Lifewords

31 August 2017

Tim Minchin’s rendition a couple of weeks ago of I still call Australia home-(ophobic) was watched 2 million times and counting. According to Tim, if you vote ‘no’ you are a homophobic, ‘bigoted c#nt.’ Which is about as silly as that myth that all gay men must have had poor father figures growing up. The ones I know seem to have had great dads. Where is the Myth Busters team when you need them!

Why is it that we have this tendency to bypass moderation and portray the very worst version of our opponents to others? Why is it we want to shut down alternative viewpoints while we take the liberty to shout all the more loudly at them? I just wonder how productive this is.

If we zoom back from the matter of SSM, I think it’s good to remember there is much that we all share in common. Now I am proposing this via my Jesus-shaped world view which is still forming (over the past 30 years); and you may not share it. But humour me for a moment and see if we can agree on something:

Do you think all people have the same worth?

The opening chapters of the bible explicitly teach me that life is sacred, every human being is created equal and bears the same image of God. A person's dignity is therefore a divine bestowal and not merely a product of people's approval of them.

If God does exist, could God love you?

The bible, and specifically the Cross teaches me that God’s love is indiscriminate and unbiased.
No one can claim to have a greater access to God nor greater merit based upon their lifestyle or works. This grace, by the way, is distinctive to Christianity among all the world’s religions.

Do you make mistakes? Have you ever hurt someone?

Again the bible reveals how we ALL miss the mark, make mistakes and struggle with desires and influences competing for our heart. The bible calls this ‘sin’—and though people don’t like the word, it’s what we experience every day—both from us and toward us.

Do you think you are right most of the time?

We all want to be proven right, rationalise our actions, be excused from blame and affirmed in our opinions and behaviours. We have an innate ability to judge others,
but we are highly resistant to being judged.

Have you ever felt anxious or a little insecure?

We are all consciously and subconsciously wrestling with that nagging question of identity.
Who am I? Do I matter? Am I ok?
And we find all sorts of ways to reinforce and protect our identity.

Do you need people in your life?

We all long for intimacy. We are all wired for deep abiding relationships, to be loved,
to be known and not cast off. And we each search for our people
—the ones that we can share life and story with in community.

Have you changed in any way in the past 5 years?

We are all in process. We dream, learn, we succeed, we fail. The experiences of life are
formative to our belief systems and resulting behaviours, as are the voices we listen to.
We are all changing, but we’re not all changing in the same areas at the same time.

If you can answer yes to most of these questions then surprise, we have much in common!

So what?

So firstly, we can perhaps recognise that when we are talking about the ‘issues’, we’re not talking about aliens or some strange mutation of humanity. We are talking about people who are not so different after all and have very similar drivers in their lives. Perhaps we should cut one another some slack. I have a small number of people in my life who are same sex attracted and I find them to be warm, generous and gracious people in spite of having been deeply wounded by so many throughout their lives.

Secondly, could we also acknowledge that our similarities become major points of difference in the light of our conscious and unconsciously formed worldviews. Our worldview provides us with a map by which we interpret those similarities. And, as we see in the present debate, that map can lead you in very different directions.

What is your map? How do you make up your mind about anything? Do you tend to go with the flow of popular opinion? Are you moved by what moves you emotionally? Do you prioritise your desires or what will satisfy them? Whose truth claims have you adopted as your own? Perhaps Freud’s? Marx’s? Depack Chopra’s? The Kardashians’? Your Facebook feed even? Or maybe you have embraced the truth statements of your parents, or your peers, or your political party.

We all live from a biased worldview that shapes our thinking about personal and social issues (there’s another similarity). But all too often people can’t seem to articulate what it is, or how it got there. So, in the absence of that information, we turn to simplistic slogans like ‘love is love’ or ‘Christians are bigots’ or conversely ‘god hates gays’ (and while I’m here - this last slogan is so abhorrently evil and biblically so fundamentally inaccurate, I have no idea how anyone, especially one who claims to follow Jesus, can utter the words). Maybe we resort to these simplistic, generalised and judgemental statements because it’s too complex or too draining to really dig any deeper.

At the base of all these baseless slogans lies for me some elementary questions that we’re not asking of ourselves and for that matter, each other anywhere near enough—the why behind the why:

What are the real sources of authority behind our lives and beliefs?

Are those sources trustworthy and why?

I think this may be the underlying reason why people can be so similar, and why they can be poles apart on an issue such as SSM.

I am a Christian but I don't typically use that term because sadly, it’s become vague and laden with baggage these days. More descriptively, I’m a person with Jesus constantly on my mind and thoroughly compelled by both how Jesus lived and what Jesus taught. This is not a popular confession in our enlightened post-Christian society. But Jesus and more broadly the bible is my roadmap for life and, in all my imperfect ways, I choose to walk it out and maybe help others do likewise. If nothing else, I am at least showing my hand in terms of the authority source and rationale behind my beliefs. Perhaps that has more integrity than peddling beliefs that come from unidentified, ephemeral sources or merely one’s own flawed determination of what constitutes good and evil.

I get why Tim Minchin may feel righteously offended by 'Christians.' So do I, and I'm one of them! And perhaps there is also a back story here for Tim that fuels his rage? But does respectful disagreement between people really warrant the throwing of rhetorical grenades like 'homophobic' or 'bigoted c#nt?' Should rampant materialism, greed or indifference within society not also attract an equally passionate response? It doesn’t seem to.

And I can't help but ponder the long term ramifications for a society where everyone is an authority in themselves and there is no yielding to a unifying, enduring truth beyond us, that we can all navigate by? What might unravel as we progressively dismantle the spiritual and ethical foundations upon which our nation was built? What kind of people will we become? Will anything remain sacred? Ultimately, will life even matter?

What do you think?

14 August 2017

Australia has become an incredibly diverse, cosmopolitan society over the past 50+ years. We are many races, religions and cultures hopefully learning how to live together in freedom and peace. We’re all welcome to retain our cultural and religious story and our nation asks us to celebrate, or at least tolerate the diversity of others with mutual respect. I think for the most part, we do this well and this is the strength of a pluralistic society.

Pluralism is where different ideas, beliefs or sources of authority are freely encouraged to coexist in a society. From a Christian standpoint, I used to think pluralism was a dirty word - you know, all that post-modern ‘believe what you want’, ‘truth is all relative’ mumbo jumbo. And while I still squirm at relativism, I realise that pluralism creates a much better atmosphere in which to do life than say, a totalitarian regime like North Korea—where you are told what to believe.

How does pluralism work?
Person A accepts that person B has a different set of beliefs and worldview to them.
Person A accepts that person B has a right to express those views; even when they disagree.
Person B accepts that person A doesn't hold those beliefs.
Person B accepts that person A has a right to not hold those beliefs and express that view.

Pluralism relies on people’s ability to respect each other's differences whether we approve of them or not (within the constraints of what is legal). Yes we can voice our view and we can challenge one another; but pluralism at its best means there are two reasonably mature voices in the room, who moderate their zeal to maintain dialogue toward a mutually acceptable outcome. But is that just an impossible ideal?

The recent British reality show ‘Eden’ was canned after the ratings nose-dived. The social experiment sought to discover what would happen if you could form a simple community of 23 curiously all good-looking twenty-somethings, free from the trappings of modern life. Could you return to an Eden-like state? As you'd expect, it didn't go so well. Over the year, half the participants left and the community was riddled with sexual jealousy and conflict. Sadly, the garden of Eden is long gone because the natural state of the human heart is full of conflict, fear and insecurity—and we inevitably bring that into our relationships.

So I wonder, do we really have the maturity to actually be a pluralistic society? I think the present ‘debate’ on same sex marriage indicates we probably don't. Our media and social media is awash with this subject at the moment with people voicing, or echoing their brilliant case, their knock-out punch to the other side. So much of the language on both ends of this issue is misleading, disparaging and adversarial.

