Hope We Can Believe In?

As part of the 2010 Sydney Festival, ABC Radio National hosted an event called Hope 2010: Crisis, Catharis, Renewal. Nine panelists were asked to talk about what they hope for in 2010. The Australian public were also able to "offer their hopes, fears and dreams for 2010."

Of interest to readers of hebel will be the contribution by Michael Spence. Dr Spence in the Vice Chancellor of Sydney University. He is also an ordained Anglican minister. I heard Dr Spence on Saturday night, and he said that his Hope 2010 speech was an opportunity for him to give 'account of the hope that is in you' (cf. 1 Peter 3.15).

You can listen to Dr Spence's address here.

Evolution, the Enlightenment, and Worldviews

From HERE.

Is God Killing the Uniting Church?

'What if God is killing the Uniting Church? Here is what Stanley Hauerwas told the congregation of Broadway United Methodist Church in South Bend, Indiana, in 1993:

“The plain truth is that Broadway survives as part of a larger church that is dying. Mainstream Protestantism in America is dying. Actually I prefer to put the matter in more positive terms: God is killing Protestantism and perhaps Christianity in America and we deserve it.”

Is God is killing the Uniting Church? Perhaps. Either way, its only alternatives are to continue indulging in the gratuitous “Church patriotism” that has blinded it to its plight thus far, and go on erecting stop-gap measures to stave off the inevitable; or it can embrace the fact that the Basis of Union has already placed the Church under the judgment of the Word of God with joyful repentance.'

This is what Scott Stephens, a pastor and theological educator in the Uniting Church in Australia, suggests in 'The lowest common denomination: a lament'. I don't know much about the UCA, but I do know a bit about the Anglican Church/Communion. And rather than boasting about that this would never happen to my denomination, I humbly pray that God preserve us.

Though with a scornful wonder
Men see her sore oppressed,
By schisms rent asunder,
By heresies distressed:
Yet saints their watch are keeping,
Their cry goes up, “How long?”
And soon the night of weeping
Shall be the morn of song!

Divining the Past: Dialogues between Christianity and history

A Call for Papers

Over at Faith and Place Meredith has launched a conference hosted by the Evangelical History Association:

"Divining the Past is a conference dedicated to the exploration of relationships between Christianity and History. How has the Christian tradition informed the theory and practice of history? How important is history to the belief and expression of Christianity? And how have Christian people, groups, movements, ideas and experiences been significant in past centuries? The conference aims to bring together a variety of perspectives on these questions. It is open to scholars associated with theological colleges as well as universities. Students doing original research in history are especially encouraged to participate.

The EHA invites proposals for papers on any aspect of the relationship between Christianity and History. We particularly welcome papers with an historiographical or theoretical focus, or that engage with the following topics:

• Religion and politics
• The church in society
• Evangelicalism in Australia
• Christianity in ancient history
• Christianity and universities
  

The program will feature a panel on the theoretical and methodological links between Christianity and the discipline of history.

Please send abstracts of no more than 250 words to Dr Meredith Lake - meredithelake[at]gmail[dot]com - by 31 March 2010."

Gen Y and the Failures of the Church

"Consider your own call, brothers and sisters:^* not many of you were wise by human standards, ^* not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, things that are not, to reduce to nothing things that are, so that no one might boast in the presence of God. He is the source of your life in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification and redemption, in order that, as it is written, ‘Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.’" 1 Corinthians 1.26-31^272829303"

At work this week, we spent some time thinking about how to reach how to reach Gen Y with the gospel (for the purposes of this post Gen Y is anyone born between 1980-1995). We want to reach this generation in an appropriate way. As I've mentioned elsewhere, there are three main issues that concern this postmodern (in practice if not in thought) generation: authenticity, community, justice.

These are three itches which I think the church can scratch. But before we get there, we need to remind ourselves that 'the Church' has a significant image problem with Gen Y. The image of the church that Gen Y knows is either something resembling Philip Pullman's Magisterium, or the daggy American evangelical straw man who sings kumbaya and has eight children. In the short lifetime of Gen Y, several major denominations have been caught up in significant scandals that became front page news in Australia and overseas. Beginning in the 1980's with the revelation that child abuse had been happening the church, Gen Y has been exposed to stories of Christian leaders marriage infidelities (or in the Roman church, headlines of Catholic priests and bishops fathering children), which was soon followed by stories of financial indiscretions. A new genre emerged that argues that the truth about Jesus and early Christianity had been covered up by the church. And faith increasingly mixed with politics, especially (but not exclusively) in America with the alliance between conservative Christians and the GOP.

In the 25 years of my life, the church has been presented as irrelevant, anti-intellectual, medieval, chauvinistic and homophobic. According to the new atheists, it is dangerous for you. It is increasingly portrayed in newspapers such as the SMH as being run by reactionary, self-interested grey-haired men. This is the image that the average non-Christian first year starting university this year will have in their mind.

