Author: Peter Hallett

Muslim writer questions silent response to death sentence

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Muslim writer Mehdi Hasan writes in The Guardian about Muslim response, or lack of, to the death sentence for Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani in Iran.

‘Pleas for clemency from the archbishop of Canterbury, the UK’s foreign secretary and Amnesty International, among others, have fallen on deaf ears in Tehran. Meanwhile the silence from the world’s Muslims – especially the UK’s usually voluble Muslim organisations and self-appointed “community leaders” – has been shameful. The irony is that I have yet to come across an ordinary Muslim who agrees that a fellow believer who loses, changes or abandons his or her faith should be hanged. Yet frustratingly few Muslims are willing to speak out against such medieval barbarism. We mumble excuses, avert our eyes.’

When this behaviour changes we will have real hope for freedom in many dangerous places for Christians and others.

Read the full article here.

And it’s time the Australian government spoke out in defense of this Pastor on behalf of Australian Iranians, Christians and Muslims.

33 years

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Short fiction

‘January 2044.’

The date was clear in Damien’s mind. It had started in the voice of a dream and stayed with him into wakefulness. He lay still, holding the thought, pushing back sleep.

January 2044… it’s 2011 now so that’s about 33 years from now, Damien thought.

‘Yes’.

Ah, okay, am I talking with someone here?

‘Yes’

Damien felt a line between his own thoughts and others that seemed to come from a consciousness bumping against his. He’d experienced this once or twice before and was unperturbed. He was now fully awake, lying quietly in the semi-dark room, his wife Melanie breathing deeply beside him

In January 2044 I will be about 84. It seems strange thinking about a date so far in the future. I rarely seem to think in concrete terms beyond next week.

‘Yes’.

Oh, you’re back. Alright, I take your point.

Silence.

Damien searched for the voice but it was quiet and he returned to the date.

January 2044, that’s 33 years from now, but what does that mean, if anything?

A realisation came to him.

Is that the date of my death?

‘Yes’.

Damien allowed the weight of the voice’s affirmation to settle into his awareness. He turned the idea over and realised he felt no fear or surprise.

I guess we do this all the time, live with this finiteness we call human life expectancy and push it off into the distance as if nothing will ever happen. But it is a bit unusual to know the month and the year that you will die.

Silence.

Why are you telling me?

Silence.

Another realisation came to Damien.

33 years, the life of Christ.

‘Yes’.

He knew enough of Christian teaching to be aware that it was generally accepted that Jesus Christ, the carpenter from Nazareth who claimed to be the Son of God, had walked the earth for about 33 years.

Well, this is not a bad message for a middle-aged bloke I guess, Damien thought. I’ve got 33 years of life left and look how much Jesus accomplished in his 33 years. But hey, I thought I might live a bit longer than that, you know, and get up to 100?

Silence.

Doesn’t everyone think like that? But here’s what I don’t get. What started the clock? I don’t feel like I’ve been reborn recently or anything, so why 33 years from now.

‘It started with a death and resurrection.’

Damien felt confused. Maybe this is just my imagination after all, he thought.

‘Have you forgotten your illness?’

Damien jumped slightly like a force had gone through him. His eyes were wide open and the vague assembly of thoughts he’d been having were crystalising into something much more certain than sleepy Saturday morning time-wasting.

‘The sudden attack you had, all the tests, the scans. Taking medications, seeking doctor’s advice, trying to work out what was wrong, finding one thing after another as if your body was breaking down.’

Damien’s heart began to thump and his mind was keenly focused. He recalled the health scare he’d been through, how it seemed to go from bad to worse then, suddenly, everything seemed to right itself.

‘You were to die. We intervened.’

The words pierced like a nail through flesh and he sat upright, staring at his own harrowed expression in the bedroom mirror. Melanie stirred and so he got up and walked to the living room, with every sense on edge.

He remembered the relief he had felt as all the bad news seem to drop away, with good tests results replacing bad and most of all, a feeling of health and wellness returning. At the time he’d been so thankful, so relieved, savouring each moment of strength with delight. Now, a few weeks on, he’d almost forgotten, taking it for granted.

I’m afraid I’ve not shown a great deal of respect for what happened, Damien thought. But why did you intervene?

‘Prayer.’

Damien went over those days in his mind. The shock of the first symptoms, the rush to hospital. One bit of bad news after another. The news spreading through family and friends. He knew he had mouthed a few desperate prayers. He vaguely remembered being told others were praying. But he’d forgotten all of this in the wonder of feeling better.

