Critical Child Rearing Mistake No. 3 - John Pilger

I've started reading John Pilger to my daughter. She seemed to loose interest after just a few pages. Have I introduced Pilger to early?


Reading "the new rulers of the world" whilst on holiday was great. It reminded that we live in the media age and not the information age. Information like the fact that indigenous Australians receive 75c for every dollar spent on non indigenous Australians of federal health care funding and 25c for every dollar spent on non indigenous pharmaceutical benefits is just not readily available. Instead, media stories about indigenous people squandering millions of health dollars is ussually what I get to hear. I'm not sure if my daughter quite understood this important distinction though.

Yawning at Hillsong

Right now I'm visiting my parents in Sydney and so is my uncle. A friend of my uncle's regularly visits Hillsong church when he is in Sydney and recommended that he did the same. I thought it would be nice to accompany him to what is undoubtedly Australia's most famous church. It would also be a good excuse to check out what Hillsong is really like. I've heard raving endorsements as well as scathing critiscims including tales of prosperity gospel preaching. Putting these things aside I decided to try and go in with an open mind, at least to find out why this kind of church is so popular.

Like a football game we were ushered in to a parking bay, then like concert we walked passed all the merchandising and take away foods and were ushered into the auditorium and church began.

There were lots of points I could talk about like...

1. How the music was so incredibly polished it seemed to lack any soul at all.
   
2. How the mini sermon before the offertory slowly morphed from Jesus saying to a rich young ruler "give your money to the poor" to why don't you put some money in the offertory buckets (yes they were buckets but they are a big church so I didn't mind).
   
3. How Darlene Zschechs's sermon not only didn't really seem to say anything but also didn't even seem to have it's own internal logic or any structure.

As much as I could write about these things I'm sure they are probably all old ground for many people.

What struck me the most about Hillsong was how bored I was. Hillsong is about as professional looking and slick as you can get, but like a big blockbuster movie with loads of special effects and no story line, it was boring. This, I wasn't expecting. Once you get over the idea that the church has a decent enough band to back any professional middle of the road artist, the images and film are high quality enough to be used by a home renovation TV show and there are actually lots of people there, there is so little to be impressed about. I was bored out of my brain and completely unmoved for better or worse. My uncle was both thoroughly disappointed in the experience an glad that I didn't bring my wife along and waste her time (as he saw it).

So why is this church popular? I'm not sure but I wonder if it's popular because it's really easy. Turning up every Sunday to watch a big TV show for one and half hours is really easy. You just turn up walk in, sit down, watch and leave. There are no awkward lonely people to meet afterwards, there are no people who need extra help next Friday night for the church bread run and there is no need to help pack up at the end of church. What is more there is also no guilt about not doing this because during the service you can give money to fund outreaches to lonely awkward people, outreaches to hungry people and money to keep a venue that doesn't need to be packed up for other purposed during the week.

So, this got me thinking what should we expect from Church? This will be a future post.

Over Engineering

I am constantly amazed at the over engineering of products which have pretty much reached the pinnacle of their design. The shaving razor and tooth brush are two great examples. I can't imagine anyone wishing either of these two things had a few extra features. Alas, that doesn't sell new products or switch brand loyalty. Once razors came as a single blade but now you can buy them with double, triple or even quadruple blades. With it being highly unlikely that five blades will get people changing brands designers have to come up with other selling points, the most recent ridiculous one I have seen is the battery powered razor. This is not an electric shaver but manual razor with a battery in it. What the battery does I have no idea and the advertising doesn't tell you either. Similarly the latest toothbrush advert I have seen advertises a tooth brush with an on board computer. Again the advertising does not say what the computer does and again I cannot imagine what it could possibly do.

That someone could think of these ideas is one thing. That someone could think of them, someone else could make them and profit from them and that we buy them is another thing. Whilst so many around the world and in our own country suffer from lack of even basic health care it is a poor reflection on our society that we would consider a battery powered razor or tooth brush with an on board computer as a worth while item.

Can games affect change?

