whose contribution has universal application, though written this
time from a specifically Australian context.

Let’s Find Our Prophetic Voice!

When it came to recruiting prophets, the Almighty should have worked
through a professional head hunting agency. Instead, He constantly got
stuck with the retiring, the reticent, the young, the inept and the
battler.

As for terms and conditions, He never got it right. His prophets
should have had Work Care, plenty of long service leave and funeral
benefits (unless you had the good fortune to catch a ride in a passing
chariot of fire). They were surrounded by perpetual complainers,
devious public office holders, arm chair critics and corrupt networks.
Job satisfaction had not been invented then.

But the old prophets made their mark. They took their God seriously
and courageously spoke His word. Although they had difficulty winning
friends, they did influence people. The well being of the fatherless,
the widow, the dispossessed, the alien and the poor fired them up every
time. Wherever values were traded for fast gain, where needy people
were ignored or exploited and where the well heeled and the powerful
thought they had the last say, the old prophet was not too far away.

Now, the big question is: How do we nurture the prophetic voice in
Australia today?

It is time to speak up for God again, to blow the whistle for Him.
Political accountability seems to be at a low ebb while economic
rationalism has created the balanced budget as the golden calf of the
1990s. Ordinary Aussies are feeling increasingly powerless, frustrated
and anxious on an increasing range of issues.

• It seems extraordinary that the once lucky country has growing
  numbers of homeless and genuinely poor people living without hope in
  quiet desperation.

• We have come to accept the permanently unemployed as a common
  statistic with no real awareness of the inordinate suffering of real
  people whose applications for work are rarely acknowledged and where the
  consequent loss of self esteem is a terrible body blow.

• TV sitcoms make fun of the very values which are the glue that holds
  families together. Amusing as Seinfeld may be, it enshrines an alley
  cat morality when it comes to sex. Worse, there seems to be no end to
  the violence and selfish behaviour which is characteristic of so many
  movies. We are allowing rubbish to be tipped into our community without
  effectively registering a complaint. It is hard to believe that the
  majority of Australians endorse material which overtly promotes
  antisocial activity and values which are diametrically opposed to happy
  and healthy functioning.

• Our community has been immeasurably enriched by newcomers from
  around the world yet we still grapple with an underlying racism which
  too often spoils us.

• The casino culture is flourishing with gambling related crime
  clogging the courts, individuals losing their means and the families of
  problem gamblers being helplessly caught up in it all. Clearly
  established cases of loss are dismissed as “anecdotal evidence” which is
  about the same as standing naked in a tropical downpour but claiming to
  be dry because no one can produce a weather report.

• There is a growing perception that the community is being
  increasingly run by a powerful and wealthy elite. One wonders where
  accountability to the community is in all this.

• Privatisation is being heralded as a new economic saviour but the
  outcomes for the ordinary citizen are questionable. There is a real
  concern that we are selling off the farm to outsiders simply because the
  price is right.

• Anybody with direct links into rural Australia knows the loss of
  hope which is endemic there. The closure of hospitals and schools, the
  amalgamation of councils and shires and the general reduction of
  services is tearing out the heart of country centres in what is seen to
  be a deliberate and continuing act of abandonment.

• The recent, hurried introduction of 24 hour retailing might be very
  convenient for those who want to shop at 2.30 am but it is a potential
  disaster for small business.

• Why the continuing withdrawal of services for the aged, the ill, the
  handicapped and the poor? Why is the reduction of legal aid now such a
  farce? It is merely confirming the view that there is one law for the
  rich and another for the poor. Justice is there if you can afford it;
  too bad if you can’t.

• What special skill has it taken to produce waiting lists at public
  hospitals? And why are hospital wards closed when there is no shortage
  of people to fill them?

• And why is it that the ordinary pay as you earn worker does not have
  the same access to the tax minimisation avenues available to those with
  greater resources? One does not have to look too hard to find the
  offspring of the financially blessed receiving full Austudy benefits.
  It may not technically be an act of dishonesty but there does seem to
  be a lack of justice with such a practice.