‘Many people prayed. Your parents prayed. Your wife prayed. Your children prayed. Many of your friends prayed.’

Damien did a mental inventory of the people of faith in his life. He also became painfully aware of his own lack of prayer. When had it occurred in his life that he had quietly filed prayer away as nothing more than a nice notion. His eyes began to water and put his head in his hands.

‘People in India prayed,’ the voice continued. ‘People in Indonesia prayed. People in Africa prayed. The deep prayers of loved ones were joined by the mighty prayers of many with intense faith. Our hand was moved in the purpose we already had.’

There was too much to take in. Damien traced a net of relationship to believers in India, Indonesia, Africa. He pictured them in their homes, their churches. He could feel the challenge of life they faced each day. He remembered the intensity of faith and conviction, the challenging sacrificial service. He realised that much had occurred that was far beyond what he deserved.

‘You have begun this new life with death and resurrection. You will end it in the wonder of childhood. Now go and live.’

Damien was stunned. He tried to make sense of all he’d heard.

I’ve come through a kind of death. I’m on the other side and I have a kind of life of Christ ahead of me… A childhood, my last years will be…

As realisation dawned, Damien felt the awareness of the other consciousness retreat. He had many questions but was already overwhelmed by what he had learned.

What can I do with the life span of Christ ahead of me?

‘Damo?’ Melanie called from the bedroom.

‘Yes love, out here’.

‘You’re up early for a Saturday… Any chance of a coffee,’ she said, her voice thick with sleep.

‘Of course, give me a minute,’ Damien replied. He could not shake the otherworldly feeling that lingered and he realised he needed to respond.

‘Dear God, I could be crazy, but I think you’ve just given me a reprieve, not just from an early death, but from a wasted life. Help me to make the most of it. I don’t know if that date is literal, but either way, give me a life worthy of Christ for at least the next 33 years. Amen’.

‘Who are you talking too?’ Melanie said as she made her way into the living room, pulling on a dressing gown, blonde hair askew.

‘Um, just a quick prayer love, not a bad idea sometimes is it?’ Damien replied.

She looked at him silently for a while, and nodded.

He was still seated on the lounge, hands clasped before his face like a child praying. She moved closer and put a hand on his shoulder.

‘I like it when you pray,’ she said. ‘By the way, I just had the strangest dream. Does the date January 2044 mean anything to you?’

The end

New kind of crosswords…

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20110903-083520.jpg

Seen in today’s Sydney Morning Herald, a cross amongst the headlines, advertisements and paragraphs.

Adventure, fitness, friendship and spiritual support all carried in the cross and by much-needed chaplains.

Mr Blue Sky brightens Target’s commercials

Peter Hallett1 Comment

I’ve seen a few online forums among the younger generation pondering the origins of the song currently backing Target’s Australian television commercials.

After extensive remembering, and despite the doubts of various family members, I have correctly identified the song as none other than the Electric Light Orchestra’s Mr Blue Sky (from Out of the Blue, 1977). Apparently the band’s main songwriter Jeff Lynne had suffered writer’s block while seeking to write tracks for the album in a rainy Switzerland. The sun came out, and so did the song.

I can’t say I was a big ELO fan back in the late 70s (I was sill pursuing Led Zeppelin and smuggling Eagles cassettes home in my sock), but no one could miss their constant stream of hits on the radio and I find the Target ads plunging me into a strangely euphoric recollection of youth. Not that I’m old. Enjoy:

Repentance baffles secular Australians

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Repentance is a world rarely heard outside of a Christian or other religious gatherings and so it is no wonder Australian journalists have matched it with terms like ‘puzzling’, ‘scratching their heads’ and ‘bolt from the blue’ when reporting Papua New Guinea’s first Day of Repentance held today.

True, the public holiday for Repentance Day was announced in PNG with little fanfare or explanation and this has baffled reporters and some (mainly ex-pat) business owners.

But there is no doubt the very large majority of Christians in PNG know exactly what it’s about and many will have participated in prayer events held across PNG today.

Even the small Muslim sector of PNG society was in favour, with their leader’s only caution being that people should not think repentance is for only one day of the year.

One PNG blogger was pleased with the introduction of repentance day and discusses why it could be so useful on the basis that repentance means a change of mind. Nothing new can be done unless there is first a change in our thinking… good advice for any nation.

