Author: Jimmy Day

Today is RUOK Day, “our national day of action dedicated to reminding everyone that every day is the day to ask, “Are you OK?” And to offer support to those struggling with life’s ups and downs.

Mental illness is nothing new. We are just more aware these days than in previous times. As the human race has developed in insight, knowledge, and understanding, people have become more conscious of mental illnesses and care for those who live with them.

Mental Health

World Health Organisation defines mental health as “… a state of wellbeing in which the individual realizes his or her own abilities, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to his or her community.”

If that definition describes you, you are considered to be mentally healthy most of the time. If it doesn’t, you’re probably living with a mental illness. According to the Better Health website, “Many mental illnesses are thought to have a biological cause. What triggers a mental illness is not known.”

The History of Mental Illness

For thousands of years, ancient peoples considered mental illnesses to be caused by the struggle between good and evil and the devil’s work. The antidote was an exorcism.

For centuries people believed mental illnesses were the result of “bad blood” or weakness of character. Hippocrates was primarily responsible for introducing that mental disorders were all biological in origin, and he wasn’t entirely wrong.

Well-known philosophers like Aristotle & Plato (4th and 5th centuries before Jesus) wrote about mental disorders resulting from psychological, social, and cultural factors. They also advocated humane and responsible care for individuals with psychological disturbances and were, in many ways, well ahead of their time.

A century ago, mental illnesses were managed by imprisoning the “insane” behind asylum walls to reduce the risk posed to the broader community. People were punished for being ill, something that was reflected in the language like ‘lunatics’ and ‘inmates.’ Their keepers was ‘wardens.’

How things have changed

Tremendous advances in the understanding and treatment of mental illnesses have occurred over the past 100 years.

In 1955 the first Anti-psychotic drugs became available, and the practice of Psychiatry developed from there. In 1981, the Richmond report argued for deinstitutionalisation of those with a mental illness. This began in Australia in 1992. It was poorly funded and orchestrated. We’ve come a long way, but we still have far to go.

Mental distress in the Bible

One of the many things I appreciate about the Bible is its raw honesty. Consider David’s expression of distress in Psalm 102, “My heart is blighted and withered like grass; I forget to eat my food. In my distress I groan aloud and am reduced to skin and bones” (4-5). He continues by revealing his insomnia. Other Bible characters who appeared to live with mental illness include Elijah (1 Kings 19:4–5) and Hannah (1 Samuel 1:7–8).

Jesus experienced mental turmoil in the garden of Gethsemane, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death” (Matthew 26:38). “Jesus Wept” is the shortest verse in the Bible that once and for all demolishes the idea that Jesus doesn’t understand your deepest feelings.

An apostle’s experience

Paul was no stranger to suffering. He had more than his fair share of difficulties, depression, and anxieties. And he’s candid about them in his writings, “For we do not want you to be ignorant, brothers, of the affliction we experienced in Asia. For we were so utterly burdened beyond our strength that we despaired of life itself. Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death …” (2 Corinthians 1:8-9)

The Greek word translated “Utterly burdened” refers to an overloaded ship riding low in the water. See that picture in your mind. Paul was so utterly, unbearably crushed that he couldn’t get up. Inertia gripped his being so much he ‘despaired of life itself.’ His depression was so deep that he was ‘without a way of escape.’ In his mind right then, there was no exit and no hope.

Paul speaks here from the depths of his very human heart. Thankfully, he shared with others that he had thoughts such as these. He did not put on an air of invincibility. I’m encouraged by this man’s vulnerability, and I hope you are too.

You’re in good company

All of us face tough times. Some experience depression or other types of mental illness. 1 in 5 Australians will face some sort of mental disorder in any given year. 45% of us will deal with a mental illness at some stage in our lifetime.

In my younger years, I battled with depression. Something that was triggered a decade ago when I was seriously burned. I reached out for help and received it. That has made a world of difference.

Finding hope and healing

Firstly, seek help & knowledge. A mental illness is a sign that something is wrong, but there are several possible causes ~ social, psychological, spiritual, or biological. These are often interrelated, so a holistic approach is best. Chat with your GP, receive pastoral care and prayer, and find a good counsellor. (Bayside Church pastors can help you with this ~ connect@baysidechurch.com.au)

Exercise increases wellbeing and reduces symptoms of depression and anxiety. Eat healthily, avoid alcohol, and get regular check-ups.

Stay outwardly focused by engaging in work, hobbies, creative arts, or sports with others. Resist the temptation to talk about yourself and your problems. And engage in activity that contributes to others.

Genuine faith

Suffering is part of the human condition, so don’t buy into poor theology that we shouldn’t suffer in this life, that it’s normal to be happy and healthy all the time. Suffering is not a threat to your faith in God.

Genuine faith can grow as you meditate on Scripture, pray & worship, and build robust relationships in your church community. Make sure you are a part of a healthy Christian family where people will be compassionate and understanding.

Matthew Henry was a non-conformist minister & author in the 1700s. About compassion, he wrote, “Let us learn how to value our own reason, and to pity the case of those that are under the prevailing power of melancholy or distraction, or are delirious, and to be very tender in our censures of them and conduct towards them, for it is a trial common to men, and a case which, some time or other, may be our own.”

A final word

At times when you’re feeling overloaded, like a ship with too much cargo sinking into the water, may I encourage you to reach out for help and allow others to help you carry some of the overloads?

The old saying, “A burden shared is a burden halved,” is true. Researchers from California have proved that the best way to beat stress is to share your feelings. Sharing a threatening situation “buffers individuals from experiencing the heightened levels of stress that typically accompany threat.”

The Bible encourages us to “Share each other’s burdens” and “Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that you may be healed.”

A healthy Christian community is one in which we walk gently with one another, where we view each other as loved by God and therefore worthy of love and respect. Where the church is a safe place for those who suffer. We all acknowledge that we struggle with weak areas in our lives and will also be good at setting boundaries and recognising that we cannot meet every need.

 

I am not a mental health expert, and I don’t pretend to be. In writing this blog, I have read widely and taken guidance and advice from a mental health professional.

I have always believed and taught that people can only “get saved” during this lifetime. After all, “People are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment” (Hebrews 9:27). But is it that simple? Well, not really.

Over the past few years, several questions have bugged me:

  • What happens to the souls of people who die before they can attempt to make it right with Jesus?
  • Do they have an opportunity to respond to Jesus Christ after they die but before the day of judgment?
  • What about people who die without ever hearing about Jesus?
  • What about those who had terrible experiences with Christians or the church and dismissed faith, God, and Jesus? Like the victims of child abuse, for example.
  • What about someone who would have got saved but died before they responded? For example, they died at age 18 but would come to Jesus if they’d lived to 22.
  • What about those who cannot understand and embrace the gospel through lack of maturity (kids) or mental capacity?
  • Does anyone have a second chance?
  • Can people respond to Jesus and be forgiven after they die?

The standard answer is NO. But, for those of us who are not satisfied with simple black and white answers, let’s dig deeper. Please note that I am discussing this because we need to talk about it. I’m not saying that there is categorically a second chance concerning salvation after death.

My Story

When I was 19, I was hitchhiking around Australia. I accepted a lift with a truckie in Northern NSW. A couple of hours into the trip, we were involved in a head-on collision with another truck. The two guys in the other truck died. I survived, as did the driver of the truck I was in. I was an atheist. Six weeks later, I accepted Jesus as my saviour. That was the start of my Christian Journey. You can watch the whole story here.

What if I had died in that accident. Many Christians would have suggested I’d have gone to hell. Forever! Was I just “lucky?” What about the guys who died? Unlucky?

The Alternative

As I dug deeper on this topic, I realised that my questions had a name ~ Post-mortem salvation. Believers in this doctrine credit Scripture as teaching that each person’s destiny is NOT fixed at death.

