06/08/08

"The shalt not kill". Has the commandment any relevance when we come to the question of the unborn foetus?

Those of you who read this page may understand why the issue is of such importance in my thinking right now. However, it goes beyond the question of abortion to matters that are not considered today, but by the minority. Beyond this, is the killing of life in what we know as stem-cell research. Many of these lives are stored in deep freeze, as the result of IVF programmes. In the case of stem-cell research and its outcome human life has become utilised for the health and beauty of those who are allowed to live. Do I sound too dogmatic? Remember I was for years a preacher!

What is the argument here? It rests on a very subtle distinction between human life per se and the value of that human life. What has happened in my life time is that the value of a human life has become increasingly identified with the function of a human life. Bear with me as I endeavour to explain.

I think that today the value of a human life is no longer thought of as part of the biological life - It is here the pro-abortionists start to argue, some say it begins a year or maybe two after conception.  Accepting that is to argue  that infanticide is permissible. That is the case  when we believe in personhood, rather than a human life. It is not hard to see where this can lead. Once we think of human life in terms of its ability to produce we are in danger of asking what about the intellectually or physically handicapped, or the chronically ill? It is at this point that the argument for me takes on a new dimension. If we locate the value of the person in the ability to produce, does the person become less a person than one who can contribute to society? Is that  person of less value than one who makes millions,  hires and fires thousands, and ends up being given a state funeral?

I face these questions in a very personal way.  I am old - some would say very old. I am hard of hearing; my eyesight is not  what it once was. I cannot walk above the length of a cricket pitch without the aid of a walking frame. Put bluntly I can no longer contribute in a way that would be acceptable in this consumer driven society. So what?

This is not an attempt to cover all the aspects of the abortion debate.  They are thoughts that come to mind now I have two more great grandchildren.

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Islam and Higher Education

The complete story as to what has been taking place between Griffith University and Saudi Arabia has not yet been told. What  is clear is that  the representative of the Saudi Arabian government has given $100,000 tor the Griffith Islamic research unit. The statement that the finance has been provided with no strings attached takes some believing. On second thought the academic responsible for all this has now decided that it would be better to refuse any further financial assistance. We need to ask why when the money was first made available  were the Saudis offered anonymity? What was there to hide? To believe that there were no strings attached beggars belief. The Saudi agencies have funded  Wahhabist education not only in Australia. It is significant that MI5 (British intelligence) warned Gordon Brown the prime minister that funding from Saudi Arabia and other  Muslim countries had caused "a dangerous increase in the spread of extremism in leading university campuses". Of course voices in Australia have been less critical. Rev. David Pitman moderator of the Uniting Church of Queensland has not been slow to state his support of Mohamad Abdalla who defended the  University's decision to accept the money, by saying that Dr. Abdalla was an "outstanding scholar and a person of great integrity" making a significant contribution to the life of the nation. One needs to ask whose interests are being furthered in all this? To see the hand of militant Islam is not difficult.

Islam and Women

A great deal of media coverage has been given to the newly appointed Mufti in Australia, but little mention of the visit and views of Aayan Hirsi  Ali. She was born in Somali, and moved to the Netherlands. and is a former MP of that country. As the author of the book Infidel, she was in Australia for the Sydney Writers Festival.  at which she implored her audience not to abandon the child brides  who could be found in their own suburbs. She said, A Muslim woman must not feel wild, or free, or any other emotions and longings...A Muslim girl does not make her own decisions or seek control. She is trained to be docile. If you are a Muslim girl, you disappear, until there is almost no you inside you. In Islam becoming an individual is not a necessary development... you submit, that is the literal meaning of Islam: submission. The goal is to be quiet on the inside, so that you never raise your eyes, not even inside your mind.

 It is no surprise that there were those who wanted to silence her. Even before she arrived in Australia, she was told to stay home. Jamila Hussain, lecturer in Islamic Law at the Sydney University of Technology said that her views were narrow and radical. Nada Roude of NSW Islamic Council said that Hirsi Ali's comments on the prophet Mohammed were a "no-go zone". Not surprisingly she needs a personal bodyguard. Perhaps the failure of most of the media to comment on her address to the Sydney Writers Festival was the fear that some Muslim extremist might resort to violence. So much for freedom of speech.

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Nursing Homes in the news. 

It has now been confirmed that there was an outbreak of Salmonella at the Melbourne Nursing Home where 5 elderly people died during the time of the outbreak Perhaps it is time to sum up this sorry saga. What may have been overlooked is the fact th at over the Easter period   residents at a Brisbane nursing home also suffered a mystery stomach complaint and had to be treated in hospital. The owner, PKP Property Group closed the dining room and community facilities. He said, "Providing the best medical treatment for those residents who are ill is our main priority at his time." Well said, but prevention is better than cure. The complaint if it is proved to be a form of food poisoning ought never to have happened.

I speak with some experience of nursing homes. One phrase that I hear again and again has to do with staff. I appears there is often a staff shortage. Many of the  staff as far as I have been able to judge need no special level of skills. The rate of pay is not such as to find those able to join the staff, scrambling for positions. Perhaps if the rates of pay were higher the response would be greater. But these establishments have to make money, and wages are often the first area where economies have to be made. Perhaps a few well-paid staff would make a greater contribution to the efficient running of these establishments, than a larger number of less well-paid ones. Perhaps my economics need upgrading.

