Category: FindingFaith

Not enough justice for juvenile justice minister

Peter Hallett2 Comments

Minister for Juvenile Justice Graham West was shocked when Father Chris Riley from Youth of the Streets rang him this week.

Together they had worked successfully towards an innovative plan to build four bail houses to keep young offenders out of detention while they await trial.

Mr West had fought hard to get agreement from his government colleagues for the houses, as part of his over-arching desire to assist the disadvantaged. But something was wrong, very wrong.

The Department of Commerce had dumped the project without informing the minister and it was only when Father Riley rang that he heard the news.

‘He had believed he had won the fight in terms of funding and he was shocked when I called him and said he knew nothing about it,’ Father Riley told the Sydney Morning Herald.

So distressed was Mr West that he rang Premier Christina Keneally and resigned, later saying he had been thinking about the decision for some time.

Father Riley said he would reconsider on the weekend his position on the Premier’s Homelessness Advisory Council because of Labor’s treatment of Mr West.

‘I’ve been fighting juvenile justice ministers and the law and order agenda for 20 years and finally in Graham we had a minister with real vision,” he said.

”I wonder where this government is going when it stamps on people such as Graham, who is a good man who got it right.”

Mr West, a devout Catholic, entered politics out of a desire to pursue social justice – let’s hope he gets another opportunity to pursue this agenda.

Eternity Christian Church Campbelltown is working tirelessly in NSW juvenile justice centres and no doubt will be sad to Mr West go. He visited and commended they’re homework centre ar Reiby juvenile justice centre. PH

Jesus making news for his leadership example

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What would Jesus do? doesn’t always appear to be the question at the top of the list for politicians but businessman Lindsay Fox says it should be when it comes to leadership.

He’s advised Prime Minister Kevin Rudd to take a leaf out of Jesus Christ’s unwritten book of leadership and delegate some authority to his disciples.

Speaking on ABC Television today, the trucking boss, one of Australia’s most respected and richest business leaders, said Mr Rudd needed a lesson in delegating.

‘You have to delegate some authority [to ministers],’ Mr Fox said.

‘In the case of Jesus Christ, he had 12 disciples and those disciples carried his message long after he was gone.’

Not enough was being heard from Mr Rudd’s ‘disciples’, as his standing with voters tumbles in opinion polls.

‘You can’t run a government unless you’re a total democratic dictator and there’s only been a few of them in the world in the last 50 years,’ Mr Fox said.

While Mr Fox is correct in saying Jesus did not write down any of his leadership principles – making his success all the more impressive – his followers did record his words and actions.

They can be found in four eyewitness accounts, named after their authors, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. If you are an inspiring leader, read them for yourself by clicking on the links or leave a comment asking for written copies, and I’ll get them to you. PH

Are you what you do or something more?

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I caught a glimpse of a new television commercial, I think for the Commonwealth Bank, featuring a man walking along a dusty road, whispering regrets to himself.

‘If only I would do something instead of just thinking about what I might do’ he says, or something like that.

Sounds like a carefully market-researched sentiment inserted into an emotive scene to echo what most people have thought at one point or another. Or continually.

Then the screen splits and a second, identical man is seen walking purposefully the opposite direction down a paved, tree and building lined road. The first man stops and stares after him.

The words ‘You are what you do’ fade on to the screen, along with the bank logo.

The implicit suggestion is that by associating with this bank, we will move from the ranks of the regretful thinkers to the have-it-all doers.

I don’t think so… If what we do is the sum of who we are, then we immediately dismiss those who can’t measure up – and ultimately that is all of us.

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Bear Grylls a wild man of faith

Peter Hallett2 Comments

A few young Christian men I know got together recently with the big highlight of their evening being watching Man vs Wild featuring Bear Grylls.

Turns out it was a more spiritual activity than they may have realised with Grylls revealing this month in Relevant magazine that he is a strong Christian.

The wild life adventurer who allows himself to be dropped in remote locations so that he can be filmed attempting to survive, says that he had a ‘natural’ faith as a child, although hasn’t always found believing easy.

‘It’s been kinda a wiggly, messy journey which is still continuing,’ Grylls told Relevant, a description that might also suit his TV show.

‘Christianity is not about religion – it’s about faith, about being held, about being forgiven. It’s about finding joy, finding home.’

Turns out Grylls is an avid supporter of  Alpha, a 10 week introduction to the Christian faith, written and presented by Nicky Gumble of Holy Trinity Brompton.