About a year ago I was sent a little flash based game where as a player you tried to bomb out the terrorist's in a village. It was a great little game each time you killed a terrorist some civilians would walk by start crying at the persons death and then turn into terrorists themselves. A step up from this is the Dafur is dying game where you can experience what it is like to live in the country, fetching water and avoiding bombs and guns.

I wonder how effective these kind of games will be. Like television before it, I suspect that it will expose us to how horrible war and suffering is, but will it help us to make a change? Personally I think the biggest problem to affecting change is not knowing that there is a problem but knowing what we as just individuals (surrounded by many different problems) can do to meaningfully affect any change.

Futher Rudd Reflections

I'm interested to see what Australian's will think of Kevin Rudd. I noticed the Make Poverty History wrist band he was wearing from this picture in the Australian as well as his promise to meet the Make Poverty History aid targets.

What has perhaps confused me the most has been some of the criticism Kevin Rudd has received.

Paul Comrie-Thomson on Counterpoint said...

As British author Patrick West argued in his book 'Conspicuous Compassion' "If the Good Samaritan had been raised in a culture like ours...he would have walked on by and made a long-winded speech in the temple calling upon the Romans to tackle the root causes of social exclusion in Judea". This sounds like what Kevin Rudd is up to.

He goes on to quote Luke 18:9-14 Suggesting that if Kevin Rudd wants to do good he should go out do good things quietly Good Samaritan style one person at a time rather than try to change the social environment in which people live, this is a comment that I have heard before about issues other than the ones Rudd has addressed and usually aimed at Xns or social activists agitating for some kind of political change that will assist the less fortunate. It reminds me of the famous Dom Helder Camera quote.

"When I feed the poor, they call me a Saint. When I ask why are they poor, they call me a Communist."

I think there are a few different spheres that we can show compassion.

1. Immediate relief or giving someone a fish. This is the more coalface good Samaritan work where you are literally feeding the poor, finding a bed for the homeless or perhaps supporting agencies who do this elsewhere (like emergency relief in the third world).
2. Capactity building or teaching someone to fish. This is longer term work with people so that they can avoid the repeating getting into a situation that saw them needing the immediate relief.
3. System Change or making sure the lake isn't over fished by others. This is agitating for political and structural change, to make sure that as much as possible people will not need immediate relief.

All three spheres are equally important and we ignore either one at our peril. The first two are hard as they involve getting our hands dirty but are often considered where the "real" help happens. I'd argue that the third sphere is equally important. As far as I can see a politician has far greater effectiveness then most in the 3rd sphere. I certainly wouldn't be happy with a politician who was part of a bread run feeding families who don't have enough money to feed themselves but doesn't then try to address the systemic problems that may have got them in this position in the first place.

I'm certainly not going to say Kevin Rudd is the greatest thing on the Australian political landscape but he's certainly saying some good things and I'm willing to see if he can convert the saying into doing.

A new Trinity theory

Recently on Background briefing I was listening to a Richard Dawkin's lecture. No matter what you think of him I as struck by the following section about the trinity...

Do we have one God in three parts, or three gods in one? The Catholic Encyclopedia clears up the matter for us in a masterpiece of theological close reasoning. 'In the unity of the godhead there are three persons, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit; these three persons being truly distinct, one from another. Thus in the words of the Athanasian Creed, the Father is God, the Son is God, and the Holy Spirit is God, and yet there are not three gods but one god.

As if that were not clear enough, the Encyclopedia quotes the 3rd century theologian, St Gregory, the Miracle Worker. 'There is therefore nothing created, nothing subject to another in the Trinity, nor is there anything that has been added as though it once had not existed, but had entered afterwards. Therefore the Father has never been without the Son, nor the Son without the Spirit, and this same Trinity is immutable and unalterable forever.'

Traditionally the teaching of the trinity is has been one of the messiest most confusing aspects of Xy. One being (God) in three beings (persons) just doesn't sit right for many people and analogies about ice, steam and water or one atom made up of three electrons (or is it the other way round?) are often even more confusing.

So I thought I'd explain how I'm thinking about the trinity. This is very much a work in progress littered with ideas that I would have been burnt at the stake or excommunicated for if I was born in a different century. None the less I enjoy posting ideas in progress and I'm not sure if I know anyone else who has a similar ideas.