Consider section 847 in the Catechism of the Catholic Church: “Those who, through no fault of their own, do not know the Gospel of Christ or his Church, but who nevertheless seek God with a sincere heart, and, moved by grace, try in their actions to do his will as they know it through the dictates of their conscience – those too may achieve eternal salvation.”

Does God give second chances?

What does the Bible say?

Micah 7:18 says, “Who is a God like you, who pardons sin and forgives the transgression of the remnant of his inheritance? You do not stay angry forever but delight to show mercy.”

Matthew 12:32, “Whoever says a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come.”

Can certain sins be forgiven in the age to come? Jesus certainly infers that there are.

Paul’s Perception

Ephesians 2:7, “in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus.”

Philippians 2:10–11, “[In] the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

People in the ancient world believed the earth was a flat disc and the atmosphere was a dome. It certainly looks that way to the naked eye and, without the benefit of science, one could quickly come to that conclusion. The heavens were above, and the grave, the place of the departed, was “under the earth.” Paul teaches that IN the name of Jesus, every knee should bow ~ EVERY knee, on earth, above and below it. That is the reconciliation of ALL things (Col. 1:20).

Peter’s Perspective

1 Peter 3:18-20, “For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit, in which he went and proclaimed to the spirits in prison, because they formerly did not obey.”

“Proclaimed” is almost always used as ‘preaching the good news.’ In the days between his death and resurrection, Jesus declared the gospel to ALL people. His descent into hell (as per the Apostles’ Creed) accounts for the problem of God’s justice by providing an opportunity for everyone to hear the message of redemption from Jesus Himself. In other words, people received a second chance.

In the following chapter, Peter states, “For this is why the gospel was preached even to those who are dead, that though judged in the flesh the way people are, they might live in the spirit the way God does” (1 Peter 4:6). About this verse, Martin Luther wrote, “This is a strange text and certainly a more obscure passage than any other passage in the New Testament. I still do not know for sure what the apostle meant.” The inference is that Jesus, while dead, offered salvation to all who had died before his time.

Since the Resurrection?

  1. What about people today that have NEVER heard the gospel? Do THEY get a chance to listen to and respond?

In 1522, Martin Luther wrote a letter to Hans von Reichenberg about the possibility that people could turn to God after death: “It would be a completely different question to ask whether God could grant faith to a few at the moment of their death or after death and thereby save them through faith. Who would doubt that he could do this? But no one can prove that he does do this.”

Some final questions

Is God’s forgiveness limited? When Peter asked Jesus how much he should forgive someone who offended him, he suggested seven times would be a good number. Jesus disagreed and advocated for seventy times seven, a hyperbolic way of teaching unlimited forgiveness. Does Jesus practice what he teaches? How about “love your enemies?” Does Jesus do that too? Does God’s love fail even though “God is love” and “love never fails” (1 John 4:8; 1 Cor. 13:8).

What Revelation reveals

In Revelation 22, we discover a city whose gates never close, and the wicked are outside the gates. The following verse is a marvellous invitation: “The Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let the one who hears say, “Come!” Let the one who is thirsty come; and let the one who wishes take the gift of the water of life.” The redeemed don’t need this invitation. They already “have the right to the tree of life and may go through the gates into the city.” Is not the invitation for the unredeemed, those outside the city gates, as a constant offer of forgiveness and life?

Theologian Bradley Jersak puts it this way, “It’s simply that he’ll always love you, with a love that even outlasts and overcomes death (Song of Solomon 8). The Bible at least hints (Rev. 21-22) that the prodigal Father will wait for you, invite you and keep the doors open for you until you’re ready to come home. He’ll wait for you forever.”

 

Much is being spoken of at present about the shadow pandemic, and rightly so. It would be remiss of us to focus on the health crisis caused by the pandemic and not also give attention to the severe impacts of the lockdowns and restrictions.

What is the Shadow Pandemic?

Since the outbreak of covid-19, all types of violence against women and girls, particularly domestic violence, have intensified. The term “Shadow Pandemic” was first coined regarding this increase in domestic violence caused by lockdown restrictions. Women and children found themselves restricted to home with an abusive, violent man.

The Shadow Pandemic now also refers to mental health concerns that have also increased, especially amongst young people. There has been an increase in ambulance attendances for suicidal thoughts and self-harm in NSW and Victoria. Add to these significant crises the grinding sense of COVID fatigue that many of us experience, and we have a shadow pandemic.

Suicide

Suicides do not appear to have increased thus far due to the pandemic. Hopefully, this is owing to the array of services to help people with their mental health and programs like Job Keeper designed to soften the economic blow resulting from lockdowns.

But let’s steer clear of arguing about suicide statistics. One suicide is one too many, and it’s something that touches us deeply. I attempted to end my life when I was 20. I am very grateful I failed. Suicide is a permanent solution to a temporary problem. I think of the life I would have missed out on if I had ended my life. Not to mention my beautiful family and all the people I’ve impacted in the last four decades.

In my pastoral ministry, I’ve attended homes where a person has suicided. I’ve broken the tragic news to family members, I’ve conducted the funerals. It’s heartbreaking. So please, look out for your friends and family, as well as yourself. If you need help, please reach out. If you’re concerned for a friend or family member, please reach out.

Back to Normal?

It’s unlikely that any sense of “normal life” will return before 2022. We need to realise that life as we knew it is, for the time being, past tense. I read a fascinating story recently about a guy who suffered as a prisoner of war. He mentioned that the men who managed the best didn’t expect an imminent rescue. They got their mind around the concept of the long haul. That’s a healthy approach for us right now.

And realise too that “normal” life will be very different. Achieving 70-80% vaccination doesn’t mean this virus goes away. The Delta variant is at least twice as infectious as the original strain. Along with governments and medical professionals, the community will need to determine how many people getting sick and dying is acceptable to us.

For example, new research from the University of WA (and others) reveals reopening at a 70% vaccination rate could result in 6.9 million symptomatic Covid-19 cases, 154,000 hospitalisations, and 29,000 deaths. If Australia reopens once 80% of adults are vaccinated, there could be approximately 25,000 fatalities and 270,000 cases of long-COVID.

The New Normal

Living with COVID-19 will mean cases of the virus will need to be detected, traced to their source, and everyone infected will need to isolate. Quarantine will continue for those returning from overseas (“Test. Trace. Isolate. Quarantine”). Lockdowns will be limited and local and only mandated when the health system is under stress. Masks will be a sensible measure where physical distancing is not possible. My Asian friends have been wearing them for years! No, I don’t like wearing a mask either. Also “no,” I don’t like getting sick or passing sickness onto others.

With new technology, vaccines will improve, and treatments will become available. Vaccine passports may be necessary for the transition period, as was the case during the Spanish Flu pandemic a century ago. More on that at another time. I don’t believe that vaccination will be mandated except in certain professions and as required by individual companies.

In the meantime

Vaccination remains our best line of defence. I strongly encourage you to talk this through with your GP. COVID-19 is a terrible disease. Some have played down the seriousness of this virus, quoting statistics of over 99% recovery rate, but this is not the entire picture. “A large portion of COVID-19 patients—possibly as high as 30 percent…suffer some type of neurological or psychiatric symptoms.“ Those concerned for people’s mental health need to consider this outcome of COVID-19.

These health issues, named Long COVID, can linger for weeks or months after the initial infection. Symptoms include fatigue, shortness of breath, “brain fog,” sleep disorders, fevers, gastrointestinal problems, sharp muscle pain, anxiety, and depression. These can range from mild to incapacitating.

Even people who didn’t require hospitalisation are having persistent trouble. What is unclear is how many people will eventually recover and how many will be left with devastating long-term effects. What is clear is this is a virus you want to avoid at all costs ~ and avoid passing on to others!

