The War Room
“Where is love more glorified than when she dwells in the midst of her enemies?.” - Dietrich Bonhoeffer
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Current Action by the Monaro Christian Forum
Climate Change West Papua Peak Oil
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- CAMPAIGN RESOURCES -
Calendar of Parliamentary Sittings
Contact details - House of Representatives
How to visit a politician - TEAR
- WHAT YOU CAN DO TODAY -
A January report by the United Nations looking into treatment of human rights defenders found in West Papua that
“…when defenders expose abuse of authority or other forms of human rights violations committed by the security apparatus, they are labeled as separatists in order to undermine their credibility…”. It also found that people who had been labelled in this way were at serious risk.
Indonesian law allows for imprisonment of separatists. This is a breach of human rights itself[1], but it is even worse when the so-called separatists are actually human rights defenders. As Australia’s “Lombok Treaty” with Indonesia commits us to “non support of separatism”, the international community will logically believe that we support Indonesia’s actions to suppress separatism unless we make it very clear that this is not the case. Australia needs to raise the UN report with President Yudhoyono in an international setting (consistent with the recommendations of the JSCOT report on the Lombok Treaty). We need to make it clear that we do not in any way support Indonesia’s actions, and offer assistance where necessary to combat the ongoing atmosphere of cruelty in West Papua.
Write, making these and any other points to any or all of:
Prime Minister Kevin Rudd,
Foreign Minister Steven Smith or
Member for Eden-Monaro & Secretary of Defence Mike Kelly
at PO Box 6022, House of Representatives, Parliament House,
Canberra ACT 2600
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“They’re advertising in the skies for people like us.” - U2
Building a Campaign
Use the diagram below to analyse what you need to achieve, then break your campaign down into the components described. Christian campaigning is not about being annoying, it is an effort to see God’s principles enacted on earth (”your will be done on earth as it is in heaven”), so a fully formed campaign needs to address the areas described here and follow these basic principles even if they are expressed differently.
You will almost certainly not be able to deal with all of these facets at once, but if you are passionate about the issue then make a start and as you progress and see the needs developing, pray and look for others that can specialise in the different areas. Each box is descibed below the diagram in greater detail.
- Learn. Research the facts from reliable sources. Find all sides of the story and why it hasn’t been fixed
- Educate. Expose the story - injustice thrives in an atmosphere of silence (John 3:19). Tell people, make posters, flyers, websites, write to newspapers and relevant authorities that should be made aware. Speak at schools, churches, community groups.
- Find Solutions. Justice is more about making things right than punishing wrong-doers. Do your research, talk to experts; get people talking together.
- Advocate. Be a loud voice for those who have none. Visit, email, write to those responsible for the wrong and call them to account. Offer solutions, organise and offer help, insist on good reasons why action has not been taken. Educate and call on others (church, community, community leaders, and international community) to advocate. Expose the inaction of those responsible. Write to newspapers, call radio stations; buy advertising time. Do not manipulate or blackmail - the end is inherent in the means.
- Intercede. The first step beyond “reasonable action” and the point where we can really start to glimpse God’s heart. To intercede is to “stand in the gap”; to draw fire from the attacker so that their focus is taken from the victim. Advocate to the point that you ignore the unjust warnings and incur the anger of the abuser, but make sure they are being provoked by your good actions and that you give them no other reason. They will cause you pain - respond with love (Matt 5: 38-48). “…the only ultimate way to conquer evil is to let it be smothered within a willing, living human being. When it is absorbed there like blood in a sponge or a spear into one’s heart, it loses it’s power and goes no further” (Old priest quoted by M. Scott Peck). When an innocent intercessor incurs the injustice of an aggressor and responds by returning love for hate, they draw the world’s attention to the situation and awaken the sense of justice that God has created in everyone. The more Christ-like their action and the darker the hatred directed against them, the more the eyes of everyone are opened - able now to both reject the cruel actions and love the character of God that they see in you.
- Reconcile. The final and possibly most difficult step, yet central to the work of a Christian (2 Cor 5:18-20). Once justice has been achieved, the abuser needs to be forgiven and restored. Both abuser and abused are loved equally by God so you must first reconcile where possible with the abuser, then advocate on their behalf to the ones they have hurt. Look for healing for the broken on both sides, pray, listen, encourage, organise physical help. When both sides are reconciled, then both sides are free.
When can our action be called ‘Christian’?
Adapted from “A Christian response to global warming part one”
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Christian action is defined by love. Love is the fulfilment of the law (Matt 22:37-39), the mark of a true believer (John 13:35) and without it we cannot begin to understand God, because God is love (1 John 4:8). Any teaching that down-plays love or makes it out to be less important is not Biblical.
- Biblical love is not sentiment but a bold and selfless commitment to put the welfare of others ahead of one’s own (1 John 3:16). Christian action will consider the welfare of others above our own interests. It will not treat one race or religion more kindly than another (Romans 10:12), will not care less for anyone because of their perceived or actual moral failings (1 Peter 4:8), and will not exclude others because of fear of being hurt by them (Matt 5:43-48). There are other philosophies and descriptions of love that are similar, but the difference is the lengths which we are asked to go to. Human philosophy gives personal fulfillment, the escape from emotional turmoil or some other personal gain as the motivation for love. Biblical love is modelled on Christ - it gives to the other regardless of cost to the giver and looks for no reward, be it physical or emotional (II Cor 12:15); with one exception. It is only when we make the attempt to love that we can begin to understand the heart of God (1 John 4:7-8). Because of this, Biblical love goes beyond the natural, reasonable and normal: it is concerned with the extraordinary because it is driven by the extraordinary possibility of deeper relationship with God Himself.
- Love evokes emotion, but it is not in itself an emotional response. If it is Biblical, a course of action will be informed, rational and wise (Phil 1:9). It must take into account all of the relevant science, history and other facts and process them in an atmosphere of faith that God can care for us even if the way ahead is difficult.
- A Christian response recognises that the Bible is God-inspired (II Tim 3:16), so it will accept the authority of the Bible when there is a clear clash with other claims.
- A Christian response is humble, recognising our own limits and deferring to those with abilities we don’t have ourselves (Romans 12:3).
- A Christian response is not bound by culture. For example, despite the present culture to the contrary it recognises our God-given responsibility to care for the environment, that creation is an expression of God’s character (Rom 1:20) and that we will be asked to give account for our stewardship of everything God has given into our care (Matt 25:14-30). This places a weightier responsibility on us to care for the environment than that recognised by the secular community.
