What is truth?

George Orwell, writing at the close of the Second World War, draws some thought-provoking connections between totalitarianism, postmodernity and literature. He argues that the view that "all historical records are biassed and inaccurate" plays into the hands of the totalitarian state which demands "the continuous alteration of the past, and in the long run probably demands a disbelief in the very existence of objective truth" and may make it easy for such a government to "set us a schizophrenic system of thought, in which the laws of common sense held good in everyday life and in certain exact sciences, but could be disregarded by the politician, the historian, and the sociologist".1

He also argues that "good writing stops" in any society that not only permits falsification but insists that the false record be presented as true. This is because the presence of taboos dries up the creative impulse - "the imaginative writer is unfree when he has to falsify his subjective feelings, which from his point of view are facts . . . he cannot say with any conviction that he likes what he dislikes, or believes what he disbelieves"2. "To write in plain, vigorous language one has to think fearlessly, and if one thinks fearlessly one cannot be politically orthodox."3

My main response to all this is, gosh, it's a different world today, and we're blessed not to live in this sort of repressive climate. Yet even in this age of peace and political freedom we have taboos, and postmodern perspectivalism (is that a word?) can lead us to accept any interpretation of past events without pausing for critical reflection. As Christians, we need to resist these impulses and speak truth, with due sensitivity and picking our battles, but that should still be our aim.


1 G Orwell, "The Prevention of Literature" in Books v. Cigarettes (London: Penguin Books, first published 1946, here 2008), 28-29.
2 Ibid, 31.
3 Ibid, 33.

Santa Claus and the miracle of travel

I forgot that kids are kids and think of them as short adults. This is good because it means that I treat with them seriousness and respect, and try to get to know them and their interests. But I tend to forget how small their world is and how little they know - and how significant my words and presence can be in their lives. George Orwell reminds me that, "A child may be a mass of egoism and rebelliousness, but it has no accumulated experience to give it confidence in its own judgements. On the whole it will accept what it is told, and it will believe in the most fantastic way in the knowledge and powers of the adults surrounding it."1 He goes on to tell the story of illicitly buying some sweets as a child and, on coming out of the shop, seeing a man looking his way whom he earnestly believed was a spy placed there by his boarding school headmaster.

He also talks about how adults can abuse childish ignorance, and explains that being caned for wetting the bed taught him that his behaviour was both wicked and outside his control. "I was crying . . . partly also because of a deeper grief which is peculiar to childhood and not easy to convey: a sense of desperate loneliness and helplessness, of being locked up not only in a hostile world but in a world of good and evil where the rules were such that it was actually not possible for me to keep them."2

May God help us to treat kids well.


1 G Orwell, "Such, Such Were the Joys" in Books v. Cigarettes (London: Penguin Books, first published 1952, here 2008), 83.
2 Ibid, 69-70.

Decency and tolerance

I was excited to read Christopher Hitchen's brother's book - and a little concerned. My concerns turned out to be well-founded. It's not that the tone was bad; it just wasn't particularly warm or compassionate. And it's not that the cross was omitted; it was just that the health of societies seemed his greater passion. Oh, and he's not as fine a writer as his brother. But the book does include some smart critique of anti-theist thinking. Here are some good quotes:

[I]n all my experience of life, I have seldom seen a more powerful argument for the fallen nature of man, and his inability to achieve perfection, than those countries in which man sets himself up to replace God with the state.

. . . utopianism is dangerous precisely because its supporters are so convinced that they are themselves good.

Godless regimes and movements have given birth to terrible persecutions and massacres . . . . This is a far greater problem for the Atheist than it is for the Christian, because the Atheist uses this argument to try to demonstrate that religion specifically makes things worse than they otherwise would be. On the contrary, it demonstrates that our ability to be savage to our own kind cannot be wholly prevented by religion.

[S]ome of the arguments of atheists also lead them into a dangerous intolerance of Christian moral opinions, and of the Christian education of children, which do not sit well with their self-image as apostles of enlightenment and liberty. Like all foes of liberty, they are all for it except when they are really, really against it. (p119)

I say unequivocally that if a man wishes to bring his child up as an atheist, then he should be absolutely free to do so. I am confident enough of the rightness of Christianity to believe that such a child may well learn later (though with more difficulty than he deserves) that he has been misled. But it is ridiculous to pretend that it is a neutral act to inform an infant that the heavens are empty, that the universe is founded on chaos rather than love, and that his grandparents, on dying, have ceased altogether to exist. I personally think it wrong to tell children such things, because I believe them to be false and wrong and roads to misery of various kinds. But in a free country parents should be able to do so. In return, I ask for the same consideration for religious parents.

from P Hitchens, The Rage Against God (London: Continuum, 2010), pages 111, 101, 113, 152.

