwe/7.php?cl=74697854
South African president Thabo Mbeki said on Monday that "it's time to wait" on Zimbabwe. But the more time passes, the greater the danger grows that the will of Zimbabwe's people will be ignored. Avaaz launched this petition earlier in the week to its African members, and thousands signed on; now, we need people around the world to add their voices in solidarity and take the pressure to the next level.
In a crisis like this, a petition is just a small step--but it's something all of us can do, to raise our voices and call for what's right. And as history shows, international solidarity can be a powerful thing.
With hope,Ben, Graziela, Ricken, Galit, Paul, Iain, Pascal, Milena, and Esra'a--the Avaaz.org team
PS: Here's what to expect this week:
- On Saturday, leaders of the Southern Africa Development Community will gather in Lusaka, Zambia to discuss the crisis. We're working to buy radio time to reach these regional leaders with Avaaz members' global message.
- On Monday, the Zimbabwe high court has promised to decide whether to release of the voting results. But a lawyer for the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission said Wednesday that it would be "dangerous" if the court did order the release, raising fears of violence.
- South Africa is chairing the United Nations Security Council this month, and Mbeki will be joined by other world leaders for a special meeting in New York on Wednesday. Expect Zimbabwe to be high on the agenda.
Saturday, March 15, 2008
Burma - what you don't see on TV
It's late and I don't have much time for blogging but I thought I'd throw in a quick one. I've been reflecting on the plight of the Burmese people since I posted my thoughts on Rambo 4. i thought I'd add a few more thoughts abou Burma.
I didn't write this in the original post but it's important to note that in Septembers pro-democracy protest where over 100 monks were arrested, the junta unleashed a wave of horrific violence on the protesters. The junta put the death toll at 15 but the human rights watch put the death toll at over 100 and another 100 missing or unaccounted for.
Following the protest there were sanctions put on Burma by the US and Europe. There is hope that a referendum will be put before the people in May. Thailand are unhappy with the sanctions posed on Burma and are offering assistance for negotiations. If all goes to plan, Burma will hold their first election since 1990 in 2010.
There is much to hope and pray for, for Burma. In the meantime, millions of innocent people are killed and displaced, thousands are held as political prisoners and Burma has a long way to go until freedom is realized.
"Use your liberty to promote ours" Political prisoner and democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi who led the National League for Democracy to a landslide victory in the 1990 election.
Help Free Burma. Check my "Rambo 4 & Burma" post for more
Shalom
Mark
I didn't write this in the original post but it's important to note that in Septembers pro-democracy protest where over 100 monks were arrested, the junta unleashed a wave of horrific violence on the protesters. The junta put the death toll at 15 but the human rights watch put the death toll at over 100 and another 100 missing or unaccounted for.
Following the protest there were sanctions put on Burma by the US and Europe. There is hope that a referendum will be put before the people in May. Thailand are unhappy with the sanctions posed on Burma and are offering assistance for negotiations. If all goes to plan, Burma will hold their first election since 1990 in 2010.
There is much to hope and pray for, for Burma. In the meantime, millions of innocent people are killed and displaced, thousands are held as political prisoners and Burma has a long way to go until freedom is realized.
"Use your liberty to promote ours" Political prisoner and democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi who led the National League for Democracy to a landslide victory in the 1990 election.
Help Free Burma. Check my "Rambo 4 & Burma" post for more
Shalom
Mark
Thursday, March 13, 2008
New deadly sins
I'm not sure what has disturbed me most with the latest media frenzy around the Catholic Church's release of the '7 new sins', the fact that they have been so easily dismissed by Christians and the general public alike, or the amount of mockery which has come with the delivery of the story from many media personalities. I mean headlines such as, "Drug pushers, the obscenely rich, environmental polluters and “manipulative” genetic scientists beware – you may be in danger of losing your mortal soul unless you repent." are not helpful, it just stinks of media poking fun. Then again this may still be the common belief of God fearing people!
In case you haven't heard, the 7 new sins are as follows:
1. "Bioethical" violations such as birth control
2. "Morally dubious'' experiments such as stem cell research
3. Drug abuse
4. Polluting the environment
5. Contributing to widening divide between rich and poor
6. Excessive wealth
7. Creating poverty
I would like to debate the first two, however the next five I think would naturally coincide with what it means to be a Jesus follower. Happy to discuss this if anyone cares to comment.
The media on the other hand have chosen to have fun with this and ask the public what 'social sins' have been left out. Responses have included road rage and going through the express checkout lane with a full trolley. I found this comment page entertaining.
In all seriousness though, are we going to continually be so dismissive of some serious sinful behaviour on our part, behaviour (as I mentioned in the previous post) we continue to be unrepentant about. The Catholic Church name some pretty serious social issues here. Some that have burdened my heart for some time now include poverty and the gap between rich and poor, and the deterioration of our environment. When I look around the world in which I live, common behaviour suggests to me that we are still not prepared to address these issues because they require major lifestyle changes and shifts in basic philosophy and behaviour.
And so we remain in our sin.
