Category: Australia

What would Jesus do about asylum seekers?

Peter Hallett1 Comment

A question to Tony Abbot on ‘what would Jesus do’ about asylum seekers has sparked a flurry of Jesus references in Australian media.

On the ABC’s Q & A program last night, Brenton Anthony from Canberra sent this question to Abbott: ‘When it comes to asylum seekers, what would Jesus do?’

Melissa Heris also asked: ‘How do you reconcile your strong faith with your harsh position on refugees, given that many asylum seekers are escaping religious persecution in their home country?

His answers included, ‘Don’t forget, Jesus drove the traders from the temple as well.’

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Jesus’ heavenly appearance at Easter Show

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Utterance reported on Wednesday that the Royal Agricultural Society, organisers of Sydney Royal Easter Show had refused the Bible Society of NSW a stall on the basis that it was of a ‘religious nature’.

More than 200 volunteers and thousands of resources had been arranged for the Easter, All About Life stall that was to be linked to the recent Jesus, All About Life media campaign.

Fittingly, Jesus did make an appearance at the Show today about 1pm thanks to the heavenly intervention of a sky-writer.

With the sun as an exclamation mark, Jesus All About Life appeared brightly in white against a brilliant blue sky, easily visible at the show in Homebush Bay. The words spread broadly in the gusty wind covering the whole city.

They made quite an impression in Sydney’s inner west where I managed to take the photos above on my trusty Nokia E71 phone and also an Olympus MU9000. Of course, the mandatory buildings, telegraph wires and even an obliging plane accompanied my city pics.

It’s good to be reminded that even the day the Jesus was crucified is Good and is all about life! PH

Family First should win SA seat

Peter Hallett1 Comment

Family First is a party representing Christian values (although somewhat reticent to say it that plainly of late) which began in South Australia some years ago.

It had two members in the SA upper house and one of these spots was up for re-election on Saturday.

As of today, Family First has 33029 votes which is 4.4 per cent of the vote and .53 of a seat. This compares with The Greens, with 49013 votes, 6.6 of the vote and .79 of a seat.

Both these minor parties are in with a good chance of winning a seat with Labor and Liberal winning perhaps seven between them, with two smaller parties possibly grabbing the final two.

Interestingly, there are 1,093316 voters enrolled, 797,880 upper house ballot papers lodged and 49727 informal votes. PH

Hello Switchfoot, it’s a hurricane of a tour!

Peter Hallett5 Comments

Okay, so maybe Saturday is music day for Utterance, but I couldn’t fail to mention that Switchfoot are about to tour Australia as well.

This genre-defying Christian band from San Diego will play The Hi-Fi, Brisbane on April 21; The Billboard, Melbourne, April 22; and The Forum, Sydney, April 23.

Here’s what Moshtix has to say about their concerts:

‘…their latest album Hello Hurricane, which was featured in USA Today’s Fall Pick for most awaited album, has a far more edgy vibe to it than their previous albums. Packed full of songs you want to die singing, Switchfoot are back with a fighting spirit while still retaining their moniker of hope and optimism. Although Switchfoot have never fit any of the genre boxes, the band find that diversity is their strength and that they operate at their best during their infamous and energetic live shows. Expect a night of melodic crunch with densely layered sound featuring some electronic experimentation, often driven by heart-pumping guitar riffs, with a few softer ballads thrown in as well.’

Switchfoot walk the fine line of holding Christian beliefs while creating their art in a secular environment, but there is no missing the Only Begotten’s Spirit in all they do. Tickets seem to be going fast so head to Moshtix now. If you are under 18, you’ll need an over 25-year-old guardian to attend the show as these are licenced venues. I could be available if you’ll buy my ticket… only kidding! (I’ll buy my own…).

So Switchfoot fans, put your favourite lyrics into a comment on this post, and keep the Hurricane turning. PH

Free Newsboys song downloads

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Newsboys are one of Australia’s most successful Christian bands although I’m not sure if there are still any Aussies in the line-up since front-man Peter Furler handed over to Michael Tait (formerly of DC Talk) last year.

The band won’t be the same (for me) without that raw Australian feel out front but Furler is still involved behind the scenes so it will be interesting to see where the band heads and how they are received in Oz.

In the meantime, check out a couple of their new songs that you can download for free from the Hope 102.3 website.

Newsboys are performing at Hillsong Convention Centre, Sydney, on Tuesday April 6. Tickets are $40.

