Soul Thoughts

Faith and relevance in the 21st century

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Bushfires are NOT the judgment of God

February 14, 2009 /

Many people will be aware of the comments by Pastor Danny Nalliah of Catch the Fire Ministries concerning the Victorian bushfires.  He had a dream back in November in which he saw Victoria on fire and that God told him that Victoria would be judged for the Government’s decision to de-criminalise abortion. Pastor Danny sees Black Saturday as that judgment being fulfilled.

As with many others, I see Danny’s comments as offensive in the extreme, arrogant, and based on very poor theology. His comments are far from biblical. Two well-thought-through responses have come from Barney Zwartz at The Age and Mark Conner of City Life Church in Melbourne’s eastern suburbs.

Danny Nalliah’s comments are simply wrong for the following reasons:

  1. They contradict the very nature of God. God is a God of grace and love. It could be said that at least Nalliah’s comments are based on the Old Testament. But even this falls down. If you take Sodom and Gomorrah, perhaps the most famous subject of judgment in the Old Testament, even there God was willing to save the town if even a handful of people were found to be following the right way. Do we really believe that God does not find anyone good in Victoria? That thought is a blight on the amazing good being done by so many in the name of Christ here.
  2. Following on from the above point, the idea of God judging a whole lot of innocent people for the sins of some is the same ideology that guides al-Qaeda. They believe in murdering as many innocent Westerners as possible because of mainly American foreign policy.
  3. Jesus said that the rain falls on the good and the bad alike. When 18 people were killed at the tower of Siloam, as told in Luke’s Gospel, Jesus was asked who sinned that this happened. Jesus’ response was that no one sinned.
  4. The thinking of many leaders in the Pentecostal tradition is that of being ‘anointed and appointed’, and that any questioning of their authority is akin to being of the devil. Therefore they have an aura of a kind of papal infallibility about pronouncements they make. As a result of this attitude, you have people like Danny Nalliah making these outlandish statements based on a dream they had, rather than basing it on the character of God. This is where I much prefer the evangelical idea of the Bible being seen as an authority (though not necessarily the only one – as Fuzz Kitto says, we need to be careful that we worship God and not the Bible), as it shows clearly who Jesus is, and is, I believe, inspired by God.
  5. I think Barney Zwartz is spot on when he says that at times like these, the role of religion is consolation. It’s interesting how many people have talked about prayer. John Brumby, television reporters and others have all talked about offering their thoughts and prayers. In my mind, God weeps at a time like this.
  6. In the story of the feeding of the 5,000, there is no record of Jesus saying that they were hungry because of the judgment of God. On the contrary, Jesus looked on them with compassion because they were like sheep without a shepherd. Then he proceeded to feed them and there was plenty of food left over, a sign of God’s outlandish generosity.

I have no problem with the idea of God speaking through dreams, but I also recall something that Rowland Croucher has said about prophecy. In his dealings with thousands of counselling clients over many years, he says that an overwhelming amount of them have had their lives destroyed because someone told them they had had a prophecy about them and they trusted them and went along with it. Croucher also says that if someone claims to have a word from the Lord and they have not heard it in a period of extended solitude, then they are not in the biblical tradition.

What I know is that the fullest revelation of God we have is Jesus, the crucified God who wept over Jerusalem and showed grace and love to all.

I also see God at work in the aftermath of the fires, in the amazing outpouring of generosity of Australians in giving money, clothes and time to total strangers. I also see it in the picture of the firefighter bottle-feeding a heat-stressed koala. This is the image of God in humanity.

These thoughts above are from my knowledge of God in my life, in the lives of others, and from the Bible. The comments of Danny Nalliah have no place in the kingdom of God.

Victorian bushfires are a sign of things to come

February 11, 2009 /

We owe it to those who perished, as well as their families and other loved ones, to get the message out to our Governments that climate change is upon us now. We can no longer put up half-baked solutions. See the article below from David Spratt, author of Climate Code Red. And, as the link to Professor David Karoly’s article further below says, these fires will be more frequent in 10 or 20 years. This is climate change. Some might see this as taking advantage of a tragedy. I think it is a responsibility. This is not a politicial issue; this is a moral issue, indeed as Kevin Rudd pointed out, the great moral issue of our time. A moral issue demands a moral response. I believe that these fires expose how pathetically inept Kevin Rudd’s 5% target really is. Hopefully after these fires, this timid target will no longer be politically feasible. The article and links below are sobering reading.

Living in Victoria, the bushfire apocalypse of the last few days has brought a curious response from politicians, who are keen to be seen and heard about everything except the elephant in the room: climate change. Last Sunday when Victoria erupted into flames, it was the hottest day on record at 46.4C in Melbourne and 48.8C was recorded in Hopetoun, following almost immediately after 35 days without rain. This is beyond all lived experience in this part of the world.

Record temperatures and more extreme events are consistent with the projected impacts of global warming, and the horror of the last few days with up to 200 people likely to have lost their lives may be a grim warming of life in the Australian countryside with elevated temperatures, less rain and generally drier conditions, and more extreme events.