It has been widely reported in the media that five elderly residents in a Melbourne nursing home have  died, and the case has been stated as due to food poisoning. This has not yet been confirmed, but until it has, the homes have had to take steps to safeguard the residents. One disturbing fact that has been established is the two of the residents had died, and it was not thought necessary to report the fact. The reason for this was on account of the fact that the two residents were frail. Which suggests that they were expected to die in any case. One of the five who died was removed from the home to the Epworth Hospital by his family. It seems clear that they were not satisfied as to the way he was being cared for. Again, this has to be established.

During the same period was the news that 419 residents in ten nursing homes across Australia were to be evicted by the end on May. The homes belonged to Village Life but had been in financial difficulties. It was reported that MFS had some months ago bought 13.8% of the company. They were bought at 30 cents a share by MFS three days after the shares hit an all-time low of 25 cents  a share. The MFS website states that any take over will not result in the trust owning any retirement villages. Village Life has leased the village back from MFS since then, but in February Village Life said it would terminate the leases amid concerns it could only operate them at a loss. According to a report in The Australian 'an MFS spokesman said the company never intended to manage the villages, and it was up to Village Life to find homes for the tenants. Little wonder there is a feeling of dismay among the 419 residents.

These issues draw attention to the fact that the nursing home industry needs to make money, and this may often be the determining concern of the owners. I will have more to say about nursing homes when I have the time to get back to this website.

Returning to this subject, a report in The Australian speaks of a 'corporate stouch' , that is, the way the matter is being handled by MFS and Village Life. An editorial makes the point that "On May 28 more than 400 elderly nursing home residents may find themselves homeless because the investment company that bought them wants vacant possession'.  One asks what then?" Will the villages be demolished in order to secure a greater return on capital?....The editorial sums up "The state and federal governments cannot stand  by and allow them to be put on the street.  They helped to build the society we now enjoy.' Fine sounding words that cut no ice with those with investment returns paramount in their thinking.

The latest is that MFS, which has a 19.9 per cent stake in Village Life, state that another company has signed a 25-year deal to take over management. "The last thing we wanted is to have the elderly residents evicted from their retirement homes." I should think not, but I have an uneasy feeling about the whole arrangement.  The bottom line is financial - a sufficient return on capital. I would not care to be one of the residents.

The situation at the Camberwell nursing home - Broughton Hall - is still being investigated. The latest claim is that the water supply had been contaminated, and the residents have been supplied with bottled water. Until these matters have been resolved, any comment from me has to be postponed.

Zach Johnson's testimony

I am familiar with the names of most of the world's  top golfers. For over half a century I have followed the fortunes of some of them. Living in London for twenty years we had the opportunity of seeing many of them play. My daughters have never shared with me what they thought of those days when we took then out to Moor Park or some other famous course to watch golf tournaments. I recall seeing Sam Snead, and Gary Player. I mention these two because they made no bones about the fact that they were Christians. Gary Player's biography makes it crystal clear as to where he stood with regard to his Christian faith. Yet I am convinced that they would never have said what Zach Johnson said. This is where I have reservations. I felt uneasy when I read what Zach was reported to have said. Why? Did Zach offer a prayer for guidance as he faced a shot to the 3rd green - "Should I take a nine iron or a sand wedge"? I do not know, but he may well have done so. The point I am making is that if the Almighty is looking down and watching Zach was He influenced by a silent prayer? If that is the case, it seems very unfair to Tiger woods.  I would rather believe that Zach used his good judgment, and even listened to what his caddy had to say. If my assumption is right, why then  must Zach attribute his win to the Lord? We all believe that the Lord is with us, even when we are most unconscious of the fact. He has given us that assurance. Had Zach made some reference to his faith being a factor in his life, I would have been quite content. I wonder what Zach said about the  many matches he had been in, and missed the cut. Was Jesus with him every step of the way then?

No one would be more pleased them me, if men and women in the public eye confessed to their faith in Christ, but I do not have the same pleasure when Zach and others speak as he did. Perhaps I am wrong

Easter Days

We have become so used to bunnies and Easter eggs, that the real significance of Easter has almost been obliterated from the minds of most people. In one of the public rooms at Strathalan a few days ago, some members of the staff were discussing the kind of decoration that should be put up to commemorate Happy Easter. I was near enough to suggest the words He Is RIsen. I was delighted on my next entrance to that room, to see a large cross had been drawn with the words He is risen in bold letters across the bottom.

We need to insist that the things of our faith are not forgotten. Very naturally I have found it possible this Easter to talk about the days associated with Lent.

Shrove Tuesday has now become Pancake day. The girls of the town of Olney in Buckinghamshire where John Newton was the vicar and where William Corper lived, run along the main street each Shrove Tuesday, tossing pancakes as they run. The sign in the market place depicts this custom and at one side of the large post is the name of John Newton, and on the reverse side the name of William Cowper. I wonder how many of the townsfolk and visitors know the meaning of Shrove Tuesday.