As a Christian right now, the social pressure and indeed manipulation to either say nothing, or say what your audience expects is quite overwhelming. I have people share with me how they are afraid to say anything at all, even to their Christian friends. If your personal view leans toward the ‘yes’ vote, you can expect more than a few fellow Christians to be horrified and you may be called a 'liberal.' But if your view leans toward the ‘no’ vote, you can anticipate being branded as just another homophobic Christian! Or worse, it could be a career limiting move because your employer can't accept your personal convictions. So as a result, many people end up adopting the socially correct line—or saying nothing at all.

I wonder if there is a silent majority of people both Christian and not, who say nothing because the response either way will be well, critical to say the least (and sometimes shades of totalitarian Kim Jong-un).

But then again, perhaps this is just a taste of what LGBTI people have felt from sectors of the Christian community for decades. Perhaps condemning words, moral superiority and unmetered insensitivity has been an exponentially greater sin. Perhaps, in terms of the popular opinion of Australian society, we in the church are reaping what we’ve sown—the stigmatiser has become the stigma now—the labeller has attracted its own labels.

I find it quite sobering that a major reason why same sex couples and families didn't want a plebiscite in any form was because of the expectation that the ‘no’ vote (aka the church) would be promoting more hatred and bigotry. Hatred and bigotry from the people who are supposed to be known by their love! Some believe that the psychological harm argument is just a very clever piece of propaganda, but given the LGBTI community have the highest rates of suicide in the country, I think this concern is something important and to be considered. If there are people in our community who are clearly in pain, our response should be protective and compassionate.

This matter of same sex marriage is an extremely personal one for many people on both sides of the fence. It is too simplistic to say that this is just about modifying the marriage act because we are asking the vast majority of the population to alter the worldview that has been handed down to them uncontested for well, a very, very long time. It’s a view that is deeply ingrained into their religious and cultural traditions and that needs to be acknowledged and respected rather than vilified.

Either way we all need to take a step back, moderate our language and genuinely listen to one another—remembering we are all more than the sum of our political, sexual or theological orientations. And if anyone should be taking the lead on that front—I’d hope it is the Australian Church of which I’m still proud to be a part of.

Is pluralism dead in Australia? I guess that depends what we all do next.

08 August 2017

There were tears at opening ceremony of the 2017 Garma Festival at Uluru last week as delegates mourned the sudden death of a great Australian - G Yunupingu, one of the most celebrated indigenous artists of our time. A person’s name or image is not used in Yolŋu custom after death so his people now refer to him as Gudjuk.

Gudjuk was a gifted musician with a hauntingly beautiful voice. He blended the indigenous language and culture of his people with the universal language of music, appearing on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine and performing on a world stage with fellow greats like Elton John and Sting. I didn't personally know Gudjuk, but I do personally know people who did—sharing life together on Elcho Island in north east Arnhem Land. So last week I asked them for a first-hand reflection on the man they knew, as I was particularly interested to hear about his spirituality and faith.

There were so many dimensions to this man—his musical brilliance; his bridging the cultural divide; his deepening spirituality and authentic faith as a Christian. And I wonder of the influences—the little church at Galiwinku, Elcho Island and the role of Christian hymns in his musical development; the remarkable Christian missionaries like those on Elcho Island who were champions of indigenous culture and language, investing their lives into the translation of the bible into indigenous dialects (rather than demanding our First People learn the white man’s tongue).

But what I find most striking is how Gudjuk saw his world and God. My contact who knew him and his mother like family, said to me ‘I think Gudjuk’s faith can be summed up in the words of his own song (History),’ - ‘I was born blind and I don’t know why, God knows why, because He loves me so'. Blind from birth, Gudjuk navigated life differently to the majority of us, and while his blindness may be classified as a disability, perhaps he saw the world in ways those with sight never can.

Gudjuk reminds me of a story in the bible in John Chapter 9 where Jesus also meets a man blind from birth. His disciples insensitively ask ‘Who sinned, this man or his parents that he was born blind?’ Their question reveals a world view still common to this day—that bad things happen to people because they are being punished (by God). Jesus quickly corrected them saying ‘neither this man nor his parents sinned, but this has happened so that the works of God might be displayed in his life.’

What does Jesus’ answer mean? Well it doesn't mean God made him blind to get the glory one day—that is an equally ugly interpretation. And if you follow that logic, then every natural disaster and every cancer cell might be somehow God-inspired, and if that is true, God may be powerful but he is not good. No, Jesus is saying that the premise of their question is wrong. As much as we can't help but form our questions of suffering around who’s to blame (who sinned) or the cause, they are questions that are largely without answer in this life. Just read the story of Job and you’ll get that message.

The question Jesus is answering is not about the ‘cause’, but the ‘effect’. If we can't know the cause of our suffering, what at least will be the effect of our suffering? What becomes of us in our diminishment, our loss, our pain? Do we become defined by what is wrong? Do we live as a victim, or sink into despair? Do our questions lead us to unbelief and bitterness?

Or, is there a way we can rise above what we don't have and use whatever we do have for good? Is there a chance that our intrinsic worth as people can be magnified even in our weakness and loss? Is it possible to find a life, even when there are parts of it that we’ve lost?

Gudjuk was blind, he didn't know why and neither do I. But his heart told him that the best answer was to find peace in that reality and remind himself that God loves him. And his response was to utilise what he could do, develop his musical giftedness, and gift it to the world.

What I’m about to say may make little sense apart from personal experience. But, whatever situation you find yourself in at the moment, in whatever questions that have gone unanswered, God knows you and he loves you—he even likes you!

Right now, in all the mess or grief of life there is one who not only showed that love on a cross and an empty tomb, but who goes on personally revealing the truth that God is for you. To know and experience this reality in a personal way is a profoundly liberating thing.

Here is a link to the clip of Gudjuk’s song ‘History’

Post script. Perhaps, like I, you've travelled around the world marvelling in the history of other cultures—the Romans; the Egyptians; the Chinese; the Thai. Did you know that the oldest continuous living culture on the earth today belongs here with our Indigenous Australians who carry a rich oral history in song, dance and custom that is older than the pyramids? Do you know anything about that history? I know I really take for granted the cultural treasure around us and perhaps it is time to honour and champion the ancient heritage we’ve inherited from the First Australians. I for one support a substantive and meaningful constitutional recognition of our Indigenous peoples. What do you think?

01 August 2017

My 7 year old son Curtis and I were standing at the crossing beneath that iconic arched Surfers Paradise sign on the Gold Coast last week. We'd just devoured 2 chocolate donuts by the beach and were heading back to the hotel. Holding Curtis’ sticky hand, we waited at the crossing for the lights to change. Two ladies wearing skimpy gold bikinis, cowboy hats, boots and Surfers Paradise sashes were welcoming passers by with their ultra white smiles. I didn't know where to look! A few meters away stood a cluster of women wearing dark Burqas revealing just their eyes - it was the starkest of contrasts. And stationed right in the thick of it by the crossing was a man, bible in hand shouting at us all something about abominations, homosexuals, fornicators and repenting. This was one of those bizarre moments where world views collide in a spectacular way and you realise what a privilege it is to live in Australia.

But the atmosphere at the crossing was dominated by the stern voice of the street evangelist. I felt like I was in trouble and I reckon everyone at the lights in that moment became people of prayer — we were all were praying the lights would change!

And as I stood there holding my son’s hand for what seemed an age, my sense of internal agitation continued to grow as I thought to myself ‘Oh would you please shut up!' Suddenly Curtis turned to me with a startled look on his face — I realised that my mouth must have been attached to that thought after all. Slightly embarrassed, I apologised to him — and mercifully the lights changed.

But just a few meters further along the esplanade appeared an elderly couple motionless under the shade of a Yucca Tree . They had erected an A-frame and with brochures in hand about something to do with creation, they stood like statues waiting in an awkward silence for someone to stray a little too close to their side of the pavement. It was like I'd walked into an evangelistic mine field. Again, all I could think was how quickly could we walk and how far away these people were from a truly meaningful engagement with the people passing by, myself included.

