You are invited to come to a gathering of the Pastoral Network of Evangelicals Uniting in Mission Action (PNEUMA) 7:30pm Saturday 22nd May at Mt Pleasant Uniting Church.
In the light of the centenary of the Edinburgh missions conference, Dr Brian Harris, Principal of Vose Seminary will be speaking on what might ‘mission’ mean today?
Spread the word! All welcome 
Do we expect to ascend to heaven, or rather should we expect heaven to come to earth? In a recent paper published in Luke’s Journal (Christian Medical and Dental Fellowship of Australia}, Dr Ian Barns challenges a popular misconception. Ian lectures at Murdoch University and is a member of Mt Pleasant Uniting Church. Here is part of what he said.
RETHINKING THE GOOD LIFE IN A TIME OF CLIMATE CHANGE
by Ian Barns
Senior Lecturer in the Institute for Sustainability, Technology and Policy, Murdoch University
[in press. Published here by permission]
Introduction: The Editor has asked me to write a piece on the theological basis for caring for creation in response to the deepening threat of runaway climate change. However before doing so I want to briefly explore what I think is the profound spiritual challenge facing our wider society in the light of humanity’s ecological predicament, a challenge which should frame our theological response.
1. Accumulating evidence for a planetary sustainability emergency: Over the past 20 years – at least – there has been an accumulation of evidence that, collectively, we humans are living beyond our ecological means: we are using up resources in an unsustainable way; we are producing levels of carbon emissions that are likely to disrupt the planet’s climate system; and we are responsible for a massive destruction of biodiversity. Month after month major reports are being published documenting these impacts. For example, at the time of writing, several major reports have just been published on: the likely effects of rising sea levels on Australian coastal communities; the devastating effects climate change will have of the African continent; and on the serious economic and social impacts that will result from the inexorable decline in global oil production.
2. An emerging framework of coordinated global intergovernmental response: Following the publication of the Brundtland Commission Report, Our Common Future in 1987 and warnings by climate scientists during the late 1980s, the international community established a formal framework for responding to this looming ecological crisis in a coordinated manner. The UN Conference on Environment and Development in Rio in 1992 (the ‘Earth Summit’) agreed to establish the UN Framework Commission on Climate Change (UNFCCC) with the task of negotiating a process of coordinated global reduction in carbon emissions. Since then, there has been an escalating level of scientific and diplomatic activity seeking to document and respond to the challenge. Alongside the regular ‘conference of parties’ of the UNFCCC, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has published voluminous and authoritative reviews of the scientific understanding of climate science. The UNFCCC process resulted in the so-called Kyoto Protocol, agreed upon in 1997, taking effect in 2005 and is due to expire in 2012. The all-important meeting in Copenhagen in December 2009 (Conference of Parties 15) has the task of formulating a successor to the Kyoto Protocol. Of course, alongside these international activities, most national governments have been engaged in developing their own strategies for reducing carbon emissions. As the Australian experience indicates, with the Rudd Government’s attempt to legislate its Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme (CPRS), this has proved to be a complex and difficult task.
3. Despite the scientific evidence and policy activity, progress of effective climate action has been disappointingly slow: When we consider the accumulating scientific evidence that we face a dire planetary emergency and the years of time and effort spent on formulating strategic responses, it is disconcerting that so little effective action has actually happened. Indeed, the last two decades have been a period of lost opportunity as far as making a transition to a more ecologically efficient global economy is concerned. Not only have the already industrialised nations continued their wasteful and inefficient use of fossil fuel energy resources: this period has seen the industrial ‘take-off’ of major developing nations such as China, India and Brazil, by and large following the pathway of fossil fuel based industrialisation. To be sure, over the last few years, the development of an alternative energy and transportation infrastructure has been gaining momentum and it is likely that over the next few decades we will see the rapid uptake of renewable energy, smart grids, vastly more energy efficient houses, public buildings, transport systems and eco-cities. However, the world is now locked into high levels of fossil fuel consumption for several decades to come. With the inevitability of global population growth to an expected 9 billion by 2050 and the continued pressure of global industrialisation, the chances of avoiding what UK Chief Scientist John Beddington calls an ecological ‘perfect storm’ are becoming slimmer with each passing year (Sample, 2009).
4. The impediments to prompt and effective action: Why, despite all this scientific research and policy endeavour, has so little been achieved? In part, it’s because it’s a crisis with a ’long fuse’. It’s difficult for us as individuals, as a civil society and hence as national polities to even imagine, yet alone really believe the scenarios of impending climate upheavals. At a gut level we believe that our present world, with its natural variability, will continue, and that we will be able to respond quickly enough to what we assume will be manageable short term and localised future crises as they arise. Then there is the simple inertia of our present economic and political institutions: the material, political, cultural investments that simply take a lot of time and negotiation to change. People and groups that will be adversely affected by the proposed changes will, naturally enough, be even more resistant to give up what they have for longer-term benefits.