Recognise your enemy, especially if it’s a crocodile

Peter Hallett1 Comment

Christian speaker Lynn Tobin of Western Australia tells an amazing story from the rugged north of her state in which a work crew, camped out in the wilderness one night, suddenly hear some raucous singing in the distance.

Being miles from anywhere and anyone, they were stunned to hear any sounds of human origin and so quickly checked around their camp to see where it was coming from.

To their amazement, they saw a man, drunk out of his brain, walking through the marshy countryside, and attached to his leg was a crocodile! The man carried on singing, clearly unaware that the crocodile was trying to drag him off as a meal.

They rushed to their ute to grab tools with which to scare off the beast and had to beat it on the snout before eventually being able to pull the still singing and oblivious man free.

If that was not surprising enough, as soon as they had him free he quickly dashed off into the darkened landscape and out of sight.

The moral to this apparently true story – you can’t deal with an enemy you can’t recognise.

In life we encounter many enemies to our wellbeing, of spiritual or other origin, and too often we fail to let God help us see the true source of our affliction, or even that we are afflicted and could be rescued by his grace. We walk through life singing, with a crocodile on our leg.

As an aside, Lynn also mentioned that when people report having seen or been attacked by a crocodile, the average length is 30 feet when in fact the average size of crocodiles in 12-15 feet. Apparently, the opposite problem to the one above is just as likely – over-estimating our enemy. PH

Sleeping political giant rising

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I’ve just written an article for Alive magazine on the state of Christian politics in Australia, in the lead-up to the next election. You can view it online in the April/May issue of Alive out in early April.

One of the people I interviewed was Jim Wallace, managing director of Australian Christian Lobby. Among other things, he had this to say:

“I think that having had decades of swallowing the lies that we musn’t get involved, there must be a separation of church and state, don’t legislate your morality on me – if the devil was going to control the country, what lies would he use to keep the church out of it?  After decades of having succumbed to those, we suddenly realised that we have a heck of a mess, particularly in the state of marriage, family and children. We need to do something about it to get Biblical principles re-established in these very important areas as well as in how we treat the underprivileged, how we address poverty, internationally and nationally.”

Wallace emphasises that Christian politics should not only embrace righteousness (moral issues) but justice (poverty, Millennium Goals etc). He also is very careful not to tie the Christian vote to any particular party, avoiding the mess many of the American Christian lobby groups have got themselves into. Wallace commented to me:

“I was in America in March last year, I was talking to some organisations similar to ours, but without the non-partisan approach and their chins were on the ground; they are at a loss because they said to me, we have no access into the Obama administration and therefore no influence. But what we are most disappointed about is that we didn’t get everything we wanted out of the Republicans.”  

To be honest, as an old journo and then a pastor for 18 years, I have been a bit jaded with all this stuff because too often it seems so removed from people’s lives and so often Christian political voices were either irrelevant, irrational or both. While we have a long way to go, and realising that no human voice, political or otherwise, will measure up to the Still Small Voice, I think there are some positive signs for Christians broaching the political sphere and ACL can take a fair bit of credit.

On another issue, an article I wrote on the Islamisation of Europe appears in the current issue of Alive. You can view online here. It starts page 52. Please note my disclaimer that ‘views expressed are not necessarily my own’. Read and make up your own mind. PH

Life is like a short film

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Scene 1: Filmic moment for Jo

We pulled into Civic video and Jo scurried out, barefoot, to deposit the slightly late return. Hopping back in the car, we headed up Norton St, past Bar Italia on one side and Mezzapica further up on the other.

We hit a red light next to the illuminated Leichhardt Town Hall, and the three of us (Rebekah in the back), sat there in the quiet evening, no traffic around, waiting for the lights to change.

“I feel like I’m in a short film,” said Josiah. “Whenever we just randomly pull up at a red light and there’s nothing around, it feels like a scene from a short film,” he elaborates.

We look at Jo. He turns his head and looks at me. The universe blinks. Our light turns green and we continue our journey home.

Scene 2: Sydney is the short film capital of the world

It’s no wonder people are having random short film epiphanies, after all Sydney is the home of Tropfest, the world’s largest short film festival.

Thanks to Josiah for providing a spontaneous and authentic introduction to a quick review of the 16 finalists from Tropest 2010.Read More »

See your city through different eyes

Peter Hallett2 Comments

To really know your city or town you need to see it at different hours on different days. The cycle of time brings an ebb and flow of people like tides bringing different creatures to the shore.Read More »

How will Christians vote in the next election?