Now on reflection, I suspect that that these people are genuinely nice people. They are taking seriously Jesus’ explicit call on all his followers to share the gospel (something the majority of Christians balk at). I applaud their boldness, their obedience and their willingness to be uncomfortable for the sake of the gospel.

But my hunch is that this abrasive and invasive style of communication does more harm than good. If it turns off fellow Christians (like me), how much more does it turn off those already cold to Christianity?

I’m also really passionate about talking with people about Jesus and there are plenty of opportunities to do so each week. Even as I write this I’ve just been sitting next to an older lady in a cafe. As she sipped her green tea and read her Kindle we found ourselves both drawn to the TV on the wall watching Whitney Houston’s video clip of “I will always love you” (remember The Bodyguard with Kevin Costner?). My book and her Kindle seemed less interesting than this cheesy clip because something deeper was happening than just an old memory of a schmaltzy film from the 90’s. For just a moment we both were thinking the same thing — this beautiful virtuoso was actually dead. Her life away from the cameras a prison of addiction and substance abuse and self-loathing. After it ended I voiced that thought, and this stranger and I lamented together on the tragedy of her death and the fragility of life. We both had to leave, but with a little more time this point of connection could have easily developed into a conversation about Jesus that was totally natural and unforced.

People don't want to be shouted at or preyed upon, but they do want connection and I think the vast majority of people want to talk about meaningful things when they have the time and feel safe. And from my experience, there is something very gratifying in fostering those simple, unthreatening yet meaningful conversations with people that sometimes lead nowhere, and sometimes everywhere.

If you’d like to make more intentional yet unforced connections with people about the deeper stuff of life here are a few discoveries I've made along the way that can transform your capacity to connect with the people around you:

Be present. Being physically and emotionally present for the people around you is a mindset. In public spaces (like the cafe you frequent) tear yourself away from that screen, look up, make eye contact, smile, say hello and ask people how their day is. Without a posture of being present, you can be in a crowded room all by yourself.
Be curious. If you strike up a conversation, don't make it all about you. Being curious about life and how someone else is experiencing it builds connection. You may be the only person that has spoken to them in ages and letting them speak is a great gift to them. I’m constantly surprised what people will disclose after just a few minutes connecting. People like to talk about themselves, so let them.
Be relaxed. Your only agenda should be to leave someone feeling encouraged. Remember, people aren't simply ‘souls to win,’ they are simply people to be loved. If you are all tense about connecting with people (or nailing the four spiritual laws), they will pick up on it and become tense too.
Be safe. One reason why people don't talk to strangers may stem from being told not to in childhood. So fear cripples us from living out some of the most basic instructions of Jesus. Yes, be wise in who you will connect with. Don’t place yourself in an unsafe situation. But also remember you need to be a safe person. This looks like always leaving the other person with the balance of power, not forcing the conversation or moving faster than they want. When they need to go, let them.

God really likes that person in front of you. Your privilege is to reveal it.

11 July 2017

Growing up, 'radical' was a word that described something that was really good. But these days well, it's not so cool. Now, if you are 'radical' you are probably being watched by the Federal police.

Recently, a 22 year old from Panania was arrested at Sydney airport aparently trying to fly to Syria to join ISIL. His contact with Islamic extremism was allegedly on line. DIY radicalisation is just a click away. A few years ago a Muslim from Parramatta was also radicalised by locals in his community. He was provided a pistol with which he shot and killed a Police force accountant named Curtis Chang. He was 15 years old.

Now this kind of behaviour is not representative of the vast majority of Muslims who love their children and want to live in peace. But it clearly is for a very small number who attract impressionable people indoctrinating them with an ideology that offers meaning, purpose and a twisted kind of redemption. We once found consolation in thought that this only happened overseas in an atmosphere of poverty, ignorance and abuse. But now, terrorists are home-grown.

The global cost of this wave of extremism is staggering. Up to 20,000 people have been directly killed by terrorism in the past 15 years and hundreds of thousands of people have been casualties of war. According to the UNHCR, the war-ravaged nations of Syria, Afghanistan and Somalia produce half the world’s refugees – 8.7million people have been forced to flee their country and a further 6.6 million in Syria are internally displaced.

In the last few days there have been celebrations in Iraq that the battle for Mosul is finally over. But since 2014, hundreds of thousands of Christians were forced from the city and the Biblical Nineveh Plain, abandoning their farmlands, villages, and towns for refuge in northern Kurdistan—or beyond Iraq’s borders. Most of their homes ransacked and set alight. Some of the most ancient Christian communities are for the first time in almost 2000 years, non-existent. It's all so very sad.

So is fundamentalism the problem? Is it wrong to be a radical?
I think that all depends what your fundamentals are and what you are radical about!

If your fundamentals are intolerance and the use of violent power to control others, then yes, fundamentalism is a problem. If your radicalised life leads you to take your weapon of choice and massacre innocent people because you disagree with them, the yes, your radical life is a problem.

But if your fundamental is loving people in tangible acts of kindness and treating all people with dignity and respect regardless of your differences. And if your radical life is one of humility, serving, generosity, and compassion - then I'm all for radicalised fundamentalism. The radical fundamental of Jesus and the early church was LOVE. Jesus' teaching on love remains unparalleled across history. But better still, it's the life He, and his followers demonstrably lived. Jesus said,

“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” (John 13:34-35)

Today, for those who are pursuing Jesus, our radical fundamental must remain centred on an ethic of love - if we are to reveal authentic Christianity. But words alone aren't enough. Love is a verb. Love is a life laid down in tangible acts kindness, a generous offering to those around us. It is as we genuinely love one another our world will know that we are disciples of Jesus.

And that is one radical life.

03 July 2017

This week, for a change, I want to share with you a link to a recent podcast presentation I gave on Contagious Hope at Georges River Life Church. Perhaps you’ve never set foot in a church and you wonder what they talk about? Well, here is an example.

Did you know that people who are forming their lives around the life and teaching of Jesus understand hope in a specific way?

Hope isn’t a warm sentiment, nor is it wishful thinking. No, this hope is a confident expectancy of good coming because God is always good. Christian hope has its foundation in the character and the work of God as displayed in the resurrected Jesus. Hope derives from foundational truths in the bible that God is good, God is present, God is redeeming my life and my circumstances, working all things together for good. And even death is no cause for hopelessness because death itself is redefined through the resurrection life of Jesus.

We all need hope and when a person loses all hope they often drift into survival mode or worse still, lose the will to live altogether. If that’s you or someone you know, perhaps this message can shine a ray of light into that darkness.

I hope this message on hope brings fresh hope to you or those you are journeying with!

Click HERE for the link to GRLC Lifewords podcasts in iTunes and listen to the podcast titled 'Contagious Hope.'

27 June 2017

For a couple of weeks, I’ve talked about how our beliefs form (see A brief history of continual change and Fixed and Flexible Thinking). So how do you decide what your non-negotiable beliefs are? How do you form the doctrines and opinions of your life? Our beliefs never form in a vacuum. We are all ‘living under the influence’ of other voices. Here are three loud ones:

1. Your Worldview — Spiritual or Secular
Your worldview will fundamentally shape your beliefs. A purely Secular worldview is shaped by the assertion that there is no God and the material world is the only reality. In this view, morality is shaped by reason, and people can be fulfilled in life by meeting their material needs.

A Christian worldview sees life as much more than the material. It will regard the bible as, at a minimum, instructive in many matters and prescriptive in some. It will anticipate that we can relate with God through prayer, be shaped in our values, and be guided by God in all the decisions of life.

2. Your Backgrounds and Biases
Our beliefs are fundamentally shaped, for better or worse, by our interactions with significant others in our lives. From the influence of our parents or peers, to the influence of the radio program we always listen to; we are living under the influence of other people. These people write part of our story and shape our core convictions.