Here goes...

First forget about trinity. Firstly I think of God and the spirit of God. I tend not to think of the spirit as a second person rather I think of the spirit of God a little bit more like (but not exactly like) the way someone might think of spirit when they say "That act was done in the spirit of Mother Teresa". When we say that someone does something in the spirit of someone else we may not know exactly what has been done but we have an idea of what that act will be like.

Now try to imagine some kind of spirit concept that is somewhere between that and your classic another person / being idea and what I have just described. I often think of the spirit of God as the essence of God. The Hebrew concept of talking about the breath of God, which is translated as spirit in our Old testament, sits well with me. Also interestingly in Revelation 19:10 the spirit tells people not to worship the spirit, this has stuck with me for some reason.

Now that I've explained that nice and vaguely, second you've got Jesus. I tend to think of Jesus as a human with the spirit of God or essence of God. A human infused with the spirit of God or God in the form of a human.

So in essence I kind of believe in just one God perhaps a binity at a pinch but probably not a trinity. This is something that I'd like to resolve reasonably satisfactorily in the next ten years or so. I thought I'd post my incomplete thoughts as a kind of motivation to start working on them.

Critical Child Rearing Mistake No. 2 - Billy Joel

I accidentally let my daughter catch me listening to Billy Joel. The Achilles heal in my "I only listen to cool music" armour.

Now, at 7 months, she has a new favourite toy and she'll only smile at me when I say "Give us a smile your the piano man".

Five Years for David Hicks

Last Saturday I went to a vigil to commemorate the 5th anniversary of David Hicks being held in detention uncharged and untried. With many impassioned speakers I was struck by the simplicity of clarity of Anglican Arch Bishop Roger Herft. This is what he said...

The court case in Iraq with all its weaknesses, was seen as a fledgling democracy bringing the rule of law to bear on a tyrant who ruled with great brutality.

At the time of the court decision our Prime Minister John Howard rightly acknowledged that nature of democracy within this system and noted that ‘a monster like Sadam Hussein was bought to justice by due process.’

It is a matter of real regret that the same logic does not apply to David Hicks- he obviously must be more of a monster than Sadam.

However, it is highly unlikely that David Hicks is as culpable as Sadam Hussein was in terms of the brutality he meted out on people.

Surely vibrant democracies found in Australia and the United States should enable David Hicks to be tried with the due process of law.

The issue for me is not whether David Hicks is guilty or innocent. It is that five years is far too long to be held in such extreme conditions of detention being both uncharged and untried. Surely if evidence of someones guilt is not available after even one year it is not going to be available after five or five and a half years. Guilt or innocence aside It has been painful and embarrassing to see our government acquiescent in letting an ally treating one of our citizens like this. We certainly wouldn't have let the Indonesian government hold Schappelle Corby for five years without charging her or putting her on trial.

Companies v's Countries

I have been a letter for a Amnesty International and while I still believe that is a great thing to do. I'm wondering if that is really only addressing half of the world's injustices. Often when I buy a product I wonder under what conditions the product was made. I cannot help but think that my power as a consumer maybe far stronger than my power as a citizen of a relatively unimportant foreign country. In 2007 I am planning to start writing letters like this.

Dear -company-

I am writing to ask that you please tell me about the conditions under which your -product- is made. I realise that much of the manufacturing process maybe outsourced to other companies but as it is -company- who I am buying the product from I believe it is your responsibility to know how your product is made.

I would like to purchase all my products from companies that pay it's producers a fair price and helps them gains the necessary skills and knowledge to develop their businesses and work their way out of poverty. Also I would like to buy from companies that have a neutral affect on the environment. If these things are not achievable I would at least like to purchase products from the industry leader in these matters.

If you can please write to me and let me know about these matters, including endorsements from any a well recognised NGOs. That would be much appreciated.

I realise that implementing some of these things may result in an increase in the final cost of the item. I am more than happy to pay this.

Yours Sincerely

Chris

Do you think they would have any impact?