Guard your Heart

So, how are you doing right now? If you’re stressed by the lockdowns and battling with mental health, consider Proverbs 4:23: “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.” It’s a case of ‘secure your oxygen mask first before you help those around you.’ We all have a responsibility to self-care. If the news and social media feeds are dampening your spirits, turn them off. Do things that refresh you. What restores and uplifts you? And then, you’ll be able to look out for others from a well that is plentiful, not dry.

Further Help

(If a life is in danger, phone 000)

Lifeline ~ 13 11 14

Beyond Blue ~ 1300 22 46 36 (depression and anxiety)

Headspace ~ (Youth Mental health)

Kids’ Helpline ~ 1800 55 18 00

1800RESPECT ~ 1800 737 732 (sexual assault, domestic family violence)

 

 

Recommended Reading: Doherty Institute Executive Summary

There’s no doubt that Mary Magdalene was a significant person to Jesus and the first-century church. But there’s no mention of her after Jesus rose from the dead. Who was this woman, and what do we know about her?

Magdalene wasn’t her surname. In Jesus’ time, people were either known by who they were related to or from. For example, Jesus called Peter Simon bar-Jonah. Bar means “son of,” and Jonah was Peter and Andrew’s, father.

Mary Magdalene was Mary of Magdala. When I searched Magdala online, the first selection was Magdala fine foods, near Geelong. But that’s not the one we read of in the Bible. Magdala is a city in Galilee, located in the northernmost region of ancient Palestine (now northern Israel). It’s a beautiful town on the West bank of the Sea of Galilee.

The ancient town of Magdala has been excavated since 2009. It was covered with repeated landslides over the centuries. Still, since its discovery, archaeologists have uncovered a first-century Synagogue, a marketplace, Menorah, fishing pools, four mikva’ot (Jewish ritual baths), mosaics, a domestic area, a wharf, and a harbour.

Mary from Magdala was one of the earliest followers of Jesus. According to the Bible, she travelled with him and was present when he was crucified and died, buried, and resurrected.

She’s mentioned in all four Gospels demonstrating how important she was considered by the gospel writers and the early church.

When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so that they might go to anoint Jesus’ body.

When Jesus rose early on the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had driven seven demons.

It was Mary, along with Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the others with them who told the apostles about Jesus’ resurrection.

Luke 8:1-3 gives the most comprehensive account of Mary, “Jesus travelled about from one town and village to another, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God. The Twelve were with him, and also some women who had been cured of evil spirits and diseases: Mary (called Magdalene) from whom seven demons had come out; Joanna the wife of Chuza, the manager of Herod’s household; Susanna; and many others. These women were helping to support them out of their own means.”

Robert Cargill, assistant professor of classics and religious studies at the University of Iowa, wrote, “She was named in the Gospels, so she obviously was important. There were apparently hundreds, if not thousands, of followers of Jesus, but we don’t know most of their names. So, the fact that she’s named is a big deal.”

Despite—or perhaps because of—Mary Magdalene’s evident importance in the Bible, some early Western church leaders sought to downplay her influence by portraying her as a sinner, specifically a prostitute.

Robert Cargill again: “There are many scholars who argue that because Jesus empowered women to such an extent early in his ministry, it made some of the men who would lead the early church later on uncomfortable, and so, there were two responses to this. One was to turn her into a prostitute.”

And so, Mary became linked with the unnamed woman with the alabaster box (Luke 7:37) who had lived a sinful life as a prostitute.

In 591 CE, Pope Gregory the Great solidified this misunderstanding in a sermon: “She whom Luke calls the sinful woman, whom John calls Mary [of Bethany], we believe to be the Mary from whom seven devils were ejected according to Mark.”

In this way, the church’s patriarchal leadership sought to diminish her, downplaying the importance she held in Jesus’ and the gospel writers’ eyes. The inference being, “She couldn’t have been a leader because look at what she did for a living.”

The other response was to elevate her: Some argued she was actually Jesus’ wife or companion who held a special status. That’s the view explored by Dan Brown in his riveting novel, Da Vinci Code (It’s a great book but a lousy movie).

The book’s blurb states: Mary Magdalene was depicted as being of royal descent (through the Jewish House of Benjamin) and was the wife of Jesus, of the House of David. After Jesus’s Crucifixion, she fled to Gaul, where she was sheltered by the Jews of Marseille. She gave birth to a daughter named Sarah.

The Gospel of Mary, a text dating from the second century CE that surfaced in Egypt in 1896, placed Mary Magdalene above Jesus’ male disciples in knowledge and influence. She also featured prominently in the so-called Gnostic Gospels, a group of texts believed to have been written by early Christians as far back as the second century but not discovered until 1945, near the Egyptian town of Nag Hammadi.

One of these texts, known as the Gospel of Philip, referred to Mary Magdalene as Jesus’s companion and claimed that Jesus loved her more than the other disciples. Most controversially, the text stated that Jesus used to kiss Mary often.

Then in 2012, the Harvard Divinity School professor Karen King unveiled a previously unknown papyrus fragment she believed to be a copy of a second-century gospel. In the text, Jesus referred to Mary Magdalene as “my wife.” After defending the document’s authenticity against a barrage of criticism, King eventually changed her stance, concluding that the so-called “Gospel of Jesus’s wife” was probably a forgery.

The Bible gives no hint that Mary Magdalene was Jesus’s wife.

None of the four gospels suggests that sort of relationship, even though they list the women who travel with Jesus and in some cases include their husbands’ names.

The version of Mary Magdalene as a prostitute held on for centuries after Pope Gregory the Great made it official in his sixth-century sermon. Finally, in 1969, the Roman Catholic Church admitted that the text of the Bible did not support that interpretation. Today, Mary Magdalene is considered a saint by the Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Anglican, and Lutheran churches, celebrating a feast on July 22.

Robert Cargill again: “Mary appears to have been a disciple of Jesus. What’s important is that Jesus had both male and female disciples in his ministry, which was not necessarily common at the time.”

The prostitute and the wife theories may have been around for centuries, but they are legends and traditions that grew up long after the fact: Neither of them is rooted in the Bible itself.

Conclusion: Mary Magdalene was an astonishing woman, a disciple of Jesus, and, no doubt, became a significant leader in the first-century church.

There’s a fascinating and mysterious story in Genesis chapter 6 that has been the subject of much debate and conjecture. It concerns the increase of the human population in the ancient world. Verses 2 and 4 are particularly intriguing:

“The sons of God saw that the daughters of humans were beautiful, and they married any of them they chose…The Nephilim were on the earth in those days—and also afterward—when the sons of God went to the daughters of humans and had children by them. They were the heroes of old, men of renown.” The following few verses describe why God decided to judge the ancient world with a flood. There’s nothing to suggest the two stories are linked.

The Nephilim

Who were these Nephilim that were on the earth before and after the Flood? They pop up again in Numbers 13:33, “We saw the Nephilim there (the descendants of Anak come from the Nephilim). We seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes, and we looked the same to them.”

Nephilim is from the Hebrew word “Naphal,” which refers to bullies and tyrants. Nephilim is translated as “giants” in KJV. The author of this part of Genesis tells us they were the heroes [powerful men] of old, men of renown (infamous or base). These giants appear to be the offspring of sexual relations between the sons of God and the daughters of humans.

The Sons of God

There are several theories as to who these sons of God are:

  1. The sons of God are angels that had sexual relations with women and produced exceptional offspring.
  2. The sons of God are demons that had sexual relations with women and produced exceptional offspring.
  3. Demons are the spirits of the Nephilim that perished in the Flood. Because they were part human, they are restricted to the earth, continuing to create havoc.
  4. The sons of God are extra-terrestrials that had sexual relations with women and produced exceptional offspring.
  5. The sons of God are human men who had sexual relations with women and produced exceptional offspring.
  6. Genesis 6 is an ancient myth, a story to teach truth (parable).