Our background experiences eventually form biases in our thinking. I remember as a youngster being taught lawn bowls by my late grandmother, Ruby. I couldn’t understand why that ball kept rolling to the same corner of the green ‘til she described what a bias was. The ball is weighted on one side so that every time you roll it, it will curve the same way. Similarly, our biases cause us to lean in a direction, and gravitate toward the same conclusions, unfortunately blinkering us from the alternative view. We all have biases. Can you think what some of yours might be?

3. Your Proximity — Distant or Close, Abstract or Personal
When we are personally involved, we understand at a different level. In 1989 there was an earthquake in Newcastle. If you were in Sydney it was an odd momentary rumble, but if you were in Newcastle the experience was vastly different. For some, the ‘issue’ seems right under them and it's an intense experience, and for others the issue seems distant and almost a non-event.

A lack of personal experience creates beliefs built around the abstract, but personal experience produces another kind of truth. I’m speaking of experiences such as surviving cancer; having a son who is gay; being a refugee; losing a daughter from suicide; having a child with an addiction; living with a spouse with mental illness etc. Our opinions are always shaped by our experiences, and when we believe only from the abstract, we often dehumanize the person behind the issue and save ourselves from needing to show compassion or empathy.

And that last sentence is really what sparked much of my writing on beliefs lately. I am increasingly noticing in the Church, politics, the media (and social media) what appears to be the flourishing of lop-sided, ardent viewpoints and fierce reactions on a whole range of current issues. I’m equally disturbed by secular, Christian, Islamic, conservative and liberal voices that zealously defend their blinkered views, expressed dogmatically, thin on empathy, bereft of grace. There seems to be a collective forgetting that we are not ever really just talking about ideas, but real people who equally have a back story to their beliefs.

We do need to have firm beliefs that can be freely and clearly expressed. But for goodness sake, may we also know why we believe them and acknowledge that we are all seriously ‘under the influence.’ Perhaps we are an echo of our favourite radio shock-jock, a product of our parents or world view, or an extension of our limited experiences.

And if we have come that far as to honestly understand ourselves and the people on the other side of the issue, then our final task is to express it in a way that doesn’t forget to honour, and creates a conversation rather than shuts one down. That’s my hope anyway.

If nothing else, I’m just reminding myself here that this is how Jesus lived and I’d do well to take his lead.

What do you think? Why?

19 June 2017

I got a letter the other day announcing the NBN has come to my street and for a fleeting moment I felt like I'd won the lottery (or at least a meat raffle). Even though I'm definitely a social media introvert, the internet has clearly reshaped my life and I suspect yours too. For example, did you grow up with a set of Encyclopaedia Britannica? We had a set proudly displayed on bowing bookshelves groaning under the the weight of all that glossy paper. Sadly, Encyclopaedia Britannica stopped publishing in 2012 after 244 years! It wasn't that people stopped wanting information, but now we want it all, anywhere and immediately.

The Internet is arguably the most significant social and technological innovation of our time. It is equivalent to the invention of the Gutenberg press of the 15century (apparently the Chinese invented it 200 years earlier), and the Roman road of the first century.

But here is my concern. In a recent Australian study by the RUOK foundation it was found that Australians spent an average of 46 hours a week in their downtime (i.e. not at work) looking at a screen, but just six hours with family and friends. Half of respondents spent two hours or less, which equates to eight times as many hours per week looking at screens and plugged into the net than with loved ones.

Is it just me or do you see a problem here too? Screens join us on the toilet (ok that was a confession), and for some, walking the dog, riding the train, at our kid’s sport or even around the dinner table. It's like we've become a nation of tech zombies, fascinated with our little screens, convinced we are somehow more connected, informed and better off. Are we really?

And do I also need a high tech watch to broadcast even more trivial information which further distracts me from my 'Face time' with those I love? Do we really want to give more attention to our screens than our loved ones? And what are we modelling for our children?

I'm writing this partly because this is me! And yes, I do see the irony in writing this admonition on one of those screens, knowing you will read it on one of those screens.

But every so often we all need to step back, look at or behaviours and gain a fresh perspective on how we use our time and our technology, especially when around people...which is just about everywhere.

You may recall last year, one of Elon Musk's rockets blew up on the launchpad at Cape Canaveral. No one was hurt but it did destroy a satellite commissioned by Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg to connect millions of sub-Saharan Africans to the Internet. After all, they need Facebook too! I'm all for Africa having the Internet. But if they end up spending 46 hours a week on Facebook, downloading the ills of western culture and other useless information, I fear that for many, the great blessing of a Mark Zuckerberg satellite hovering over their heads could become a slow, irreversible social and cultural tragedy.

What do you think?
Maybe its time to close the lid, turn off the phone and go find someone to talk to?

Here is how I'm praying about this. Maybe you'd like to join me:

Jesus, thank you that I'm alive today in the 21st Century! You've placed before me a world of immense opportunity and resources that can be used for great good. Amid all the distractions, help me to keep my focus on you. And give me the heart to make an even greater investment of my attention and time into the people you ask me to walk with.

11 June 2017

I sat up in bed the other night and watched the whole three hour long 'One Love Manchester’ concert. It was a heartfelt response to the terror attack at the Ariana Grande concert a fortnight earlier. For me, the wonderful irony of this star-studded event was that 50,000 tear-stained faces gathered together in a collective expression of their own, new kind of faith (faith in love, faith in god and some kind of redemption), to stand in defiance of terrorists motivated by a perversion of an old kind of faith.

From Coldplay singing songs about broken longing and rescue (Fix You) to Robby Williams breaking down as he looks to heaven singing about angels, to the Black Eyed Peas singing 'father, father, father help us we need some guidance from above' (Where is the love). This was an event dripping with longing for something that transcends our pain and helplessness. I find funerals often carry that same atmosphere of tempered invincibility and tentative hope.

So as much as we love to hate religion these days, in the face of grave injustice and loss, people rarely turn to atheism for inspiration and hope. No, we are strangely drawn back to that transcendent itch, that whisper under all our angst and bravado for something beyond us, perhaps even someone to call God.

But who or what is that anymore?

It felt like there was a grasping for language to put around this longing — Justin Bieber calling the masses to keep chanting ‘love’, then Katy Perry pleading with them to look at each other and say ‘I love you’. And in all the talk about love, no one was really saying what love is or where it comes from. Did the ecstatic crowd think they were feeling the love when Bieber took the stage?

One love! Which love?

If only they had rolled out Foreigner to sing their 1984 classic ‘I want to know what love is,’ perhaps we could have had a moment of clarity! How do we know what love is? As I watched this quasi-worship service, I dreamt “If only Bono would come out on stage now and say: ‘People, all this talk of love – let me tell you that real love’s source is God and he perfectly and personally reveals it in Jesus.’” Alas, even Bono let me down.

Just a few days after the Manchester attack, Australian Nurse Kirsty Boden was killed after running into the storm of suffering to help the wounded on London Bridge. Now that is love.

But in this age of awkward hesitancy to hang our spiritual hat on anything old or orthodox, the greatest, most inspiring modern stories of love still point us back to that world shaping love story of Jesus, God in in the flesh, stepping into our brokenness, running into the storm of our suffering and loving us to the point of the ultimate sacrifice. In death, defining what love is, and then in resurrection, revealing the extent of his power to overcome and redeem even the worst of what this world can do.

And even though a growing portion of Australian society doesn’t want to be identified with religious faith, I just wonder if intrinsically we already know that love is more than emotion or sentiment or biological response. No, the One Love that serves, sacrifices and even dies in another's place, that love is divine . . . and Jesus perfectly defines it.

05 June 2017

Last week I wrote of how changes in thinking can feel like an earthquake. Competing ideas rub against each other creating friction and movement, and like an earthquake, this can be destructive or constructive.

Today, many people who align their lives with biblical values experience the growing tension between their established orthodoxy and society’s general disregard of it. There was a time when Australian society was largely Christian in its worldview. Those days have long gone.

