Things we don’t talk about

Part 4: Indigenous issues28 June 2009

There are some things we just don’t talk about

Among these are: Religion and politics (just don’t go there please!) Environmental concerns (that’s for greenies) The world of work and industrial relations(umm…

unions and bosses) War (a necessary evil?) Asylum seekers (aka ‘illegal immigrants’) Changing the world (oh so you are Miss Universe?) Tax (yeah we pay too much) Indigenous issues (tell me who they are again)

The intersection of these things with Christian faith just doesn’t seem to get traction among many Christian or non-Christian leaders

Reca

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A cautionary word The views presented here are not

intended to represent the views of Indigenous people.

They are the views and observations of one whitefella who acknowledges his own limited understanding.

While a lot of what is expressed here is based on experiences in remote communities, the same issues apply in other places, including in our own back yard

How would you describe your culture?

What are the key characteristics? What are the visible symbols of your

culture? What are some of the social norms of

your culture? What happens when people deviate from

those norms?

Do not try to explain it by contrast with a different culture.

Indigenous people in Tasmania

Region

Indigenous persons, per cent of population

Year 12 attainment Indigenous

Year 12 attainment non-Indigenous

Unemploy-ment rate Indigenous

Unemploy-ment rate non-Indigenous

Greater Hobart 2.9% 23.3% 40.9% 12.7% 5.7%

Southern 6.0% 16.2% 28.4% 10% 6.9%

Northern 2.6% 19.5% 30.5% 15.5% 6.2%

Mersey-Lyell 5.2% 16.0% 22.4% 14.9% 7.6%

Australia 2.4% 19.4% 44.9% 15.6% 5.1%

What is the Gospel that Jesus preached?

LK 4:16 He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. And he stood up to read. 17 The scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written:

18 "The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed,19 to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor."

20 Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him, 21 and he began by saying to them, "Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing."

Good news… For the poorFor the prisonerFor the sickFor the oppressed

A mandate to love, show mercy and justice and for reconciliation

2 Cor 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! 18 All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation.

Mt 22:36 "Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” MT 22:37 Jesus replied: " `Love the Lord your God with all your heart

and with all your soul and with all your mind.' 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: `Love your neighbor as yourself.'

LK 10:36 "Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?” LK 10:37 The expert in the law replied, "The one who had mercy

on him." Jesus told him, "Go and do likewise.“

LK 11:42 "Woe to you Pharisees, because you give God a tenth of your mint, rue and all other kinds of garden herbs, but you neglect justice and the love of God.

Good news… ReconciliationJusticeMercy

This is a radical gospel

It has the power to transform the lives of individuals, families and communities in any culture.

It has the power to: Reconcile and restore relationships Heal sickness Overturn oppressive systems Redeem prisoners

It is a gospel of transformative action, not just a belief system

Do we believe it?

When we think of missions… We mostly immediately think of overseas

mission This is in part a result of ignorance or

ambivalence on the part of the mainstream church

It also reflects a false view that when missions ‘withdrew’ from remote Indigenous communities that the ‘job was done’

But unfortunately the job is far from done And the gospel of Jesus still needs to be

proclaimed, perhaps now more than ever.

So why can’t they just get a job…?

In order to get a job you need…

An education . But in order to

get an education…

You need to go to school. But in order to go to

school you need someone to send

you.

So why wouldn’t they send you?

Maybe because education isn’t

valued?

Why isn’t it valued?

Would you make your kids to go to

school if it was totally foreign?

And what would you want to learn

English for anyhow?

Oh… to get a job! But then who would want to

work?

Other important issues

Dispossession and a history of racism, conflict marginalisation, no recognition of culture and law

Language Withdrawal of Christian missions Health and chronic diseases Cultural dominance of white

Australians Disproportionate representation in

the criminal justice system

While it would be nonsense to suggest that there are no ‘problems’ among Indigenous communities in any part of Australia, labelling or stereotyping people doesn’t help at all. Indeed, all it does is show a lack of understanding of the issues faced by the people we label. Worse still, it puts all those people in the same basket.

It also shows how little we understand our own culture.

Labelling Indigenous people

Don’t want to work

Drunks Child abusers,

violent Handout

mentality Given houses

and just wreck ‘em

Me and my three friends went travelling…

Three friends and a bag of money

Our response Avoid judgement (look first to the failures of

our own culture before pointing the finger). Let’s not ignore our First Australian brothers

and sisters, rather, let’s advocate for them. Take hold of our mandate to minister to

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders, supporting the few who do work in mission contexts.

Pray for Christian people to take on the challengeinstead of feeding at thetrough.