{neurotribe.net}

Rants-Petroleum and Rice

2008-07-01T12:47:00.003+10:00

I know I work for a great organisation when the things that quietly disturb the quiet recesses of my mind are addressed. What do I mean? Well for a while now, I have been acutely aware of how rising fuel costs have driven up the *global* price of food.

You certainly know that the price of fuel has gone up as most of us drive regularly and need our cars. You may or may not know that the price of food has gone up.

If you live in a poor community, then you are certainly aware that the price of food has increased. Dramatically. There have been food riots in some parts of Africa and Asia, not unlike the beginnings of some B grade science fiction stories, as a result of rising fuel prices.

So this stuff sits in the back of my mind and I wonder what to do, what to say, feeling powerless. And the along comes an email from Sally at Tear...

The world price of rice has doubled in less than a year. Other staple foods have reached record prices. And, of course, the world's poorest people are being hit the hardest.

You can help a community help itself by investing in a rice bank.

http://www.usefulgifts.org/gift.php?type=447

Please promote this new gift

::Resources-Structural and Institutional Sin

2008-05-12T13:04:00.002+10:00

These are the notes for the class I taught last Saturday morning at Tabor Melbourne. For those not there, it is an exploration of the notion of institutional and structural sin/evil.

It was a great class. The thing that made it great was the passion and quality of questions and conversations with the participants. Thanks so much for letting me be part of your learning journey guys!

(Note: You have to click on the white box above to advance the presentation one page at a time.)

::Rants-Making sense of suffering...

2008-05-09T21:14:00.002+10:00

Having a hard time with the disaster in Burma. When the tsunami struck a few years ago, my feelings of anger, frustration and resignation were significant. My framework for coping was stressed to the limit.

This time around, the stupidity of an elite regime is simply exacerbating a situation that simply did not have to have a death toll that is as great as it is. I don't want to think about it. I want to shut it all out and cope with it in ways that are just unhealthy.

What makes the Burma situation a little more complex for me is the fact that Tear has significant partners and fieldworkers (some I know personally) who are in the midst of it all, and we are being kept constantly updated. Try as I might to distract myself, it is in my face.

I am not sure if it will help you, but I have found that some of the reflections of our partners and fieldworkers has helped my processing. You can find them here...

http://tear.org.au/projects/emergencies/burma-cyclone-relief/

You can also make a donation to some of Tears wonderful and faithful partners in Burma too if that helps.

::Notes from my Tabor class today on prayer and personality

2008-04-21T16:31:00.003+10:00

These are the notes for the class I taught today at Tabor Melbourne. For those not there, it is an exploration of the catholic (deliberate lower case "c") prayer forms/traditions/ways that recent Catholic theologians have correlated to Myers Briggs profiles. Enjoy!

(Note: You have to click on the white box above to advance the presentation one page at a time.)

::Resources-Those wanting to get started with biblical interpretation...

2008-04-15T16:52:00.002+10:00

I have been asked a number of times after talks that I have given, if there is a good place to start in understanding the cannonisation (how the bible came to be composed of the books that are included) process. One particular person was pretty keen to understand the process.

So what do you do when asked such a technical question? Well you ask Ken Baker from Citywesleyan of course! Here is a response that I got from Ken that will hopefully help you if that is a question that you have had also...

The closest I could get to a suggestion is "The Text of the New Testament" by Kurt Aland and Barbara Aland.

This text is a classic and the Alands are the legends of NT work.

In the absence of any ideas re: introduction books, my mind went to this book, but I originally thought that it would be far too academic and far too hard to read.

BUT, I've skimmed through it and it is actually quite readable and grunty at the same time.

Anyway, chapter 2 might be ok.

::Notes from Baptist Union SA Myspace Camp

2008-04-11T08:50:00.007+10:00

For those of you who were gunning for the notes from the Baptist Union South Australia Easter Camp, here they are! Enjoy!

(Note: You have to click on the white box above to advance the presentation one page at a time.)

::Itinerary-On and off road...

2008-03-26T16:32:00.002+11:00

It's getting hard to keep this thing up to date. I have spent the better part of the last week in Adelaide. I was the speaker at the Baptist Union of South Australia Easter Camp. It was a bit of a challenge speaking to people as young as 12 and up to 30ish. Try keeping a group of 170 people spanning those age groups happy!

