Thank God For The Salvos: Red Shield Appeal 2011

This weekend (28th and 29th of May) is the annual Red Shield Appeal run by the Salvation Army. Affectionately known as the "Salvos", this church organisation has effectively blurred the lines between a denomination and a charity, to the extent that it could be argued that they have successfully united two perceived tensions in Christianity: faith and works.

The 2011 Red Shield Appeal advertised on
banners outside the Eureka Tower in Melbourne

The Salvation Army began in London, England in 1865 by a former Methodist minister and his wife, William and Catherine Booth. Modeled on the 'armour of God' referenced in Ephesians 6:10-18, the Booths established their volunteer organisation with the structure of a military rank-and-file hierarchy complete with uniforms, flags and marching band music. Right from the beginning, the Salvation Army specialised in ministering to the poor - best expressed by the three 'S' methodology: soup, soap and salvation.

Theologically, the Salvation Army is a mainstream protestant church with an evangelical bent. Some interesting highlights include their view of equality in ministry between men and women (quite an amazing position in the mid 19th century!), their decision to not include communion or baptism in the worship service and a refraining from alcohol. Doctrinally, the Salvos have 11 faith statements which provide foundation for their beliefs and most Christians would be in agreement with these basic tenets. However, one particular faith statement could provide an insight into the reasoning behind the Salvos persistence in charitable work:

We believe that continuance in a state of salvation depends upon continued obedient faith in Christ. [Statement 9] 

This is an interesting statement. Clearly they disagree with the once-saved-always-saved doctrine and there seems to be an inherent works-based attitude to salvation which may be a little too much for all the amazing-grace types. Biblically, this statement could be a reflection of the pervasive argument in the book of James:

What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.
But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.” Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds. You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder. You foolish person, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless? ... [v26] As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.
[James 2:14-26]

If this passage is their proof text for the ninth faith statement, then Jesus' parable of the Sheep and the Goats could be the basis for their methodology in demonstrating an "obedient faith":

For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me. 
[Matthew 25:35-36]

Today, the charitable work of the Salvation Army is enormous. They operate in 124 countries, have an expenditure of over US $2.4 billion and they are the second largest charity in the United States. In Australia, they help with disaster relief, emergency support, missing persons, clothing, pastoral care counselling, drug and alcohol counselling, training and education, employment services, disability services, crisis accommodation, as well as feeding and sheltering the homeless. Last financial year, they provided welfare services for over 80,000 Australians, while their overall work touches over 1 million Australians.

A damning report by the Salvos in the lead-up to the Red Shield Appeal reveals that 45,000 Australians are homeless on any given night, 25,000 families are homeless every night and 60,000 women and children need refuge from domestic violence each year. 2.2 million people, which includes 12% of children, are living in poverty. The Salvos hope to raise $79 million this appeal to maintain their social programs.

May 21st 2011 is NOT the end of the world

In what is almost certainly a cliché for cults, yet another wacky group has predicted the end of the world with a specific timestamp. Harold Camping from Familyradio.com has predicted that May 21st 2011 is the exact day that Jesus returns. His logic is based on some far-fetched calculations based on a mix of biblical numerology, an even helping of poor exegesis and a good dose of coincidence.

Billboard announcing Judgement Day on the 21st of May, 2011
on Victoria St in Footscray, Vic. Photo: ebiblefellowship.com

89 year old Harold, like all good cult leaders, has built his theology on some solid grains of truth which provide enough credibility for anyone with a passing knowledge about Christianity to be interested. From this platform though, Mr Camping has constructed an entire understanding of eschatology with a preoccupation with numbers found in the bible as opposed to the words which display the intent and meaning that many of the biblical writers were conveying. This type of biblical interpretation is very similar to the bible code fad that was popular in the late '90s, as it was more concerned with hidden mathematical patterns than the actual words and stories used in the Torah (first five books of the Old Testament).

When the clock strikes 12AM on the 22nd of May 2011, Harold Camping will join a long line of leaders who have famously been incorrect in their prediction of Judgement Day. Mr Camping originally made a prediction that the world would end in September 1994, but later revised his calculations, which again is pretty much cliché. For a quick history in different predictions of different past dates for the world's end, check out this article: Apocalypse Not.

Mainstream Christianity acknowledges that Jesus will return in the future. Since Christ's ascension, 40 days after being resurrected on Easter Sunday, until the time when Jesus returns, the bible describes this period as the 'last days'. So far, the 'last days' have continued for over 2000 years and they may well continue for another 2000. The fundamental problem with predicting the date of Christ's return is that Jesus himself said:

"But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Be on guard! Be alert! You do not know when that time will come." 
[Mark 13:32–33]

Jesus goes on to say:

"At that time if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Messiah!’ or, ‘Look, there he is!’ do not believe it. For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and perform signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. So be on your guard; I have told you everything ahead of time."
[Mark 13:21-23]

So, not only is Harold Camping preaching a misleading doctrine, he is also directly teaching against the words of Jesus. Therefore, sleep easy tonight and enjoy your Sunday the 22nd of May. Don't go quit your job, flee to the hills or prematurely sell all your possessions. Should Jesus return like a 'thief in the night', then it will be a glorious occasion for Christians, however until then though, relax and make the most of life.