Longing for Shalom
Mark
In case you haven't heard, the 7 new sins are as follows:
1. "Bioethical" violations such as birth control
2. "Morally dubious'' experiments such as stem cell research
3. Drug abuse
4. Polluting the environment
5. Contributing to widening divide between rich and poor
6. Excessive wealth
7. Creating poverty
I would like to debate the first two, however the next five I think would naturally coincide with what it means to be a Jesus follower. Happy to discuss this if anyone cares to comment.
The media on the other hand have chosen to have fun with this and ask the public what 'social sins' have been left out. Responses have included road rage and going through the express checkout lane with a full trolley. I found this comment page entertaining.
In all seriousness though, are we going to continually be so dismissive of some serious sinful behaviour on our part, behaviour (as I mentioned in the previous post) we continue to be unrepentant about. The Catholic Church name some pretty serious social issues here. Some that have burdened my heart for some time now include poverty and the gap between rich and poor, and the deterioration of our environment. When I look around the world in which I live, common behaviour suggests to me that we are still not prepared to address these issues because they require major lifestyle changes and shifts in basic philosophy and behaviour.
And so we remain in our sin.
Longing for Shalom
Mark
Deadly sins
I thought I'd move on a little from my previous couple of posts and expand the conversation. I have responded to the previous posts comments if you're interested in my extended thoughts on the issue of what has been largely determined by the church as 'sexual sin'. I'm still fascinated however about the general Christian obsession with sexual sin over many other 'sins'. In my experience it seems to be the evangelical trend to focus on the personal moral 'don'ts' over anything else.
However, the Catholic Church centuries ago had determined what the 7 deadly sins are and even had punishments for them. As a 21st century protestant theologian I find the whole process scandalous. As I understand it, the seven sins were named the sixth century by Pope Gregory the Great. The sins have remained unchanged since. They are: Pride, Envy, Gluttony, Lust, Anger, Greed & Spiritual apathy (Acedia). There were creative and painful punishments in store for you if you were found guilty for such a sin (so much for Good News and grace). Your punishment was your penance and pathway to forgiveness and reconciliation with God. The more corrupt end of the Catholic system allowed people to pay their penance with financial wealth to the church. You could buy your forgiveness while making the church rich. While my summary may be lacking in political correctness and may upset some, these kinds of actions and controls were enough to upset reformers such as Martian Luther, hence the reform of a different way of being the Church reinstating the meaning of grace among other things.
I'm not dismissing the sins by the way, I'm just criticizing the way in which they used to be responded to. There are sins listed here which have personal and communal consequences, yet we tend to ignore them to a large extent in our middle class, western churches. In fact you could say that in many Christian circles some of these sins are dressed up, disguised and passed off as virtues. Take the ever popular prosperity theology for instance. I have visited churches where such theology is encouraged and have heard things that have horrified me. Apparently when God blesses you, you become filthy rich. I can see 5 of the 7 sins dressed up in that one right there.
Allow me room to may gross generalizations here. Western (Christians) are guilty without repentance, of Gluttony; consuming the majority of the worlds resources, and eating so much that obesity is an epidemic. Am I sorry that I scrape my leftovers into the bin after a meal because I'm so full? Not really, it's generally acceptable behaviour where I come from.
Pride; we have become far too proud of our achievements, particularly of our large buildings and extensive programs. Very rarely do I hear of a church getting rid of their building(s) to pursue the mission of Christ. Our pride has led to idolatry. We're not sorry for that either.
Envy; we constantly envy one anothers achievements. If you've ever been to a gathering of ministers, far too often has it been about comparing numbers of attendees in churches and the next big amazing thing they've got going. There is always someone who walks away from the conversation wishing with desire in their hearts, 'if only I could have that...' Not only do we become envious but we have no problem making others envious of us.
Anger; It's our God given right to retaliate, why else would we have so many troops in Iraq and Afghanistan? I would love to see more of the practice of the virtue of kindness (mercy)
Acedia; this can be described as a failure to love God with all your mind, soul and strength and loving neighbour as self. I think I've blogged on this before. As Western Christianity has become more and more narcassistic we have failed to repent, even acknowledge our apathy towards God and concern for our neighbour.
Lust & Greed; more, more, more and it comes at us in the sexiest and most subtle of ways. We make excuses because we can. Take this clip for instance. I love Weird Al Yankovic, he just has a way of stating the obvious in such a colourful and entertaining way. Go Weird Al...
Darn it, now I really want that alf alarm clock and the smurf TV tray. Have you ever bought something on Ebay? I have so I get the references and jokes. However, this is a classic example of the lust, gluttony, greed, envy and pride I have been talking about. We buy stuff because we can. Out of the 6 things I have ever bought on Ebay, I still use them today, but I have friends who are Ebay junkies, buying stuff just because they can.
Friends, give the gay community a break, and while you're there let off on the defacto couple in your community who have had kids but aren't yet married. Millions of members of Christians in churches have sinful acts in their lives they have not yet addressed. In fact they are completely aware of it in many instances, because it's ok to want to desire a life of comfort with a half million dollar house, 2 cars and a 6 figure income. Beware of the subtle lure into a promoted way of being which is not complimentary of the call of the Gospel. Maybe our greatest sin (and I do include myself by the way) is our constant resistance to follow the call of Jesus truly and honestly. Often that means embracing virtues such as justice, mercy, humility, temperament, patience, abstinence and the like. Virtues which are not popular in today's western culture. They are the virtues of absolute foolishness.
