Here’s an outline of a sermon my wife Jan preached (20th October 2002) at Boronia Baptist Church (where she is a pastor).

Shalom!

Rowland Croucher

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VIOLENCE – What? Why? How? Who? Where?

INTRODUCTION – Day of Mourning for the victims of the Bali bombing

– The Age Editorial

WHAT IS VIOLENCE? – Little children going to bed hungry

– Despairing people sleeping on the streets

– Deliberate thuggery in some sports, where the aim is to injure your opponent.

– Terrorism

WHY ARE WE HUMAN BEINGS VIOLENT?

Psalm 58:2 ‘In your hearts you devise wrongs; your hands deal out violence on earth.’

* It is possible to think sometimes that we human beings are still in the cave.

* The thing humans have in common with rats is that we are the only carnivores with no inhibitions against attacking members of their own species.

* In ‘Brothers Karamazov’ Dostoevsky is quoted as saying: “People talk sometimes of bestial cruelty, but that is a great injustice and insult to the beasts; a beast can never be so cruel as a human, so artistically cruel.”

HOW DO WE BECOME VIOLENT?

* Mass media – movies, cartoons. Modern children encounter violence very early in their living rooms on TV. Even cartoons depict violence as glamorous, trivial and even funny.

* Movie-makers have found ultra-violence to be ultra-profitable, and the mass audience has found it to be enjoyable.

* In some sports we take brawls for granted, and in others the whole purpose is to inflict injury.

* Boredom causes some to ‘look for kicks’.

* Loyalty – some sociologists say it’s not individualism but group membership which produces most crimes of violence. Devotion to tribe, nation, religion or political ideology erupts in tribal wars, national wars, civil wars, waged in the purported interest of the community. For the majority the primary motive is fanatical loyalty to king and country, leader or group.

* One of the hardest things human beings find to do is to hold a belief strongly without being prejudiced and bigoted towards others who don’t hold your belief.

* Poverty in itself does not cause violence because crime is increasing faster in affluent nations. People were much poorer during the depression – yet there weren’t many of the types of violent crimes then as there are now.

* Legendary Heroes – Robin Hood in England, Ned Kelly in Australia. WHO ARE THE PERPETRATORS OF VIOLENCE?

We think of violence as a long way from us. We have never had a ‘War’ in our land, in terms of an invasion from outside – except, of course, Europeans’ war against the Aboriginal people. Yes, we have committed atrocities, but we as a nation think of ourselves as being safe – that is until last week-end, when we faced a war against our own people, though off-shore in Bali.

Let me make two suggestions as to who the ‘perpetrators’ are:-

1. SOCIETY. Jacques Ellul, once professor of Law at the University of Bordeaux (France) in his book ‘The Technological Society’ believes society is founded on violence. It is divided into those in control and those repressed. Revolution occurs when the repressed gain strength enough to retaliate.

He sees the Christian’s role as:- (a) warning leaders of society that suppression, falsehood and greed will bring their own judgement when the exploited retaliate

(b) supporting the oppressed, without justifying violence – ours is the role of ‘peacemaker’.

(c) understanding society, and believing in the possibilities of God’s continuing creation.

(d) being prepared to bear injustice and believing that prayer, not violence is the last resort.

He reminds us that the world is not acceptable to God – it must change. But the kingdom of God does not lie on the other side of the cosmic cataclysm, it is hidden among us, and we must bring it to fruit.

Now let’s bring our focus a little closer from ‘World’ to ‘Society’ to ‘Family’, and admit that there is violence in most families (worldwide). It can be emotional violence, social violence, psychological violence, physical violence, sexual violence and even spiritual violence. So I would have to say in response to ‘Who are the perpetrators of violence?’:-

2. WE ARE. Even we who are Christians are perpetrators of violence. Christians worldwide tend to ignore, minimise and deny the abuse that is rampant in families of faith. Christian churches today are being forced to recognise and respond to the suffering created by family violence.

I SPEAK WITH AUTHORITY – My father was physically violent. We six children knew what it was to suffer at the hands of a very angry father. Our mother suffered much more than we. She always made excuses for his behaviour by explaining to us that we were not the problem but his background was. Her faith prevented her from leaving him and so did society as there was no possible way out for her in the 40s and 50s. My mother came from a good Baptist family in Perth and remained a deeply committed Christian. When I was fourteen she started taking us to a Baptist church where we became very involved in Christian Endeavour and most of us made commitments to the Lord. On the night I was to be baptised at fifteen my father forbad me to go through with it and also forbad us ever to attend that church again. I had to ride a bike a mile away to a phone box and inform the pastor of my cancellation midst many tears. The sad thing for us was that no-one from that church ever came to visit, no pastor, no leader, no friend. The good thing was that from it God gave me a pastoral heart for those who experience violence. Another sad thing was that we had no-one to go to for help. We were ashamed and thought no-one else ever experienced what we did. The good thing was that we grew even closer together as siblings, and have remained close over the years.