The first four appear far-fetched and unbiblical, so I’ll go for either options 5 & 6 for the following reasons:

  • God has created each species to procreate after their kind (not people and angels). Incubus, demons posing as men and having sex with women, and succubus, demons posing as women and having sex with men, is the stuff of legend.
  • Nowhere does the Bible call demons “sons of God.” The phrase refers either to angels or people, as in “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.”
  • Angels don’t marry and have intercourse or procreate. Jesus taught, “At the resurrection, people will neither marry nor be given in marriage; they will be like the angels in heaven” (Matthew 22:30).
  • 10,000 years ago, men’s average height was 162 cm (5′ 4″). But there would have been exceptions, but to little men (by today’s standards), a man of 190 cm would appear to be a giant. Maybe these men called “sons of God” were physically exceptional. The Bible says they chose any woman they wanted. It figures they would have selected outstanding women.

As for option 6. It’s important to realise that the content of Genesis chapters 1 to 11 are classed as “memory.” In the ancient world, there was no writing. Stories were transmitted orally from one generation to another. Imagine a primitive nomadic tribe sitting around a campfire at night, entertaining themselves by telling their much-loved stories. It wasn’t until 1200 BCE that Jewish scribes decided they should begin to write the stories down ~ a process that took one thousand years.

Modern Day Learnings

And here we are in the twenty-first century, reading these accounts and trying to work out exactly what was happening. No wonder there’s so much discussion and conjecture.

My rabbi friend tells me that to Jews, Genesis 1-11 are “stories chock full of truth with little factual evidence.” I prefer the word “parable.” They are stories that communicate truth.

And why would we find this so strange? We have our own stories that are told and retold over decades and centuries. Our stories are entertaining and keep memories alive. We have no problem with accounts being changed to be appropriate to different people for various purposes.

How Stories Change

Consider the Titanic as an example. The first film, “Saved from the Titanic,” is a 1912 American silent motion picture short starring Dorothy Gibson, an American film actress who survived the sinking of the Titanic on April 15, 1912.

The first sound film was released in 1929 and was a highly fictionalised account. The 1933 movie, Cavalcade, featured two fictional main characters who perish in the sinking. The 1943 film, Titanic, was a German Nazi propaganda film.

In 1953 Titanic centred on an estranged couple sailing on the ill-fated ship. The 1958 film “A night to remember” was historically accurate, unlike “The unsinkable Molly Brown” (1964), which was a musical.

1992’s “Titanica” was a documentary on the discovery and exploration of the wreck. Star Trek’s Leonard Nimoy narrated. We remember 1997’s Titanic, which combined a romantic myth (Jack and Rose) with some characters based on historical figures. Since that time, a further 6 movies have been made, plus numerous documentaries.

Imagine someone in a few thousand years trying to make sense of the Titanic story with all those resources. That’s how we look back to the ancient world and attempt to understand precisely what was going on.

Today’s stories are in many forms (books, streaming, radio, newspapers, internet, television, and social media). In the ancient world, storytelling was the most used form of entertainment. It was all truth-telling, keeping collective memories alive, speaking into where the community was at any given time, and answering questions about why something happened.

The Western mind gets bogged down on details. For example, the flood ~ did it happen, was it worldwide, when did it occur, is Noah’s ark still on Mount Ararat, how did all those animals live on an ark for all that time, where did they store the food? The Hebrew mind asks who are the people in the story and what are they doing? Is this terminology used anywhere else in the scriptures? What does this mean to me today?

My Rabbi friend says, “We spend time in “that” world, and it gives us a fresh perspective on “this world.” In Scripture, we enjoy holy spiritual moments that we carry back to our everyday lives.

 

It’s a trend I’ve observed over the past year or more, basically since the pandemic began. I’ll tell you what this trend is in a moment.

Sadly, conspiracy theories are one of the symptoms of global pandemics. I am particularly saddened by the number of Christians that have bought into these conspiracies. It appears that those who hold to a futurist view of Revelation and Bible prophecy are most vulnerable. After all, they are looking for an antichrist, a one-world government, and the mark of the beast. They then read current events in light of this, and hey presto, the global “plandemic” is the insidious work of the world’s elite forcing their agenda on unsuspecting peoples. History is littered with such claims, and they’ve ALL been wrong!

An Ongoing Trend

But back to the trend, I’ve observed. Very quickly, in a discussion about lockdown restrictions, the second or third comment will often reference Hitler’s Germany. They literally go from zero to Hitler in 8 seconds. It’s like bringing out the big guns first. “I’m going to blow this argument out of the water.” “I’ve got you now, Buckingham.” “Just think of Hitler’s Germany; what if Christians had failed to speak out then, huh?” And I wonder if they know anything about history!

Comparing government action to protect its citizens during a global pandemic to the atrocities committed by the Nazis is appalling. But let’s visit a little bit of history here and consider what really happened almost a century ago.

In the 1930s, Germany was a Christian nation. Two-thirds were protestant and one-third Catholic. Jews accounted for less than 1% of the population. And yet, the Christian community was by and large complicit with Hitler. Most church leaders were persuaded by the Nazi Party’s statement on “positive Christianity:” “We demand the freedom of all religious confessions in the state, insofar as they do not jeopardize the state’s existence or conflict with the manners and moral sentiments of the Germanic race.” ***

In July 1933, Hitler’s first year in power, a German pastor, Joachim Hossenfelder, preached a sermon in Berlin’s most important church – the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church. Speaking on Romans 13:1-7, he reminded the congregation of the importance of obedience to authorities because “The authorities that exist have been established by God.” This appeal to the Bible led much of the Christian church to either support Hitler or not resist him. This same appeal to Romans 13 was used to back the slave trade and apartheid. It is still used to support capital punishment and was quoted by US Attorney General Jeff Sessions to justify the Trump Administration’s immigration policy of separating children from their families.

A few verses later in Romans chapter 13, Paul wrote, “The commandments…are summed up in this one command: ‘Love your neighbour as yourself.’ Love does no harm to a neighbour. Therefore, love is the fulfillment of the law” (Romans 13:9-10). Love does not condone torture and murder, it doesn’t imprison and starve, and it doesn’t separate children from their parents. True Christian love does no harm to anyone.

Understanding Romans 13

So, what is Romans 13 all about? The apostle was speaking directly into the political climate of his day. Emperor Claudius ordered all Jews to leave Rome around 51 CE. According to the Roman historian Suetonius, Claudius expelled the Jews because they were rioting on account of Chrestus (Christ) – apparently referring to disputes between Christian and non-Christian Jews. Luke mentions this historical fact in Acts 18:2, “Claudius had ordered all Jews to leave Rome.” The Jews returned around January 53, and four years later, Paul wrote his letter to the Roman church while he was spending three months in Corinth.

With this historical backdrop, we can understand what Paul meant in Romans 13. Nero was now in power, and Paul encouraged the church not to unnerve the political authorities with any more disputes with non-Christian Jews in case they were all ousted once more from Rome. If this happened, it would have an adverse outcome for the church and the Gospel in the City of Rome, and so Paul encouraged the Roman Christians to do the right thing and not rebel. He also taught them to pay their taxes and live lives of respect and honour.

What Does This Mean Today?

So, let’s apply this to the current pandemic. In general, are the State and Federal governments of Australia trying to harm or kill people? Answer: No. The public health measures guiding Australia’s response to COVID-19 are attempting to protect as many people as possible from a virus that is at least 30 times deadlier than the seasonal flu and four times more infectious. COVID-19 is a new virus in the human population, so scientists are constantly discovering more about it.