The feedback I have gotten from Jason Hoet and his team was very encouraging. A number of people, after having a whole bunch of sessions to discuss the radical Jesus, made some kind of commitment to try and respond. In a note passed on to me, one of the campers said "thanks for the brutal altar call. It was real and painful, but I think God wants it like that".

In retrospect, I spent most of my time trying to persuade people not to respond. God calls us to enter into a broken and painful world to make a difference. He calls us not to maintain the unhealthy defence mechanisms (even the socially acceptable ones!), rather he invites us to expose our heart to even greater pain.

It's two edged. You open up your heart to pain and further wounding, means that your heart is also in a place to experience the kind of joy just not possible to dead people.

May God's grace strengthen the first time commitments, the recommitments and the three individuals who chose that night to serve the poor overseas! Looking forward to radical stories in the future!

::Theology-Christians Wrong about Heaven...

2008-03-04T12:44:00.002+11:00

Always witty N.T. Wright gives an insightful interview on Time magazine's web site. Thanks to Tim for the spot.

::Politics-It's been a while...

2008-02-26T21:28:00.002+11:00

I thought now might be a good time to get back on the horse after the second child. I thought I was busy when I only had one?

In my room with the lappy whilst Lisa meets with some of the girls from missio Dei downstairs. Trying to put the final touches on the first Yits class for the year and was looking for a good reason to procrastinate. Will try and keep this short.

(PS - Ken, I met Peter Dobson and his wife today at Tabor's first chapel service for the year!)

Was listening to the radio a few days ago. The BBC were covering Bush's visit to Africa. Call me an optimist but he sounded like a very different president. It seemed as though he was moved by the difference determined and focused aid can bring.

I recall another radio article I heard a few years ago talking about lame duck presidents who go to Africa in their last year and get a conscience all of a sudden. They were talking about it in the same way that one talks about the benevolent rock star cliche.

Bush said he wouldn't do what Clinton did (ie: visit Africa in his final year and suddenly get a conscience). However, it seems the hospitality of poor communities and the difference one can make when you declare a war on real terror, namely the brutality and violence of hunger and poverty, just got to him. His speeches, mannerisms and behavior certainly challenged my tendency to pigeon hole.

I wonder if the US constitution should be changed so that they new president should visit all of the places in which their aid is being spent first hand, before they are allowed to start moving the armies around the map in that big room with all the real time satellite images.

::It's a boy!

2008-01-15T14:33:00.000+11:00

On Wednesday the 9th of January, Noah Francis Said entered the world! He was 6 and a half pounds and labour was 1 hour and 30 minutes, including the drive from Ringwood Shopping Centre to the Mercy Hospital in Heidelberg. After a few hours, it became apparent that things were not well and Noah had to be moved from the family birth centre to the Neo Natale Intensive Care Unit. We all stayed at the Mercy Hospital for 2 days and then Harry and I went home, with Lisa and Noah staying on for another 2 days.

During that time, they had to check out why his heart rate was so slow, why his breathing was so shallow and why he was generally very lethargic. They had to do tests on his heart, lung, brain and all the other parts of him to try to ascertain what the problem was. In the end, he had some condition called poly something or other that means due to the shock of a quick delivery, he had an elevated red blood cell count. It is a temporary condition that is common in children who are born to quickly.

All is well, and we are glad to be home! I will be offline for the next month or so, but in the interim, please check out these early picks here... http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=27244&l=e3767&id=732083139

::Opportunity-Job going at Tear

2007-12-14T17:23:00.000+11:00

There is a *great* job going at Tear in Victoria. Check out the details here:

http://www.tear.org.au/getinvolved/staff-vacancies/victoria-young-adults-development-officer

Obviously feel free to pass it around.

::Politics-My vote doesn't make a difference...

2007-12-09T21:08:00.000+11:00

If I ever hear someone tell me that there vote doesn't make a difference, I now have a significant reason to dispute their perspective.

Almost three weeks after the federal election, my seat of McEwen, which sat on a knife edge for all of that time, was decided this morning, after three recounts. The conclusion? Labour won BY 7 VOTES!

Now that is what you call, marginal.

::Theology-Some kind of conclusion...

2007-11-28T10:55:00.000+11:00

Rowan Lewis, the Coordinator of Year in the Son (which is one of the teaching gigs I have), is always encouraging me not just to challenge students with the state of the world, but to also give them a vision of what could be. He loves my work, but is a great foil for my mind and heart, as he challenges me to inspire people with a vision of an alternative.