5. A core problem: the imperative of continued economic growth: However, a more fundamental reason why there has been so little effective action in response to climate change is the structural imperative for continuing economic growth in the dynamic, ever expanding global economy that has mushroomed so spectacularly, especially over the past few decades. Economic health: business profitability, government revenue, employment and general prosperity; all depends on continuing growth in the production and consumption of a diversity of goods and services. In turn this growth depends crucially on continuing high levels of consumption and the effective inculcation of a consumer culture through marketing and advertising. Thus any proposed changes that would threaten economic growth and inhibit consumption are met with little enthusiasm: hence the attempt to develop market-based ‘carbon reduction’ schemes that assure us that we wont have to change our way of life. As writer Sharon Astyk observes:
Why, when there is so much new attention to climate change, so much scientific consensus and so much activism, are governments so reluctant to act? It isn’t because of lack of knowledge of the long term consequences. My own take is this – that it is simply because they recognize what many climate activists have not – that their own people may agitate for climate change action now, but they do not fully grasp what it will entail – a change in way of life. There are plenty of other reasons – business interests and political realities, but the truth is that we will continue merrily on our way to disaster if the world’s politicians believe that the people don’t want them to act – not really. And it does not take a great deal of critical thought to realize that the average person, at this stage, would like, all things being equal, for politicians to take care of climate change, along with all the other of the world’s problems, without inconveniencing them, but are far less clear on what inconveniences they might be willing to tolerate (Astyk, 2009).
6. Another core problem: a ‘hollowed out’ democratic politics: Another key factor impeding effective change has been the hollowing out of the systems of democratic politics in the nations of the developed world over the past few decades, a process brought about to a significant extent by the free market reforms that have fuelled the global expansion of a turbo-charged global capitalism (Judt, 2007). These reforms have not only freed up the investment environment for corporate activity: they have reoriented the processes of government around the facilitation of market based economic growth. This has significantly weakened the institutions and culture of democratic politics, and especially the levels of communication and accountability between governing elites and citizens. On the one hand, politicians, political parties and senior public servants have become more closely linked to powerful corporate elites. On the other hand, an electorate, conditioned by politicians, advertisers and the media alike, expecting the delivery of ever -increasing consumer –based affluence. As a result, for any political party to seriously propose a program of economic austerity, even for the national and global common good, is tantamount to electoral suicide.
7. Effective action requires a stronger democratic politics: This suggests that whilst an effective response to the sustainability emergency will need concerted and coordinated action by governments and industry, any momentum for significant change will depend on the renewal of a strong democratic political culture built around real engagement by an active citizenry and a shared civic concern for the common good (Sandel, 2009). This is not an unrealistic or utopian ideal. There is good reason to be optimistic that where there are strong public institutions and a political discourse that enables serious long-term questions to be debated and there are meaningful ways for citizens to become involved policy development, then popular support for ‘the hard decisions’ will develop (Fung and Wright 2003).
8. Rethinking a more sustainable good life: In addition to strengthening the civic culture of democratic politics, there is a vital need to broaden the agenda of the sustainability debate beyond the technical issues of appropriate energy technologies and regulatory frameworks to include a re-thinking of the vision of ‘the good life’ actively promoted by our modern world. Despite the slightly quaint feel about the term, there are several reasons for serious public debate about what constitutes a sustainable good life. First, the continued expansion of an intensive consumer culture is a result not primarily of personal greed, but the effectiveness of advertising messages that associate consumption with wellbeing and happiness in family life, personal fulfilment and relationships with others. Second, as many social researchers are clearly demonstrating, beyond a certain level, the pursuit of affluence leads not to greater wellbeing, but increasing levels of unhappiness: anxiety and depression, addictive behaviours and dislocated family and social relationships (Hamilton and Dennis, 2005). A consumption-centred good life is not what its cracked up to be. Thirdly, a focus on what makes for a truly good life is likely to be a much more effective way of encouraging people to take up the challenge of living more simply and sustainably (Soper, 2007). From simple living, downsizing and tree-changing to urban farming, transition towns and community activism, there is a growing movement of people who are discovering that living sustainably isn’t just about reducing one’s ecological footprint but living a happier, more fulfilled and more honest life. Fourthly, exploring the question of what constitutes a sustainable good life is an effective way of linking the challenges of personal action, political reform and spiritual change.
9. Towards a sustainable good life: focal practices, political economy and spiritual framework: The task of rethinking – or re-imagining – a more sustainable good life is first and foremost intensely personal and practical. It is about the way we live: the shape of our family and community life, the way we obtain and use the basic necessities of life, the work we do and how we make a living, the way we participate in social and political life, and how we express and nourish our souls. It is in and through these ‘focal practices’ that we face the challenge of crafting a way of life that is ecologically sustainable, socially virtuous and spiritually grounded. Yet a considered good life cannot be limited to the personal, since the way we live is embedded in and shaped by the larger political economy of urban industrial society and as citizens we have the civic task of deliberating the ‘goods’ that our current free market economy currently pursues. As noted earlier, this means questioning the appropriateness of a narrow focus on consumer-oriented economic growth, and exploring whether it is possible to have ‘prosperity without growth’ (the title of a recent report by the UK Sustainable Development Commission (Jackson, 2009)). Then there is the deeper question of how to address the taken for granted ‘spiritual framework’ that underpins our present industrial civilisation. Many long time advocates for a more sustainable way of life have come to recognise that to make the transition to an ecologically sustainable human world will entail going beyond new energy efficient technologies and a steady state economy: it will require a deep shift in cultural imagination, a profound rethinking of the way we understand ourselves as humans within a wider natural world (Speth, 2008; MacIntosh, 2008).