While most people will recover from COVID within a few weeks, between 10% and 30% of people will still be suffering long-term effects three months later. This is called Long COVID. Symptoms include fatigue, breathlessness, brain fog (similar to Alzheimer’s), aching joints, depression, and damage to the heart, lungs, and brain.

Much has been made of the blood clots associated with the Astra Zeneca Vaccine (causing one death in a million). For those who get COVID-19, 165,000 in a million cases develop blood clots. I’m taking my chances with Astra Zeneca, and so far, so good. I’m due for my second dose in September.

The question remains, is our government trying to harm its citizens? No. Then is the Hitler argument valid when applied to the current pandemic? No. Hitler’s reign of terror included the well-known Holocaust of six million Jews. In addition, Hitler was directly responsible for the murder of more than five million non-Jews. Gypsies, homosexuals, blacks, the physically and mentally disabled, political opponents, dissenting clergy, and resistance fighters were slaughtered by Hitler’s regime.

Notice the reference to dissenting clergy. We’ve seen a small number in Australia ~ pastors who have opened their churches while lockdown orders are in place. Some have called on Christians to defy the government and join protests. The dissenting clergy of Hitler’s day lost their lives. These guys are just losing their credibility.

In Nazi Germany, most clergy, and Christians, did not dissent and were thus complicit in the slaughter of millions. Let us not be complicit today in spreading false information that leads to people getting seriously ill and losing their lives. And please, stop appealing to Hitler to support your unchristian actions!

 

 

*** The Nazi Party’s statement on “positive Christianity” Article 24 of the 1920 Nazi Party Platform: “We demand the freedom of all religious confessions in the state, insofar as they do not jeopardize the state’s existence or conflict with the manners and moral sentiments of the Germanic race. The Party as such upholds the point of view of a positive Christianity without tying itself confessionally to any one confession. It combats the Jewish-materialistic spirit at home and abroad and is convinced that a permanent recovery of our people can only be achieved from within on the basis of the common good before individual good.”

It’s a question I’m asked regularly. Should I read the Apocrypha, and should it be included in the Bible?

Apocrypha is the name protestant Christians give to the seven additional books Roman Catholics include in the Bible. They also have certain additions to Esther and Daniel. Roman Catholics refer to these as deuterocanonical books.

The Catholic Case (1)

The Roman Catholic Church maintains that it has the authority to determine the limits of Scripture. It also asserts that there was no fixed canon of Scripture at the time of Jesus and His apostles. Some argue that there were competing canons, while others say that the Old Testament canon had not been entirely accepted in Jesus’ day. Whatever the case may be, the canon of Scripture was not fixed or established. This is quite true.

135 CE was the date the written Tanakh (Old Testament) was sealed. In other words, those who made decisions about sacred text decided it was complete by then. That’s a century after Jesus’ resurrection! Jewish scholars did not include the Apocrypha as a holy text.

The Bible Jesus Used

The Septuagint was the most widely read Scriptures of Jesus’ day and was likely the Bible he read, studied, and taught. The Septuagint (LXX) is the Greek translation of the Hebrew Scriptures completed by 72 Jewish scholars in the 3rd century BCE. The Septuagint did include the Apocrypha, and so Jesus and the early church would have been well acquainted with it.

The church, from the beginning, did not accept the shorter Jewish canon but instead included the deuterocanonical books or the Books of the Old Testament Apocrypha as Scripture.

The church fathers quoted from the Apocrypha but disagreed on its status. Augustine, for example, considered the Apocrypha as canonical (official Scripture). On the other hand, Jerome viewed it as ecclesiastical, to be read in church for edification but not on par with inspired Scripture.

Protestant Reformation

Martin Luther supported Jerome’s view. He wrote, “These are books that, though not esteemed like the Holy Scriptures, are still both useful and good to read.” Luther included the deuterocanonical books in his translation of the German Bible, but he did relocate them to after the Old Testament, calling them “Apocrypha” or “Hidden books.”

Incidentally, Luther attempted to take Hebrews, James, Jude, and Revelation out of the Bible because they didn’t fit with his teaching of being saved by faith alone without works. He placed these four books at the end of his German Bible translation as a kind of New Testament Apocrypha.

The Apocrypha was included in the 1611 publication of the King James Bible. It was officially removed from the English printings of the King James Version by the Archbishop of Canterbury in 1885, leaving only 66 books. In other words, these books have only been absent from non-Roman Catholic Bibles for the last 136 years.

The Catholic case (2)

The Roman Catholic church claims that when the books of the Old Testament Apocrypha are rightly studied and understood, they fit into a consistent pattern of teaching with the rest of the Bible and the teachings of the church. Therefore, they consider that we have every good reason to receive these works as canonical Scripture and to believe and obey the things taught therein.

But the New Testament Doesn’t Quote It!

Some state that Jesus and the New Testament authors do not quote from these books. But that’s not correct. While the New Testament doesn’t state, “It is written…” before quoting from the Apocrypha, there are dozens of instances where Jesus and the New Testament draw on Apocrypha. The golden rule (Matthew 7:12; cf. Tobit 4:15). Warnings against storing up riches (Matthew 6:19-20; James 5:3; cf. Sirach 29:10-11). The New Testament continues the strong theme of almsgiving (giving to help the poor) that we find in the Apocrypha. Consider Acts 3:3; 9:36; 10:2-4, 31; 24:17; 1 John 3:17 and Tobit 1:16; 2:14; 4:7-8, 10-11, 16; 12:8.

One of the clearest quotations is found in Jude’s little letter. Jude 14-15, “It was also about these that Enoch, in the seventh generation from Adam, prophesied, saying, “See, the Lord is coming with ten thousands of his holy ones, to execute judgment on all, and to convict everyone of all the deeds of ungodliness that they have committed in such an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things that ungodly sinners have spoken against him.”

The Apocryphal book of 1 Enoch states, “Behold, he comes with the myriads of his holy ones, to execute judgment on all, and to destroy all the wicked, and to convict all flesh for all the wicked deeds that they have done, and the proud and hard words that wicked sinners spoke against him” (1:9).

Concluding Thoughts

I haven’t read all of the apocryphal books, but maybe I should. I find myself agreeing with Jerome and Luther that “These are books that, though not esteemed like the Holy Scriptures, are still both useful and good to read.”

While part of me thinks we already have enough to read and study with the 66 books of the Bible, the fact that they were included in the Christian Bible for the first 1,855 years of the church’s existence seems to lend weight to the Apocrypha.

So, read them if you want to, but make up your mind to never fall out or argue about this with anyone!

Genesis, the first book of the Bible, is a stunning book. Christians should remember that Genesis was part of the Jewish Scriptures well before completing the Christian Bible. And so, to fully understand it, we need to listen to our Jewish friends.

Hard-line Jewish Theologians believe that God wrote Genesis by dictating it to Moses, and Moses chiselled away on the first tablet that didn’t have autocorrect! Most Jewish scholars believe a series of scribes wrote Genesis (as we know it today) after the Babylonian captivity.

In the ancient world, people told stories around campfires. That was the Netflix of the day, the people’s entertainment. This resulted in a lot of variances in the stories. And some of these differences are recorded in Genesis. Consider, there are two entirely different creation stories (Genesis 1 & 2), Abraham passes his wife off as his sister twice, and there are two accounts of how Jacob’s name was changed to Israel. Genesis reflects people’s memories rather than accurate history. My Rabbi friend put it this way, “Our people don’t have history; we have memory.” Genesis then unfolds people’s memories and stories and their interactions with God and one another.

It wasn’t until the 12th century BCE that people said, “We should write this stuff down.” And so, Scribes who are unknown to us today wrote all the stories down. Moses, regarded as the traditional author of the Bible’s first five books, lived a century before.