A few months ago, I posted my version of the Sheep and the Goats that I used in this particular class. It was my attempt at engaging Gen Y with the call to radical discipleship. After some careful thought, I rewrote the second half for the class in response to Rowan's encouragements. This is the first time I have presented it in a public forum. I would appreciate your thoughts.

Jesus turned to the ones on his left and he will say:
"Depart from me you who are accursed. For I was hungry, but you didn't give me anything to eat. So we grew our own food, but we had to sell it into the international trading system, using the money to pay off our debts to your country. We had little left to eat.

"For I was thirsty, and you gave me nothing to drink. So we found a water table and drilled a well. But Coca Cola Amatil came to our city and outbid us for access to our own water. They use it to make your Coca Cola. They outbid us with the profits they made from selling you their product.

"I was imprisoned in my own country, so I fled in desperation with nothing except the money that I was able to get in exchange for everything I ever owned. I managed to get to your country, even though the people smugglers told me I was going to England! When I got to your country, you put me into another prison. But you call yours a detention centre?

"I was naked, and you did not clothe me. So we had to find work in order to buy our own clothes. I found work, in a factory. I worked every day from 7am till 9pm with very few breaks, 7 days a week. It was hard work. I rarely got to see my family, life was very hard. This kind of life made me very sad. The factory I worked in made clothes that were sold to you.

"I was sick. I agonized as many of my family, friends and especially the children in my community died from things like diarrhoea and simple infections. I was afraid I too would die in this horrible way. Day after day, month after month, year after year. This happened whilst every now and then, you would give thanks to your God for your health.

"I was homeless and I read in one of your Christian books that if I applied myself and worked hard enough, I could have whatever I could conjure up enough faith for. I have been praying and believing for a home for my family. I cannot wait for God to answer that prayer.

"I was lonely, hoping for someone to visit. Often I saw your aeroplanes flying overhead. I suspect that you were probably on your way to London, or Paris to see things that were very important and special.

"You seemed so blessed with so many things. You must be very holy for God to bless you with so many good things. I am still very hungry and lonely and cold.

Then he will turn to the ones on his right, and he will say:
"Come you who are blessed by my father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you since the foundation of the world.

"For I was hungry, and you decided to prioritise environmental sustainability and the just nature of trade regarding the food you eat. When you made your food producers and manufacturers accountable to the way they treat me and the planet on which I try to grow my own food, you slowly but surely made a difference in my life and the life of my family.

"When I was thirsty, you heard my cry and sacrificially gathered some of God's wealth and resources and gave them to me so that I could build a well in my community. Your simple sacrifice and concern for me and my family made a huge difference in the life and health of our community.

"I was naked and you were outraged. You demanded that the corporations from whom you purchased your own clothing treated me with justice. I was able to form a trade union and campaign for good working conditions. I was able to work and to rest and recreate because of your concern and action. You now have to pay a little bit more for your own clothing, but that does not concern you for now people are more important to you than money.

"I was sick with preventable diseases, and this filled you with remorse. You decided that you would give some of your monthly income regularly to programs that helped to improve the quality of my life, and that of my family and friends. In your monthly budget, you made sure that you remembered me always, for the remainder of your life.

"I was homeless, and you knew that this was wrong. You opened your home to me, sharing a room, meals, tears, time, frustrations, patience and love with me. It was uncomfortable for you; however you gave much and learned much about yourself, about God, and about our common humanity.

"I was lonely. But so were you, trapped in a world where you needed to be constantly entertained and stimulated. As you broke free from your materialistic prison, we found each other. We talked, and listened to one another, we spent time getting to know each other, and ourselves. In your act of reaching out, you became more human than you realised possible.

And the ones on his right said to the King:
"Lord, when did we see you hungry, thirsty, naked, sick or lonely and in prison?

And the King answered:
"Whatsoever you did to the least of these, you did it to me."

::Technology-Seamonkey

2007-11-27T14:48:00.000+11:00

Needed a free wysiwyg html editor (web page builder) and found Seamonkey. If you need something small (in terms of diskspace and memory) something wysiwyg (what you see is what you get) and free, go your hardest!

::Activism-Secret Society

2007-11-26T15:21:00.000+11:00

I have spoken to some of you about the secret society. We are starting to form for next year. If you are interested, email me asap so I can include you in on the formation process.