Gumble, a mentor and friend, says of Grylls, ‘I think Bear has a very simple faith. And simple in the good sense of the word.  It’s a strong personal faith and he lives it out in his everyday life.’ PH

PS. Man vs Wild screens on SBS Mondays at 8.30pm and SBS says ‘the program has performed strongly since its debut with an average audience of 535,000 metro viewers.’

How atheism led me to faith…

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If several billion God believers can’t dint the unbelief of an atheist, perhaps just one family member’s faith might make the difference.

Christopher Hitchens is famous for his book God is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything and is one of the poster boys of the new atheism secular liberalism. He was a special guest of this month’s Sydney Writers Festival as he promoted his memoir Hitch-22.

But while Christopher has been busy debating Christians and even threatening to have the Pope arrested, his brother Peter has rediscovered faith and published The Rage Against God: How Atheism Led Me to Faith.

As the Hitchens brothers’ books battle for bookstore ascendency, we see a microcosm of the struggle between belief and unbelief in the world.

While most atheists will cite logic and reason for the reason of their non-belief in God, behind this for many is a personal religious atrocity that has led them from grace. For Christopher Hitchens it may just have been the brutal, even sadistic regime he encountered at a church boarding school from the age of eight.

And while brother Peter went through his own atheistic ‘revelation’ it was not to last and his book now attacks the blind spots and flaws of atheistic argument.

There is no doubt much more to run in the story of these two men’s lives, and it is a reminder that wherever darkness seems to flourish, a resilient light is close at hand. Pray for Christopher and Peter Hitchens, that both would find themselves beneath the grace of God as they play a part on the world stage.

An excellent article on the belief and unbelief of the Hitchens brothers appears in the Fairfax media today . It is written by Simon Smart, the head of research and communications at the Centre for Public Christianity. PH

God drives the bus to his own defence

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God gave a clue to his reality during our bus trip to the ‘In defence of God’ session of the Sydney Writer’s festival today (May 23).

Running late due to bus delays, we were worried about missing the session until our bus driver got lost in the Rocks and pulled over randomly to let us out – right in front of our destination, Sydney Theatre, instead of the actual bus stop two streets away! God is providential, generous and has a sense of humour…

As we gathered with the unfaithful – the session was chaired by an atheist and featured a lapsed Episcopalian – we found we had more in common with the other speaker, the Iranian-American author and scholar, Reza Aslan.

While Eric Lax, author of Faith Interrupted, lamented his fall from faith (I believe he’ll be back though), Aslan launched an attack against the new atheists. He described their behaviour as being as fundamentalist as some of the religious people they hate. He also reminded the audience that despite a century of violent secularism, the number of religious adherents  had risen from half to two thirds of the global population.

Aslan was challenged by a few questioners but was able to mount a good defence for God before the brief question section was wound up. He even began his talk by referring to the blogs that had questioned why an atheist, lapsed Episcopalian and Muslim were leading this session, with no Christian authors present. I take it from this, that he has read Utterance!

In the long run, however, there was inability of all panelists to consider a God who is a personal, tangible reality in our lives with the chair Louise Adler asking for a more concrete definition of faith and God. It wasn’t forthcoming and this was because no one had been invited to speak who actually believes in God this way. It was a timely reminder that atheists and agnostics are searching for something to lovingly but powerfully challenge their unbelief.

A good place to start might be to invite New York minister and author Timothy Keller to next year’s Sydney Writer’s Festival. In the meantime, read his book, The Reason For God – Belief in the age of Scepticism. PH

Listen to a short section of Reza Aslan’s defence of God:

Reza Aslan
Reza Aslan.mp3
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No surprise that churches asked to house asylum seekers

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While trendy inner city secularism ardently tries to remove any trace of Christianity from Australian social fabric, it is no surprise that the government has turned to the church to house asylum seekers due to overcrowding.

With facilities at Christmas Island overflowing, Department of Immigration officials have been quietly calling churches to ask if they have facilities to house up to 100 children and families.

It highlights the uniqueness of the Christian Church: a grassroots organisation with branches in virtually every community in the nation consisting of local people of diverse backgrounds who are motivated by common bonds of love and compassion.

Guided by Christ’s parables such as The Good Samaritan and the sacrificial example of the Cross, Christians have throughout history stood out because of their willingness to offer aid to the poor and homeless and even their enemies.

While using the issue to criticise the government, Opposition Immigration spokesman, Scott Morrison, could only speak charitably of the churches:

‘ I have no doubt that Christian churches will respond generously, which is their nature,” he told the Sydney Morning Herald. Read the full story here.

