It is painful to hear voices that need to be heard

On a recent long flight, I watched three excellent documentaries: I am not your negro, Obit, and Whitney Houston: Can I be me. Hope to write more about the second two later.

The first documentary is based on the reflections of James Baldwin on race relations in the USA, based on an unpublished manuscript he wrote, reflecting on the murders of Medgar Evers, Malcolm X, and Martin Luther King Jr.
It is powerful and disturbing, particularly as it juxtaposes video of recent events associated with Black Lives Matter.
Baldwin is an eloquent and insightful social critic. His criticisms of the church and its role in segregation, racism, and injustice are painful to hear.

Biblical justice, reconciliation, and Majority world debt

My wife and I watched this excellent and challenging video. N.T. Wright first reviews the themes of justice in the Psalms and Jesus teaching on the Kingdom of God. Then he considers the case of Philemon and slavery. Finally, he makes a particularly insightful and poignant analysis of the problem of financial debt of the Majority world.

Slavery in Australia

Nicholas Kristof has a fascinating and challenging op-ed Slavery Isn't a Thing of the Past in the New York Times [I read it in a hard copy of the Times of India. Such is globalisation!].

There is an interesting twist in the article that involves Australia and shows that some short term- "mission/social service" trips involving teenagers can have big impact!

Some reaons why I believe the Gospel of Jesus is true

What is the Gospel of Jesus Christ?
That he lived, he taught, he died, he rose from the dead, and that he is coming again to judge the world...

Why do I believe it? Why would a well-educated scientist like me believe it is true?

Here are some of the main reasons. I don't think any single reason is particularly persuasive. However, for me when they are put together I find them compelling.

• it transcends culture and background. through every age people with diverse backgrounds  (ethnicity, education, wealth, social status, ...) have had their lives transformed by believing the Gospel is true.
• it transcends time and history. after two thousand years of change (scientific and technological advances, political changes, wars, philosophy, literature, music, ...) it is just as relevant and powerful.
• it transforms societies as well as individuals. whether it is the scientific revolution, the drive to abolish slavery, starting hospitals and schools, overcoming caste, ...
• the historical evidence for the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Why did the disciples change from confused cowards to confident evangelists who were willing to die for their faith?
• a coherent world view (it describes the nature of humanity, knowledge, ....)
• the Bible answers the question: why does science work? the universe was created by a God who delights in order and truth, and made humans in his image.
• the amazing coherence of the Bible and its beauty as literature.
• the alternatives (atheism, postmodernism, religious liberalism, other religions, ...) are less compelling and raise greater problems and questions.

I would say this is the "rational" basis for my "faith" that the Gospel is true.

Work without a sabbath is slavery

^{When does work become idolatrous slavery? It is not just when one is not paid. It becomes slavery when there is no freedom to rest and to worship God.} 


John Grisham's novels paint a brutal picture of young associates "slaving away" in large law firms and getting paid $300,000 per year. 


^{The passage below from Exodus 5 illustrates how the powerful can use work as a means to control "the masses". Don't let them rest! They might think for themselves. Worse, they may worship God!}


But the king of Egypt said to them, “Moses and Aaron, why do you take the people away from their work? Get back to your burdens.” ⁵ And Pharaoh said, “Behold, the people of the land are now many, and you make them rest from their burdens!”⁶ The same day Pharaoh commanded the taskmasters of the people and their foremen, ⁷ “You shall no longer give the people straw to make bricks, as in the past; let them go and gather straw for themselves. ⁸ But the number of bricks that they made in the past you shall impose on them, you shall by no means reduce it, for they are idle. Therefore they cry, ‘Let us go and offer sacrifice to our God.’ ⁹ Let heavier work be laid on the men that they may labour at it and pay no regard to lying words.”

From law to modern justice

Last night I had dinner in Bristol with Jonathan Burnside, who teaches law at Bristol University. Oxford University Press has just published his latest book, God, Justice, and Society: Aspects of law and legality in the Bible. Here is some of the publisher's blurb:

God, Justice and Society presents biblical law as an integration of instructional genres in the Bible which together express a vision of a society ultimately accountable to God. Burnside seeks to understand both the application of law and legal theory to the Bible and the extent to which biblical law contributes important insights into legal dilemmas in today's world.

A few stimulating ideas I learnt from Jonathan. Interpretation of the Old Testament law can be significantly different depending on whether one has a narrative reading (which considers the imagery important to the Israelites and the singular historical point of not returning to the slavery of Egypt) rather than a semantic reading which can read into the text modern legal categories and concepts. This may have significant parallels to the problem of reading into the creation narrative concepts and issues from modern science and philosophy.

Work as slavery and oppression

Working in God's creation was meant to be a joy for humanity but due to sin it became a burden and struggle. In Exodus 1 we see how it becomes an instrument of oppression as the Egyptians try to control the growing population of Israelite "guest workers".

¹¹Therefore [the Egyptians] set taskmasters over [the Israelites] to afflict them with heavy burdens. They built for Pharaoh store cities, Pithom and Raamses. ¹²But the more they were oppressed, the more they multiplied and the more they spread abroad. And the Egyptians were in dread of the people of Israel. ¹³So they ruthlessly made the people of Israel work as slaves ¹⁴and made their lives bitter with hard service, in mortar and brick, and in all kinds of work in the field. In all their work they ruthlessly made them work as slaves.

Traditional slavery [buying and selling people] still exists throughout the world today.

But, slavery also exists in affluent western countries, as people are enslaved to careers, ambition, and financial debt.

The image is from here.

Living a life of grace

After I saw the movie, Amazing Grace about William Wilberforce and the drive to end slavery I read the companion biography by Eric Metaxas. Both are brilliant. The book is particularly challenging because it shows that Wilberforce and the Clapham group had incredible dedication, perseverance, political nous, single mindedness, generosity, and a willingness to sacrifice even their health for the cause of abolition.

I warmly recommend both the movie and the biography.

It is also interesting to look at Wilberforces own best seller:
A practical view of the prevailing religious system of professed Christians, which went to 20 editions! You can download a copy free here.

Debt leads to slavery

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On a recent plane trip I watched the movie The International, a thriller about an international banking scandal which includes an amazing shoot-out in the Guggenheim Museum in New York (actually a replica built for the movie). But on a more serious note there is some very profound dialogue as the heroes try to figure out what the bank is up to and why it is financing all parties in the international arms trade. Finally, they realise

He who controls the debt, controls the power