It’s interesting to consider that increasingly secular Australia is surrounded by many strongly religious nations. PNG, East Timor, Indonesia and many of the Pacific nations have strongly religious orientations.

An overflow of this has been seen in the prayers, songs of praise and statements of faith that have mixed with the outpouring of grief outside the home where 11 Tongan family members were killed  by a fire earlier this week.

Our prayers are with them.

 

 

 

Marriage beliefs unchanged as public debate moves

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Most of the media coverage of the current debate over marriage-law portrays anyone who advocates for retaining marriage as it is, as a bigoted Neanderthal.

The reality is that many people have long and deeply held beliefs about marriage that were formed long before there was any debate about its fundamental nature. They didn’t wake up a month or two ago and say, “Oh, “I’m going to stick my neck out and believe that marriage is between one man and one woman”.

Neither did they decide that they would oppose marriage-law change because they hate or want to harm any person or segment of the community. It’s the debate on marriage-law that has moved and people are being asked to decide if they will move too.

For many people of faith, marriage is deeply entwined with fundamental beliefs about the nature of humanity, the expression of relationship and the very essence of God. It is not something on a bit of paper in isolation. That’s why, in many cases, the marriages of these people are among the most resilient in society – something they want to pass on to their children.

Whether we are a majority or minority is difficult to say. Whether marriage will be somehow harmed is yet to be seen. In the long run, the heart-felt belief of individuals in the context of a supportive faith-community and in relation with God is more important than any law, or anyone else’s view.

In the Parliament today, of the 30 members who spoke on marriage, 18 said an extraordinary majority in their electorates supported retaining the current definition of marriage, six said they favoured changed and six didn’t indicate the numbers in their electorate.

This does not equate to a large majority who are homophobic or hateful towards gay people, it is a large majority who hold certain beliefs about marriage, many for deeply personal or religious views. These are as valid as any of the populist, media-savvy voices that we hear.

For a couple of posts on marriage, check out Australian Christian News

Visualising God at 300km an hour: Senna

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Watching cars go round and round has never been a favourite pastime – I get enough of that in Sydney traffic – but as in every facet of human existence, there are personal stories embedded that make even Formula 1 racing interesting.

Asif Kapadia’s new documentary, Senna, tells one of these stories and while there is a fair bit of round and round, there is also an interesting investigation into the life, talent and faith of one of the sport’s most revered figures, Ayrton Senna.

The Brazilian Senna was a superbly talented, and some would say, a dangerous risk taker who had 41 wins and three World Championships which earned him the reputation of being one of the greatest Formula One drivers of all times.

He was well-known for his religious convictions which seemed to heighten for him as he raced.

“Somehow I got closer to God and this was very important to me. I visualized and saw God who is a part of me,” Senna said after one race. When reflecting on his love of racing, Senna says, “I think God gave me this chance.”

Frenchman Alain Prost, one of Senna’s key rivals, held an equally strong belief: that Senna’s personal companionship with the Deity made him a hazard to other drivers.

In one confrontation between the two, Prost says, “Ayrton thinks he can’t get hurt.” Senna responds, “Just because I believe in God does not mean I’m immortal. I know I can get hurt.”

The documentary shows the fulfilment of these words when Senna is killed in a crash  in 1994 at the age of 34, while leading the field at the San Marino Grand Prix. The crash was caused by a mechanical fault and a camera strapped to his car continued to film throughout the tragedy.

Many people from all walks of life talk about the experience of feeling close to God when engaged in an activity that they sense to be their very specific calling and gifting. I once hear a rugby league winger say he felt he was born to score tries. As strange as it seems, maybe Senna was born to drive, and there was no other way to die.

Senna is showing now at Palace Leichhardt – check guides for other cinema times.

Perry perched on precipice of prayer

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Rick Perry
Rick Perry

You’ll hear more and more about Rick Perry in coming days and most of it will be bad. Not to say that he is bad, but being a conservative Christian who is demonstrative about his faith and running for US president ensures he’ll get plenty of bad press. Maybe he deserves it, but don’t believe everything you read.

American politics is complex, polarised and confrontational with far less political correctness than is present in Australia. Australians would find it hard to even imagine a character like Perry surviving anywhere except on the very fringes of Australian politics, and yet he is emerging as a genuine presidential contender. It would be like Fred Nile being a strong contender for Australian Prime Minister… not likely, no hard feelings Fred.