These Scribes attempted to capture the nation’s oral history—campfire stories with all their variances and disagreements. Codifying a written record of oral stories was a very long process. Many authors took a shot at it over 1000 years between 1200 and 200 BCE.

In 135 CE, the written Tanakh (Old Testament) was sealed. In other words, those who made decisions about sacred text decided the holy text was now complete. The Tanakh was considered the seed of Jewish (and Christian) tradition. And, of course, seeds naturally germinate and grow. Thus, Jews and Christians still enjoy its fruit today.

“Genesis” is the English name for the first book of the Bible. The Greek translation of the Hebrew word, toledoth (to-led-aw), is found 13 times in Genesis. Toledoth is a Story, record, account, or generation. Toledoth marks off the various sections of the book:

Genesis 2:4, “Such is the story of heaven and earth….”

Genesis 5:1, “This is the record of Adam’s line….”

Genesis 6:9, “These are the generations of Noah.”

The Hebrew name for Genesis is Bere’shit (beray sheet), the first word of the book translated as “in the beginning.” In the beginning, a time when time didn’t exist, God created time. Wow. Genesis deals with beginnings, particularly the beginning of the cosmos and Israel. Genesis ends with the death of Joseph (1445 BCE).

The book easily falls into two parts:

Genesis 1-11 (story / parable)

Genesis 12-50 (memory / history)

It is primarily not a history or science book but rather tells of Israel’s self-identity as a nation.

For example, the story of Adam is a parable, a condensed version of Israel’s story. Adam was created by God out of dust and placed in the garden. He was free to eat from EVERY tree except one. God said, if you disobey, you’ll die. Of course, Adam didn’t literally die. Instead, he and Eve were exiled from Eden. Consider the parallel with Israel, a nation created out of the dust (slavery) and placed in Canaan, a land flowing with milk and honey (very garden of Edenish). God gave them clear commands to obey and warnings against disobedience. Rebellion would lead to death. Consider Deuteronomy 30:19, “I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life so that you and your children may live.”

Like Adam, Israel disobeyed and faced exile. And so, Genesis is telling us something about a struggling nation as they return home from being refugees in a foreign land. They are rebuilding and reconnecting with their roots as they embrace a brand-new future. They remind themselves of their stories, who they are, and who their God is to them. The apostle Paul told the church, “These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the culmination of the ages has come” (1 Cor. 10:11). From the parables, stories, and memories of Genesis, followers of Jesus today can find great encouragement in who we are in Christ and who our God is to us.

No doubt, Paul’s letter to the Ephesians is one of his most impressive works. It’s a masterpiece written during the first of three prison terms. But some of the letter is hard to understand (1 Peter 3:16). Consider Ephesians 3:7-12…

“I became a servant of this gospel by the gift of God’s grace given me through the working of his power. Although I am less than the least of all the Lord’s people, this grace was given me: to preach to the Gentiles the boundless riches of Christ, and to make plain to everyone the administration of this mystery, which for ages past was kept hidden in God, who created all things. His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms, according to his eternal purpose that he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord. In him and through faith in him, we may approach God with freedom and confidence.”

Pretty heady stuff, right? So, what’s Paul teaching here, and who are these rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms?

Paul tells us that the mystery that was kept hidden for past ages is now revealed. Mystery (Gk. musterion) means “to shut the mouth, to keep a secret.” In other words, the Tanakh (Old Testament) only gave partial revelation. It’s like reading a book with the last chapter missing or one of those annoying programs that end with “To be continued.” Aaaaagh, you mean I have to wait a whole week to find out what happened? Well, people waited more than a week for Messiah and all he would accomplish.

But now the mystery has been made plain to everyone … by revelation (Eph. 3:3). The Greek word here is apokalupsis and means “to turn the light on or lift a veil.” It’s the same word used for the book of Revelation. In other words, Revelation is no longer a mysterious book. It’s a disclosure of knowledge, the revelation of Jesus Christ. Our English word “apocalypse” comes from this and is often thought of as war and cataclysmic events, but this is an injustice to the original meaning.

One of the Apps I love on my phone is the flashlight. Who hasn’t found themselves in a dark room (like trying to find the toilet at night)? Click on the handy phone flashlight, and all will be revealed. That’s the meaning of apokalupsis.

The mystery of Christ, which was not made known to people in other generations, has now been revealed (apokalupto = to take the cover off) by the Spirit to God’s holy apostles and prophets. “And to make plain (by shining a light on it) to everyone the administration of this mystery, which for ages past was kept hidden in God, who created all things.”

I love the picture here. I enjoy cooking and one of the delights of spending hours preparing a meal is its revelation. Gathering the family (which sometimes takes way too long) and lifting the lids off the pots and pans so people can see and smell what’s been lovingly made. That’s what God has done. For ages past, he’s been preparing the gospel meal for all people. Paul gets to “lift the lid” off this astounding truth. It looks and smells great. It’s good news for all people. (Thought: If your message stinks, it’s not the gospel!).

And now, the Church, Christians, you, and I get to lift the lid on this good news too.

“His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms.” This statement literally means “those in charge” and probably refers to certain classes of angels holding dominions entrusted to them in the spirit world.

The Bible reveals a hierarchy amongst angelic beings. There are the chief (or arch) angels like Gabriel & Michael. Lucifer may have been one of these before pride led to his fall. There are also Cherubim & Seraphim. The same hierarchical structure exists amongst fallen angels (demons). That’s why we are to “Put on the full armour of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms” (spiritual jurisdictions, Ephesians 6:12).

It’s these malevolent spiritual forces that Jesus disarmed and triumphed over by the cross and “made a public spectacle of them” (Colossians 2:15). Such an outstanding victory.

Angels are not omniscient any more than humans. They are learning and growing (1 Cor. 4:9, Hebrews 12:22). Peter says of the gospel, “Even angels long to look into these things” (1 Peter 1:12). Angels learn from the church, from Christians, the reality and riches of the wisdom of God.

And then Paul prays that this revelation becomes transformative in each of our lives (vs. 14-21). When we abide in this truth, nothing is impossible…

For this reason, I kneel before the Father, from whom his whole family in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge – that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.

The Bible has a ton of sage advice on managing money.

15% of Jesus’ teaching is about money. He said more about how we are to view and handle wealth and possessions than any other subject. Two thousand three hundred fifty verses in the Bible speak about money – twice as many as devoted to prayer and faith combined.

God is not against his people having money and possessions ~ as long as they don’t have us! The Bible teaches how to be good stewards of our finance. In this blog, I’ll touch on two things: Saving and investing.

Investing

Proverbs 31:16, 18, “She considers a field and buys it…She sees that her trading is profitable.” The book of Proverbs personifies wisdom as female, and so the “she” here is not a woman or a “good wife” but rather a wise person. The wise person has an eye for a good investment. Jesus approved of wise investments too (Matthew 25:14-29)

Six Rules for Investing

Diversify your investments. As the adage goes, “don’t put all your eggs in one basket.” I’ve spoken with so many people who’ve been sold a deal that was “too good to be true.” And it was. People have lost hundreds of thousands of dollars or more because they invested everything in one venture.

Plan carefully and be patient. “The plans of the diligent lead to profit as surely as haste leads to poverty” (Proverbs 21:5). Being impatient will lead to more than the loss of money. You can also lose sleep, health, peace, family, and even life itself. Consider Proverbs 13:11, “Dishonest money dwindles away, but he who gathers money little by little makes it grow.” That’s right, “From little things, big things grow!”

Make sure your investment doesn’t support something unethical or ungodly. Again, this takes time, but none of us wants to support slavery, forced labour, or religious or political persecution. Also, consider your investments’ impact on the environment and use of sustainable energy. Avoid companies involved with stigmatized activities, such as gambling, alcohol, smoking, or firearms. An excellent book to read on this is “Putting your money where your morals are” by Scott Fehrenbacher.