Justice

Back in December a man was murdered and his relatives wanted to enact 'traditional retribution', but were prevented from doing so and rioted. The magistrate, David Bamber, told them, "There is no place for violent retribution. The days of payback with violence should end . . . . [They] should be concerned with changing their law. They should be working out ways to deal with disputes without violence rather than feeling aggrieved with whitefella law preventing them from carrying out their old punishments". But I wonder if whitefella punishment is more arbitary and abstracted than Bamber thinks, and if spearing the leg of a person who has commited violence could sometimes be the fairer punishment. Yet I do agree with him that "violence begets violence".

Five months later, the unrest continues. I want to tell the family of the murdered man that they don't need to take justice into their own hands; that there once was a Man who bore the perfect payback they are keening for.

Tough questions

I'm not always very good at answering people's objections to Christianity. Thing is, I need to train someone else in this. So I tried to find a good website that could help us both - and here it is.


H/T Tim Chester (via Nick)

It's not better and it's not real

We're foolish people. Sometimes we think we have a better idea than God of what is good for us and we yearn for this imaginary life. We need to remember:

There's no better life that you're missing out on . . . you're not actually losing out on anything. It's good to live for God, to live for eternity – it's actually the good life . . . . There's no other life that's a better life than living for the Kingdom of God. There's nothing actually to envy out there somewhere. Living for the Kingdom of God is reality. It's the good life. It's the way things actually are. Is a purposeless life of selfish indulgence and endless holidays actually, really going to make you happy? ...the hollowness, the aimlessness ...really? Is the life of the ungodly really a happy life, a perfect life? . . . . Living for God is always the good life. Beware of confusing sacrifice for the Gospel with actually losing out on stuff that really isn't actually good. Beware of the logic 'If I weren't a Christian I'd have so much more fun'.”
(Mikey Lynch, Ministry Challenge conference 2010)

First & foremost

I want to be the sort of missionary who sees the strengths in people. I imagine that this will be an precious attitude to adopt in a confusing world where people don't do things the way I expect them to. I don't want to spend my time pining for 'how we do things back home' or daydreaming about how everything could be overhauled. Instead I want to recognise and esteem the good that is before me. I would appreciate your prayers that I will actually be able to think this way once I'm there.


H/T Kate

Less = more

Realising that I'm an introvert was really helpful on my recent trip to Sydney where I had to visit my old church and college and spend a week doing missionary training with a group of strangers. Knowing my weaknesses, I didn't expect to achieve great things, but allowed myself to get to know people slowly or to focus on individuals who crossed my path, rather than thinking I might end up knowing people well or attempting to get around everyone. I don't think I did achieve great things but I was there for the people I did talk to and I felt like myself. Now if I can just keep remembering this...

The secret of contentment

Contentment is found in the search for godliness. Knowing the right path, you struggle on, resisting the desire to wade into jealousy, anguish, bitterness or fear. You pause to pray, again and again. You learn truths which are solid enough almost to hold. And one day, after this slow imbibing of truth or perhaps on the heels of painful, courageous action, you look around and see that you are content, more or less.

My happy place

For a number of years Crossroads was very generously given rent-free office space. Earlier this year we moved into bigger premises on the other side of the CBD (two minutes walk away :P). Four churches share the space and up to eight staff might be working here at any one time, plus assorted others. Campbell (aka 'The Master') has an office to himself and the second office is shared. Then there's a big, open space with a giant table, a regular table and two desks. We got rid of a fantastic amount of stuff before moving over, in our dreams of an uncluttered space. The room is light and has nice green walls and views out onto the city buildings and streets. When the Crossroads staff are around, we sit at the big table with our laptops and get on with our work. There's a bit of distraction and silliness but on the whole we're actually pretty good at working silently together. I'm loving the aesthetic and community of this big space.

How good and pleasant it is
when God’s people live together in unity!

It is like precious oil poured on the head,
running down on the beard,
running down on Aaron’s beard,
down on the collar of his robe.
It is as if the dew of Hermon
were falling on Mount Zion.
For there the LORD bestows his blessing,
even life forevermore.