So how is anyone to know which challenges to their thinking are destructive and which are constructive? As a Christian, what change is faithful to the gospel, what is neutral and what change undermines the gospel? What should I hold firmly to, and to what should I hold loosely? Or perhaps a more basic question - do you think that what you believe really matters anyway?

If you answered yes, then do all beliefs have the same weight? I'd have to say NO. There certainly are some beliefs I am totally fixed on, but others, maybe not. But which is which?

I found Roger Olsen’s book, Mosaic of Christian Belief: Twenty Centuries of Unity in Diversity to be quite helpful in thinking through this question. Olsen distinguishes between three orders or levels of Christian truth; dogma, doctrine and opinion.

Olsen defines dogma as 'truths essential to Christianity itself; to deny them is to follow something other than Jesus.' Christian identity is at stake. Dogma is expressed in the foundation Paul laid in Corinth to keep Jews and Gentiles with all their differences together: 'Jesus Christ, his living, dying, rising, ascending, coming again.'

Olsen defines doctrine as a 'secondary category of teachings central to a particular tradition of Christians.' These can include some very significant matters that define entire traditions such as predestination or free will; how we understand the saving work of Jesus; the nature of church and the work of the Holy Spirit.

Lastly, Olsen defines opinion as 'matters of a speculative nature about which there is no consensus in the church.' These are matters where scholarly, Bible-believing Christians read the same passages and come to different conclusions. For example women in leadership or current issues around sexuality and same sex marriage.

But even my examples are a problem because one person’s opinion is another’s doctrine, is another’s dogma. Who is to decide?

From our own perspective, we see our dogmas and doctrines as fixed and any challenge or suggestion of change can create anxiety or tension. We can't imagine how someone doesn't passionately believe what we believe!

If our beliefs are fixed, we are prone to disengage from divergent thoughts and label them liberal, unbiblical or heretical. Yet I wonder how often we stop and genuinely listen to those views before we cast judgement? I wonder how often we invest the time and energy necessary to personally understand those who think differently? It seems easier to make a new denomination (or find a new church) than live in tension together. And that's the really unfortunate part.

I’ll bet that many of us will reach different conclusions on a whole array of 'opinions' and maybe even one or two 'doctrines.' The great challenge always before us is loving when we disagree and choosing the bond of unity without demanding the bond of uniformity.

We will disagree. But can we stay in relationship even in our disagreement? Now that is the supreme challenge! If we can, we reveal a truth greater than our arguments and a maturity rarely seen in the world today.

26 May 2017

Yesterday was National Sorry Day. Did you miss it? Such was the lack of publicity, I almost did. May 26th has for almost 20 years been the day when we remember and acknowledge the mistreatment of Australia’s first peoples since colonization.

I love that there are over 30 nationalities represented at Georges River Life Church – each bringing unique perspectives and stories. But I feel especially honoured to have at least three indigenous Australians in the mix. They to me represent something more than one more culture in the church because for some time I've wanted to personally connect with the people and the story of our land in a meaningful way. Now I can.

Let me give you three unflattering reasons why I’m thinking this way.

Firstly, I’m uninformed. When I went to school, Australian history began in the year 1788. I'm sure the school curriculum has changed now but back in the 80’s, ‘indigenous history’ was an oxymoron. Perhaps our first response is just to listen and learn and possibly, unlearn.

Secondly, I’m clueless. I realise that there is a massive chasm between my experience of the ‘lucky country’ and so many other people's experience. I am white, male, affluent, educated, employed, resourced and connected. What’s more I come from a relatively healthy and proud family unit that has been successful across several generations.

In other words, I don’t have a clue what it is like to be black, poor, uneducated, unemployed, under resourced and disconnected. What’s more I don’t have generations of shame, dislocation, communal disintegration, stigma and social stereotyping hanging over me. Perhaps our next response is to acknowledge the massive power differential, our natural biases and our ignorance.

Lastly, I’m implicated. Some people get hung up about saying ‘sorry’ for the sins of others. And to some extent fair enough. I wasn’t personally involved in the forced removal of children nor the inhumane assimilation practices. But in spite of all of its good work, the church in Australia was clearly involved. And I’m a part of that church today so I think I have a responsibility to not only acknowledge the past but ensure it’s not repeated.

But more so, I conclude that in some meaningful way, I (we) need to engage our hearts and energies in bringing a greater reconciliation and healing. ‘Agents of reconciliation’ is after all the job description of Jesus’ followers, so it seems appropriate to me that we should at least not be silent or ignorant, and ideally be leading the way in healing…. somehow.

If sorry can build bridges to a better future for all Australians - then I am sorry.

22 May 2017

The ground looks fixed, but it's actually moving. Sitting in the doctor's waiting room other week, I read an article in a well-thumbed science magazine. It was about the outer crust of the earth being comprised of 7 or 8 huge tectonic plates which move toward or away from each other by around 100mm a year. That's pretty slow, but nonetheless, we are all on shifting ground and sometimes it feels like an earthquake...because it is.

For a few thousand years Christianity has been moving too. Our understanding of God as revealed in the Bible has been, for centuries, hammered out on the anvil of people believing in Jesus, yet thinking differently. It is easy to take their hard fought battles for granted.

From the beginning, Christianity was a movement discovering how to hold in tension its tectonic Judaic foundation with the radical teaching of its founder Jesus and the Apostles. Early in Acts we see the first great shift, with the followers of Jesus forming a community that challenged the social norms of gender, race and slavery within Jewish society. Then Peter receives that unimaginable revelation of the gospel being open to Gentiles. And by the mid first century, the Council of Jerusalem endorsed Paul to take the gospel to Gentiles - mostly detached from Jewish custom and ceremony. These were not minor tremors, they were a 9 on the Richter scale!

For the next few hundred years the church endured turbulent councils and conflicts around core dogma. The church of the East split from Rome, and for the next thousand years, both shifted slowly away from their origins. Europe became a dark place, exemplified by the inquisitions of Spain and Rome established to enforce its version orthodoxy by exterminating dissenters.

But an earthquake on a fault line is just a matter of time.

500 years ago in 1517 Martin Luther nailed his 95 theses to the door of Wittenberg sparking a theological revolution. From the selling of indulgences, insisting that the Pope had no authority over purgatory and the Catholic doctrine of the merits of the saints, Luther demanded many beliefs had no biblical foundation.

The reformation was a return to the foundations of Scripture as sole authority (sola scriptura) and faith as sole basis for righteousness (sola fide). After the reformation, the rate of change accelerated with the expansion of Protestant thought and its denominational expressions.

In the modern era we've witnessed shifts in the church on many matters - the abolition of slavery; apartheid; women in leadership; creation and evolution; Sabbath keeping; contraception; divorce and remarriage; consuming alcohol; medical ethics; worship; dress codes and yes, even dancing! All of which were biblically justified and biblically contested by intelligent, scholarly Christians.

My point today is that our beliefs are not always as immovable as we would like to believe. If history is any guide, constant change is inevitable and we won’t all see eye to eye. From the beginning the church has been wrestling with its thinking and every generation has theological and moral earthquakes to respond to.

What are the earthquakes of our time?

Would you say you are fixed in your thinking on most issues?

Do you tend to shut down or become agitated when something you believe is challenged?

Is it all just too hard and not worth thinking about at all?

Our lives and behaviors are formed from thousands of beliefs, some conscious, and many unconscious. So if you are an echo of your beliefs I wonder how important it is then to know what you believe and why you believe it. Let’s explore that further next time.

15 May 2017

Airports are strange places. Everyone is waiting to go somewhere and there is an air of excitement and hope as they await their destination. And in the waiting, people eat or go shopping for overpriced designer stuff. Duty free - yeah right!