Comparison Between Mainstream Christianity and Harold Camping

Topic	Mainstream Christianity	Harold Camping
Biblical interpretation method	Historical-grammatical	Hidden meaning, numerology
Intended meaning method	Exegesis	Eisegesis
Will Christ return?	Yes	Yes
Can humans know when Christ will return?	No	Yes
When will Christ return?	Unknown	21st of May, 2011
Rapture?	Speculative; no consensus	Definitely
Will Christ return on the anniversary of the Noahic Flood?	Highly unlikely	Yes

Further Reading

• Refute Camping
• Can We Know When Jesus Will Return?

Church Review: City on a Hill - 6PM Edition

On Sunday night, we decided to check out a church which we had heard good things about. City on a Hill is a uniquely flavoured church which specialises in utilising non-traditional and secular spaces for Christian church services.

City On A Hill 6PM edition meets in the Arrow On Swanston hotel

The church began in 2007, known as the Docklands Church, and they met in the James Squire Hotel in New Quay. Since then, the church has expanded rapidly and through various circumstances, has taken up residence in the heart of the CBD of Melbourne. Two services are offered: a 10AM service that meets in a cinema theatre at the Hoyts in Melbourne Central; and a 6PM service that meets in a conference room in the Arrow On Swanston hotel (on Swanston St obviously). The creative decision to use these two spaces is intriguing and reflects a desire to re-engage Melbourne with Christianity, by taking church out of normal environs.

While I can't comment at this stage on the effectiveness of conducting a church service in a movie cinema, the 6PM service held in the hotel's ballroom, quickly turns the space from a sterile, conference room into a warm, knowable chamber through the use of branded signage, mood-lighting and ambient music.

The service began on time and after an exuberant, young man welcomed everyone in a well-practiced eastern-suburbs-footy-voice, an ultra hip video began on the big screen that acted as the opener to the service. In fact, the highly stylised graphics on all the church material suggests that this church of 400+ members contains quite a few professional graphic designers. From an image perspective, City on a Hill has a well-refined and cohesive product.

City on a Hill is technically an Anglican church, which until the second worship song, was clearly not evident to the untrained eye. However, this particular worship song was written in 2010 by members of the church and while it is set to contemporary music that contains drums, bass and guitar, the lyrics use old-English words like 'thou'. A curious fusion of history and modern expressions really.

Demographically, think university crowd and young professionals. It was difficult to spot anyone outside the 22-35 bracket. Generally well heeled, inner urbanites with tertiary degrees, but importantly, unpretentious and concerned with social justice. The church runs a food program for the poor called Many Rooms and they are currently feeding over 80+ homeless in the North Melbourne region.

Church life appears vibrant with an announcement about a frenemy basketball match between City and St. Judes in Carlton; as well as a vision for expanding ministries into the youth space, young families and children's min - obviously reflecting the broadening demographic that apparently the 10AM time slot is attracting.

In the ballroom, just before the service begins

The church structures its sermons around a solid series plan that guides the teaching focus of the pastors. On the day we visited, the church was concluding a series on 'God or Money' which sought to provide Christians with a biblical perspective on finance as well as explain City's specific nuance on money. Interestingly, the church never passes around a tithe or offering during services and instead relies on attendees to privately donate through appropriate channels. The associate pastor who delivered the sermon, openly explained the purpose and distribution of the funds that the church receives and mentioned that every two months the books are explained to the congregation. Such transparency is refreshingly honest.

The best part of the service was a panel discussion time which three members of the leadership team answering some hardball questions about money series from the audience. The representatives included an young economics professor in a Melbourne university and a chartered accountant - I was immediately engaged. The panel approach was enthralling and thought-provoking both with the questions and answers - something I think many churches could embrace.

The next series that begins on the 22nd of May is mysteriously titled 'The Naked Church' with the video promo material featuring some blurry lens work of a buff man sitting apparently naked in a pew of a traditional Gothic church. A provocative title certainly, but I'm curious to see what this study on the Corinthian church in first century AD might say to this savvy, 21st century version. Time to check out the 10AM edition.

Graffiti Tagging for Jesus

A graffiti tag of Jesus on the Cremorne Rail Bridge

On my bike ride yesterday, I rode up the Yarra River on the south side to Burnley and then returned to Southbank on the north side. It was a beautiful ride and a chance to enjoy some greenery away from the hustle and bustle of the CBD.