The word is derived from the word shrive which means to confess. The custom was to begin Lent with a confession of sin - thus 47 days before Easter Sunday. Although that varies on account of the day Easter Sunday is celebrated. Shrove Tuesday provided the opportunity of eating the kind of foods one abstained from in Lent. All the cream and fat were consumed and used to make cakes - pancakes.

Ash Wednesday is a day of penitence. It was the custom to use ash as a symbol of sorrow. It was sometimes sprinkled on the head. It was also the custom for he ash to be made of the burning of the palm crosses from the previous Lenten period. The burning to ash would be a reminder that victory and resurrection were to follow.

Maundy Thursday.  The word is derived from the Latin word mandatum - command. Jesus at the time of the Last Supper gave His disciples a new commandment that 'they should love one another'.

 The day is also associated with the washing of the disciples feet before the Last Supper. It is still observed, although the pattern has changed. When we were in Beirut, in Lebanon Mona was invited to attend a 'foot washing' service. I was unable to attend but she decided to go. She had her feet washed. The Pope will symbolically wash feet on this day.

In England the Queen distributes the Maundy money instead of washing feet. The Maundy money is given to a group of pensioners. The number of the coins is set according to the age of the Queen. This year there will be 81. The money comprises a groat (fourpence) a three pence (3p) and a half groat (2p) and a penny. The temptation to sell the collection to collectors must very real.

The point of all this is to remind us of the true meaning of Easter. We have allowed greedy commercialism to rob the days sacred to us of their true meaning, especially  Easter and Christmas. Let me use the ancient words of greeting to you this Easter - He is risen - far better than 'Happy Easter'.

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Church of England in disarray

The issue of gay clerical marriages has again proved to be extremely controversial. The General Synod refused to endorse what  was the bishops' controversial policy on gay 'marriages' .  The House of Bishops was of the view that 'gay clergy could enter into civil partnerships, but only if they first assured their bishops that they would abstain from sex." Mark you, however stupid that may seem to some people - including myself - it was proposed as a 'balanced and sensitive' attempt to apply Church teaching to civil partnerships. 'Balanced' I ask you - it is stupid.  Can anyone seriously think that the clergy involved would be so daft as to go to his bishop and make such an assertion? How about 'holding hands' - would that do?

Behind all this is the attempt to have gay clerical marriages given the same standing as heterosexual ones. The Bishop Worcester said 'such partnerships showed commitment,  and they were "one of the finest tributes to marriage of this generation.' No prizes for saying what was  the good bishops 'married' state. One vicar I think demonstrated the lunacy of the proposal when he said that bishops have no means of enforcing discipline if clergy refused to assure them about their sexual abstinence. "There is no clear statement as to how assurances are to be sought, or what is to happen if they are not forthcoming."

I don't wonder why many of the African bishops are fed up, and inclined to accept that division in the church is inevitable. The bishops may compromise as much as they can. The issue begs of no compromise in the light of scripture.

It makes one think - but what then?

I lived long enough in England to sense the dangers. I never voiced them but to a few. Enoch Powell did, and was lambasted by the press and his fellow parliamentarians. Within the last sixty  years Oxford Street has noticeably changed as far as  pedestrians are concerned. But more so some Yorkshire towns where Pakistani immigrants decided to settle. It was not long after that a Bradford head teacher resigned because the new comers were demanding changes to the educational  system to accommodate Muslim culture. The case was high lighted in an article I recall appearing in the Daily Telegraph, under the heading "The Severed Head".

What was happening then was but the sowing of the seed. We are seeing the beginning of the harvest. It was in 1989 Iran's mullahs accused Salmon Rushdie of blasphemy and declared a fatwa against every one associated with the publishing of The Satanic Verses. At the time  that was seen as an isolated act of lunacy by a crazed Islamic regime.  Some people in the west were troubled, but few saw it as the precursor of a massive assault on freedom of speech, or envisaged what it would lead to. Let me quote from an article by Deborah Hope, who puts things far batter than I can. "Five years after the September 11 attacks the world is a foreign place. Identity is the West's obsession; one of its core values, freedom  of speech is under assault, Today Europe  is convulsed by the rise of Islam within its borders".

In the new climate in which some Danish cartoons and the Pope's  quotation  by a 14th Byzantine emperor was published, rage was the reaction across the Muslim world. The Pope was forced to do - what I think he had no need to do - apologise. Muslims anger spread across the world, terrorists' bombs had previously caused massed murder in Madrid and London... schools and churches were torched..." I have drawn attention to these facts before, but as an old man having just nursed my one day old great grandson, I tremble to think of the world in which he is going to grow up. How much tolerance  have we to show?  How many murders can the west tolerate? It has been assessed that in ten years time, Moslems will make up 52 per cent of the population of the Netherlands. What then? I find myself asking. There are 5 million Muslims in France. Nearly two million in England where a poll indicated that nearly a half of them would like to see  England under sharia law. One writer, Martin Walker writing in the journal of the  Woodrow Wilson International Centre for Scholars, says "that not since the Ottoman Turks were hurled back at the siege of Vienna in 1683, has Europe  been gripped  by such apocalyptic visions of a Muslim invasion". An Italian journalist  in a book published in 2004 argued that "Europe is no longer Europe, it is Eurabia a colony of Islam". What worries me is the servility -  and here I include Australia - we demonstrate to Muslim clerics who make no bones about their ultimate demands. We lean over backwards in case what we say might be misinterpreted. They will poison democracy with the inevitable consequences for freedom of thought for the concept of liberty.