10. Rethinking a sustainable good life: an opportunity and a challenge for Christians: The emergence of what American philosopher Amatai Etzioni has called a public ‘moral megalogue’ about what constitutes a good life (Etzioni, 2009) represents both a great opportunity and yet a deep challenge for Christian witness. On the one hand it is a great opportunity since the deepening planetary ecological crisis brings deeper spiritual questions back onto the public agenda after they had been seemingly relegated to the privacy of the inner life by the ongoing progress of a utilitarian and secular culture. In times of economic prosperity, increased affluence, consumer abundance, greater personal freedom and mobility, people tend to be less interested in God. However the malaises of modernity: growing inequality, personal unhappiness and increasing levels of mental illness, continuing violence from domestic to international levels, a nagging sense of spiritual emptiness, and now the nightmare recognition that the prosperity to which we are accustomed might soon collapse because of our ecological heedlessness; are opening up the ‘god questions’ again in a new and urgent way. If we have the wit and courage to speak it in a truthful and incarnate way, the story of God’s faithful purposes for humanity and for the creation may once again be taken seriously as the true story of our world.
It is also a deep challenge because, as far as I can see, most Christians continue to be either disinterested or even hostile to ‘environmental’ concerns. To be sure, there are prominent Christian representatives and organisations that have attempted to address the challenge of climate change in particular: and of course there is a substantial academic industry in eco-theology. However ecological issues remain the concern of a minority: there hasn’t been a broad scale ‘greening of Christianity’. Moreover, much Christian green action tends to be limited to ‘practical action’ (solar panels, reducing footprints) and making well-meaning ethical pronouncements. Few Christians are really engaging in the fundamental critique of a consumerist, growth oriented civilisation and attempting to articulate and embody a different vision of life.
11. Cultural captivity and truncated theology: Why is this so? In part it is because, despite our sincere commitment to the gospel, by and large we modern western Christians have become absorbed into the culture within which we live, and accept the many compromises and trade-offs that this involves. We live the good life of an urban industrial society, enjoying its many material benefits, whilst at the same time absorbing many of its spiritual attitudes. Like our secular fellow citizens we have diminishing connections with – and thus knowledge of and love for – the natural world. Beyond that, however is a deeper theological problem: that our habitual ways of reading the gospel story (ie in liturgy, sermons, songs, devotional life as well as theological study) dissuade us from treating ecological questions as an important part of Christian discipleship. The gospel, we are trained to believe, is primarily about how as individuals we can be saved from this material, temporal world. Because of Christ’s atoning death we can look forward with assurance to avoiding the wrath of God on the day of judgement and being received into the realm of heaven. Within such a narrative, despite appeals to notions of creation care drawn from Genesis 1-3, there is little support for taking the fate of the material world, including the present destructive impact human activity is having on its biodiversity, seriously.
12. A Biblical theology of the renewal of creation: In recent years theologians such as NT Wright (Wright, 2007) have argued forcefully that this is a misreading of the gospel story. They maintain that the Bible’s grand story is actually about how the Creator God has acted to fulfil his original purpose for the creation: that it should be filled with his glory through the creative dominion of human beings, his image. He did not abandon this purpose just because of humanity’s rebellious failure to live up to its calling. Instead, our loving Creator God has patiently continued with his ‘creation project’, firstly, through the calling of Israel to be his holy people and a light to the Gentiles, and then, most wonderfully through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus, the one who distributes the gift of Holy Spirit in the formation of a ‘new humanity’ empowered to live out the original calling to be God’s image. Indeed, far from being about how we can escape this earthly life to ascend to heaven, the gospel is rather about how, in the fullness of time, heaven will transform and perfect this material creation and its human history. In the wonderful prophetic message of Isaiah, taken up in the final book of the Bible, God’s plan is to redeem and renew the earth (a new heavens and a new earth) and enable it to share in the glorious liberty of the children of God (Romans 8).
In this reading of the gospel, it matters how we humans make use of the material world in which we dwell: in the exploitation of its resources, in the technologies we develop, the forms of material life we create, the way we make and share our wealth. We have the intelligence to make use of the hidden powers of the creation: have we used that intelligence in a stewardly way to create a home that glorifies God and respects the ecological inter-connectedness of the wider web of life? Or have we exploited the creation for our own self-glorifying purposes, heedless of the glory of God and of the ecological integrity of the creation? On the face of it, the dominant story of human life on earth seems to be one of building the city of man that denies God and severely diminishes life on earth. And yet, because of the sacrificial obedience of Jesus, the one who truly images God and empowers his disciples to do likewise, we can be confident that the true story of creation is not one of violence, death and destruction, but of the building of that peaceable and holy kingdom, in which all of human endeavour will be gathered up in judgement and redemption.
13. Re-imaging a Christian vision of the good life in a time of ecological limits: Of course for such a vision to be communicated credibly within our wider world, it needs to be made clearly visible in the way we live. In the spirit of Isaiah 58 and Matthew 25, this means that our central ‘focal practices’ of communal assembly, praise and worship and fellowship with each other need to be extended to shape our everyday domestic, subsistence, employment and cultural practices in terms of the ethos of God’s just and peaceable kingdom. Instead of the question of how we can live as faithful disciples of Jesus in the midst of an all-pervasive culture of consumption being just an occasional topic on a congregational agenda, it should surely become front and centre. Beyond that, Christian communities need to give much greater attention and resources to empowering lay Christians to live out their roles as citizens in the wider society, contributing more imaginatively and prophetically to public debates about how we should address the deep ecological challenges we face. This includes not just recognised ‘environmental’ issues, but also the daunting challenge of how to redress the enormous inequalities of our globalised world against a backdrop of diminishing resources. We also need to treasure and support those public Christians whose imaginative engagement with public issues tells the story of God’s salvation in Jesus in fresh and challenging ways.