A 7 hour stop over alone in one of the world's most boring airports last year got me thinking about the second coming of Jesus. Actually it was top of mind because this had been the subject of several recent conversations. So while I contemplated a day in transit I decided to gather a few thoughts of my own on this often confusing subject. And in writing this I'm aware that this is perhaps a topic that for you, may seem way outside the grid of how you think about the future. So if you are just exploring Christianity, I hope this may be a helpful piece of the puzzle.

In my experience, Christians generally fall into one of two categories on the subject of the return of Jesus and the end of this age. Some people just love it and really want you to be equally as passionate. And other people unfortunately don't ever give it a thought. Personally, I think this topic needs to sit somewhere between ignorance and obsessive. Both extremes concern me a bit. For those who ignore it they are missing a major biblical theme. So let's be clear here - the return of Jesus is a foundational promise in scripture. The New Testament is unambiguous that Jesus will return, we are in the last days and that we need to live ready.

Just where we are in the 'last days' is the part that is open to much opinion and the place where my moderating tendencies seem to always kick in. For those who are passionate about the topic, they have a heightened sensitivity to patterns, developments and "signs" of the times. They may view many things presently happening in our world and conclude it is clearly very soon. I really value the way these people have an alertness to the current events of our world and deeply value the scriptures. I want to celebrate these people for their attitude and engagement.

However, some of my hesitancy is in the thinking that 'things are getting worse, therefore it must be any time now because could it really get any worse than it is?' I know that's a big generalisation. But so too is the view that things are getting worse. I'm really not convinced that the 21st century is more evil than the 20th century. And while the scale might be less in the preceding centuries before the 20th century, evil has been rampant since the beginning. We just hear about it a lot more thanks to the media. In fact, the ability we have to Google and YouTube every theory and unconfirmed news story perhaps feeds our awareness in ways no generation before ever could. And yet, evil is always evil and sin is always sin.

I personally have not drawn many definitive conclusions in this area of theology though I choose to remain open and listen to others' viewpoints. I do however have some interpretive principles that guide me in my thinking, which I submit to you for consideration:

I think a healthy view of the end times will produce expectation not apathy, social engagement not disengagement and energise hope in people, not fear.
I think a healthy view of end times will never dishonour or demonise people, nor would it allow us to assume the role of judge, something not delegated to us.
Lastly, a healthy view of end times will not make the darkness more powerful than the light. The Kingdom of God is an unshakable kingdom that can always bring transformation and light, overcoming anything hell can throw at it. As Lee Ripken put it, 'evil has never stopped doing what evil does, but God has never stopped doing what God does.'

I'm not anti 'end times.' I think that, just like those in transit at the airport, there should be a general sense of anticipation and hope in the people of God concerning what (who) is coming. The imminent return of Jesus awakens us to live with a sense of alertness, urgency, expectancy and hope.

08 May 2017

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” John 16:33

Jesus was emphatic, 'In this world you will have trouble.' He spoke these words in the context of believers being persecuted on account of him. However, trouble takes all sorts of forms — from that nagging ache that turns into something serious, to that relational struggle with a colleague or family member, to that court summons, or the remodelling of the rear of your car. And so trouble is both the stuff of life and the outcome of aligning our life and vision with Jesus Christ.

Life has a knack of creating new stresses and troubles that can leave us feeling overwhelmed. I regularly experience this both as a parent and also a leader in a giant family (our church) which is full of complex people and situations. This can feel like what I call, a 'stormtrooper life.'

What is a stormtrooper life? Well did you ever see a stormtrooper (in Star Wars) kicking back relaxing with a few stormtrooper buddies watching the game? No. Stormtroopers seem to just live in the battle. They live in the struggle.

Does your life feel like that sometimes?

If you read through the book of Acts — that earliest account of the church — you see that following Jesus is not an invitation to a peaceful or pleasurable life. Especially if you choose to live in a purposefully Jesus-shaped way. Jesus is not a lucky charm or a get out of jail card. You will have trouble on all sides. You will feel like you live in a battle. That might sound depressing, but it is not meant to be — because Jesus has a plan. His plan and promise is the intensification of His presence in our struggle — not the absence of the struggle.

Anticipating this, Jesus reminds his disciples, and us, that he offers lasting, authentic peace that enables us to navigate any trouble we face. This is illustrated in Acts 7, when Stephen is stoned to death by an angry mob. We read that his eyes were fixed on a glorious vision of Jesus while they snatched away his life.

How do you struggle with your trouble? God is always good and He never orchestrates evil, but he is not a divine puppeteer pulling all the right strings so that our lives never intersect with trouble. Life just doesn't work that way.

So, the question is not ‘Will you have trouble?’ but rather ‘Does trouble have you?’

If it does — if you are feeling overcome, paralysed, or defeated — be encouraged! Jesus is there, in the midst of it, wanting to intensify His presence in your life. He is mediating for you. Jesus promises that in him we can know peace, and that in him we can overcome. I pray that you experience this truth in every part of your life. May Jesus truly be your peace in the storm. We are the stormtroopers!

With everything I face today, Jesus be my peace.

When I don’t know what to do or say, Jesus be my peace.

Anchor my heart to the truth of your love and hold me in the storms.

Lift my gaze above the strife, remind me I am yours.

01 May 2017

Having a reputation in our culture is generally an unflattering phrase. Popstars and sportspeople come to mind for their flamboyant lifestyles, unruly behaviour and self-destructive tendencies. If you slip up once, people are generally forgiving, but keep it up and soon a reputation is born.

If a reputation describes what you are known for, have you ever asked yourself ‘What am I known for?’ Have you thought about how people might describe you or how they may experience you? And if you are a part of a church, how do you think the wider community would describe you and your church?

At the start of his letter to the Colossians, Paul has a real sense of elation at this young church’s growing reputation. He writes:

We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, because we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love you have for all God’s people — the faith and love that spring from the hope stored up for you in heaven and about which you have already heard in the true message of the gospel that has come to you. Colossians 1.3-6

These Colossians were known for great faith and sincere love. What a report card!

Notice also that those three eternals; faith, hope and love, are present in their reputation. And lastly notice that faith and love actually spring from hope.

Now hope isn’t wishful thinking, rather, hope is a confident anticipation of the future. Without hope, today can feel painful and tomorrow almost pointless. From the bible's perspective, hope originates in someone outside ourselves or our circumstances. Our hope as Paul says, is in the gospel, the beautiful news of Jesus. Of God with us and for us, now and forever. Our hope then confidently anticipates that no matter what we may face, we see someone greater before us making sense of our circumstances. That is, life with Jesus now and into eternity.

And thankfully, that hope is not stored in your brain, where it can be lost in your next crisis. No, that hope Paul says is held in the vault of His uncontested domain, beyond our wins and losses, beyond our trials and disappointments. So this kind of hope can’t be snatched away from you. This hope is, as Hebrews 6.19 says, ‘an anchor for the soul, firm and secure.’

Bringing these two thoughts together, if Jesus is who he said he is, and if he truly is alive — and if I own that revelation personally; daily immersing myself in the implications of this truth — then I suspect the natural outcome of my life would be a growing reputation of hope, faith and love.

I’d like that to be my reputation, but honestly, I know there is still a way to go for me. Nevertheless, God is continually inviting us to see and experience the greatness of the hope we have in Jesus — and to let that hope be the anchor for our mental, emotional and relational health.

How hope filled are you?
What anchors your soul?
What are you known for?

24 April 2017

America recently dropped a really big bomb on eastern Afghanistan and the media gave it almost as much attention as the rugby league gets every night. It was affectionately dubbed the 'mother of all bombs' (M.O.A.B) and was the largest conventional bomb ever developed. If there was a ‘father of all bombs’ title it would have to go to a nuclear missile ironically named ‘The Peacekeeper’. This missile was longer than a bus and could fly 10,000 km then deploy 10 individually targeted 300 kiloton warheads. Now if my math is correct that equates to the destructive force of about 150 of the atom bombs dropped on Japan in WW2. 'And hey. Why stop at just 1 'Peacekeeper', America built 114 of them!'