But is his faith genuine, heartfelt, intelligent – giving genuine moral and spiritual impetus to his personal and public life? The secular media won’t even consider such questions. They’ve already stereotyped him as someone to dismiss. Perhaps we’ll join them, but there could be more to him than that.

I’m going to keep an eye on him, and to begin with, check out this thoughtful article from Kathleen Kennedy Townsend in The Atlantic.

Is Rick Perry as Christian as he thinks he is?

And while you’re at it, you might want to think about this call to prayer Perry sent to other governors before his controversial August 6 prayer breakfast:

“I sincerely hope you’ll join me in Houston on August 6th and take your place in Reliant Stadium with praying people asking God’s forgiveness, wisdom and provision for our state and nation. There is hope for America. It lies in heaven, and we will find it on our knees.

Right now, America is in crisis: we have been besieged by financial debt, terrorism, and a multitude of natural disasters. As a nation, we must come together and call upon Jesus to guide us through unprecedented struggles, and thank Him for the blessings of freedom we so richly enjoy.”

What do you think?

Coffee czar bucks Hybel’s global summit

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It’s not only Bert and Ernie who have been caught up in the gay marriage debate. One of Amercia’s biggest churches, Willow Creek, led by Ps Bill Hybels, found itself in the eye of the gay-lobby storm during its Global Leadership Summit.

Australian minister, researcher and author, John Dickson, is one of the speakers for the event and has been tweeting about his experience. Another speaker was to be Starbucks chief executive, Howard Schultz, but he cancelled after an online petition condemned Willow Creek as anti-gay – a charge the church denies.

Bill Hybels and Willow Creek have a large following in Australia and have done a great deal to help Christians think about how churches might be more accessible to the un-churched while retaining their core Christian values. Hybels is particularly influential in encouraging church leaders to develop their leadership skills.

In explaining the withdrawal of Schultz, Hybels denied that Willow Creek persecuted gays, as the online petition alleged.

The SMH reports: ‘Mr Hybels said that Willow Creek did expect its members to follow biblical ethics and reserve sex for marriage between a man and a woman, but welcomed worshippers of all backgrounds.

“To suggest that we check sexual orientation or any other kind of issue at our doors is simply not true,” Mr Hybels said. “Just ask the hundreds of people with same-sex attraction who attend our church every week.”

Mr Hybels asked members of the audience to write to Mr Schultz “with genuine Christian love” and say he would be welcome at any future summit.

And in a strange mega-church-Starbucks cross-fertilisation, Starbucks has been printing on its coffee mugs segments from Rick Warren’s best-selling book, A Purpose Driven Life. Warren is the pastor that other well-known American mega-church, Saddleback Community Church in California. Holding very similar beliefs to Willow Creek, it seems Starbucks may be at cross-purposes…

Bert and Ernie just friends, just puppets

Oh, and as for Bert and Ernie of Sesame Street fame? A online petition has been launched calling on the creators of Sesame Street, the Children’s Television Foundation, to allow the two muppets to marry. This follow new laws in New York allowing gay couples to marry.

CTF released this statement in response: “Bert and Ernie are best friends. Even though they are identified as male characters and possess many human traits and characteristics (as most Sesame Street muppets do), they remain puppets and do not have a sexual orientation.”

On ABC radio in Sydney this morning, Adam Spencer came out in support of the marriage of Bert and Ernie using as his justification Miss Piggy’s relentless pursuit of Kermit. In a stunning loss of logic for the mathematical Spencer, he seemed to overlook the fact that Bert and Ernie are Sesame Street characters created entirely for the benefit of children while Miss Piggy is a Jim Henson creation, made for programs aimed at adults more than children. As well, it doesn’t follow that every same-sex relationship – such as life-long friends – has to be, in anyway, homosexual. Or sexualised in any way…

The debate goes on…

Stephen Fry can’t deny the gulf between comfort and pain

Peter Hallett2 Comments

As the riots began in and around London, one of the UK’s favourite sons, Stephen Fry, tweeted from the film set of The Hobbit in New Zealand:

 “If I’m honest 12,000 miles away in NZ, I’m not further from Brixton or Tottenham than when I’m at home in London. But my homeland is unhappy”.
Despite nearly 3 million followers on Twitter and having lived in England all his life presumably, Fry is acknowledging the gulf that exists between himself and the millions of disadvantaged, disaffected countrymen and women on his doorstep.
And this from a man who is apparently worldly-wise, intelligent and savvy to the point that his views (and his tweets) are highly prized.
On this occasion what is prized is his honesty. While lamenting what was happening in his country and city, he admitted that he had been removed from the reality of his lowly neighbours. He is no different to many millions of members of the comfortable classes, whether they be in Europe, North America or Australia.
My own experience in the past 10 years has been God’s determined dismantling of my own ivory tower . It was not so much that I didn’t care – I did – it was more that I just didn’t know. I couldn’t have called a poor man my friend, because I didn’t know him.
Now I could do so, by the grace of God, and many of the barriers of arrogance, ignorance and apathy have been challenged. Perhaps these riots are a wake up call to the Stephen Frys and Peter Halletts of the world that we can be far too immersed in our own comfort zones to notice generation upon generation of brokenness reaping an ugly harvest, just around the corner, let alone across the world.
Wake up now, there’s a riot a comin’…

Some highlights from Kate’s live online chat today

Peter Hallett3 Comments
Hey Kate, Honestly, what did the Snowman desert taste like?
Kate Bracks: Absolutely beautiful, I know it messes with your head that you are using carrot in a sorbet but I think when you are having a dessert made by the best chef in the world it tastes good!Read More »

‘Christian’ Kate wins MasterChef 2011

Peter Hallett1 Comment

“What do you think Luke would say about what you’ve put up tonight?” MasterChef judge Gary Mehigan asked winning MasterChef grand finalist Kate Bracks, of Orange.
Read More »

Kate enters MasterChef final with plenty of prayerful support

Peter Hallett2 Comments

Several thousand past and present students of Greenacre Baptist Christian Community School will be glued to the MasterChef finale with former teacher Kate Bracks one of the final two contestants.

And quite a few might be saying the occasional prayer to see her win the final challenge next week. They’ll be joined by the members of Orange Evangelical Church where Kate, husband Luke and three children are members. Throw in additional prayerful support from Orange Christian School and it could be suggested that Kate has an unfair advantage.

But it will come down to taste and so far, Kate has proved time and again that her food has plenty of that. The township of Orange is, no doubt, in raptures about her success and will be hopeful her cool and calm approach will continue into the grand final.

Back in the early years of this century when Kate was teaching at Greenacre, she was a much-loved and respected teacher at a beautiful little school located in an area often referred to, somewhat ominously, as south-west Sydney.

And while fires and shootings at nearby car wrecking yards were routine, there was an atmosphere of love and peace that enveloped the school and embraced two of my children for several years.

Kate taught my youngest son in his pivotal Year 6 and, while there was no hint of her cooking prowess in those days, she was an excellent teacher.

On his Year 6 progress report, she wrote: “He is cooperative, modest and encouraging in his dealings with others.” Sounds very much like Kate’s own approach to her time on MasterChef.

Kate spoke about taking on the challenge of MasterChef to show her children that it’s possible to chase one’s dreams and be stretched beyond our normal existence. It might also be a shout-out to all parents to be living examples of faith in action to their children, shrugging of conformity and consumerism and doing something generous with their lives.

As for taking on the MasterChef challenge, Kate credits family and friends for their support. The Central Western Daily newspaper (worked there myself back in the day…) reports:

“Despite her love of cooking Mrs Bracks said she wouldn’t be competing in MasterChef if she didn’t have the support of her family and friends, including those from the Orange Evangelical Church. ‘I’ve got such a supportive network,’ she said.
Even after a successful audition for the show it took an extra push from her husband Luke, a teacher at Orange Christian School, to remind her that she was up to the challenge ahead. ‘He just told me not to let other things get in the way [of me doing this],’ she said.”

Kate and the Dalai Lama

Speaking in tongues comes to ABC news

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Speaking in tongues has finally come to ABC News as journalist Amy Simmons investigates why Pentecostalism is “attracting the Sunday masses” and examines the rise of Pentecostalism in a separate story.

The article covers some familiar territory – it seems each new generation of journalist keeps “discovering” the non-traditional traits that have made the Pentecostals the fastest growing Christian movement across the globe in the past century. 

There’s plenty in the article to allow people to make up their own minds about Pentecostal churches and some areas of belief such as healing and speaking in tongues.

Of course, most Pentecostals would rightly point to Jesus as being at the centre of their beliefs and that without a clear understanding of and vital relationship with the Son of God, then the other elements of faith are worthless.

