Salt Shakers Journal Summary September 2008

Editorial (in full below)
Recently we attended the 08/08/08 ‘Your Kingdom Come’ gathering in Canberra. What is the significance of 8? In Biblical terms it is seen as the number for ‘new beginnings’.
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Violence v Hope
Peter Stokes looks at strongest indicator of the general health of society- the crime rate.

News Update
Off to jail; ACT: Parental leave; Adult stem cell successes; Lesbians lose court case

Gambling- National and Victoria
An ever-increasing amount of money is being lost by gamblers across Australia. Victorians lost an incredible $2.6 BILLION on poker machines in the last financial year - $7 million a day!

Protecting our Children- Salo banned
Censorship has a vital role in protecting adults as well as our children. In Australia the Classification Board (formerly the Office of Film and Literature Classification) has the responsibility for rating films, publications and video games.

Violent Computer Games
The highest rating for computer games in Australia is MA15+ - but groups are lobbying to allow R18+ rated games.

Protecting our children- welcome reforms
It is encouraging to report on some good developments that will protect our children. In recent years we have asked you to contact MPs to support some of these initiatives.

Grandparents and the value of prayer
Pat White shares the importance of the role of Grandparents in children’s lives.

When is enough- enough?
Neil Ryan looks at how television standards reflect the values of our times.

Transsexual ‘marriage’
Around the world, transsexuals are pushing to have their change of gender registered by the state. In some cases they want to do this while still married.

Victoria: IVF and Surrogacy laws
Last December the Victorian government announced that it plans to legislate to give lesbian couples and single women access to IVF and allow the lesbian partner to be named on the child’s birth certificate.

Victoria- Abortion and Dying bills
A report on the Physician assisted dying bill and the decriminalisation of abortion.

Throwing cold water on global warming
Peter Westmore looks at the scientific evidence on global warming and shows how the facts differ from the hype.

Climate Change for students
Material from Tim Flannery’s books, The Weather Makers and We are the Weather Makers has been modified for students in a guide called Thinking about climate change: a guide for teachers and students.

World News
USA: Same-sex ‘marriage’; France: Burqa; UK: Hijab and hairdressing; UK: Climate Cops.

Editorial (full version)
Recently we attended the 08/08/08 ‘Your Kingdom Come’ gathering in Canberra.

What is the significance of 8? In Biblical terms it is seen as the number for ‘new beginnings’. We have a seven day week, clearly given us from the foundation of the earth (Gen. 1) by God, so the eighth day was the start of a new week. Eight people were on the boat of new beginnings, the Ark. Circumcision was to be done on the eighth day after birth signifying the (then) new covenant of God to his people. It was on the first day of the new week, the eighth day, that Jesus rose from the dead bringing new life to the world.

Whether 08/08/08 will bring a new beginning to the church in Australia remains to be seen, but it certainly brought together many people who would not have gathered together before so it was certainly something new.

All too often we see the church from our own little box, that might be our ministry focus or simply our denominational focus, and all too often we do not want to venture outside that box. We rarely want to stretch ourselves by sharing with people who ‘think’ differently or do things like worship in a different way to the way ‘we’ do it.

This 08 weekend stretched a lot of people. While all those who met together had a lot in common because they all shared a love for the Lord and a strong belief in His Word, they would not normally spend three days together in worship and workshops that draw them outside their particular box.

So this weekend was a new beginning for many people. Some had never felt the urge to get up and dance in ‘church’ before - tapping feet, clapping, lifting up the hands, may be, but actually dancing with banners!!!

Some had never been confronted with the idea that we are also to be political beings, that the Christian worldview covers every area of life, yes even politics.

So there we all were, thrown together (so to speak) to worship in the Great Hall of the National Parliament in UNITY.

There was no pressure to do anything anyone else did, but how great it was to see that the body of Christ does have arms and legs, a torso, etc. and they all have different functions, but can work in harmony - as long as the head is the Lord Jesus Christ.

That is, of course, the only form of unity we as the body of Christ can hope to achieve in a world of ‘diversity’, The Lordship of Christ and His Word must be paramount and from that flows the freedom to be who God has made us and to do what He has called us to do. When people claim you must ‘do things their way’ to be in unity then you know that is not unity, it is control.

Sadly, today, we see too many people moving away from that headship of Christ and then claiming that it is those who stay true to His Word who are “divisive”. Just look at the response from Lambeth (UK) - the bishops who would not compromise the Lordship of Christ and affirm same-sex immorality are called the divisive ones.

Our young people are the ‘new beginnings’, the next generation, but sadly what they confront today is a very confused and sad world that lacks hope.

Unity in the body is essential if we are to give them a future but the centrality of Christ and His Word cannot be compromised for the sake of nice sounding platitudes such as ‘harmony’ or ‘peace’.

There can be no harmony or peace outside the headship of Christ and His Word.

Yours in Christ Jesus

Peter & Jenny Stokes