Mercifully they have now all been decommissioned - although they did recycle the warheads into smaller, less offensive nuclear missiles (whatever that means). I love the late Carl Sagan’s quote that ‘The nuclear arms race was like two sworn enemies standing waist deep in gasoline, one with three matches, the other with five.’ The stakes were, and still are apocalyptic in scale.

For as long as people have been fighting, men (lets be honest it's not women) have been feverishly perfecting the art of destruction, stockpiling our ‘peacekeepers’ and giving them ominous names so everyone else knows that you better not pick a fight with us. Even 2200 years ago Archimedes (another man) invented weapons named ‘The Scorpion’, ‘The Claw’ and ‘The Death Ray’ to fend off the Roman empire. And while we have not experienced anything like the horror of the major wars of the 20th Century for many decades, despite our apparent enlightenment and all our cleverness, war is ever present somewhere on earth.

Perhaps, as Ecclesiastes 3.8 says, there is ‘a time for war’ in the face of great evil. But war remains a futile and tragic manifestation of our deep brokenness which mostly fails to produce lasting peace. Martin Luther King Jr said it well when he said ‘Wars are poor chisels for carving out peaceful tomorrows.’

This Anzac day, we rightfully honour the brave men, women and their families across the wars who sacrificed everything for the freedom we have. We recognize that the life we enjoy came with a very high price, paid not by us, but for us. This, a shadow of the greatest sacrifice of Jesus, laying down His life for us, so we might all have life.

Is peace possible? Ultimately peace in our families, communities and among nations won’t be cultivated from the seeds of violence. A lasting peace that saturates all of life (shalom) grows in the soil of peace with God and peace within. It grows as we die to ourselves, as we lay down our agendas, egos and anxieties. It grows as we let Jesus be our Prince of Peace and greatest desire. The apostle Paul wrote ‘Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.’ (Philippians 4:6-7)

Where is peace absent from your life today?
What anxiety could you bring to Jesus, to exchange for His peace?

‘Peace I (Jesus) leave with you; my peace I give you.
I do not give to you as the world gives.
Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.’
(John 14:27)

16 April 2017

For years now we’ve been hearing about the ‘war on terror.’ Yet across the globe another war has been building momentum for decades with little public recognition - the war on Christianity. In the birthplace of Christianity, the middle east, persecution regularly manifests in the bombing of churches, ultimatums, executions, socioeconomic exclusion and exile. The Palm Sunday bombings in Egypt last week are yet another deadly example of this terrifying reality.

In the West, the war on Christianity is subtler but becoming less so. Sure, it seems petty compared to what Christians are facing in other places, but I do think we are becoming increasingly marginalised, misrepresented and silenced by secularism. And, to be fair, part of this is our fault for failing to protect children and cover up abuse in the church. And the waning affection for Christianity is also in part a reaction to our inability to communicate and demonstrate the timeless gospel in an ever changing social landscape. Perhaps the church in Australia is beginning to taste what was normal for disciples twenty centuries ago.

In light of this, I was surprised that I was surprised by the news this week of some public schools choosing to remove any reference to Easter in an effort to be sensitive and inclusive. Apparently, by using the word Easter, some people may be offended because it doesn’t represent all other religious traditions and celebrations happening at this time of the year.

Following that logic, if someone might be offended or feel excluded by another belief or tradition, we should ensure they feel included by redefining or removing the existing shared traditions, even if it may offend everyone who was included the first place. Now that makes sense! I can’t see how celebrating a core tenant of one belief system becomes an affront to every other belief system. Are we all that insecure? Is this not political correctness gone mad?

So it’s no longer an ‘Easter hat parade,’ it’s a ‘funny hat parade!’ Personally I don’t really care what they call the silly parade. I’d be quite happy to kill off everything that turns the grand story of God’s love and sacrifice into a novelty, a free day off and an eating binge. I'm not saying we all boycott chocolate this Easter, my kids would kill me. But remember that Easter is no more about hats and chocolate bunnies as Christmas is about Santa and Christmas trees. These (largely American) trimmings distract from the real message of Easter and Christmas turning something meaningful into something trivial.

Jesus did wear a hat of sorts, and he did march in a parade. Only his hat wasn’t adorned with fluffy chickens, freshly painted polystyrene eggs and springy multicolored pipe cleaners.

His head was covered in long thorns, a twisted garland of torture and mockery. He wore that crown in an agonizing march up a hill to the place where nails were driven into his limbs then he was hoisted naked up a recycled Roman cross for all to see. No proud mums posting their children’s catwalk creations. No laughter, no applause. Just a grieving mother in an atmosphere of shame and loathing and helplessness.

Perhaps the real reason why there is a war of sorts on Christianity, is because when we are exposed to the raw gospel, the gospel exposes us and beckons us to follow the way of cross-bearing, sacrifice and servanthood. And frankly, that’s not popular.

Knowing this, Jesus reassured his disciples, ‘Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven.’ (Matthew 5.11-12)

10 April 2017

Over the past fortnight I’ve been trying to read Ernest Becker’s 1974 Pulitzer prize winning novel, ‘The Denial of Death’ on kindle. It’s certainly not light reading and probably meant for someone with a much higher IQ than I’ll ever have, but I’ve persisted because it is so highly regarded as a book. Becker, an atheist, analyses the work of some of the great psychoanalysts of the past few centuries. What you discover is that many thinkers such as Søren Kierkegaard, Otto Rank and Becker himself acknowledge the universal longing for a transcendent ‘beyond’ (God), in which to find redemption and to surrender one’s life to. Rank would say that the ‘need for a truly religious ideology is inherent in human nature and its fulfilment is basic to any kind of social life.’ And in the absence of this spiritual narrative, people reach for the ‘next best thing to fulfill them’ which, as Becker admits, ‘at the same time limits and enslaves them.’

Powerful stuff, but what does all this mean? I think it means we are all longing to make sense of the story of our lives and understand how we fit in the universe. And when we lose that transcendent story of God, we lose part of ourselves and become a prisoner to all our God-substitutes.

In western history, Christianity was that redemptive story that provided a foundation for identity, morality and life. But with the rise of secularism and the retreat of Christianity, people are left without a God, without a redemptive story and without a common truth foundation on which to find meaning and orient their lives.

I wonder how that is working out for us?

I suspect that in spite of all our enlightened thought, all our technology and scientific genius, people today are actually more disoriented, depressed, conflicted and confused than ever before. Perhaps the ancient wisdom of Ecclesiastes is as true today as ever - we are prone to become lost in the pursuit of our God-substitutes which is simply ‘a chasing after the wind.’

In that classic U2 song from the 80’s, Bono tapped into the deep unsatisfied yearning in us all. He sang,

I have kissed honey lips, Felt the healing in her finger tips

It burned like fire, I was burning inside her.

I have spoke with the tongue of angels,

I have held the hand of a devil

It was warm in the night,

I was cold as a stone.

But I still haven’t found what I’m looking for.

I wonder, have you found what you are looking for?

This week we celebrate the death and resurrection of Jesus. This historical event changed the course of world history in more ways than I have space to list. But more so, the death and resurrection of Jesus changes the course of personal history, as it did for me many years ago and continues to do so today. What if, after all our searching and all our advances, we realise that the deepest longings of our life lead to a blood stained cross and to a king who takes your shame and exchanges it with forgiveness and freedom.

Jesus plainly said, ‘I am the way, the truth and the life’ and authenticates that claim with his resurrection. What if Jesus actually is what we have been looking for?

You broke the bonds

And you loosed the chains

Carried the cross of my shame

Oh my shame, you know I believe it.

(Lyrics: U2, Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For)

04 April 2017

Last week the Federal government’s proposed amendments to section 18C of the Racial Discrimination Act was defeated in the senate. The act made it illegal to ‘offend, insult, humiliate or intimidate’ anyone on the basis of race and the government wanted to change that wording to ‘harass and intimidate.’