Shalom
Mark
However, the Catholic Church centuries ago had determined what the 7 deadly sins are and even had punishments for them. As a 21st century protestant theologian I find the whole process scandalous. As I understand it, the seven sins were named the sixth century by Pope Gregory the Great. The sins have remained unchanged since. They are: Pride, Envy, Gluttony, Lust, Anger, Greed & Spiritual apathy (Acedia). There were creative and painful punishments in store for you if you were found guilty for such a sin (so much for Good News and grace). Your punishment was your penance and pathway to forgiveness and reconciliation with God. The more corrupt end of the Catholic system allowed people to pay their penance with financial wealth to the church. You could buy your forgiveness while making the church rich. While my summary may be lacking in political correctness and may upset some, these kinds of actions and controls were enough to upset reformers such as Martian Luther, hence the reform of a different way of being the Church reinstating the meaning of grace among other things.
I'm not dismissing the sins by the way, I'm just criticizing the way in which they used to be responded to. There are sins listed here which have personal and communal consequences, yet we tend to ignore them to a large extent in our middle class, western churches. In fact you could say that in many Christian circles some of these sins are dressed up, disguised and passed off as virtues. Take the ever popular prosperity theology for instance. I have visited churches where such theology is encouraged and have heard things that have horrified me. Apparently when God blesses you, you become filthy rich. I can see 5 of the 7 sins dressed up in that one right there.
Allow me room to may gross generalizations here. Western (Christians) are guilty without repentance, of Gluttony; consuming the majority of the worlds resources, and eating so much that obesity is an epidemic. Am I sorry that I scrape my leftovers into the bin after a meal because I'm so full? Not really, it's generally acceptable behaviour where I come from.
Pride; we have become far too proud of our achievements, particularly of our large buildings and extensive programs. Very rarely do I hear of a church getting rid of their building(s) to pursue the mission of Christ. Our pride has led to idolatry. We're not sorry for that either.
Envy; we constantly envy one anothers achievements. If you've ever been to a gathering of ministers, far too often has it been about comparing numbers of attendees in churches and the next big amazing thing they've got going. There is always someone who walks away from the conversation wishing with desire in their hearts, 'if only I could have that...' Not only do we become envious but we have no problem making others envious of us.
Anger; It's our God given right to retaliate, why else would we have so many troops in Iraq and Afghanistan? I would love to see more of the practice of the virtue of kindness (mercy)
Acedia; this can be described as a failure to love God with all your mind, soul and strength and loving neighbour as self. I think I've blogged on this before. As Western Christianity has become more and more narcassistic we have failed to repent, even acknowledge our apathy towards God and concern for our neighbour.
Lust & Greed; more, more, more and it comes at us in the sexiest and most subtle of ways. We make excuses because we can. Take this clip for instance. I love Weird Al Yankovic, he just has a way of stating the obvious in such a colourful and entertaining way. Go Weird Al...
Darn it, now I really want that alf alarm clock and the smurf TV tray. Have you ever bought something on Ebay? I have so I get the references and jokes. However, this is a classic example of the lust, gluttony, greed, envy and pride I have been talking about. We buy stuff because we can. Out of the 6 things I have ever bought on Ebay, I still use them today, but I have friends who are Ebay junkies, buying stuff just because they can.
Friends, give the gay community a break, and while you're there let off on the defacto couple in your community who have had kids but aren't yet married. Millions of members of Christians in churches have sinful acts in their lives they have not yet addressed. In fact they are completely aware of it in many instances, because it's ok to want to desire a life of comfort with a half million dollar house, 2 cars and a 6 figure income. Beware of the subtle lure into a promoted way of being which is not complimentary of the call of the Gospel. Maybe our greatest sin (and I do include myself by the way) is our constant resistance to follow the call of Jesus truly and honestly. Often that means embracing virtues such as justice, mercy, humility, temperament, patience, abstinence and the like. Virtues which are not popular in today's western culture. They are the virtues of absolute foolishness.
Shalom
Mark
Thursday, March 06, 2008
Sex, marriage, commitment and the problem with western thought
Well, my friend anonymous chooses to remain anonymous and not respond to my request for conversation which I think is a shame because I believe conversation leads to learning and understanding (please note I have not said conversion or persuasion to anothers way of thinking).
I thought I might broaden my response to the 30 day sex challenge and to certain other challenges thrown my way by first establishing my position on the subject stated above (which I think is grossly misunderstood by many) and then give you some food for thought if you're interested.
I am and plan to continue to be a man reserved for one woman and that is my wife. I chose to share all intimacy, emotionally & sexually exclusively with her within (what is understood in the culture I live) the western institution of marriage. It is a lifestyle choice I long for for others and a lifestyle I encourage. This is a desire I uphold as a minister of a church and I certainly encourage with the young couples within my ministry influence who are getting serious about the relationship in which they are intimately investing.
However (yeah I know you were waiting for this), I will not under any circumstances, treat differently, or exclude any person who is living in a defacto relationship or same sex relationship just because I have chosen a certain lifestyle for myself. The advice I have given to such couples is to remain exclusively committed to one another in their love for each other. Yes it is possible for a gay couple to be exclusive to one another in love. Hence take note of the final paragraph in my last post.