My father claimed to be a Christian, but we judged him on his behaviour. After we had all left home my father, a true West Australian took our mother back there and settled in a lovely old stone home in a ghost town called Goongarrie, north of Kalgoorlie. My mother suffered so much there that she died soon after. Dad lived on for another ten years and finally went missing in the desert and has never been found. My older brother and sister and I arranged a memorial service for him in Kalgoorlie. As we travelled together across the Nullarbor we tried to remember better times when we were very young kids and we each agreed that in spite of everything we did love our father. The man who led the service was a missionary to aboriginal people and always called in to visit my parents on their way north. I know my mother hung out for those visits. At the memorial service this missionary stated that my father’s favourite hymn was ‘Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine.’ Well, I almost fell out of the pew. On the occasions that my family (Rowland, me and our kids) had visited there we did notice an Alexanders hymn book on his organ, but presumed it was my mother’s.

Now, what if there had been another scenario as I was growing up? What if my father had been able to find help for his out-of- control anger? What if my Baptist pastor had come to visit and get to the bottom of our pain? Yes, he may have ‘copped a serve’ from my father, but what if the pastor had been able to direct my father to help of some sort? His life could have been transformed.

Are you a perpetrator of violence or abuse in your home? Research tells us that there is just as much in Christian families as in the secular community. Perpetrators of violence are those who wield power over the less powerful. They can be of either sex. This week I heard of a Baptist pastor’s wife who used to violently shake her baby in frustration. That baby is now in her 50s and suffers from severe migraines – probably as a result of this childhood abuse.

WHO ARE THE VICTIMS?

I was one. I was too ashamed to tell anyone because I thought no-one would believe me.

Being in the sort of work we are in, my husband and I come across much worse abuse in Christian families than I experienced. Some victims believe they must be to blame and develop such low self-esteem they can barely hold a job. Others, even though Christian seek refuge in drugs, because they could not get help in their church. Others suppress their pain, and suppressed pain erupts eventually in one form or another.

I don’t expect you to believe me, but I know of a wonderful Christian lady whose father abused her sexually from a baby until she married. He preached the gospel on Sundays and no-one would have ever believed her story. She told no-one until in her forties. But her whole life has been dogged by depression and anxiety.

WHERE DOES VIOLENCE OCCUR? Sadly, even in our homes.

CONCLUSION

There are two more ‘Whats’

WHAT DOES GOD HAVE TO SAY ABOUT VIOLENCE?

Genesis 6:11,13:- Now the earth was corrupt in God’s sight, and the earth was filled with violence…..And God said to Noah, ‘I have determined to make an end of all flesh, for the earth is filled with violence because of them…’

Psalm 11:5-6:- ‘The Lord tests the righteous and the wicked,

and his soul hates the lover of violence.’

Matthew 18:6:- ‘If any of you put a stumbling block before one of these little ones who believe in me, it would be better for you if a great millstone were fastened around your neck and you were drowned in the depth of the sea.’ These are Jesus’ words.

Yet Jesus calls us to compassion such as he practised

* ‘Who is my neighbour?’

* Jesus nourished the crowds

* He washed the disciples’ feet

* He wept over the death of Lazarus WHAT CAN WE DO?

Firstly, we can acknowledge our sin. If you think your violence has not been serious, I challenge you to confess it, otherwise it will become worse. If you already know it is increasing, arrest it now. If your violence – be it physical, sexual, emotional or whatever – is already out of hand, God can help you. He wants to. He can give you the resources to overcome it. But you do need help. God helps through prayer and through people – usually both! Lyndon and I have talked about it and we are wanting to provide private or group counselling by experts in the area of anger management.

It will take courage. Please determine tonight to speak to Linden or to me. Just say: ‘I need help’ and we will make time for private conversation.

If you are a victim you must talk to someone. It may have to be in confidence, but you can be sure that Lyndon and I can keep a confidence. And you may need to go on talking for a long time. We will believe you.

If you fit neither category, you are most fortunate, but you still have a task and that is to be like Jesus, to listen, to show understanding and compassion and never to judge.

Jesus is in the business of transforming broken lives and he wants to do it for you.

Colossians 1:19:- ‘For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him God was pleased to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, by making peace through the blood of his cross.’

Colossians 3:15:- ‘And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in the one body. And be thankful.’