One of the greatest threats on Australian Culture in the next decade

*This article first appeared at Christiantoday.com.au

When unprecedented bushfires ravaged the Australian landscape, I didn’t expect what happened next. Social media went into meltdown. The Prime Minister was excommunicated for having a holiday and not showing ‘real leadership’ in a time of crisis. The Greens were lambasted for not allowing enough controlled burning. The gloves were out. We needed someone to blame. We were angry. We are frustrated.

One journalist called it, ‘The fires dividing the nation’.

Some shouted so loud about climate change, that I think extra carbon emissions were unintentionally spread into the atmosphere. On the other hand, others dug their heels in; they denied a link between climate change and bushfires. They wanted people to cut the Prime Minister some slack. Some felt their buttons pushed and went into defence mode, simply perpetuating their climate-denying rhetoric, but this time with irrational memes and a little added aggression than normal.

Wow.

Just wow.

I didn’t think 2020 would start like I was in the middle of a boxing match between the left and right of an opinionated Australia.

I wasn’t intending to even be in the ring, but it looks like I got a couple of left and right hooks to the cheek nonetheless.  

If Madonna wrote a song today

If Madonna re-wrote her 1984 classic, Material Girl, I think she would write, ‘We are living in a polarised world, and I am a polarised girl.’ While materialism, capitalism, communism and all those –isms still rock our society today, I can’t help but think, that within the next decade, above many other things, one of the greatest threats on Australian culture will be polarisation.

We are living in a polarised world. And I am a polarised man. The forces of polarisation are forcing me into a corner.

Pete, what’s your view on same-sex marriage?

Pete, what’s your thoughts about climate change?

Pete, do you watch the ABC, or do you have Sky News?

Pete, do you read Rubert Murdoch or Fairfax?

Are you AFL or NRL?

Are you Labor or Liberal? Or do you vote for a minor party? Tell me, tell me, tell me.

You cannot help but feel the forces of polarisation!

It’s everywhere

Glance beyond Australia and you hear the trade tensions between the United States and China. You hear about the possibility of a new Cold War emerging between Russia and the United States.  

You wake up one morning and you see Boris Johnson elected with a thumping majority, knowing he’ll finally, ‘Get Brexit Done!’ You wonder what world you now live in. This whole Brexit thing may be in full swing, but then the Scottish people will have their say. The Scots don’t want to leave the EU. And so the perpetual cycle of polarisation continues.

Take a look at the British Royal Family. Meghan and Harry announce their split from the Royals, and the Brits are more divided now than before the Brexit referendum. ‘They’re a bunch of spoilt brats!’ one keyboard warrior writes. 

I think someone wrote that under the pseudonym:‘The Queen’.   

Polarisation is everywhere. It divides. It can hurt. It separates. It corners people. It creates boxes of exclusion.

Moving on from polarisation

As I reflect on this global phenomenon, I am drawn to a different way of thinking. What if polarisation wasn’t the only way? What if we didn’t have to simply divide and conquer all the time?

Let me persuade you to move towards a view expressed in the Bible in 2 Corinthians chapter 5, verse 18, namely that Christ has given us a ministry of reconciliation.

That’s right: Reconciliation.

That’s huge. Let’s make reconciliation great again. That’s my new political slogan.

A move from polarisation to reconciliation is critical in this next season of our lives. When our first response is anger and disbelief, we take a deep breath.

We ask ourselves: How can I bring reconciliation into this discussion? How would I behave right now, if I was intent on reconciling the brokenness, rather than pressing buttons that ignite backlash? How would Jesus respond right now? What’s the best response that brings peace and love into this situation?

Reconciliation brings healing. And it’s worth the effort.

It was the vision of people like Martin Luther King Jr. He longed for reconciliation in a society that was racially divided. In his I have a Dream speech, he bellowed out, ‘I have a dream that one day in Alabama, with its vicious racists, with its governor having his lips dripping with the words of interposition and nullification, one day right there in Alabama little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers.’

Martin Luther King Jr.’s dream is still unrealised.

The call of God to work for peace in this world is still there for the taking.

One last word

Friends, we’re living in a polarised world. There’s no escaping that. And the polarisation existed well before fires raged across the Australian landscape.

I just hope we can all choose to have a little more patience and a little more grace as we aim to be ministers of reconciliation.