• Fair minded Aussies do not need to be convinced that the treatment
  of indigenous Australians since white settlement has not been a glorious
  chapter. The desire for some form of reconciliation has much to
  commend it. But the gaps between Indigenous and Western cultures is
  vast and it is eminently clear that throwing endless dollars at the
  problem does not seem to be achieving very much. Further, the Mabo and
  Wik [indigenous land rights] decisions have the potential to cause real
  unrest and needless division.

• The not so level economic playing field sees many of our trading
  partners happily placing tariffs on our goods while we reduce them and
  continue to sacrifice home grown industries and jobs. With the
  continual sale of Australian enterprises to overseas interests, one
  wonders what will be there for our kids when their turn comes.

• The dubious and unashamed practice of oil companies milking holiday
  motorists with fuel price hikes is nothing short of corporate banditry.
  Government strategies to implement competition and reduce prices have so
  far failed while the petrol pump remains a marvellous tax source.

• There are still magazines on the bookstalls in full view which
  amount to little more than meat catalogues. It is amazing that we have
  apparently been so easily conned by those anxious to protect their right
  to say and do anything when such a desire is so patently hostile to all
  that is good, pure and morally valuable.

This is but a sampling of the issues. With all the unease, why are
we so silent? In all of the good things we do, why is the prophetic
task of the church seemingly at the bottom of the list? How come we
have so little to say? Why aren’t we giving stronger support and
encouragement to those few who are attempting to address at least some
of these issues? Diagnosis is not too difficult. Our very public
laryngitis springs from a variety of obvious causes:

We affirm too little; we blame too much

Your average Aussie has an amazing capacity for holding others
responsible for anything which goes wrong. We love to take pot shots at
leaders and highlight the ways in which they have not delivered for us.
No government will ever get it right for everybody. So, what do we do?
We bleat; we blame; we put down; we make judgements which are often
uninformed and thereby unjust.

Our great mistake is that we tend to come out of the wood work for
the sole purpose of registering our concerns. And we do not give credit
where it is due. Christians would do well to be far more proactive in
commending community leaders for decisions which are going in the right
direction rather than lying in wait for something to backfire.

When we win the "wowser" title, it is often well deserved
and we should not complain about it. If we have not done our research,
or made informed contributions to public policy when the invitation is
given, or have failed to offer better ways forward, we have no right to
grandstand in retrospect. If are we are only ever seen to be
complainers, who wants to hear from us?

With so many issues creating so much anguish we are afraid to
engage in debate in case we are found wanting.

Most of us are spooked by political leaders who are quick to
criticise the Christian community when we do enter the arena of public
life. We are usually informed that this is none of our business and
that are we should stick to "saving souls." But it is our
historic commitment to the wellbeing of the community that prompts us to
speak out in the first place. The standard jibe that are we are losing
numbers flies in the face of the fact that the Church is still by far
the largest minority group in the country and that more people turn out
to church each week than for any other community activity.

Too often are we say nothing for fear of being off side with other
Christians who may feel differently on particular subjects.

But this fear is wonderfully misplaced. Whatever the differences in
flavour between the churches, there is more than enough common ground to
speak out clearly and collectively on a wide range of issues. The white
anting of family values, the harsh treatment of the needy and the
idolatrous worship of finance all provide reason for us to speak with
passion and unity.

Much more seriously, many of us may not be personally touched by the
present traumas in our Australian society.

The research tells us that the vast bulk of our Baptist community is
drawn from the well educated, professional middle classes. As such many
of us have not been touched by the economic difficulties of recent
years. Our jobs are still intact although are we may be a little more
circumspect about the way we deploy our finance. There are still new
cars in our church car parks. True there are those among us who have
known hardship and loss. Yes, there are churches which have worked
wonders in helping the strugglers. But most of us:

• Do not know what the inside of the local social security office
  looks like (or even where it is)

• Do not have homeless friends
• Have not battled with the loss of self esteem through being
  unceremoniously unloaded from our job with no hope of another

• Do not know anybody with empty cupboards
• Know little of the battle for survival faced by single parents
• Tend to think that the unemployed, the homeless and the poor have
  brought their problems on themselves

• Have not knowingly met anybody suffering from AIDS

And because we are untouched by these realities, we are not moved to
address them despite the powerful biblical mandates to do so.