Psalm 133

My area of expertise

I did highschool at a fancy girls' school. The other day I received an invitation to either participate in their upcoming 'Careers Expo' or to be part of their guest speaker program. I have mixed feelings about my highschool years, but thought this was a great opportunity. Here's my spiel. My aim was to make it comprehensible, professional and engaging.

I began my working life as a Speech Pathologist dealing mainly with adults who had experienced strokes and head injuries. I worked in this field for seven years, in Hobart, Canberra, England and Ireland. Then, after becoming a Christian, I decided to combine my spirituality with my working life. I began by doing an apprenticeship with Crossroads Presbyterian church, a local Hobart church, then went to Sydney to do formal training at a Masters level. On completion of my course I returned to Hobart and resumed working for Crossroads church. My main role involves teaching the Bible to the women of the church and mentoring them as they seek to live as Christians in their everyday lives. I also help the leadership with the day-to-day running of the church, with evaluation and planning for the future, and with coordination of various events. I am also currently preparing for work as an overseas missionary, inspired in part by my love of Latin American people and culture.

"Why you should buy your own home"

1. It feels good.
2. It gives you emotional security.
3. It gives you financial security.
4. It occupies you.
5. It takes care of you.
6. It records your life.
7. Your home is you.

from "Real Estate News: Information to Help You When Buying or Selling", Dignam Real Estate (2011), Issue 6, page 2

hmm

Going the way of Europe?

Greg Sheridan "celebrates and loves Australian diversity", is a "proponent of a big, non-discrimatory immigratory program" and "would be happy to have the refugee quota enlarged", yet he no longer believes in multiculturalism. He explains why in a fascinating article in last week's Weekend Australian. I was going to have a go at summarising the article but it's complex and nuanced and you would do much better to read it here.

The new Lady Vicar :P

Just suppose you found yourself the sole pastor of a rural parish which had tiny congregations scattered throughout. What would you do? We had a go at brainstorming this in our staff meeting the other day. Here are our top five (in no particular order):

1. Find someone to regularly mentor and support you. Find a friend. Value your wife's role in this and encourage her to find this too.
   
2. Be both decisive and gracious early on. If you say 'no' to something, look for an opportunity to say 'yes' to something else or to invest in a positive way. Alternatively you could give yourself permission not to stress too much about changing things, but just ride it out for the first year.
   
3. Pick one main congregation to focus on. You might have services there weekly and only go to the other churches monthly.
   
4. Work out what your community involvement will be (eg regularly visiting everyone in town, teaching Scripture at the local school). To do this you will need to immerse yourself in the local community, getting out and about and chatting to the shopkeepers.
5. Invest in two or three people who you see as influential people or potential leaders. Read the Bible and pray with them each week. If you don't have any of these people, try to attract some local Christians who don't currently have much church involvement.

We also thought about the usefulness of getting to know the people in your congregations really well (going around to their houses, drinking lots of tea and listening to their yarns); preaching really solid sermons but without altering the style the people are used to; and looking for wider evangelical support, including people to import into your parish.

I heart AGMs

Crossroads has been around for a bit over ten years and it really does feel like we're starting to grow up. We had our twice-yearly Church Summit on Monday night and it was so encouraging. For the first time we have more than enough money coming in and we can pay our pastors properly; we're sending out a missionary; another apprentice is starting up; we're employing a Childrens' Ministry Coordinator part-time; we've got big, humble plans for the future and we still cherish the Gospel. It's a joy to be part of my church right now, but I'm also very thankful for all the innovative and persevering work that has gone on in the past. We didn't get here by staying where we were comfortable or by being cautious or passive. We've always experimented with creative events and new structures and we've always trained up apprentices and sent people off to Bible college even when we couldn't quite afford it. There have been many mistakes and much hurt and heartache, but I thank God for keeping us teachable and for graciously keeping and leading us.

No greater joy

Discipling women is what I want to do, but I have to say it's not always very exciting. When I did my MTS apprenticeship I met with a handful of women week-in and week-out for a couple of years. We'd read a chunk of the Bible, talk about what it meant, talk about our lives and pray. It felt pretty ordinary. It's only now, three years later, that I can really guess at the fruit of what we did back then. Some of these women have progressed steadily, trusting God through good times and bad, some have flourished, some have gone a bit off course, but in every case there's mutual respect and trust and I consider them my friends.

¿Adónde?

I think I've worked out my small city/big city conundrum. I've been looking for Hobart in Latin America when I should just be happy that Hobart is here. Rather than seeking to replicate the experience of living here I should embrace something different - a big Latin American city!