One such figure is Rowan Williams, the present Archbishop of Canterbury. Despite his busy and demanding job of presiding over a fractured Anglican Communion, Williams still finds time to give regular speeches that find their way into the broader public sphere – and thus be an important voice within the moral megalogue about the good life. Earlier this year he spoke about ‘Renewing the Face of the Earth’ (Williams, 2009) in which he used the text from Psalm 104 to reflect on our calling to be God’s image in relation to the creation, neither arrogantly ruling over it, not idolising it, but using the intelligence and wisdom God has given us to enable the creation itself to become what the Creator God has always intended for it.
References
Astyk, S. 2009, ‘Dreaming a life’ Energy Bulletin (http://sharonastyk.com/2009/09/22/dreaming-a-life/)
Etzioni, A. 2009, ‘Spent: America After Consumerism’ The New Republic, June 17.
Fung, A. and Wright, E.O. 2003, Deepening Democracy: Institutional Innovations in Empowered Participatory Governance, New York, Verso.
Hamilton, C. and R. Dennis, 2005, Affluenza: When Too Much is Never Enough, Sydney, Allen and Unwin.
Jackson, T. 2009, Prosperity Without Growth? The transition to a sustainable economy, London, Sustainable Development Commission.
Judt, T. 2007. ‘The Wrecking Ball of Innovation’ New York Review of Books, 54, 19, Dec 6.
MacIntosh, A., 2008, Hell and High Water: Climate Change, Hope and the Human Condition, London, Berlinn Ltd.
Sample, I., 2009, World faces ‘perfect storm’ of problems by 2030, chief scientist to warn, The Guardian, March 18. (http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2009/mar/18/perfect-storm-john-beddington-energy-food-climate)
Sandel, M. 2009, ‘A New Citizenship’ BBC Reith Lectures (http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00kt7rg)
Soper, K., 2007, ‘The other pleasures of post-consumerism’ Soundings, Issue 35, Spring. http://www.lwbooks.co.uk/journals/articles/soper.html
Speth, J.G., 2008, Bridge at the Edge of the World: Capitalism, the Environment and Crossing from Crisis to Sustainability, Yale, Yale University Press.
Williams, R. 2009, ‘Our Duty to the Earth, The Guardian, 26 March (http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/belief/2009/mar/26/religion-anglicanism)
Wright, N.T., 2007. Surprised By Hope, London, SPCK.
A sermon by Prof Brian Hill preached at the celebration of 30 years of Rev Steve Francis ordination.
Isaiah 40: 9-11
John 10: 11-15
1 Peter 5: 1-4
Good afternoon. I feel very honoured to have been invited to preach at this Celebration. In particular, I’ve been asked to reflect biblically on the role into which Steve was ordained 30 years ago: the role – in Uniting Church parlance – of a “Minister of the Word.’ I suspect I was chosen, among other reasons, because I’m old enough to have known Steve even before he was ordained. So how much has he changed since that transmutation?
My first encounter with Steve occurred in this very church. The minister at that time, Lloyd Semple, asked me to come along on Sundays to lead a series of studies with the older youth. He assured me that his youth leader, an energetic young Englishman called Steve, would do all the work. I noted at the time that one of the more promising members of that same youth group was named “Kim.” Interesting. That’s the sort of data from which scientists have developed a theory of magnetism.
Some years later, at the actual time when Steve was ordained, I was overseas. But after my return to Perth, I followed his career with interest: into parish ministry, then as Synod youth consultant, then back to parish ministry.
In 1991, I had a strong sense of déjà vu when I found myself back in this church, attending Steve’s induction as its pastor. And now it’s happening again, as I share in this 30th year celebration of his ordination. But is “celebration” the right word?
Oh yes! What features have characterised Steve’s ministry? I’ve asked around: sound teaching, pastoral care, discipleship training, commitment to teamwork, and a passion for both evangelism and social concern: steadily supported in all these roles by Kim, with her own formidable array of gifts – what a record! what a team!
I’m not supposed to go on like this. My instructions were not to deliver a eulogy, but to reflect on the pastoral role as such, given that these are stressful times for the ordained minister. So the time has come to speak, not of cabbages and kings, but “Of Sheep and Shepherds.”
The Biblical Metaphor of Shepherding the Flock
As we all know, the metaphor of a shepherd caring for his flock crops up constantly in the Bible. The prophets, for example, often spoke of the leaders of Israel as shepherds , and of the people of Israel as God’s treasured flock. Jesus drew on this metaphor too, for instance when he described himself as the Good Shepherd who cares for his sheep. And he spoke of those who believe in him as wise sheep who know the shepherd’s voice and obediently follow him to new pastures.
The flip-side is that the prophets were often indignant at the betrayal of Israel by shepherds who were exploiting the people for selfish gain. They also rebuked the common people who were so often “like sheep [that had] gone astray and turned every one to [their] own way.”
And Jesus said things like this too. On the one hand, he denounced the religious leaders of the day for putting burdens on the people they were supposed to be nurturing. But also, he rebuked people who ignored God’s law, describing them as lost sheep who had disobeyed the shepherd and wandered away.
So the metaphor of shepherds and their sheep is put to contrasting uses in Scripture, reflecting the ambiguity of our human condition. Both shepherds and sheep are capable of great good; both are prone to fall into sin. Into this mess steps the Good Shepherd, who lets himself be led as a sheep to the slaughter , and then rises from the dead to lead his obedient sheep into good pasture.