Academic Associate Professor Rick Strelan of the University of Queensland is called on to deliver the “objective expert” view and is reasonable in most of his comments, which is noteworthy in that Pentecostals are not overly accustomed to having their faith and practice discussed in a reasonable way.Read More »

Pastor thanks God for his smokin’ hot wife: buggity

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I’m not sure if this is a prayer or a product placement but you can’t argue with the passion of Pastor Joe Nelms, his appreciation of his wife Lisa and children, his love of Nascar racing and the “buggity, buggity, buggity” at the end of his prayer!Read More »

Oslo shooter ‘Christian’ label questioned

Peter Hallett1 Comment

Claims have now surfaced that the supposed Facebook page for Oslo terrorist Anders Behring Breivik may have been altered to make it appear that he had conservative Christian beliefs.

While the issue should not overshadow the grief and suffering of victims of the atrocity, the issue of why Breivik would act as he did is obviously important to those directly affected but also the millions world-wide trying to come to terms with the crimes.

And as news breaks of a 1500 page manifesto and video from Breivik that delve into his motivations (see below), the use of Facebook information initially and the labelling of the shooter as a Christian fundamentalist still warrant examination.

Utterance was first alerted to the fake Facebook claims by a commenter on our previous post, Oslo misery compounded by shooter ‘Christian’ claim. John Covert claimed to provide a link to the Google cached version of the page. It does not show a reference to Christian belief.

Other bloggers go further and display the Facebook page allegedly as it appeared just before being removed by Facebook with no reference to Christianity and another later version that contains the Christian belief and conservative politics references.

The issues this raises are:

  • It is dangerous when the media reports that crimes may have been motivated by certain religious or political beliefs (and that applies across the spectrum) when they have no corroborating evidence. (This evidence has reportedly now surfaced – see below).
  • Using people’s private social networking information as the basis for news reports is bad journalism as it may be an invasion of privacy and open to inaccuracy – how many people misrepresent themselves on Facebook etc?
  • The ability to manipulate internet information (as may or may not be the case here) means even if it is not considered an ethical problem to access the information, it should still be viewed as in need of corroboration.

People who regard themselves as conservative, Christian or fundamentalist obviously felt targeted, ashamed or unfairly associated with the crimes of Breivik and this might be useful insight into how people of other faiths or political persuasions feel when the actions of an individual or group are used to taint all those of similar beliefs.

It’s important for Christians to remember it is their actions day to day that will have the most influence on what people think of the Christian faith. Headlines come and go and are quickly forgotten, but our lives are daily on display.

STOP PRESS: New sources of information are appearing regarding Anders Behring Breivik’s beliefs and the motivation for his shocking killing spree. Reports indicate he left behind a 1,500 page manifesto likened to an al Qaede document except from a European Christian perspective and also a video summarising his views. 

Read the New York Times report

Fox News shows some of the manifesto

The original Facebook page of Anders Behring Breivik?
The altered page of the Olso shooter?

Australian Cadel Evans wins Tour de France

Peter Hallett1 Comment

Australian Cadel Evans has won the Tour de France after converting a 57 second deficit into a more than 90 second victory in the final time trial of the historic 108th year of the vent.

While the official finishing line awaited Evans on the final day of the race in Paris, his victory was sealed when he snatched victory during the time trial on the penultimate day of the event.

The day before, during the final climbing section of the race, a bike breakdown appeared to have left Evans far removed from leadership contention in the Tour de France. But an amazing fightback then brought him within reach of victory with just the time trial to come.

With the same steely resolved he has shown all race, and in fact for years of Tor de France competition, he finished the 42 kms in 55 minutes and 40 seconds, nearly three minutes faster than Luxembourg’s Andy Schleck who until then was leading the event.

Evans, now wearing the yellow jersey, led the contingent of riders into Paris with an overall race lead of about 96 seconds. Tradition dictates that leaders are rarely contested on this final leg, all he needed to do was finish the event with the main group which he did, riding onto the Avenue des Champs-Élysées as the first Australian winner.

Not much is known of the inner motivations of Evans other than he was a country boy who learned to ride a bike at a very young age, got used to riding alone in the country areas in which he grew up (around Katherine, Armidale, Barwon Heads) and that he once rode in a race with a Tibetan flag on his undershirt to support Tibetan freedom.

His mum, Helen Cocks, says, “He is a simple man who likes simple things. He will be the same Cadel [after winning the Tour de France], probably just relieved,” she said. And in Chiara, his Italian wife, she said her son had a partner who kept people’s feet firmly on the ground.