As for theological reason for marriage...this is an interesting position for western Christians to take when quoting scripture out of a cultural context which may not be understood. I believe marriage was invented as a social tool long before theological thought came into it. That is certainly not to say that marriage isn't God given, although some may disagree with me as that could be interpreted by some in some contexts as God punishing them (and no that wasn't a joke).
On a theological note, I don't believe the bible is a weapon we use against one another to prove our own position therefore I refuse to quote scripture verses because tey are too easily taken out of context. I believe the people of Israel we read about in the early pages of our bibles are not the only society on the planet at the time who are writing laws for living and wondering about their existence (and certainly in the context of the bible their existence in relationship with a theistic being and the cosmos). Marriage by the way, in this context is very different to what we understand now. Marriage in ancient cultures, not only Israel, was based on convenience, social balance, bloodlines, royalty, power and possession, not love! I could make this a long post by explaining that but instead I'll leave the link and you can see for yourself The Origins of Marriage And check this one out. It might be too much for some to take in but I found it a very interesting read and it is enlightening to be aware that there is so much outside my own culture we don't understand Marriage, A History.
Anonymous mentioned that Jesus had something to say about this subject. I think we need to be careful what words we choose to put in the mouth of the one we follow. It has been done many times over the centuries and not necessarily with good intentions. Jesus' comments on marriage (as stated by the Gospel authors) are very limited. In fact Gospel writers probably wouldn't have deemed it necessary to expand on what is already understood in culture and law. For instance Jesus reinterprets the law in the sermon on the mount in the context of adultery and divorce. His comment would seem to promote wholeness for community living more than anything. The divorce one is a doozy! I had a couple come to me last year who wanted me to marry them. They had a very conservative view of scripture and so had a problem because one was divorced and the other never married. The never married person was afraid that he was committing adultery if he married is divorced partner because the reason for divorce was not due to unfaithfulness. Now in our culture there are so many more reasons why people get divorced that are not outlined by Jewish law or the bible. I married them by the way, as there was no legal reason or reason otherwise to prevent them from getting married. There is another Jesus example when he's sitting with the Samaritan woman by the well and it is uncovered in conversation that she has been married 5 times and the man she is with is not her husband. Does Jesus condemn her? No
I've heard it suggested by many that marriage is for life. You try telling that to some traumatized people I have counselled. Marriage has not got a good reputation in our western culture. The problem with western thought on marriage is that most westerners think that this is the way it's always been since the beginning of time. There is a romantic belief that you meet your life partner, abstain from physical contact that may be deemed too sexual, get married and live happily ever after. Yet at no other time in human history has this institutionalized union of a couple been so destructive. Our 20th/21st century commitment to marriage is a blip in history and yet through extensive anthropological research it is found to be the most unhealthy form of institutionalized covenant of relationship. It's only been in the last 2-300 years that love has been the basis of marriage in western culture. And it has only been during this time that the church has had prominence of place in sanctioning marriage on this basis and church buildings have been the locations for wedding ceremonies.
I don't mean to be unhelpful in deconstructing an institution and may be the only one you know, but i say this to tell people, 'pull your head out of your bum' and acknowledge the eclectic, diverse, multi cultural bid wide world we are part of with a history we know very little about and have very little appreciation for.
I once counselled a couple who had been married more than 20 years and my heart broke for them. One member of the marriage relationship felt they couldn't remain exclusive to a monogamous relationship, the other felt that was the only way. In some cultures that would be perfectly acceptable but in ours it's not. I felt for them because it is my desire to remain exclusively monogamous in a relationship with my wife. Yet I chose to journey with them and support them suspending any judgement so them could understand each other and try to work through this.
I recall having this sex before marriage conversation many times before and I can't for the life of me find any direction from scripture that spells out that two people in a committed relationship for life may not have sex with one another outside the institution of marriage. Therefore I'm am struggling to understand why some church communities condemn and exclude people who are committed in a defacto relationship. I know many in such relationships both gay and straight who have a much more solid foundation, are much more committed and are much more in love than many I know who are 'stuck' (another person's words not mine) in marriage. The church is yet to display good health marriages in some contexts and convince others that marriage really is the way to go. Instead we want people to comply, even if we have to drag them kicking and screaming.
As for my further thoughts on same sex relationships, you'll just have to read my Australian Christian article 'Open and Affirming' or my comments on the article 'Australian Pastors Offer Apology To Gay Community'. yeah you can probably guess what I had to say there.
Anyway, this is by no means a comprehensive exploration of the subject I have attempted to engage with and I do not intend for everyone to agree with me. It's just the beginnings of a conversation piece if you choose to participate.
I think I might choose a completely different topic for my next post.
My final thought. I remain committed to the institution of marriage as the primary context of relationship for which I advocate. However I stand with those who have chosen to live in a committed relationship, but for whatever reason are not married. These are often people who have been hurt or are suspicious of such an institution. In the context of gay couples it's just not legal in Australia...yet. I will not exclude them from participating in worship, leadership and the life of the church or the mission of Christ. I believe quite foolishly that Jesus would also be standing with these people. I don't choose to be foolish out of recklessness or lack of education. I will not blow where ever the wind blows, or as some had put it be influenced by culture for the sake of 'being relevant.' I think that is simply naive convenience. No, I will as I once heard Tim Costello say (although not in this context) be one who will influence and 'change the direction of the wind' to be counter to that of popular religious thought for the sake of tradition and promote the cause of the kingdom of God. Because Jesus is a fool who would stand where no righteous religious authority would. He dared to go there for the sake of the human condition where ever people were at.
