How can we help?

As we hunker down in our warm cosy houses this winter, awaiting the latest episode of The Simpsons to start, with that delicious smell of dinner bubbling away on the stove, it may be easy to forget that somewhere out there, there are over 10 million refugees waiting to be settled (http://www.unhcr.org/pages/4a0174156.html). Some of them will be curled up in cardboard boxes, others may be snug as sardines (120 men in a building the size of a tennis court is pretty snug), with thousands more living in tent cities without any sort of plumbing, running water, electricity or even (shudder) the internet (which apparently is a human right these days: http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2386456,00.asp). According to another report from the Left, if we were to put them all in an orderly queue for resettlement, it could take up to 135 years to clear (http://www.greenleft.org.au/node/47533).

While on one hand we may think that sending asylum seekers to Malaysia (Amnesty International has more interesting things to say of the issue here: http://www.amnesty.org/en/news-and-updates/report/refugees-malaysia-arrested-abused-and-denied-right-work-2010-06-16) is a bad idea, on the other hand, we also have to be practical. How many Australia can take in? How much does it take to support a refugee in the country before they can stand on their own feet and join society? Where is that funding going to come from? It is interesting that there is lots of debate on what to do with refugees but not much about how many we can afford to help.

 As Christians, we should help as many as we can. God demands it (Exodus 22:21, Leviticus 19:33-34, Psalm 146:9) and Jesus Himself was a refugee (Matthew 2:13-16) so He knows what it’s like to flee to another country for fear of being killed.

While many people would say that Australia is no longer a Christian country, it is still a country where Christian values play a big part in most decision making and our expectations of behaviour. Compassion, charity, human dignity and value of life are all reasons why people have heard this is a good place to be. How can we help them in the best way possible?

Cruelty to animals: Christians say No!

Most Australians would have been horrified by scenes of how cattle were treated in a neighbouring country this week. And rightly so. No creature should be allowed to suffer or be tortured so needlessly and without second thought. Some questions may come to mind with regards to this incident. One is that all our meat actually (surprise!) comes from animals and that to enjoy that nice juicy hamburger, some poor beast had to die. What does the Bible say about cruelty to animals. Or eating meat even?

When God first created all things, humanity were told they could have, ‘every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it’ as food (Genesis 1:29). So originally meat wasn’t actually what God intended for our diet. We were made to be vegetarians! We then read that the first animal in the Bible dies when God has to make some clothes for Adam and Eve (Genesis 3:21). In fact when we read about animals in the Bible dying, it is usually (directly or indirectly) the result of rebellion against God. One of the reasons why this happens is because God wants to impress upon humanity how bad rebellion against Him is. We must never forget God’s original command in Genesis 2:15 that humanity was given the task and privilege of taking care of the earth.

So what is the deal with people eating meat then? God actually allows people to eat meat after the Great Flood (Genesis 9:3). The scriptures don’t really explain why, but those who continue reading the next two chapters will note how drastically the life span of humanity decreases afterwards.

While most people would be aware that the Royal Society of Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) does most of the work with regards to protecting all creatures, not as many might be aware that the society was founded by men who were known for their Christian faith. As Christians, we should be always aware that we are just stewards of creation and this is why we should take good care of the planet and everything on it.

Freedom for Chaos, Freedom for Order

According to that Great Fund of Assimilated Knowledge (a.k.a. Wikipedia) “Generally art is made with the intention of stimulating thoughts and emotions” (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Art). Very interesting. For this is also (we are quite sure) the intention of those who contribute to this august column. Pondering eternity is, after all generally helpful for spiritual development. Which makes one wonder if this article is also a work of art. One would like to think so but others might detect the faint stench of pretentiousness.

In any case, we turn to another (perceived) art form: pornography. Those watching this week’s edition of Q & A would have heard many views on this subject. For those who didn’t, the transcript is here: http://www.abc.net.au/tv/qanda/txt/s3218450.htm#questions. As most of the panel were writers, someone asked if authors had a responsibility to, “…contribute to the health and moral fabric of our society”. The answer given by Howard Jacobson (winner of the Man Booker prize 2010) was most interesting.