::Rants-E Invite for Tear Gift Catalogue

2007-11-22T14:32:00.000+11:00

Ever seen those trendy Avant Cards in cafe's around Australia?

Now you can send an electronic one inviting people to use the Tear Gift Catalogue online!

Go here: http://www.avantcard.com.au/SendCard.php?input=SelectCard&id=492

::Resources-Internet Fund Raising

2007-11-13T10:23:00.000+11:00

This is a great idea by a mate of mine in Tasmania (and a few of his friends) to get as many individual $1 donations as possible. I think the calculation is something like: if they can get 10% of the worlds internet users to give $1AU, they can raise over $7.9 million dollars.

And of course, I like the fact that Tear is one of the handful of beneficiaries too!

Spread the word, AND MAKE SURE YOU GIVE YOUR $1 DONATION!

PS - THe url is www.onehitwonder.org...

::Resource-Fair Trade info in Australia

2007-11-13T10:16:00.000+11:00

I often get asked about where people can get information regarding Fair Trade and how to be involved in a meaningful way. Yvonne James (Tear Tasmania) has compiled this list. Thanks Yvonne!

Fair Trade in Australia

Contacts of organisations:
Fair Trade Association of Australia & New Zealand (FTAANZ) http://www.fairtrade.com.au/

FTAANZ is the coordinating group for individuals and organisations in the fair trade movement in Australia. They also coordinate Fair Trade Fortnight each year. Website includes plenty of info, links and programs such as “Fairtrade communities” of which there are now 277 in Aust & NZ. FTAANZ can also supply posters & brochures to help you promote Fairtrade products.

aust@fairtrade.com.au (03) 9662 2919. The Australian FTAANZ office is in Melbourne.

The website also includes a searchable database of where to buy Fairtrade products: http://www.fairtrade.com.au/locator

Fair Trade Fortnight 2008

3rd - 18th MAY

Fair Trade Fortnight (FTF) is FTAANZ’s annual promotional event that runs in May across both Australia and New Zealand.

World Fair Trade Day 2008
Saturday 10th May

Fairtrade Labelling Orgnisations International (FLO) http://www.fairtrade.net/
“FLO is an umbrella organization that unites 20 Labelling Initiatives in 21 countries and Producer Networks representing Fairtrade Certified Producer Organizations in Central and South America, Africa and Asia.” FLO develops & reviews the Fairtrade standards that producers & traders must meet to gain Fairtrade certification of products. FLO also supports Fairtrade producer groups. FLO international is based in Germany.

People for Fair Trade http://www.fairtrade.asn.au/
People for Fair Trade (PFFT) are a voluntary network of people in Australia who are committed to fair trade with producers of goods, through the support of education and alternative trade.

PFFT are suppliers of Fairtrade tea & coffee and give priority to products where value adding (processing & packaging) is done by local companies in the country of origin.

State Contacts
Western Australia: Robert Roberts email: robert@fairgotrading.com.au or phone 08 9228 2610

Contacts for Fair Trade Fortnight 2008
Qld - Shannon Sheedy enquiries@thedharmadoor.com.au
NSW - Joanna Jouinn joannajouin@bigair.com.au
Vic - Victoria Schladetsch victoria_sch@msn.com
SA - Karen Wahlstrom shop50@oxfamshop.org.au
WA - Bob Roberts robert@fairgotrading.com.au

::Humor-You know you're a wog when...