Shalom Mark
Monday, February 25, 2008
30 day sex challenege
Now I've heard of churches doing some amazing and bizarre things to get attention but there's nothing like a church holding a sexathon to liven things up a bit!Check out the promo pic to the left, a bit raunchy for a church with seemingly quite conservative, 'biblical' views on sex and sexuality. So what's it all about?
I first came across this on Weekend Sunrise when I heard them talking up an upcoming story last Sunday morning (before church), saying that a pastor in USA was urging his church members to hit the sack. Naturally I was curious.
A new church in the USA, Florida, called 'Relevant Church' is taking the challenge to either get busy or abstain from sex depending on your marital status. Pastor Paul Wirth has issued this challenge to his church and as I understand it they are about a week into the challenge. The challenge (as the picture tries to portray - I think...) is for married couples to make intimacy with each other the number one priority for 30 days. I gather this includes meeting one anther's emotional and particularly physical needs as there is also a challenge issued to 'singles' that is all people who are not married to abstain from any naughty physical intimacy 'reserved for marriage' and focus on meeting the emotional needs of another person. It is hoped that at the end of the challenge singles will choose to continue to abstain and 'choose God's way' according to Pastor Paul on one of his Youtube clips.
Here, let this guy (a representative from Relevant Church) tell you about the challenge. He seems to know more about it than me.
Unfortunately I can become cynical of such a challenge as this because Pastor Paul and start on a different page theologically. His theological approach through scripture is quite simple and black & white. Basically it's this: sex is reserved for marriage and only marriage 'according to the bible' and anyone engaged in sexual activity outside of marriage is not living God's way! However i argue the context of scripture is always set within cultural context and principles which suited a culture in a certain time are not so easily transferable to this culture and this time. For instance is it broadly acceptable in western culture today that a couple would live together and 'share physical intimacy' together before they are married (if at all). Many churches push against this by saying that your relationship with God is flawed if you live in such a way and they bring in the institution of marriage as the only way, 'God's way!' This can be oppressive in some contexts.
I do however agree with Pastor Paul and Relevant Church from a sociological perspective. I agree that we do need to spend far more time understanding one another within committed relationships and meeting one anther's needs, emotionally, intellectually and spiritually. It is far too easy to jump in bed with one another these days and instantly gratify physical sexual need. We mustn't deny that we are sexual beings who have needs that must be met, but there is much more to our being and relationship with another than sex. This is what I think is the ultimate desire of the 30 day sex challenge program. Relevant Church want people to invest in their relationships in healthy way that actually gives to another person as the primary agenda rather than getting what gratification you can out of a relationship.
You could say there are aspects of this program that are a little presumptuous, however they are motivated by a statistic that says more than half of marriages in USA end in divorce. In many cases it's due to unfulfillment of expectations, communication break down and other similar long term deficiencies. There are however many other reasons why relationships breakdown, for married and unmarried people. Reasons the bible doesn't necessarily have a transferable answer for and reasons that a program like this can't fix.
I am curious however as to what kinds of responses and questions this raises for you. How out of touch is the church really with sexuality and the context of committed relationship? What is acceptable and what's not? I'd direct you to the 'Relevant' blog but it seems (on my scanning of the posts and comments) that is pretty one sided and typically conservative. I'm looking for difference of opinion and diversity of reflection.
One of the blog posts by the way had me a little concerned. It was titled, 'I'm dating God'. I dunno about you but that sounds kinda whack to me. I wonder, where would you take God on a date? So are singles to transfer all their sexual urges toward a dating relationship with God? How does that work? What does that say about the meaning of relationship with God? This is a whole other blog post I think.
I think we need healthy approaches towards sexuality among Christian communities. I for one believe in committed, exclusive relationships as the context for sharing sexual intimacy. Whether that be married or unmarried relationships, same sex or opposite sex relationships. Exclusivity to one significant other in sharing the emotional, sexual, spiritual, intellectual journey in life certainly must be the the ultimate way for human companionship.
Let me know your thoughts
Shalom, Mark
Friday, February 22, 2008
Rambo 4 & Burma
'Live for nothing or die for something...it's your call'. Yet another corny phrase being made famous by a Hollywood action hero.Yes I know, I actually went and saw Rambo 4 on it's release date. Why? No not because I'm a Rambo fan (or Stallone). in fact I don't recall ever watching a Rambo movie in my life. Maybe there's a good reason for that. The simple fact is, a friend contacted me a couple of hours before the movie started and said he was booking online, did I want to come? Of course I said yes to a night out with the boys if for no other reason. So i guess if I was going to take the foolishness angle here it would be this...I went and saw the darn movie ok, so call me a fool! I've never done a movie review before but something captured me about this movie that I thought I might reflect upon so here it goes.