Twice in the last two weeks the Victorian premier has told us that two separate extreme weather events are “one-in-1,000-year or one-in-500-year” events. But his chief climate change advisor, Prof. David Karoly politely corrected him on the first occasion, noting that the 43C+ temperatures of 28-31 January would be “much more like the normal experience in 10 to 20 years”.  By today premier Brumby was recognizing that: “There is clear evidence now that the climate is becoming more extreme. Those people that doubted it… we have had temperatures of 48 degrees.”

We know from the research that what we now find extraordinary will become almost everyday in a heated world, and then it will be too late. 

Now is the time for extraordinary political action, as happened a week ago in Canberra when 500 people at the first Australian Climate Action Summit took a courageous stand and declared: “We face a climate emergency. Our vision is to work together at emergency speed to restore in a just way a safe climate in time for all people, all species and all generations.”

Just days later that climate emergency materialised in one form across regional Victoria.

The lived experience of this terrible event may have one positive outcome: to bring into wider debate the effects of global warming and why radical mitigation measures are so necessary now. It may also cast light on the limits of adaptation. 

The planet cannot be traded off. There are absolute limits that should not be crossed, and doing something, but not enough, will still lead to disaster. 

The following material may be of use in the next days and weeks.

David Spratt, 9 February 2009

 

Quote

“The heat is unusual, but it will become much more like the normal experience in 10 to 20 years” – Prof. David Karoly, University of Melbourne, AAP 30 January 2009

http://tvnz.co.nz/world-news/southeast-under-strain-heatwave-2457490

Quote

“But you know, unless you want to spend … huge amounts of money … you can never guarantee something against a one-in-1,000-year or one-in-500-year event. To do so would cost huge amounts of money for something that occurs just one day in 100 years.” – Victorian Premier, John Brumby, 2 February 2009

http://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/1007328/latest-from-wire/

Fires the deadly inevitability of climate change

http://www.theage.com.au/opinion/fires-the-deadly-inevitability-of-climate-change-20090209-8289.html

Freya Mathews, The Age, February 10, 2009

The disaster challenges the Government to accept evident truths.

Dr Greg Holland and Professor David Karoly join Lateline

ABC TV Lateline, 9 August 2009

http://www.abc.net.au/lateline/content/2008/s2486757.htm

Dr Greg Holland of the US National Centre for Atmospheric Research and the Victorian Government’s chief climate change adviser Professor David Karoly join Lateline live from Melbourne.

Fires, floods pressure Australia government on climate

http://www.reuters.com/article/environmentNews/idUSTRE5180MF20090209

James Grubel, Reuters, 9 February 2009

Australia’s deadliest wildfires increased pressure on the national government to take firm action on climate change on Monday as scientists said global warming likely contributed to conditions that fueled the disaster.

It will only get worse as climate changes

http://www.canberratimes.com.au/news/national/national/general/it-will-only-get-worse-as-climate-changes/1428048.aspx

Jonathan Pearlman, Canberra Times, 9 February 2009

Australia faces “a very dangerous decade or decades” as climate change increases the intensity of fires and lengthens the bushfire season, scientists and environmentalists warn.

Are we underprepared for the bushfire threat? 

http://www.aussmc.org/bushfire_threat_Jan09.php

Bushfire Co-operative Research Centre (CRC) and Australian Science Media Centre briefing, 29 January 2009

LOTS OF MATERIAL AT BUSHFIRE CRC, including:

Climate change and its impact on the management of bushfire

http://www.bushfirecrc.com/publications/downloads/Fire-Note-climate-change_25.pdf

Bushfire Weather in Southeast Australia: Recent Trends and Projected Climate Change Impacts 

http://www.climateinstitute.org.au/images/stories/bushfire/fullreport.pdf

C. Lucas, K. Hennessy, G. Mills and J. Bathols,  Bushfire CRC and Australian Bureau of Meteorology 

September 2007

Victorian briefing

http://www.climateinstitute.org.au/images/stories/bushfire/CI050_BW_VIC_Brief_Final.pdf

Fatal mix of high heat and drought

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,25026939-5013404,00.html

Asa Wahlquist, The Australian, February 09, 2009

Weather experts have blamed record temperatures, a sustained drought and climate change for the bushfires that devastated Victoria and are expected to have claimed up to 100 lives over the weekend.

Is there a link between Adelaide’s heatwave and global warming?

http://bravenewclimate.com/2009/02/03/is-there-a-link-between-adelaides-heatwave-and-global-warming/

Barry Brook, bravenewclimate, 3 February 2009

Compassion in the face of disaster

February 11, 2009 /

Koala drinking water

Isn’t this photo just beautiful? It seems to have gone around the world. I saw it in the London Times yesterday. Yet another example of how humanity has the capacity for the most amazing empathy, this time for those who are often the most vulnerable in disasters like the Victorian bushfires – our animal friends.

Of droughts and flooding rains

February 8, 2009 /

Dorothea Mackellar’s famous poem has been brought to mind again in our sunburnt land. While half of Queensland is under water, Victoria and NSW are still trying to deal with the worst day of fires in the nation’s history. This is now worse than the Ash Wednesday fires of 1983.