Then comes that famous post- Resurrection encounter of Peter with Jesus. In a conversation which is both severe and tender, Jesus ordains Peter to be an under-shepherd.
First, you recall, he asks Peter three times;“How much do you love me?” Peter’s replies are repentant and heart-broken. Jesus then commissions him to “Feed my sheep.”
Well, not quite. Actually, as John records it, Jesus replies in three different ways: “feed my lambs”, “tend my sheep”, and “feed my sheep.” Inevitably, scholars and preachers have had a field day inventing complex explanations of the variations in these responses. Though one scholar discounts all such efforts by saying that the variations simply reveal the author’s literary flair for saying things in different ways.
Personally, I think that’s too simplistic. Often, Jesus’ commission to “feed my lambs [and sheep]” is interpreted as pointing to the need for clergy to focus on teaching Christian truth – hence the phrase “Minister of the Word.” As a result, the priority in theological training still tends to be academic head knowledge, under the umbrella of a spurious “scholarly objectivity”, at the expense of so-called “pastoral studies.” These are usually remitted to the “electives” category.
Similarly, field placements in parishes tend not to be counted for the all-important academic credit because they’re too practical – although arguably this is precisely where, for the parish minister, the rubber hits the road. It’s the price we pay for locating ministerial training in secular universities.
That’s why I welcome the verb used in the second of Jesus’s replies to Peter – “tend my sheep.” In contrast to the Greek word used for “feed” in the other two responses, the word here is poimaíno. Poimaíno speaks of a wider brief than just teaching the Word. As one commentator has put it, while “the feeding of the flock from the Word of God is the constant and regular necessity”, tending includes ministries such as “discipline, authority, restoration, [and giving] material assistance [to] individuals.“
This wider brief was well understood in the early church. When the Apostle Paul called together the elders of the church in Ephesus for a final farewell, he said:
Keep watch over yourselves and over all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God that he obtained with the blood of his own Son.
Once again, the word here translated “shepherd” is derived from poimaíno – “tend, nurture.” In the same way Peter consciously echoes the Lord’s use of this word to him, when writing to church leaders in Asia Minor. He charges them:
To tend the flock of God that is in [their] charge, exercising oversight not under compulsion or unwillingly … [nor] for sordid gain, but eagerly. Don’t, [he says], lord it over those in your charge, but be examples to the flock. And when the chief shepherd appears, you will win the crown of glory …”
This is Peter talking. He’s now learnt his lesson. Once he was brash enough to rebuke Jesus for something he said. Now, his old bossiness and over-confidence have gone. Nor does he pull rank as a leading apostle, but at the beginning of this letter simply identifies himself as an elder alongside their other elders.
Now he underlines Jesus’s standard for under-shepherds. It’s a high standard, and one which has often been compromised in the history of the church by the human tendency to turn leadership roles into ego-trips and power games.
The Under-Shepherds of Today
In the present day, people in the ordained ministry have to deal with a lot of embarrassing historical baggage, as well as much current public suspicion and disrespect.
For example, the older mainstream denominations, in structures borrowed through the centuries from surrounding cultures, have tended to preserve long-standing hierarchies of pseudo-spirituality, distinguishing “reverend” clergy from the “very reverend”, “the right reverend”, and the “most reverend”; and all of them from the ordinary believer. The lay-clerical dualism has been a long-standing betrayal of Christian ecclesiology.
Even those denominations which don’t rely on such layered hierarchies, often tend to develop central power groups which diminish the status of local assemblies as Spirit-led ekklesiai (using the Greek word mostly applied in Scripture to “local churches”).
On the face of it, some of the more recent patterns of independent congregational life avoid such creaking power structures. But then, many of them lapse into newer kinds of dualism that insulate so-called “apostles” and religious media heavies from accountability to their ekklesias. They’re no better off. Despite clear biblical guidelines being available, churches seem to have a major problem getting patterns of spiritual leadership right.
On the other side of the equation, the “sheep” within the fold are also often to blame because they’re content to let pastors be solo players. They act as though this relieves them of their responsibility to fulfil the Lord’s strenuous call to mission. It also gives them someone to blame when their ekklesia fractures or declines. They seek entertainment rather than admonition, and they back away from church roles which require long-term commitment – like committees; particularly – I have to say – if they’re members of Generations X and Y.
All in all who, in this day and age, would want to be an ordained minister?
Under-Shepherds Wanted
Well, let’s imagine a job advertisement which said: “Wanted – under-shepherds for mission-oriented churches.” What qualities should we be looking for? Let me just touch on five.
First, though it may seem too obvious to mention: they should be committed followers of Christ the Lord. I say “Christ the Lord” and not just of Jesus the man. Yet the fact remains that many ministers in the present postliberal and postmodern climate have relinquished belief in the deity and physical resurrection of Jesus. Yet these truth-claims are clearly pivotal to the Christian grand narrative, as given in the Scriptures.
Often such clergy have had their beliefs white-anted by scholarly skeptics and media-savvy revisionists. And so, in consequence, have many ordinary church members. The default position is to trudge along the path of ethical humanism which lacks sufficient solid ground to cope with human evil. It also leaves the sheep at a loss, even to the point where they begin to fear that, in Paul’s words, their “faith is in vain.”