Oh, and he barracks for Geelong in the AFL – enough said.

Wikipedia supplies these biographic details for Cadel Evans:

Cadel Evans wearing the yellow jersey as winner of the Tour de France, 2011.

“Evans was born in Katherine, Northern Territory. He is married to Chiara Passerini, an Italian music teacher whom he met at the end of 2002. The two were introduced by a friend of her father’s. Evans inherited his surname from his great-grandfather who hailed from Wales, and his first name is also of Welsh origin (‘Cadell‘ being the name of three Welsh kings).[3] Evans attended Eltham High School in Melbourne, Victoria during his teenage years. In 2008, Evans wore a cycling undershirt with the Flag of Tibet and supported freedom for Tibet.[4][5] He said: ‘Trying to bring awareness of the Tibet movement is something someone in my position can do. I just feel really sorry for them. They don’t harm anyone and they are getting their culture taken away from them. I don’t want to see a repeat of what happened to Aboriginal culture [in Australia] happen to another culture.’ Evans has stated that it was his early years growing up in Armidale that was the inspiration for his cycling career. Additionally, the city’s higher altitude gave Evans an early edge in competition. Whilst living in Armidale, Evans attended Newling public school.”

Meanwhile, the elation in France is in stark contrast to the grief of Norway. While we weep with those who are weeping in Norway we take a moment to rejoice with those who rejoice in France and Australia.

A unique view of Cadel's winning time-trial effort, thanks to Paper Camera

 

Oslo misery compounded by shooter ‘Christian’ claim

Peter Hallett2 Comments

Ship of Fools, an alternate Christian website, summed up the feelings of many Christians when they tweeted yesterday, “Our misery is complete. The Norwegian gunman is reported as a ‘Christian fundamentalist’.” The enormity of terrorist tragedy was made worse by reports the gunman may have identified himself as a Christian.

It is unclear at this stage what evidence there is for this claim in the media apart from a Facebook page on which the shooter Behring Breivik identifies himself as ‘Christian’ with ‘conservative’ views.

But he also listed interests such as the game World of Warcraft, freemasonry, and the television series Dexter which is about a serial killer. The reality is that any group or organisation with which Breivik expressed an interest will be now horrified by the association.

As a sidelight to the issue, it is in interesting to see how quickly Breivik’s private social media entries were accessed by the media…

Hauntingly, the one message on his Twitter account dated July 17 was: “One person with a belief is equal to a force of 100,000 who have only interests.”

Regardless of the actual nature of his beliefs, it is distressing that the term Christian, first used to describe followers of Christ in Antioch in the first century, should be even remotely associated with this horrific act.

Anyone familiar with the ‘fundamentals’ of Christ’s life and teaching would know he is easily identified with those who were killed and not at all with the one who killed.

For a thorough analysis of this issue, visit The Christian Post’s story.

Read part of New York Times report:

OSLO – The Norwegian police on Saturday charged a 32-year-old man, whom they identified as a Christian fundamentalist with right-wing connections, over the bombing of a government center here and a shooting attack on a nearby island that together left at least 91 people dead.

The police said they did not know if the man, identified by the Norwegian media as Anders Behring Breivik, was part of a larger conspiracy. He is being questioned under the country’s terrorism laws, the police said, and is cooperating with the investigation of the attacks, the deadliest on Norwegian soil since World War II.

“We are not sure whether he was alone or had help,” a police official, Roger Andresen, said at a televised news conference. “What we know is that he is right-wing and a Christian fundamentalist.” So far Mr. Breivik has not been linked to any anti-jihadist groups, he said.

From MasterChef to Q&A – smorgasbord of religious offerings

Peter Hallett1 Comment

I’ll admit missing all of these television programs as I was actually busy doing other things (for a change), but it hasn’t escaped me that although atheists are telling us we are no longer religious, religion simply won’t lay down and die.

If reality television is any gauge (let’s include Q&A in that genre for now) then religion sits right at the heart of the public’s psyche – for this week at least.

Amazing Race Australia had contestants carrying crosses through the streets of Jerusalem, MasterChef had the Dalai Lama, Rev Bill Cruse and Rev Tim Costello as guest judges while the ABC’s Q & A last night had a ‘spiritual special’ featuring Christian mathematician Prof John Lennox and perennial religious researcher, John Safran.

And an interesting inclusion in this program was “pentecostal scholar” Jacqueline Grey who lectures in Old Testament studies and is the Academic Dean of Alphacrucis College in Sydney.