On the return trip, I came across an amusing piece of graffiti. Located on the eastern side of the Cremorne Rail Bridge, half way between Punt Rd and Chapel St, there is a large pink tag with the word 'Jesus'. Obviously it is doubtful that this handiwork was intended as a public display of an adherent's pursuit of Christ, but it does raise some speculative queries about promoting the brand of Jesus.

Firstly, could public religious graffiti tagging be a legitimate expression of faith? 

The heart of this question is the about the limitations of freedom of speech that an individual may express in society. Obviously Australian law considers tagging and graffiti art to be defacing property, but the Australian constitution also protects the freedom of religion. In Victoria, this tension between these two human rights has recently played out with the religious vilification laws - most publicly with the court case involving Catch the Fire ministries.

In Australia, this 'tension' is more academic than practical as generally Christians have the freedom to express their faith to the extent of their comfort zone, however this issue becomes a literal matter of life and death to Christians in some other countries around the world which out-right ban religious expression. Christians in these countries are harassed, imprisoned, tortured and even killed for public acknowledgement of their private beliefs.

In comparably safe Australia, our civil liberties are protected by law, but our ability to express our opinion is limited and in many cases, rightly so. In this situation, the question of graffiti tagging as a religious expression is not so much a matter of freedom of expression as rather a question of appropriateness. This is because the expression is occurring on property which is not owned by the tagger. Should a tagger want to publicly express their religious opinion in the form of graffiti on their own property (ie. clothing, vehicle, website, or side of their house) then they have the appropriate authority over the property and therefore they can legitimately exercise their freedom.

Religious tagging or graffiti as a form of public protest (as separate from pure expression) within the current Australian political context would seem poorly misguided. Our political and legal system offer many other avenues to seek change to society and one would imagine that a Christian would receive equal treatment of their perspective. However, in countries where normal religious expression is illegal, it could be that protest religious graffiti may have some legitimacy - in the same way that the act of smuggling bibles is viewed.

Finally, Romans 13:1-2 states:

Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. Consequently, whoever rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves... (read the remainder here.)

Secondly, is Jesus-graffiti an effective form of expression?

Graffiti traditionally has been viewed by mainstream Australian society as a public nuisance and the development of laws and prevention programs obviously illustrate this point. Therefore, for a Christian to use a socially inappropriate act as the vehicle through which to share their views either as expression or evangelism would seemingly be damaging method for both the individual and Christianity as a whole. Street cred aside, the individual would seem hypocritical by society and Christianity may have its reputation downgraded. Therefore, public property (ie. illegal) graffiti would be counter productive for the Christian cause.

That said, there is a smaller sub-culture in Australia that appreciates graffiti art and this may be an interesting point of connection or method of pre-evangelism to this particular subgroup. Although, to ensure the legality of this exercise, the methodology would have to be carefully thought out. Churches could offer wall space to budding graffiti artists, hold workshops and host events that would cater for this particular cultural genre. This allows both expression and evangelism to occur within a legal context. For more on this, check out this newspaper article: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/faith/article5294092.ece


For some amazing graffiti art with a Christian bent, check these out:

• http://photobucket.com/images/jesus%20graffiti/
• http://www.artistsforchrist.net/tag/christian-graffiti/

Should Christians Celebrate The Death of Osama Bin Laden?

With news of Osama Bin Laden's death reaching all corners of the globe, it has been interesting watching the different reactions. Expectedly, in certain parts of the world, Bin Laden was mourned and instantly elevated to martyr level. What was unexpected however was the triumphant celebration in other parts.

This was surprising because the scenes outside the Whitehouse seemed strangely similar to those hasty camera shots on the 6pm news of a large mob in a Middle Eastern country firing their guns in the air and chanting frenziedly with flags waving.

The reactions by the Americans to the news that the man who single-handed changed the nature of their country overnight ten years ago is understandable. Hard justice may have finally caught up with Bin Laden, but the question is whether a deserved death should be celebrated?

The Old Testament is filled with many examples of death being delivered directly by God or through his people. The prophet Elijah, after dramatically winning a supernatural burning contest, slaughtered 450 prophets of Baal. God is credited with destroyed the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah due to their evilness and for that matter, the whole world population - minus a family and a bio-diverse selection of animals - by global flood.

A well-known story is of David and Goliath where David (a youthful teenager) kills a 3 metre tall, battle-hardened warrior who represented a foreign and invading force. Goliath was the front man for the Philistine army which was intent on occupying Israel and he was undoubtedly responsible for his fair share of murder in the preceding years (ie. bad guy). After David downs the man-giant and decapitates him, news spread around the country with women composing joyful songs, although the nature of the songs were not so much about celebrating the death of their enemy than about creating folk-lore and hero worship.