Am I wrong to be concerned? Will James Harry, my latest great grandson grow up in a land where municipal authorities are called upon to redesign  public housing to allow Muslim women to enter and leave the kitchen without being seen? Okay, tell me it sounds preposterous? But if the trend of the last sixty years accelerates, that will be a minor adjustment.  Our mind set is towards toleration. What we need to see, if my prophecies are to go unfulfilled,  is that immigrants and their offspring must learn to be offended in the same way as Christians and Jews have been offended  for centuries. Since the majority of them come from countries  where such freedom does not exist, they should be the first to appreciate its benefits. Now there is a sermon Australian Muslim clerics need to preach.

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In defence of the Pope and the Cardinal

I am not a Roman Catholic and could never be one. I do not accept the teaching of the Roman Catholic Church on the Doctrine of Transubstantiation, Purgatory, or the Invocation of Saints, to mention some. However, I do agree with their stand on abortion and homosexuality.

The Roman Catholic Church has been caught up in a situation which has been headline news throughout the world. At issue is a statement by Pope Benedict XVI when he quoted a 14th century Byzantine emperor, "Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached..." The Pope did not say that he endorsed the statement. But the response on the part of Islam was an eruption of violence by Moslems on a worldwide scale. It is reported that  a nun was killed. With the violence was the demand that the Pope should apologise. Others said that he should be killed. For myself, I cannot see why he should apologise. Yet he did, in what was described by the BBC as an abject apology. There is truth in the words of the emperor. North Africa from Egypt to Morocco was one of the largest regions of the Christian Church. Here was the see of  Alexandria, and the vibrant church at Carthage. It was the scene of the labours of men like Augustine and Tertullian. Yet it was almost obliterated by the march of  militant Islam. Why  should the Pope apologise when these are the facts of history? He did so out of a desire not to give offence to Moslems. His apology was not sufficiently abject for some Moslems.

It is interesting to observe how the Islamic world responded to what the Pope said. Why not counter it with argument? But no, it was an excuse for a display of fanatical attacks against Roman Catholic buildings and individuals.  This reaction could hardly be said to be in keeping with an attitude of peace.

Cardinal Pell and Peter Costello came to his defence much to the annoyance of Australian Moslems. What we have witnessed is another attempt to silence free speech. Many are leaning over backwards in their attempts not to say anything that could be interpreted as being against Islam. Cartoons thought to be offensive have to be banned. Clerics who say publicly that there are passages in the Koran that encourage attacks against Christians are to be silenced.

The columnist Andrew Bolt is worth quoting in this connection. The following is from his web blog - Under    We Must not.....

Draw or publish pictures of Mohammed. however respectful, for causing deadly riots.

Make films criticising Islam for fear of having our head nearly sawn off by a furious Islamist a la Theo Van Gogh  (the Dutch film maker who made a film on Moslem culture and was publicly assassinated)

Tell a joke against a Muslim for fear of having our act  banned by the Melbourne Comedy Festival's director.

Preach in our Pentecostal congregation about the danger of Islam's jihadist preaching for fear of being found guilty of vilifying Muslims.

Quote the verdict of some 14th Byzantine emperor for fear that a Catholic nun might be murdered, churches in Palestine torched  and demands be issued for an apology or violent  else.

Perform Mozart's Idomeneo (or, for that matter  the composer's  Abduction from the Seraglio, which is set in  harem and features a dumb Muslim guard) for fear that our theatre may be blown up.

 Concerning the opera a columnist  in the Wall Street Journal  who has little time for the opera, dismissing it as 'anachronistic balderdash'  denounced the decision to ban it,  saying "Today it was Mozart. Tomorrow t will be Shakespeare, or Dante, who after all had a pretty hot place reserved for Mohammed in The Divine Comedy. It is not- not yet - too late to put a stop  to our  habit  of appeasing murderous fanaticism that demands  privileges and indulgences it refuses to grant to others".

One wonders if it is not too late.

Need  I say more

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Signs of the Times

The fact that I have not made any comment for the past week my be explained,  in part, to the fact that events on the international scene, the Middle East in particular,  have almost defied comment . What does one say in the face of what is unfolding in Israel, Palestine and Lebanon? Some forty years ago we were in Lebanon. We could sit peacefully  on the beach in Beirut; leisurely visit the ancient cities of Tyre and Sidon; renew our history of the Crusades as we wandered over some of the ruins of the ancient crusader castles, and go back much earlier to when Baalbeck was one of the magnificent temple areas in that part of the world. We travelled without fear, and saw nothing that would indicate the ominous clouds that were  gathering in the not-too distant future.