Safran follows up tonight with his latest TV series – Jedis & Juggalos: Your Census Guide on ABC TV 1. In preparation for the upcoming Australian census,  John scours the globe and hunts down people who blend spirituality with popular culture. The context for this program is the Australian Atheist Foundation’s billboard campaign urging Australian’s to tick ‘no religion’ on census night. (Also see the comment on this post regarding Judith Lucy’s Spiritual Journey series)

In all of this, one of the most personally challenging situations was MasterChef contestant Kate Bracks’ encounter with the Dalai Lama. Kate is a devout Christian (former teacher of my youngest son) and chose not to refer to the Buddhist leader as Your Holiness. Christian ministers, Rev Cruse and Costello had no such qualms, perhaps being acquainted with various church dignitaries who go by similar titles.

Kate’s view is that there is no one holy but God and presumably she would happily apply the same rule to Christian leaders who might have this included in their title. More power to her.

And while the tide of religion-in-popular-culture will no doubt recede as quickly as it came, we humans are still far more likely to consider there is a God and spiritual reality than not.

Oh, and just when we thought the topic had drifted away, good old Fred Nile stirs up the opposing camps by saying he’ll vote to rescind the NSW government’s public service pay bill unless ethic classes in schools are scrapped. He and many Christians oppose them because they compete with Scripture in schools.

Read the Herald Sun’s report of Kate’s response: Title one ingredient too much for MasterChef contestant.

Fred Nile’s ethic classes demand

Watch the ABC’s Q & A’s ‘spiritual special’.

Check out details of John Lennox’s debate with Peter Singer.

See my previous post re the AFA’s billboard campaign

AmazinGrace carries the cross in Jerusalem

Peter Hallett1 Comment

The Amazing Race Australia on Monday, July 18 will feature some of the four remaining teams carrying large wooden crosses through the streets of Jerusalem as part of the episode’s challenges. Check out a preview.

In a city so taut with religious and cultural tensions, it is a daring and perhaps provocative act, that recalls for Christians the crucifixion of Christ.

One of the effects of global tourism is to take long-held cultural, religious and historical events, locations and practices and make them marketable commodities for tourist consumption. While there are respectful ways of doing this, the Amazing Race epitomises the dilemma of rich tourists enjoying foreign lands while running the risk of carelessly trampling upon them.

In this case, a deeply significant religious symbol and act is incorporated into a reality show game in a city which is sacred for three world religions.  It is an ‘amazing’ clash of ‘realities’ and hopefully will provoke thought about the interactions of tourists and destinations; and even more so, about the meaning of ‘carrying your cross’.

The wooden cross (the exact shape is debated, but not important) was used for capital punishment in Roman occupied Israel around the first century AD. Part of the cruelty was at times to humiliate the condemned person by forcing them to drag the heavy implement through the city before they were nailed, tied and hung from it, dying a slow and painful death.

From the film, The Passion of the Christ

The New Testament records this being inflicted on Jesus, after a heavy beating, and is known by some as the passion of the Christ. This term encompasses not just his physical and mental anguish, but spiritual as well.

From a theological perspective, this was God in human flesh, suffering the worst humanity had to offer as identification with us but also as a substitution. Though perfect, he allowed himself to be punished as the worst of criminals and cut off from God so that we might be forgiven and re-connected to God.

So the cross is a powerful symbol of God’s grace extended to all. Perhaps it’s fitting that the show Amazing Race is also AmazinGrace…

At another level, Jesus often used the phrase, ‘carry your cross’ as a way of describing the challenge of following him. This must have been powerful imagery for his first century audience.

They would have seen or heard of the terrible journey through Jerusalem and other occupied cities of cross-laden people, heading for their deaths, under the ruthless eye of their Roman rulers.

To liken the life of a Christ-follower to carrying the cross, was a clear sign that it involved selflessness, vulnerability, suffering, obedience and a stretching of every fibre of being.

Not unexpectedly, it may not be the most popular influence for Christians (or anyone else) when making life choices, but thankfully we have the Amazing Race to bring it back to our attention.

While the cross-bearing exploits in the Amazing Race are a pale imitation of the real event, what’s more important is what we all do without the silent witness of the cross and the call of Jesus to carry it.

You may have never even heard of this call but it resonates through history and awaits your decision. After you watch the show, give the cross more thought…

Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it. Matthew 16:24-25

For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. 1 Corinthians 1:18