Fast-forward to Jesus in 1st century AD, who rewrites the Jewish moral code of revenge by instead urging his followers to love their enemies:

“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
Matthew 5:43-48

Jesus eventually would be tortured, beaten and killed by his enemies, yet even on the cross, Jesus forgave the Roman soldiers who nailed him to it.

Additionally, the Apostle Paul reminds his readers to leave revenge to God rather than undertaking vengeful behaviour. He gave superb demonstration of this when he didn't retaliate after he was repeatedly tortured and beaten for sharing the gospel.

Therefore, from my vantage point in my nice, warm apartment in the safe surrounds with nothing to fear, there appears to little reason for a Christian to celebrate the death of anyone, let alone evil monsters such as Osama Bin Laden, Hitler, etc. To even participate in seeking the death of this man seems contrary to the teachings of Jesus and the sixth commandment of "You shall not kill/murder". It would seem that the only justified killing is when God directly carries the justice out himself. Even then, I don't seem any worthy examples from scripture where the Christian response would be one of celebration.

For some other thoughts:

• Celebrating Osama bin Laden’s Death: What Would Jesus Do?
• Osama bin Laden Dead; Christians Debate Response
• Is It Wrong To Celebrate Bin Laden's Death?

Swanston Street Church of Christ: CrossCulture

Swanston Steet Church of Christ
(now renamed as CrossCulture Church of Christ)

As a matter of convenience and curiosity, it was refreshing to go to a night service at the Swanston Street Church of Christ (later renamed to CrossCulture Church of Christ). Located at the top end of Swanston near the corner of La Trobe, this church building is a medium sized chapel awash in grey tones with modern signage. Most surprising however, is that the worship service is not held inside this 1863 church. Instead, the entrance runs alongside the historic building and leads down underground to a decent sized theater that is the old basement of the Melbourne Campus Apartments (now known as UniLodge).

Therefore, while the outside Gothic architecture conveys weighty history, by contrast, the 700 seat worship space is thoroughly modern, complete with a rock-concert-worthy array of sound and lights. A large projector screen hangs above the polished floorboard stage and displays the lyrics to the worship songs with impressive - yet subtle - graphics. Indeed, the church seems to have quite a creative talent available with the graphics team producing some well-designed posters that adorn the walls.

The seating arrangement is more reminiscent of a university lecture theater, with the congregation looking down at the stage from their different padded-cushion sections. A swivel, notes-writing arm would almost seem fitting. This university familiarity though obviously plays well with the crowd as the demographics would be described as mostly international students from Asia, with a smattering of older faces who could probably pass for the parents of the aforementioned students. In fact, due to the proximity of the church to RMIT and the fact that the church is underneath a student residential facility, means that CrossCulture directly sees its mission as the discipleship of these students.

As a consequence, the church has a heavy emphasis on overseas mission, particularly in the Asian region. The congregation has a long-standing history of supporting and sending missionaries to foreign countries and is soon to be hosting the 40th Global Missions Convention. CrossCulture has 20 teams in the field reaching the countries of Thailand, India, Nepal, Philippines, Vietnam, Papua New Guinea, Japan and Malaysia. Interestingly, their convention promotional material includes precautionary notes about writing to people serving in a 'sensitive access country' (ie. countries that outlaw Christianity). The notes would probably not appear out of place in an espionage manual.

The worship style was contemporary, circa early 2000's Hillsong with a bit of Soul Survivor thrown in. The band had bass, drums, grand piano and a lead guitarist who juggled synth on the side. With a couple of singers, the overall effect was inviting but not distracting. Communion was basic cracker and tiny plastic cups brimmed with Ribena, however rather than passing around the trays, attendees walked to strategic points in the aisles with a help-yourself mentality. Once back at your seat, you consume the elements in your own time, then discard the cups into small tubs at the end of the rows.

The sermon was delivered by an active missionary from Japan who once upon a time was true-blue, but now speaks English with oriental intonation and well-rounded annunciation. The meaty message was expository in nature and taken from Romans 10:5-15. This scripture was used to demonstrate the necessity of missionary ministry because Christianity has a unique message to bring and it needs people to tell it. Obviously fitting neatly with the CrossCulture theme, the church also runs a roundtable discussion for the public, with the next session focusing on the differences between Christianity and Buddhism.

The last surprise of the evening was at the conclusion of the 90 minute service when visiting the bathroom, only to discover that the toilets were lit by vein-obscuring blue light. This, along with a notice on the projector to not leave your possessions unattended, was a grim reminder about the realities of operating a church in the middle of the city.

The verdict? I've never really been all that interested in overseas mission, however I think that this is a great church effectively reaching a critical demographic in Melbourne. I'd be keen to check out their 11:15am service some time in the future to get a gauge on the level of community.