Review - Quarterly Essay
19 August 2006
It’s morning 6am. I look in the mirror. I have sleep in my eyes and a face that resembles crinkled newspaper. I don’t like what I see.
This brings me to Amanda Lohrey’s article in the Quarterly Essay* entitled “Voting for Jesus - Christianity and Politics in Australia”. I enjoyed reading this essay. These sort of “intellectual” essays aren’t usually my thing however this one was particularly well written. I found the description of our very own David Jones as a “Charismatic preacher… a fundamentalist” quite amusing.
However what interested me most were the candid portrayals of two groups of students. Lowrey firstly interviewed three Hillsong “Cool girls”. The description of the Pentecostal movement through Lohrey’s eyes as she interviews the girls was particularly vivid.“Yes it’s… like, it’s the relationship with Jesus that they offer you not the religion… like ultimately he died for me and I think that’s really awesome.” Says Skye.
While she doesn’t openly critisise the movement she gives such a strikingly accurate reflection of what this form of Pentecostalism looks like to the average Aussie.
What interested me more was her meeting with three AFES (Australian Fellowship of Evangelical Students) students handing out Luke’s gospels. Their responses were generally quite good (I could see a great deal of myself a couple of years back). While I agreed with the sentiments the students expressed what most struck Lowery (and me) was their negative almost self righteous tone. Lohrey writes“When I asked them about Hillsong they were wary of sounding negative but the looks between them said it all…”
Why should you read this article let alone be interested in it I hear you ask?
“With the very mention of the word Muslim a chill comes into the room, and both quietly and economically it is made clear that nothing that is Muslim could possibly be of value.”
Lohrey simply holds a mirror to how Christians (Evangelical and Pentecostal) often come across. When we look and see a reflection we don’t like we must look very carefully at ourselves. May we learn how to better reflect God’s love and grace as we spread his word to those in the world.
*(Issue 22 2006 $14.95 from your Newsagent or See Ben at Fullers Bookshop Hobart)
tags christian, rant, review, thinking
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But good reflections Mike.
Available from Fullers, thank you very much ;)
Yeah, thanks for the review. I sometimes buy it from the co-op as a treat, and I'd heard about this one but hadn't read it yet.
Definately worth the 15 bucks Bron you should buy... then lend to a friend :)
I think I shall buy/borrow and read this before I comment.
One thing though... Lohrey simply holds a mirror to how Christians (Evangelical and Pentecostal) often come across.
This is of course Lohrey's mirror, and we have to understand her presuppostions and past experiences in order to see if her perceptions are acurate.
Which means we shouldn't be reactionary in response and become appeasers.
While I agree with you Shy, I strongly afirm the importance of listening and listening VERY carefully and examining ourselves first before we begin to explain away supositons.
Too often we jump in defensively and explain away till there is no critique left and we pat ourselves on the back for being good. (I'm not saying you would do this mind you).
We must listen... very carefully and reflect.
Thanks for your gentle response, Mike.
I agree that we must listen very carefully and reflect. However, we must also carefully examine the critics (and ourselves!) to see if their criticisms are well founded.
and I agree...
Cool. :)
Yeah, I think it's true that pentecostals are especially happy people. That's one thing, at least, we can learn from the movement
Craigs- a very interesting comment - "Pentecostals are esp happy people... That's one thing we can learn from the movement".
One has to go to the Pentecostal movement to learn to be happy?
I learnt to be happy from a million evangelicals who were full of joy in God.
And a couple of mates who were very funny.
:)
That was Justin, btw. I'm making a comment while on a Blackberry!
I've read it too, 'twas very interesting.
Her concept of the separation of church and state was pretty simplistic, and she made a heap of misunderstandings, nor had anything positive to offer.
But those interviews at the start and end were good.
Mainstream Christianity is dying out?
According to Wikipedia that means "those in the majority opinion of theology specific to one's faith or denomination" or perhaps "a codeword used for one's own actual ethnocentric or subculture point of view."
The National Church Life Survey says that, between 1996 and 2001, Church attendance dropped about 7% on average (3% for Presbyterian, 11% for Uniting, 13% for Catholic) but rose 8% for Baptists, 9% for Sydney Anglicans, and 20% or more for Pentecostal groups, resulting in a tiny net increase for Protestants overall.
Are Baptists "Mainstream"? Are the Churches of Christ? Are Sydney Anglicans? Is the Reformed Church? I guess it depends on your point of view...
Interestingly it was the personal testimony that spoke most powerfully to her. Perhaps we should use this as an evagelistic approach more often than we do.
"... while the world may not read its Bible, it certainly does read its Christians."
Robin Boisvert, How Can I Change? p. 12
(a wonderful 100 pg. book R.B. co-authored with C. J. Mahaney on Sanctification)
"... while the world may not read its Bible, it certainly does read its Christians" -- Indeed!
Great post Mike – I can’t wait to get to Fullers and buy this essay.
There was a great article in the OZ the other week :
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,20867,20040912-2702,00.html
The whole christian political party is creeping me out. I think it’s very important to have christian politicans but the whole concept of legislating morality via a ‘christian’ political party is in my opinion flawed. You can’t expect non-christians to obey God if they don’t follow Jesus.
I remember one man who when the crowd tried to seize him by force and make him king to set up an earthly kingdom– he walked away.
Thanks for that link Felicity. I know you'll enjoy reading the Essay. Cheers for reading my blog too :)
Hey Mike,
Bought my copy today from "fullers"
Looking forwards to reading it