* Pete Brookshaw, along with his wife Jo, are the  Corps Officers (Senior Ministers) of The Salvation Army Craigieburn. He has a Bachelor of both Business and Theology and is passionate about the church being dynamic and effective in the world and creating communities of faith that are outward-focused, innovative, passionate about the lost and committed to societal change. He has been blogging since 2006 at http://www.petebrookshaw.com about leadership and faith and you can find him on:

Facebook: www.facebook.com/petebrookshaw

Twitter: www.twitter.com/petebrookshaw

Book Review - Australian Soul - Gary Bouma

Australian Soul (Religion and Spirituality in the 21st Century) – Gary Bouma (2006)

As Bouma unpacks cultural particularities of varying Christian expressions (:86-95), his bias clearly shows towards following orthodox traditional churches (e.g. Catholic, Anglican, etc). While he refrains from overtly expressing his opinion, he has an element of sarcasm and distain to Pentecostalism and ‘mega-churches’ to which he frequently refers. While at one point he mentions the growth of churches such as Hillsong, and those of a charismatic/Pentecostal nature, he then mentions later (: 206), that Religion and spirituality, ‘will take forms that are quieter, less charismatic and more towards to the low-temperature end of the scale of religious intensity than elsewhere’. The quote and his mentioned statistics do not correlate. Maybe his bias against emotionally laden churches vs. rational based churches is being shown; the latter being his preferred religious context. When mentioning having a memorial service, possibly outside of an Anglican Cathedral and rather in a mega-church, Bouma sarcastically writes, ‘Of course their facilities hold more people than most cathedrals, they have better sound systems and, what is more, they are more likely to have parking’ (:117-118).

 The author expresses opinions that are controversial within Christian circles. He seemingly alludes to the idea that, issues like same-sex marriages and homosexuality only fail to be acceptable because of the fundamentalism of the Christian church, and that we should let diversity reign. Bouma’s thesis appears to be, ‘If Christians were just more open-minded, there would be more room for freedom of expression of spirituality’.  He believes in diversity and that spirituality should bring hope. He mentions, ‘Some see the spread of Pentecostal Christianity and the renewed energy of Islam as signs of hope’ (: 204). It is difficult to gauge whether the author is supportive of this statement or passionately opposed to it. Does a pendulum swing towards freedom of expression, diversity, and an encouragement towards a spiritual smorgasboard of whatever suits YOU, the right way to go?  

From a literary stance, Bouma presents sound statistics and a well studied exposition on spirituality in Australia, though at times he makes assumptions, for example, ‘Few protestant Clergy are respected for their ability to make real a sense of the presence of God’ (: 100).  

He describes the downward spiral of Christianity in Australia in relation to attendance, moral values, etc. Bouma’s thesis is seemingly one of embracing this decline for the sake of religious diversity and people’s freedom of expression. So at times you are left agreeing with Bouma and interested by statistical data and other times disappointed and frustrated by liberal approaches to religious diversity and spirituality. All that being said Gary Bouma's Australian Soul (Religion and Spirituality in the 21st Century), is worth a read and will get you engaged and thinking.
 

Throw another snag on the barbie - Connecting with Aussies

Well, grab the snags out and chuck 'em on the barbie, it's time to have a look at Aussie culture. Let's check it out guys.


Imagine - I'm an Australian:

I'm content with the ordinary life - don't worry too much about this great Australian dream. I just want a house that's paid for, a couple of kids and the chance to go on a holiday every now and then. 

We're not big on people being in the spotlight 'too' much, but if there's a battler who has hit the limelight - that's ok with us. But Eddie McGuire - too much success - we don't like it. We're ordinary Aussies.

An average day - making breaky for the kids, bringing the bin in, taking the kids to work, checking facebook before we get into the priorities for the day. By 4:30pm there's an itching to get to the local pub, or get home and throw the spaghetti in the pot and watch a bit of MasterChef. We don't mind seeing a current affair show that nabs the dodgy carsalesman red-handed. We kiss the kids goodnight, update our twitter or Excel budget sheet, and find a quiet five minutes to relax with the missus before bed. We're content with life; while wishing it was a little less hectic, we appreciate selfishly that we don't live in Ethiopia. We head off to bed, wondering what life might be like in a different time, and a different place...

