Highlights from the Institute for Spiritual Studies Spring Symposium  – 22 September 2018 at St Peter’s, Eastern Hill.

“I have almost reached the regrettable conclusion that the Negro’s great stumbling block in his stride toward freedom is not the White Citizen’s Counciler or the Ku Klux Klanner, but the white moderate, who is more devoted to “order” than to justice; who prefers a negative peace which is the absence of tension to a positive peace which is the presence of justice”

– Martin Luther King Jr, Letter from a Birmingham Jail

The church is seen as in collusion with the state to uphold ‘order’, but order cannot triumph over justice.
– Rod Bower

Coptic Christians in Egypt prevented from practicing their faith, being caught with a bible in North Korea and being sent to a work camp… these Christians are being persecuted. In Australia, Christians are not being persecuted. In fact, those identifying as LGBTIQ+ experience more violence and more harm for their beliefs, noting of course that those are not discrete groups. Some of those who spoke up within conservative Christian organisations did lose their jobs during the plebiscite. The persecution for beliefs was occurring within the Church.

– Robin Whittaker

We have freedom of belief and manifest those beliefs as actions. Our actions might conflict with someone else’s.  It comes down to our idea of God.  Or that question: “What would Jesus do?” God offers us relational freedom.  We are each of us free to choose God or not. If we choose yes, that belief is relational. Our belief requires a relationship with God but also with and between other people. Whether they believe what you do or not. The same freedom offered to us, freedom from power and sin and death, we should offer to others. It’s freedom for justice and for all humanity.

– Robin Whittaker

God is revealed at the point we give up our power and give up our position.  We should care more about that…  align with the powerless.

– Robin Whittaker

PANEL Q&A: Christianity in the Public Sphere

We carry the Christian message in how we think. It doesn’t need to be explicitly “Christian” eg. instead of using the term ‘good stewardship’ you might say ‘responsible use of resources’… same thing, different language.

– Stephen Duckett

Any metric needs the context of the values you are trying to promote. Christians in the public domain need to argue ALWAYS that economics is not the only metric that should be used as measure.

– Stephen Duckett

All theology is political e.g. gender… Our theology will inform down the line… ethics, values, school curriculum.  Our theology has to be right and we have to be able to critique and correct what it means.

– Robin Whittaker

Question: I assume the panel share values. But what about Christianity’s values on asylum seekers, LGBTIQ+… Christians are finding ourselves on opposite sides. Yet asking for privilege on the basis of Christian faith… but don’t we hold fundamental Christian truths in common?

What are the first order theological claims?
Perhaps the Trinity, Jesus… second-order… transfiguration.
Christians have always been on opposite sides.
Conservative voices speak loudest.
Things not first-order have been made first order…
a test case for whether you’re a Christian…
goes back to Paul on circumcision,
a battle for the heart of Christianity.

– Robin Whittaker

There are some issues where those of us on the panel probably believe differently. Identity politics and virtue signalling happen on both sides of every debate. we need to be able to handle difference and have conversations about them, not make a shibboleth out of them, make them tribal distinctions.  Tone and posture are critical for engagement to be possible.

– Gordon Preece

Question: The church seem to speak when they should shut up and are silent when they should speak up… why is the institutional church self-marginalising in society and against the will of God?

It’s that dance between order and justice and how these things dance with one another.  I’d like to be where the UCA got. To live and stay together as loving and gracious human beings. I hope Anglicans could get to that point. It models to the world hope that we can live together as people who can disagree.

– Rod Bower