Uniting church minister and former director of ABC Religious Programs, Dr David Millikan, reports how he was once asked to speak to a study group in a Canberra Uniting Church. They had been studying a book by Bishop Spong. One member confessed: “I don’t know what the Gospel is any more.” Several others in the circle nodded in agreement. And even the minister of the church confessed later to Millikan that he was unsure what he now believed.
One might reasonably expect that ordained clergy who have ceased to believe the core truth-claims of Christianity, would have the moral decency to withdraw from leadership in Christian êkklesias, but many today continue unblushingly to hold office, meanwhile leading many sheep astray. Similarly, denominations which boast of being theologically pluralistic to the extent of continuing to license such clergy betray their people.
For folk who find themselves in this twilight zone of neutered belief, I strongly recommend Bishop Tom Wright’s recent book Surprised by Hope. His books have been for me, in this latest decade of my life, as significant as the books of C. S. Lewis were in my late teens and twenties. Wright leaves us in no doubt about the historicity and centrality of Christianity’s core truths.
Second, a pastor needs a thoroughly biblical understanding of the pastoral role as portrayed in the New Testament. The church has always been in danger of being seduced by the world’s caste systems and management models.
It’s notable that, in Scripture, actual references to church “overseers” or “elders” are always in the plural. The model is that of a leadership team. The pastor of my own church, mindful of this model, and also mindful of how members of the public and the younger generation often feel about formal religion, generally prefers to describe himself as our “team leader.” Another serviceable metaphor for what the modern Minister of the Word should be like is that of the “playing coach.”
I should add, as a footnote, that in a nation which delights in cutting down tall poppies, respect for the appointed minister is sometimes lacking among other leaders in the church, even when the minister’s doing a good team job. Well – better to be un-Australian than unbiblical.
Third, a pastor needs to be very clear about biblical teaching on spiritual gifts. An ekklesia cannot profit from the whole range of these giftings if it’s assumed – either by the under-shepherd or by the people – that all the crucial gifts can be focussed in one person.
As an example, it’s worth noting that very few people are temperamentally equipped to fulfil equally well up-front roles like preaching and mass teaching, on the one hand, and behind-the-scenes roles such as one-on-one pastoral care. In the modern church, clergy who try to be solo performers, unwilling to share their glory by drawing out the gifts of others – including those gifted in the preaching of the Word – are millstones round the congregation’s neck.
Fourth, a pastor needs to be squeaky clean on the moral level. Christian leaders are placed in many situations where they’re called on to help individuals at a very private and confidential level. Sadly, as we all know, much damage has been done in recent years to the public proclamation of the Christian Gospel and Ethic by exposures of moral misconduct by high profile clergy and members of religious orders.
In particular, moral temptations abound in our permissive and oversexualised society. One new hazard that has been created is the frequency with which addictive violent and pornographic materials grab our attention when we’re innocently browsing the Internet for something else. The traps are subtle, and no-one’s perfect, but the things the New Testament writers regarded as big sins are still big, and staying clean is a battle that must be won, God being our helper.
Of course that comment goes for all Christians, not just church leaders. Regrettably, many social surveys in long-christianised Western countries have been telling us for some time that in general there are few differences in moral and political behaviour as between Christians and non-Christians. The chief shepherd has called us to be counter-cultural, not uncritically inclusive.
Finally, my hypothetical job advertisement called for “mission-oriented” under-shepherds. Fattening the sheep on reassuring platitudes, especially when stripped of the Easter faith and the costly call to mission, is not going to keep them in good condition. Good pasture – that is, good pastoral care – must in Paul’s words “equip the saints for ministry” – not for spiritual escapism.
Conclusion
Summing up, my assignment in this Celebration was to reflect biblically on the role of the ordained minister. I identified five essentials:
• Commitment to Jesus Christ our Risen Lord
• Faithfulness to the biblical model of leadership
• Recognition of the people’s spiritual gifts
• Moral integrity
• Zeal for mission and evangelism
More criteria could have been listed, but time forbids. It remains to ask how well Steve has measured up to these criteria.
Well, as I said at the beginning, all the vibes I’ve been getting suggest that he’s done well – fallible like all of us, but faithful. And I’m told that here at Nedlands his vision has been consistently Christ-centred and collaborative. This would surely have to be part of the reason why the Spirit of God has been manifestly at work in and through this church. To God be the glory.
And has Steve changed in the process, from that keen youth leader I first knew? Well, he’s got older and wiser, but he’s still the same humble guy. He’s actually managed to remain human. And I see no signs of spiritual fatigue or complacency. I pray that he may continue to see fruit for his labours in the role he’s occupied for so long. In the name of Jesus Christ our Risen Lord. Amen.
Check out the PNEUMA online booklet by Professor Brian Hill discussing the question of “What is an Evangelical?”
Evangelism for Evangelists equips those Christians who can’t really stop themselves from wanting to talk about faith in Jesus to those outside the church. You may not call yourself an evangelist, but does that start to describe you? Are you trying some new things in your own way? Making some excellent mistakes?
Check out the Evangelism for Evangelists Course
Registrations close 26 January 2010 so make a decision and apply today!
Some months have passed since the twelfth meeting of the Assembly gathered in Sydney. Looking back I have a variety of reflections, some hope filled and encouraging, while other thoughts are tinged with anxiety about the future of the third largest Christian denomination in Australia.