“I don’t actually believe in the health of society,” said Mr Jacobson. “The idea of our being healthy beings would only work if we believed in God- and I don’t know how many of us do anymore- that we were built in a particular way and we fell away from his high idea from (sic) us.” In other words, authors can’t contribute to the moral fabric of society because no one can really pin down what ‘morality’ is all about. Unless one is a God-believer of course. And we all know how unfashionable that is these days. Mr Jacobson is saying that the world is in a mess and admits that only those who subscribe to a view of God could have some sort of concept of an ordered society. For those set free from this superstitious idea of the Divine Being however, there is now freedom for chaos.

The Bible however teaches that God created order in the universe (Genesis 1). The ‘mess’ we see around us today is the result of rebellion against God but He will one day return to restore order (Revelation 21:1). And it is quite probable it won’t be in October (Matthew 24:36).

Eating at the Father’s Table

Many news junkies would have figured out by now that public displays of (sometimes misguided) religious zeal makes for pretty spectacular headlines. Take for example the clash between gay and lesbian rally participants and members of a church in Adelaide last week (http://www.news.com.au/national/gays-christians-clash-at-adelaide-protest-rally/story-e6frfkvr-1226055977537). How should a follower of Jesus respond?

For starters, God does not hate sinners. In fact the Bible is quite explicit in explaining that God loves sinners (Romans 5:8). And thank goodness He does. Maybe there are some people out there who have discovered how to stop being sinners. Good on them. They should write a book about it. The rest of us imperfect mortals on the other hand need to trust God gives us the grace to plod along the straight and narrow. And we Christians really need to be a bit more gracious to those who don’t know the house rules. After all, they’ve not even members of the family (yet).

All those who love Jesus and follow Him are like children of one Father sitting around the family dining table. Because we’re family, we all know the rules of the House and encourage one another to follow them. Our loving Father typically encourages us to invite our friends over to dinner, but because they are not members of our family (yet) we should not be surprised if they don’t know the House Rules and therefore not follow them. They may choose to eat with their hands and wipe their mouths on their sleeves or even spit the bones under the table. Those who aren’t family members aren’t obligated to follow the family rules. However, if these friends of ours decide they want to be adopted into the family (just like we were), then we need to sit with them and explain what the House Rules are like and the commitment we have to our Father and His Rules.

Those who do not belong to God are living according to their own rules (Isaiah 53:6). Maybe instead of yelling at them, we should encourage them to come eat more often at our table instead (Luke 1:77-79).

When the Enemy Stumbles

What a momentous week. Wills and Kate finally got married (and most of the world sighed collectively) and Osama bin Laden finally got found (and most of the world sighed collectively). Within moments of hearing about the demise of the Al-Qaeda chief, thousands gathered outside the White House and the streets of New York to celebrate. Congratulatory messages conveying thanks from various leaders of the Western world (Australia’s Julia included), were dispatched to Washington (interestingly enough, not so many from the Middle East) with words like “great relief”, “a great success” and “a victory for justice” (http://articles.latimes.com/2011/may/02/nation/la-na-allies-congratulate-20110501).  

For Christians though, it may not be a time to celebrate. Let’s take a look at some inconvenient verses in the Bible: Do not gloat when your enemy falls; when he stumbles, do not let your heart rejoice (Proverbs 24:17, NIV). Say to them, ‘As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that they turn from their ways and live (Ezekiel 33:11a, NIV). But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you (Matthew 5:44, NIV). The last one of course is all the more challenging as it comes from our Lord Jesus Christ Himself.

What makes all the celebration in the United States the more interesting of course is this quote from Martin Luther King, Jr. in his ‘Strength to Love’ speech of 1963, “Returning hate for hate multiplies hate, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that. Hate multiplies hate, violence multiplies violence, and toughness multiplies toughness in a descending spiral of destruction” (http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Martin_Luther_King,_Jr.). One would have hoped that the many American college students who were celebrating in the streets would have heard (or read) this at one point or another and pondered its meaning.