2007-11-12T16:46:00.000+11:00

Your grandmother's furniture is covered in plastic even though it's older than you.
You always have a friend who 'owes you a favour'.
You HAVE to use your hands when you talk.
If you are not understood, you would rather speak louder than rephrase.
You pronounce "comfortable" con-fort-a-bull - (like convertible)
It is always a fashion show .
You always dress to impress – even for a quick run to the supermarket.
You wear more cologne than deodorant.
You are a die hard football fanatic.
You don’t understand why anyone would call football “soccer”
You put Olive Oil in and on EVERYTHING and brag about how healthy it is.
You think nobody eats as well as you do.
You cook a meal that lasts 3 days.
You can't have a meal without bread/rice/pasta.
You have fruit trees in your backyard and when they are in season you live on them.
If you have guests, you will serve them food.
You tend to cross the street, anywhere you please, whether the light is green or not.
You are most likely considered the 'exotic one' amongst your friends.
You fight over who's going to pay the bill - but in reality you hate to pay.
You smoke as if there is no tomorrow & think it is sexy to do so while dancing.
If you are a girl- you give the look of death to any girl that looks better than you.
It is normal to see two guys kiss each other on the cheek .
You are boastful about your great English, except when it comes to using it to communicate with a foreigner.
You teach foreigners to swear in your language.
Your mechanic, plumber, electrician, accountant and travel agent are all blood relatives.
If you are a traditional male, women can be a bit plumper than average...all the better.
Your relatives alone can populate a small city.
Your family is over at your house all the time.
There is no such thing as quiet time.
You are older than one of your uncles or aunts.
You gossip about your own family...with your own family.
At least 5 of your cousins live on your street.
All 5 of those cousins are named after your grandfather or great grandfather.
Getting married is the only way to escape your parents.
When you go on a date you start thinking of lousy places where nobody would go so you don’t bump into family or friends.
You end up in a lousy place and still bump into the relative/friend with the biggest mouth.
You measure things in meters, grams, and litres.
You are not a farmer, but chances are high that some of your ancestors were.
Being away from the beach kills you.
The image of your country is extremely important.
You brag about how your country is the cradle of all great civilizations.
ALL of your guests will eat and drink something, willfully or not.
You do not just feel the heat in your thermometer - it doesn't take a survey to prove you're the most hot-blooded.
Since you are the most hot-blooded, you are also the most hot-tempered...
You view all fast food chains that claim to cook "foreign food" as SACRILEGE!!
When you come back to your country, your tribe invades the airport to greet you.
When you get married, the whole village/town/city end up at your wedding.
Your crazy elders are never sent to the asylum but stay with you at home.
A five seat car can indeed seat 13.
pfff ... Driving lanes those are for tourists!
You probably have more hair per square centimeter than anyone else in the world....unibrows anyone??
EVERYTHING is a matter of pride.
YOU ARE ALWAYS RIGHT!!!!!!!!!!

::Politics-A free seminar

2007-10-29T11:03:00.000+11:00

Click on the link below to get details on a free seminar being held by a collection of Melbourne based Christian groups looking at the current political debate that breaks out of the "Australia is simply an economy" paradigm. Tear are involved in this too!
BeyondHipPocket-v3.pdf

::Rants-Gift Catalogue goes Green

2007-10-29T10:47:00.000+11:00

Very excited that after some incredibly hard work, the Geeks at Tear have updated the Catalogue with new *Green* gifts!

You can check out the catalogue here http://www.usefulgifts.org/ ...

Get your Christmas Shopping in early!

::Politics-Major Parties Research

2007-10-29T10:40:00.000+11:00

I have been asked a number of times for some good summaries of the major political parties leading up to our election.

I tend to be a little nervous of the tables that list items with ticks and crosses next to them as the debate is a little more complex than that.

Having said that, does anyone know where you can get a good summary of the perspectives of the different parties?

::Politics-Nasty and scared John Howard

2007-10-14T21:59:00.000+10:00

John called the election.

Let me explain to you why I think he is a cunning politician.

He left the call so late so that those who have turned 18 this or last year have to enroll by this Wednesday! And of course all the pollsters are telling us that the younger voters will most likely not vote for John.

Can you let everyone you know who is young, to register to vote by downloading a form here http://www.aec.gov.au/Enrolling_to_vote/ or by calling the electoral commission.

Good one John!

::Politics-Catch the Fire Ministries, a response

2007-10-11T22:36:00.000+10:00

This is a response that I sent to a mailing list that I am on. The response was to an email forwarded to the list from Pastor Danny Nillah, from Catch the Fire Ministries. Some people found it helpful so I thought I would cross post it here.

I think the first thing that I would like to put into the public arena regarding this email is the history of Catch the Fire Ministries and their leader, Danny Nilliah.

For those of you unfamiliar with the case, he and his organization were at the centre of a protracted legal battle regarding defamation under the vilification laws that this circular email makes reference to.

At the heart of the case were some significantly misinformed opinions that were widely circulated amongst the broader Christian (and secular) community by Danny and his organisation, regarding Islam.

In the current political climate (post 9/11) any public dialog regarding Islam is difficult, to say the least. I found that the misinformed comments made by Danny were (in my opinion) unhelpful at best, and at their worst, hateful, fearful and contributing nothing to a spirit of dialog, reconciliation and healing of the rifts that have occurred certainly over the last 6 odd years since 9/11, rather they exacerbated what certainly in Melbourne is already an awkward and tense relationship between Muslim communities and the broader mainstream culture.