Maybe this is one more reason why trying to force out the teaching of Scripture in schools is wrong. It denies the real place of Christian values in our community. PH

Get the jump on hairy panic

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It used to be the respectfully named Umbrella Grass that rolled in on a westerly wind and stacked up against farm houses like a dusty, dry dump of snow.

But a new wispy villain is covering the land, and it’s a grass aptly known as Hairy Panic. While there is some evidence that its seeds were collected and ground for food by the Wemba Wemba people of the Murray River, today it is better known for covering houses and highways and giving over-indulgent sheep the often fatal Yellow Bighead disease – no further details necessary!

Enjoying the west of NSW for a few days, scenes such as the one pictured above are commonplace. And while rural NSW has experienced the best start to a growing season for years, it has now been some time since the refreshing rains earlier in the year and perhaps there is just the first itching of the old hairy panic creeping in for some farmers.

When a big part of the success of what you do is completely outside your control, panic can quite easily roll over your life, cover familiar landmarks and stow away in hidden corners.

Of course, city folk are just as prone to the hairiness of panic and all of us often respond by strictly controlling what we can to help us cope with what we can’t.

Another option is a spiritual and emotional trampoline to put our feet above the panic and provide the joy and freedom of trampling on our hairy foe.

Faith in God is many things and it may just be the trampoline we need to jump-start an overcoming of panic, anxiety and worry, making it small and opening up the sky to hope and possibility. PH

Resurrection or the spider web

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The offer is resurrection. The cost is everything. The alternative is a different kind of more of the same; a spider web of possibility in which the more you struggle the less you become.
The worse thing you can do is choose comatose and linger on in a half life, rallying your machines to stave of the change that matters. Death in all its living forms is never easy, we find life just so ingrained.
If there was another way, He would have said so. He searched for it in the garden, but found what He knew already, ‘Unless a seed…’.
You and I know it too but pride and fear gather in shadows around our thinking, fighting hard for they would die also. Be done with the troublesome pair!
Death is not disappearance. He doesn’t want us vanished any more than veneered. It is, in life, a complete laying down, patiently done, in readiness for a magnificent bestowal, undeserved but gratefully and gradually received.
It will take the ‘right to say I’m wrong’ and the ‘weak to say I’m strong’, but either way, today might just be the right time… for our resurrection (‘back where we belong’). PH

God help us: Bali Nine pray

Peter Hallett2 Comments

Having sat on the floor in the steamy visiting room of Kerobokan Prison with Andrew Chan and others of the Bali 9, any news of their faith and well-being holds a special interest. While the media rarely comprehends their faith, or the nature of their ordeal, today’ s report in the Sydney Morning Herald gives some insight.

Christians in Bali (including workers from our own church) work hard to support the Bali 9 and Schapelle Corby. Please continue to pray for them. Check out today’s report: God help us: Bali Nine pray.

Noah’s Ark claims highlight shift in global church

Peter Hallett5 Comments
The Chinese-Turkish Noah's Ark team

Who claimed to find Noah’s Ark this week is almost as interesting as what they found.

The team is described as being led by ‘Chinese and Turkish evangelical Christians’. Neither country is renowned for freedoms given to evangelical Christians and yet here they are – exploring Mt Ararat, conducting press conferences and influencing Christian and world agendas.

It is a reminder of how the burden of Christian faith has moved from the west to the east. While the western church languishes in its past glory, the churches of Asia and even the Middle East are rapidly growing, fiercely faithful and increasingly see their mission to the world. But that’s a blog for another day. What of Noah’s Ark?

Christians are understandably nervous of mention of Noah’s Ark discoveries as the world’s press and scientific communities love nothing more than to pour scorn on poorly researched and prematurely declared discoveries. Perhaps the journalists and scientists are so ready to pounce because if a valid, scientifically-sound discovery is reported, they will all be forced back to their Bibles…

It is early days for this latest claim and Christians are among those that are wary of it.

In case you missed it, a Chinese-Turkish team from Noah’s Ark Ministries International held a press conference on April 25 in Hong Kong to present their findings and say they were “99 percent sure” that pieces of wood found at above 4,000 metres elevation and dated as 4,800 years old were from the biblical Noah’s ark. Read More »

Unforgiveness allows wrongdoer to rent a room in our head

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If anyone in Australia has learned something about the giving and receiving of forgiveness, it is Lindy Chamberlain-Creighton.

Lindy was convicted in 1982 of killing her baby daughter Azariah while camping at Uluru in 1980 before being finally exonerated six years later. In that time, Lindy was judged wrongly not only by many in the police and court system, but by at least half of our nation, which was divided over the subject of her guilt or innocence.

