An Obadiah Slope column
An anti-Robin Hood budget: Whether you vote red green blue or teal, think the federal government is doing great or not, the Budget, unlike the Gospel is not good news for the poor. A 56 per cent hike in energy costs is forecast and inflation is predicted to hit eight per cent.
Which boomer that he is, Obadiah might be tempted to compare to what he once paid for a couple of mortgages.
Is there a way to have the burdens of society more equitably shared, Obadiah wonders? Its always good to turn to the Book of James when the injustice of the world seems a bit much.
“Believers in humble circumstances ought to take pride in their high position.But the rich should take pride in their humiliation—since they will pass away like a wild flower. For the sun rises with scorching heat and withers the plant; its blossom falls and its beauty is destroyed. In the same way, the rich will fade away even while they go about their business.” James 1:9-11
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A sad note on the church door: It looked like a church from a distance is I walked around the square to check it out. It was an impressive Victorian pile with twin stumpy steeples and columns at the front. The double doors were firmly shut with a small notice in the middle, so small I had to walk right up to the porch to read it. “There are noi church services here. The church has been sold. The congregation is meeting at [name of independent school but no address] Sundays at 10:30. Visitors are welcome at our services.”
Obadiah does not wish to pick on anyone, so gives no details of denomination, or the town he was visiting. But it is a sad notice with its very terse tone giving away a real sadness. A large church building, hall, and a “personage” has been lost to ministry. A few blocks away, another large church, of a different denomination is not being used. A sad stroll through a very pretty city.
But on other walks, Obadiah spots two newer churches in two factory buildings. God has not left that city.
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Selling the crown Jewels: Two great real estate offerings passed through Obadiah’s FB page – conference centres at Elanora heights on Sydney’s northern beaches and Naamaroo on the Lane Cove river. Both are conference venues owned by the Uniting Church. Now Obadiah does not believe church property is sacred, but as the real estate agents say these offerings are rare. And bushland settings close to town are great places for retreats, bible study weekends and the like.
So Obadiah is sad they are being sold. Because behind churches or conference centres being sold often is a decline of Christian activity, whichever group is doing the selling.
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Sporting news: Well it was a character-building week for Obadiah’s Special Olympian at the national games. They came last. Which makes the Special Olympic Athlete’s Oath“Let me win, but if I cannot win let me be brave in the attempt” better than the other Olympics motto “faster higher stronger.” There was lots of bravery all over Launceston last week.
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Mini-Mediawatch: Two headlines were placed next to each other on the home page of the Sydney Morning Herald this week
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1) “Aloiai won’t wear Manly pride jersey next season” on a manly player Jason Aloiai saying the player boycott of the pride jersey is still on.
2) “If the goal was to empower athletes, netballers scored a win.” A comment piece by Jenna Price says “Hopefully, their courage will inspire other athletes to fight the good fight.”
Not sure what those two stories say when put together was exactly the point that Jenna (an old colleague of Obadiah’s) was trying to make.
But if the Netballers were brave, surely the Manly seven were too.
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Let’s hear it for country parsons: Visiting an old friend, who pastors a couple of small country churches, Obadiah was spurred to think of all the people who keep small fellowships alive around the country. God knows who you are, and Obadiah admires your work.
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Both sides now: At the risk of irritating both the right and left, Obadiah can’t help thinking that some who identify as progressives and some who identify as progressives may be playing similar games. The game is to find a political agenda, rather than the gospel and make it the main thing. Make today’s big issue what you most talk about. So anti-vaxxers and those who like identity politics on the left might have more in common than you think. The question Obadiah thinks worth asking is “what did Jesus die for?
It’s a lot easier to find a crowd that you agree with about some issue and pour your effort into that. Now that Obadiah has halved his readership…