Sight contributor NILS VON KALM looks at, in the context of recent bushfires in Australia and criticism of Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s response, whether it’s right for Christians to be critical of leaders’ actions…
One of the main talking points in the wake of the tragic bushfires has surrounded not just the performance of Australia’s Prime Minister Scott Morrison but whether now is the time to be critical of his response.
What does being Christlike require when our leaders are not acting in the way a reasonable person would expect? As always, the context is important. Morrison’s performance was in response to a national disaster the likes of which Australia has never experienced. Therefore some are saying that it lacks grace to criticise him at a time when the country is in trauma.
A burning gum tree is felled to stop it from falling on a car in Corbago in New South Wales, Australia, on 5th January. PICTURE: Reuters/Tracey Nearmy
“Whenever considering the best response to a situation, I think it is always incumbent on us to consider that old question, ‘what would Jesus do?’ Would He come out and criticise Morrison at this time or would He be showing nothing but compassion on those who are suffering so terribly?”
Whenever considering the best response to a situation, I think it is always incumbent on us to consider that old question, ‘What would Jesus do?’ Would He come out and criticise Morrison at this time or would He show nothing but compassion on those who are suffering so terribly?
There are no set rules or principles when it comes to situations like this. Jesus was not someone who stuck to rigid principles; He acted according to the specific need in front of Him.
So, what are the specific circumstances in the case of the Prime Minister’s response? Apart from the immediate delay in responding, he seemed to be acting out of a distinct lack of confidence, especially in the days around his visit to Cobargo when he was seen timidly trying to shake hands with a couple of traumatised and angry individuals.
But the uniqueness of this situation goes back much further than these bushfires. And there lies the justification for the criticism that Morrison has received.
When a national government repeatedly refuses to heed the warnings of experts that danger is coming, as the Prime Minister did when asked to meet with former fire chiefs in 2019, there is a need to take responsibility. But it goes back even further than that. His arrogance at producing a lump of coal in Parliament in 2017, the now documented vested interests with the coal industry, and the refusal to fully acknowledge the reality of anthropogenic climate change, is an abrogation of responsibility of the highest order.
Of course Morrison isn’t the only one to neglect his duties with regard to climate change. Both major parties have been derelict in their duties. Kevin Rudd called climate change “the great moral challenge of our time” in 2007, then backflipped on a carbon emissions scheme. Tony Abbott then made the statement that coal is the future of humanity. Australia has been a laggard on the international climate change scene, and it is incumbent on us as citizens to hold our government to account.
Being critical of our national leaders is always a fraught exercise for the Christian who seeks to be prophetic. To be told that now is not the right time to criticise is so common that it is predictable. There are numerous credible examples of leaders being publicly criticised for abrogation of their responsibilities.
When Nathan rebuked David for his betrayal of Bathsheba and her husband, it was in the middle of a war, when David had just sent Bathsheba’s husband, Uriah, to the front lines.
In Paul’s letter to the Galatians, he tells of his rebuke of Peter for his hypocrisy for not eating with Gentiles for fear of a certain Jewish faction. And, of course, Jesus was constantly attacking the religious leaders for their own hypocrisy for sticking to the letter of the law at the expense of love.
In non-Biblical examples, Sojourners in the United States publicly rebuked George W Bush soon after 9/11 when the US invaded Iraq. Then there has been the more recent criticism of President Trump by prominent Christian leaders.
When is the right time to criticise? Is there ever a right time? Martin Luther King, Jr, in his Letter From A Birmingham Jail, said he faced constant criticism from white Christian leaders who said African-American leaders should wait until the time was more appropriate to demand full civil rights.
It is almost always the case that the people who have trouble with criticism of our leaders are those who are not personally affected. It’s high time for Christians to be more humble and listen to those who are personally affected and respect what they desire.
In terms of criticism in the wake of the fires and their almost certain links to a changing climate, it is now shown that waiting is no longer an option when the future of life as we know it is at stake. If that sounds like an over-reaction, then we need to accept what the climate scientists have been saying for decades.
There is also a lot of confusion about what critiquing a position on something is and isn’t. It is not being judgmental to criticise our leaders’ actions that hurt the most vulnerable people in society. On the contrary, it is actually commanded of us to do so.
All throughout Scripture we see the call to expose injustice. From Moses who spoke up to Pharaoh to let his people go, to the prophets, to Jesus and to Paul, we see the cry for God’s justice to be done.
And contrary to popular Christian opinion, Jesus did not say we should never judge. He said “judge with right judgment” (John 7:24). We are not to be hypocritical about it, but we are to call out wrong when we see it.
“[L]et’s not accuse each other of being judgmental when we are living out God’s command to stand for truth and love. If you are not speaking out against wrong, you are on the side of the oppressor. To sit on the fence is to take a stand against the oppressed where Jesus sits.”
So let’s not accuse each other of being judgmental when we are living out God’s command to stand for truth and love. If you are not speaking out against wrong, you are on the side of the oppressor. To sit on the fence is to take a stand against the oppressed where Jesus sits.
Additionally, when the issue is out of the news, as is happening now, it simply will not get the traction and coverage it needs. The nature of the 24/7 news cycle combined with the urgency of the moment make now the perfect time to call for serious action.
Protest and civil disobedience is a Christian tradition. Where would the world be today if it wasn’t for Christians like William Wilberforce criticising the British Government for its practice of slavery; where would the world be if people like Nelson Mandela and Desmond Tutu had remained quiet about the injustice of apartheid in South Africa? Where would Eastern Europe be today if it wasn’t for millions of people – often led by Christians – gathering non-violently to demand the fall of communism? All of these criticisms took place when the affects of these issues were at their peak.
To say that it is somehow unChristian to criticise those in authority is to deny the Biblical tradition of much of the Old Testament. The words of the prophets denouncing the injustice of Israel and other nations is not nice reading for the comfortable Western church.
God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of love, power and a sound mind. That is the ultimate goal of prophetic Christian critique. For the community of Christ, it is nothing short of our moral duty.
