17th July, 2012

BRUCE C WEARNE

There's a lot of healthy theological debate these days about "empire" and in particular about the Apostle Paul’s implicit critique of the Roman imperial cult in which Caesar was ascribed divine status. This coincides with the emergence of a general mood among Australian Christians that is not only receptive to the “new perspective” on Paul - consider the works of N T Wright and James Dunn - but also links that to criticisms of this country’s government persistent endorsement of American power and influence.

A sharp critique of Australia’s compliant foreign policy was presented recently in the 2012 Gough Whitlam Oration at the University of Western Sydney. It is found in the speech delivered by Whitlam’s political adversary from the 1970s, Malcolm Fraser. 

PICTURE: Sigurd Decroos/www.sxc.hu   So what are we Christians in this part of the world to think about this and how, as non-Americans, to use the words of the apostle Paul, "discern the will of God, and thus come to know that which is good, that which finds acceptance, that which is perfect" (Romans 12:2)? In other words how should we Christians be living in and forming our vision about, this region, the Asia - South West Pacific sector of our globe?

What is striking is Fraser’s clear statement that any unconditional support of the United States by our Government is a foreign policy failure, lacking integrity and because it puts our own national interest in jeopardy. Our standing with our closest neighbours in the Asia-Pacific region is diminished.

Niall Ferguson, the BBC Reith lecturer for 2012, in his 2004 book Colossus: The Price of America's Empire identifies the abiding American confidence "that foreigners will Americanize themselves without the need for formal rule". For Ferguson, America is the world power that sees itself as the historical actor called by Providence to prevent any and all imperialism. US military presence is everywhere across the globe.

Australia has been indirectly and informally absorbed into what America identifies as the way of life that its global presence seeks to preserve and maintain.

So what are we Christians in this part of the world to think about this and how, as non-Americans, to use the words of the apostle Paul, "discern the will of God, and thus come to know that which is good, that which finds acceptance, that which is perfect" (Romans 12:2)? In other words how should we Christians be living in and forming our vision about, this region, the Asia - South West Pacific sector of our globe?

Clearly it is experiencing many shifts and changes. How then do we clear of that which is an "abomination...while clinging to what is good" (12:9)? How do we posture ourselves in relation to the “American way of life”?

Let me cite a few examples of the kind of historical and cultural facts and factors that we should keep in mind as we try to find the path to a distinctly Christian way of life in this part of God’s earth.

• After the 11th September, 2001, terrorist attacks, a crowd gathered in Sydney holding up placards "We are all Americans now!" This showed a deep solidarity with Americans about this dreadful attack. In Ballarat, outside the Country Fire Authority offices, a garden has been planted to commemorate the deaths of fellow fire fighters as a consequence of that criminal attack.

• When a recent Australian Prime Minister was deposed and replaced by his party's vote, he reportedly said that this was against his better judgment because, after all, at the last election it was he who had been voted in as prime minister. But this is not how our electoral system works. We do not vote for PM in the way the American system requires citizens to vote for a president.

• In this country we play "Australian Rules Football" and used to refer to it as "Aussie Rules". Now, with increased commercialisation it is known by its corporate logo, "AFL", clearly modelled on American basketball's "NBL".

• Churches and para-church bodies from across all denominations provide numerous examples of Christian people being encouraged to think about, and live, their faith in ways that have been initially tried and found to succeed in North America. Even local resistance to the "Americanisation" of Christianity sometimes looks and feels "American". There is a constant flow of "American" and "Anti-American" sentiment flowing through evangelical, Anglican, Roman Catholic, ecumenical, Reformed, traditional Protestant, Anabaptist and Orthodox efforts with: "purpose driven" living; "moral majority" politics; liberal progressive accommodation; the latest ethical reflections from the "Jesus seminar"; the "new perspective" on Paul and the New Testament. Is there a tendency to poll-driven preaching? There are regular visits of lecturers, consultants, seminar leaders and media celebrities who instruct the faithful with latest insights so that they can enter into public debate about whatever has to be brought in from the "secular" world into the sphere of faith.

No doubt many other examples can be cited in which our life in this country follows or mimics social, political, commercial and cultural trends that are readily identified with the “American way of life”. But how are we to walk? What path are we to take? What are some truly good instances where our neighbours in the US continue to show us the way? (Micah 6:6-8) How can our appreciation for the many positive aspects of life that have arisen within the American crucible help us to avoid mindless mimicry, the worship of money, and the fashion that counts value in terms of “success”? And how then do we truly help our American neighbours, as well as assisting our sisters and brothers in Jesus Christ in that country, so that they can learn from us and be encouraged to avoid the spiritual temptations that will arise for them as citizens of the world’s hyper-power?

FOR MORE SIGHT-SEEING, click here...