We have distanced ourselves from the world of politics.

Our lack of interest in the world of politics is a serious mistake.
The desire to avoid party politics actually offers tacit approval to
policies and practices which may cause us enormous discomfort. So what
are the issues?

• Our healthy ignorance: how many of us know the name of our local,
  State and Federal representatives, or where their offices are located?

• Our fear that we might become too involved in party politics
• Our sense of powerlessness: we say nothing simply because we feel
  that it will have no effect on political outcomes

• Our lack of realisation that a few thousand motivated greenies can
  have greater political punch than the 750,000 Australians who attend
  church weekly

The truth is that every politician is accountable to their
electorate, to you, to me. They are in office because we put them
there. Success at the polls is not a free pass to do what you want. If
policies are shaped which conflict with our values, we can hardly take
umbrage if we have not registered our practical reservations.

Silence is regarded as permission. Indeed, the "silent
majority" are too often the foolish majority. We need to find our
peace in the market place and be at home in constructive dialogue with
those who may not agree with us.

We have lost objectivity within the church

We are so often unable to see ourselves as others see us. If we are
seen to be out of touch and trapped in practices and jargon which are
meaningless to the uninitiated, then the problem is ours. If we are
intent on preserving our status and position and can only communicate
when we are against something, then who wants to hear from us? And if
our energies are inwardly directed to meet the needs of the saints
alone, we have no reason or right to be prophetic.

Certainly the prophet of old demonstrated a passion for God and a
lack of regard for self preservation. We play safe too often. We do not
want to offend or displease. Noisy minority groups have no such
hangups. They are passionate, believe in their cause and "if you do
not like what are we are on about, that’s bad luck mate."

So what can be done to lift the levels of communication and
accountability?

Just how do we begin to find that prophetic voice? Some
suggestions:

• Invest time in getting to know your elected representatives. The
  church is an active community group and offers an excellent opportunity
  for your local members to get to know people who already share a genuine
  commitment to the well being of others. While there is great value in
  inviting politicians along to special services or events, there is also
  value in finding more informal ways of affirming and encouraging them.
  They are fine people who often share our concerns but who feel that they
  lack support in their constituency when the crunch time comes in
  deciding difficult matters of policy. When you do want to address a
  matter of concern (or to offer support), you will have a caring
  relationship well established as a background.

• Another possibility is to take a much greater interest in local
  politics. With enormous changes presently being made to the size and
  shape of local government boundaries and operations, there is again a
  window of opportunity for people of the right calibre to become directly
  engaged in local politics. There is a real danger that some of our most
  gifted people are spending time sitting in the pews week by week when
  they could be exercising a most effective influence as local government
  councillors.

• Reach for a better balance between internal church matters and the
  well being of the community. A selfish inward focus is not what it means
  to be “church.” It is time to start engaging with the real needs around
  us and to work with others who share the same hopes and aspirations.
  Shake those half challenged, gifted leaders out of internal church
  activities and commission them into community roles: service clubs,
  school councils, CFA (and don’t expect them to do something in the
  church as well).

• Pick up a few hot potatoes and address them. What are the big deal
  issues where you live? Who is researching them? What is a thoughtful and
  constructive Christian perspective? How can the congregation move
  towards making a difference? What will you say and to whom?

• Remember that there is a connection between the mountain and the
  market place. There is always a danger that we will continue to polish
  up our prayer life but stay shy of direct communication and action. The
  old prophets had no such problem. Engagement with the forces of evil
  grew out of their spirituality; it was all part of the same package. We
  have managed to separate them. Let’s pray and speak up.

• Give prayerful and practical support to those Christian leaders who
  are speaking up and taking action.

Thank the Lord for those who are already giving voice in public
forums to a wide variety of concerns. Let’s not leave them high and dry
when support is needed. They deserve our prayers, interest and support.

The prophetic voice? It springs from a love for Christ, a devotion
to prayer and a passion for mercy and justice. Besides, there is a God
Who calls us to be His people in His world. That part of the plot has
not changed.

– John Simpson <>