The higher the potential return, the higher the risk. If someone is offering a sure-bet 30% on your investment, they’re trying to pull the wool over your eyes. I’ve known people who have invested thousands of dollars with the “guarantee” of huge returns. Sadly, they lost everything. Wisdom would have saved them the heartache. Paul wrote these words to Pastor Timothy as he led the Ephesian church: “Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced [lit. Crucified] themselves with many griefs” (1 Timothy 6:9-10). Never risk money you can’t afford to lose.

Seek sound financial advice. “The way of a fool seems right to him, but a wise man listens to advice.” (Proverbs 12:15; 19:20). And make sure that God is one of your advisors (James 1:5)

Be in unity with your partner. If you’re married or in a partnered relationship, being in harmony together is vitally important. Talk things through and pray together so that you agree with stepping out in any investment. Christie and I have practised unity throughout our married life in all the decisions we have made and reaped the benefits in our family. Read and meditate on Psalm 133.

Saving

To be effective in saving, you need to embrace the principle of tithing. That is, the first tenth belongs to The Lord. In fact, in the Tanakh (Old Testament), the people of Israel practised three tithes that became the foundation of a healthy society.

The first, The Lord’s tithe, went to the Temple (your local church under the New Covenant)

The second tithe (Family tithe) was the next 10% (10% of the 90%) was saved for the future support of the family (Future fund).

The third tithe (Poor Tithe) was every third family tithe and was given to the poor.

Put this tithing schedule into practice, and you look after Jesus, others, and yourself ~ J.O.Y.

Many observant Jews today still donate a tenth of their annual income to charity. In light of this, it’s interesting to note that 4% of the U.S.A. is Jewish, but they own 40% of the wealth!

John Wesley once wrote, “Make as much as you can, save as much as you can, give as much as you can.” The wisdom of Proverbs puts it this way, “In the house of the wise are stores of choice food and oil, but a foolish man devours all he has” (21:20).

For more wisdom on managing money, check out my teaching series, “God and Money.”

 

 

Tensions between the Israelis and Palestinians have flared up again.

The world waits for the illusive Two-State solution. Nothing happens. And neither can it. The endgame for Palestinian extremist organisations like Hamas is the destruction of Israel. There isn’t any real compromise. To them, a Palestinian state is “from the river to the sea.”

So, what is happening, and why? Let’s dive into some history to find out:

The end of Israel

War ravaged Israel for decades. The Roman armies destroyed the Temple and much of Jerusalem in 70 CE. Tensions and attacks on Jews around the Roman Empire led to a massive Jewish uprising against Rome from 115 to 117. In 131, Emperor Hadrian renamed Jerusalem Aelia Capitolina and constructed a Temple of Jupiter on the site of the former Jewish Temple. Hadrian banned Jews from living in Jerusalem itself (a ban that persisted until the Arab conquest).

In 136 CE, the Roman Empire finally crushed any rebellion from the Jews. The Roman province, until then known as Judaea, was renamed Palaestina (Palestine in English). There was no country called Palestine.

No Palestine. No Israel

From 136 to 1945, there were no indigenous nations in that region. There was no Palestinian state. There was no Israel. The land was controlled by:

Roman Empire (64 BCE – 390 CE)

Christians (Byzantine period, 390 – 634)

Muslims (634 – 1099)

Crusades and Mongols (1099 – 1291)

Mamluks (1291 – 1517)

Ottoman Empire (1517 – 1917)

There were always Jews present in this region along with other indigenous peoples. The Mosque that exists in Jerusalem now was a church when the Christians held the territory.

The Zionists

In the first half of the 20th century, the Zionists who came to Palestine invested a lot of money in creating schools and infrastructure. If a Jewish state did eventuate, it would survive. At least that was the hope.

The Ottoman Empire collapsed at the end of the first world war. British foreign minister, Arthur Balfour, sent a public letter to the British Lord Rothschild, a leading member of his party and leader of the Jewish community. The letter subsequently became known as the Balfour Declaration of 1917. It stated that the British Government “view[ed] with favour the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people.” The declaration provided the British government with a pretext for claiming and governing the country. An agreement decided new Middle Eastern boundaries between British and French bureaucrats. From then on, Diaspora Jews began migrating to Palestine from many nations.

1947

In 1947, The United Nations approved a Partition Plan for Palestine. The Partition Plan recognised an independent Arab State, an independent Jewish State, and the City of Jerusalem to be under “an International Trusteeship System”.  Jewish people received this with joy, but the Arab community did not agree. Civil war broke out in the region. More than 250,000 Arabs fled the area.

Hundreds of thousands of Jews and Palestinians have significantly suffered for centuries. People have lost their lives, their homes and possessions, and their loved ones.

Hala’s story

Hala is a longstanding member of Bayside Church. She is Palestinian and was born in 1949. The previous year her family fled from the Holy lands in an event called Al-Nakba (Palestine Devastation).

Hala’s father, Abdo, was a soldier in the British Army Palestine corps. The household comprised his parents, wife, three sisters, and three brothers. Like so many others, they reached Jordan, where they stopped and set up a home.

The advice was for the Palestinian public to vacate their homes and lands until the problem passed. They would then be able to return. Weeks, months, and years passed, and there was no opportunity to return. The majority of Palestinians settled in Syria, Lebanon, Egypt, and Jordan.

With his dying breath, Hala’s grandfather asked to be buried in Palestine. A request that could never be honoured as Israeli law forbade any right of return – dead or alive.

In 1949 a United Nations Commission (UNRWA) was created to deal with the Palestinian ‘problem’.

Hala writes, “What is most touching with today’s people of Gaza, is that for many up to seven times they have had to move on, as increasingly more of Palestinians’ land was taken. The horror of today is that they have never known respite, and this last stance may well be their last! The call to return has never come. And every time, thousands more Palestinians died. In Jordan (1970) Lebanon (1982) and now Gaza.”

After leaving the army, Hala’s father befriended an Australian soldier. Later, working with Shell Aden, he met another Australian, an owner of a bus company and a Shell client. That was his and his family’s good fortune, and they were to come to Australia. Hala remains very thankful to God that she and her family were given the privilege of resettling here.

A Nation is Born

On May 14, 1948, the last British forces left from Haifa, the Jewish People’s Council gathered at the Tel Aviv Museum on the day. It proclaimed establishing a Jewish State in Eretz Israel, to be known as the State of Israel. The USA (Truman) and Russia (Stalin) recognised the new State but not the Arab nations, who marched their forces into Israel to “drive it into the sea’. Thus, began the first Arab-Israeli war.

Many Jewish immigrants, who were World War II veterans and Holocaust survivors, now began arriving in the new State of Israel. Many joined the IDF. War ended early in 1949 when Israel signed armistices with its neighbours (Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria). Israel’s new borders were internationally recognised, except by the Arab States. Land that had been granted to Israel remained under the control of various Arab nations.

Most importantly, Egypt had control of the Gaza strip and Jordan the West Bank. There was little or no outcry from the international community about this. But when in 1967 Israel took those areas back again, the International community WAS outraged.

Over the next several years, Israel grew as Jewish people returned from the nations to which they had been scattered. The new country developed its land; desert reclaimed, infrastructure built.

The Six-Day War

In the 1967 six-day war, Israel captured territories that it had lost in 1949 ~ the Sinai Peninsula, the Golan Heights (from Syria), the Gaza Strip (from Egypt), and the West Bank (from Jordan). Israel returned the Sinai Peninsula to Egypt. The war created what we know as modern Israel.

Much has happened since 1967. There is still no end in sight to the tensions between Israel, the Palestinians, and much of the Arab world. The Two-State Solution is no closer to being realised. It cannot happen until all parties are willing to compromise.