The events of recent years make comparisons obvious. The acceleration of evils has been breathtaking. The catastrophic events Jesus said would characterise the last days causes one to say 'Maranatha', for what but the appearance of Christ can begin to address the enormous evils of our day. Did He not predict increasing wars, floods, earthquakes, convulsions in nature, epidemics, man-made diseases - I read that there are 35 million AIDS sufferers? Our Lord compares conditions at the end of time to that of Noah. The comparison is frightening, "The wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually."

It has all turned out so different to what man in his humanistic optimism expected. I recall the hope that accompanied the birth of the League of Nations. Its hopes were paralleled by many in the Church. When the Second Coming was dealt with, too often it was to be brought about by man. There was to be a slow evolution leading to the day when conditions were made possible for the rule of Christ. It bore little resemblance to what the Bible said.  The mood in the church in general to the Second Coming  may be discovered in the hymn Sylvester Horne gave to the church in those breezy optimistic days - "Sing we the king who is coming again". I have never been able to sing it as enthusiastically as most seem to do.  The thrust of the words betrays the fact that the coming of our Lord was to be brought about as men secured the conditions which would introduce the world of peace. It has all gone horribly wrong. The same may be said now about the frantic efforts of men to usher in the peace they so ardently long for. With no reference to the Prince of Peace, and His programme, what may we expect? The United Nations is as powerless as its predecessor, the League of Nations. There is something pathetic in the way Kofi Annan makes his pleas - who is listening? The world desperately needs a prophetic voice to point the nations to Christ and His way - without which there can be no peace.

Would a split be better for the church?

There is a final comment on this at the end of this page

The Anglican Church has descended into what is being described as 'ecclesiastical anarchy'. American traditionalists  are refusing to accept the authority of Bishop Katherine Jefferts Schori as presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church in the US. The crisis has a history. In recent years a division has deepened between the liberal wing of the Church, who support the appointment of female and homosexual bishops, and  the conservative wing urging what it sees as a closer adherence to scripture. The gulf widened  and signs of schism were apparent  with the consecration of the openly gay Gene Robinson as bishop of New Hampshire in 2003. The bishop of Rochester now says that there is virtual two religions in a single  church.  The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr. Williams, who has a battle to hold the 77 million-strong Church together, gave guarded welcome to the new presiding bishop. He has at the same time to give attention to the evangelical dioceses who do not support the appointment.  Is a division likely? The bishop of Fort Worth, said that "We would like to be accountable to a bishop of the orthodox faith who shares our theology and perspectives."  It will be interesting - though I doubt if I will see it - how the Lambeth Conference would react when in 2008 both parties are asked to sign up a unifying covenant to prevent splits and factions in the future. Some task!!  What will Philip Jensen make of all this?

Events in recent days have brought the subject of division in the Church before us again. S. J. Stone wrote a number of hymns, the most well known being   The Chuch's One Foundation. It has been the custom of many compilers of hymnals to omit verses when the number was considered too many for congregational use.  I was interested to see The Baptist Hymn Book had omitted the verse which says By schisms rent asunder, by heresies distressed. Like some other denominations, the Baptist Church has had its fair share of both.  The Anglican Church in the US is seeking to resolve the problem brought about by the ordination of homosexual clergy. The issue has spread beyond the US and is the subject of debate in the wider Anglican Church.

Now it is the turn of the Uniting Church in Australia.  The recognition of gay ministers is  left to be dealt with at the regional, or presbyter level. However, the debate has broadened  to include the authority of the Bible. This makes the issue even more difficult of a resolution. It will be debated this week when 270 delegates gather at the University of Queensland for their three yearly assembly. Stephen Estherby, spokesman for the Evangelical Members of the Uniting Church, says that unless the church leadership recognises there is a grass-roots majority who, while not being anti-gay, bel\eve that homosexual behaviour is anti-biblical, people will walk with their feet. The Evangelical Members of the Uniting Church report that since 1997 when sexuality and leadership was first discussed there have been 109 congregational splits,  and 41 new congregation have been formed  by people leaving the church. Estherby is of the opinion that  the assembly will opt for the status quo.  If that happens he says ,expect more action from the dissenters. He asserts "Indecision is a decision for disunity. It's got to be resolved".

As I have followed the question of division in the church, one aspect has been reinforced in my thinking. Compromise, or the tendency to put off taking a clear stand, serves only to make certain that the point at issue will not go away, but make schism inevitable. There has only too often been the failure to grasp the nettle.

One might pursue the question of division in the church almost endlessly but  not bring the issue to a satisfactory conclusion. I guess like the poor it will always be with us. I was struck by a paragraph in an editorial in The Australian the other day which may well sum up my comments thus far. Many will recall the question as to whether the Baptist Union of Victoria would join the World Council of Churches. The debate took place about 15 years ago. The local churches were first to agree as to their own position. I was surprised that some of the office bearers at a church where I was serving in an interim capacity were so enthusiastically in favour. The constituent members were displayed by an overhead projector, and the  value of linking with so many was stressed, That some of the constituent members did not accept the deity of Christ, did not appear to be a stumbling block. I was not in favour on other than doctrinal grounds. I quote the paragraph from the editorial in The Australian, since it touches on some of the other concerns many of us had.