Yesterday, Lindy, along with her second husband, Rick Creighton, was a guest speaker at St Ives Baptist Church as part of that church’s innovative Spirited Australians program. Forgiveness was a key theme.

Her visit attracted media attention, partly because Lindy Chamberlain will always be, to some degree, public property in Australia and partly because of revelations made during the talk.

Rick Creighton spoke of a young woman who was so convinced that Lindy had killed her baby, and so outraged, that she got herself convicted of a minor offence to get into the same Northern Territory jail where Lindy was serving a sentence for murder.Read More »

Lady goes ga ga over ‘Jesus’ Grace

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When Lady Ga Ga sought a way to heap praise on her musical inspiration, Grace Jones, she said the 80’s singer and model was like her ‘Jesus’.

This might indicate that beneath the provocative (euphemism) performances and costumes, Lady Ga Ga is still within reach of her Catholic upbringing, even if unconsciously. Lady Ga Ga (Stefani Joanne Angelina) was educated at New York’s Sacred Heart school.

Once again, Jesus finds his way into the most unlikely of places.

As for Grace Jones, apart from the fact that Jesus has everything to do with grace, it is unclear as to what other similarities can be drawn.

In any case, Jones wants nothing to do with Ga Ga and turned down an offer to perform with her. ‘I’d just prefer to work with someone who is more original and someone who is not copying me, actually,’ the 61-year-old said.

She was not heard to comment that no one has been able to copy Jesus, because he is ‘the only Begotten’ and worthy of our worship. 

Lady Ga Ga’s last brush with Jesus was when she wore her hair in a kind of Son of God halo effect with a skimpy blood-red outfit and was widely reported by celebrity magazines as ‘looking like Jesus’. I think not… PH

Faith can be born in, and survive, a shipwreck

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With critics claiming the Pope’s reputation has been shipwrecked by his inaction over the clerical abuse of children, His Holiness visited Malta last weekend to commemorate the 1950th anniversary of the Apostle Paul’s shipwreck near the island, an event recorded in the book of Acts.

Interestingly, the two issues came together on Malta when the Pope met with eight Maltese men, victims of sexual abuse by Catholic priests.

Conversion of Paul as depicted Caravaggio

The Sydney Morning Herald reports that Pope Benedict promised them with tears in his eyes that the Catholic Church would seek justice for paedophile priests and implement ‘effective measures’ to protect young people from abuse.

Benedict expressed his ‘shame and sorrow’ at the pain the men and their families suffered and prayed with them during the meeting at the Vatican’s embassy in Malta.
One of the men described the meeting as ‘fantastic’. ‘Everyone was crying,’ he said. It is the first time Benedict has met with abuse victims since the worldwide clerical abuse scandal engulfed the Vatican earlier this year.

While this meeting had not been foreshadowed by the Pope, he gave three other powerfully relevant reasons for his visit to Malta.

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‘Skippy’ and Silvie feature at city prayer breakfast

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Up to 500 people will pray ‘mercy and blessing’ on the city at the inaugural Sydney Prayer Breakfast to be held at the Shangri-La Hotel on June 4.

Organised by Sydney Prayer Breakfast Limited, a group linked to the City Bible Forum, guest speakers at the breakfast include NSW Commissioner of Police, Andrew ‘Skippy’ Scipione, and entertainer, Silvie Paladino.

Commissioner Scipione has had extensive experience in  law enforcement, and after stints with the Australian Customs Service, National Crime Authority and various positions with the NSW Police Force he was appointed Commissioner of Police last year. Away from his official duties he enjoys surfing, camping and spending time with his family.  

Silvie Paladino has established herself as one of Australia’s most versatile and talented entertainers performing throughout Australia, Asia and London’s West End. She has performed in Les Miserables, Cats, Miss Saigon, Hair, Mamma Mia! and Sideshow Alley. She is also a regular at Melbourne’s carols by Candlelight.

Organisers encourage any Christian who desires to pray for the different communities that come together in the Sydney CBD, such as business, politics, the arts and those in need, to attend the breakfast.’We believe that you will be greatly encouraged in your faith by participating in the breakfast. It’s good to pray at all times and also alone, but there is a place for corporate prayer on occasions such as this.’The Sydney Morning Herald  reported on the breakfast under the heading, Top cop leads God squad.’He’s the state’s top cop, a cleanskin crime-fighter who loves God and hates vice. But the Police Commissioner, Andrew Scipione, doesn’t just want to save the people of Sydney from crooks. He is worried about our eternal souls as well.’Sydney Prayer Breakfast tickets are $50 a head and for more information call 02 9232 8700, email or visit Sydney Prayer Breakfast . PH

On getting off drink and closer to God

Peter Hallett1 Comment

Walking away from the small community centre, past the sitting smokers, down the path in the warm sunshine, he stops and calls me Pete.