The Australian legal system (which John Howard's government have presided over for the last 11 odd years) found that this was in fact the case and Danny and his colleague were found guilty of inciting hatred and were forced to publicly retract their statements.

This made some small contribution towards easing the incredible feelings of victimization and isolation felt by many within the Muslim community in our nation, some of whom we have a little to do with.

Secondly, continuing to express my personal opinion here, I have felt deeply grieved that the government of our nation, since 9/11, rather than espousing a spirit of courage and peacemaking, seemed to have pursued deliberate actions that heighten the average Australian's feelings of fear and insecurity created by the broader socio political climate.

Beginning with the Tampa incident (where the sovereign government of this nation, rather than stepping in and taking up the plight of the orphan, the widow and the stranger/refugee in keeping with the strong and systematic teachings of the old and new testaments) chose to use the special armed forces to "protect" Australians. The incident was framed in terms of "the other" being a "threat to national security"...

Almost every objective observation of this event acknowledges that the handling of this event, just prior to an election was a deliberate political device to exploit the prejudices of an almost evenly split electorate.

Tampa was followed by 9/11 and then the Children Overboard affair.

Once again, the Howard government exploited fear and prejudice, at a time when the people of Australia were most vulnerable (the Children Overboard incident followed 9/11 by about a month). The Howard Government intentionally lied to the people of Australia, exploiting once again the orphan, widow and stranger/refugee:

"A Senate select committee inquiry later found that the "Children Overboard" claim was untrue and that the government knew this prior to the election. The government attracted criticism that it had misled the public and cynically "exploited voters' fears of a wave of illegal immigrants by demonising asylum-seekers"."

(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Children_overboard_affair)

These incidents have been followed by a series of other deliberate intents to mislead the Australian electorate, including but not limited to:

Reducing Medicare when promising not to. Most vulnerable are the poor, single mums and the like.
Promising to reduce education costs, with a particular promise that there will never be a $100,000 university degree. Today there is over16 university degree's costing over $100,000. The most vulnerable are middle to lower income Australian families.
Introducing a GST after promising not to do so in 1995. Again, the most vulnerable are the middle to lower income families.
A promise to do away with Aged Care and Pension clawbacks. This promise was broken. The most vulnerable? The aged and the chronically ill.
Labour reform. The promise was that Work Choices would continue to protect the rights of workers. There is a personal story attached to this one with a member of our community being severely exploited and unable to protect himself because he was threatened with termination of employment. Only our commitment to support him financially until he was able to find alternative employment if he was sacked, gave him the courage to challenge his employer who indeed sacked him. In the process, the young man in question discovered that the employer was using illegal immigrants and paying them well below award conditions.
The young man struggled to know whether to report the incident as a couple of illegal immigrants would have lost jobs and have been deported with the added insult of probably having to spend time in detention centres whilst the issues were being managed by our judicial system.This is one of many cases with over 100,000 cases still before the new Workplace Authority.
Weapons of Mass Destruction. Hmmm, I'll leave that one...
Promising that we did not commit to military action in Iraq before the decision was debated in Parliament. This was found out not to be true.
Tax payer funded political advertising. Google it, it would be much shorter than if I tried to outline it.
A few others but I think you are getting the point... Danny defends the Christian credentials of John Howard, who has been shown on numerous occasions to have lied to the public for political advantage, and in some of his lies, demonising and discrediting vulnerable groups.

The political climate in Australia after 11 years of conservative rule have made this place a meaner and scarier place to live. The average Australian now feels less safe, and has a greater sense of prejudice directed towards other non Anglo Saxon people, particularly of Middle Eastern descent. This comes to you from me, a second generation Australian, with the most common middle eastern surname in the world (Said), who is often called aside at Australian airports because I fit a particular profile. Middle aged, traveling alone regularly to Asia and the Middle East (I work for a Christian Aid and Development organisation), slightly tanned skin.

I remember being yelled at in the streets of Melbourne, days after the Cronulla riots, being told to f*** off and go home. Even though I was born here and my parents come from Malta, a Catholic nation and a member of the British Commonwealth until 1965.

The cynical part of me believes that John Howard and his government have taken advantage of the broader socio political context, and since the Tampa incident, have made Australia a far less friendly, meaner, much more paranoid, greedier and less hospitable place to live.