As chaotic as it seems, there is a sense in which the shake-up in the  Anglican  Church can be seen as a natural thing. The ecumenical movement of the 20th century, which sought to heal the rifts between the Christian denominations, were well-intentioned but had unintended and often negative consequences. Bodies such  as the World Council of Churches, which grew out of these movements have long been criticised for their embrace of radical left-wing politics, liberation theology and over-weening criticism of Israel.

It is my opinion that since there was no clear statement of what the WCC was urging as a basis of union, the movement would not succeed. Side-lining issues such as the deity of Christ, and a failure to spell out the distinctives of evangelical Christianity produced a union too vague as to win the support of the evangelical wing of the church, and left it open to be manipulated for political purposes. You may have other ideas. I have no more to say.

ISLAMIC REFORMATION

Salman Rushdie who is still the subject of a death threat aired his views on the Koran in his book "The Satanic Verses," 1988. The work was condemned and his life threatened. Among other things he questioned was  the origins of the Koran asserting that  it was concocted by Mohamed from stories told by Nestorian Christians in his travels. That he was exposed to Nestorian  influence seems very likely. This has been challenged by Islamic writers. One, Muhammad 'Sbdu asserts that he had "no tutor for his education, no teacher to care for his instruction...it was the awareness of God... the inward sense of divine compassion...it was none other than the divine revelation lightening his way before him, and like a captain and a warrior leading him to its heavenly authenticity"  This is open to question. The Koran  bears many traces of Christian influence - albeit a Christianity of a debased form. That Muhammad had knowledge of Jews and Christians is evident in the Koran. Of the Jews, he says, "God has ordained for you the religion he commanded unto Noah, which we have revealed to thee, and we commend unto Abraham, and Moses, and Jesus. A.C.Bouquet - The Christian Faith and Non-Christian Religions - states "The misfortune in so far as Muhammad depended on this literature (the Talmud, other extra-canonical Jewish literature, and from apocryphal Christian books, such as the Protoevangelium of James) he seems, either to have misunderstood it, or to have had only a very scrappy and imperfect acquaintance with it, and it is most certain that at times he totally misconceived the nature of orthodox Christianity".

What is needed  is a Reformation in Islam that  will move it away from a radical form of Islam to a liberal democracy. It needs a critical examination of the Koran,   an avenue it is not popular to explore given the fear of offending Moslems. The signs are that the radicals are winning the battle.

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Terrorists strike again

With the second wave of bombings on the London Transport system, it is appropriate to look again at the problem of Islamic Fundamentalism. The actions of the Islamic Council in Victoria, have also to be seen  in this context. Two pastors have been hounded successfully through the courts for comparing the teachings of the Koran with those of the Bible. Such is now deemed  vilification. Yet Islamic book shops in Sydney have books for sale that explain how to make suicide bombs, and the best and most effective places at which to detonate them . No action, as yet, is deemed worthy of being initiated against those who promote such methods.

Are we leaning so far in our efforts to appease Moslems that we are afraid of raising our voices against what they teach, and in the case of the London bombing, carry out. Little wonder that Westminster is deciding to take more vigorous action against militant Moslems. There are 1.3 million Moslems in Britain and 13 per cent agreed that suicide bombing is a legitimate method of furthering the influence eof Islam.\

As an example of the leniency with which suspected terrorists are treated, the case  might be mentioned of Abu Qatada, a Jordanian citizen. He was described by the Home Office as the most significant Islamic fundamentalist in Britain and an "inspiration for terrorists both here and abroad...often providing the religious 'legitimacy' for the atrocities that are planned or committed". H entered Britain on a forged passport in 1993 having been convicted in absentia in Jordan and sentenced to life imprisonment for his involvement in terrorist attacks there in 1998, and for a Millennium bomb plot.  Britain wanted to throw him out  after the September attacks in America but human rights laws meant that he could not be sent back to a country where he might be ill-treated. He may be free to terrorise others, but not run the risk of being ill-treated. Then the  law is an ass.

Europe - as well  as Great Britain - is facing a massive problem due to the increasing number of Moslems as a percentage of the population.

Demographic statistics predict that one fourth of France's population could be Muslim by 2025. As far as Europe is concerned  there are 23 million Moslems in Europe and they are young and entering their child bearing years. By 2015 Europe's Moslem population will at least double while its non-Moslem population will decline by about 3.5per cent. It is estimated that 1 to 2 per cent of Moslems are involved in extremist activities: that is 230.00 to 480.000. An awful lot of people.. It is not surprising that several  of the 9/11 hijackers were radicalised in Europe.

Is it too late for the west to wake up to the threat suggested by these events? It can be argued that Australia and the US have been more successful in integrating diverse waves of newcomers than has been the case with Europe. The ghettoes in some of the West Yorkshire cities support the failure of Great Britain to assimilate into society many of these ethnic groups. Australia needs to be aware of trends here that could follow the way they have been allowed to develop in Great Britain.