So 20 years on from the classic 80's genre Stallone is still the bad ass Rambo, although like Rocky Balboa (yes I saw that too - that was a freebie what could I say?) Stallone plays his character a little differently. A little wiser and seemingly demure. Maybe the best word to describe him is a lot more mysterious. Yet you still get the action you came to see, eventually. It's interesting, every movie review I read about an hour before I went to see it said one of 2 things; Either people hated it and wondered where the hell the story line was, or people loved it because it was a classic blood and guts Rambo shoot 'em up. Well I thought both those reflections were quite shallow and neither of them came close to what I thought. So all jokes and sarcasm aside, what did I really think?
Nothing could have prepared me for the opening scene and it was during this time that I questioned whether I was going to make it through the movie, so before you go and see it I'm warning you now. It was a gut churning scene of actual footage from scenes of the aftermath of Burmese army assaults on jungle villages. It's the kind of war footage media film but never show. It became loud and clear to me why this movie was rated R 18+. I'm surprised it made it through classification. It's certainly a reality check on what the people of Burma still face today - decaying bodies in villages, torture of all kinds, cruel games soldiers play with people, it's horrific! Then there's the fighting scenes choreographed by the director. If you've seen this opening battle scene of Saving Private Ryan, well this tops it in terms of the graphics of war choreography. This movie leaves nothing to the imagination!
So is this movie just a violent blood bath? Well there is actually a story line and if you bothered to have an awareness of the world around you, you'll notice there is a story behind the story. In fact it's a 46 year old story of the plight of the people of Burma. The movies' story line is basically about a bunch of American Christian missionaries who arrive in Thailand and are searching for a way to bring emergency relief and supplies to a village in Burma. They are directed towards Jon Rambo living in a remote part of Northern Thailand down stream from the Burmese boarder. Rambo is living a peaceful monastic lifestyle on the rivers edge where he makes a living catching snakes for a village sideshow and salvaging old PT boats and tanks for scrap metal. When the missionaries find him they try and convince him to take them upstream within the Burmese boarder so they might bring supplies and aid to the suffering. There is immediately a tension build up between Rambo and leader of the missionaries, Michael, as they exchange philosophies on how 'change' really comes about. Although Rambo is a man of few words he makes his case clear. After Michael delivers his speech on how they will change the world for these suffering people (they want to go to) through love and non-violence and with the supplies they are bringing, Rambo simply responds with,
'did you bring any guns?'.
Michael replies, 'No'.
'Then you aint gonna change anything', comes Rambo's reply.
That reply pretty much sets the scene for the movie. I must admit, that line made me laugh, you could see it coming.
So the first 10-15 minutes of this encounter with Rambo and the missionaries is a series of conversations. A number of pleas from the missionaries to Rambo for him to take them up river in his boat, are met with Rambo's repeated replies (with dead pan serious face) 'Go home!'. Eventually the good looking blond missionary Sarah convinces Rambo to take them up river and he reluctantly complies.Rambo drops off the missionaries and they part ways. The missionaries go about their business of healing, feeding and bible teaching and all seems well. Then out of nowhere mortar shells start hitting the village and body parts start flying. The Burmese army show up doing all kinds of horrific things leaving no human or animal alive. They take the missionaries prisoner and burn the village. The next scene has the pastor of the church the missionaries come from showing up in Rambo's hut pleading with him to take a bunch of mercenaries into Burma to extract the missionaries (so much for the Christians' non-violence conviction). The next 45 minutes is the unfolding of an horrific journey, lots of death, Rambo coming into his old self again. 2 out of 8 mercenaries survive and 2 out of 8 missionaries survive. (I gather you're not all hanging out to go and see the movie so I'm sure you won't mind me spoiling the ending - it's pretty predictable anyway)
I walked away from the movie most disturbed, not because of the violence of the movie itself but because it highlighted to me all over again the struggle of over 2 million internally displaced Burmese and the countless thousands of Burmese refugees who pack the detention camps on the Thai/Burma boarder. Many of the children growing up in these camps don't know life outside a refugee camp.
I googled the latest news and images on the Burma conflict thinking I might post some pictures or youtube video here to raise awareness but I can't bring myself to do so. I feel a sense of responsibility to confront and disturb you, but at the same time I don't want to offend anyone who may be unprepared when they visit this blog. All I can say is that Rambo 4 is tame compared to what I found easily able to access on the internet. So I warn you before you go searching, that there are sites that contain graphic images of dead bodies, and video footage of actual village raids by the Burmese army, actual killing (or what is referred as ethnic cleansing or genocide) and the protests in Myanmar. I dare not even post web links here but I will tell you that I googled 'Burma conflict news and images' if you're prepared to search for yourself.
So will it really take shock tactics such as what we see in Rambo 4 to make us stand up and listen and notice the plight of Burma. We're talking an almost 50 year civil war where it seems there has been little international intervention. The people who dare to protest in Myanmar hold signs written in English to try and capture the attention of the Western superpowers through whatever media is daring enough to film it. The signs read, 'We need UN intervention now'!
Friends of mine who are living with the poor in a slum in Bangkok as part of a UNOH chapter (missional order) are very aware of the plight of the thousands of Burmese refugees who cross the Thai/Burma boarder every month. Their heart for these people is huge but it seems that so little is being done to help them all. Check out the UNOH site for the free Burma campaign. The statement on their site begins;
" UNOH has received an urgent plea for help from our Burmese friends. We cannot say we have not seen their plight. The recent machine gun fire, tear gas and brutal imprisonments have been shown on all our media."