In over a decade of unprecedented economic growth, communities have come under much more strain due to the economic liberalization process that benefits the rich, exploits the poor, forces families to devote more of their time to longer working hours (I believe at this point, we are something like second only to Japan in terms of unpaid overtime) whilst working class and poorer/vulnerable communities suffer greater hardship. The present government seems to continue to appeal to the baser instincts that lurk beneath the surface of our civilised veneer.

If our political engagement proceeds from a platform of fear, a fear driven politic will focus on creating artificial barriers that give us an illusion of control and will ultimately lead to attempts to legislate righteousness. This is the way of the Pharisee. Those who do not fit our moral code are excluded and when our politics are examined, we find that they are devoid of compassion, mercy, grace and justice for all (as opposed to justice for just us).

The homosexual is particularly singled out and demonised, as are the perpetrators of abortion. Our politics become private. Our morals are limited what one can and cannot do with your penis and/or vagina. It is ultimately a narrow, and dehumanising.

The politics of Jesus, in the grand tradition of the Old Testament Prophet, are concerned with not how laws effect me, but how they effect the least and the last. God constantly reminds the people of God in the OT that the reason that they have to care for the orphan, widow and stranger(refugee) is because they were an orphan (in Egypt with no "father" to protect them), a widow (as an idolatrous nation, stripped of their Husband to defend and without protect them from the violence committed against them as judgment for their paganism) and a refugee (wandering in the wilderness as a stateless people prior to inheriting the land).

And on the issue of their judgment as pagans, the paganism that God accuses them of is prostituting their vocation which is to show the world what Yahweh is like. When they use slave labour to build the temple, when they use the wealth that God has blessed them with to create a system of justice that exploits the most vulnerable among them, they are no different to the pagan nations around them. They do not honour God, because they forget that when you treat the least of these as slaves and economic units in a system designed to make the rich richer and happier and the poor continue to lose their dignity as image bearers, not only do they *not* honour God, they dishonour him in the most brutal of ways (inanimate things are of more value than animate things).

On the question of Islam, I find that Danny conducts his affairs in the same vein as conservative politics in Australia. He creates an Islamic "straw man". The church of all institutions on earth should know that radical Islamic terrorism is to Islam, what the Ku Klux Klan is to Christianity. We have far more in common with our human brethren who follow the way of Islam than we actually do with the secular materialistic Aussie. Yet Danny chooses to paint them as tools of Satan who will rape, pillage and destroy in the name of Allah.

I cannot reconcile a person who espouses hatred and fear for another grouping based on religious conviction as being consistent with the missionary God who commands us to go to all the peoples of the earth making disciples where we find them. Time (and energy) does not permit me to outline the incredible opportunity for dialog and learning we can engage in with the Muslim community in Australia.

I cannot subscribe to Danny's political point of view. His politics are private, seeking to create divisions that funnily enough, put him on the right side of God and those who do not agree on the wrong side of God. He points out some ritual behavior of the Australian government and claims that this makes them candidates for God's favour and dismisses the alternatives because they do not engage in the same ritualistic behavior (prayer in parliament etc). Yet he completely fails to outline the significant lies told by the present government for political advantage, and their failure to take responsibility and to apologise to the Australian people for.

I find that his perspective will only lead to a Pharisaical hatred that does not honor our God or his kingdom, one characterised by grace (God's undeserved favor towards all), mercy, justice, righteousness, truth ad infinitum.

I would not want you to construe this response as endorsement of the ALP either. Someone asked me the other day, "who will you vote for"?

My response was that I would vote for the party that would give me an undertaking that as a society would do our best to protect and include the least and the last in our communities, economically, socially, politically.

Politics should not be about fearfully looking for the system that will protect us and our aspirations. It is about setting the political agenda, and letting governments know (no matter who they are) that our God, the King of Kings has set them in place and then need to rule with justice, mercy and compassion, caring for those who cannot look after themselves. They must represent the needs of the many, not the desires and selfish ambitions of the few.

I would urge you my brothers and sister, humbly in the Lord, that you would carefully consider, not just Danny's email, but any email coming to you asking them to considering it before voting. We have a grave responsibility as spiritual leaders. I want to urge you to get your communities thinking about Jesus and his Kingdom, and the ways in which our politics might better achieve this end.

More than happy to continue the dialog regarding this *short* reply.

(Those who know me will know that this *is* short!) ;)

::Rants-For those who love mine...

2007-10-11T22:28:00.000+10:00

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