July 5

The Hillsong church in Sydney is being coveted by the politicians. Premier Bob Carr of New South Wales and Peter Costello the federal treasurer both spoke at the Convention last night to 30,000 believers. The emphasis was on family values  and personal responsibility. Carr took to task the Victorian Government for the punishing  nature of the Anti -racial bill. Carr drew massive support when he said," Those pastors have said they would rather go to jail than apologise for what they saw as fair comment in comparing two religions. I do not want  such  laws here in New South Wales. We won't have  politically correct laws curtailing the right of churches to preach fearlessly". Was Steve Bracks - a Lebanese  -listening? Maybe to the Moslem vote in Victoria. Or was he attuned to the Uniting Church, the rapidly diminishing  number of whose members may fear the rise of strong, fearless evangelical preaching?

Attacks against or Liberties

Many believers have been following the way two pastors in Melbourne have been pursued through the courts by the Islamic Council for Victoira. They had quoted from the Koran and added their views as to what the Koran taught showing the difference  between what the Bible taught. . At no time had they indulged in vilification. Yet their appeal against their conviction was dismissed.  Significant is the fact that  the Islamic Council was supported by members of the Uniting Church and some sections of he Roman Catholic Church. The grounds of their opposition can be measured by the fact that they feel any expression of aggressive evangelicalism has to be muted. The United Church has a record of standing against anything openly evangelical. If they had been so keen in their support of the Islamic Council, why so silent over the fact that Christians are being persecuted the world over.  It was reported in April in Saudi Arabia 40 Pakistani Christians were arrested for celebrating Mass in a private residence in Riyadh. It is illegal to practise any religion other than Islam. Did the Uniting Church express the same concern for these believers as they did for the rights of the Islamic Council?  There is an obvious need for a repeal of Victoria's Racial and Religious Tolerance Act 2000. Are we not free to discuss why many countries are so intolerant of other religions? More to the point why do we not raise our voices?

`So the Ten Commandments are not to be displayed

A supreme court in Kentucky has by a 5-4 decision struck down the display of the Ten Commandments in courthouses. The ruling was based on a separation of state and church because they promote a religious message. Another in Texas allowed the display of the Commandments if they are portrayed neutrally in order to honour the states legal history. But how does one offend the state's history by showing them neutrally - whatever that means? The court in Kentucky said that showing framed copies of the Commandments endorsed religion. Is this the way we are to go? We prosecute pastors who examine the Koran, yet in the face of  those advocating the suppression of religious comment, we fail deplorably. Why do those advocating measures against those who speak about the Koran  yet fail to draw attention to the same form of oppression against believers the world over.

April 23

The Papacy

We have witnessed the election of a new pope.  He was chosen by the conclave of cardinals. Joseph Ratzinger has taken the title Benedict XV1.  But he is head of a vastly different church than that given to us in the New Testament.  This needs to be remembered. In the first century and early second century there was no pope as we use the term. The different communities were self-governing and only later began to convene in councils. The bishop of Rome did make claims for supremacy but for centuries this was never fully acknowledged and often resisted. The title of pope or universal bishop was not granted until 607. The worship and exaltation of Mary did not begin until the fifth century. The celibacy of priests was decreed by Gregory V11 only in 1079. The immaculate conception of Mary was not proclaimed until 1854,and papal infallibility was not defined until 19th century. There has been a gradual accretion of claims far removed from the simplicity of the Early Church. Had the Scriptures been available earlier it is doubtful that things would have turned out as they have. But claims need to be safeguarded. Untrained eyes must not see them. The laity must not have access to what was the preserve of the priests. Little wonder that so many attempts were made to keep the Word of God from the people. We need to give thanks to reformers like Tyndal and Wyclif who were determined to bring the bible to the people.

April 21  The cost of discipleship

We are apt to overlook that for many who choose to follow Christ the cost may be measured in the terms of what Jesus said when he outlined the costs involved of those who would be His disciples.   Read Matthew chapter 10 in order to appreciate what the cost might be. " A man's enemies will be the members of his own his family." said Jesus. I have news of a young Muslim who became  Christian and told his family. They  got him fired from his job. Now he has only 30 days to leave the country and when they send him back to his home country, he faces almost certain death. At this stage his passport is being held. This young man is only in his early twenties and has no support except from a few believers.

We need to pray for such new believers. But at the same time remember the missionaries who seek to lead them to Christ in the knowledge of what the cost may be.

April 4

With the resignation of Kyrgyzstan's  ousted leader Akayev, more settled conditions have returned to the country. His official resignation removed the last doubts about the legitimacy of the rulers and should lead for the smooth running of a new presidential election set for June 26.  The March protests that deposed Mr Akayev came after weeks of tension in which opposition supporters seized control of several key cities. The uprising was fuelled by resentment over alleged corruption and the poor living standards in the impoverished nation. It was further stoked by disputes over recent parliamentary elections  which the opposition claimed to have been rigged

 The Commonwealth of Independent States an organization linking all former Soviet republics minus the three Baltic States was always fragile, but with three revolutions among its members within 18 months, it now appears to be crumbling. Three faithful allies have been toppled - Shevardnadze in Georgia, Kuchma in Ukraine and last week Akayev in Kyrgyzstan. The CIS was meant to be the instrument that would allow Russia to retain its influence over the former Soviet empire. Although the new interim leaders have vowed to continue their deposed predecessors Moscow friendly policies, the swift toppling of the government suggests that the CIS will soon collapse.