‘Pete, there are a lot of people on the streets who could get up if they wanted to but they don’t want to.’

I nod in agreement, ‘None of us make any changes in our life unless we really want to, so I guess that applies to people on the street too.’

‘I was homeless you know Pete,’ he says. ‘But I got myself up. Drugs are the real problem. Drugs and alcohol. I’ve never used drugs but alcohol was my problem.

‘But after I did 15 years straight of a 20 year sentence, the last thing the parole officer said to me was, “Are you going to give up drinking?” and I said, “Yes.”‘

And I haven’t drunk for 34 years.

‘That’s an inspirational story, you’re a great example,’ I say.

He chuckles, and fixes his ebony eyes on me and I feel privileged that this elderly man who carries a remarkable sense of wisdom and dignity, chooses to tell me his stories, week after week.

‘There was one time when I was drinking that I got picked up on the street by three policemen and put into a police van with three deros. When we pulled up at the station we all got out of the van and the police each took one of the deros into the police station and I walked straight across the road and into the Oxford Hotel,’ he says with a chuckle.

He talks about people in prison who ‘became’ Christians to get out of the big house. ‘I’m not a Christian, never will be, but I wouldn’t do that, just put it on.’

He recalled the advice of his mother. ‘She told me that God keeps way off in the distance and always has his eye on us. He’ll get them…’

Might not be great theology but I can feel the faith in this man, I can feel that he has a closeness to God that is born of respect, honour and honesty. One day I might just get to help him see it. I am encouraged. PH

Christian Obama urges commitment to Micah’s challenge

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Unprecedented coverage of the religious views of Prime Minister Kevin Rudd and more recently Opposition Leader Tony Abbott has shifted today to focus on possibly the world’s greatest religious enigma, US President Barak Obama.

President Obama hosted an Easter Prayer Breakfast yesterday (April 6) with 90 guests including leaders from most major denominations, the National Council of Churches, leaders of small and large churches and well-known Christian identities such as Bill Hybels and Joel and Victoria Osteen.

In America, where the appearance of Christian faith is almost obligatory for politicians, President Obama has been somewhat reticent to be seen as too firmly placed in that ‘corner’ and has not joined a church since moving to Washington.

As he welcomed people to the breakfast, he noted that the White House had also held a Seder to mark the Jewish Passover and an Iftar with Muslim Americans during Ramadan.

However, in his eight minute speech at the breakfast, President Obama clearly identified himself as a Christian, ‘Today, I’m particularly blessed to welcome you, my brothers and sisters in Christ, for this Easter breakfast.’

Later, reflecting on what Easter meant to him, Obama said, ‘…as Christians, we believe the redemption can be delivered – by faith in Jesus Christ… And the possibility that redemption can make straight the crookedness of a character, make whole the incompleteness of a soul. Redemption makes life, however fleeting here on Earth, resound with eternal hope.’

Recalling the words of the prophet Micah – championed by Micah Challenge,the social justice arm of evangelical Christians – Obama encouraged those present to commit their spirit ‘to the pursuit of a life that is true, to act justly and to love mercy and walk humbly with the Lord.’

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Strong God factor on Reserve Bank board

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Two members of the Reserve Bank Board, one of Australia’s most powerful economic institutions, gave clear personal testimony to their faith in Jesus Christ in the lead up to Easter.

Speaking at Wesley Mission’s annual Easter breakfast, the Reserve Bank governor, Glen Stevens, was asked about his belief in God, to which he replied:

‘I would say that despite claims to the contrary there is a God. This is worth checking out and the critical issue people have to deal with is – was Jesus Christ who he claimed to be. If he wasn’t then you can forget about it; and if he wasn’t then I am living in a fool’s world.’

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What would Jesus do about asylum seekers?

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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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Transcendent story of Easter

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E – everyone, everywhere

A – all the time, all year round

S – story to begin, end, transcend all stories

T – The… The Christ, The Lord, The Word, The Lamb

E – ending sin, death, the work of religion

R – rising, ever risen, the first of us

Photos: Man-made blue cross on church; God made cross structure in Whirlpool Galaxy. Happy Easter. PH