It includes with the words of imprisoned democracy leader Aung San Sui Kyi,
"Use your liberty to promote ours"
Jim Carey's call to free Burma and Aung San Sui Kyi
I can't think of any reason why we, as incredibly lucky and free people wouldn't go out of our way for this simple request. Put your foolish Jesus following to good use and jump on the free Burma campaign. Help the displaced and put pressure of world leaders who have the power to intervene.
Here's a youtube clip titled 'Free Burma'. It's about the most tame one I can share. It contains images of last years protest when thousands of monks marched peacefully in Maynmar to protest against the brutality of the Burmese army. Over 100 monks were arrested as the peaceful protest became violent when the army intervened. I've added a couple of videos in my sidebar.
So would I recommend Rambo 4 to you? Yes and No. If you don't like violent movies don't go and see it. However I would recommend it because we all need t be confronted and disturbed somehow about the realities that face the people of Burma today as you read this blog. Rambo 4 took more than $18 million at the box office in the opening weekend in USA. It's obviously popular enough. Will it take a character like Rambo to capture our attention? Or will we just be entertained, walk outside the cinema and move on? I hope you will be moved and disturbed.
Longing for Shalom in Burma
Mark
Thursday, February 14, 2008
Spielberg plays the fool
Well done Steven Spielberg for wearing your integrity on your sleeve.
Many will disagree and think that what he has done in pulling out of the Beijing Olympics as artistic advisor for the opening and closing ceremonies is a foolish thing. Well maybe so but for him it's the right thing.
While China continue to exchange weapons for oil with Sudan, Darfur continue to suffer. It has been acknowledged by Steven Speilberg and other human rights activists that China can do so much to ease the conflict and help bring about peace in Darfur. Sadly, the consensus says, China isn't doing enough yet.
Speilberg has petitioned the President of China, Hu Jintao, in a letter prior to his pulling out from the role. Speilberg has said in a statement, "Sudan's government bears the bulk of the responsibility for these ongoing crimes but the international community, and particularly China, should be doing more."
A number of high profile celebrities including current and former Olympic athletes have also written to the President saying "We are all aware of the tremendous potential for China to help bring an end to the conflict in Darfur." Actress Mia Farrow, goodwill ambassador for the UN says "We are all aware of the tremendous potential for China to help bring an end to the conflict in Darfur", "Time is running out for the people of Darfur."
I continue to find it amusing that celebrities such as actors, singers and athletes are the leading and most prominent voices on human rights issues but they raise great points and a pertinent challenge to those of us who profess to follow Jesus.
So what would it take for you to make a stand and say 'no, I will not participate in this activity'. Afraid that you'll stand out in a crowd? If you do stand out are you afraid you make not be able to give adequate or convincing testimony for why you're making a stand? Don't want to stir the pot or make a fuss? Come on people I've heard these excuses before and they are not excuses that should come from the months of Jesus followers.
Yes the Jesus way is a foolish way, you may look like a fool standing out in the crowd because you've turned down that job for ethical reasons, you refuse to buy certain brands for the sake of fair trade or you choose to sell all your possessions and go and live with the poor because you want to be in solidarity with how 70% of the worlds population live. Don't just be a fool be an educated fool. It is our responsibility as Jesus followers participating in the Kingdom of God here on earth, to be educated on current affairs and the plight of our brothers and sisters who are suffering.
As my wife would say in one of her latest songs, 'stand and be counted'. So stand and be counted as a fool for Jesus, even if everyone else around you is sitting on their hands and criticizing you. Stand and be counted and know why. Play the fool so that those who need a voice may be heard.
Shalom
Mark
Many will disagree and think that what he has done in pulling out of the Beijing Olympics as artistic advisor for the opening and closing ceremonies is a foolish thing. Well maybe so but for him it's the right thing.
While China continue to exchange weapons for oil with Sudan, Darfur continue to suffer. It has been acknowledged by Steven Speilberg and other human rights activists that China can do so much to ease the conflict and help bring about peace in Darfur. Sadly, the consensus says, China isn't doing enough yet.
Speilberg has petitioned the President of China, Hu Jintao, in a letter prior to his pulling out from the role. Speilberg has said in a statement, "Sudan's government bears the bulk of the responsibility for these ongoing crimes but the international community, and particularly China, should be doing more."
A number of high profile celebrities including current and former Olympic athletes have also written to the President saying "We are all aware of the tremendous potential for China to help bring an end to the conflict in Darfur." Actress Mia Farrow, goodwill ambassador for the UN says "We are all aware of the tremendous potential for China to help bring an end to the conflict in Darfur", "Time is running out for the people of Darfur."
I continue to find it amusing that celebrities such as actors, singers and athletes are the leading and most prominent voices on human rights issues but they raise great points and a pertinent challenge to those of us who profess to follow Jesus.
So what would it take for you to make a stand and say 'no, I will not participate in this activity'. Afraid that you'll stand out in a crowd? If you do stand out are you afraid you make not be able to give adequate or convincing testimony for why you're making a stand? Don't want to stir the pot or make a fuss? Come on people I've heard these excuses before and they are not excuses that should come from the months of Jesus followers.
