As I reflect on the hot issues in Australia today and I cannot help but be sad. Some of my reflections which are in no particular order are these:

1. Honesty and integrity no longer seems to be a value for our leaders.
2. Miitary might seems to be the perfered way to exercise influence and solve problems. No longer is world opinion worth considering, it now seen as a barrier to what we want and therefore it is to be swept aside with contempt.
3. People who are not “like us” are demonised and depicted as those who are the source of our problems. We lock them up until they can “proove” their claims of fleeing from the very same tyrants whose regime we have told we have to change.
4. Those who wish to discuss issues and raise an alternative view have their character, families and motives attacked. When the press questions the government’s policies and decisions they are bullied and blasted.
5. Increasingly arguments are dumbed down to be what the left thinks and what the right thinks. What every happened to be able to consider each situation individually?
6. It seems in the global community that only those countries who are wealthy and are the strongest have a say and those who object are punished.
7. Rights that in tha past have been held so dear, such as pressumption of innocence, access to legal representation, not having the fear of being locked up without trial, and the lack of the death penalty seem to now only be rights for us, and not for them. It worries me though, who it is, who defines who them is. Arent these rights in place so that those in authority can’t do what they want, when they want.

Do we as Australia know where we are headed or are we on a rollercoaster road? Do we know where we are heading as a global community? Do we have any brakes? Is it possible to get off?

Walter Breuggemann talks about what he called an alternative consciousness to the royal consciousness which dominated ancient Israel. Who will form, hold and proclaim this alternative consciousness? Because the royal consciousness that dominated ancient Israel, is starting to dominating us. It is up to the people of God, Breuggemann maintains, to proclaim and live out this alternative consciousness.

How do we do this? What will it look like? Because perhaps then we can only be called the people of God.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, July 23rd, 2003 at 11:24 am by phil and is filed under challenges for the church. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.