What’s the difference you say? It seems the difference is in how you define racial discrimination. Is it a narrow definition around actions that clearly harass and intimidate people? Or is it broader to including any offensive thought expressed in public, like a cartoon, speech or newspaper column? The difference reveals the dilemma of how to create a society where people have protection from offensive, hateful words and equally, freedom to voice their own views. This is clearly complicated but I’d hope that we want both, yet recognize that no amount of legislation will guarantee either.

The 18C debate grabbed my attention because it reveals the growing diversity of our nation. A nation in which Christians are increasingly becoming a minority group. And this diversity produces, as philosopher John Rawls said ‘a plurality of conflicting conceptions of the meaning, value and purpose of human life.’ In other words, it’s really hard to get along when we all think so differently. Whether it’s over political, racial, religious or ethical issues, it feels like we are more fragmented and factionalised than ever. Am I being too dramatic? What do you think?

So what do we do with our long mental lists of differences? How do we champion peace amid the tension of pluralism? And how does faith become the instrument of peace rather than a path to division? Here are four thoughts that we all could apply in most of life’s situations.

1. Suspend your judgement
The philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau once said ‘It is impossible to live at peace with those we regard as damned.’ Jesus went further to say in Matthew 7, ‘Do not judge, or you too will be judged’. When we start with a conclusion about someone, we immediately close ourselves off from truly understanding them, and we take the place of God as their judge. So when judgement rises in us, pause and hold back on drawing conclusions.

2. See your plank
Jesus said, ‘Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?’ One of our greatest needs is to honestly evaluate our own thoughts and desires and recognize our own failings. When offence begins to rise, pause and think about your own errors and insecurities.

3. Stand in their shoes
Our narrow beliefs form behind what John Rawls called ‘the veil of ignorance.’ Jesus understood our world because he was a part of it rather than apart from it. We have a greater opportunity for peace when we enter into another person’s world and seek to understand the problem through their eyes. This is an antidote to ignorance and enables us to see the person, not just the problem.

4. Choose your Words
After we pause, look at our own world and consider theirs. Then we may be more able to speak to the person with a language and tone that defuses division and promotes peace. Jesus simply said ‘to love your enemies and pray for your persecutors.’ Love doesn’t mean I disregard my convictions, but it does mean I express them with humility and an appreciation of the other viewpoint. Only then, can we begin to build bridges over our differences and see each other as Jesus sees us all.

Who don’t you see eye to eye with?
How might you respond differently?

27 March 2017

In 2014 gunmen entered a small school in the village of Chibok in Northern Nigeria. The men were part of an Islamist group called Boko Haran, which roughly translates to ‘western education is forbidden.' That day, 276 girls were taken into captivity, many raped, married off and brainwashed. There are no happy endings to this story and today most of those girls still have not been recovered.

Stephen Davis, a negotiator and advisor to several Nigerian presidents was recently interviewed about his involvement in trying rescue the girls. It was a tragic discussion on their plight and I confess my first thought when hearing this story was how it would make a good illustration. And in that moment, I heard Jesus whisper, ‘where is your heart Scott, these girls aren’t some convenient illustration they are prisoners.’ How easily we forget the real lives behind the headlines.

I wonder if you’d pause with me a moment before reading on to think about those girls right now. Pray for them and their distraught families. Pray for their liberation and healing.

________________________

At the end of the interview Stephen’s last words were ‘When you rescue girls out of their captivity, a rescue is just the start. Then begins the long rehabilitation process.’

That’s not a bad description of what the bible calls discipleship. Discipleship begins in something like a rescue. Colossians 1:13-14 says ‘God rescued us from dead-end alleys and dark dungeons. He’s set us up in the kingdom of the Son he loves so much, the Son who got us out of the pit we were in, got rid of the sins we were doomed to keep repeating.’ (The Message Paraphrase)

But discipleship is much more than a rescue for some future heavenly state. No, Jesus’ greater ambition for our life is to look like him, flourish under his leadership and impact the world where you live. This part is considerably harder because there remains a lot of ‘dead-end alleys and dark dungeons’ in all our hearts. Or, as a good friend of mine said just the other day, we like to stay ‘stuck on the merry-go-round of stupid.’

I wonder, to what extent has the message and mission of Jesus been distorted and derailed over the centuries by an emaciated version of discipleship that starts and ends with a rescue, and disregards the ‘long rehabilitation process?’

Perhaps that’s why Jesus didn’t bypass the three years of training his disciples and just come for the cross. He would save them through the cross, but He made them before and after it. Jesus’ aim was not just to get them into heaven after they die but to increasingly think, feel and live like Him now.

There is an emerging truth in my life that is both old yet strangely fresh right now. Simply, to follow Jesus is to be a disciple. And to be a disciple is to become like Jesus in every way. To think, feel and live in the pattern of Jesus' life. There is nothing theoretical about discipleship.

It would only be a partial victory if the girls of Chibok were freed from their captivity and yet still lived in a prison of pain for the rest of their lives. Likewise, the gospel announces we can be released from our prisons and step into a new life with Jesus. But that rescue is just the beginning and ahead lies a lifelong adventure in growth toward thinking, feeling and living like Jesus.

Does your life feel anything like a prison right now? Who can you tell?

If you are a follower of Jesus, what does your discipleship look like at the moment?

Can you think of one or two specific things that Jesus is currently working with you on?

If not, why not?

21 March 2017

The Oxford dictionary’s word of the year has recently included pearls like selfie, emoji and post-truth. Somehow, I doubt the word sin has, or ever will make the list. If sin has a culinary equivalent, I think it would be the anchovy. Small, unattractive and overpowering. I don’t hear people use the word sin often and if I do, it’s usually a sour commentary or judgement on another person’s behaviour – and that’s really not fun.
What does it mean to sin? How do you feel about the word?

Sin is I think, much more than bad behaviour that misses God’s mark. It’s a power that causes people to become less. Less whole, less alive, less connected, less human.

When an angry mob threw a half-naked and trembling woman before Jesus on charges of adultery, Jesus’ direction to the crowd was that whoever had no sin could toss the first stone. I wonder what these angry men might have seen in that moment as they reluctantly looked into their hearts? What caused them to drop their stones of judgement from the oldest to the youngest? Perhaps the older men first saw the weight of a lifetime of secret lusts and failings? Perhaps they saw their own nakedness in the face of this terrified woman? Perhaps they realised that their self-righteous judgement was as destructive as the woman’s sexual sin?

Fact is, sin happens in everyone’s life. My problem with sin is that I excel at it.

Paul would write in his letter to the Romans, ‘all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.’ And he would write in 1 Timothy 1:15 ‘Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners of whom I am the worst.’ Paul isn’t just describing his former life, persecuting the first Christians. No, Paul sees his life as still flawed and in need of the transforming grace of God at every turn.

Paul also expressed this struggle between the old flesh life and the new life in his letter to the Romans. He’d celebrate that sin is no longer his master nor defines him, yet acknowledges that sin remains present and he has to choose between desires that flow from his old nature and desires that flow from the new. That lifelong re-forming process doesn’t remove our potential for sin, but it does enable us to live in a way that is more. More whole, more alive, more connected, more divine.

If our hope rested on being sin-free we’d all be hope-less. But true hope rests in God showing His scandalous kindness toward us in Jesus who came to save sinners like us, from sin like ours.

Sin lives on but it’s not what it used to be, so why make it what it was? Instead of sin being a battle we can’t win, now in Jesus, it’s a battle we can’t lose. So how do we deal with it?

500 years ago, Martin Luther wrote ‘all of life is repentance.’ If we would let our hearts and minds swell with Jesus’ life and love, and if we would daily confess our sin and turn from it, well I suspect Jesus' way could increasingly look and feel like the very best way to live. And in the process, we might find new capacity to love others without the bitter impulse of judgement.

God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation.

(2 Corinthians 5:19)