We Aussies don't think of religion much. We're frustrated when religion is thrust upon us, and we conjure up memories of what organised religion did to us in the past. We're happy to live each day as it comes, and hey, when the end comes, as long as I've enjoyed the ride. Just keep that religion out of everyday life... Don't, for goodness sake, let it affect my family and my time of rest. And what's with religion and politics always wanting to be so closely connected? That annoys the heck out of me. They can keep their organised religion.
___________________________________

What does the life of Jesus say to an Aussie culture? What about - how does the life of Jesus, and the culture of Australia impact how Christians should live (How do we do evangelism is an effective way)? Would Jesus say to the Australian Church, hey, why not drop your nets into the other side of the boat? Try to connect around the barbie instead of putting up barbed wire. Try socialising over a drink (even if its Lemon Squash) instead of merely sipping 'the' drink. Live out your Christianity among your mates. Stop compartmentalising your Sunday Church from your Tuesday movie. Be in the world, and connect with the people and the culture. Sure - don't be of the world, but don't have some conjured up fear about connecting with everyday Aussies. We all need Jesus. We all need the saving, powerful work of Jesus in our lives, and by golly gee wizz, Aussies need Jesus!

C'mon, turn the snags over, and flip the onions. It's time to have a chat about this Jesus bloke... "So you say he rose from the grave or something...?"


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Australian Catholic Priest Jailed for Sex Charges

Another Priest falls from public grace. An Australian Catholic Priest, has been sentenced to nearly 20 years jail for sexual abuse and sex attacks on 25 children. The abuse happened on boys in New South Wales between 1968 - 1986.

John Denham will serve a minimum of 13 years in jail. When you speak to the average Aussie about these kinds of things, you hear that 'There is no forgiveness' and 'This is why I hate organised religion,' 'We put our trust in these people'. I recall something of the words of Jesus about putting a millstone around someone's neck if they should ever let a young one be hurt or abused.

So what is the response from the Christian community? We cannot excuse the actions of this Catholic Priest. We cannot tiptoe around trying to protect the image of Christianity while all the more ignoring the covering up abuse and neglect. Conversely, to label all Priests/Ministers as pathetic, or dump ALL of religion down the gurgler because of the actions of this man, (and others) I believe is over the top. It does give you questions about hypocrisy in the Christian faith, sure. It raises questions about WHO Jesus was, and WHAT he would have done had he known about this situation.

In defence of the Christian faith (not in defence of this man), we may hear a story of a school teacher who has a sexual relationship with a student. The teacher is reprimanded with jail time, and the public are disgraced. The point I want to make is this: We do not then, up and leave the education system, and throw out education with the bath water and vow never to enter a school again. No. We are disgusted by the actions on this teacher, and we recognise there are many other teachers out there with integrity, passion and leadership, who make a great difference in the lives of young people.

Please feel free to comment - let out the frustrations! I tell you - I hate it. I hate how it wrecks young people's lives and how it damages families. I am annoyed by the image that is portrayed about who Jesus was and is, and how this one Catholic Priest breaks and steals away the reality of the nature of a loving and caring God who wants us all of his children to faithfully follow Jesus.

You'll find more at BBC News: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/world/asia_pacific/10485407.stm

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The Age: Australians not so sceptical about Jesus

Australians not so sceptical about Jesus, survey finds
Barney Zwartz - The Age - April 7, 2009

MORE than four in 10 Australians who don't consider themselves "born again" nevertheless believe Jesus rose from the dead, while one in 10 doesn't believe he even existed.
These are two of the surprising results from an independent survey of 2500 Australians, according to noted author and church historian John Dickson, co-director of the Centre for Public Christianity in Sydney.

The survey, to be released today, showed that 42 per cent of Australians believe Jesus had divine powers and 54 per cent believe he rose from the dead.

But even among those who do not identify as born again, 45 per cent believe in the resurrection. Dr Dickson said this certainly included agnostics and secularists because the total was far higher than the remaining Christians surveyed.

"We are staggered. We thought the survey would show the profound scepticism of Australians," he said.

"Instead it shows there is a base-level assumption among the Australian public that accepts the Jesus story even if it has no relevance to their lives."

He said the survey wanted to explore the understanding of non-churchgoers, so the results were produced from those who were non-religious, or from another religion, or who loosely identified with Christianity.

Other odd findings included that 31 per cent of Australians believe Jesus lived BC (that is, "before Christ", or before he was born) and that 57 per cent knew Easter was connected with the death of Jesus but a far higher 87 per cent of Australians knew it concerned the resurrection. What the missing 30 per cent thought the resurrection meant, if not rising from the dead, was not explored. Another 4 per cent confused Easter with Christmas (and Jesus' birth).

Reassuringly, 90 per cent of non-born-agains identified Jesus with Christianity rather than other religions, and 60 per cent knew his life was recorded in the New Testament.

Asked was Jesus a real figure, 11 per cent of non-born-agains said no, 39 per cent said yes but without divine powers, and 50 per cent said yes and he had divine powers.