Peter Hallett2 Comments

With the Federal Government ‘stockpiling’ double dissolution “triggers’ and a normal election possible from August 7 2010, political parties are well and truly in election mode.

The Christian vote has become more visible in recent years with the strengthening and growth of political parties claiming to represent Christians, not to mention candidates in other political parties highlighting their Christian faith.

Add to this the growing, if begrudging, respect being given to the Australian Christian Lobby, and we have a fascinating story emerging for voters who seek to vote in a way that reflects their faith.

Two states – South Australia and Tasmania – are going to the polls in March and it will be interesting to see the performance of  parties such as the Christian Democrats and Family First, relative to the Greens, Democrats and other minor parties.

I am writing an article for Alive magazine which will give an overview of the state of Christian politics in Australia, so keep an eye out for it in the April/May issue.

Micah Challenge has its Voices of Justice conference at Parliament House, Canberra on June 19-22 when young people will meet with dozens of elected representatives, lobbying for justice for the poor. In the shadow of an election, this timing could prove strategic. PH

Too close to the river to care

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Kenyan pastor Evans Mkala Mage, speaking at Eternity today,  had three points he believed God wanted Australian Christians to hear:

1. This land is a refuge ( he didn’t elaborate but the implications are profound when you consider our history and current issues.)

2. We have been given a great deal but need to live with balance.

3. God loves us so much and we need only to reach out and receive this love.

He told a Kenyan parable to highlight these points.

“In Kenya we have a saying: if you a visit a home near the river they will not have any water. This is because they know the river is near and say, ‘I can go and get water anytime’. If you visit a home a long way from the river, you will find they always have water to share with a stranger or those in need. This is because that know how difficult it is to get water, so they make sure they always have a supply.” We are a people living near the river of God’s goodness and abundance but are in danger of taking it for granted and failing to value our supply and share it with others. PH

Oh no, Christians in the media

Peter Hallett2 Comments

O.N.C.I.T.M 1: 10 well-intentioned American Baptists have been arrested in Haiti for allegedly attempting to abduct at least 33 or up to 100 children by taking them by bus to the Dominican Republic.

One of the Baptists said they realised they didn’t have all the right paperwork, for what they thought were abandoned children, but were “just trying to do the right thing.”

Doing the right thing starts with having great respect for the nations and peoples you are among, even if their lifestyle or processes are different to yours. It can be too easy for us in the west to wrongly view these as sub-standard or insignificant, because we fail to penetrate the cultural differences.

Perhaps the chaos of devastated Haiti is a mitigating factor, and there may be other motivations for those who are holding the Christians without charge, but there is definitely a lesson for us all as weconsider our place in the world.

O.N.C.I.T.M 2: An American missionary couple featured on morning television because of their comments that Darwin is a godless, sinful city. The clean middle-class-looking couple lost all credibility with no one believing they knew the first thing about the city they claim to want to reach with the gospel.

The mistake here, again, is the presumption of  describing a foreign city without knowing it or earning the right to be heard. The other mistake is thinking that one city is some how more sinful than another just because its sins may be more obvious, such as alcohol abuse.

Gotta love these Christians, they are so passionate and committed and probably deeply spiritual. But a few brains wouldn’t go astray.

“Forgive me Lord for when I have acted out of the same pride and disrespect which is not love.” PH

Beach and the blind in Bali

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Rebekah searches for shells at Turtle Beach, Bali, with some of the kids from Eternity Blessed Children's Home.
Take a few Aussies with faith and give them a chance to build relationships with people in another country and culture and God can do great things. Sharing our lives is as simple as searching for shells at the beach and as supernatural as praying for sight to be restored in a church service in a children’s home. We Sydneysiders have been here under three days and have experienced so much already, even blue Fanta… Maybe a post on that later.

Bag man heads to Bali

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After re-stashing breakfast cereal in our hand luggage (we are taking a fascinating array of Aussie goodies to our workers in Bali) our check in luggage avoided a fee and we headed for immigration. Josiah nominated himself the hand luggage king and moved off with seven pieces…
Anyway, Eternity’s Bali team is looking forward to an amazing time… that is if we can get these immigration cards completed. ‘Pass me another one, Bek!’
[tag laugh, Bali, ]

Rain on Uluru

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I have been searching for video of the December 23, 2009 downpour that covered Uluru. Not easy to find, but…Click here  for a short video on zimbio.com, courtesy of Reuters.
God has refreshed the geographic heart of our nation, and it feels to me that something similar is occurring spiritually…