In any case, death is not something to be celebrated. Even that of someone evil. For it is not for us to judge. That job is reserved for a Higher Power (Romans 12:19).

Christian Leaders and Badly Timed Tweets

Sometime, somewhere last week, if you were a Christian, you may have heard about Jim Wallace from the Australian Christian Lobby (ACL). And his ANZAC day tweet (http://www.abc.net.au/lateline/content/2011/s3200102.htm). And maybe squirmed (or cheered) when you saw it.  There have been all sorts of emotional responses (and understandably so) to the rather puzzling statement, so what should Christians make of it?

Firstly we want to remember that we need to pray for our Christian Leaders. Many occasionally do silly things but we are all only human. A common fallacy that many have is Christians don’t make mistakes (because Christians aren’t allowed to sin anymore). But we do. And it is one thing to lead a group of 10 people in a Bible Study group, but to take up a position where you have to speak on behalf of thousands is a pretty tough gig. We all suffer from foot-in-mouth at one time or another (some more often than others) so divine grace and wisdom is something we should all pray for. And more so for those who take on the burden of leadership.

Secondly, we need to remember that Christian leaders do not necessarily speak on behalf of all Christians. In this case it was a personal view (the context of which Mr Wallace later explains here http://australianchristianlobby.org.au/2011/04/mr-acl-managing-director-clarifies-tweet-misrepresentation/). While many people consider themselves Christians, we need to be aware that the universal church is actually made up of quite a diverse bunch of people. And those on opposite sides of this spectrum can (and do) consider those on the different end (in moments of weakness of course) a bit loony sometimes.

Thirdly we need to remember that ANZAC day is about remembering the sacrifices made by those who went to war for the love of their country and because they thought it was the right thing to do. This is something we Christians should be familiar with. After all, Jesus died on the cross because God loved the world (John 3:16). And we need to remember that the whole world is made up of all sorts of people. Including the very sorts of people Mr Wallace tweeted about.

Justice and the Cross

This week, the Sydney Morning Herald highlighted an interesting story about insider trading and the injustice of it all (http://www.smh.com.au/business/rough-justice-when-asic-does-insider-trading-by-halves-20110417-1djpz.html). Insider trading is when someone who has access to privileged ‘insider information’ (which is not available to the general public) uses this advantage to buy (or sell) stocks or shares at a profit. This of course is unfair to everyone else who doesn’t have access to this ‘insider information’ which is why this practice is frowned upon. From the 23^rd of May, 2007 until June 2008, John Joseph Hartman sent ‘insider information’ to a childhood friend, Oliver Peter Curtis. Both made millions of dollars from this illegal communication. Interestingly, because of the complexity of the laws regarding this issue, Hartman will spend the next four years in jail while Curtis continues to enjoy the high life (he just bought a $6.6 million house).

When listening to a story like this, one naturally responds to the unfairness of it all by feeling anger at the injustice. How can this happen? Where is the justice? As creatures created in the image of God, there is probably a part of us which (like God) seeks justice in all things.

As Christians, we believe this is why Jesus had to die on the cross. The Bible teaches that all of humanity is flawed and we fail to meet God’s standards of goodness (Romans 3:23). Because we have all broken God’s laws at one time or another, we all deserve to be punished. On Good Friday, we remember that by dying on the cross, Jesus sacrificed Himself and paid the price for all of us who believe in Him. Just like the many ANZAC heroes of old, Jesus took a bullet which was meant for someone else.

The Bible describes living life according to our own rules as rebellion against God, basically an injustice against the Almighty who created us all and who we should worship and obey. By dying on the cross, Jesus corrected that injustice and all who come to God asking for forgiveness on the basis of Jesus’ sacrifice can now be made right with God again.