Arab countries want a pan-Arabic Empire as in days of old. But the Jewish State is in the way. Their agenda is to keep Palestinians in displaced persons’ camps in Jordan, Syria, Egypt, and Lebanon as pawns for a larger agenda.

The PLO and Hamas

The Intifada of the late 80s and early 90s led to Israel transferring governmental authority in the Gaza Strip to the Palestine Authority (1994). Yasser Arafat’s Palestinian government struggled with a stagnant economy, divided popular support, stalled negotiations with Israel, and threatened terrorism from militant Muslim groups like Hamas. Hamas came to power in Gaza in 2007. (Visit Britannica Online for a more detailed history).

By 2005, Israel had withdrawn all troops and citizens from Gaza. Israeli settlers had to leave their homes in the same way Palestinians did in 1948. Homes were left intact, as was infrastructure. The hope was the Palestinians would create a healthy state. Instead, Hamas destroyed houses and infrastructure. Much of the money donated by nations to help the Palestinians was (is) used to buy rockets and build tunnels to commit terrorist acts in Israel.

The Difference

The Covenant of the Hamas makes for fascinating (and terrifying) reading “Israel will exist and will continue to exist until Islam will obliterate it, just as it obliterated others before it.” Hamas rejects any negotiated peace settlement and views every Israeli citizen as a combatant. So, in their mind, it’s acceptable to bomb civilian targets because there is no such thing as an Israeli civilian. Hence the firing of approximately 2000 rockets indiscriminately from Gaza into Israel since Monday.

Compare that recklessness with the conduct of the IDF:

  • First, they make phone calls to anyone in (or near) a targeted building to warn them of an impending attack.
  • Next, they drop leaflets on the area, giving the same warning.
  • Thirdly, small unarmed (dummy) missiles are aimed at the roof of the building to be destroyed in a warning dubbed “Knock, Knock.”

Even with the greatest care, some civilians get killed because Hamas operatives don’t let them leave. Dead civilians get mileage with the media and create international outrage against Israel.

I was speaking with a Jewish friend about the conflict this week, and here’s what he said: “We live in the hope of a free Palestine that is free from Hamas and Hezbollah and corrupt leadership.” Both Jews and Palestinians have a right to their homeland. But if things continue as they are, it’s only a distant aspiration.

Have you ever noticed how some people need to label you, to categorise you? Maybe it provides them with a sense of security to pigeonhole you, so they know “that’s where you fit. That’s where you belong.”

I’ve been fascinated by this in recent years as I’ve spoken out and written about various issues. A person I’ve known for well over two decades sent me a text several years ago referring to me as his “liberal left-leaning friend”. And no, it wasn’t a compliment. It struck me how little my friend really knew me, and no wonder. Every time we catch up, he talks about himself and what he’s doing for Jesus! He’s so far-right that, compared to him, everyone leans left!

The latest label I’ve been given is that of “progressive” Christian. And that wasn’t a compliment either. So, when I was asked about this recently, it set me on a journey to find out what a progressive Christian was. Here’s what I discovered.

Negatively, it’s a label that some conservative Christians use for anyone who, in their opinion, deviates from or questions their understanding of Christianity. Things like a literal reading of the Bible and engaging in the political process to protect Biblical values. Conservative Christians are generally against abortion, euthanasia, and gay rights. These are viewed as the most important Christian values of our day! Think Australian Christian Lobby (who would be better named the Australian Conservative Lobby – still ACL – because they only represent a small, very conservative section of the Christian church).

Those who deviate from these conservative norms are invariably called liberals or progressives and aren’t really “true Christians”. They’re a bit lukewarm, you know! But is this correct? I think not.

What are Progressive Christians?

Progressive Christianity is defined by several characteristics: a willingness to question, acceptance of human diversity; a strong emphasis on social justice and care for the poor and the oppressed; and environmental stewardship of the earth.

In my early years in a conservative Christian church, questioning wasn’t encouraged. In fact, it was viewed as a sign of wavering faith. These days I see questioning as a vital way to develop our faith. Throughout Scripture, especially in Psalms, we see people asking questions, and God seems to be completely comfortable with it. Jesus invariably answered a question with a question.

Human Diversity

Progressive Christians accept human diversity. Christianity is sometimes seen as the white man’s religion. A fact that was supported by Walter E Sallman’s well-known painting Head of Christ, which pictured a blue-eyed Jesus with long dark blond hair.

And yet, the human race is incredibly diverse. People of different colours, creeds, and cultures tend to view Jesus and Scripture in myriad ways. Progressive Christians celebrate this fact. While there is so much that unites humanity, not least that we are all made in the image of God, unity does not equal uniformity. God is not looking for a bunch of cookie-cutter Christians. He created and commended diversity, and so should we.

The apostle Paul then takes the diversity of humanity – differences in gender, social status, and ethnicity – and unifies us all in Christ (Galatians 3:28).

Social Justice

Progressive Christianity has a strong emphasis on social justice and regard for the poor and oppressed. Again, I’ve heard this expressed as a negative slur. I’ve had people ask me, “why don’t you just preach the gospel instead of talking about social justice issues?” My answer is, “but social justice is part of the Gospel.” Consider Galatians 2 that records Paul’s trip to Jerusalem to visit the other apostles. The outcome of that meeting recognised that God’s grace was on Paul and Barnabas to take the Gospel to the gentiles. All Peter, James, and John asked: “was that we should continue to remember the poor, the very thing I had been eager to do all along.” Do you get that? Out of all the things they could have mentioned, they highlighted care for the disadvantaged. Social Justice isn’t “progressive.” Social justice IS the Gospel!

Environmental Care

Progressive Christianity also has a strong emphasis on environmental stewardship of the earth. As well as being a left-leaning hippie, apparently, I’m also a tree-hugging greenie because I encourage people to care for God’s creation. Why bother? God’s going to create a new heaven and a new earth one day. This one is old and temporary so why look after it?

Do we embrace this kind of “logic” anywhere else in life? What if you have an old car. One day you’ll get a new one, but do you trash the one you currently have? Of course not. You want it to last the distance, just like we want this planet to thrive. God created the heavens and the earth, and he has given charge of it to humanity. What are we doing to it? How are we caring for it? What about the animals God created that are now endangered? What about the pollution we pump into the atmosphere and the plastic we thrust into the oceans? Should Christians not be deeply concerned about human impact on creation?

All You Need is Love

Now you’ve got the Beatles song stuck in your head, let me explain. Progressive Christians have a deep belief in the centrality of the instruction to “love one another” (John 15:17) within the teachings of Jesus. This focuses on promoting values such as compassion, justice, mercy, and tolerance, sometimes through political activism. Love is the new and greatest commandment after all (consider John 13:34, Mark 12:31, Luke 6:31).

“Any interpretation of the Bible that causes you to be unkind or dismissive towards another person or that inflicts pain or damage is not the correct understanding of the Scripture!”

Values such as compassion, justice, mercy, and tolerance are Christian values as old as the Gospel itself. They should not be seen as progressive. Consider Romans 2:4, “Don’t you see how wonderfully kind, tolerant, and patient God is with you? Does this mean nothing to you? Can’t you see that his kindness is intended to turn you from your sin?” Tolerance is “a holding back, or a restraint.” God holds back judgment to offer kindness. Are we not called to be like God?

Christianity should be progressive.

The Bible is not a static book. There are so many ways we see a progression of truth throughout its pages. Explore topics like slavery, child and animal sacrifices, women’s rights, interracial marriage and see how there’s a progressive revelation in Scripture. God’s people are to be “changed from glory to glory” (2 Cor, 3:18). We are to progress!

So, am I a progressive Christian? Well, yes. That’s one label I’ll gladly wear!