It is always a great privilege to go to an Assembly. One meets lots of very special people who are doing great things for God. Conversations in meal queues can be as valuable as key note addresses in lecture theatres. As a denomination there are so many faithful people around who are passionate about the spread of the gospel whilst being concerned about the aging and numerical decline of the U.C.A. For people coming from W.A. it is especially encouraging to get glimpses of a national perspective and a taste of the flavors of other Presbyteries and Synods.
There was truly much to value about this years Assembly. The worship life was often uplifting and encouraging. The “Installation” (sounds like fitting new light bulbs) of the new President was very moving and inspiring, with a strong multi-cultural and multi sensory emphasis. The service was creative and reverential from beginning to end and a great way to begin a national gathering. I also appreciated the prayers that the President prayed before and after each session. It displayed a genuine desire to seek the will of God.
Other high moments included the reports of Uniting World and Uniting Justice. While one may not agree with everything that happens under these umbrellas, there is much that is Kingdom focused about their work. These agencies are professional, visionary and it seems well resourced by our church. Meeting leaders from some of our partner churches in the Pacific, Asia and Africa is always sobering and uplifting, as some of them (eg. West Papua, India and Zimbabwe) pay a big price for following Christ in their context.
The most controversial part of the Assembly was undoubtedly the discussions with our sisters and brothers from the Aboriginal Congress over the issue of the “Pre amble”; that is how we view European settlement and the role of the Christian church and early missionary endeavors in relation to the “first people”, Aboriginal people. At one level the meeting was deeply divided, tense and uncertain. A number of people on different sides of the debate felt at times it was not “a safe place”. Emotions were running high and a walk out by the Congress brought things to a head.
What was clear was that while significant concerns were raised about the Preamble and its theology, the Assembly wanted to affirm its strong support for Aboriginal people and thus passed the Preamble without further debate preferring unity and solidarity over further painful debate and division. I felt it was the right decision given the fragility and suffering of our Aboriginal community.
I am sure that future discussions in Presbyteries and Synods will show many different views, from hostility to strong affirmation, to the Preamble. Hopefully it will be a means of greater reconciliation.
Looking back I find myself asking the question about whether or not the Assembly faced the big issues of the time; for me they include church renewal, evangelism and discipleship and ministry with children and young people. All are passions of mine. My lasting impression is that these key issues were largely side lined. Evangelism and discipleship were rarely mentioned and one could conclude that there is much more passion for inter faith dialogue than with sharing your faith with your neighbor or supporting an evangelistic thrust (eg Alpha, J.A.A.L. etc). Few resources and virtually no staff, apart from the newly appointed Dr Chris Walker, appear to be directed towards the Great Commission and I walked away fearing that as a national church we may be guilty of the Great Omission.
I live in a spirit of hope, gratitude and prayer. God is not finished with us yet.
Steve Francis
Report on the AGM of the Assembly of Confessing Congregations 2009
Summary
Ann-Britt and I attended the AGM of the ACC which took place at the Alexandra Park Conference Centre, Alexandra Headlands on the Sunshine Coast from 3 to 5 September 2009. This is an amazing location, set amongst many hectares of lush bushland but still only a few hundred metres from the ocean. We attended as representatives of the Wagin Congregation. The only other delegate from WA was Revd John Whaley.
We enjoyed the experience and the encouragement gained from being participants in this conference. We were particularly impressed with the calibre of the guest speakers and with the sincerity and humbleness of those in leadership roles within the ACC. Although there is no ACC State Branch in WA, there are many supporters of reform, as evidenced by the growing attendances at events such as the Pneuma “Campfire.” We plan to attend the conference again next year, (Sydney I think) not as the Congregation’s representatives but as individual members of the ACC. Our congregation hopes to send another couple as their representatives so as to broaden the experience of our members. More grass roots support for the ACC would enable it to undertake even more useful research and advocacy.
Further observations of conference
Being the AGM there were of course many reports from the various committees and commissions within the ACC structure. Much like Synod but a little more succinct and to the point!
Some of the interesting tasks completed during the past year included:-
The Doctrine and Theology Commission prepared a commentary to the ACC “Theological Declaration” that was adopted by the AGM 2008. The commentary, as you would expect, offers helpful comments about the Theological Declaration and includes a series of questions to prompt discussion. There is also details of further reading material and websites that might assist any discussion or study.
The Social Responsibility Commission prepared a paper on Abortion for adoption by the ACC. The meeting decided that it needed some further work before it is adopted. The SRC will do this work.
Other news:-
Rev Anne Hibbard from the Prayer Network talked about the Sacred Season of Prayer and Fasting that was held for 40 days before and during the Uniting Church Assembly. Some of these intercessors went to Sydney to support the ACC members who took part in the Assembly. There is also an intention of having a week of prayer and fasting before each Assembly Standing Committee meeting.
From the Board of Communication: The ACC Catalyst will have a new editor, John Sandeman. Instead of having a quarterly issue, consideration is being given to move to a bi-monthly publication with fewer pages. John Sandeman is also the Editor of a new independent evangelical Christian Newspaper, “Eternity.”
There is an intention of making the Chairperson of ACC a full time position from 2011 if enough financial support is available.
Two periods of time were set aside to allow the various State Networks to meet and discuss their issues. We had a great time talking with John Whaley.
There was also a report from the ACC Members who had attended the UCA National Assembly. The major item of concern from the National Assembly was the change to the Preamble to the Constitution which was approved by the Assembly subject to the endorsements of a certain number of Synods and Presbyteries. There are serious concerns not only about the wording of the preamble but also in the manner in which the issue was handled by the Assembly.