Author writes rebuttal to review on obscure blog that hardly anyone reads

A few months ago I wrote a review / reflection on Brad Jersak's book Can you hear me? This week I got a comment from someone called Brad Jersak. At first when I read the name I assumed it was a prank but then he's not exactly the sort of high profile person that others would try and impersonate, so I'm assuming that it's actually him. Seeing that I have quite a small blog audience (see tips for keeping your bog audience small) I'm pretty sure his agent didn't call him up and say "Hey Brad, have you heard what is being said about your book on the a churchless faith blog, You better reply quick!" I'm guessing he or a friend might have googled himself. In a bizarre Google anomaly when I tried searching for "Brad Jersak" "Can you hear me" review my blog comes up fifth! just behind amazon. Sadly for Brad his own site comes in at ten.

My reply to him is here.

Vommit Catching Report

I'm now back and recovered from a week of helping look after year 12 leavers. It's probably not hard to imagine that recruiting people to volunteer to clean up the vomit of Year 12 School Leavers who are drinking to excess is not the easiest task in the world.

What's more surprising perhaps, is how incredibly rewarding the experience always is not just for poor deranged me but all the volunteers who are involved. There is something great about the mix of people who are in a state that they are aware they have brought upon themselves and us, a group of people volunteering to be out in the middle of night helping in ways that many couldn't stomach. Often as people get better we are met with a barrage of thanks, praise and amazement.

Conclusion: Love is messy.

New Church service tested and ready to go

On Sunday night a group of five of us tested a new worship service which is pretty much based on an idea I posted over a year ago (initial idea here). And it worked!

Here is the basic structure for the night...

1) Move into the Space (with journal)
2) Light Candle (signifying God's presence) and say opening prayer
3) Someone reads the reading for the night. We decided to work through Luke's gospel starting with Jesus temptation in the desert (4:1-13). This was projected on a screen.
4) Reflect on the reading (people are given wondering questions to get them thinking). In this case they were... 1. I wonder what was Jesus doing for 40 days, 2. I wonder what it was like when Jesus was being tempted, 3. I wonder why Jesus let the devil tempt him, 4. I wonder what the devil would say today. These questions weren't read just projected on a screen below the reading.
5) Connect using journals and stations. For this session the stations were... A wooden cross to give things to God, stones to write confessions on and drop into water, pictures of Jesus to reflect on, a nature station, a soaking couch, a drawing station, play dough, prayer candles, books to read, sand box to write and doodle in and a place to write questions. Ambient Taize music played in the background.
6) We then got back together to offer our thoughts and work (artwork or journal work) to God
7) Close - using prayer of St Francis (the laptop battery died so we didn't do this as planned)
8) Discuss the experience with each other (optional - people have option to leave if they wish)

The "Service" took about an hour and could have gone for much longer. I felt like I had the time and the tools to wrestle with the text with no pressure. It would have to be the most relaxing thing I've done in a long time. It was a great space to connect with God with no sense of pressure to be some where else or thinking about something else.

I'm still excited about how easy this should be to do each time. With the set up each time just being a new reading, new wondering questions and adding stations as we are inspired to do so. The aim will be to meet every fortnight.

The big thing I'm dying to find out is, is this something that people on the edge of faith/church would be interested in participating in? I'll let you know sometime in 2007.

Kevin Rudd and Faith

Kevin Rudd has just been elected Australia's new opposition leader just as i have finished reading the article he wrote for The Monthly magazine called Faith in Politics.

Reading his article four things stood out for me...

1) How articulate he is and how badly sound bites represent politicians (I assume he's not the only articulate politician)
2) His well laid out explanation of what arguments Xn politicians usually use to convince Xns to vote for them, why these reasons are weak and an alternative vision for a Xn political agenda.
3) His vision of a muscular and meaningful social responsibility inspired by his hero Dietrich Bonhoeffer.
4) Now that he gas been elected leader I'm excited to see what happens and if nothing happens it will be my totally disillusioned with politics.

I've deliberately not quoted or turned the arguments into sound bites. You can read the article for yourself. Faith in Politics by Kevin Rudd.