Yes the Jesus way is a foolish way, you may look like a fool standing out in the crowd because you've turned down that job for ethical reasons, you refuse to buy certain brands for the sake of fair trade or you choose to sell all your possessions and go and live with the poor because you want to be in solidarity with how 70% of the worlds population live. Don't just be a fool be an educated fool. It is our responsibility as Jesus followers participating in the Kingdom of God here on earth, to be educated on current affairs and the plight of our brothers and sisters who are suffering.
As my wife would say in one of her latest songs, 'stand and be counted'. So stand and be counted as a fool for Jesus, even if everyone else around you is sitting on their hands and criticizing you. Stand and be counted and know why. Play the fool so that those who need a voice may be heard.
Shalom
Mark
Sorry - sori tumas
For the past few years I have participated in organizing sorry day events. During the leadership of our former PM the media didn’t even say boo to recognize that there was a day marked annually in our diaries for such recognition.
Today I say, well done PM Kevin Rudd on an amazing and well worded speech. However the wrist band on my arm reminds me daily of the commitment this ‘sorry’ really means. The band reads ‘close the gap’ which is a reminder of the commitment which is required for raising the standards of health care to be on par with anglo-Australians and hopefully extend the life expectancy of indigenous Australians. This is the kind of cost that will be required of us and our government. A cost it seems our government is aware of and committed to, a cost our former government shied away from.
Yet today, the day that has gone down in history as the most celebrated ‘sorry day’ has been marred by some individuals. On both sides of the political parties there has been immaturity and lack of respect. Labor representatives encouraging the famous back turning incident on Brendan Nelson’s speech and a Liberal MP openly mocking the gesture of saying sorry. Yes we all acknowledge that Brendan Nelson’s speech was 20 minutes too long and inappropriate (the first 60 seconds would have been plenty). Today is the day for sorry not justifications or excuses. But I will dare to foolishly say what no media personality was prepared to acknowledge:
‘Thankyou Brendan Nelson for saying sorry!’ Did anyone else get that or was it just me?
The opposition could have lived up to their reputation of being ‘opposition’ and gone the other way on this issue, but they acknowledged sorry too. The biggest celebration here is that our 2 major parties seem to be working together on this critical defining issue that faces
One of the things that really agitates me about some peoples responses to sorry day is the arrogance and apathy they have displayed. First of all let me direct you to a great site where Kevin Rudd’s speech has been posted here. I’ve found that one of the problems among some of my uneducated friends is that they haven’t been bothered to be informed. People are saying things like, ‘why should I be sorry, I’ve done nothing wrong’ and other more insensitive comments. If this is your complaint then you’re missed the point. Here’s another great article written by a friend of mine on this issue titled ‘Apology: Is it necessary?’
I’ll add my own little commentary to this from my own experience. There is a cute cultural quirk I discovered about Ni-Vanuatu culture when I spent some time in villages in
Our government on this sorry day has acknowledged the people, their story and their pain. Our government has also acknowledged responsibility for the past hurts of the government they represent. They have asked our indigenous friends, ‘will you let us journey with you in the pain so we may together come to a new place of discovering who we are and our identity as a nation.’
As a foolish follower of Jesus I understand that reconciliation and the discovery of a new identity can come at great cost. This is the part that makes people nervous. So what if it costs us financially? We are a wealthy country and a generous people. Human rights are far more important than our own hip pockets.
Check out our Churches of Christ statement and commitment to this issue:
As followers of Christ, and part of Christ’s Church
1. We acknowledge and value the inherent status of Indigenous Australians as the traditional owners and custodians of Australian lands and waters.
2 We make a commitment and take courage to own the truth and learn from our shared history.
3 We acknowledge that this land was colonised without the consent of Indigenous people, and that colonisation involved violence and force.
4 We acknowledge the injustices that have continued since colonisation. We regret the loss of Australian Indigenous people, their land, their culture, their children, their health and their lives.
5 We express our sorrow and profoundly apologise to Indigenous people for the injustices of the past, and for our shortcomings and mistakes.
6 We therefore pledge ourselves to take our part in making restitution [return, restore, renew, regenerate, resurrect, reinvest]; to ensure indigenous people are rightful custodians of their land, their culture, their children, their lives.
7 We pledge ourselves to stop injustice, address inequities, and to respect the rights of indigenous people to determine their own destinies
8 We pledge ourselves to build Conference structures and local churches that encourage the participation and the gifts of Indigenous people in life and worship.
9 We recognise the significant contribution of Indigenous People in this state and nation; and we make a commitment to move forward toward a future of mutual respect and harmony.
10 We look forward to being a reconciled and united people who
· respect our land,
· appreciate and value the heritage of Indigenous People and their relationship to the land and waters.
· recognise and value all people whatever their race or background.
· seek justice and equity for all people.
Having made this declaration, we as a family of Churches have committed ourselves to attitudes and actions which reflect, in a number of ways, the spirit of our Prime Minister’s stated intentions today. Let us reflect deeply on how we, as Churches of Christ in SA and NT can be, with our elected leaders, part of a mutual ministry of reconciliation.
Shalom
Mark
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