Probably the highlight for both of us was listening to the four keynote speakers.
Rev Dr Ian Breward talked about “Reforming the 21st Century Church”. Ian has been the Archivist of the Synod of Victoria since 2000, prior to that he was Professor of Church History at the Theological Hall, University of Melbourne.
He compared our time with the time of John Calvin and stated that reform is always a struggle. Today there is a crisis of belief. The fundamental doctrines are at risk of disappearing. We need commitment and obedience to reforming the faith. He stated that ACC has a role in bringing the church back to basics, that is, to the creeds.
Elizabeth Kendal spoke on the subject “Strengthen that which remains (Rev 3:1-3). It’s time to get serious about religious liberty”. Elizabeth is an international religious liberty analyst, advocate and adviser. She is a member of the Australian Evangelical Alliance Religious Liberty Commission. Along with weekly prayer Bulletins, she writes both public articles and confidential analyses on religious liberty, persecution and threats to Christian security. Her public material is posted on the AEA website.
Elizabeth spoke passionately about the persecution of Christians all over the world. Religious persecution is widespread and severe. We are fortunate in Australia that we still have a good deal of religious freedom but if we are not vigilant and vocal about our freedom we could lose it. There are many people and groups out there in our society that would love to see an end to Christian influence.
Revd Dr David Millikan spoke on “The End of the Liberal Experiment”. David is the minister of Balmain UCA in Sydney Presbytery. He is the past Head of Religious Broadcasting for the ABC. He has written and presented programs for Four Corners, 60 Minutes, Witness and A Current Affair. David gave a very in-depth report of about the liberal tendencies that pervade the Church world wide and how this trend has started to fail. Even radical liberals like Bishop Spong seem to be losing some of their influence.
Revd Dr Brian Edgar spoke about: Human Rights and Wrongs – The Church’s Dilemma. Brian is a Minister of the Word in the UCA. He is the Convenor of the Social Responsibility Commission of the ACC. He is currently Professor of Theological Studies, Asbury Theological Seminary, in the USA commuting there for periods of teaching. Brian gave an interesting speech about human rights as it is today. He was supportive of Human Rights charters and laws but pointed out the fact that you can’t legislate for every eventuality and that a Human Rights Act could end up being a lawyers “dream” so to speak if it was too prescriptive. The answer lies not in legislation but in changing people’s mindset, changing their worldview, hopefully to the gospel, but if not then to a view more amenable to gospel principles.
Ann-Britt and Graham Wasley
PO Box 207
Wagin WA 6315
Telephone (08) 9861 1724
Email: abwasley@westnet.com.au
CampFIRE 2009 @ Lake Yealering was about connecting spiritually with God, physically with the land and emotionally with other people. Lake Yealering sits at the top of the water catchment area for the Avon and Swan Rivers and is symbolic of the connections that were experienced by the 120+ people from various urban and rural communities.
Over the weekend Geoff Westlake from Outreach and Church Ministries gave four talks connecting the dots of God’s revelation through creation, history, experience and social justice. His teaching was greatly appreciated with its refreshing and challenging approach to presenting God’s truth.
Meanwhile the children and younger youth were taken on a journey into Narnia looking at the similarities between Aslan and Jesus.
At the Sunday service Moderator Ken Williams described four doors into the household of faith which all lead into the same refreshing courtyard garden in the middle. At the Monday communion service Ian Robinson encouraged us to always be listening to God’s direction and leading.
CampFIRE is an initiative of the Pastoral Network of Evangelicals Uniting in Mission Action (PNEUMA) network and is a wonderful weekend that inspires and challenges as well as providing a place to rest and reflect. Oh yeah and we watch the AFL grand final as well.
We look forward to the 2010 September long weekend @ Yealering with Gill Cann, Minister-at-large with Australian Evangelical Alliance, as keynote speaker. And yes we will be expanding the campsite facilities to allow more people to come!
Geoff Westlake “connected the dots” at the Uniting Church PNEUMA CampFIRE this year speaking of God’s revelation through science, history and experience. These excellent sessions are available to watch or download here CampFIRE 2009
How can we act for God’s justice around the world and in our region?
WA TEAR Conference
7:30pm Friday, 18 – 12:30pm Sunday 20 September 2009 at Earn Halliday Recreation Camp
Keynote Speaker – Leonard Makoni is the director of SU Zimbabwe, he works with mainstream and marginalised youth. He is a guest facilitator at the Africa Leadership and Management Academy, a member of the Family Life Zimbabwe board, a marriage counselor and a qualified vet. Leonard also chairs a UNICEF and government-supported consortium for organisations working with children on the streets.
- A day packed full of passionate people sharing their journeys of campainging for justice.
- A chance to find ways we can act on God’s call through interactive workshops and meaningful fellowship.
TEAR Conferences provide a great opportunity for people to meet and work through issues of faith and justice together. At a TEAR Conference, you’ll:
* Meet people from different churches and backgrounds who are grappling with the same issues;
* Be challenged by speakers drawing on the Bible to explore what God has to say about our unequal world;
* Find out more about TEAR Australia’s overseas and Australian programs;
* Access new skills and tools to spread the word in your own church or faith community;
* Have an opportunity to develop your own response to poverty and injustice.
* Each year, TEAR invites one or more international guests to participate in our conferences – some are development practitioners from our project partners, others are respected Third World theologians and Bible teachers. And there’s always a great range of local speakers and TEAR staff as well.