What Christians need to do is to focus prayers on these lands that whatever the outcome opportunities will remain for the spread of the kingdom of God's peace.

APRIL 2

Now that the first violent aspect of what has taken place in Kyrgyzstan, it might be as well to look at the underlying causes. The political leaders of the newly independent Central Asian states, are still directly associated with the previous Soviet system.  Their rules have changed but not their roles, and while welcoming their new independence and doing much to consolidate it, they had remained faithful to the earlier Soviet style derived from official atheism But the populations were Muslim "neither fanatical nor fundamentalist but still deeply religious".  Islamic identity is part of the dominant younger generation. Perhaps it is emancipation from colonial rule that has opened up hitherto stifled political self-expression. Here is the risk. Should political opposition become increasingly Islamist, will the populist movements seen in recent years in these republics take on a different and more violent cast that was has lately occurred?  We need to be prayerful that those seeking their highest good may be alert to the approaches best suited to reach these 'deeply religious' people.

March 28

The Tulip Revolution  coverage via the Television news networks has  given daily reminders of the scale of the looting and mob violence that has erupted in Bishkek. It would appear that people, tired of poverty and corruption have vented their anger at what they regard as the irregularities of the recent government election. Trouble began in the south  before it reached Bishkek protestors  stormed the White House - the government headquarters. The opposition had reached such force by that time that the police either melted away or joined the insurrection. Believing the election had been flawed the people of Kyrgyzstan did not take it on the  chin  as had been the case with  the flawed elections in Kazakhstan and Tajikistan, and  took their protests to extreme with looting and pillaging on a massive scale. Eyewitness accounts by missionaries at the scene, speak of  shops looted and buildings torched. One reports says - "A big two storied shopping plaza, furniture shops, internet cafes, restaurants, stationary stores, supermarkets, all ransacked. Four people were killed and about 120 injured. Even after the violence has subsided opportunists were walking away with shop fittings and cupboards from the department store'. One asks why?

It would appear that promises of government reform by president Akayev have not been kept, and since power has been in the hands of powerful individuals, frustration has been built up. Revolutionary leaders have installed Mr Bakiev as interim president, and Mr. Kulov will run the security ministries. It is not clear that they can stop the looting, or potential score-settling between pro and anti-Akayev groups. The police seem to have vanished. The country is small and lacks the energy reserves of some of the other Central Asian republics. Yet events are being watched with interest, since both the US and Russia have military bases near Bishkek. It is understandable that the two big powers eye each other warily. Kyrgyzstan's neighbours are also watching closely.  It would appear from the scenes depicted on our television screens  that all this is another example of people power. How often have leaders underestimated the power if the people!

February 24

Readers of the weekly "New Life" will know of the coverage given to "Tortured Chinese Christian testifies". Accounts are given by a number of Christians who have suffered at the hands of the authorities because of their Christian faith. The reports have been collected by Christian Solidarity and China Aid Associates. What is revealed is not new, yet adds another emphasis as to what believers in China have t o contend with. It would be interesting to learn how those whose accounts of suffering escaped from China, and how they are being shepherded now out of a country to which they would not choose to return.

The reporting of attacks on Christian minorities in Iraq is as disturbing future as the way events are taking place in that land.  The attacks appear to have been on the Assyrian  church which has a  long history. and  dates to the 4th century. Once a powerful force for evangelism is had Bible Schools at  Edessa and Nisibis, and its mssionssries were able to spread the Christian message to China, Malaysian, ad most probably to Japan.  The church was in liturgical in its manner of  worship, but makes a useful contribution to Iraq society. Events, involvng other minority groups as in as in Indonesia, raises concern about the methods being used against the Christian minorities. We need to stand with them in these difficult days.

Missions in Kyrgyzstan

 Authorities consider countering Christian Mission

The following appeared on IslamOnLine June 26 2004

Mamayusupov, director of Religious Affairs says, "Five percent of the m majority Muslim population have converted to Christianity due to the spreading missionary work in the former Soviet Republic". Mamayusupov adds  that in the face of this threat, the government is considering the establishment of a police department to counter Christian Missionary work. His language is alarmist and offensive: he appears content to take the easy road and blame social tensions on the peaceful victims of persecution rather than on the perpetrators who would deny them their basic and constitutional right to freedom of religion.

Hostility

One of the recent causes of grassroots persecution against converts occurred in the village of Kurkol in January 2001. The local Muslim Religious board complained that some 130 Muslims had converted to Christianity. More than a 1000 locals convened a meeting and demanded four Ethnic Uzbeks, all recent converts to Christianity, leave the village.

This incident was pre-war on terror. If Islamic ani-western, anti-Christian sentiment, solidarity and identification are rising in Kyrgyzstan's as much as they are rising everywhere else across the Muslim world, then we can expect social tensions to be increasing and the government to come under increasing pressure to counter Christianity.

We need to pray that the secular and reformed government will reject attempts to curtail religious liberty