How do you evangelize someone who thinks of Christianity like this? I'd be interested to hear your thoughts.

A Church Parable

Ok, so this has been out for a while (like a year), but I think it's worth posting here (some what belatedly).

Fast Facts About Sydney University #5

In contrast to Vet Science, the university faculty of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources only had 649 students enrolled in 2009 (the EU Ag/Vet faculty is composed of students from the Universities Vet Science faculty and Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources faculty).

Of this, 231 of the students were female, and 418 were male.

Fast Facts About Sydney University #4

In 2009, the percentage of students at Sydney University of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander descent was 0.6%.



Photo: Alison Moffitt

Asylum

Four friends on the illegal refugee situation in Australia:

Michael Jensen - Sink or swim? What to do with boat people

Meredith Lake -A home for the persecuted and the poor? and Boat people: a challenge to Australian sovereignty?

Alison Moffitt - Two cents on Asylum Seekers

Jeremy Smith -Christmas Island – have a read!

Fast Facts About Sydney University #3

In March 2009, Sydney University had a worldwide alumni of 170,000.*


Imagine if all those graduates were Christian. It would make fulfilling the EU Grads Fund vision much easier:

To flood God's church in Sydney, Australia and beyond with lay and vocational Christian leaders who are biblically and theologically mature, servant hearted, and innovative ministry strategists.

*Figure correct as of 31 March 2009.

Lo, I Am With You Always

"For some centuries the idea of the Holy Roman Empire enthralled the minds of me. For a still longer period the idea of the Holy Roman See held undisturbed sway over Western Christendom. To those who take a comprehensive view of the progress of Christianity, even these more lasting obscurations to the truth will present no serious difficult. They will not suffer themselves to be blinded thereby to the true nobility of Ecclesiastical History; they will not fail to see that, even in the seasons of her deepest degradation, the Church was still the regenerator of society, the upholder of right principle against selfish interest, the visible witness of the Invisible God; they will thankfully confess that, notwithstanding the pride and selfishness and dishonour of individual rulers, notwithstanding the imperfections and errors of special institutions and developments, yet in her continuous history the Divine promise has been signally realised 'Lo I am with you always even unto the end of the world.'" - J.B. Lightfoot, The Christian Ministry.

God, in his 'foolishness', shamed the wisdom of the wise in his crucified Son and Messiah. And he continues to work through weak and broken agents like us to bring everything under the lordship of Christ. Even at it's worst "the Church was still the regenerator of society, the upholder of right principle against selfish interest, the visible witness of the Invisible God".The church exists not for its own sake, but as the assembly of God, is the pillar and bulwark of truth. And as the assembly of God, Christ is with us always, "even unto the end of the world"

Fast Facts About Sydney University #2

According to the 2009 figures: Of the 1010 students enrolled in Veterinary Science, 747 of the students were female whilst 263 were male.

(I'm working with the EU Ag/Vet faculty, which includes Veterinary Science students).

Fast Facts About Sydney University #1

In 2009, 34% of students were post grads.
(Photo: Ken Finis)

I'll be working with the EU postgrad faculty this year.

1 Corinthians Wordle

After spending a bit of time in today's staff meeting looking at 1 Corinthians, I thought it would be interesting to run Paul's letter through wordle. Especially when the letter has lots of 'buzz' words like power, spirit, wisdom, etc. Here is the result:

Mike Raiter's 7 Pieces of Exhortation

Alison and I have just returned from CMS Summer School. We'd been in Katoomba since New Years Eve to set-up the site and prepare for the conference. And the conference was great! Over 3500 people gathered over the week to hear the bible taught, pray for missionaries they support and praise God for his work in the world.

Mike Raiter was the main speaker, and his talks on Luke 9-11 were a highlight of the week. Mike was a Moore College lecturer who moved to Victoria a few years ago. Knowing the audience so well, and yet returning to NSW with fresh eyes, Mike was able to give uniquely challenge the audience to follow Jesus throughout life and to let his word dwell richly amongst you. (If you're interested, the first talk is available here).

Mike finished the last talk with seven pieces of exhortation, which are summarised below:

1. Keep on teaching the gospel of Jesus Christ
2. Annually visit 'a heart specialist'. Some one who knows you & loves you and isn't afraid to tell you the truth.
   
3. Practice humility. "Not thinking less of yourself, but thinking of your self less" - CS Lewis.
4. Remember the only heart you see is your own. Don't be a pharisee (Luke 11.37-54).
5. Regularly check your bank statements, and see how generous you've been.
6. In your prayers, make sure you regularly include confession.
7. Be an encourager. The path of discipleship is tough.

Mike Raiter concluded the week with these words: "We are not under the law, but under grace. So be people of grace."

With the end of Summer School yesterday came the conclusion of my employment with CMS. It's been three years that I'm genuinely thankful to God for; working with the CMS-NSW staff, missionaries, churches and supporters. From Monday I start my traineship with the EU Grads Fund (on which see this).