Call 1800 811 700 to donate to the Victorian Bushfire Appeal

Call 1800 811 700 to donate to the Victorian Bushfire Appeal

This post is for those who have lost loved ones and homes. Our prayers and thoughts are with you. At the time of posting, 84 people have died in Victoria. This is a disaster on a massive scale for us, and I have to say that I think the response of the Victorian Premier, John Brumby, has been admirable. He has been visible, he has been compassionate, and he has sought assistance when it has been needed. The true heroes though are the firefighters, many of whom are volunteers from the CFA. If you see one of them on the road somewhere, give them a donation and let them know what a fantastic job they do, often at risk to their own lives.

The ABC has also set up a page for people who would like to help. They say they have already been inundated with offers of assistance. This is the great thing about Australia. When disaster strikes, we rally around each other and help each other out. When you watch the news over the next few days, take a minute to think and pray for the victims and everyone involved.

Why isn’t this being given more coverage?

January 29, 2009 /

With all the talk of bailouts and tax cuts to stimulate growth in the economy, the silence about the enormous opportunity these financially difficult times present is somewhat deafening. Why isn’t there a lot more coverage about the need for massive investment in the green economy? The Obama Administration has recently announced that it plans to take the lead on dealing with climate change and not block the initiatives of the states, of which the Governator’s California has been a strong leader. Arnie’s enthusiastic response to Obama’s call for cooperation with the states shows that this must go beyond predictable party politics. This is a moral issue. Indeed, as Kevin Rudd has said, the great moral issue of our time.

green-energyIn my opinion – and I am no economist – massive infrastructure investment in green technology is by far the best solution to get the economy going again. What better time to do it than now? And at the same time it will show that we really are serious about mitigating dangerous climate change. Bailouts are only short term solutions, and tax cuts are not only short term but are not likely to work as people tend to want to save in times like these. Green investment will create thousands of jobs, and Australia of all countries has the resources to invest heavily in solar, wind, geothermal, and wave technology.

Various sources (I won’t list them here, check them out) are saying that Australia could be powered entirely from renewable energy. If you take solar alone, there are few, if any, countries in the world with the amount of sunshine that we have. Why aren’t our journalists talking more about this? The only one I have noticed who has said anything recently is Jill Singer in this article in the Herald Sun.

To me this shows again how crucial it is for grassroots movements like GetUp, and many others made up of people like you and me, to pressure our Governments like there is no tomorrow. Because if we don’t, there just might not be any tomorrow for our children.

A prayer for the ages

January 25, 2009 /

It was only this morning that I had a good look at Rev. Joseph Lowery’s benediction prayer at Barack Obama’s inauguration. What a lovely prayer – a prayer of confession, humility and thanksgiving. It’s just the sort of prayer that we all need to pray, as individuals and as nations. May we all seek God and his kingdom in the spirit of Rev. Lowery’s prayer. Check it out below, or read the transcript here.

[youtube=http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=7pEH37JIgBU]

The President and the Son of God

January 23, 2009 /

Like much of the world, I was reflecting on the outpouring of deep emotion and sheer joy at the inauguration of Barack Obama last week. As I took it all in, my thoughts turned to how the disciples would have felt after the resurrection of Jesus. Imagine their joy. It was actually true! After 3 of the longest days spent in utter disillusionment at the death of the Messiah, they suddenly had the awesome realisation that what Jesus had said all along was actually true. Death really had been defeated. Joy inexpressible!

Barack ObamaWhilst not putting too much of a spin on it, I reckon Inauguration Day was a tiny glimpse of that. Hope had been realised. The dream had taken a massive step to fulfillment. After all these years (and for so many, after the despair of the Bush years), the sun had finally risen. This was a day when African Americans, and indeed Africans everywhere, stood taller. Finally, they were being recognised as equals.

Of course, the fact that Barack Obama has become a Messiah-like figure is actually quite dangerous. The expectation on the man is simply enormous. Kevin Rudd even called him the hope of our time. What a weight to carry. After all, to paraphrase Brian’s mother (of ‘Life of Brian’ fame), he’s not the Messiah, he’s just the President. He will never be able to fulfil the enormous hope put in him, and for this reason, he will inevitably disappoint. It is only hoped that when he does, we will not become disillusioned for it.

But despite the burden this man carries, this was a day when we caught a tiny glimpse of hope, of what it will really be like when the world is put to rights. Suddenly, for a fleeting moment, we knew what it was to have hope renewed. We saw that, when a person has hope, the attractiveness of living purely for yourself fades hopelessly into the distance. You see that choosing war reflects a loss of hope, you see that giving in to temptation reflects a loss of hope. And you see that when you have hope, it really is something better, that you have finally found what you were looking for all these years. This is how it will be on an immeasurably larger scale when the new heavens and the new earth come together. What one President may be able to do pales into obscurity when compared to the glory that awaits (Rev. 21:4). Hope does not disappoint.

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